Measles, once an ordinary childhood disease, that every mother and grandmother was expected to know how to deal with, has been reshaped into a dangerous, and fearful threat since the widespread use of the vaccine. We were assured that the vaccine would “eradicate” this “dreaded” disease by 1982 and that we would no longer have to worry about our kids getting sick. We allowed ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security, believing naively that the experts would take care of us. How could we have predicted that not only would the vaccine not eradicate measles, but that it would shift the natural epidemiology of the disease putting young adults and infants at higher risk of catching it, with an increased potential for more serious consequences than in the bygone era when every kid got it as a normal part of life.
So much fear has been instilled in parents a fear of our natural bodily processes, beginning with the birth of our babies and giving up our confidence and power to the expert obstetrician, without whom we couldn’t possibly bring forth life, until we rediscovered the gentle wise woman ways of the midwife. So much fear instilled in us that discouraged us from breastfeeding because as modern women, we couldn’t possibly make enough milk for our babies to thrive on only the formula milk concocted by the pharmaceutical companies in exact doses and on exact schedules was good enough. So much fear instilled in us once the baby was born. Our babies couldn’t possibly be expected to thrive, let alone survive without the expert advice and most importantly the multiple vaccines given on a rigorous schedule by the friendly pediatrician. And fever, the archenemy of every mother, was to be killed at all costs with aspirin ( until the advent of Reye’s syndrome), and Tylenol and Tempra and antibiotics, instead of supporting her child with healing herbs, cooling sponge baths, and the tried and true homeopathic remedies that mothers have used for centuries.
Probably the first and most important fear to work on releasing is fear of fever. Fever is a natural ally that is part of the body’s defense mechanism. During the course of an illness, the release of pyrogens causes the temperature to rise, which also stimulates the activity of white blood cells to help destroy bacteria and viruses. In the most simple terms, fever in the normal course of an illness is essential to burning out the sickness. To drastically “kill the fever” is to work against the body’s own healing mechanism. The exceptions are fever induced by heatstroke or poisoning, where medical emergency help is definitely required. ( Please refer to Dr. Robert Mendelsohn’s book How to Raise a Healthy Child …In Spite of Your Doctor, and his excellent chapter on fever management.) A common theme that runs through the alternative literature on measles management emphasizes the importance of allowing symptoms to be expressed and cautions about the dangers of suppressing fever, cough and rash which may lead to the development of complications such as bronchopneumonia.
Measles can come with a very high fever, and the child can be quite ill even delirious when the fever starts to climb. My friend Mary who has six children, all of whom had measles a few years ago, said that probably the most important thing she did for her children was to stay really close to them , to be attentively and lovingly available through the healing crisis to make sure that they were getting plenty of fluids and that there was no danger of dehydration.
Measles comes in several stages first symptoms may be chills, slight fever, cough, sneezing, runny nose, and sometimes pains in the head and back. The eyes may be red and sensitive to light. The child will experience a general feeling of malaise. The fever rises each day and may get as high as 40 40.5 Celsius by the third or fourth day. A rash will start at the hairline, and within 36 hours will spread over the whole body. Small red spots with bluish white centers the size of pinheads appear on the inner cheeks and gums, opposite the first molars. These “Koplik’s” spots are a confirming symptom of measles. Initially, the rash is red, grain like spots which gradually enlarges into mottled patches, and then changes into a dull, brownish colour. The child may feel sensitivity to light and be more comfortable in a darkened room . During this phase, the symptoms get worse. The cough becomes hacking throat becomes sore and the pulse is full and rapid. This phase may persist for 4 or 5 days. The third stage is convalescence. The rash gradually fades, although sometimes a pinkish tinge remains for a while. The fever comes down. Average recovery time for measles is between one and two weeks.
In an article entitled “Measles Retrospective Analysis in a Pediatric Practice”, Dr. Karl Reinhard Kummer, an Anthroposophic physician, discusses his experience with 251 children treated for measles in his practice. His perspective includes both physiological and psychological aspects.
