User Reviews

How many people have symptoms that have no easy diagnosis? How many family members suffer untold agony, lose their jobs and social standing, just because of a bite from an insect? Many more than the medical community would have us know.

Under Our Skin gives us some insight about the devastation of Lyme Disease, by following the lives of a few Lyme Disease sufferers.

As a woman who is recovering from Lyme Disease, I KNOW these people, empathize with them, share some of their stories.

Under Our Skin gives the viewer insights that may help give them an "AHA!" moment, which could help themselves or a loved one to find a diagnosis and treatment.

In one of the most terrifying and despicable displays in a documentary this year on film, Under our Skin exposes the hidden epidemic of Lyme disease and its effects on not only its patients but the doctor's and families that try to treat them.

Director Andy Abrahams Wilson sheds light and a nearly obscured and disguised disease that has taken the world by storm. Rendering the medical companies that are cutting these individuals off and declaring "no such thing" on many cases, Wilson along with dozens of individuals provide a new view of a very real, and alarming disease.

Technically, the film doesn't follow a cohesive structure. Sitting at a 1 hour and 44 minute runtime, the whole first hour requires some patience to get through. Wilson doesn't "dumb" down anything, so if not familiar with certain terms and key phrases, you can easily be lost. In a sudden turn however, the movie takes on a more deep and powerful emotional approach to the story. Some of these people can devour you into the screen and grow an inevitable attachment. The film will give you more incentive for self-care and leave you a bit helpless in making a massive change. You can be a radical, or you can hope and pray you don't become stricken or fall victim to this disease. Though flawed in film structure, Under our Skin brings social and important awareness.

***/****

Open Eye films did an outstanding job on this almost 2 hr. documentary!

It presents the facts as they are for us chronic Lyme patients who are not diagnosed promptly; under treated in antibiotics, and thrown into the Lyme war controversy! We didn't ask to be in controversial disease where our insurance companies refuse to pay their fair share for our Lyme appointments and treatments!

I've had chronic Lyme 40 yrs. this Xmas; 34.5 yrs. misdiagnosed by 40-50 Dr's! Unacceptable!.

The IDSA Dr's. need to be working with our ILADS, international Lyme associated disease Dr's. so that we chronic Lyme and co-infection meaning other diseases the ticks carry, can get better and into remission.

Perhaps the most difficult part about covering the issue of Lyme disease is the diverse symptomatology that it causes from patient to patient. Under Our Skin does an amazing job spotlighting patients across the spectrum - from patients who do not visually appear to be ill to the unknown observer, to the severely handicapped. This film is an outstanding step towards educating the country on the true effects of this horrendous epidemic!!! As the mother of one of the more severely handicapped patients, I know all too well the devastation that this disease causes. I also know the ins and outs of the controversy surrounding the two-sided treatment options. Although I have been fortunate to not be faced with the financial burdens that many patients are confronted with, I was threatened with insurance denial and thus can feel their pain. It is a crime that people so ill should have to fight to get the treatment that as human beings they so fully deserve!!!

If you only have the opportunity to watch one documentary in 2009, watch Under Our Skin. This very chilling documentary covers the controversies surrounding the diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme Disease -- an epidemic larger than AIDS. It follows several different patients as they fight for their lives after being told that their symptoms are "all in their head" and that chronic lymes disease doesn't exist. It follows physicians who are putting their licenses on the line to help these patients, and also covers the criticisms of doctors who do not believe chronic lymes disease exists. By the end of the movie you will have gone through a roller coaster of emotions, and if you never knew much about lymes disease or what it was and why it's currently the biggest health issue debated by doctors all around the world -- you will now. It brilliantly covers all aspects of the debate, and digs deep into the current guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of lymes disease set forth by the center for disease control.

Lyme Disease is called the 'great imitator' because it can mimic almost any chronic health condition including: Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, Alzheimers Disease, Parkinsons Disease, Fibromylagia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lupus, Anxiety, Depression, AD/HD, and the list is endless. It can show up as any autoimmune disease, and almost any psychiatric disease. Lyme Disease is an epidemic ruining peoples lives. It is important for everyone to watch, because as the number of people who contract lymes disease increases, so will the amount of people being misdiagnosed as one of these other chronic conditions. It is very important for people to become aware of this tick-borne illness.

At no point in the movie do you get bored, and it really builds up tension as the movie continues. It covers the emotions of the whole controversy over lymes disease brilliantly. The movie really takes you for a ride. This is absolutely the most important movie this year that everyone MUST watch.

