Natural Immunity

excerpted from NWNM Today Newsletter, Vol 5
These newsletters are a great read full of information.
If you don’t have the time to sit and read it all at once, print it out to read at leisure – then pass on to a friend!

Dear Friends,
Welcome to the fifth topical issue of NWNM Today.
This issue is concerned with natural immunity.
Your letters concerning previous topics, as well as those concerning natural immunity, have been published with permission in this issue.
NWNM Today welcomes your responses. A Reader Response newsletter follows every issue.
In health,
Jock Doubleday
Director
Natural Woman, Natural Man, Inc.
a 501(c)3 California nonprofit corporation
http://www.gentlebirth.org/nwnm.org
jockdoubleday@aol.com

* * *

NWNM Today, Vol. 5: “NATURAL IMMUNITY”

Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Letters from readers
2. Quotes by noted authors
3. Book recommendations
* * *

Introduction

by Jock Doubleday Science tells us that creating a strong immune system consists of keeping the terrain of the body healthy.

A truly healthy person begins life with an intervention-free natural birth, close bonding to his or her mother, breastfeeding, and sleeping in the family bed. These are the hallmarks of attachment parenting, which naturally creates a strong family bond and strong individual immune systems.

But let’s say that we had none of these things in our own lives. Can we still create a strong immune system?

Indeed we can, and we can do so naturally, without recourse to medical intervention. A person who:

1) eats healthy foods
2) drinks pure water
3) breathes clean air
4) has lots of friends
5) loves and laughs a lot

stands a better chance of living a disease-free life than someone who does or has none of these things but instead relies on the medical industry for health.

Daily we are told that disease comes from outside of ourselves in the form of pathogenic invaders. And daily we are told that health lies outside of ourselves in the form of magic bullets called drugs, of which vaccines are the silver-bullet champions.

Daily we are informed that only doctors and their expensive magic potions can provide us with healthy immune systems.

The relentless high-decibel message of the medical industry is: Just Say Yes To Drugs.

Barely audible in this marketplace is the low-decibel message that health is not a product for sale but the result of conscious living. Science, nature, and common sense together whisper: Live Life Sensibly.

To create a healthy immune system, one does not need to figure out ways to kill bad germs, since germs are not the issue.

Too simple? For the medical industry it is.

How can pharmaceutical companies make profits if health is not created by our taking drugs and getting numerous vaccinations? How can doctors pay medical school bills if all of their clients are eating proper diets and living close to nature?

Answer to both questions: There is no way.

In health,
Jock Doubleday

* * *

In a message dated 1/26/03 11:54:12 AM, Shawna.Stewart@mail.wvu.edu writes:

Jock,
Regarding natural immunity . . .

My third child was born at the gestational age of 23 weeks. She weighed one pound. The lining of her lungs was undeveloped and at that age they have not gained much natural immunity via the placenta–this usually happens during the last 8 weeks of pregnancy. Her tiny eyes were still sealed shut, like a kittens. In fact she wasn’t mush bigger than a new kitten. Luckily, I knew the importance of breastmilk, and the fact that each mother produces the right kind for her child.

My baby was born in a research hospital in Great Britain. After delivering her, I handed her to the pediatrician for resuscitation and got off the bed, wrapping a sheet around myself and walked with him to watch. I was given a super electric pump right away to keep as long as my baby was in the hospital and told how wonderful and how important breastmilk was. Not every nurse voiced this opinion but no one voiced a negative.

My child was given breastmilk after 24 hours (unheard of in this country) I was taught how to insert the feeding tubes to give her my milk away and encouraged to participate in all aspects of my babies care. There were struggles along the way, fighting scheduled feeds and being asked to leave while painful procedures were done. But, in all things, I was given my way, as I was the parent. My ideas were clearly considered important, even if different from the normal trend.

I tended to my child emotionally and physically at all times. I gave her massages daily and worked on acupressure points, I talked to her, sang to her and often fell asleep leaning over her. While the hospital staff tended to things I could not–inserting ventilator tubes and arterial drips.

