They said, “If you teazle
A sneezle
Or wheezle,
A measle
May easily grow.
But humour or pleazle
The wheezle
Or sneezle,
The measle
Will certainly go.”
~ A. Milne, “Sneezles” from The Complete Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh
And apparently in Southern Alberta, a small number of measles cases (14 diagnosed) turns into public panic. Although the news has been light in the last couple of days, there will be more outbreaks of infectious illness. Those of you who were vaccinated in the 1980’s and 1990’s for measles, mumps, and rubella and are now having children? You are just as susceptible as your babies and children to measles.
In the spirit of brevity, here are some tips if you are a vaccine free family or if you have not had a measles vaccine since you were a child.
If you were born before 1957, it is likely that you had measles as a child and you have lifelong immunity.
PREVENTION
Vitamin A and Vitamin C
Everything you need to know about nutritional therapies for measles prevention and treatment to prevent secondary complications such as eye damage.
Dr. Mary Megson, board certified by the American Academy of Pediatrics, also uses Vitamin A to help recover children from autism after vaccination.
Recommended dosage during measles ONLY: Dosage for children with measles — 200,000 IU (100,000 IU in infant) Vitamin A per day for 2 days.
Maintenance Dosage: Best through diet and/or Cod liver oil — smaller amounts (around 1500 IU’s) depending on their weight.
Breastfeeding and your baby is under a year old? What about Vitamin A for them? One of the moms in the Vaccine Free: Now What? teleseminar course found this website.
A source for Vitamin A, as recommended by Dr. Megson.
VACCINATION
If you choose to vaccinate with the MMR, you might want to download the adverse reaction form from the Public Health Agency of Canada website. (You will have to ask if there is just a single measles vaccine, but after phoning the Health Link in Alberta, I was told that it was the MMR vaccine being used. You will receive two shots of measles, mumps, and rubella, and you will want to ask questions about the safety of the vaccine if you are pregnant.)
Taking the form with you will possibly save you from having to look for this information after the fact if you or your child has an adverse reaction to the vaccine. Ask the public health nurses for the product name, lot number, etc. All of this information is on the form and will be needed if you report an adverse reaction.
To report an adverse reaction, go to this website. You will also have to notify your family physician.
PRIORIX is the vaccine used in Canada.
PRIOREX TETRA is the Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Chicken Pox vaccine for children. If your child has already had chicken pox, be sure to tell the health nurse. Whether or not there is any research on being vaccinated for chicken pox when you have already had the illness, I do not know…nor did the health link when I asked.
Use the search engine on the home page for ‘Priorix’ or Priorix Tetra (includes chicken pox). Then click on the link to the PDF.
You might also want to read the product package insert as there is information on contraindications, adverse reactions, and vaccine safety.
MMR is a Live Attenuated Virus vaccine which means that the virus has been grown on tissue (chicken embryo cells and human diploid [MRC-5] cells), then passed through several times to weaken it.
Here is one warning:
“…is contraindicated in pregnant women. Women of childbearing potential should be advised to avoid pregnancy for three months following vaccination (see also WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS).”
And another:
“Transmission of measles, mumps and rubella viruses from vaccinees to susceptible contacts has never been documented, although pharyngeal excretion of the rubella virus is known to occur about 7 to 28 days after vaccination with peak excretion around the 11th day. Post-marketing experience suggests that transmission of varicella vaccine virus may occur very rarely between healthy vaccinees who develop a varicella-like rash and susceptible contacts.”
You might also want to check out the list of ingredients. If there is an allergy to antibiotics (neomycin) or eggs, please be aware. This is one of the first contraindications listed on the product monograph. PLEASE READ THE MONOGRAPH before vaccinating and be SURE it is safe for you or your child.
For some this might involve an ethical decision as the viruses are grown on aborted human fetal tissue.
For a complete list of vaccine ingredients (the names are mind-boggling and take some time to decipher), visit this website. (e.g. Sorbitol is in the MMR vaccine…what is it and what research is out there re: safety?)
Measles Essentials: Using Homeopathy to Help Heal Handout
This handout has some great resources with links to websites that describe what to look for if you are not sure if your child has measles. Listed you will find the signs, symptoms, and some homeopathic remedy suggestions to use if you or your child has measles. Remember, you will also want to brush up on fever information, so please read over the Fever Essentials handout you received when you signed up for the weekly newsletter. If you are forwarding this information to friends or family, encourage them to sign up for the newsletter to receive the Fever Essentials handout.
When you register and take the Vaccine Free: Now What? teleseminar course, you will get similar handouts and information for all the infectious childhood illnesses. The next course will be running in March 2014. The infectious illnesses will make a return and I would love to help you be prepared for prevention and treatment with homeopathy. Know what the illnesses look like and you will be well prepared when the media creates the next ‘panic’ and push for vaccines. You can have a choice in how to prevent and help heal.
If the only remedy you have in your at home kit is Pulsatilla, you can use it for prevention. Please contact your homeopath for instructions.
