a Family Medicine Conference was held in Vancouver, BC this past February (Feb 22-25, 2012).
Here is an overview of the conference mandate (as per website):
This comprehensive three-day review course offers an update of knowledge central to the practice of family medicine in both rural and urban settings. Committed to addressing everyday practical issues, speakers present equally on current and special areas of concern to the primary health care professionals.
DR. R, an infectious disease doctor in Vancouver, gave a power point presentation on Lyme disease to the HUNDREDS of BC GPs in attendance. (the pictures in this post are the slides from his power point presentation)
I learned of this presentation from someone who attended the conference. they have requested they remain anonymous but have given me permission to share this information as well as their thoughts on what they experienced during the presentation.
"His presentation was horrendous.The impression I got is that he was trying to be entertaining and elicit laughs from his audience. His tone was dismissive of Lyme disease and mocked Lyme patients -I think many of his slides speak to his attitude."
"He said there are 4 presentations of patients with Lyme disease:
1. panic;
2. A huge bull's eye rash - he stated rash size of a dinner plate:
3. Self-diagnosis on the internet:
4. A patient purchasing a 'positive' test:
If he had said this about any other patient group it would simply not be tolerated. On top of his dismissive tone, he also made factual errors in his presentation."
"He stated that the blood tests are virtually 100% positive if a person has had LD for more than 6 weeks; that a bull's eye rash will be huge" - as you can see on the following slide, he states that the risk of infection is so low in BC, that there is no need to give prophylactic treatment to a patient that has a tick bite with no rash - only if their ELISA test (given at 6 weeks post bite) sero-converts to positive then you treat.
Waiting for a patient to sero-convert at 6 weeks post bite plus relying on the faulty Elisa Test to diagnose gives the infection ample time to invade the organs and tissues, thus putting the patient at great risk for developing late stage lyme with a heightened risk of it becoming a chronic/persistant infection.
After his presentation, which mocked Lyme patients and was full of misinformation, I can now understand why doctors still do not effectively diagnose or treat Lyme disease in BC.
3 comments:
This is truly a sad state of affairs. What people are afraid of they usually mock or shame. Clearly this is the case here. I fear this is the downfall of our medical profession. Fear breading ignorance and mockery. I pity and do know that if not now, in the near future, they will have someone they know or themselves go through the medical system and seen like a "lunatic" as this person has presented such people.
It's shocking and despicable to see how Dr Reynolds views anyone with Lyme disease and co-infections. Has he no shame, no compassion for the seriously ill? Or is it that there's no glory in a disease that can be treated with antibiotics? I've a mind to write to the Dean of Medicine at UBC and ask him if he finds this presentation acceptable.
Absolutely incredible. I have no more patience for this kind of idiocy. Physicians in leadership positions should be held responsible for the lies they spread. It is more than disinformation.The Hippocratic oath is being dismantled. Laws are broken. The physicians in this province are unacceptable. I have had at least a dozen behave like they just stepped out of this farcical conference. Unacceptable lies. Science has no place in politics. Clearly the crossroads has come. You have inspired me to write yet another letter to the college of physicians and surgeons.
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