My child is now 15 years old. A healthy, happy girl. She has had no type of medication, no illness worse than a cold. She is on the high school soccer team, plays the flute and is wonderful to her 7 siblings.

I attribute her health, despite dire warnings given us in the early days, to a combination of breast milk alone for at least a year and lots of positive attention during her early days in hospital. If I had been kept at arm’s range from her then, restricted to visitation hours, been made to feel that she was not mine really until she came home, I do not believe she would be the healthy, well-adjusted child we have today.

Shawna

* * *

In a message dated 12/12/02 9:56:38 AM, peter@geminipress.com writes:
Hi Jock,

It seems that most folks skate around what may be perhaps the most important factor in breastfeeding.

Yes, it does make a big difference in immune development, although we must remember that the prevailing notions of immunity are founded in Pasteurian nonsense about the nature of infectious disease. . . .

Infectious agents do not like a pH-balanced, clean, hydrated, nutrified inner terrain. By the time [breastmilk-generated infant] immunity kicks in, the horse is out of the barn. [Breastfeeding] is, in fact, a backup system, not the “first line of defense.”

Breastfeeding comes in with the [natural] inoculation–from a healthy mother it must be emphasized–of the probiotic population in the infant’s digestive tract. Since the infant is basically a blank slate, if the mother has a full complement of probiotics (3-4 pounds in an adult), this will be the primary population to take hold in the infant. Otherwise, unfriendly forms, especially fungus, may rule the day, making life difficult for the newbie.

We then see one of the earliest signs of dysbiosis, diaper rash, usually treated topically, when it is a systemic problem. Ear infections are another clear sign. The child will then be weak, have a series of illnesses, perhaps including some of the feared ones, such as smallpox, which are all much more severe in dysbiotic host, and which may not manifest at all in one with probiotic bacteria in place.

When it comes to immunity, there is no single more important factor than our gut bacteria (and, by the way, these friendly forms inhabit most cells of the body). With them, we build a balanced inner terrain, which is the foundation. You can’t grow cypress trees in Alaska.

It is therefore the sacred responsibility of any woman who intends to bear a child to ensure, prior to pregnancy if possible, that she has a strong GI population and bristling good health to give to her infant. It is delivered in the first few days in the colostrum, and it may be second only to love as the most important gift mother can give to baby.

If the colostrum “window” is missed, misery will almost surely follow, and infant probiotic supplementation is strongly recommended. To restore a healthy gut is orders of magnitude more challenging than establishing it at the outset.

Thanks again for your great work,
Peter G. Tocci
peter@geminipress.com
Free Alan Yurko
http://freeyurko.bizland.com/

* * * In a message dated Thu, 6 Feb 2003 19:16:45 -0800, miller1@triton.net writes:

When my grandson was diagnosed ADHD, I was determined to find out as much as I could about the relationship between vaccines, and childhood disorders. I was quite stunned when he showed a high lead level in his hair sample . . . To share this information with people, I created the website medalerts.org as a sort of dedication to him and every other child who suffers from debilitating diseases. My site seeks no money through donations, memberships, or banner click-throughs. I pay for the site from my own pocket. I see that there are several extremely well informed individuals on this site who have much to share. If anyone wishes to contribute an article to my site you are more than welcome. . . .

R. James Miller
miller1@triton.net
http://www.medalerts.org/

* * * In a message dated 11/30/02 9:42:52 PM, ddwisdom@earthlink.net writes:
Dear Jock,

Keep up the good work educating the public. I wish I knew of the dangers of vaccines before I had both sons done. I refuse to do it again.
I am a member of Families for Early Autism Treatment (feat.org) and it is because of them that my son is doing so well.
If you don’t know of this group already autism-mercury@yahoogroups.com there are a lot of people that have children with severe vaccine damage.
Sincerely,
Dana Wisdom

* * * In a message dated 1/15/03 12:20:36 PM, louise.homoeopath@virgin.net writes:

Dear Jock,
I would like to tell your readers some important tips I found invaluable. A new mother breastfeeding for the first time will nearly always get sore nipples. The cure for this is Calendula Cream (marigold) rubbed on nipples after every feed. It quickly speeds up the healing of the nipples, has excellent antiseptic properties and is quite safe for the baby (natural product from health shops–Nelsons if you can get this brand in the US).