You, know------ one that sends a sick person to doctor after doctor where they're either not treated or they're treated with arrogance and disdain.

Not everyone who fits the above description will have Lyme disease or one of the other tick borne illnesses. But SO MANY DO------ THAT IT BEHOOVES THEM TO CHECK IT OUT.

For that, you'll need to contact a local Lyme support group who can suggest the labs and the doctors who really know these diseases! It's an epidemic. And it's being swept under the rug by the medical establishment.

This is a disease that's been 'disappeared'. Please see Under Our Skin. Please think about it long and hard.

As someone who was diagnosed in 2005 with Lyme and co-infections after having it undiagnosed for close to 20 years I can say that this film affected me in so many ways. I felt it truly represented everything I've felt struggling with this disease, mentally, physically and emotionally. I want everyone who knows me to see this film as I feel then they might begin to understand my daily struggle. I want every doctor and politician to see this film so they will begin to educate themselves on the diverse ways this disease impacts not just the person affected, but also their families and communities. Most importantly I want this disease to stop being politicized as all of us who suffer get caught in the cross fire.

I am one of the several patients that was misdiagnosed and was basically told I was crazy. Thank God for my physician that I met 1 year after all the symptoms started knew enough to say "has anyone ever tested you for Lyme Disease". I was 14 years old when i was diagnosed and I am now 31. I live everyday with some type of pain or aliment. Every doctor that goes through medical school now and who is currently practicing should see this video. It may help them to better understand what we "Lyme Patients" go through on a daily basis. Also may better understand and learn to start testing people for the disease. I also think all the medical insurance carries need to see this so they stop turning our claims down. We are not crazy, and if they ever had the disease they would understand each and every second of what we go through. I am going to let my family physician as well as all the physicians that treat me see this film. let's get the word out there!!!!! We are the only ones who can do it!!!!!! The world needs to listen to us!

I was diagnosed with Chronic Late Stage Lyme disease after 20 years of undefinable illness first said to be CFIDS then Fibromyalgia.

I became too ill to function December 2007 after contracting a common viral illness while working as a Pediatric RN.

In Oct. 2008 an Integrative MD finally was able to go through my multi-system complaints and test for Lyme, I am positive.

The trailers to this movie were enough to convince me of the reasons I was not properly diagnosed in the first place, it also helped me to understand I am not alone.

As a former member of the medical community who was clueless to this disease I am ashamed...I am making sure all my friends and colleagues in the health-care field see this documentary to help open their minds as to what this bacteria can do to a person.

They saw me go through it, they see what it has done to me yet it is still difficult for them to believe. This film does a great service in making them see the truth.

Watch this carefully. It's a terrific example of how to scare people, how to present information in a skewed manner, how to horrify without being specific. Of course Lyme disease is terrible. But this "documentary" is preaching to the choir, a choir that the producers assume have no interest in hearing unbiased reporting from both sides. This "documentary" feeds on rumors, hearsay, and half-truths. One interviewee actually said "We hear that" someone did or said some terrible thing--and the producers didn't demand that he cite his source or who it is that said or did this. What kind of reporting is this? The U2 sound woman insisted she was in great pain but we never learn what kind of pain, where; We keep seeing her walking around and smiling and lifting speakers. Huh? Aristotle insisted that to be an effective debater, one should be able to be convincing on both sides. This "documentary" is visually beautiful but it's ugly reporting. Skip it--unless you're a politician who wants to study how to sway people in an unfair manner.

After watching the documentary, I cant help but relate to Dana and Leslie, as so many sufferers have the disease which does not show on the outside and people, even those so close to you, people that have even known you for years, people that should understand that the new characteristics you are showing are completely against your true nature, these people question you, other than losing a bit of weight whats wrong with you? This documentary will be an aid in fully explaining to those people that cannot fully understand, appreciate or acknowledge the severity of the disease.

My only wish is that they will create a documentary such as this for the UK, as here we have NO Lyme literate doctors, and thus we have to travel to the US for treatment. The UK National Health System believe in the same treatment protocols as IDSA. I will be showing this to my GP and hopefully as many friends and family as possible, its time to educate, and we now have, starting with this documentary, the material to do so.

The first time I saw the wonderful documentary, "Under Our Skin" my respect for the skill of the director, Andy Wilson, was cemented after the first 15 minutes of the film. The cinematography was beautiful, and the musical score was fitting so well. By the end of the film, it was clear this was a man whose passion had guided him to create something that would become more than he ever thought it would be.

