In the early 90’s, no one knew anything about Lyme, Babesia, or Bartonella. The latter infects about 10-20% of humanity. My pending book will be definitive for many years and might sell only 1500 copies. Doctors learn these three for only 75 seconds in their careers.
Who will read “Lyme” books? Only slightly healthy patients or family will pick them up. Recently, someone was annoyed that my #1 book on Artemisia derivatives was not free. Medical books should have easy access. It was free, and functional medicine doctors, naturopaths, and patients still did not read it. A book that took tens of thousands to write. Over a year.
And these biting insect infections took a quarter-century out of my life. 45,000 hours of research study. 3.8 million self-funded research. But we survived. Because we sought the best available. Or really, just the best we know about in the Eastern USA. We knew that 10 minutes of insurance-covered office visits with “magic” treatments for these infections was not happening. Obviously, after a couple of months. We were so sick that my children could not get out of bed.
But most do not have any drama, and with a healthy life, your experience with ticks from up to 200 different mammal carriers might be almost nothing, even for 20, 30, or even 40 years.
But if an emotional or physical trauma happens, will you think back to a camp tick bite at 15 years old?
NO.
Why?
THE FIRST THING TO GO IS YOUR INSIGHT.
The political part is easily summarized. The government has virtually no one in science or political power who is an expert on these infections. Even when President Bush had it, my sense it was an exaggerated cold. He was said to have merely “Lyme,” which I have never seen in my career, treating multiple smarter doctors’ failures[–usually 30 doctors before me.
In terms of politics inside Lyme organizations, you have a wide bell curve. In one, you have top leaders who lie publicly, easy and excessive anger, in-groups, contempt, a rush to judgment, and non-doctors whose single call has more weight than a Predidents.
And the common sins of those who have been infected in the head or heart, but will not allow you to be.
And there are so many others, who are the utter cream of humanity. And so many I consider precious, wise, loving, and faithful friends.