Nova Scotia’s top doctor takes heat over retweet dismissing chronic Lyme disease
[CanLyme Note: Once you read this article you will see that the Nova Scotia Minister of Health chimed in with the usual pre-formatted line that the province follows evidence-based guidelines. For research and science to become evidence, it requires transparent debate with stakeholders. There is no more important stakeholder in health care than the sick patient and their experts. No such debate has been allowed in Canada. The guidelines he refers to prune the research database and cite only that which supports their pre-determined assumptions while ignoring volumes of research that show their assumptions are incorrect. This is a long standing tactic of the private and highly industry influenced Infectious Disease Society of America and its puppet organization in Canada, the private Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease of Canada. Both of these organizations are anti-evidence, anti-science and are criticized globally by true scientists. Canadians are in real danger so long as our politicians and taxpayer salaried pseudo-scientists are allowed to ignore the ethics of science and Canada’s commitment to the highest quality of health care.]
January 28th Chronicle Herald by Andrew Rankin
HALIFAX, N.S. – A recent retweet by the province’s top doctor dismissing chronic Lyme disease as a condition based on pseudoscience and supported by a chronic Lyme cult, is being met with sharp criticism by one of Canada’s top tick experts.
“There are a lot of people who are sick and belittling them publicly is trivializing their illness and their suffering, so it’s deeply unfortunate given all of the science work and medical work that needs to be done around Lyme disease,” said Vett Lloyd, a biology professor at Mount Allison University. She also leads the university’s Lyme Research Network. “Chronic Lyme disease is not a cult. It’s not a myth.”
On Wednesday, Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, retweeted the anonymous tweet from an account named LymeScience…
I watched in amazement a few years ago, a webinar given to Maritime doctors by self-appointed Lyme experts. The physicians were told that the what was being presented was based on top notch, level 1 science and there was no need for the participants to check the references. This would normally be red flag to people with a science background but was readily accepted by the participating doctors. The doctors complaints were that they were tired of learning about the disease from their patients. The response was a non committal “yes”. It was explained that Lyme was no different than any other insect bite [ticks are arachnids] with a little swelling and itching and most cases resolved on their own even if untreated.
Lyme cases doubled last year in Nova Scotia and are at epidemic proportions in the western end of the province. There has been no change in response by Dr. Strang and public health except to go on the attack quoting anonymous sources and references. Dr. Strang doesn’t see or treat patients. Infectious disease doctors don’t treat chronic Lyme patients so how can they be experts? Who decides what is evidenced-based anyway?
I read the information from the Lyme Science .org site and found it disgusting!
In the Nova Scotia Herald story, Dr. Strang, being a Minister of Health, is therefore discrediting the CDC in all their publications, Public Health Agencies in all their gathered information as well as the Infectious Disease Society of America and their decades of so called scientific information.
Dr. Strang’s claim that “Lyme Disease” is not a medical diagnosis, puts his occupation in question as to “Why” he is a doctor.
This person is spreading very dangerous propaganda.
DR STRANG IS NOT A DOCTOR HE IS THE PAPER DOCTOR HE IS NOW CONSULTING THE GOVERNMENT ON CORONVIRUS HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THESE MALADIES HE IS ONLY DEFENDING A BANKRUPT GOVERNMENT WHO IS HOLDING ON FOR DEAR LIFE CHECK IT OUT HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT LYME AND NOW HE IS GOING TO CONFUSE OUR OPINION ABOUT CORONVIRUS LEE
you are right, he sat in front of news cameras and said ns need not to worry about covid same approach he took to lyme. the man doesnt have a clue and didnt have to he was appointed to this position he just needed a political buddy not intelligence and that is why ns is in the mess its in we need intelligence to fuel this province not bs , and politics . we dont get much for our tax dollars . this applies to all gov. depts. nova scotians cant afford any more stupidity . someone should inform strange there is an airport just outside of halifax ,dartmouth area whether it sinks in or not is another matter. cant teach stupid.