Make no mistake, I saw this film for a purpose. I am one of the many who suffer from this horrible disease. But I went in with the mind of a film fan as well as a patient, and came out with a renewed sense of purpose; to get better and to help in any way that I could.

I was hopeful that it would be good film, and I was prepared to be underwhelmed. I was worried that there just wasn't enough material to make the kind of documentary that would have enough of an impact. I was never so glad to be so wrong.

"Under Our Skin" hits all the right notes. It works it's way through the subject, touching on the science and on the personal impact of the disease. It will pull at all your emotions, make you think, and leave you with questions that you will want to know the answers to. All good documentaries want you to keep thinking once you leave the theater, and this one does just that.

It tells the story of Lyme disease and how horrible it can be. For those of us who have suffered for so long, it is our story. So many of my friends have asked me about this disease, and I have answered their questions. But since this documentary has been made, I have a much more interesting way to answer them when they ask me. I simply ask them back, "Would you like to see a movie?"....

Lyme is the fastest growing infectious disease in the US. Chances are that you or someone you know is effected with Lyme is some way shape or form if you live in New England. The ticks certainly do not care about the state lines as documented cases have been found in almost all of the US States now. It is also overseas, as I know on a first hand basis as I have the European as well as US form of Lyme. I have watched this film at least a dozen times and have had a number of my friends and family watch it as well. It is an amazing learning tool for people to get an educated background of this disease as well as putting a face to this "mysterious" disease. Lyme takes your life away. I am a 35 year old woman who is close to house bound due to the nueropathy, arthritis, brain fog, muscle spasms, etc.... Just two years ago I worked a corporate position 60+hour a week, traveled overseas a few times a year, and had a social life that puts Hollywood to shame. Now the only reason I leave the house is for doctor visits. It is so nice to see the reality of our lives shown in this movie, allowing those around us to to truly understand medically, physically, and emotionally. This is an outstanding documentary. Even if you are not effected by Lyme at this time, to see the games that are played by the US Government, Pharmaceutical Companies, as well as the Health care Industry. While the IDSA Board decides who gets the fattest paycheck/kickback from a health care company there are thousands of us losing our lives. By far one of the best documentaries I have seen, and although I do have a tie to it, I have heard that same statement from many a friend and family who have watched it.

Under Our Skin is must see viewing for everyone! Not only is it filmed well, dramatic in its presentation, and edited beautifully; it is a real story that is going on unknown to most Americans. If you suffer from a chronic illness or know someone who does, watch this Film! I have had and continue to be bothered by the damaging effects of Lyme disease. We all need to educate ourselves to the true pandemic in America and to the ignorance of the medical establishment. I hope this movie wins an Oscar because it is getting the issue out there and we need to wake up in this country. Rent, buy, or borrow Under Our Skin. You will not be disappointed.

Lyme patients are so proud of this film, and so grateful for the way the film makers have put it together. It's very sad in places but tells the story in the best way possible, without being too scary. There is hope: we see Mandy and others getting their lives back and also see the over conservative doctors who are obviously being economical with the truth. It will inspire everyone with Lyme who sees it, and open up the eyes of people who have no idea just how serious the situation is. I like the ending, where Dr Burrescano says again and again "Listen to the patient, listen to the patient" I also like the music - it's appropriate and atmospheric without being over-dramatic. There is one shot of an English patient too, which is a nice acknowledgement for those of us with Lyme in the UK. When I showed my copy of the DVD to a friend who has many Lyme symptoms but who would never get tested, she phoned the doctor the next week and did get tested. Positive. She has bipolar disorder and bad fatigue and had led a very chaotic life. But after a few months of antibiotics, the improvement is amazing. She's not fully better, but at least she can see an end to her illness - so many thanks to all at the UOS team, we owe a heck of a lot to you. The film worked better than my telling her for 4 years to get tested.

