Homeopathic Immunizations: A Proven Alternative to Vaccinations

Homeoprophylaxis – A Proven Alternative to Vaccination

By Dr Isaac Golden

I prepared my first formal program of homeopathic remedies to prevent infectious diseases in 1986. In the following 20+ years, tens of thousands of Australian children have been immunized homeopathically – a method called homeoprophylaxis (HP) – using programs from myself as well as other practitioners across the country. The method itself is over 200 years old, and has considerable clinical and research experience to support its claims.

In 2004, I integrated 18 years of data collection from parents of children using my program with 4 years of doctoral research at Swinburne University in Melbourne. The purpose of this article is to share with you the findings of this and other research into the effectiveness and safety of HP.

Background

The use of HP was first described by Dr Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, in 1801. He used the remedy Belladonna 30 to successfully treat patients with the disease Scarlet Fever, but fortuitously found that the remedy also helped to prevent the disease. He then used HP to prevent such diseases as Cholera and Typhoid. In the decades following, many leading homeopaths used HP to prevent a variety of infectious diseases, mainly in acute epidemic situations.

The largest trial of the short-term use of HP was against an outbreak of Meningococcal disease in Brazil. The researchers gave 65,826 children the homeopathic remedy Meningococcinum. Another 23,539 were not protected. The effectiveness of HP after 6 months was 95%, and after a 12 months follow-up was 91%.

Whilst many homeopaths also use HP for long-term prevention (mainly in Australia and the Indian subcontinent), there had been very little formal statistical research into the long-term use of HP prior to 1985. The data I have collected since that time provides a useful guide as to the effectiveness and safety of long-term HP. It confirms that the findings regarding epidemic use also extend to long-term use, with an average effectiveness of around 90%, and a very high level of safety. These findings are presented below.

The Effectiveness of Homeoprophylaxis

As mentioned above, we have a considerable amount of clinical evidence showing that HP provides a high level of protection against targeted infectious diseases. This is supported by a small number of statistical trials which are summarized in Table 1 below. These show an average effectiveness of around 90%, which certainly is comparable to measures of vaccine effectiveness, which range from 70% to 99%, depending on the individual vaccine, and the type of trial used to measure efficacy (real-world experiences show lower rates than clinical trials).

These figures confirm that no method of disease prevention is ever 100% effective.

No statistical study is ever perfect, and of course the reliability of my data is open to question. So as part of my Swinburne research, I applied seven statistical tests to validate the long-term data I have been collecting since 1985. These are described in detail elsewhere, and they did show a high level of reliability. For example, my single figure measure of long-term HP effectiveness was 90.4%, with 95% confidence limits of 87.6% – 93.2% (i.e. it can be stated with 95% confidence that the efficacy lies between 87.6% AND 93.2%), a very strong result.

Table 1: The Effectiveness of HP – Statistical Trials in Humans

Year	Researcher*	Numbers of Participants	Length of Survey		Effectiveness %
1907	Eaton	2,806	< 1 year		97.5
1950	Taylor-Smith	82 (12 definitely exposed)	< 1 year		100.0
1963	Gutman	385	< 1 year		86.0
1974	Castro &Nogeira	HP 18,000 Not HP 6,340	3 months		86.1
1987	English	694	2 years		87.0 – 91.5
1987	Fox	61	5 years		82.0 – 95.0
1998	Mroninski et al	HP 65,826 Not HP 23,539	6 months 12 months		95.0 – 91.0
1997	Golden	593 children 1,305 questionnaires	10 years		88.8
2004	Golden	1,159 children 2,342 questionnaires	15 years		90.4

* References for these studies may be found in Vaccination and Homeoprophylaxis – A Review of Risks and Alternatives, 6th edition

So those in pharmaceutical medicine who state that there is no evidence supporting the effectiveness of HP are clearly wrong. It is not essential to rely only on randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to provide evidence, and in fact the findings of many RCTs are shown to be questionable over time (e.g. drugs such as Vioxx that were tested in RCTs, then later withdrawn from use because of side-effects not discovered or acknowledged during the RCTs).

Thus homeopaths can confidently say that HP provides a definite level of protection against targeted infectious diseases, which is not 100%, but which is comparable to that of vaccines.

The Safety of Homoeoprophylaxis

Homeopathic medicines are usually prepared using a series of dilutions and succussions (firm striking of the container holding the liquid remedy against a firm surface). The remedies are called “potencies” because at each stage they become energetically stronger. After the 12c potency, no molecules of the original substance remain, yet the remedy is energetically stronger. Pharmaceutical advocates cannot understand this, because their paradigm forces them to believe that as the number of molecules of a substance decreases in a medicine, the medicine becomes weaker. This is true if the kinetic energy of the succussion is not correctly applied, and a simple dilution only is prepared. But we are making much more than a simple dilution.

Doctors agree that homoeopathic potencies cannot be toxic, and so physical safety is not an issue. However, some homeopaths have expressed concerns over the years as to whether the long-term use of the remedies in my HP program is energetically safe. Many people who are not bound to the pharmaceutical paradigm understand that energy can produce real and tangible effects, and if misused can cause problems. One important part of my research at Swinburne was to check the long-term safety of HP.

This was done by examining 5 markers of overall wellbeing in children aged between 4 and 12 years of age – asthma, eczema, ear/hearing problems, allergies and behavioural problems. These were compared to a range of early childhood markers, including breastfeeding status, birthweight, APGAR scores, as well as to 4 possible immunization methods – vaccination, HP, general/constitutional prevention, and no prevention at all. That gave 20 (5 x 4) possible combinations of health conditions and immunization methods. The data was processed using Odds Ratios and Chi Squared Probability tests.

Once again, the full results are reported in detail elsewhere, but the main findings are as follows:

1. In 19 of the 20 possible measures of health, vaccinated children were less healthy than other children, usually by a significant amount (the 1 measure favouring vaccination was not statistically significant). The most dramatic single finding was that vaccinated children have a 15 times greater chance of becoming asthmatic than children using HP, with P>99%, a highly statistically significant finding.
2. Children using HP were generally at least as healthy (and often more healthy) as children who used constitutional/general immunization or no immunization at all. The HP group were not exclusively from people who were extremely health conscious. Regularly, parents using my HP program say that it is their first introduction to homeopathy and to natural medicine in general.
3. Parental estimates of general well-being were very high in the HP group – at least as high as in other groups.
4. Not all HP programs give consistent results. When comparing children using my HP program to those using other HP programs, the levels of both effectiveness and safety were lower in the group using other programs. So it is advisable to check the basis of a HP program before committing to it. Programs using daily doses of low potencies provide less effective long-term prevention than programs using infrequent doses of (appropriately selected) high potencies.

We may conclude from the parts of my data which were statistically significant (P?95%), that HP is associated with an improvement in general health, compared to other immunization methods (as well as no immunization at all), and that this figure is significantly better when compared to vaccinated children. Therefore we may conclude that the evidence suggests that the use of an appropriate long-term HP program does not lessen the health of children, and evidence suggests that it may in fact assist the maturation of the immune system by gently challenging the system in the first 5-6 years of life.

Concluding Comments

What began as a limited study 20 years ago has grown, for me, into an ongoing attempt to make parents, as well as health professionals, aware of the wonderful opportunity that homoeoprophylaxis offers to provide protection against target infectious diseases, without risking the long-term health of their children. It may be safely used by adults.

Not every infectious disease is a dire threat to a healthy infant. I personally don’t believe that immunization against every infectious disease is essential. But I do believe that the right to choose which diseases should be prevented should belong to the parents of each child. We can confidently say to parents that they can provide a high (but not complete) level of protection against targeted diseases, without risk, by using an appropriate HP program.

We can also say to those within the pharmaceutical industry who disparage HP as being untested and uncertain – take the time to study the facts available. Criticism without facts is the antithesis of the true scientific method, yet it is the response we continually get from pharmaceutical medicine when it comes to HP.

I concluded my doctoral thesis by saying that “a national immunization system, where both vaccination and HP were available to parents, would increase the national coverage against targeted infectious diseases, and reduce the incidence of some chronic health conditions, especially asthma”. The data is unambiguous, and it is time that those who run the health services of this country get serious about long-term health, and fully support the use of the best of what natural medicine in general, and homeopathic medicine in particular, has to offer.

Vaccines offer a level of protection against targeted infectious diseases, but involve a long-term risk that has never been adequately measured. Evidence shows that vaccination is a factor in the increase in asthma (and other chronic diseases) shown earlier. We can achieve a comparable level of protection, without this risk, by using an appropriate long-term HP program. It’s time that those parents who search for facts to inform themselves before vaccinating are encouraged, and not attacked by agents of the pharmaceutical industry. It’s time that parents are supported in their choice of immunization method, for the benefit of their own children and of the entire community.

Homeopathic Immunizations are now available in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Contact Little Mountain Homeopathy for more information.

References

Golden I. Homoeoprophylaxis – A Fifteen Year Clinical Study. 2004. Isaac Golden Publications. Daylesford.

Golden I. Homœoprophylaxis – A Practical and Philosophical Review. 2001. Isaac Golden Publications, Daylesford, Australia. 3rd edition.

Golden I. The Potential Value of Homœoprophylaxis in the Prevention of Infectious Diseases, and the Maintenance of General Health in Recipients. 2005. Swinburne University Press, Melbourne.

Golden I. Vaccination – A Homoeopathic Perspective. Nature & Health. Vol 7. No.3. Sept 1986, pages 67-70.

Golden I. Vaccination and Homoeoprophylaxis – A Review of Risks and Alternatives, 6th edition. 2005. Isaac Golden Publications. Daylesford.

Hahnemann S. The Cure and Prevention of Scarlet Fever. 1801. Republished in Lesser Writings. B Jain Publishers, New Delhi; pp. 369-385.

Mroninski C, Adriano E, Mattos G. Meningococcinum: Its protective effect against meningococcal disease. Homoeopathic Links Winter, 2001. Vol 14(4); pp. 230-4.

National Health and Medical Research Council (NH&MRC). The Australian Immunisation Handbook, 8th Edition. 2003. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.

About the Author…

Dr Isaac Golden has been in homeopathic practice since 1984. He has written 8 books on homeopathic topics and currently consults in Gisborne, Victoria. Since 1990, he has been Principal of the A.C.H.H., a correspondence college teaching homeopathy and has recently been appointed as Adjunct Professor of Homeopathy at the Australian College of Natural Medicine. He is a world authority on the use of homeoprophylaxis, and has completed the world’s largest long term trial of the method. He was awarded a PhD from Swinburne University in 2004 as a result of the research on HP he has undertaken over the last 20 years. Click here for further information about Dr Golden and his publications.

Natural Treatment of Autism with Homeopathy

For an overview of the probable causes of autism: What Causes Autism?

Why Treat Autism Naturally?

There is no cure for autism in the conventional medical world. Pharmaceuticals can only be used to treat the symptoms of autism. Pharmaceutical treatments always have harmful side effects because they contain toxic chemicals. However, some children with severe autism may have to use natural treatments alongside conventional treatments. Natural treatments do not interfere with the actions of pharmaceutical drugs.

Homeopathy: The #1 Choice for Autism Treatment

Classical homeopathy is the most popular form of alternative medicine in the world, though there is not much awareness about it in Canada or the United States. Treatment is safe, gentle, and effective. Homeopathic remedies, given one at a time and spaced out appropriately, stimulate the child’s body to heal itself. They will also stimulate the child’s body to detox in a gentle way.

Who is Qualified to Treat Your Autistic Child with Homeopathy?

Only classical homeopaths are qualified to treat your autistic child homeopathically. Naturopaths and other types of health practitioners do not have enough training in homeopathy to treat your child using advanced classical homeopathic methods of prescribing. It takes years of intense study to learn how to use homeopathy effectively. Do not attempt to self-prescribe! Also keep in mind that classical homeopaths only use one remedy at a time; they never use homeopathic combination remedies. Contact the clinic or contact a local classical homeopath to find out more about treating autism with homeopathy.

