Monday, April 10, 2017

Homeopathic Remedies for Treating Vaccine Reactions

Although my husband and I have made an informed decision not to vaccinate our own children, I believe that the decision of whether or not to vaccinate is a fundamental right of parenthood. For parents who choose to vaccinate, or for people who are compelled to vaccinate by law, I wanted to share information about how homeopathy can be used to treat vaccine reactions.

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Vaccine Reactions 

The unfortunate truth is that vaccine reactions do really occur. Sometimes the negative effects are obvious, and other times the effects take longer to develop and have a detrimental effect on long-term chronic health. According to the National Vaccine Information Center [1]:

 "Some vaccine reaction symptoms include:
  • Pronounced swelling, redness, heat or hardness at the site of the injection;
  • Body rash or hives;
  • Shock/collapse;
  • High pitched screaming or persistent crying for hours;
  • Extreme sleepiness or long periods of unresponsiveness;
  • Twitching or jerking of the body, arm, leg or head;
  • Crossing of eyes;
  • Weakness or paralysis of any part of the body;
  • Loss of ability to roll over, sit up or stand up;
  • Loss of eye contact or awareness or social withdrawal;
  • Head banging or onset of repetitive movements (flapping, rubbing, rocking, spinning);
  • High fever (over 103 F)
  • Vision or hearing loss;
  • Restlessness, hyperactivity or inability to concentrate;
  • Sleep disturbances that change wake/sleep pattern;
  • Joint pain or muscle weakness;
  • Disabling fatigue;
  • Loss of memory;
  • Onset of chronic ear or respiratory infections;
  • Violent or persistent diarrhea or chronic constipation;
  • Breathing problems (asthma);
  • Excessive bleeding (thrombocytopenia) or anemia."

Can Homeopathy Really Help?

Homeopaths have long known that there are specific homeopathic remedies that can help counter the negative effects of vaccines. For instance, in the 1800's homeopathic remedies were found to work well to counter the negative effects of the smallpox vaccine. J. Compton Burnett M.D. even wrote a whole book filled with cases where homeopathic Thuja was able to reverse vaccine-induced damage in his book, "Vaccinosis and Its Cure by Thuja", published in 1884 [2].

Disclaimer: The uses of homeopathic remedies described in this article are provided for educational use only. 


Thuja - The Top Remedy for Ailments From Vaccination

Homeopathic Thuja occidentalis is the remedy most often considered for ill effects from vaccines. As described by Catherine Coulter in Portraits of Homoeopathic Medicines Vol. 3, "Although it was originally noted for its helpful effects in negating smallpox vaccine reactions, "Thuja has proved to be invaluable in a number of the wide range of physical and neurological disorders whose onset can be traced back to the time of inoculation: repeated middle ear infections, eczema, asthma, enuresis, chronic nasal catarrhs or diarrhea, sleep or eating problems, head-banging in infancy and excessive rocking in the older child. It is either the prime remedy for a particular affliction, the cleanser after inoculation, or a supportive remedy to Silica, Sulphur, and others" [3].

Dr. Margaret Tyler also wrote of numerous cases of vaccinosis cured by the use of homeopathic Thuja in her book, Homoeopathic Drug Pictures [4]. Some examples from her book include the following:

"Small girl, ever since vaccination, pustules on legs, or alternately, when these disappeared, epileptic fits. Thuja quickly cured.  
"Small boy, purulent onychia [infection in the fingernail], very intractable. Nail removed and thumb healed. Then abscesses in different parts of the body, till it was discovered that he had been eight times vaccinated by a persistent and conscientious G.P. Thuja promptly ended the trouble... 
"Years of incapacitating headaches in the mother of a very noisy family of young children. Much vaccinated. Was given Thuja. This was some thirty years ago. Seen recently. 'Never had a recurrence of those headaches.'"
Clearly, Thuja is a hugely beneficial remedy for dealing with negative after-effects from vaccination.


Other Helpful Remedies

Beyond Thuja, homeopathic Silicea is one of the more prominent remedies for dealing with vaccine reactions. Silicea is known to have helped with post-vaccination convulsions, nausea, diarrhea, skin eruptions, and swelling of the upper arms. Other remedies such as ArnicaLedumCalcarea carbonicaMezereum, and Sulphur are also known to be helpful in treating vaccine reactions. The homeopathic form of the vaccines themselves has also been used by some homeopaths with good success, such as using homeopathically potentized DPT vaccine. Some more remedies that can be helpful after vaccination are described here and here.

The whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine, which is the "P" in the DPT, Tdap, or DTaP shot, is known for producing more negative after-effects than other vaccines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website acknowledges that "mild problems" occur after the DTaP shot in up to 1 out of 3 children, and also lists "moderate" and "severe problems" which are known to occur in lesser numbers [5]. In Portraits of Homeopathic Medicines Vol. 2Catherine Coulter recommends the following uses of homeopathic remedies to counter the negative effects of the whooping cough vaccine:
"If the parents decide to vaccinate the child against whooping cough, homoeopathic remedies can play a significant preventive role in mitigating the vaccine's ill effects. Several procedures are possible. Hypericum, the principal remedy for nerve injuries, can be administered in medium potency prior to the injection, thus minimizing damage to the central nervous system. Shortly after the injection the remedy to give is Ledum ('ill effects from punctured wounds': Boericke), also in medium potency, to counter the ensuing high fever or inflammatory reaction. Thuja can also be administered preventitively, to avert or minimize future ill-effects of vaccination; it should be given soon after the shot, before any symptoms have developed.
"If the child reacts violently to the vaccine (high fever, high-pitched screaming, excessive drowsiness, fainting, convulsions, holding of breath, etc.), either Ledum should be repeated more often or other remedies should be tried: Belladonna for the high fever, Chamomilla for "arrested breathing suddenly in children' (Kent), and so forth." [6

Disclaimer: The uses of homeopathic remedies described in this article are provided for educational use only.  


Dosing Information

As a general rule of thumb, 30c is a medium potency that can be used successfully for most people. However, for newborns or anyone with hypersensitivities, lower potencies (such as 6c) may be more appropriate.

Typically, if there is no obvious improvement within 3-4 doses of any particular homeopathic remedy, the remedy should be discontinued.

With all homeopathic remedies, the least number of doses is always the best. Anytime there is a noticeable improvement, dosing needs to be slowed down and observation is key to determining when to give any further doses. Homeopathic remedies work by stimulating the body to heal itself; once the body has started healing itself no more remedy is needed unless the symptoms start to regress (or unless there is a plateau, where the symptoms get better to a point but then stop improving).



Disclaimer: The uses of homeopathic remedies described in this article are provided for educational use only.  I am not a doctor or licensed healthcare professional. I am a homeopathic practitioner whose services are considered complementary and alternative by the state of New Mexico. The uses of homeopathic remedies described herein are provided for educational use only.  


References

[1] National Vaccine Information Center, If You Vaccinate, Ask 8! What You Need to Know Before & After Vaccination, retrieved from http://www.nvic.org/Ask-Eight-Questions.aspx
[2] Burnett, J. Compton, M.D., Vaccinosis and Its Cure by Thuja; With Remarks on Homoeoprophylaxis, The Homoeopathic Publishing Company, London, England, 1884.
[3] Coulter, Catherine R., The Child and "Vaccinosis", Portraits of Homoeopathic Medicines, Vol. 3, pp. 107-116, Quality Medical Publishing, Missouri, USA 1998.
[4] Tyler, Dr. M.L., "Thuja", Homoeopathic Drug Pictures, pp. 1012-1024, B. Jain Publishers Ltd., New Delhi, India 2004.
[5] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Possible Side-effects From Vaccines, retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm#dtap
[6] Coulter, Catherine R., Silica Appendix, Portraits of Homoeopathic Medicines, Vol. 2, pp. 102-106, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, USA 1988.


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4 comments:

Angela Martinez said...

Thank you for this article, I have a 17 year old son who never received a vaccine and has to get mandatory vaccinations for a EMT class. Thank you again for this information.

Unknown said...

Thank you also for this article! I have seen homeopathy treat many acutes and chronic illnesses with success! I've used Thuja after a vaccine reaction (seizure) in my dog. Thank you for writing about homeopathy!!!

Joz said...

Hi there,

My oldest son had all his vaccinations and about age 6 he developed a tic, a fairly minor one compared to some. A head roll. At around 8 he developed a second one. I have read that tics are linked to vaccines, in particular thimorasal. I just wondered if you had any suggestions of a Homeopathic remedy that might help him. He will be 9 in 3 mths and still had both tics.
Thank you :)

Sarah Smith said...

Hi Joz,
Since your son's symptoms are now part of his chronic picture, the best way to treat them homeopathically would probably be with constitutional care. That is a very in-depth process that takes into account all mental/emotional/physical symptoms and seeks to find a remedy that matches the individual's overall symptom picture. Constitutional care would give the best chance of success in permanently healing the tics.

Nonetheless, if you feel like the vaccines were a trigger, you could try giving him homeopathic Thuja and see if you notice any improvement. If you want some more specific guidance on dosing with the Thuja, send me an email at nourishedandnurtured[at]gmail[dot]com and we can talk more in-depth.