The article in “New Scientist” started out OK, pointing out how Mum’s breast milk enhances the child’s immunity. No argument from me.
It’s the ultimate “raw milk” argument, actually. Nothing in cow’s milk junk (raw or cooked) matches the magic of human breast milk for babies.
It contains lactoferrin, a protein that inhibits the growth of bacteria, and special sugars that stick up pathogens so they can’t flourish. There are also lots of juicy Momma’s antibodies, to get the child started with immunity to a wide range of pathogens. This is easily monitored in the fact that breast-fed babies get far fewer infections than those fed on cow’s milk.
So far so good. There’s nice semi-erotic picture of a delicious warm globe of a breast, filling a contented baby’s face as it suckles.
Then the NEXT LINE, it says,
“There is another way of furnishing a child’s immune system with first-class defenses that is quick, relatively cheap and arguably one of medicine’s greatest achievements: vaccinations against a dozen or more fatal diseases”
Wait a minute! Grab the remote, hit REWIND; let’s back up here…
These two comments do NOT belong side by side. Natural immunity is one thing; artificial immunity is another.
Moreover children are NOT vaccinated against “a dozen or more fatal diseases”. In fact none of them are fatal. Some could be, like measles, meningitis and whooping cough. We’ll let that go.
But the article goes on, in pseudo-scientific tone, that “Unfortunately, some anti-vaccine campaigners claim this amounts of overloading the immune system – an idea that has no basis in fact, considering the millions of microbes we face down in every speck of dirt”. This is stupid and beyond: when did you EVER see or hear of an individual getting measles and mumps all at the same time, while they already had hepatitis maybe, and then went down with meningitis and, oh, diphtheria moved in too? It just doesn’t happen that way naturally.
We get our diseases one at a time. The immune system can cope. We respond and hopefully survive. But I doubt if we would if we got 10-12 diseases at the same time!
Of course it is overloading the immune system to feed it a dozen shocks at once. Moreover, the aggressive schedule in the USA (not used elsewhere because it’s highly dangerous) start kids in the first month, or even at birth. This violates the pretty picture I just painted of mother’s antibodies, which is what Nature provided. Why does she do that? Because the newly-formed child’s body cannot respond with antibodies. In other words, vaccination is useless before about the 8th week.
Is there any connection between this folly and the fact that kids have immune systems that are way overactive, resulting in asthma, eczema and food allergies? Later in life it becomes autoimmune diseases. We then have to fight to quite down the immune system and lessen the inflammatory response.
I’ve told the story and various ways to do that in my latest book: “Fire In The Belly”. You can get a copy here…
A fool of a doctor who is heavily vested in developing vaccines said something like you could inject infants with 10,000 vaccines without harming the child.
My thought was, do it to your own kids and not mine.
When I was a kid (I am 72) there were far fewer vaccinations given to children and we also had lots fewer children with ADD/ADHD and other health problems.
I also recently read about a family in Michigan whose young son now shows no sign of cancer. The physician wants to drown him in 3 chemo drugs that specifically mention THEY ARE NOT MEANT FOR CHILDREN.
That doctor took the family to court to mandate they poison their son. Last I heard, it looks like she is winning as well.
I would hope the family can get at least 2 other physicians to back up what they know about the dangers of using the drugs this one doctor wants to use.
I read a while ago that Spain has banned Gardasil because of fatalaties. Wish the US would follow suit.
Sometimes I wonder where modern medicine is going. The ratings of the US in the world for health have fallen below some countries we would not expect to be higher.
http://www.askmen.com/entertainment/special_feature_400/452_vaccination-5-things-you-didnt-know.html
The link above includes the statement by Paul Offit about the maximum number the average immune system can handle. I was wrong. He says 100,000 rather than 10,000.
Want to be his experiment and try it? Neither do I.
I heard an immunologist being quoted. I wonder what you think about this. A natural healer in a seminar said that breast fed babies can’t gain immunity via vaccinations in the first year of life. All questions were aimed at the immunologist to confirm or correct this statement. She said this was true!
I know many breeders of puppies and kittens and holistic vets won’t immunise until after the youngsters have stopped receiving their mother’s milk as they say that the antibodies in the mother’s milk make the immunisation ineffective. I have also heard that some unbelievable quacks have suggested mothers stop feeding their babies so that the vaccinations will be more effective! I would love your comment on this, doc.
It’s more or less what I learned at med school, Deborah.
It’s absolutely pointless supplanting maternal immunity with artificial vaccines.
It’s my understanding, that a child’s immune system isn’t fully developed until they are
about 7 years of age, & here they are, the Medicos, injecting young babies & kids with
things that they cannot fight naturally, or produce antibodies for.
No wonder these kids are having bad, & often life long complications.