Case Studies Proving the Efficacy of Homeopathy with Autism

Indian homeopath Dr. M.A. Rajalakshm has written two papers on the successful treatment of autism with homeopathy:
Role of Homoeopathy in the Management of Autism: Study of Effects of Homoeopathic Treatment on the Autism Triad
New Dimensions in the Treatment of Autism with Homeopathy

Case study by Dr. Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman, N.D., DHANP, author of A Drug-Free Approach to Asperger Syndrome and Autism: A Case of Autism

Cured cases  are discussed on the website Homeopathy for Autism: Reversing Autism (Part 1)

On hpathy.com Dr. Paful M. Barvalia discusses A Case of Autism and homeopath David Johnson also discusses A Case of Autism

Dutch homeopath Dr. Tinus Smits discusses a number of his successfully cured cases of autism: Autism – Successful Cases

Homeopathy and Autism Success Stories

Amy Lansky is the author of the bestselling book Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy. Homeopathy cured Amy’s son Max: Max’s Story – A Carcinosin Cure. There are also an impressive number of success stories on Lansky’s website: Impossible Cure Story Database

The Ullmans, both naturopathic doctors, list two homeopathic success stories with autism: Success Stories – Noah and Success Stories – Connor

Kaiden’s recovery from autism is discussed on the website recoveredfromautism.com: Homeopathy – Kaiden’s Treatment

A number of success stories can be found on the web page of the Homeopathy Centre of Houston: Homeopathy for Autism Testimonials

Books about Homeopathy and Autism

Lansky, Amy, The Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy. R L Ranch Pr, 2003.

Ullman, Judyth Reichenberg, Robert Ullman and Ian Luepker, A Drug-Free Approach to Asperger Syndrome and Autism: Homeopathic Care for Exceptional Kids. Picnic Point Press, 2005.

Articles about Homeopathy and Autism

The Homeopathic Treatment of Autism by Amy Rothenberg, ND

Homeopathy and Autism: A Unique Opportunity for Transformation by Amy Lansky

Next blog post coming soon: A comparison of homeopathy with other alternative modalities in the natural treatment of autism

What Causes Autism?

Many scientists and MD’s relate autism to genetics. Genetics do play a role, of course, but all alternative practitioners along with a growing number of mainstream practitioners also relate autism to environmental factors. The mainstream medical community says that there is no relation between autism and vaccination, yet many parents have observed that the onset of their child’s autism coincided exactly with their child’s vaccine jab.

In December 2009, the CDC released its autism figures for the 2006 surveillance year. These figures showed that autism increased by a shocking 60% between the years 2002 and 2006 with almost 1% of all US kids affected. The rate of autism in the United States is now somewhere between 1 and 91 to 1 and 110 children, with the majority being boys.

Genetics alone cannot explain these numbers. Environmental toxicity must play a large role. Consider that autism was a very rare disease in the 1980’s. Also consider there has been a 260% increase in vaccines administered between 1983 and 2007. It is commonly believed by many alternative health practitioners that the culprit is thimerosal (mercury), an ingredient in many childhood vaccines. A study done in 2006 (Walker et al) suggests that thimerosal exposure may be a triggering mechanism for autism in susceptible children. I don’t think that mercury is the only culprit, although I’m sure it does play some role, since it can cause brain damage. There are many toxic ingredients in childhood vaccines, including but not limited to aluminum salts, ammonium sulfate, formaldehyde, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen peroxide, neomycin, MSG, 2-phenoxyethanol, phosphate buffers, polysorbate 80, sodium chloride, sodium hydroxide, and sorbitol. For a more detailed analysis of toxic ingredients in vaccines, including thimerosal, see my blog articles: Swine Flu Vaccine Without Adjuvant is Unsafe and Swine flu vaccine ingredients are not safe for pregnant women and children.

Any one of the toxic ingredients in childhood vaccines could be the cause of autism. Most likely, what happens is that the baby’s body is not able to handle the sheer volume of vaccines injected into him/her, resulting in various types of chronic health problems and sometimes resulting in autism if the baby is genetically susceptible. Other likely causes of autism include pollution, toxins in our food/water supply and pharmaceutical drugs. Any type of toxin in the environment could contribute to autism.

An excellently well-referenced article in The American Chronicle discusses the potential causes of autism. Phthalates, PCB’s and other chemicals (Booker, 2001), have increased at the same rate as autism has. Metal concentrations in the air may also be linked to autism (Windham, 2006).

Read about the gentlest, most effective way to treat autism: Natural Treatment of Autism with Homeopathy

References

Booker, S (2001). NIEHS investigates links between children, the environment, and neurotoxicity. Environmental Health Perspectives. 109:6, A258-A261.

Walker, SJ, Segal, J, & Aschner, M (2006). Cultured lymphocytes from autistic children and non-autistic siblings up-regulate heat shock protein RNA in response to thimerosal challenge. Neurotoxicology. 27:5, 685-692.

Windham, GC, Zhang, L, Gunier, R, Croen, LA, & Grether, JK (2006). Autism spectrum disorder in relation to distribution of hazardous air pollutants in the San Francisco bay area. Environmental Health Perspectives. 114:9, 1438-1444.

Natural Eczema Creams and Treatments: A Review

I have treated many cases of eczema successfully using classical homeopathy. Classical homeopaths, such as myself, use only one homeopathic remedy at a time to treat the whole person. We treat the root cause of the eczema, rather than using topical applications. Natural creams only soothe the eczema, and steroid creams suppress the eczema.

The use of steroid cream, for example, is an example of suppression. Although the steroid cream may temporarily alleviate the eczema, the skin problem will usually come back if the steroid cream is discontinued. Homeopaths believe that the use of steroid creams drives the disturbance/imbalance away from the skin and into the internal organs. A classical example of this is using steroid cream on a young child’s eczema, resulting in the disappearance of the eczema and the appearance of asthma. What happened in this example is that the child’s eczema was suppressed by the steroid cream, driving the disturbance inwards to the lungs.

Chronic cases of eczema can be treated effectively with classical homeopathy. Contact the clinic or a classical homeopath in your area.

Homeopathic remedies help the body heal itself. For some people, especially those who have had eczema for many years, the healing process can be slow. While undergoing homeopathic treatment, there are a number of creams and ointments that can soothe and moisturize itchy, dry and/or cracked skin:

Olive Oil and Coconut Oil
The cheapest and simplest option, though using oils tends to be messier than using a cream. Of the two, I prefer coconut oil, although some of my clients prefer using olive oil. Coconut oil has excellent wound healing abilities – apply it to cracks in the skin and they will heal in no time (if the cracks are deep also apply a bandage over the wound). Another good thing about using oils is that even the most sensitive skin will tolerate them, even a newborn baby’s. Try to use organic, cold-pressed if you can.

Weleda Creams
Completely safe and natural products available in most health food stores and natural pharmacies. This company makes good quality products that smell great. Adults can use “Skin Food,” for dry and rough skin. They have a number of good products for babies. My favourite is “Calendula Baby Cream.” Other options for childhood eczema are “Calendula Diaper Care,” “Calendula Lotion,” and “Calendula Oil.” These products aren’t cheap but I think they’re worth their price tag.

Rescue Cream
Many people are familiar with Bach’s Rescue Remedy. It is also available as a topical cream. I have found this cream to be very effective in alleviating intense itching. The only problem is the price tag. If you are on a budget, you could buy the regular Rescue Remedy tincture, a base cream, and make your own Rescue Cream.

Calendula Cream
You can buy plain Calendula creams if you don’t want to spend your money on the high-priced Weleda brand, though you will sacrifice attractiveness and quality. Calendula cream will soothe dry skin and hasten wound healing. Personally, I haven’t found it to be any more effective than applying plain coconut oil. Common brands sold in Canada include Thompson’s, Boiron, Nelsons, and Homeocan.

Ingredients to Avoid
Always look at the list of ingredients! Many companies claim that their products are completely natural, but their ingredients are actually harmful. Be on the lookout for these ingredients:

Parabens: can disrupt your endocrine (hormonal) system
Propylene Glycol: a known carcinogen and skin irritant. Linked to kidney and liver problems.
Mineral Oil, Paraffin, and Petrolatum: comes from crude oil and does not allow the skin to breathe
Phenol Carbolic Acid: Can cause circulatory collapse, paralysis, convulsions, coma, and even death.
Toluene: Chronic exposure linked to anemia, lowered blood cell count, liver or kidney damage.

For a more detailed discussion of problematic skincare ingredients, go to Dr. Mercola’s site: http://www.mercolahealthyskin.com/organic-skin-care.aspx

How to Prevent Vaccine Injury

Many parents who know the risks of vaccines still choose to vaccinate because they feel that the risks outweigh the benefits. Here are some possibilities to consider for those parents who are concerned about the risks but still want to at least partially vaccinate their children:

1. Homeopath Dr. Tinus Smits is an expert in treating vaccine damaged children. He suggests giving a homeopathic potency of the vaccine before and immediately after the child gets their jab. This is an effective method of preventing vaccine damage, although it is not always effective 100% of the time. Contact the clinic or a classical homeopath in your area to find out more about how homeopathy can be used to prevent vaccine injury.

2. Delay vaccinations until the baby has built up its cellular defenses sufficiently. Dr. Donald Miller recommends delaying vaccination until the child is 2 years old. If you are not willing to wait until your child is 2, consider delaying as long as possible. Dr. Smits recommends waiting until the child is at least 1.5 years old.

3. Administer vaccines separately when possible. Canadians can ask for the DTaP-IPV vaccine to be administered separately from the Hib vaccine, for example.

4. Reduce the total number of vaccinations to three from four for the DTaP-IPV and HIB, the first two with an interval of two months and the third after six months. Other countries follow this protocol.

5. Leave out the vaccines that are not absolutely necessary. If your child is healthy you should consider leaving out the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), Varicella (chicken pox), Hep B vaccine and (H1N1) Influenza vaccine. Measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox and influenza are relatively mild diseases in healthy children. Most babies and young children in Canada are not at risk for Hep B, though parents may want to consider the vaccination when the child is older or when traveling overseas.

6. If you suspect that your child’s health has been compromised by vaccinations, seek homeopathic help before vaccinating further. To read more about post-vaccination syndrome, read my blog post: Homeopathy for Adverse Reactions to Vaccines.

Read about the research in support of homeopathic immunizations:
Homeopathic Immunizations: A Proven Alternative to Vaccinations

Homeopathy for Adverse Reactions to Vaccinations

Classical homeopaths have been treating adverse reactions to vaccines for over 100 years.

In the late 1800s, British homeopath Dr. James Compton Burnett was among the first to discover that vaccines trigger chronic disease.

The homeopathic term for chronic adverse vaccine reactions is “vaccinosis.”

Back in the late 1800s, the homeopathic remedy Thuja was often used to successfully treat adverse reactions to the smallpox vaccine.

Still today, Thuja is touted as the #1 homeopathic remedy to use for adverse vaccine reactions. However, though Thuja was an effective treatment for vaccinosis back in Burnett’s day, in modern times it is largely ineffective for treating the adverse effects of vaccines.

To find out what works for vaccinosis in modern times, we must turn to the work of modern Dutch homeopath Dr. Tinus Smits. Dr.  Smits is both a medical doctor and homeopath who has been practicing homeopathy for over 20 years. He is also a seasoned expert in treating what he calls PVS: Post-Vaccination Syndrome.

Definition of Post-Vaccination Syndrome

Post-vaccination syndrome is defined as any symptoms that manifest after vaccination. PVS can be divided into an acute and chronic syndrome.