I was given a copy of this film because I have been treated for late stage Lyme disease. It seems like most literature and videos out there are incredibly uninformative and biased. There is a lot of bad information out there and there is a vast amount of unchecked scams in regards to Lyme disease. So when I received this movie as a gift, I assumed it was going to be full of lies and misinformation. Instead I have been surprised by how thorough this film was about Lyme disease. This is a must see for everyone! I'd like to inform anyone who reads this that I have a decent education in biology and also work in the health care field. I studied Lyme disease in college and thought little about it. But then I contracted Lyme disease. It took six months to get a doctor to treat me. I was diagnosed with TMJ and given Tylenol. Then I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Then Shingles. It wasn't until I asked a chiropractor for a consult that I was diagnosed with Lyme. She didn't even charge me or touch me and she was correct in her diagnosis. I went to a third doctor and tested positive for late stage Lyme. Because of the refusal of doctors to either treat or test for Lyme, I will probably be affected by this disease for life. I never had TMJ, Shingles, or a brain tumor but my insurance would cover those. This film tells our story. It finally explains why your doctor may be afraid to treat you, even if he/she wants to. It isn't meant to scare you rather to inform you. It shows the chaos that has ensued because of the lack of research on Lyme disease and the lack of action being taken by the CDC. This film illustrates how serious this illness is and clears up misconceptions. While this film is trying to inform the public about this illness, it is also trying to motivate the world to push for more research. It isn't asking for money. It isn't asking for political affiliation. It is seeking the truth and trying to help those afflicted with this merciless illness. It shows arguments from all angles and actually backs up its claims with scientific research, not empty claims.

What amazes me more than anything is how thorough the research is on Lyme disease in this film. This is truly the best documentary I've ever seen. Many journalist reviews agree that this is truly a well-planned out and put together documentary. I highly recommend it!

Anyone watching this will be gripped by what unfolds like many a science fiction film but the sad part is that it is not science fiction but fact.

Those of us suffering with Lyme disease know how true the experiences of the patients in this film are. All very melodramatic my daughter said when she watched extracts. She has seen my decline into chronic ill health housebound and retired early on ill health grounds and also my slow recovery on long term antibiotics to a point were I no longer have pain and can actually cycle again, when for 3 1/2 years I could not walk up or down stairs. She now realises that there is something very funny going on.

Indeed there is something funny to put it kindly when our health authorities cherry pick science and play with words to support their 'opinions' as an example of a recent letter to all UK doctors from the Chief Medical Officer clearly shows.

I was fortunate in having a very thinking GP who treated me according to my response, after a chance course of antibiotics improved my symptoms 4 years into chronic arthritis. The history of tick bites EM rashes and summer flu' had all been documented on my file, but not treated, when I had previously consulted with different doctors. Not aware that Lyme Disease was found here in UK I had not connected the dots, neither had the 5 doctors or 3 Rheumatologists I had seen.

So what might on the face of it seem melodramatic is indeed very typical of what many patients with Chronic Lyme Disease experience.

Then UOS dips into the history and the controversy. Every citizen should watch this Documentary and be aware what is happening within our health authorities across the World, that leaves so many chronically ill patients without treatment that can help them.

I eagerly await UOS to have public showings in UK.

This film is not only superior in quality and professionalism, it is probably the most important health documentary in the world today. It uncovers a pandemic that affects millions of people in every state in the U.S. and every continent in the world. It exposes the politics and greed that lead to massive ignorance in the medical community and keeps millions of people sick. It is the eye opener that has paved the way for thousands to get the help they desperately need and has opened the door of baby steps toward badly needed reform. It takes a long and hard look at a disease that affects millions who are misdiagnosed with more than 300 other diseases and conditions, it is amazing to see the time, information, creativity, and comprehensive overview that is covered in the film.

I'm a veterinarian, retired early for health reasons. I was always taking ticks off various pets but made sure I didn't get bitten myself. Many people with Lyme are initially diagnosed as having M.E. (CFS in the US), as many signs are similar. There is probably going to be a blood test for M.E soon and this will be good news for Lyme sufferers as they can eliminate M.E. from their diagnosis. It will still be possible to have both, as I may have. I'm sure I caught the M.E. virus back in '95 by intimate contact with a new girlfriend who'd suffered 2 or 3 years of "depression" in her teens. Then I started a new relationship with an alcoholic lady, who was visited by friends with about ten dogs, she fell asleep on the floor and acquired a classic "bull's-eye" rash. I now have some signs of Lyme, caught not from a tick but presumably from her. The Under Our Skin movie is excellent but plays down the transmission of Lyme by routes other than ticks. However it gets the message across about the possible seriousness of Lyme Borreliosis, and the problems people have with "insurance denial" in the US. Not such a problem in the UK as we all have lifelong health insurance with the NHS – except that our medical authorities are following the useless old IDSA guidelines, designed to enable US insurance companies to deny payments. This film is brilliant at highlighting all these problems which affect thousands of people, probably millions, worldwide. It deserves an Oscar for bringing the disease into the Lymelight.

