To members of the Lyme Disease community, if you support this petition, please e-mail your name, city, state and country to Rita L. Stanley, Ph.D.

You may also print out and copy the form below to circulate. Contact Dr. Stanley for information on where to send completed forms.

Signature Count: 22,723

Lyme Alliance Petition

We, the undersigned believe that Lyme disease can and does exist as a chronic illness with persisting infection, and that the disease is greatly underdiagnosed and undertreated. To this end, we insist that:

1. Physicians who are on the front lines of Lyme disease patient care not be harassed, persecuted, or made to fear for their medical practices because they do not adhere to the conservative "short term" care for Lyme disease.

2. Insurance companies not be permitted to deny payment for treatment of Lyme disease as no conclusive diagnostic tests exist, and the prevailing conservative "short term" care is not backed by definitive scientific research.

3. Access to treatment methods of our choice which are both the patient and treating physician's choice not be denied or blocked based on guidelines that are not thoroughly researched and are controversial.

4. Research into Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses be adequately funded in order to develop better diagnostic and treatment methods.

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