This compelling account of the explosive growth of Lyme disease grows to encompass all the peculiar politics, corruption and inertia of American medicine.
Under Our Skin (2009)
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Reviews Counted: 21
Fresh: 17
Rotten:4
Average Rating: 6.7/10
Theatrical Release:Jun 19, 2009 Limited
Synopsis:
"The terrorist in my body has been found."
- Amy Tan, bestselling author
In the early 1970's, a mysterious new ailment was discovered among a group of children living around the town of Lyme,...
"The terrorist in my body has been found."
- Amy Tan, bestselling author
In the early 1970's, a mysterious new ailment was discovered among a group of children living around the town of Lyme, CT. What was first diagnosed as isolated cases of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, eventually became known as Lyme disease, a potentially serious illness triggered by spiral-shaped bacteria, similar to the organisms that cause syphilis. Today, cases of Lyme disease have been reported in all states. According to CDC estimates, over 200,000 people may acquire the disease per year--more than cases of AIDS, West Nile Virus, and Avian Flu combined. Many of those untreated will suffer chronic debilitating illness. Some unknowingly will pass the disease on to their unborn children. Many will lose their livelihoods, and still others will lose their lives.
Under Our Skin is a feature documentary that takes viewers into the lives of Lyme sufferers struggling to find answers and a road back to health. We watch a set of diverse characters battle not only a disease, but what they see as a broken healthcare system. While the popular perception of Lyme disease is of a trivial joint-related problem easily cured with a few weeks of antibiotics, our characters tell a radically different story. They are forced to live with confounding and debilitating symptoms for months to years, while searching for a diagnosis and effective treatment. As they visit specialist after specialist, so many are told that their problems are stress related or "all in their heads.” Most are misdiagnosed for years with incurable conditions such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, lupus, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimers or ALS. And when these patients finally receive a Lyme diagnosis, they ask, What is going on? Why are front-line physicians so ignorant of classic Lyme symptoms and the true size of the epidemic? Why does it take the average Lyme patient more than 3 years and $60,000 to be diagnosed? Once diagnosed, why are many physicians and insurers refusing to provide sufferers with lifesaving treatment? And why are many of the physicians who do treat Lyme coming under fire with the threat of losing their medical licenses?
On the other hand, we hear from medical experts who insist Lyme disease cannot be chronic and has become an "epidemic of hysteria"--routinely over-diagnosed and over-treated, with grave risks to public health and our antibiotic supply. The disconnect between the varying perceptions and experiences of Lyme disease is staggering.
Journeying deep into the microscopic and macrocosmic world of Lyme, UNDER OUR SKIN uncovers the shocking human, medical and political dimensions of Lyme disease. As the film delves into the lives of those who have been unalterably changed by the disease, a haunting picture emerges of our healthcare system and its ability to cope with a terror under our skin. --© Official site
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Director: Andy Abrahams Wilson
Director: Andy Abrahams Wilson
Producer: Andy Abrahams Wilson
Composer: Justin Melland
Studio: Shadow Distribution
Reviews for Under Our Skin
Under Our Skin has a major ax to grind, but if even half of what it alleges is true, it's more deeply terrifying than any slasher film you'll ever see.
The medical establishment bows under a new disease and patients suffer while insurance companies look the other way.
Too overstuffed with conspiracy babbling and endless artsy nature photography to have a genuine impact.
A vital, insightful, brave and moving documentary that will wake you up and shake you up to the harsh realities of Lyme disease.
Only in its investigation into these downright evil motives does it take on the necessary role of activist, and...I wish it had gone further and deeper.
Scary enough to make the faint of heart decide never to venture into the woods or to lie on the grass again without protective covering.
Under Our Skin is a frightening documentary about Lyme disease, so called because it was first noticed in Lyme, Conn.
Definitively shows that chronic Lyme disease is a growing problem that has not been given a fair shake by the medical establishment.
Under My Skin is well-produced and engaging, but it’s also anecdotal and conspiratorial, and damnably non-confrontational.
It’s the same argument Michael Moore made in Sicko, but it bears repeating.
A scary expose' illustrating exactly what happens to a country when you let the insurance lobby set a corporate agenda which puts profits ahead of healthcare. Are you listening, President Obama?
Just as you're heading off for a nice hike in the park, along comes this timely reminder that Lyme disease is has reached epidemic proportions in US, and the bacteria causing it may be lurking in a deer tick waiting in your neck of the woods to bite and i
Andy Abrahams Wilson builds a decent, if stylistically dull, case that Lyme disease is far deadlier and more neurologically debilitating than most doctors want to admit.
[The director's] inability to place a compelling human face on the disease, whether doctor or patient, derails his good intentions at raising awareness.
This is a good science documentary about a problem that does not get much press. [It] raises disturbing questions.
Timely and terrifying, this investigative, sobering documentary reveals how our corrupt medical system, influenced by insurance companies, has failed patients in need.
I've just watched one of the most frightening horror movies I've seen in a long time. The evil in it springs from deer ticks and human ignorance, both of which seemed to be omnipresent.
You might want to cancel that camping trip after watching Andy Abrahams Wilson's candid and frightening look at Lyme disease.
Latest News for Under Our Skin
June 18, 2009:
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This week at the movies, we've got Biblical bloopers (Year One, starring Jack Black and Michael Cera) and an engagement of convenience (The Proposal, starring Sandra Bullock and... More...
June 16, 2009:
A scary expose' illustrating exactly what happens to a country when you let the insurance lobby set a corporate agenda which puts profits ahead of healthcare. Are you listening, President Obama? ![]()
More...
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