The Fever To Vaccinate Part II - Slipping You The Needle

I’ve heard 2 stories this week of people going to see their doctor about something totally unrelated to seasonal influenza and without any discussion or request, suddenly having a needle thrust at them.  One woman was so surprised, the needle was in her arm before she could even ask what it was for.  Her doctor’s reply after the syringe was out? “It’s for the H1N1.  You work with people, you should have this shot.”  What she didn’t tell my friend was that her ulcerative colitis symptoms could consequently go through the roof, as the adjuvant in the vaccine (squalene, an ingredient in the anthrax vaccine implicated in  the Gulf War Syndrome as per a blind study done at Tulane University in 2000 – go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10640454) or the preservative (thimerisol, a type of mercury which has had no toxicity studies specifically done on its long-term actions within the human body) could trigger or exacerbate auto-immune disorders.  Clueless as to why her ulcerative colitis symptoms suddenly became much worse, she was then prescribed a heavy dose of steroids to calm the inflammation down – one drug just seems to lead to another.   

In the other story, the woman was taking her elderly father to see the doctor.  Again without any request on her part or inquiry by the doctor, a tray suddenly appeared with not just one needle (presumably for the father who was the patient), but two!  Fortunately the woman, who is a nurse and alert to the unexplained presence of needles, immediately demanded to know what these were for and vehemently declined the one targeted for her.  When the doctor turned his back for a moment, she signaled to her father to decline as well, which he did.  As a 92 year old man, his risk of the H1N1 is minimal - most people over the age of 65 developed natural immunity to a similar virus strain which circulated years ago.  As he is currently awaiting hip replacement surgery and subject to constant pain, the added stress on his body from the vaccine itself could have had a serious impact.

So what’s this about – we’ve gone from media stories of long line-ups of people waiting for the H1N1 vaccine, to it now being forced upon anyone showing up at their doctor’s for an office visit?  What if these people have already had H1N1 and developed life-long immunity?  What if these people had already been vaccinated at a walk-in clinic?  What if these people currently have some other condition or illness (which would be likely for most people visiting a doctor) and shouldn’t have the added stress of a vaccine imposed upon their already burdened immune system?  These doctors didn’t even inquire, but seem to be under the order to vaccinate first, respond to questions later.  All this at the time when more and more stories are coming from doctors and even elected officials in other countries, declaring the whole H1N1 pandemic to be wildly over-stated and the vaccine to be nothing more than an experiment with no long-term testing behind it to validate either its effectiveness or safety. 

In my own practice, I have treated many different kinds of flus and colds this fall, none of them serious but with such a broad spectrum of symptoms that it’s hard to believe they all were caused by the same virus.  In the majority of cases, the right homeopathic remedy has quickly sent them on the road to recovery but each case has had to be looked at individually – there has been no one remedy which has fit the majority of cases.  For clients who have learned a bit of homeopathy and have a kit of remedies at home, they have often been able to treat themselves or their family on the spot – and when in doubt, a phone call to me has been an effective back-up plan.  How much more empowering to be able to help yourself or loved one immediately and safely in an acute illness!  How much more reassuring to work with a  system that supports rather than confuses the immune system’s actions, and works to leave the person strengthened as a result.  While our conventional medical system works wonders, it’s not the only alternative out there for health care and in some cases its treatments appear to actually weaken our overall vitality.

For those people who do feel their health has suffered since receiving the vaccine, you are not alone.  Except for the inflammation around the injection site itself, some side effects don’t show up right away and may seem unrelated to the vaccination, so good luck getting a medical professional to acknowledge there could be a link.  Dating back to the inception of the smallpox vaccine in the 1800’s, homeopaths have been helping thousands of people recover from the damage of “vaccinosis” which in many cases caused serious illness or even death.  If you have had the H1N1 vaccine and find you have been sick or experienced an increase in any chronic illness symptoms, consider that it might have something to do with your body’s difficult response to the vaccine.  So before you let anyone slip you the needle, remember that sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.