In the presence of Mister Richard Miller, Professeur Jacques Brotchi, Dr. Ivan Boucher, Dr. Valerie Obsomer, …
We were invited to this meeting to discuss the following points :
1. That the various authorities urgently investigate the possibility of imposing the various available screening tests (Elisa, Western Blot and Elispot) in case of a suspicion of Lyme, given the Elisa test yielding many wrong negative results. None of these tests is 100% reliable and as a result, physicians need to take more account of clinical and other criteria (co-infections, …) to determine if it is Lyme disease. But unfortunately their knowledge is usually insufficient.
2. That the Government and the College of Physicians and other organizations stop sending circulars to all doctors to warn them against the prescription of long-term antibiotic cures in the case of an older infection of Lyme disease, given that this is currently the case, any available solution is to improve the fate of patients and to prevent them from slipping or falling into a disability. If these patients were discovered in time, this problem would not exist !
3. That the authorities continue as soon as possible with a comparative study to know the best long-term treatment (antibiotics, phytotherapy and supplements) that could alleviate and improve many patients. These treatments are successfully applied by some doctors in Belgium and in many other countries, while they are considered useless by the majority of Belgian doctors who offer no alternative. We know that these treatments are far from perfect, but at the very least allow them to have a more or less normal life and professional reintegration. We are always open to other alternatives, but they also bring improvements, but we would prefer an adapted treatment for Lyme disease.
4. Since there is currently no other alternative in the world, we ask that the authorities provide for an intervention in the costs of long-term treatments, which are currently the only ones capable of improving the condition of patients and avoiding severe disabilities as well as the death. This also saves money on unnecessary examinations and treatments, because of the many false diagnoses (immunosuppressants for 1000 euros per month!, Scanners, MRI, scintigraphy, physiotherapy, …). We also wish to avoid that « Charlatans » use a therapeutic vacuum.
5. That the authorities urgently provide up-to-date training of future physicians and compulsory continuing education on Lyme disease for practicing physicians, since most are totally ignorant or uninformed. Many are unable to detect a recent or persistent Lyme disease and are unaware of the disastrous consequences of not early detection of the disease. Veterinarians are much better trained than doctors and know very well that this is not a rare disease, but a real epidemic. They are aware of the severity of the disease and a necessary long-term treatment.
6. That the authorities provide up-to-date training for their own experts and for the medical advisors of the health insurance funds, those who are able to continue to work with difficulty to get back to work, given that they otherwise they would lose their benefit and therefore fall into total misery.
7. And especially that the medical world stops people with Lyme for depressive, sick in the head, lazy, … to look.
8. We also urgently call for more research into any possible means of transfer, in order to prevent an uncontrollable epidemic, ie. not only ticks, but also other insects, sexual transmission and also from mother to child (in-utero), blood transfusions, organ donation and consumption of raw meat and milk.
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