Bob Ringin.
Diphtheria is a serious disease: from 5%-10% of all persons with the disease die. Up to 20% of cases lead to death in certain age groups of individuals (e.g. in groups older than 40 years or younger than 5 years). Many of the remainder had severely restricted respiratory systems and often (especially in poor areas of major cities), suffered from bronchial conditions that shortened their lives.
In the early to mid fifties, there were recurring epidemics of polio until the vaccines for this disease were administered widely. In my class at school, two children were in support-frames to enable them to walk. Not to mention the world-wide success of the WHO smallpox campaign (mortality was very high and if I recall, greater than 30%). If, as an adult, you have contracted whooping cough you will know that it is distressing, but this in children may carries a risk of about 1% mortality, with significant morbidity and risk of complications such as pneumonia. In newborns it is a greater problem – even with powerful antibiotics.
In other words, diseases that were common (and some quite significantly high in mortality), are no longer a threat to our children and grandchildren, thanks to population wide vaccination. Yet they remain in circulation and in recent times cause localised epidemics amongst unvaccinated populations.
All parents have to balance the risk factors – not only in the immediate but in to the future when exposure to a source is beyond a parent’s control. Vaccination against the worst of these diseases, if not all the recommended ones, I see as both sensible for the individual child and for general public health. It is certainly possible to treat many diseases without antibiotics and vaccinations, as was done in the past, but it is a laborious process for the care-giver and often painful for the patient.
I am not convinced that even the plethora of vaccinations advised in the US are the cause of ADD etc – my jury is out on that. However, many of the same parents that are so vociferous as to that cause, appear blind to the nutrition of their children. Perhaps the litre or so of Soda Pop they allow them to consume very day – might just be a contributory factor (?). Suppressed immune systems from the highly “efficient” beef, chicken and pork from (so-called), farming – may contribute, added to the simplicity and cheapness of convenience foods. Perhaps we might look closer to home.
When epidemiologists question vaccination status (not routine), in groups suffering diptheria, whooping cough etc they invariably find that vaccinated individuals are at least as likely to be infected, and to be carriers during epidemics as the unvaccinated. There is little evidence that unvaccinated individuals are any more likely to be reservoirs for infection, but it’s a very convenient way of guilt tripping parents. And lets not forget WHO confirmation on vaccine failure rates, or many many children who became ill as a direct consequence of vaccines that spread the very thing they are supposed to prevent.
The majority of previously common epidemics were already vastly reduced by improvements in housing standards/overcrowding, proper sanitation measures and the introduction of decent standards of nutrition, well before vaccination became common.
The polio vaccine commonly used “en mass” was also contaminated with simian monkey virus 40, which is suspected of being an oncovirus, deep joy.
Dr Mumby,
corrected info:
My Opinions:
Cows Milk is not natures most perfect food as the dairy industry advertises.
Cows milk is perfect for calves which have an entirely different digestive system.
Mothers Milk is the perfect food for Babies.
Homo Sapiens are the only Mammals that do not wean their young off of Milk
The Good Book says Milk is for Babies but Solid Food belongs to adults.
It is speaking about learning solid facts, fairy tales are for Babies.
I was told that Cows milk contains high sodium which promotes rapid
body growth and slow brain development because calves have to grow up in about a year and are not too bright..
Mothers Milk is high in Potassium which promotes rapid brain growth and slow body growth because Humans take 20 years to grow up.
SOooo –If you want BIG DUMB Kids , feed them Cows Milk.
By the by I raised three girls born 1960, 61 and 63. in the Hospital.
They weren’t breast fed and got all of their shots.
Followed Dr Spock’s Bible for raising kids to the letter.
They got every childhood disease from A–Acne- Allergies, Bumps,Measles Mumps pneumonia, Plueresy to –Z—-Zephomania along with allergy to Milk and
fluid behind the Eardrums (first of the tubes in the ear implants) to Nerve &
brain Damage from Hexachloraphene treatment for acne from a “Specialist.”
She may havwe died had I not recognized the symptoms of hexachoraphene
poisoning.
that was my practice family,
My second Family was born after I recovered at age 39 from Pancreatic and Liver Cancer Alternatively and got remarried at age 43.
3 boys born 1983, 1986, 1990 and a girl in 1896 at age 60.
All were born at home .
All nursed, none have ever seen an M.D. and none have ever had a Shot.
All are healthy and never sick, and have not had the usual child hood diseases the oldest could read a newspaper at age 3 and explain it to you.
they have been home schooled most of their lives and are smarter than the average Bear.
I have been raising Kids for 52 1/2 years and am getting better at it as I learn.
I am 75 and still working.
Do you think I should start a 3rd family now that I am smarter?
ntmccarty