“The evolution of an illness is greatly determined by the initiative and certainty shown by parents. This transfers to the child. With measles in particular, children tend to be weepy and psychologically unstable, so that a protective environment is an important part of treatment”……” Treatment was essentialy anthroposophic and homeopathic, e.g. giving Pulsatilla and Pneumodoron 1 and 2. Almost all children were given expectorants. Strict bedrest was considered most important. The exanthem (rash) was enhanced by means of external applications. One child who had pneumonia was given an antibiotic. Children with otits (ear infection) did not require antibiotics. The incidence of diarrhea and vomiting was remarkable, but probably does not rate as a complication. 60 children had the accompanying condition for up to one week, 19 took longer to recover.”
Feedback from a majority of these parents testified that children often exhibit positive physical and mental changes after measles…” Made remarkable progress in development of body, mind and spirit, bursting with health and energy”…”Fine motor functions more developed” …”Big step forward in development, physically evident in growth and new teeth”…“Movements now full of energy; will power has been strengthened”…”More independent”…”Has grown a bit calmer; observes things more intently”…”Altogether calmer and more balanced”…”Remarkable improvement in ability to concentrate.” Dr. Kummer found that children needed less medical care after measles than before. “It is possible that the parents’ increased confidence plays a role in this. After coping with an illness that was a strain on everyone, the physician is called only in cases of serious need.” However, most parents expressed the importance of communication with a knowledgeable and supportive health care practitioner when measles did occur.
According to Joy Gardner, author of an excellent book on natural healing entitled Healing the Family, she discusses the use of both vitamin C and A. One of her sources is Adelle Davis who recommends 1,000 to 2,000 mg. of vitamin C every two hours and says that “measles causes a great deficit in this vitamin and causes the vitamin A requirement to skyrocket, and if this vitamin is not supplied, the eyes or kidneys may be damaged.” Joy Gardner recommends 10,000 I.U. per day for children under ten and 20,000 I.U. for older children. Vitamin A is available in halibut liver oil or cod liver oil capsules. A wonderful natural source of Vitamin A is fresh carrot juice.
British Herbalist Anne McIntyre has an excellent section on measles in her book, The Herbal for Mother and Child. “ As in all infectious diseases with a fever, you need to support the body’s efforts in throwing off the illness, which will help the body to resolve the infection quickly and without complications”. She recommends garlic perles(capsule), vitamin C and echinacea to enhance the immune system and offering herbal teas, selected from such tried and true botanicals as camomile, catnip, elderflowers, linden blossoms, peppermint and yarrow. A standard brew is one to two teaspoons of the herb to 1 cup of boiling water let steep for 10 minutes and offer to the child frequently.
She recommends sponge baths for the fever, or hand and foot baths, using cooled teas made with chamomile, elderflowers, calendula, marshmallow and red clover. A few drops of essential oils of camomile, eucalyptus or lavender diluted in tepid water can also be used for sponge baths. She recommends Burdock and pepermint tea, given every two hours to help the rash come out. “ For sore, inflamed eyes, infusions made from boiled or distilled water with chamomile, elderflowers, eyebright or calendula to bathe the eyes. Use cotton wool and apply the tea, using a new piece for each eye.”
“If the child is irritable or restless, and has trouble getting comfortable give plenty of chamomile or catnip tea. If the child is unhappy and clingy, add pasque flower to the mixture.” And again, emphasis is on plenty of fluids, especially with high fever to avoid dehydration. Remember, a sick child will not be able to drink large quantities of fluids at once. Offer the fluids every 10 15 minutes so that the child keeps sipping liquids frequently. She also recommends that no solid food be given “just fruit and vegetable juices or soups, until the fever has gone and the child feels a bit better.”
Your naturopath or homeopath will be able to make recommendations for the use of homeopathic remedies to help your child through the various stages of measles. Numerous excellent books on homeopathic remedies are available as well. For example Homeopathic Medicine for Children and Infants by Dana Ullman and Homeopathich Medicine at Home by Maesimund Panos and Jane Heimlich. These sources outline some of the standard remedies that may be used, depending on the symptoms presenting in the child. Aconitum, Apis, Belladonna, Bryonia, Euphrasia, Gelsemium, Kali bic, Pulsatilla are ones that are frequently recommended.
