David J. Volkman, Ph.D., M.D. Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics 4 River Hollow Lane Nissequogue, New York 11780 ____________________________ 631 862 6398 FAX: 631 862 6561 dvolkmans1@verizon.net July 15, 2014 Seniors Blumenthal, Brown, Markey, Durbin, Warren Dear Senator: I am writing in regard to the proposed legislation to establish a Lyme disease Advisory Committee. I am experienced in Research, Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Immunology, and have treated al Lyme disease patients since 1985. Briefly, while there are over 300,000 borrelia infections in the United States annually, more than 95% go undiagnosed and untreated. Authorities have actively ignored and denied the extent of this well documented epidemic, recently reported in JAMA. In addition, the CDC has supported risible investigations from Dr. Frieden’s former Yale colleagues claiming LD is limited to two areas nationwide when in fact it is reported from TN to TX and throughout the South. It is imperative that we get some objective political oversight on a cabal of authorities that have dominated the narrative (a reversal of the usual biomedical oversight of political issues). While an inexpensive ELISA/B31 IgG serum test detects the vast majority borrelia infections (Lyme disease (LD)) and a single Western Blot (WB) anti-p41 IgG band confirms LD, the CDC, FDA, and others have insisted on having 5-10 WB bands to diagnoses the disease. There are no reports of false positive IgG assays although their dangers are oft touted. The overly restrictive diagnostic criteria established by the FDA have been primarily responsible for the enormous underdiagnoses of LD. The acknowledged and unacknowledged secondary gains of these authorities are beyond the scope of this letter. If I can be of any assistance please don’t hesitate to ask. Sincerely, David J. Volkman, PhD, MD Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics SUNY, Stony Brook, NY 1178 Tel: 631 862 6398 FAX: 631 862 6561 volkmans@verizon.net