Main Symptoms of Acute PVS

Fever, convulsions, absent-mindedness, encephalitis and/or meningitis, limbs swollen around the point of inoculation, whooping-type cough, bronchitis, diarrhea, excessive drowsiness, frequent and inconsolable crying, penetrating and heart-rending shrieking (cri encéphalique), fainting/shock, pneumonia, death, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Main Symptoms of Chronic PVS

Colds with amber or green phlegm, inflamed eyes, loss of eye contact, squinting, inflammation of the middle ear, bronchitis, expectoration, coughing, asthma, eczema, allergies, inflamed joints, tiredness and lack of vigour, excessive thirst, diabetes, diarrhea, constipation, headaches, disturbed sleep with periods of waking and crying, epilepsy, rigidity of the back, muscle cramps, light-headedness, lack of concentration, loss of memory, growth disturbances, lack of coordination, disturbed development, behavioural problems such as fidgeting, aggressiveness, irritation, moodiness, emotional imbalance, confusion, loss of will-power, and mental torpidity.

Which Vaccines are the Most Problematic?

According to Dr. Smits, the most problematic vaccines are:

DTaP-IPV vaccine: For diptheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis (whooping cough), and polio. This is a combination vaccine given in Canada. In other countries the name of this vaccine may be slightly different. Vaccinations with this vaccine in Canada start at 2 months of age and are repeated at 4 months, 6 months, 18 months, and 4-6 years old.

HiB vaccine: For Haemophilis influenzae type b. This vaccine is given at the same times as the DTaP-IPV vaccine except that there is no dose at 4-6 years.

MMR vaccine: For measles, mumps, and rubella. This vaccine is first given when the child is a year old and is repeated either at 18 months of age or at 4-6 years of age.

(HB) Hepatitis B: 3 doses are now recommended at infancy in Canada. Usually at the 2 month, 4 month, and 6 month mark.

Influenza vaccine (including H1N1): Recommended for children 6-23 months of age and seniors over 65. The H1N1 vaccine is recommended for everybody.

Another potentially problematic vaccine:

(Var) Varicella vaccine: For chicken pox. Given at the age of 1 year.

The Diagnosis of Post-Vaccination Syndrome

Post-vaccination syndrome should always be considered whenever the person’s health complaints started at the time of, or the period following, vaccination. The fact that the person has displayed no direct or acute reaction to a vaccination does not necessarily exclude the possibility of the vaccine being the cause of chronic complaints. These complaints usually become clear only after one, two or even more weeks have passed. Also, in some cases it is often only after the second, third or fourth administration of the vaccine that problems suddenly occur.

Homeopathic Treatment of PVS

Homeopathic treatment of PVS must only be attempted by a properly trained classical homeopath. Once the homeopath has identified the offending vaccine, s/he must give the person the homeopathic version of the offending vaccine in order to neutralize the vaccine’s harmful effects. The homeopathic form of the vaccine is completely safe and non-toxic, as it has been strongly diluted and potentised. Contact the clinic or contact a classical homeopath in your area to learn more about the homeopathic treatment of PVS.

For a more detailed explanation of Dr. Tinus Smit’s PVS Protocol, download his free booklet: “The Post-Vaccination Syndrome.” The booklet also goes over in much detail a large number of Dr. Smit’s cured cases of PVS.

Interested in a safe, effective alternative to vaccinations?
Homeopathic Immunizations: A Proven Alternative to Vaccinations

How Homeopathic Medicines Work: Nanopharmacology at its Best

by Dana Ullman
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-ullman/how-homeopathic-medicines_b_389146.html

It is commonly assumed that homeopathic medicines are composed of extremely small doses of medicinal substances. And yet, does anyone refer to an atomic bomb as an extremely small dose of a bomb? In actual fact, there is a power, a very real power, in having atoms smash against each other.

Homeopathic medicines are made through a specific pharmacological process of dilution and vigorous shaking. However, when skeptics say that there is nothing but water in homeopathic medicine, they are proving their ignorance, despite the incredible arrogance in which they make these assertions. Dr. Martin Chaplin, a respected British professor who is one of the world’s experts on water, has verified that “homeopathic water” and “regular water” are not the same, and his review of almost 2,000 references to the scientific literature on water (!) confirm this fact (Chaplin, 2009).

It should be noted that a large number of homeopathic medicines sold in health food stores and pharmacies are made in doses with known physiological doses. In fact, there are several thousand (!) studies in conventional scientific journals showing a wide variety of biological effects from extremely small doses of various substances on specific systems.

Homeopathic medicines can and should be considered to be a type of “nanopharmacology” (Ullman, 2006). Although the word “nano” also means one-billionth of a size, that is not its only definition. In fact, “nano” derives from the word “dwarf,” and “nano” is the only word in the English language that is used on common parlance as denoting extremely small AND yet extremely powerful. Homeopathic medicines are both extremely small in dose and yet extremely powerful in their therapeutic effect.

For 200 years now, millions of physicians and hundreds of millions of homeopathic patients have observed and experienced the power and effectiveness of homeopathic medicines

The Power of Nano-doses

Precisely how homeopathic medicines work remains a mystery, and yet, nature is replete with mysteries and with numerous striking examples of the power of extremely small doses.

For instance, it is commonly known that a certain species of moth can smell pheromones of its own species up to two miles away. It is no simple coincidence that species only sense pheromones from those in the same species who emit them (akin to the homeopathic principle of similars), as though they have developed exquisite and specific receptor sites for what they need to propagate their species. Likewise, sharks are known to sense blood in the water at distances, and when one considers the volume of water in the ocean, it becomes obvious that sharks, like all living creatures, develop extreme hypersensitivity for whatever will help ensure their survival.

That living organisms have some truly remarkable sensitivities is no controversy. The challenging question that remains is: How does the medicine become imprinted into the water and how does the homeopathic process of dilution with succussion increase the medicine’s power? Although we do not know precisely the answer to this question, some new research may help point the way.

The newest and most intriguing way to explain how homeopathic medicines may work derives from some sophisticated modern technology. Scientists at several universities and hospitals in France and Belgium have discovered that the vigorous shaking of the water in glass bottles causes extremely small amounts of silica fragments or chips to fall into the water (Demangeat, et al., 2004). Perhaps these silica chips may help to store the information in the water, with each medicine that is initially placed in the water creating its own pharmacological effect. In any case, each medicinal substance will interact with the silica fragments in its own idiosyncratic way, thereby changing the nature and structure of water accordingly.

Further, the micro-bubbles and the nano-bubbles that are caused by the shaking may burst and thereby produce microenvironments of higher temperature and pressure. Several studies by chemists and physicists have revealed increased release of heat from water in which homeopathic medicines are prepared, even when the repeated process of dilutions should suggest that there are no molecules remaining of the original medicinal substance (Elia and Niccoli, 1999; Elia, et al., 2004; Rey, 2003).

Also, a group of highly respected scientists have confirmed that the vigorous shaking involved with making homeopathic medicines changes the pressure in the water, akin to water being at 10,000 feet in altitude (Roy, et al., 2005). These scientists have shown how the homeopathic process of using double-distilled water and then diluting and shaking the medicine in a sequential fashion changes the structure of water.

One metaphor that may help us understand how and why extremely small doses of medicinal agents may work derives from present knowledge of modern submarine radio communications. Normal radio waves simply do not penetrate water, so submarines must use an extremely low-frequency radio wave. The radio waves used by submarines to penetrate water are so low that a single wavelength is typically several miles long!

If one considers that the human body is 70-80 percent water, perhaps the best way to provide pharmacological information to the body and into intercellular fluids is with nanodoses. Like the extremely low-frequency radio waves, it may be necessary to use extremely low (and activated) doses for a person to receive the medicinal effect.

It is important to understand that nanopharmacological doses will not have any effect unless the person is hypersensitive to the specific medicinal substance. Hypersensitivity is created when there is some type of resonance between the medicine and the person. Because the system of homeopathy bases its selection of the medicine on its ability to cause in overdose the similar symptoms that the sick person is experiencing, homeopathy’s principle of similars is simply a practical method of finding the substance to which a person is hypersensitive.

The homeopathic principle of similars makes further sense when one considers that modern physiologists and pathologists recognize that disease is not simply the result of breakdown or surrender of the body but that symptoms are instead representative of the body’s efforts to fight infection or adapt to stress.

Using a nanodose that is able to penetrate deeply into the body and that is specifically chosen for its ability to mimic the symptoms helps to initiate a profound healing process. It is also important to highlight the fact that a homeopathic medicine is not simply chosen for its ability to cause a similar disease but for its ability to cause a similar syndrome of symptoms of disease, of which the specific localized disease is a part. By understanding that the human body is a complex organism that creates a wide variety of physical and psychological symptoms, homeopaths acknowledge biological complexity and have a system of treatment to address it effectively.

Although no one knows precisely how homeopathic medicines initiate the healing process, we have more than 200 years of evidence from hundreds of thousands of clinicians and tens of millions of patients that these medicines have powerful effects. One cannot help but anticipate the veritable treasure trove of knowledge that further research in homeopathy and nanopharmacology will bring.

Nobel Prize-winning Scientist on Homeopathy…

Brian Josephson, Ph.D., (1940-) is a British physicist who won a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1973 for work he completed when he was only 22 years old. He is currently a professor at the University of Cambridge where he is the head of the mind-matter unification project in the Theory of Condensed Matter research group.

Responding to an article in the New Scientist (October 18, 1997) that expressed skepticism about homeopathy, Josephson wrote:

Regarding your comments on claims made for homeopathy: criticisms centered around the vanishingly small number of solute molecules present in a solution after it has been repeatedly diluted are beside the point, since advocates of homeopathic remedies attribute their effects not to molecules present in the water, but to modifications of the water’s structure. Simple-minded analysis may suggest that water, being a fluid, cannot have a structure of the kind that such a picture would demand. But cases such as that of liquid crystals, which while flowing like an ordinary fluid can maintain an ordered structure over macroscopic distances, show the limitations of such ways of thinking. There have not, to the best of my knowledge, been any refutations of homeopathy that remain valid after this particular point is taken into account.

A related topic is the phenomenon, claimed by Jacques Benveniste’s colleague Yolène Thomas and by others to be well established experimentally, known as “memory of water”. If valid, this would be of greater significance than homeopathy itself, and it attests to the limited vision of the modern scientific community that, far from hastening to test such claims, the only response has been to dismiss them out of hand. (Josephson, 1997)

Later, when Josephson was interviewed by the New Scientist (December 9, 2006), he chose to emphasize that many scientists today suffer from “pathological disbelief”; that is, they maintain an unscientific attitude that is embodied by the statement “even if it were true I wouldn’t believe it.” Sadly, such scientists are simply showing evidence of an unscientific attitude.

Quantum Medicine

Quantum physics does not disprove Newtonian physics; quantum physics simply extends our understanding of extremely small and extremely large systems. Likewise, homeopathy does not disprove conventional pharmacology; instead, it extends our understanding of extremely small doses of medicinal agents. It is time that physicians and scientists began incorporating both Newtonian and quantum physics into a better understanding of what healing is and how to best augment it.

The founder of homeopathic medicine, Samuel Hahnemann, MD, rewrote and updated his seminal work on the subject five times in his lifetime, each time refining his observations. Homeopaths continue to refine this system of nanopharmacology. While there is not always agreement on the best ways to select the correct remedy or the best nanopharmacological dose to use, the system of homeopathic medicine provides a solid foundation from which clinicians and researchers exploring nanopharmacologies can and should explore.

Dana Ullman, MPH, is America’s leading spokesperson for homeopathy and is the founder of www.homeopathic.com. He is the author of 10 books, including his bestseller, Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicines. His most recent book is, The Homeopathic Revolution: Why Famous People and Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy. Dana lives, practices, and writes from Berkeley, California.