All things come in cycles, and a strong vision to rediscover nature’s healing ways will empower us to seek out the knowledge and wisdom of our foremothers and will enable us to break free of the rule of the “experts”. As we embrace the vast treasury of the many healing modalities available to us today, we can reclaim responsibility for the wellbeing of our children and our families, and we will find our fears transforming into the confidence that we have the power to strengthen, enhance and protect our children’s health.
EDITORIAL
The recent strong armed and relentless push by Ontario medicrats to revaccinate every child with a second dose of measles vaccine has many parents outraged. In speaking to hundreds of parents across the province, what we are hearing is a lot of anger and concern that the government has overstepped it’s boundaries and that its blatant use of coercion, fear tactics and disinformation designed to frighten people into complying with their agenda, is actually backfiring. There is a collective gut reaction of resistance echoing throughout the province as parents begin to ask hard questions e.g. What about the hepatitis B shots that all the young teens got recently and how will this live measles vaccine being given so soon after affect them what are the long term possibilities of these viruses somehow combining to create new health problems?
In gathering material for this newslettter, our volunteer parents spent countless hours trying to track down government sources in an attempt to get a clear picture of the mortality rate from measles in Ontario and Canada. We were told by an official at the Ministry of Health that “death is not the issue rather it is the cost” The primary concern is with the overall cost which includes medical cost of treating children with measles, employee hours lost in the work place when kids get sick, and lost school days. This campaign has been spearheaded by the World Health Organization and it’s agreement with signatory countries such as Canada to “eradicate measles by the year 2000” and is the real reason for the relentless push to revaccinated every kid in the country. In reviewing the actual numbers of measles cases in Ontario in recent years, and the possible post measles related complications resulting in death, the statistical probability is closer to 1 in 10,000 cases, which seems to be more in line with British and German experience.
In analyzing government information sheets sent home to parents, our parent’s committee is very concerned with the way in which the dangers of measles as a disease is grossly exaggerated, and the risks and side effects of the vaccine are minimized. It is our opinion that it would be impossible for any concerned parent to make an informed decision based on this material. For this reason, we have committed this newsletter to an analysis of the measles issue to enable parents to develop a broader information base and to facilitate informed choice.
Every parent in Ontario is guaranteed the right to refuse any or all of the vaccines considered as “mandatory” for school entry. The wording in the notices sent home with your child is deliberately confusing to make it appear you have no choice but to agree to vaccinate your child this time with a second measles shot. The Immunization of School Pupils Act contains the clause which guarantees everyone the right to refuse any vaccine for reasons of conscience, religion, and in some cases for medical reasons . For example , you may choose to get a blood test for your child to prove there are circulating antibodies from a previous vaccination or resulting from natural measles. Your doctor will sign the medical exemption if antibodies are found.
VRAN has been swamped with calls from concerned parents from all over the province who are worried that not enough information has been given them about the risks associated with this vaccine, the side effects, the effectiveness and an uncomfortable feeling that they are been bullied into compliance. And the fear that is being planted in the children………..Public Health of Toronto has circulated a rather vile propaganda sheet to all schools that outlines announcements to be made on the public address system “ You will need to have proof that you have had two shots when you return to school in the fall” ….. “ If you’re over 14 you can sign your own consent so come down to the office, get a form and see the nurse at the clinic”…….”Measles is a serious disease that is easily spread from person to person”……… “ Do you know measles can cause pneumonia and inflammation of the brain. Some people eve die from measles complications.” One of the most disturbing aspects of this brainwashing is that the Consent to Treatment Act has no minimum age so technically, a child of any age could be manipulated to agree to be vaccinated.
Parents have called us saying that their children are terrified of getting the shot and of not getting the shot as they’ve been told they will not be able to go to school without it. Many children fear they will die without the shot. One mother writes “ My 9 year old son came home from school and said he would die if he did not receive the measles shot ! I plan to keep my kids home on the days the shots are being administered at our school…………I don’t want to expose my children to the fear and anxiety most children experience when being given a needle.” Fear is the oldest and most frequently used tactic with which governments manipulate the public into complying with vaccination drives.