What is apparently happening according to this mostly convincing documentary is that

(1) some people get a chronic form of Lyme disease and, (2) the insurance companies don't want to pay for the long-term treatment required, and (3) their method for avoiding the costs is to deny the disease exists. (4) Additionally, the sufferers are accused of faking it or having it all in their heads.

Furthermore, doctors who treat (and apparently cure) patients with chronic Lyme disease are threatened with losing their medical licenses because the medical establishment believes that the long- term use of intravenous antibiotics (as seen in this film) is harmful.

If all of this is true then this is a national disgrace of a criminal nature.

However, according to the article in Wikipedia, "Chronic Lyme disease is a generally unrecognised diagnosis that encompasses 'a broad array of illnesses or symptom complexes for which there is no reproducible or convincing scientific evidence of any relationship to B. burgdorferi infection.'" One of the citations that Wikipedia gives is an article in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The documentary shows several persons who were bitten by a tick or ticks and contracted Lyme disease but continued to have horrendous symptoms months or years after they should have been cured. Then these same persons are treated with intravenous antibiotics over months or years and then become free of symptoms.

At issue here is did the antibiotics cure them? And if so, what was it that was cured?

My belief is twofold (1) that the infectious agent Borrelia burgdorferi disrupted or compromised the immune system of these people so badly that it took months or years for their bodies to recover, and (2) the infectious agent was able to hide from the immune system in biofilms within the body for months or years. Consequently, in the first case, the antibiotics did not cure them. The passage of time and perhaps love and good life style choices did. In the second case gradually the antibiotics may have cured the disease. In other cases the immune system may be keeping the bacteria at bay.

By the way, the disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi is only one of many similar diseases caused by tick bites throughout the world. Consequently, when doctors are not able to find the Lyme disease agent in a chronically sick person it may be the case they are looking for the wrong bug.

I invite the reader to see the recent Australian documentary "Our Battle Ongoing: Lyme Disease in Australia" (2017) for more information. There is also an "Under Our Skin 2: Emergence" 2015 that brings the viewer more up to date. Interested people should also read relevant literature on the Web and reach your own conclusions.

As far as this documentary goes, it is very well done, nicely edited, clearly presented and seemingly fair, but alarming. Perhaps a subject like chronic Lyme disease IS alarming and should be treated as such.

I hope that this documentary will encourage more research so that we can understand what happens to the relatively few people who get "chronic Lyme disease" and find a cure that spares them months and years of pain and suffering.

--Dennis Littrell, author of "The World Is Not as We Think It Is"

This is not only THE best Documentary of 2009, but of the decade! See it -- and make everyone you know see it! It may save your or their life/lives. And no, that's not hyperbole. I diagnosed myself with the 'alleged' disease 30+ years ago and had one hell of a time find any M.D. who was willing to give me multiple runs of (good) antibiotics! (And STILL have not!!) If not for too-frequent ancillary problems (resp. infections, e.g.) and the use of mega-doses of supplements, there is NO doubt in my mind, I'd have been roadkill long before now! This is a most vile, despicable problem and a genocidal, and/or sociopaths' corp-politic agenda, i.m.o.

The stories of those suffering and dying from this disease is too emotional. The world cannot keep ignoring this, the numbers keep growing and growing. How many more have to due before a cure is found? Such a powerful film. Transmission via semen and vaginal fluid has been proved, transmission via placenta has been proved, and Alan Macdonalds discovery of bio films and the bacterial ability to hide from antibiotics shows that Chronic Lyme exists. The CDC and NHS tests are only 40% accurate! less than 50% of people recall a tick bite or get the typical rash! and individuals all over the world are going decades without a correct diagnosis. Every state in the US has reported infection along with Canada, Europe and more countries are finding out. There is no cure for Chronic Lyme, a simple bacterial infection is taking over along with it's coinfections like Babesia, Bartonella, Rickettsia and more. Isn't medicine advanced far enough to beat this? The number of sufferers is bigger than AIDS ever was. Also, there is no confirmed cause of autoimmune disease like MS and Lupus. No accurate diagnosis tests mean doctors make an educated guess as to the cause, yet more and more autoimmune patients are getting a Lyme diagnosis from Igenex. Is Lyme the cause of autoimmune disease?

We have the peer reviewed science, and the we have the quacks like the makers of this film