Foreword By Randall Neustaedter OMD, LAc, CCH
An ever increasing percentage of parents are choosing not to vaccinate
their children. Faced with an avalanche newly developed and relatively
untested vaccines, parents have become wary. The sheer number of
vaccines in the recommended schedule is confusing and suspiciously
overwhelming. This combined with reports of autism, asthma, and
autoimmune disease as a consequence of vaccination worries parents.
There are now many books and websites that provide volumes of
information to make truly informed decisions about vaccination choices.
Practitioners of holistic medicine, including holistic pediatricians,
homeopaths, naturopaths, pediatric acupuncturists, and chiropractors,
have taken on the task of educating parents about the potential risks
and adverse effects of vaccines. Holistic practitioners recognize the
role of vaccines in the increasing incidence of immune dysfunction and
chronic disease. Often these practitioners caution parents about the
risks of vaccines, and encourage them to avoid vaccinations. Part of
their confidence in taking this position is due to the effectiveness of
holistic methods in the treatment of childhood infectious disease.
Where conventional (allopathic) medicine has no treatment for most of
the infectious disease that vaccines seek to prevent, the sciences of
homeopathy and herbal medicine provide treatment and preventive
approaches that have proven effective in clinical practice over
hundreds of years.
This book presents the position of homeopathy in relation to these infectious diseases for the first time in a thorough,
systematic, and practical volume. It is bound to give both parents and
practitioners confidence in the ability of homeopathy to prevent and
treat these diseases. The promotion of vaccination is based on fear of
infectious disease. If doctors have no treatment for a disease that is
capable of causing complications (such as measles or mumps) then they
will be inclined to recommend a vaccine to prevent those complications,
despite the risks. The fear of the disease in conventional medical
practice is greater than the fear of the adverse effect of the vaccine.
However, our increasing knowledge of the chronic diseases produced by
vaccines is changing that equation. If we have an alternative approach
to disease prevention and treatment, then we may not need these
potentially toxic vaccines at all. Homeopathy does provide adequate
disease treatment, and with the knowledge of homeopathic methods,
health care practitioners can manage these diseases. Furthermore, with
a holistic approach such as homeopathy, practitioners can prevent the
complications of these diseases with appropriate and effective
treatment of the active disease.
A holistic medical approach that also
includes adequate nutrition and breastfeeding, constitutional
treatment, and avoidance of toxins will create a healthy, resilient
child who is much less likely to develop serious infectious disease or
complications of simple childhood illness. Commonly encountered
bacteria like Hemophilus influenzae will not invade and infect the
nervous system causing meningitis. Common childhood diseases like flu
and chickenpox will not progress into secondary infections, such as
pneumonia. Homeopaths and others now have a welcome and definitive
guide to the treatment of these infectious diseases.
With this book, practitioners now have the tools to both prevent
diseases during epidemic exposure and to treat infectious diseases if
they occur. For these reasons it is an invaluable pediatric resource.
Ms. Birch has accumulated a complete reference to both common and
unusual illnesses, gleaning information from many sources over the long
history of homeopathy’s encounters with these diseases. Practitioners
in the West may never encounter yellow fever or typhoid or diphtheria,
but homeopathy has been extremely effective in treating these
illnesses. Homeopathy’s fame and popularity in the United States during
the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was due in large
measure to its extraordinary success with these epidemic diseases.
Measles, mumps, and polio are also now rare conditions in the West, but
when they occur this book will guide us to the treatments that have
proven themselves effective during the era when these diseases were
prevalent. Whooping cough is commonly encountered by holistic pediatric
practitioners whose patients avoid the pertussis vaccine or when the
vaccine fails. And homeopathy again has very effective treatment for
whooping cough. Armed with this text, practitioners can feel confident
that these diseases are manageable and their corresponding vaccines
unnecessary.
The unique and remarkable contribution of this book, however, is the
thorough presentation of the homeopathic understanding of vaccine
reactions and their management. Ms. Birch does an admirable job of
explaining and defining the classical homeopathic view of vaccine
reactions. Armed with this knowledge, practitioners can then follow the
guidelines and remedy suggestions she outlines to treat the resulting
symptom picture. The understanding of how vaccines can undermine the
health of children can also help parents in making the important and
difficult decisions about infectious disease prevention for their
families. This unique addition to the homeopathic literature will prove
invaluable to practitioners who treat these children and to parents who
can rely on the science of homeopathy for their children’s health and
safety.
Introduction
Why write a book about homeopathic treatment and prevention of
infectious contagious diseases when vaccines and antibiotics are
readily available? The answer is simple. Allopathic medicine is unable
to offer any alternatives in the treatment of these potentially
dangerous diseases whereas homeopathy does. Furthermore, mounting
evidence against the use of vaccines is forcing practitioners, parents,
and lawmakers to search for alternatives.
Concerned parents have asked
me, “What do I do if I do not want to vaccinate my child? Are there any
alternatives if my child gets sick?” I say, “Yes, there is homeopathy!”
The system of homeopathy offers a different perspective and a different
set of tools for the treatment of infectious contagious diseases.
Homeopathy is a complete system of medicine that was developed in
Germany during the nineteenth century. Homeopathic principles are based
on an energetic view of the mind and body. Homeopathic remedies are
made from naturally occurring substances such as plants, minerals, and
animals, which are used to stimulate the innate healing potential of
the individual rather than to kill the offending germs. Homeopathy was
developed before the identification of viruses or germs, when
vaccinations or antibiotics were not available. Yet, without this
understanding, homeopathy proved itself successful in the treatment of
infectious contagious diseases.
The decision not to vaccinate, for many
parents, is a difficult one. It often starts with the mother having an
intuitive feeling that vaccination is just not right. Mothers do not
want to inject something into their babies. Their babies are so small
and fragile, how can it be good to load their systems with multiple
injected doses of pathogenic material? Pressure from husbands, doctors, parents, and in-laws can make these women feel unsubstantiated in their gut feelings. Sometimes the decision to vaccinate is postponed. Yet, there remains the fear that their children will
not be able to go to school without state required shots.....continued in the book