References:

Chaplin, Martin. 2009 (updated regularly) http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water/index2.html

Demangeat, J.-L., Gries, P., Poitevin, B., Droesbeke J.-J., Zahaf, T., Maton, F., Pierart, C., and Muller, R. N. Low-Field NMR Water Proton Longitudinal Relaxation in Ultrahighly Diluted Aqueous Solutions of Silica-Lactose Prepared in Glass Material for Pharmaceutical Use, Applied Magnetic Resonance, 2004, 26:465-481.

Elia, V. and Niccoli, M. Thermodynamics of Extremely Diluted Aqueous Solutions, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1999, 879:241-248.

Elia, V., Baiano, S., Duro, I., Napoli, E., Niccoli, M., and Nonatelli, L. Permanent Physio-chemical Properties of Extremely Diluted Aqueous Solutions of Homeopathic Medicines, Homeopathy, 2004, 93:144-150.

Josephson, B. D., Letter, New Scientist, November 1, 1997.

Rey, L. Thermoluminescence of Ultra-High Dilutions of Lithium Chloride and Sodium Chloride. Physica A, 2003, 323:67-74.

Roy, R., Tiller, W. A., Bell, I., and Hoover, M. R. The Structure of Liquid Water: Novel Insights from Materials Research; Potential Relevance to Homeopathy, Materials Research Innovations, December 2005, 9(4):577-608..

Ullman, Dana. “Let’s have a serious discussion of nanopharmacology and homeopathy”. FASEB. 2006;20:2661.

H1N1 Vaccine Miscarriages: Exclusive Interview with Connie Adams and More Reports Worldwide

December 6, 2009: About 6 weeks ago, when mass vaccinations were getting underway in North America, I warned pregnant women that the unadjuvanted H1N1 vaccine for pregnant women is not safe. I am very sad to report that pregnant women have been miscarrying after receiving the H1N1 injection.

The press in Europe has reported that nine European women have miscarried after getting the swine flu jab. On November 17, Portuguese news website Diario reported that 2 women in their 30s miscarried soon after being vaccinated. One day later, Portuguese radio station Radiohertz reported that yet another woman had miscarried after having her H1N1 shot. Then a few days later, news website Le Parisien reported that a French lady lost her baby two days after getting her Pandemrix H1N1 jab.

Today Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reports the 5th miscarriage that has happened in Sweden after a woman has received her H1N1 shot. 28-year-old Zahra was in her final month of pregnancy. She was due on November 24th. Inside her stomach she felt regular, strong kicks. On November 19th she went for her last check at the health centre. Everything looked good and she heard the baby’s heartbeat.

Zahra had previously declined to be vaccinated against swine flu, but was persuaded by her doctor to take the syringe.  “Two days later I felt something was wrong in my stomach. The child did not move. He was not breathing.” Three days before scheduled delivery, Zahra gave birth to her dead son. “I just cried and cried. He weighed 4.5 kilograms and had all his fingers, all his toes, all his body parts. But he was not breathing. I think that the vaccine killed my child. Before I got the syringe everything was good.  I do not know how to live with this. But I must talk about it so that other women will not be subjected to the same thing. I want them to investigate this and make sure it does not happen again.”

Recently I had the privilege of interviewing 34-year old Connie Adams of Columbus, Ohio, USA. She miscarried soon after getting the H1N1 vaccine and would like other pregnant women to hear her story before making the decision to get vaccinated.

I was 16.5 weeks pregnant. It was my 3^rd pregnancy. I have a 17 and 12 year old. In Ohio they are promoting the vaccine for pregnant women. I went for my H1N1 shot on October 22, and I began to feel bad on the 24^th and on the 25th I was bent over on the couch. My doctor said it was probably round ligament pain. For the next few days I continued feeling bad and at night I could not sleep. On the 27th my water broke and on the 29th I miscarried. The week before I got the shot, I went for my doctor’s appointment. Everything was fine, no pain or anything. But after I had that shot I felt bad.

Did you ask your doctor if they thought the vaccine caused it?

I asked her if there’s a possibility that the vaccine had something to do with it. She said I can guarantee you on my life that it was not the vaccination. But I never had problems with my other pregnancies. It’s weird.

Have you talked to other women who also miscarried after getting the H1N1 shot?

I’ve had women who have contacted me after I posted my email address on the About.com website who said my friend had that shot and miscarried. They were always 20 something weeks and under, in their 1^st and 2^nd trimester. I have heard from about 7-8 women.

So you think the vaccine caused the miscarriage?

The baby was growing fine. It was a perfectly healthy pregnancy. My doctor said everything was fine. I was taking vitamins even before I was pregnant. I had the vaccination then everything just went downhill. I feel like something triggered my labour.

Why aren’t these miscarriages being more thoroughly investigated?

They say that more pregnant women are benefiting from the vaccine than miscarrying. That’s how my doctor put it.

And you disagree?

I was injected with the Sanofi H1N1 vaccine. After I miscarried I did some research and found out that it contains fermaldehyde, mercury, etc. You put that into my body and you tell me everything is fine?! I did not know what was in the vaccine. If I would’ve known what was in it I would never have received the shot. Also I found out later that the vaccine manufacturer says that pregnant women should not take the H1N1 shot unless they have to.

This must be so hard for you…

It’s been a month and a half, and it’s still hard for me. Nobody is talking about the side effects or the risks. They are constantly promoting this for pregnant women and we’re their guinea pigs.

Homeopathic Remedies for Teething

Like many parents I’ve talked to, my first introduction to homeopathy was when my youngest daughter started having teething troubles. She would wake up screaming in pain. Tylenol didn’t seem to help with the pain; she and I would be up most of the night. All I wanted was to see her (and I) get some much needed relief and sleep. I then decided to try Boiron’s Camilia. One dose didn’t seem to do much, but by the third dose she had calmed down and was able to get back to sleep. The next night, she woke up screaming again. This time, armed with Camilia, I was again able to get her back to sleep within 45 minutes instead of the usual hellish night of no sleep.

Camilia works, but most mothers who have used it agree that it is expensive. Soon after my experience with Camilia, I started seeing a classical homeopath for constitutional treatment. I bought the book Homeopathy for Children at my homeopath’s clinic. It is a very useful and basic book about how to use homeopathy for everyday health complaints. It had a very good, comprehensive section about treating teething with homeopathic remedies.

After reading the children’s book, I discovered that my baby fit the remedy picture of a Chamomilla baby while she was teething. Babies needing Chamomilla are extremely irritable when they are teething. The pain can be so unbearable that they can get extremely angry and strike out. They can be extremely whiny and nothing will satisfy them. One characteristic thing about my child that made me know that she needed Chamomilla was that Chamomilla babies are quiet as long as they are being carried. My husband and I spent many nights pacing the floor carrying our daughter in our arms! Other characteristics which would make one think of giving Chamomilla are the pains are worse at night, there may be loose stools, and the cheek that the tooth is coming in on can be hot and red while the other cheek will be pale.

Chamomilla is by far the most common teething remedy, but it does not work for all children. Aconite, for example, is another common teething remedy. Teething babies who need Aconite have extreme pain with a lot of anxiety and restlessness, and often have inflamed gums. It’s a good second choice if Chamomilla seems indicated but doesn’t work.

Ignatia is another common homeopathic teething remedy. Unlike angry Chamomilla children, the Ignatia children are more weepy and sympathetic when teething. The Ignatia child may sigh, tremble, single body parts may quiver or jerk, and they may wake from sleep with piercing cries.

Kreosote is the indicated remedy if your baby’s gums are severely inflamed and red with a spongy consistency. Teething for these babies is extremely painful, and they will be extremely agitated and wakeful.

Mercurius Vivus is indicated for teething babies who are drooling excessively accompanied by offensive bad breath. The pain is worse at night.

Podophyllum is indicated when the baby’s teething troubles are accompanied by noisy, explosive diarrhea.

Dosage for single homeopathic remedies: One dose can be enough if the teething isn’t too severe. For more severe teething, one dose can be given every half hour for up to 3 doses. If 3 doses doesn’t bring relief, you have chosen the wrong remedy.

Using single homeopathic remedies as opposed to combination remedies (such as Camilia) will save you money. I also find that single remedies can be more effective because in general, single remedy potencies are stronger than the potency of combination remedies, plus you are being more exact with your prescribing by just giving one remedy. Combination remedies contain many different homeopathic remedies in a low potency. Most combination remedies contain enough different types of low potency remedies that the odds are good that one of the the ingredients will help your child.

For those of you who find single remedy selection confusing, I recommend Hyland’s Teething Tablets. I have talked to many satisfied parents who have used Hyland’s Teething Tablets for their children. When using these tablets with very young babies, it is best to put a few of the tablets in a dropper bottle filled with filtered or spring water, then put a few drops of the watery solution into the baby’s mouth.

Some children have a lot of trouble with teething. If your child’s teeth are very slow to come in or are decaying soon after coming in, it is best to consult your local classical homeopath so that your baby can have constitutional homeopathic treatment. Contact the clinic for more information about constitutional homeopathic treatment.

(Swine) flu vaccine and treatment is not safe or effective

I have been following swine flu in the news since the first outbreak in Mexico in the spring of 2009. There was and is what I perceive to be a lot of media hype around a disease that has so far killed far less people than regular influenza. The regular flu kills approx. 250,000 – 500,000 people each year worldwide. So far, the swine flu has only killed less than 2000 people since April.

Although the swine flu is a relatively mild disease that for the most part only kills immunocompromised people, the press is now arguing that the virus could mutate into a more deadly disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that it *could* mutate into a deadlier strain, which has to be the only reason why they declared swine flu to be a pandemic, since it kills less people than the regular flu, yet WHO does not seem to be particularly worried about the regular flu. So far, the swine flu has been around for months, and there is no sign of it mutating into a deadlier disease. In fact, just as I thought, there is now evidence that it will not mutate into something deadlier: http://www.miamiherald.com/living/health/healthAP/story/1212356.html There goes their justification for declaring the swine flu a pandemic! But, they say, it spreads more easily than the regular flu.  Since swine flu a mild disease, most people that get it recover from it, so there is still nothing to worry about.

Since there is no actual hard evidence that the swine flu is deadlier than the regular flu, my only guess about why it has been hyped so much in the media is the motivation of greed. The pharmaceutical companies that manufacture the flu vaccine stand to make billions of dollars from the swine vaccine alone. Scaremongering also increases the use of antiviral drugs once swine flu is diagnosed, since people have been led to think that the swine flu is a deadly and serious disease.

One very good reason not to get the swine flu vaccine is that the disease is relatively benign, so there is really nothing to worry about anyway. Another very good reason, and a more worrying one, is that the swine flu vaccine is very likely going to be a lot more dangerous than getting the disease. Because WHO declared the swine flu to be a pandemic, the pharmaceutical companies have been allowed to rush through the testing of the vaccine in order to prepare for the 2009 flu season. There is no long-term data about the side effects of this vaccine, therefore we really have no idea whether it is safe: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090815/vaccine_safety_090816/20090816/

Another worry in terms of the vaccine’s safety is the use of adjuvants in some batches of the swine flu vaccine. Adjuvants are sometimes put into vaccines to make the vaccine’s effect more powerful. One adjuvant is squalene, an ingredient used in the Anthrax vaccine in the early 90’s. Squalene has been linked to Gulf War syndrome, a multi-symptom rheumatic disorder experienced by veterans of the Gulf War after receiving the Anthrax vaccine: http://www.autoimmune.com/GWSGen.html Unfortunately, squalene is also an ingredient in some batches of the swine flu vaccine.

