I've been saying this a lot, and I don't mean to get conspiratorial on you, but the conspiracies are starting to sound authentic. The science community may not only be turning a blind eye to an epidemic right in front of your face but actively suppressing its seriousness. I'm not talking about that disease. Instead, documentarians Lindsay Keys and Winslow Crane-Murdoch are shining a light on the cover-up of Lyme disease in The Quiet Epidemic.
The general public knows the first Lyme Disease case appeared in 1975. The bacteria is transferred commonly by ticks, and that's easily treatable with antibiotics. Or is it? The documentary follows two subjects. The first is teenager Julia Bruzzese, who's been suffering from chronic Lyme disease since she was twelve. Secondly, there's Dr. Neil Spector, a Duke University Cancer Researcher, who received a heart transplant after a drawn-out case of Lyme disease.
The main point of The Quiet Epidemic is that the medical community, insurance companies, and worse, the CDC believes that Lyme Disease is curable with a simple antibiotic regime, over and done. However, they refuse to accept that in over 20% of cases, Lyme persists and, when left untreated, attacks various parts of the body, including the brain. Because medicine does not accept this fact, Bruzzese is left to fend for herself in a losing battle, and we already know about Dr. Spector's heart transplant.
The heartbreaking aspect is the public treatment and humiliation of those suffering from chronic Lyme Disease. The moment Bruzzese's father questioned that his daughter's condition might be Lyme Disease, her doctor and insurance company instantly became their adversaries. They outright stated that the teen was lying and suggested psychological treatments for her "false" beliefs about her condition. As a result, insurance companies refuse to pay for the very expensive antibiotic treatment. So much so that Bruzzese and her father fly to India for experimental stem-cell treatments.
"The heartbreaking aspect is the public treatment and humiliation of those suffering from chronic Lyme Disease."
The Quiet Epidemic then questions why the medical community and CDC are actively trying to squash credible research into Lyme. What's the point of shutting down more modern tests for Lyme and treatments? They are steadfast in accepting that Lyme is curable, does not return, and will demonize anyone who believes otherwise.
Keys and Crane-Murdoch go to great lengths to present facts about Lyme. They question the "science" for the sake of the hundreds of thousands who are not only suffering because of Lyme Disease but are dying every time "science" shuts its bureaucratic door on patients. The IDSA has narrowed the definition so much that Lyme often goes undiagnosed in a person's system, causing preventable but irreparable damage.
There is potential for hope. For decades, science and the trusted folks at the CDC have refused to budge on their attitudes and beliefs about Lyme Disease. The Quiet Epidemic gives us a small preview of scanning technology that can identify Lyme Disease and related bacteria.
The Quiet Epidemic is masterful at exposing a conspiracy that, if taken seriously, would have/could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Sure, maybe everything in this documentary is wrong, and we're chasing the wrong solution. But isn't the point of science, specifically medicine, to investigate the possibility that science itself is wrong and never shut the door to saving lives? The documentary will make you angry and want to do something. But, sadly, your health is your responsibility, and you must constantly fight for it.
For screening information, visit The Quiet Epidemic's official website.
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