The calendula cream is really, really good and quite safe for the baby and mother–very fast healing. My sister in law had very sensitive skin and was in agony with her first born. Her nipples were so sore she could hardly continue feeding. After using the cream, her discomfort was quickly healed. She now has 4 children, all breastfed.

As I am a homeopath, I use homeopathic medicine for all and any ailments so I would like to pass on a tip to nursing mothers that develop mastitis. The cure for this is the homeopathic medicine Belladonna. Take Belladonna 6c three times a day. As soon as mastitis has gone, stop taking the Belladonna. You should only need to take the medicine for about 2 days at most to be cured. Belladonna is a remedy for all serious inflammations or ‘itis’ which means inflammation. Also for babies or small children with high fevers, Belladonna usually brings it down quickly.

For babies with bad colic, try Scheussler’s Mag. Phos. tissue salts (which are small soft tablets which melt in mouth, so easy to give to baby–quite safe). Also from health shops–brand name ‘New Era’.

The rule in homeopathy is that if the homeopathic medicine doesn’t work quickly in an acute, another remedy is probably indicated. Therefore never keep taking a homeopathic medicine if it doesn’t seem to be working. If the medicine works straight away, it should clear up the problem quickly. In breastfeeding, the sucking itself stimulates milk production. I remember once seemingly having no milk and my first born at 3 weeks sucked and sucked, cried and cried till exhausted, fell asleep. After all the sucking and while she slept, the milk production was enormous and I had masses when my baby woke again. When tiny babies go through growth spurts at about 3, 5 and 7 weeks, these are the times you may feel you don’t have enough – but persevere.

The more they suck, the more you make. I was greatly helped in this regard by La Leche League who over the phone encouraged me during the early days. I ended up breastfeeding for one year with my firstborn, who drank nothing else but breastmilk till 8 months old!!! Apparently the milk becomes richer and richer as the baby grows, whereas it is quite watery (colostrum) to start.

If you manage breastfeeding for the first baby, the second and subsequent ones will be no problem at all. Introducing a bottles, will obviously reduce your milk production, though older babies do need a little water (not tap) occasionally.

I would also like to state that breastmilk definitely passes on strong immunity to illness as both my daughters never take antibiotics. My mother had six natural births and breastfed us all.

It’s important to try and relax in a quiet place when feeding. The baby wants your full attention.

Also make sure you eat plenty of healthy food, a multivitamin and if you can, take colloidal minerals daily. Our bodies are often low on minerals which are as important as vitamins. The vegetables nowadays are grown in soil that is depleted in minerals, so do not always give us enough. Colloidal minerals are an invaluable health supplement from health shops, usually in the form of a fruity tasting liquid.

Anyone who thinks breastfeeding is hard work is crazy. I always had my baby in my bed with me and through the night could pop the breast in her mouth and I could carry on sleeping. No need to get up in the night at all!

Kind regards,
Louise Mclean
Zeus Information Service
Political News for Alternative Health Practitioners
to subscribe contact zeus.info@ntlworld.com
www.zeusinfoservice.com

* * * In a message dated 2/25/03 10:25:54 PM, nature_mom@hotmail.com writes:

I’m a stay at home mom, I homeschool do not vaccinate or circumcise. I birthed with a midwife both times. I only wish I knew about birth and all my choices when I was a girl.

I think we need to teach children about pregnancy and natural birth and that going to the hospital to have a baby is like making love to your partner with the hospital staff watching.

Part of the problem I see is we wait to learn or teach ourselves about birth until we are pregnant or have already had a bad experience.

Both my boys know more about the human body and birth than most women of child bearing age. They understand life and the way we birth is a sacred thing and they’re only 4 and 6 years old.