“Any action that is dictated by fear or coercion of any kind ceases to be moral”
(Mahatma Gandhi)
In Ontario, the CONSENT TO TREATMENT ACT is intended to protect the public from being exposed to medical treatment without prior knowledge of all the risks and side effects. This Act requires that prior to any medical treatment, that full disclosure of the risks and side effects of the treatment must be made, and that consent to the treatment must be given voluntarily, and “not obtained through misrepresentation or fraud.” Furthermore, the law stipulates that “a consent that has been given may be withdrawn at any time.”
In reviewing the information released by the Ministry of Health in its measles campaign, there is a glaring absence of full disclosure of all the risks and side effects of this vaccine. Additionally, the coercive methods being used by local public health departments under the direction of the Ministry of Health to pressure parents to sign consent forms without a real opportunity to gather adequate information on which to base an informed decision, may be in violation of the Consent to Treatment laws in Ontario.
This issue has already cropped up in Britain . Legal action is being initiated by families whose children developed various disorders such as epilepsy, rheumatoid arthritis, Guillain Barre syndrome, encephalitis and postviral fatigue syndrome after the 1994 massive measles & rubella campaign in that country. Richard Nicholson, writer and editor of the Bulletin of Medical Ethics says that “The inaccuracy of the parents’ leaflet is so great that some lawyers believe that every parent of a child injected during the campaign could successfully sue the government for assault, since no valid consent could have been given on the basis of that information.” Nicholson goes on to say that the government had evidence that “side effects of measles immunisation to be at least five times more common than previously thought . (Lancet 1995,345: 367 569). They also confirmed a Finnish study showing that one child in 30,000 develops thrombocytopenic purpura, a potentially life threatening bleeding disorder after measles immunisation. By whitholding that information from doctors and parents alike, the department of health ensured that many side effects were not recognised as such.”
If you are choosing to defer vaccination for your child, the exemption form is available from your local Public Health Unit and must be provided to you upon request. As a further insult, the tyranny of the “mandatory “ vaccination law requires that the form must be notarized since the parent’s signature is not deemed valid without this additional inconvenience and expense. The fee charged by a Notary Public or lawyer will range from $5 to $25. A “Commissioner of Oath” at your City Hall will witness it for free. If you have already signed and sent in your consent form, and wish to change your mind, you can do so at any time. Simply inform the school and let them know you will be exercising your right to exemption as provided by the Immunization of School Pupils Act. In the event of a measles outbreak, your unvaccinated child may be excluded from school for the duration of an outbreak, unless you can prove by blood test that your child has circulating measles antibodies, or has had a prior certified case of natural measles.
The exclusion clause is a highly prejudicial and punitive measure aimed to inconvenience those families who choose not to vaccinate. There is not a shred of evidence that an unvaccinated child poses a risk to a vaccinated child, nor that the unvaccinated child harbours the disease and spreads it to others. The rationale for excluding the unvaccinated child, according to the authorities, is for her/his own protection. Yet parents who choose to defer from vaccines are generally in favour of their children getting measles in childhood so that they will develop life long immunity. Even one case of measles at a school is considered an outbreak and many families have found their children barred from school for weeks at a time as measles runs it’s course among the vaccinated children. By barring the unvaccinated child from school during an outbreak, a valuable opportunity of exposure to measles is denied that child, who would normally benefit by developing lifelong immunity and who would also carry passive immunity on to the next generation. Since natural immunity acquired through exposure to the disease is the only true immunity that will endure for life, preventing unvaccinated children from the opportunity of acquiring lifelong protection is a stunning example of the narrow minded, flawed and obsolete perspective of orthodox medicine. Many parents have expressed a desire to network with each other and develop a “measles party” grapevine so that their unvaccinated children can visit homes where measles is happening. Please let us know if you wish to network in this way, and be involved in setting up communication links.