Posted 11/25/2014 11:56 PM (GMT 0)
I feel kind of stupid now! :(
Dear Stephen Buhner, WHY didn't you mention LYME and Chronic Lyme in your article in "THE SUN" magazine? I've always enjoyed this magazine, partly because it deals with innovative and controversial subjects. I had long anticipated that of all publications, it would broach the topic of Lyme by looking both at the impact the disease has on us, its victims, and how Lyme is ignored by the medical establishment. There's only one cursory mention of Lyme in the entire article, yet there would have been several openings for its mention. You are known as the definitive herbalist for Lyme. When I saw you had been interviewed in "The Sun," a widely-circulated magazine, I felt a surge of hope. Of all magazines, and of all individuals, I would not have thought the two would have skirted the mention of Lyme. Margaret
Quick retraction: This happened primarily because of the magazine's editing and thematic intentions.
Buhner's response: the magazine specifically did not want the interview to focus on lLyme. in fact, the interview was considerably rewritten by The Sun itself to match its orientation and anything they considered controversial they tried to omit or reduce; the main focus for them was herbal antibiotics and antibiotic resistance. Had to work to keep it relatively true to my voice as it was . . . in fact this is the third time someone has tried to get an interview with me into the magazine, the other two times they rejected the interview
Me: My apologies Stephen Buhner. I see that the problem does not lie with what you included or did not include in the interview, but with the magazine itself. Margaret
Buhner: authors have much less control than most people realize, they have very little control over the titles of their books, the cover, or the interior layout. they are often forced to accept changes in text that they do not agree with, and they generally are paid poorly, somewhere between 65 cents and one dollar per book sold. and no, they do not get their books for free, they have to buy them just like you do though they do get a discount. some writers make a lot of money, most just get by. there are much better ways to make tens of dollars. like most artists, most writers do it because something inside them says they must. In this particular instance, The Sun interview you were unhappy with, they wanted the focus to primarily be on antibiotic resistant bacteria. I speak often on Lyme and its coinfections and have had many interviews published both in the press and in audio broadcasts; this one just happened to focus elsewhere. Still, I understand your frustration. The New York TImes has, to this day, not ever published an honorable article on herbal medicines.
By now, I felt really stupid and embarrassed, but I responded again:
Thank you Stephen Buhner, You're absolutely right. I used to work in publishing myself, and I (though sparsely published) have been disappointed as well. And of course I realize that you often speak on Lyme and its co infections. My LLMD, Dr. L. from NY state, directed me towards your work after he had heard you speak. I think I was upset because I let my own expectations get in the way of my response. The Sun Magazine is my favorite magazine, and you are one of favorite Lyme practitioners. I don't know why, exactly, but I had always thought The Sun Magazine would be an ideal venue for exploring the Lyme controversy. So when I saw your picture in the interview, I was thinking, "At last" "The Sun Magazine is finally covering Lyme!" Then, of course, the interview wasn't really about political advocacy so much as perhaps environmental/medical innovation. Still, I think that considering the prominent role treating and writing about Lyme has played in your life, The Sun Magazine could have said more. I'm very honored to have heard your point of view. Thank you SO much for listening to me, and thanks for the enormous contribution you have made to the world of Lyme, herbalism, and botany. Margaret