Thank you jock for the wonderful work you do.
nature_mom@hotmail.com

Let’s have a look at some key quotes by noted authors on the subject of creating and maintaining a strong immune system:

Quotes on Natural Immunity:

“Fever is a powerful part of the immune system, as it interferes with pathogen growth, inactivates many pathogen toxins, and facilitates a more intense immune system response. Many physicians now recommend allowing fevers to run their course. Fever is a systematic response to infection. It is generally agreed that moderate elevation of body temperature improves the body’s disease fighting capacity.” (Moffett, D., “Human Physiology,” Mosby Medical Publishing, 1993, 2nd edition)

“When tissue injury occurs, whether caused by bacteria or viruses, etc, substances such as bradykinins, complement, and histamines are released. This process is called inflammation and it strongly activates the macrophage system to remove damaged cell tissue. Inflammation is a vital part of the healing and repair process of the immune system and when it is delayed or inhibited, healing and repair is incomplete. Inflammation is one of the most important mechanisms of host defense since it marshals the attack on the injurious agent and leads to repair of the affected tissue.” (Weissman, G., “The Cell Biology of Inflammation,” Biomedical Press, 1980, Amsterdam)

“The idea that germs invade our bodies and cause disease is firmly entrenched in Western minds as “truth.” Like so many things, the germ theory is only a theory; it is worthwhile to take a critical look at what it proposes.
“The little known scientist Professor Pierre Jacque Antoine Bechamp was a contemporary of the world famous Louis Pasteur (the father of the germ theory). Bechamp discovered that airborne organisms found a suitable growth environment in milk and other substances, leading to fermentation. This was the origin of the germ theory of disease.
“However, his observations did not end there. Equally important, he discovered that similar organisms also exist within living cells and, given the right conditions, can cause similar processes.
“Well-documented research shows that Pasteur plagiarized and altered Bechamp’s original discoveries, emphasizing the airborne organisms and omitting the cellular ones. The idea that fixed types of microorganisms invade living tissue and cause disease quickly gained popularity.
“Flaws in this theory have become increasingly obvious over time; however, the germ theory is rigidly adhered to by science today.”
“The cellular theory of disease described below is diametrically opposed to the germ theory. The smallest units of living matter have been called cell granules. Bechamp called them microzymas. they have structure, are autonomous, and can produce fermentation. They are constantly developing into bacteria, an evolutionary form of microzymas.
“Healthy tissue supports microzymas that, in turn, support the life and health of the cell. Damaged cells may produce diseased microzymas, which then evolve into pathogenic bacteria and “cause” sickness. This developmental direction depends upon the character of the cellular fluid upon which the microzymas feed. . . .
“. . . the cellular theory subscribes to the idea that germs take their shape and function dependent upon the environment in which they find themselves. An organism contracted from another person can only take hold in a body that offers a friendly environment. Diseases, therefore, are microzymas prompted to grow up into pathogens because they are in the proper environment to do so. “In the view of the cellular theory, germs are a product of disease rather than their causative agents. Many organisms seen as different germs by today’s science are considered [by cellular theorists to be] microzymas at different stages of evolution. One example of this is the veritable alphabet soup of hepatitis viruses that have been identified.
“Bechamp [father of the cellular theory of disease] also observed that when an organism dies, its microzymas evolve into bacteria which break down the tissue. When their job is done they revert to their microzymal state. Airborne organisms are simply microzymas or evolved microzymas (i.e., bacteria) freed by decomposition from their host organism. He also noted that there were functional differences between microzymas of different organs, at different ages, among individuals, and among different species. . . .
“If germs arise from a bodily condition, killing them will not, by itself, get rid of the disease. This does not discount the obvious advantages of aseptic technique. Asepsis works because it keeps out morbid tissue with its accompanying morbid microzymas. Even microzymas in healthy tissue can be altered in their function and development and promote disease if exposed to quantities of these pathogenic microzymas. . . .
“A well-recognized health phenomenon which supports the cellular theory is the case of the sore throat or ear infection repeatedly treated with antibiotics, which continually recurs. The antibiotics kill the evolved bacteria, but the tissue condition remains unchanged; more microzymas mature into pathologic bacteria and the cycle repeats itself. There are many documented cases of perpetual ear infections in children which clear up after dairy products are removed from the child’s diet. Once the condition is altered, the tissue no longer supports the generation of troublesome bacteria.
“What about vaccinations . . . [whereby] diseased microzymas of other organisms are injected into healthy bodies? Such a practice would be considered untenable under the cellular theory of disease.” (Anne Frye, Understanding Diagnostic Tests in the Childbearing Year, 368-370)