As if all this information is not disturbing enough, very recently a letter from the Health Protection Agency, intended for neurologists, was leaked to the press warning practitioners to be on the alert for an increase in Guillain Barre syndrome after the swine flu vaccine has been administered to the public. Guillain Barre syndrome is a severe neurological disorder that was caused by the 1976 swine flu vaccine during the last swine flu pandemic. During the 1976 swine flu pandemic, more people died from the swine flu vaccine than the actual disease: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206807/Swine-flu-jab-link-killer-nerve-disease-Leaked-letter-reveals-concern-neurologists-25-deaths-America.html

Not only is the safety of the swine flu vaccine questionable, but so is its efficacy. As I mentioned before, no long term studies of the effectiveness of the swine flu have been done because it’s such a new disease. We can only guess how effective the swine flu vaccine will be by comparing it to the effectiveness of the regular flu vaccine, since these vaccines are made in a similar manner (though there are no adjuvants in the regular flu vaccine which probably makes it a lot safer). A comprehensive review of the studies on the regular flu vaccine efficacy concludes that the vaccine is no more effective than administering a placebo: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/333/7574/912

Not only is the swine flu vaccine on very shaky ground, but the traditional antiviral drugs used to treat it are also dangerous and ineffective. A recent CNN article questions the safety and efficacy of Tamiflu and Relenza, two antiviral drugs that are used by doctors to treat the swine flu: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/08/11/influenza.children.tamiflu.relenza/index.html The article summarizes some studies on antiviral drugs in the treatment of the flu virus, and what they found was that they did not reduce the risk of flu-related complications. Side effects of antivirals include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The article concludes that giving antivirals to children for the flu does more harm than good.

If you are concerned about the swine flu, or even the regular flu, which is more deadly, there are safe, effective alternative options available. Homeopathy is a safe and effective prevention and treatment option for the flu. Click here to read my article about homeopathic treatment of the flu in the Georgia Straight newspaper. Click here to learn more about homeopathic flu immunizations.

Ways to Naturally Boost Your Immunity

It’s that time of year again. People are now getting colds and flus and are wondering how to boost their immunity.

Many people opt for the flu shot, but since the flu shot is not effective, this is not the best decision. For example, with young children, the flu vaccine does not decrease influenza-related hospital visits, as published in the October 2008 Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. A study in a 2008 issue of the Lancet as well as study published in a 2008 issue of American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine show that risk of pneumonia in the elderly is not affected by flu vaccination. And this should also tell you something: 60% of health care workers in the US refuse the flu shot every year!

Once you get a cold or flu, traditional pharmacies carry various cold and flu medications. These medications only suppress your symptoms, they don’t actually strengthen the immunity in any way. A recent article in the BBC deemed many cough and cold medications ineffective and unsafe for children. Though I’m not against giving the recommended dose of Tylenol to a sick child so that they can sleep through the night. Never underestimate the healing power of sleep!

Most healthy people get a couple colds a year. It is the body’s natural way to rid itself of toxins, and since we live in such a toxic environment, it makes sense that most people would get colds. For those of you who get many colds and/or flus per year, you need a bit of help to strengthen your immunity.

When I say “natural ways to increase immunity” most people think of things like Vitamin C, echinacea, oregano oil and garlic. None of these things are harmful, but I have not found them to be particularly helpful either. The smell and taste of oregano oil and garlic are a bit of a turn-off as well.

For people with low immunity, the #1 thing that I recommend is constitutional homeopathic treatment. The constitutional remedy strengthens your immunity naturally so that you don’t get as many flus and colds. There are other things that help, but constitutional treatment is the foundation for building a strong immunity. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about constitutional homeopathic treatment.

Lately there has been a lot of talk about the health benefits of Vitamin D. People do have a lot less colds and flus in the summer months, so I think there is some truth to this. A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine links Vitamin D deficiency with an increased risk for upper respiratory tract infections. The best way to get Vitamin D is moderate exposure to sunlight (without sunscreen), and in the winter months use a sun lamp.

A cold or flu is nature’s way of cleansing the body of toxins. Why not help nature along by cleansing your body yourself so that a cold or flu doesn’t have to? There are a few different cleanse kits on the market. At some point I would like to write up a review of them on this blog.

The cleanse that I have found to be the cheapest and most effective is fasting. They say that the best time to fast is spring and summer months. Part of the reason for this is practical: your body temperature decreases when you are fasting. The only exception to this rule is when you actually get a cold or flu. I find that my recovery time from a cold or flu is a lot quicker when I am fasting. The body is able to heal itself quicker because the digestive organs are resting, they don’t have to digest food. Make sure that you drink plenty of water so that you stay hydrated! The science of fasting is called Natural Hygiene. Stay tuned for upcoming blog posts about this simple cheap way to rid the body of toxins and extra weight.

I have also found the Schussler Cell Salts, also referred to as Tissue Salts, to be helpful with colds and flus, especially with my kids. Unlike herbal formulas, the cell salts taste great, kids will be begging you for more.  In Canada, Hyland’s sells the cheapest brand. At the first stage of inflammation, use the Ferrum Phosphoricum cell salt. When the mucus becomes clear and profuse, use the Natrum Muriaticum cell salt. After the mucus becomes thicker and white, the Kali Muriaticum cell salt will help break up the secretions.

Something else that has been most helpful for myself and my family during cold and flu season have been the homeopathic colour remedies, first potentized by American homeopath Ambika Wauters in  1990. You guessed it, I will be writing more about these amazing remedies in the future. Basically it’s like colour therapy but in sugar pill form. It’s a great way to cleanse the chakras, and is yet another way to rid the body of toxins.

Feel free to comment if you feel that I have left anything out that has worked for you. I am always open to new methods of healing.

A Safe, Effective Alternative to the Flu Vaccine

About a month and a half ago, I wrote about and gave evidence as to why the (swine) flu vaccine and treatment is not safe or effective. The mainstream media continues to hype the swine (H1N1) flu even though there have only been a total 79 deaths reported in Canada according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The current cover story in The Atlantic Magazine, “Does the Vaccine Matter?” goes over in detail the problems with the flu and swine flu vaccine, as well as the antiviral drugs used by doctors as standard treatment. They interview some experts who say that the flu and the swine flu vaccine are potentially useless. Some scientists reviewed the flu vaccine studies and found that they were biased by the “healthy user effect.” Healthy people are more likely to get the flu shot because they are more mobile, whereas the unhealthy people did not tend to get the flu shot. Most of the studies that have been published on the efficacy of the flu vaccine are flawed and riddled with bias. The cover story also talks about a few of the vocal, brave scientists who have spoken out against the flu vaccine, and have subsequently been snubbed and ignored by their peers and the scientific journals because they failed to tow the line.

Here’s the good news: there are alternatives that work. People with low immunity should get constitutional homeopathic treatment, it’s an absolute must for people with low immunity. There are also other natural ways to boost your immunity.

But, let’s say you have a strong immune system but still don’t want to risk getting the H1N1 or regular flu. Others are in high risk groups for the (swine) flu, such as pregnant women, the elderly, asthmatics, people with compromised immune systems, or young children. These people will all benefit from homeopathic flu immunizations.

To immunize against the flu, we use the homeopathic remedy Influenzinum. Influenzinum is a remedy made from flu viruses, rendered completely safe and non-toxic by a homeopathic pharmacist.

In 1998 the French Society of Homeopathy conducted a survey of 23 homeopathic doctors concerning their use of Influenzinum as a flu preventative. The survey included use of Influenzinum over a 10 year period (1987-1998) in 458 patients. Results of the survey were remarkable. In approximately 90 percent of the cases no instances of the flu occurred when Influenzinum was used preventively.

I offer homeopathic immunizations for the flu at my clinic, and they are now available for purchase online. I use a high potency of Influenzinum 1M obtained from Helios Pharmacy in England. The immunization remedy must be taken once per month until the end of the flu season. It is taken by mouth and comes in the form of sugar pellets. It is safe and effective for pregnant women and children of any age, including babies.

People may have seen the Boiron product Influenzinum 9C in Canadian health food stores. Homeocan also carries Influenzinum. I have heard that the Homeocan and Boiron Influenzinum is not very effective because it is sourced from the regular influenza vaccine, whereas the Helios Influenzinum is sourced from actual influenza viruses. Plus the Boiron 9C is such a low potency that you would have to take it once a week for 6 months, which would be very time-consuming and costly.

However, Boiron does have an immune-boosting product called Thymuline. I have heard that this product actually does boost the immune system so it might be worth a try.

Feel free to contact the clinic if you have any questions about homeopathic flu immunizations.

Swine flu vaccine ingredients are not safe for pregnant women and children

Update for Pregnant Women: Swine Flu Vaccine Without Adjuvant is Unsafe

Right now, the swine flu vaccine is being distributed to the Canadian and US population. Of first priority to receive the shot are pregnant women and young children, both considered to be high risk groups for the H1N1 flu. I strongly believe that the swine flu vaccine is not safe or effective for anyone, but it is especially dangerous for young children and unborn fetuses.

There are many reasons for extreme caution. The testing of the vaccine was fast-tracked, so there are absolutely no long-term studies done on its safety. Also most disturbing are the list of toxic ingredients in the vaccine: squalene, thimerosal, and aluminum salts.

Squalene is an adjuvant added to the swine flu vaccine in order to enhance its immune-stimulating properties. A study done on rats in 2000 published in the American Journal of Pathology shows that squalene can induce rheumatoid arthritis. Another study published 2000 in Experimental and Molecular Pathology shows a clear link between Gulf War Syndrome and exposure to squalene. A later study published 2002 in Experimental and Molecular Pathology shows that those military personnel who did have adverse reactions to the anthrax vaccine were all exposed to the batches of the vaccine which contained squalene.

In Canada pregnant women and children will be given the option to use an unadjuvanted vaccine that does not contain squalene. But why give them a choice? It’s like asking whether or not you’d like rat poison in your coffee.

Thimerosal is  a mercury-containing preservative in the swine flu vaccine. A few weeks ago Washington state issued a press release stating that they would be temporarily suspending Washington’s limit on the amount of mercury (thimerosal) allowed in H1N1 vaccine given to pregnant women and children under three. Mercury-free vaccine will be available, but if the mercury-free vaccine runs out, under this new law, pregnant women and children will be allowed to be injected with an amount of mercury that would normally be illegal.

Doctors, pharmacists, and the mainstream press assure us that thimerosal is not harmful but one recent study begs to differ. A study done by UBC professor Dr. Chris Shaw published in the June 2009 edition of Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry found that thimerosal is toxic to the cells of an unborn fetus. Pregnant women are told not to eat tuna because it contains high levels of mercury, yet it is perfectly acceptable to inject mercury directly into a pregnant woman?! The US and Canadian governments assure us that thimerosal is not harmful, yet they have systematically removed thimerosal from every single childhood vaccine except for the (swine) flu vaccine. Russia, Denmark, Austria, Japan, Great Britain, and all the Scandinavian countries have banned thimerosal from being used in any of their vaccines.

Lastly there is yet another heavy metal in the swine flu vaccine: aluminum hydroxide. Most people have stopped using aluminum pots and pans because it is well known that aluminum is linked to brain damage. In April 2009 a study was published in the Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry linking aluminum hydroxide injections to motor deficits and motor neuron degeneration. A 2007 study published in Neuromolecular Medicine showed “Aluminum adjuvant linked to Gulf War illness induces motor neuron death in mice” (M.S. Petrik, et al, Vol. 1, No. 9, pp. 83-100).

There is a lot of hype surrounding the swine flu, fueled by the mainstream media, doctors and the medical establishment. The motivation for this hype is profits, since pharmaceutical companies and doctors make money from swine flu immunizations. They are not concerned about pregnant women and children, they’re only concerned with their own pocketbooks.

There are a few options. If you have strong immunity, you have nothing to fear. Don’t take the swine flu shot, which will only damage your health, and you have nothing to worry about.

If you have low resistance to any flu, cough, or cold that comes along, I recommend that you consult a professional homeopath for constitutional treatment. Feel free to contact me for more information.

You can also boost your immunity naturally or get a homeopathic flu immunization. There are many safe, effective options available that will help strengthen you and your family’s immunity to swine flu.

