What if My Child Gets One of Those Diseases
Kids Are Usually Vaccinated For?
Randall Neustaedter, OMD, LAc, CCH
Prevent every disease under the sun. That
is the goal of the vaccine campaign. Super
vaccines at birth, booster doses every ten
years throughout life, new vaccines introduced
every year. A campaign like that keeps the
profits flowing for drug companies with a
major stake in the vaccine trade. Imagine
- no colds, no ear infections, a childhood
free of all those pesky infections that cause
loss of revenue at corporations when parents
must stay at home with their sick kids. Such
is the reasoning of big business. Don’t forget
the savings at HMOs where more office visits
for illness means less profit.
There is a downside to this utopian vision.
Vaccines have adverse effects, always unexpected,
and sometimes severely disabling, or fatal.
The damage to our children from vaccines has
caused parents, and now Congress, to question
the accepted wisdom of the explosive growth
of the vaccine market. The dangers of the
rotavirus vaccine for diarrhea caused its
hasty withdrawal after only one year of widespread
use. The devastating damage to kids resulting
from the hepatitis B vaccine prompted Congressional
hearings into the wisdom of vaccinating babies
against a sexually transmitted disease they
were unlikely to contract. Now research is
showing the beneficial effects to the immune
system from resisting common childhood diseases
naturally.
An increasing number of parents have chosen
to defy the accepted wisdom and avoid those
vaccines they think are too dangerous or unnecessary
for their children. Unvaccinated kids (and
even many who have received the vaccines)
may come down with one of these diseases.
The most common that still circulate are chickenpox
(varicella) and whooping cough (pertussis).
Someone out there could get measles or mumps,
but cases are now rare. Rubella is a minimal
disease for children, which needs no treatment.
Chickenpox (varicella)
Many parents deliberately expose their children
to others with chickenpox to get this benign
illness out of the way and confer permanent
immunity. Is this a good idea? Resounding
yes, and do it now because chickenpox may
take the same road as measles and mumps, disappearing
from the childhood roster of illness, only
to re-emerge as a more serious, and more common,
disease of adults.
Treating chickenpox is simple. Do not suppress
the eruptions with anti-viral drugs (acyclovir).
Put Calamine lotion on the itching lesions,
soak your child in Aveeno baths (do not use
the version of these products that contains
camphor). Give Rhus-toxicodendron
30 (homeopathic medicine), two pellets every
three hours when itching is severe. If lesions
are severe, oozing, or forming a heavy crust
and slow to heal give Antimonium
crudum 30 every three hours.
Like other viral illnesses, vitamin C, vitamin
A in the form of beta carotene, and echinacea
will provide support for the body’s fight
against the disease.
Whooping cough (pertussis)
Be prepared for bad coughing spells. Beyond
that whooping cough is usually free of complications.
Infants under twelve months suffer more complications
than any other age group, sometimes requiring
hospital care for pneumonia or difficulty
breathing with the cough.
Antibiotics are often prescribed for pertussis,
but they have minimal effect on symptoms.
Antibiotics do kill the bacteria and prevent
spread of the disease to others. Cough suppressants
are useless. Homeopathic medicines are more
effective and have no side effects. Find an
experienced homeopathic practitioner through
the Council for Homeopathic Certification
(415) 789-7677, or the National Center for
Homeopathy (703) 548-7790 or search the online
directory of the Holistic
Pediatric Association. Since whooping
cough lasts for at least six to eight weeks,
the homeopathic prescription often needs to
be adjusted as symptoms change. If no practitioner
is available in your area, consider giving
remedies on your own.
Drosera
rotundifolia is the premier remedy
for whooping cough, used if these symptoms
are present: Symptoms are worse in the middle
of the night. The cough is triggered by laughing
and exertion. The cough is hoarse and barking
with prolonged attacks that often end in gagging
and vomiting.
Cuprum
metallicum is the second most frequently
prescribed remedy, used if these symptoms
are present: The coughing spells are alarming
and long, with spasms of the larynx that result
in gasping and difficulty getting a breath.
These spells end in exhaustion.
Sometimes the correct remedy needs to fit
the individual’s unusual symptoms. Be patient
with whooping cough. The coughing spells will
fade over time, but colds subsequent to the
illness may result in a recurrence of coughing
bouts. The good news is that whooping cough
does confer lifelong immunity, unlike the
vaccine.
Dr. Neustaedter has practiced homeopathic
medicine for over twenty years, specializing
in child health care. An accomplished and
well-recognized author, his works include
an authoritative text, Homeopathic
Pediatrics, and a popular book for
parents, The
Vaccine Guide: Making an Informed Choice
(1996), a revision of his previous book, The
Immunization Decision (1990). He has
contributed extensively to the journals that
comprise the homeopathic medical literature.
A licensed acupuncturist with a doctorate
in Oriental Medicine, Dr. Neustaedter practices
at the Classical Medicine Center in Redwood
City, California (650-299-9170).
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Use
the information provided on this site as an
educational resource for determining your
options and making your own informed choices.
It is not intended as medical advice or to
diagnose, prescribe, or treat any specific
illness.