DC Area Premiere

UPDATED: Tickets are still available for Monday, June 23 at 8:00 p.m.

UNDER OUR SKIN is a suspenseful and dramatic exploration of the diagnosis and treatment of a dangerous epidemic: chronic Lyme disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admit that more than 200,000 people may be infected with Lyme disease annually, more than new cases of AIDS, West Nile Virus and Avian Flu combined. The medical establishment, taking its cue from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)—some of whose members have disturbing connections to the health insurance industry—posit that Lyme Disease is treatable with antibiotics, and that chronic Lyme disease is usually psychosomatic. Such a conclusion gives little comfort to long-suffering patients seeking relief.

Director Andy Abrahams Wilson follows six chronic Lyme disease patients and a handful of maverick “Lyme-literate” physicians who risk their medical licenses to successfully treat the condition. Patients profiled include new bride Mandy Hughes, whose years-long radical treatment is captured in the film, and Elise Brady-Moe, a Lyme disease carrier who is terrified that her newborn son will test positive for the bacteria that causes Lyme. The film features pathologist Alan MacDonald, whose recent breakthrough links the Lyme infection to microbial biofilms, which would justify classifying the disease as chronic. Meanwhile, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal recently demonstrated that the IDSA excluded medical evidence and even contrary views from within their organization.

Disturbing, if not terrifying, UNDER OUR SKIN is what Wilson calls “a chilling tale of the pursuit of profit and prestige at the expense of science and very sick patients.”

-Jody Arlington

Post-screening discussion on Monday, June 23

Moderated by Rebecca J. Cooper, National Correspondent, ABC 7 News

Panelists:
Andy Abrahams Wilson, Director
Mandy Hughes, Film Subject
Dr. Leila Zackrison, Lyme Specialist and Film Subject

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