Six Swine Flu Vaccine Deaths and Hundreds of Debilitating H1N1 Vaccine Side Effects

Little is known about the side effects of the brand new swine flu vaccine. Here in North America, vaccinations have only recently gotten underway. Many Europeans, however, have already received the vaccine, because the approval process for the vaccine was speedier in many European countries compared to Canada and the US. So one must look to the Europeans to see what potential side effects one can expect if one is considering the vaccination.

There have been 6 deaths so far linked to the swine flu vaccine. On October 20 The Budapest Times reported that a 64-year-old Hungarian woman died 2 days after receiving the H1N1 vaccine. She had chronic but mild heart disease.

There have been 5 deaths linked to the swine flu vaccine in Sweden, according to the Swedish paper The Local. The first deaths were first reported by Swedish paper the Aftonbladet on October 22nd: a 50-year old man with serious heart problems and a 65-year-old woman died shortly after receiving the swine flu vaccination. Further deaths were reported by a few Swedish news sources, including DN.se, last Friday October 24th: A 74-year old woman died 4 days after receiving the swine flu vaccination and a 90-year old woman also died a few days after receiving the vaccine. Edit: On October 27th another death  was reported in the Aftonbladet. I will post more information once I can find an English translation.  It is worth noting that more Swedish people have been killed by the swine flu vaccine than by the actual swine flu, since only 2 swine flu deaths have been confirmed so far in Sweden compared with 5 deaths in Sweden from the vaccine.

There have been over 190 reports of vaccine side effects reported to the Swedish government. It is reported by DN.se that side effects are more common with the swine flu vaccine compared to the regular flu vaccine. Edit: As of October 27th Swedish news website SvD reports that 350 Swedes have now reported side effects.

The Swedish newspaper Expressen gives personal accounts of some of the side effects that the Swedes are experiencing. Lotta Lindstrom, age 49, still feels bad a week after taking the vaccine. She had a high fever and a headache after taking the vaccine, and was forced to take a day off work. Maria Strindlund, age 27, got a severe fever and chills and was forced to take sick leave after getting vaccinated. Rebecka Anderson, 32, became “decrepit” for 2 full days following the vaccination. Five of Rebecka’s classmates also got sick from the vaccination. Jennely Ottosson, 26, was healthy before receiving the swine flu jab. Immediately after receiving the vaccination, she got a high fever that lasted 3 days and was so exhausted that she could barely walk 5 feet. At least 10 of Jennely’s co-workers also got a fever after getting vaccinated.

Canadians may be thinking “that’s unfortunate for the Swedes but our swine flu vaccine is safe.” Wrong. GlaxoSmithKline is the manufacturer of both the Swedish and the Canadian swine flu vaccines. The Swedish swine flu vaccine is called Pandemrix and the Canadian one is called Arepanrix, but they are actually the same vaccine with different names. Pandemrix aka Arepanrix contains squalene, thimerosal (mercury) and aluminum salts (among other goodies). As far as I know, the vaccine in Hungary, made by drug company Omnivest, is not being distributed outside of Hungary.

All of the people who have died from the swine flu vaccine so far have underlying health conditions. Wait a minute, aren’t these the same people that the mainstream press and government are urging to rush out to get the vaccine?! I think this vaccine is extremely dangerous for anybody with chronic health problems.

One thing that I find curious is that the press has said that seniors have more immunity to H1N1 than younger people because they were probably exposed to similar viruses in their lifetimes. Younger people are the ones who have less immunity to H1N1, so why are they vaccinating seniors at all? And it is mostly the seniors who are dying from the vaccine!

People should be aware that there are safe, effective non-toxic options to combat swine flu and to increase their immunity. Constitutional homeopathic treatment is key (Contact me or contact a classical homeopath in your area). I also offer a homeopathic flu immunization for only $10 per person, now available for online purchase. Additionally, I have written a blog post about how to boost your immunity naturally.

Update: Swine Flu Vaccine Without Adjuvant is Unsafe

Oct 28, 2009: About a week ago I reported that swine flu vaccine ingredients are not safe for pregnant women and children. Yesterday I learned that the government will order 200,000 doses of non-adjuvanted swine flu vaccine called Panvax from Australian drug company CSL.

Panvax is licensed for use in Australia and the United States but is unlicensed here in Canada, according to The Canadian Press. The Health Minister had to sign an interim order to allow the vaccine into the country. Panvax does not contain the adjuvant squalene, but does contain thimerosal (mercury).

Other ingredients in Panvax that could harm an unborn baby other than thimerosal include neomycin, polymyxin B sulfate and beta-propiolactone.

Neomycin is an antibiotic that can cause damage to the kidneys and/or nerves.  Side effects are decreased urination, hearing loss, ringing in the ears, feeling of fullness in the ears, dizziness, numbness, skin tingling, muscle twitching, or seizures which may be signs of kidney or nerve damage. Neomycin is in pregnancy category D which means it may be harmful to an unborn baby.

Polymyxin B Sulfate is also an antibiotic. It can cause serious side effects, including kidney failure. Other side effects include  irritability, weakness, drowsiness, numbness in the arms or legs, or blurred vision. The safety of Polymyxin B Sulfate  has not been established for use during pregnancy.

Beta-Propiolactone is a disinfectant. The CDC labels beta-propiolactone as a potential human carcinogen. In rats, acute oral administration or intraperitoneal injection of beta-propiolactone caused muscular spasms, respiratory difficulty, convulsions, and death. Acute intravenous injection caused kidney tubule and liver damage. Subcutaneous injection of beta-propiolactone  in rats and mice produced cancer at the sites of administration. Single intraperitoneal injections in suckling mice produced lymphatic tumors and liver cancer. A study in 1984 in the Journal of Neurological Sciences showed that some neurological complications in young adults was caused by antirabies vaccines containing beta-propiolactone.

There are non-toxic options for strengthening the immunity during pregnancy. Constitutional homeopathy is the best way to strengthen the immunity. Homeopathy is also useful for morning sickness, lower back pain, urinary tract infections, depression, mood swings, constipation, indigestion, insomnia, yeast infections and more. Contact the clinic to find out how homeopathy can alleviate your health complaints during pregnancy safely and naturally.

We also offer homeopathic flu immunizations at our clinic. This is a safe, effective, non toxic alternative to the regular flu vaccine. It is completely safe for pregnant or nursing women and children.

December Update
H1N1 Vaccine Miscarriages: Exclusive Interview with Connie Adams and More Reports Worldwide

Polish Health Minister Rejects H1N1 Vaccine

Polish Health Minister in Polish Parliament regarding swine flu vaccines 5^th November 2009

I would like to say that my priority during my 20 odd years of my GP practice was “First of all do not harm,” I took that rule with me to my Health Minister Office.

In situations when I was to recommend a medicine to anybody, I believe just like any other practitioner, I would think: would I give it to my elderly mother, my child?

And exactly such thoughts make me very cautious about double checking the information regarding a medicine that the Health Ministry is to recommend to every Pole – to millions of Poles that have no medical education that a Minister has, that an expert, professor Brydak has, an expert that has been working on the flu for over 40 years. He works in one of 189 flu research centers that are in the world, one is in Poland. Can we today be accused of lack of knowledge about the flu? Can one question an opinion of a professor that has been working on the flu for over 40 years, and not just on one type of flu, that has published hundreds of articles on the subject?

I have just one fundamental question: do we want to fight the flu pandemic?

Today we have knowledge about enclosures in agreements that other governments of wealthier countries have signed with vaccine producers.

Also we know what was proposed to Poland. Due to negotiations being in progress I can’t tell you everything today, but I can tell you one thing: our Law Department found at least 20 points of doubt in the agreement.

So what is the Health Minister’s duty? To sign agreements that are in the best interests of the Polish people, or to sign agreements that are in the best interests of the pharmaceutical companies?

I know that there are 3 vaccines available on the market today, of 3 different producers. Each has a different amount of active substance and yet strangely they are all treated the same. Therefore isn’t it fair enough for the Health Minister and health experts to have doubts about it? Maybe the one with trace amounts of active substances is just a “holy water” that we are supposed to think can cure flu? Are we supposed to pay for that?

We have an example of Germany that bought 50 million jabs, only 10% have been applied so far. Only 13% of Germans want to take this “miraculous cure” today. But it’s peculiar because the Germans have a very high percentage of vaccine takers, so when in Poland for 1000 people only 52 will take a seasonal flu jab, in Germany there will be 238 per 1000 (23%). So what is happening when only 13% of Germans want to take the swine flu vaccine and not 23% of the population as usual with the seasonal flu vaccine? Their government bought the vaccines and offered them for free and they don’t want it. What happened?

Can those facts make us have second thoughts about buying the vaccines or not? Second thoughts about introducing a medicine that is kind of secret?

There are websites on which vaccine producers have an obligation to publish so-called post-vaccine unwanted side effects. The vaccinations in Europe started on 1^st October 2009. I would like you to visit any of these websites and find any unwanted side effects. The slightest thing, at least one, like allergic skin rash. That can happen even when using the safest medicine. There are none on those websites. A “perfect” medicine?! And since this is so miraculous, then why don’t the producing companies want to introduce their medicines to the free market and take responsibility for them? Why wouldn’t they say: “Wonderful, safe medicine, therefore I will take responsibility for it, I will introduce it to the market and everything is clear and transparent,” instead of dropping the weight on us, the buyers.

We do not have clinical test results, no detailed ingredients and no information about side effects. The vaccines are now in the 4^th stage of very short tests and we still do not have this information. Also the sample size has been very little, one kind of vaccine was tested only on 160 volunteers aged 20-60, all healthy. Another kind of vaccine tested on 600 volunteers aged 18-60, all healthy. Is this good enough, especially for us doctors present in the room? It is not good enough for me.

I want to be sure enough to recommend this vaccine. We are not out of the line for the vaccine, during the negotiations we want to take that time and use it to find out as much as we can about the vaccine. Then if the pandemic committee will accept this vaccine, we will buy it.

Also there are 1 billion people with seasonal flu worldwide every year. 1 million people die of seasonal flu worldwide every year. And this hasn’t been going happening for a year or two, but for a very long time. Has anybody anywhere announced a pandemic because of seasonal flu? And the seasonal flu is much more dangerous than swine flu, there are many deaths and severe complications. Was there any pandemic announced? Those who are pushing me to buy the vaccines, I ask you: Why didn’t you scream and shout last year, 2 years ago and in 2003? In 2003 there were 1,200,000 Poles who had seasonal flu! Did anybody shout, here in this room: “Let’s buy vaccines for everybody!” I can’t recall such a thing.

And finally I would like to say only one thing: The Polish nation is very wise, Poles can tell the truth from lies very precisely. They can also tell what is an objective situation and what is just a game.

Canadians: Have you experienced side effects from the H1N1 Vaccine?

Then I would like to interview you! Looking for anybody who has experienced severe side effects after taking the swine flu vaccine. Particularly looking for people living in the Vancouver area. Please post here or email info@littlemountainhomeopathy.com so we can set up an interview via email, Skype or MSN. Preferably I want to post real names and pictures so people know this is for real.

Homeopathic Remedies for Flu

In September of 2009 I wrote an introductory article in the Georgia Straight newspaper about the homeopathic treatment and prevention of the flu. Homeopathy has a long, successful history in the treatment of the flu. Currently, during this 2009 swine flu pandemic, homeopaths are treating their H1N1 flu patients successfully with homeopathic remedies. Some of the remedies that have been used successfully are:

Oscillococcinum by Boiron: Particularly useful at the beginning stages of the flu. When in doubt about what homeopathic remedy to use for flu, try this remedy. This is the #1 selling remedy for the flu in Europe. The Homeocan version is called Homeocoksinum.