Quotes on Antibodies:

“The clinical evidence for vaccines is their ability to stimulate antibody production in the recipient, a fact that is not disputed. What is not clear, however, is whether such antibody production produces immunity.” (Alan Phillips, Director, Citizens for Healthcare Freedom, “Dispelling Vaccine Myths,” May 2001 )

“Natural immunity is a complex phenomenon involving many organs and systems. It cannot be duplicated by the artificial stimulation of antibody production. . . . There exist a finite number of immune system cells that are able to respond to foreign antigens. Once a specific immune cell responds to a particular antigen it becomes committed to that specific antigen and is unable to respond to any other pathogen. Vaccination results in a greater commitment of specific immune cells that would be utilized in natural exposure, which may actually weaken the repertoire of immune cells.” (Alan Phillips, Director, Citizens for Healthcare Freedom, “Dispelling Vaccine Myths,” May 2001 )

“Scientific evidence questioning the role of antibodies in disease protection can be found in research performed by Dr. Alec Burton, published in a study by the British Medical Council. The study investigated the relationship between the incidence of diphtheria and the presence of antibodies. The purpose of the research was to determine the existence or nonexistence of antibodies in people who developed diphtheria and in those who did not. The conclusion was that there was no relation whatsoever between antibody count and incidence of disease. The researchers found people who were highly resistant with extremely low antibody counts, and people who developed the disease who had high antibody counts. . . . Dr. Burton also discovered that children born with a-gamma globulinemia (inability to produce antibodies) develop and recover from measles and other infectious or contagious disease almost as quickly as other children.” (Null, G., “Vaccines: A Second Opinion,” 2000)

“From repeated medical investigations, it would seem that antibodies are about as useful as a black eye in protecting the victim from further attacks. The word “antibody” covers a number of even less intelligible words, quaint relics of Erlich’s side-chain theory, which the greatest of experts, McDonagh, tells us is “essentially unintelligible”. Now that the old history, mythology and statistics of vaccination have been exploded by experience, the business has to depend more upon verbal dust thrown in the face of the lay public. The mere layman, assailed by antibodies, receptors, haptophores, etc., is only too pleased to give up the fight and leave everything to the experts. . . . “The whole subject of immunity and antibodies is, however, so extremely complex and difficult, especially to the real experts, that it is a relief to be told that the gaps in their knowledge of such things are still enormous. “We can obtain some idea of the complexity of the subject from, “The Integrity of the Human Body,” by Sir Macfarlane Burnet. He calls attention to the fact–the mystery–that some children can never develop any antibodies at all, but can nevertheless go through a typical attack of, say, measles, make a normal recovery and show the normal continuing resistance to reinfection. Furthermore, we have heard for years past of attempts made to relate the amount of antibody in patients to their degree of immunity to infection. The, results have often been so farcically chaotic, so entirely unlike what was expected, that the scandal has had to be hushed up–or put into a report, which is much the same thing (vide M.R.C. Report, No. 272, May 1950, “A Study of Diphtheria in Two Areas of Great Britain,” now out of print).

