I never realized how cool documentaries could be. I always thought they were just boring and didn't have a plot. But actually, they can be super intense and exciting. Just because it isn't fiction, doesn't mean that it can't be a story. My friend Chelsea (who is in public health) asked me to join her at a presentation on Lyme disease. The film was actually very fascinating and so informative. I recommend it to anyone. Its called "under our skin." I didn't know that Lyme disease was such a controversial disease and that lots of people have it and don't even know because it is so often misdiagnosed. Frankly, i'm slightly opposed to traditional medicine and doctors in general. They scare me. Or maybe its just illness that scares me and they represent that. Also, apparently, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease is also related to the bacteria that causes Alzheimer's disease. And its similar to syphilis bacteria. Who woulda thought?! Me being a nerd again. Why didn't I go into science or biology, we wonder again. I have a friend who has Lyme disease. He'll probably never read this, but I feel bad that I wrote of his distress and symptoms as being over-dramatic and his need for attention. I understand now that those neurological symptoms are not psychosomatic, they are genuine. Some people really do have problems where they can't move or get out of bed and they are sleepy. They forget things and get "foggy brains." Its real and now that I understand what it can really do and what it is really about, I want to be a part of helping people fight it or at least fight the ignorance about Lyme disease. New lifetime goals: teach people about Lyme disease & never go anywhere that ticks live (everywhere in US and lots of countries in Europe) and never get bit.
I agree, documentaries can be so interesting! You have to be careful with them sometimes because, of course, they always have an agenda. If you're not careful you can get sucked into these ideas that you don't actually agree with based on the emotional appeal. But they can also be awesome tools. And so informative and entertaining. Maybe I will have to check out this one!
ReplyDeleteI love documentaries! I always feel smarter after viewing them!
ReplyDeleteI watched this a while ago, it is such a crazy disease and so terrifying! I like that it provided ways to check yourself and be aware of the ticks.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend with Lyme's Disease and she's had tons of problems and is sick all the time because of it and she has two kiddos to take care of too. She's pretty sure that she'll die early because of Lyme's Disease complications (she's only like 23 or 24). It's a real issue and no one talks about it b/c it's a big no-no/yucky disease, but it's probably more common than AIDS and they get funding but Lyme's Disease Organizations don't really
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