Nux Vomica: Dr. Paul Herscu is a world-renowned naturopath/homeopath, teacher, and author of several homeopathic books. He has done research into the genus epidemicus of the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Each season, homeopaths find that there are a few remedies that work for the majority of flu sufferers; we call these remedies “genus epidemicus remedies” for the entire flu season. A person with a Nux Vomica flu is very chilly and always wants to be covered with a blanket; they are irritable and may have a queasy stomach. Dr. Herscu feels that Nux Vomica is one of the genus epidemicus remedies for the 2009 H1N1 flu. He has a handy tool to determine whether a person infected with H1N1 needs Nux Vomica or not: http://www.hersculaboratoryflu.org/tools/genusEpidemicus.html (simply fill out the short form at the bottom of the weblink and you will be able to download the tool immediately).

Mercurius Vivus: Another genus epidemicus remedy for the 09/10 swine flu according to Dr. Herscu. People needing Mercurius have bad body odour and breath, heavy perspiration and salivation. They have swollen glands, a sore mouth and or/a sore throat.  Use Dr. Herscu to determine whether an infected person needs Mercurius or not: http://www.hersculaboratoryflu.org/tools/genusEpidemicus.html (simply fill out the short form at the bottom of the weblink and you will be able to download the tool immediately).

Arsenicum Album: The Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH) has suggested Arsenicum as a swine flu preventative. Take Arsenicum Album 30C daily for three days. Repeat this dosage schedule each month during flu season. However, most homeopaths favour homeopathic Influenzinum as a general flu preventative.
Arsenicum is useful for treatment of the flu when the virus affects the upper respiratory tract with copious watery secretions from the nose and eye inflammation. There is a lot of lethargy and prostration, nausea, vomiting, and chilliness.

Gelsemium: One of the most common remedies for the flu. People needing this remedy are weak, achy and tired. There is constant chilliness and the cough is hard and painful. Gelsemium was the genus epidemicus remedy for the Spanish flu of 1918.

Eupatorium Perfoliatum: Another common flu remedy. Homeopaths in Europe have used this successfully to treat the H1N1 flu. There is a lot of soreness and aching of the entire body. People needing this remedy are thirsty, whereas people needing Gelsemium are not.

Belladonna: Usually most useful at the beginning of a flu. Some homeopaths have used this remedy successfully for the H1N1 flu. A Belladonna flu has a rapid onset with a very high fever. The person may be delirious with the fever. People needing this remedy usually have a red, flushed face and have throbbing pains in the head or throat.

Baptisia Tinctoria: Like Belladonna flus, the Baptisia flu comes on suddenly with a high fever. People needing this remedy have offensive smelling sweat, breath, and stool. Offensive diarrhea is very characteristic of people needing this remedy.

Bryonia Alba: The 2nd most used remedy for the flu after Gelsemium. Bryonia flus come on slowly and people needing this remedy are worse from any kind of motion. People needing this remedy may also have a very painful cough. They are thirsty, hot, and desire cool fresh air.

There are many more possible remedies that could be indicated for this year’s flu. I have just tried to list the most frequently indicated ones.

Dosage: Give the indicated remedy every half hour for three doses. If there is no change in the patient’s condition, you have picked the wrong remedy. Once the patient’s condition improves, decrease dosage to 3 times per day until recovery. Use a 30C potency. For serious cases of the flu, consult a classical homeopath in your area.

I have also found that Hyland’s brand Ferrum Phosphoricum cell salts are useful to bring down a fever. For high fevers, give once every 15 minutes to half hour until the fever starts going down. Thereafter, give 3-4 times per day until the fever dissipates. To get rid of runny mucus, give Natrum Muriaticum cell salts. For tougher, thicker mucus, give Kali Muriaticum cell salts. The Nat Mur and Kali Mur cell salts can be taken 3-4 times per day.

People with low immunity should consult a classical homeopath to inquire about constitutional treatment. Constitutional treatment is the most effective way to boost your immunity. Contact the clinic to find out more about constitutional treatment.

There are also many other ways to boost your immunity naturally. If you are interested in a safe, effective alternative to the flu vaccine, try a homeopathic flu immunization.

Deaths from Flu in Young Healthy People Linked to MRSA Infection

This flu season there has been lots of talk in the mainstream press about how deadly the (H1N1) flu is, and therefore we must all get the (H1N1) flu vaccine(s). What a lot of people don’t know is that it is not always the swine flu itself that is killing people. The vast majority of the people who die from swine flu have high risk medical conditions. A small minority who die are young and healthy, but are these people actually dying from H1N1 or from something else?

As of September 2009, The CDC reported that 67% of the 36 children who died of swine flu in the US also had high risk medical conditions.  Among 23 children with culture or pathology results reported, laboratory-confirmed bacterial coinfections were identified in 10 (43%), including all six children who were over 5 years old and had no recognized high-risk condition. In other words, all six of these healthy children died from bacterial pneumonia, not from the swine flu itself. Among the seven children aged under 5 years who died, two had a laboratory-confirmed bacterial coinfection; neither child had a high-risk medical condition. Three out of the 8 healthy children (37%) died from pneumonia caused by an MRSA coinfection.

What is MRSA?
MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The term is used to describe a number of strains of the bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, that are resistant to a number of antibiotics, including methicillin. Drug resistant forms of bacteria are also known as “superbugs.”

A 2008 article in Infection Control Today reports that “MRSA Caused Pneumonia Deaths During 2006-2007 in Young, Healthy People.” A high number of cases of pneumonia caused by staph infections resulted in death among young, otherwise healthy patients during the 2006-2007 flu season, with more than three-quarters caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

A meta-analysis of seventy-six studies published by the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy concludes that previous antibiotic exposure increases the risk of getting an MRSA infection. As of 2008, 85 percent of MRSA infections are healthcare associated. That means that 85 percent of MRSA infections are acquired in hospitals or healthcare facilities. An article in Dermatology Nursing links the spread of MRSA with inadequate hospital hygiene practices. For example, a 2006 study published in The Journal of Hospital Infection reveals that 38% of the research sample of health professionals failed to wash their hands after contact with MRSA patients.

To help determine the role of bacterial coinfection in the current influenza pandemic, CDC examined postmortem lung specimens from patients with fatal cases of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) for bacterial causes of pneumonia. During May 1–August 20, 2009, specimens were admitted to CDC from 77 U.S. patients with fatal cases of confirmed 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1). Bacterial coinfections were found in 30% of the patients. 9% of the patients examined had MRSA. Most recently, the Journal of Infection reports that a healthy male with H1N1 died from an MRSA coinfection.

MRSA is much more deadly than H1N1, but considering how serious it is, it is largely ignored by the mainstream media. In the UK in 2008, 1,230 people died from MRSA, compared to under 200 deaths from H1N1 this season. MRSA is even deadlier than AIDS! A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), linked MRSA infection to over 18,000 deaths in the US in 2005, compared to the 16,000 AIDS-related deaths recorded by the World Health Organization in the same year. Compare those figures with the 1,200 US swine flu deaths that have occurred this season. In Canada in 2006, MRSA was responsible for 2600 deaths, compared to only 198 deaths caused by swine flu this season.

Antibiotic resistant superbugs such as MRSA, VRE, and e. coli are on the rise.  The culprit: overuse of antibiotics. Like all living things, bacteria adapt to the environment. Faced with an antibiotic, a few hearty bugs survive. Those superbugs then multiply, creating a new strain that the old antibiotic can’t touch. The more antibiotics used, the more the bacteria evolve.

Luckily, there are alternatives to antibiotics. Homeopathy is a complete system of medicine that can be used for coughs, colds, flus and fevers. If you have a weak immune system, consult a classical homeopath for constitutional treatment, which will strengthen your immune system naturally. Contact the clinic for more information about constitutional treatment.

To find out how flus can be treated effectively with homeopathy, read my recent blog post: Homeopathic Remedies for Flu

Why Skeptics Love to Hate Homeopathy

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
http://blogs.mercola.com/sites/vitalvotes/archive/2009/12/09/Why-Skeptics-Love-to-Hate-Homeopathy.aspx

by Amy L. Lansky, PhD

www.impossiblecure.com

Perhaps the most derided of alternative medicines is my own favorite – homeopathy.  Over the past few years, detractors have focused their efforts in the United Kingdom and have succeeded in crippling homeopathic hospitals and clinics funded by the National Health Service, as well as the practices of many homeopaths. A few well-placed editorials in prominent newspapers have done the trick, despite the fact that Prince Charles and the rest of the royal family are ardent supporters of homeopathy.

It now seems that some of these folks are taking their show on the road.  Two key UK players, Michael Baum and Edzard Ernst have published a commentary in the November 2009 issue of the American Journal of Medicine [2] in which they state, “a belief in homeopathy exceeds the tolerance of an open mind.  We should start from the premise that homeopathy cannot work and that positive evidence reflects publication bias or design flaws until proved otherwise.”

Not surprisingly, their commentary also reflects a complete ignorance of homeopathy and the range of studies that support its effectiveness.  For example, their article incorrectly uses the term “potentation” instead of “potentization” for the method used to create homeopathic remedies (more on this later).  The authors also insist on citing a single negative meta-analysis study that has already been shown to be methodologically flawed [3], while ignoring many positive studies in respected publications, including two other meta-analyses that showed positive results [4-9].

So why do the skeptics love to hate homeopathy?  Perhaps because it is one of the most threatening alternative modalities – financially, philosophically, and therapeutically.  Actually, homeopathy has been a threat to allopathy ever since the 1800s, when German physician Samuel Hahnemann developed the homeopathic system.

Founder of Homeopathy

Hahnemann, a respected doctor and chemist who helped to pioneer the importance of hygiene as well as homeopathy, was forced to move frequently during his life because the local German apothecaries objected to the fact that he created his own medicines rather than use theirs. A fierce battle was also waged against homeopathy in the United States during the 1800s, where homeopathy had achieved a strong presence by 1840.  In fact, in 1847, the American Medical Association (AMA) was formed specifically to fight the battle against homeopathy.

Most homeopaths of the 1800s were former allopaths who had abandoned their brethren because they found Hahnemann’s system to be more successful in battling cholera, typhus, yellow fever, diptheria, influenza, and other epidemics of the 1800s.  In retaliation, the preamble to the AMA’s charter forbade its members to associate with homeopaths or to use their medicines, and many doctors were expelled for failing to comply.

But does homeopathy really pose such a threat to conventional medicine today? To see how the little David of homeopathy could take down the Goliath of big pharma, we need to take a closer look at what homeopathy is all about.

Like Cures Like

Homeopathic practice is based on a single law of therapeutics called the Law of Similars. This law states that a substance that can cause the symptoms of a disease can also cure it.  In fact, that’s exactly what word “homeopathy” means:  similar (“homeo”) suffering (“pathy”). For example, one reason that the remedy Coffea Cruda (made from coffee) can be curative for insomnia is that coffee can cause sleeplessness.  Interestingly, allopaths sometimes utilize the Law of Similars, but are unaware of it when they do and are perplexed by the phenomenon.

Ask any conventional doctor why Ritalin (a substance that would normally cause hyperactivity) can treat hyperactivity in children, and they’ll scratch their heads in confusion.  Ask a homeopath, and it’s a no-brainer: the Law of Similars.

The reason why homeopaths run into trouble with the skeptics, though, revolves around how homeopathic remedies are prepared. Obviously, many of the substances that can cause the symptoms of disease are toxic.  This inherent toxicity poses a challenge if you want to administer these substances safely.  In an effort to deal with this problem, Hahnemann tried various methods of diluting his medicines so that they would become less harmful to his patients.  This proved unsuccessful until he also incorporated vigorous shaking or succussion into the process.  The result was a method that he called potentization, in which a substance is serially diluted and succussed over and over.

Much to Hahnemann’s own surprise, these ultradilutions – so dilute that they cannot possibly contain a single molecule of the original substance – were still potent therapeutically.  In fact, they were even more potent than low levels of dilution.

Of course, this was and still is too much for the skeptics to bear.  It turns much of accepted science on its head!