“The worse scandal, however, is that the radio is still telling the schools that the purpose of vaccinating is to produce antibodies.
“The purpose of vaccinating is to make money!”
Lionel Dole
http://www.whale.to/vaccines/antibody.html

See the chapter titled “Do Antibodies Really Protect?” in the online pamphlet on the “grotesque superstition” of vaccination: “The Blood Poisoners,” by Lionel Dole, 1965

Quotes on Infection without Symptoms:

“Infection with viruses does not always result in disease. In fact, a great majority of virus infections remain asymptomatic. Even before the introduction of poliovirus vaccination about 98% of infected humans developed only minor flu-like illness or no illness at all. Of 45,000 U.S. military personnel inoculated in 1942 with a yellow fever vaccine inadvertently contaminated Hep-B virus, only about 900 developed clinical hepatitis and only 33 had severe disease.” (Wimmers, E., “Defense Against Viral Infections,” NY Med-Uni 1999)

Quotes on “Artificial Immunity”:

“Most people believe that victory over the infectious diseases of the last century came with the invention of immunisations. In fact, cholera, typhoid, tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough, etc, were in decline before vaccines for them became available — the result of better methods of sanitation, sewage disposal, and distribution of food and water.” (Dr. Andrew Weil, “Health and Healing”)

“It is dangerously misleading and indeed the exact opposite of the truth to claim that a vaccine makes us ‘immune’ or protects us against an acute disease, if in fact it only drives the disease deeper into the interior and causes us to harbor it chronically, with the result that our responses to it become progressively weaker and show less and less tendency to heal or resolve themselves spontaneously.” (Moskowitz R. Dissent in Medicine Contemporary Books, 1985, p.142)

“Lately, there has been a swell of complaints from groups and individuals about vaccine side effects and the lack of long-term scientific studies and safety data on vaccines. And, at a time when there are more than 200 vaccines in the pipeline, concern is mounting that high-profile vaccine advocates and the lobbies they represent, exert an inordinate influence on the setting of government vaccine policy.” (Regush, N., “The Vaccine Machine” ABC News)

Quotes on Vaccine Conflicts of Interest:

“The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a group of individuals hand picked by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), recommends which vaccines are administered to American children. Working mainly in secret, ACIP members frequently have financial links to vaccine manufacturers. Dependent on CDC funding, state vaccination programs follow CDC directives by influencing state legislatures to mandate new vaccines. Federal vaccine funds can be denied to states which do not ‘vigorously enforce’ mandatory vaccination laws. C onversely, the CDC offers financial bounties to state health departments for each ‘fully vaccinated’ child.” (Schafly, R., “Official vaccine policy flawed,” The Medical Sentinel 4(3) (1999)106-108)

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Natural immunity:

1. Tim O’Shea, “Conventional Medicine vs. Holistic: A World of Difference” (www.thedoctorwithin.com)

2. Gabriel Cousens, “Conscious Eating” (http://www.redwingbooks.com/products/books/)

3. L. Darlena and Gary Dolowich, “Ancient Roots, Many Branches” (http://www.redwingbooks.com/products/books/)

4. Friedhelm Kirchfeld, “Nature Doctors: Pioneers in Naturopathic Medicine” (http://www.redwingbooks.com/products/books/)

Vaccination: 1. Jamie Murphy, “What Every Parent Should Know About Childhood Immunization” (http://www.korenpublications.com/)

2. Tedd Koren, “Childhood Vaccination: Questions Every Parent Should Ask” (http://www.korenpublications.com/)

3. Tim O’Shea, “The Sanctity of Human Blood: Vaccination Is Not Immunization” (www.thedoctorwithin.com)

4. Neil Z. Miller, “Immunization: Theory Vs. Reality” (http://thinktwice.com/vaccine.htm)

Hospitals/medicine:

1. Lynne McTaggart, “What Doctors Don’t Tell You: The Truth About The Dangers Of Modern Medicine” (http://www.wddty.co.uk/shop/products.asp?Group=1)

2. Robert Mendelsohn, “Confessions of a Medical Heretic” (http://www.iatrogenic.org/Booksale/bookstore.html)

The information contained in this email is not a substitute for professional caregiver advice.

Jock Doubleday is the author of “Spontaneous Creation: 101 Reasons Not To Have Your Baby in a Hospital,” to be published soon. He is also active in the international endeavor to bring the dangers of vaccination to light.

Category: Health