What the skeptics keep ignoring, however, are an increasing number of scientific studies that indicate that some kind of signature of the original substance is embedded in a potentized ultradilution. In a 2007 paper by Professor Rustom Roy, the founding director of the Materials Research Laboratory at Penn State and one of the world’s leading experts on the structure of water, it was demonstrated that lab instruments could pick up energetic signatures in ultradilutions that were not only specific to individual homeopathic remedies, but to specific potencies of these remedies [10].

Indeed, science has backed up the phenomenon of potentization for over 20 years. In 1988, Nobel Prize nominee and medical researcher Jacques Benveniste turned the course of his life upside down when he discovered that ultradilutions could retain substance-specific properties.  In particular, he found that a certain antibody could be serially diluted and succussed beyond the point where a single molecule could remain, but still cause the same effects [11].

Naturally, the skeptics quickly attacked Benveniste. But he continued his work and further demonstrated that the electromagnetic signature of an ultradilution could be recorded electronically, transmitted via Email, replayed into water, and still achieve the same substance-specific effects in the laboratory [12]. Eventually, Benveniste’s results were replicated [13]. Most recently, a 2009 paper by Nobel Prize winner Luc Montagnier underscored the power of ultradilutions too [14].

Drug Companies Are Running Scared

Now think about it.  This is what big pharma is scared of.

What if an expensive drug could be potentized to create billions of effective doses at essentially no cost? It would destroy big pharma entirely. Medicines that cost essentially nothing?  Nontoxic ultradiluted medicines that cause fewer side effects? How could the coffers of big pharma be sustained?  Forget about the Law of Similars.  It’s potentization — the process of creating effective ultradilutions – that big pharma is scared of! No wonder Baum and Ernst got the word “potentization” wrong.  This one word is the small stone that could take Goliath down.

Of course, homeopaths add fuel to the fire.  The fundamental philosophy of homeopathy implies that the primary tools of allopathy are harmful.   In particular, homeopaths believe that suppressing symptoms with anti-pathic drugs – drugs that oppose the symptoms of a disease rather than mimic them – cannot cure and can even do harm.  If a symptom is suppressed – for example, if a seasonal allergy is suppressed by an antihistamine – it is only temporarily palliated.

A patient still has allergic tendencies and his or her symptoms will eventually return.  That’s why suppressive drugs must be taken again and again.  And of course, big pharma loves that!  It’s good for business.

Deceptive Cures

Unfortunately, if a substance succeeds in completely suppressing a symptom, there may be an illusion of “cure,” but the real result is more sinister.  Another key tenet of homeopathy is that the true result of suppression is a deepening of the underlying disease state – because the energy of the disease is now forced to manifest in a more serious way. That’s why repeated application of cortisone cream to eczema can lead to asthma.

That’s why the suppression of arthritis pain can lead to heart disease. That’s why teenagers who take acne drugs sometimes develop suicidal depression.  Doctors call this phenomenon a “side effect” or a “natural disease progression.” But that’s because they don’t understand the effects of suppression or the signs of true cure.

Over the past two hundred years, homeopaths have discovered that homeopathic medicines – drugs that mimic a person’s symptoms rather than oppose them – can lead to genuine cure of chronic disease, not mere palliation or suppression.  Rather than creating a deeper disease, a homeopathic medicine that is similar to a patient’s disease can not only cure it, but reveal previously suppressed layers of disease that can be treated too.

That’s why good homeopathic treatment can often cure asthma – and also reveal and treat previously suppressed eczema. That’s why it has the potential to cure arthritis and chronic bladder infections, not simply palliate them with endless medications. Indeed, homeopathy can effectively treat acute diseases like influenza and bacterial infections too. With its ability to successfully treat both chronic and acute disease with low-cost medicines, homeopathy really could be a threat to big pharma, given half a chance.

Ideal for Poor Countries or Rich Ones with Declining Economies

Poor countries with less access to expensive drugs have already discovered this. That’s why homeopathy is the second most widespread form of medicine in the world. In India, homeopathy is a full-fledged medical system with its own medical schools and hospitals.  Homeopaths in India successfully treat the full range of diseases, including AIDS, cancer, and malaria.

In Cuba, a poor country with a health care system that often does better than our own, homeopathy is being used more and more.  In 2008, 2.5 million Cubans were given a homeopathic remedy to prevent Leptospirosis, an infectious disease also known as swamp fever.  This disease has plagued the country for several years in the aftermath of flooding, but the year in which homeopathy was used, in contrast to previous years, there were no fatalities and very few cases of the disease [15].

But here’s the rub.  Homeopathy is harder to practice than allopathy.  There are no cookie-cutter cures, especially for chronic disease. (Luckily, however, effective treatment of epidemic diseases like the flu is easier; see Resources.) Each patient’s health pattern is unique, so each patient must be treated as an individual.

A homeopath must find a single remedy (among thousands of possible homeopathic remedies) whose associated symptoms match those of the patient – not just their main complaint, but their entire symptom picture that includes emotional, mental, behavioral, as well as the physical symptoms of the entire body.  It’s a daunting task.  A practitioner who practices classical homeopathy (the kind of homeopathy I advocate) typically needs at least two hours for an initial case interview and may spend just as long deciding upon a remedy.

And sometimes it takes a homeopath several tries to find just the right remedy – the one that homeopaths call the simillimum.  This process also requires patients to engage in their own treatment, because symptoms are gathered not by machines or by using tests, but through direct communication between patient and homeopath.

Of course, this is not something big pharma, conventional doctors, or insurance companies would be happy about.  No expensive medicines or tests or equipment needed?  No five-minute appointments reimbursed at $300 a shot?  A medical system that requires long appointments, time for case analysis, and patients who must participate in the healing process?  Not very lucrative.

How I Broke Out of the Mold and Reliance on Failed Medical Therapies

Of course, I used to be a lover of conventional medicine like most people. Back in the early 1990s, my husband Steve Rubin and I were both computer researchers in Silicon Valley and followed our doctors’ instructions obediently, loading our kids up with every recommended vaccine on schedule.  Our allopathic trance began to break in 1994 when our 3-year-old son Max began to show signs of autism.

I first read about homeopathy in the January 1995 issue of Mothering Magazine, which contained an article about the successful homeopathic treatment of ADD and other children’s behavioral problems [16]. Steve and I decided to give it a try and found a practitioner in our area.  Within a week we began to see small and subtle improvement in Max – improvement that became a slow and steady trend. After two years of treatment, he was testing normally and was released from eligibility for special education benefits.

His speech and language therapist told the county representative that she had never seen an autistic child recover like Max had, and she fully credited homeopathy for his recovery.  By the time he was eight, nearly all signs of Max’s autism were gone. Today he is 18, a freshman at a leading university, completely autism free, and without restrictions of any kind.

Needless to say, this experience was both mind-boggling and life-transforming.  I began to study homeopathy myself and ultimately wrote what became the best-selling patient education book in the USA – Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy [17] – a comprehensive introduction to homeopathic history, philosophy, science, and experience, sprinkled with dozens first-person cure stories for a variety of ailments, along with a chapter about Max’s cure.

In the end, I left my work in computer science and devoted myself to letting others know about the healing powers of homeopathy. I got involved in the successful campaign for health freedom legislation in California too [18].  Steve also got involved and developed the National Vaccine Information Center’s online interface to the VAERS database [19] (the CDC’s public record of vaccine injuries).  I guess Max’s  healing led us both to become alternative medicine activists, and we haven’t looked back.

Conclusion

So why not take a look at homeopathy for yourself?  Make it your New Year’s resolution to find a good classical practitioner and to learn more about this amazing medical modality.  The skeptics manage to create a lot of smoke in an effort to hide homeopathy from public view.  But where there’s smoke, there’s fire.  Find out about how this powerful healing system – a system that packs a lot of firepower into an infinitesimal punch – can help you and your family.

Resources

(1) Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy – www.impossiblecure.com.

This website includes:  book ordering information; autism help page; free archive of Amy’s show on AutismOne Radio – There’s Hope with Homeopathy; Cure Stories Database; helpful links.

(2) National Center for Homeopathy – www.nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org.

Leading open-membership organization for homeopathy in the USA that organizes the yearly national conference.  Membership buys a quarterly magazine, Homeopathy Today, monthly eNewsetter, online chats with leading experts, extensive online resources and social network.  Website includes many free resources, including practitioner and resource referrals lists and flu treatment information.

References

[1] www.bolenreport.net.

[2] Baum, Michael and Edzard Ernst, “Should We Maintain an Open Mind about Homeopathy?” The American Journal of Medicine, Vol. 122, No. 11, pp. 973-974 (November 2009).

[3] Shang, A. et al. “Are the Clinical Effects of Homeopathy Placebo Effects?  Comparative Study of Placebo-Controlled Trials of Homeopathy and Allopathy,” The Lancet, 366, pp. 726-732 (2005).

An extensive refutation of the results of this study, including statistical analyses and evidence of foul-play, can be found here: http://www.liebertonline.com/toc/acm/11/5.

[4] Linde, K. et al.  “Are the Clinical Effects of Homoeopathy Placebo Effects?  A Meta-Analysis of Placebo-Controlled Trials,” The Lancet, 250, pp. 834-843 (1997).

[5] Kleijnen, J. et al. “Clinical Trials of Homeopathy,” British Medical Journal, 302, pp. 316-323 (1991).

[6] Jacobs, J. et al. “Treatment of Acute Childhood Diarrhea with Homeopathic Medicine: A Randomized Clinical Trial in Nicaragua,” Pediatrics, Vol. 83, No. 5, pp. 719-725 (1994).

[7] Bell, I.R. et al. “Improved Clinical Status in Fibromyalgia Patients Treated with Individualized Homeopathic Remedies Versus Placebo,” Rheumatology, 2004b; 43 (5):577-82.

[8] Taylor, M.A. et al. “Randomised Controlled Trial of Homoeopathy Versus Placebo in Perennial Allergic Rhinitis with Overview of Four Trial Series,” British Medical Journal, 321, pp. 471-476 (2000).

[9] For more trials, see www.nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org (under Articles, click Research).

[10] Rao, et al. “The Defining Role of Structure (Including Epitaxy) in the Plausibility of Homeopathy,” Homeopathy, 96, pp. 175-182 (2007).

[11] Davenas, et al. “Human Basophil Degranulation Triggered by Very Dilute Antiserum Againt IgE,” Nature, Vol. 333, No. 6176, pp. 816-818 (1988).

[12] Aissa, J. et al. “Transatlantic Transfer of Digitized Antigen Signal by Telephone Link,” Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 99:S175 (1997).

[13] Brown, V. and M. Ennis. “Flow-Cytometric Analysis of Basophil Activation: Inhibition by Histamine at Conventional and Homeopathic Concentrations,” Inflammation Research, 50, Supplement (2), S47-S48 (2001).

[14] Montagnier, Luc, et al. “Electromagnetic Signals Are Produced by Aqueous Nanostructures Derived from Bacterial DNA Sequences,” Insterdiscip Sci Comput Life Sci, 1:81-90 (2009).

[15] http://homeopathyresource.wordpress.com/2009/01/01/successful-use-of-homeopathy-in-over-5-million-people-reported-from-cuba/

[16] Reichenberg-Ullman, J. “A Homeopathic Approach to Behavioral Problems,” Mothering, Number 74, pp. 97-101 (1995).

[17] Lansky, Amy. Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy.  R.L. Ranch Press (2003).

[18] www.californiahealthfreedom.com.

[19] www.medalerts.org.

Amy L. Lansky, PhD was a Silicon Valley computer scientist when her life was transformed by the miraculous homeopathic cure of her son’s autism. In April 2003 she published Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy, one of the best-selling books on homeopathy in the USA (www.impossiblecure.com).

Amy is an executive board member of the National Center for Homeopathy (www.nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org). She speaks and writes internationally about homeopathy and hosts a monthly radio show on Autism One Radio (www.autismone.org).