Given that the history of vaccines is debatable at best, it is not unreasonable for parents to opt out of having their children vaccinated. This is a personal choice and one that shouldn't be questioned.
How then is it that those parents that have decided not to vaccinate are made to feel like bad parents? The question of whether a child has been vaccinated or not is an invasion of privacy - your medical details, of which treatment and prevention are part of that, are private, so schools, nurseries,clubs etc have no right asking.
How, as adults, would we like to questioned by employers as to whether we have had our smear test or mammogram, both are held up as preventative procedures and quite rightly private matters.
May be we women too will find ourselves forced into taking these tests or we might not get a job, just as some places start excluding children for not being vaccinated. Forced to subject the breasts to unnecessary radiation to conform...what kind of world would that be....well the kind of world that tries social pressure on parents to vaccinate their children...we are there already,and we need to stop it.
Choices on health and the non judgemental attitude towards parents is where we ought to be. It is not a given that a vaccine will protect you.
Whether a child has had a vaccine or not is not indicative of not contracting the illness or that the vaccine was successful. In fact to know if the vaccine was successful, a follow up test would be needed to see if the antibodies were there and even then, how long is that the case in artificial immunity....so the question of vaccinated or not is redundant.
It is a question that is used to pressure parents to conform...well if your child is vaccinated, you must be so sure that they are protected, so nothing to fear from the un-vaccinated then. In fact the un-vaccinated should perhaps steer clear of the vaccinated as they now have the potential for the illness as we see outbreaks of the illness in the vaccinated.
So if a child ends up in the GP surgery or A & E and whether the ill health is related to an illness associated with a vaccine or not, it matters not a jot if the child has had the vaccine or not, the child needs help and that it the bottom line.
What if a child has been vaccinated and they still contract measles etc, what would the then doctor or nurse have to say about that?? If the child presents with an illness that is nothing to do with vaccines, then the question is even more irrelevant, but it seems to get asked.
May be if you are the parent of an un-vaccinated child and you ever have to present your child to a doctor or A&E and are asked if your child has been vaccinated....turn the tables and ask them straight away 'why? do you think this is vaccine damage or reaction?'
Make a different assumption to their questions..one of whether the illness in children is vaccine related!
Given most children are vaccinated, it seems odd that the focus is on those that are not and finding out if vaccines have been had.....
If you are the parent of an un-vaccinated child, then Arnica UK is there to help support you in your choice,but perhaps you need to think ahead of what you might say if asked. It is in the face of medics that parents feel the most pressure and that is no way to be making any decision on health. To feel bullied into it or pressured into it,is coercion and that is wrong.
Tuesday, 24 June 2014
Sunday, 22 June 2014
June newsletter from CHI / CiChealth
Hi Everyone
Such a beautiful sunny day and Maddy and I got some miles in the boots this afternoon. But unlike Daisy dog, who after her morning walk retreated under the bushes, we decided a cup of tea was more appropriate.
A weekend back I was in Exeter for part of the three day Back2health conference on cancer. As always, at these events, top quality speakers offering sound advice backed up with experience and expertise. A great reminder what a complex disease it is and that how crucial it is to not be rail roaded into a decision on the treatment until you know what is out there, what is working and who your experts are.
What it always brings home to me on hearing just what other countries are doing, is how very backward and second rate our service and medical options are in this field. Yes there are always successes but the choice is so limited and with better choice comes better chances for more.
Despite the billions spent,i see a rise of 70% in skin cancer and liver cancer was announced today......These are not just due to living longer, these are appearing in younger people and as much as many of us don't want to change the way we live, I'm pretty sure we would like to reduce the risk of dying in this manner.
Some of the speakers were filmed and the guy filming them is hoping to get 'Oasis TV' a channel on health, up and running on the internet.
Dr Rosie Daniel and Barbara Wren were brilliant speakers, emphasis on what the patient wants first and foremost along with supportive techniques to health. We don't always need a sledgehammer approach,even if the illness seems so big. It would be good to see subtle ways offered as the viable and effective option they can be.
I couldn't be there for the whole 3 days sadly,but Patricia Peat spoke and I know many of you attended her talk here last year.....We are looking to invite her back - so watch this space. The info is forever updating with Patricia and if you work with anyone going through cancer, then her talk i'm sure would be invaluable. The feed back from all those that attended last year was all positive.
With so much emphasis on the paleo diet these days, this little video clip is a good reminder of the benefits of it but also that one way doesn't suit all. Plus a reminder that it's not just swapping carbs for meat.
There is an new therapist who is in the market for a couch, if you have one you are thinking of selling, please contact her by email... shaninemartin@gmail.com
Information from Graham Blakely, many of you will know Graham and his wealth of experience and knowledge. He has put together a 2 day workshop on Trigger point therapy. At this stage he wants to know who might be interested and if so, drop us a line and he'll sort a venue and dates.
All tools in the tool kit as they say.
This Tuesday at Thierrys clinic,116 Ramsden Square,Cambridge 4-6pm is the Arnica meeting. If you would like to come along, drop us a line. A support group for parents looking at a non vaccine approach and the support that is needed for that. Again,if you have clients that have that dilemma, then please come along yourself and/or let your clients know about it.
You will also see with this email are details of a Yes to Life event on breast cancer. I have to say that these events just get better and better. The last one on prostate cancer was excellently attended and the speakers are the very best. such is the quality of these events,speakers approach them.
Dr Contreras is a real headline grabber in this field and what a good opportunity for gaining knowledge and CPD
I would be very surprised if we all are not in contact in some form with someone that is going through this.
So hopefully see you there. It looks like from Cambridge, head to Kings Cross and then pick up the underground.
Or driving to the Blackhorse carpark in Walthamstow ( top of the M11 from here....costs just a few £'s to park and the tube station is directly opposite.
Not sure just how powerful nutrition is and the role of mitrochondria in the body, this TedX talk by Dr Terry Wahls who had an aggressive form of MS, cured herself with nutrition.
Being therapist, i don't need to tell you how wonderful our bodies are.....but aren't they! - when given the right circumstances and the intelligence of such people as this doctor to look for it outside of their known boxes.
This coming Saturday 28th - Grantchester Tea Gardens 10-12 The Cambridge School of Philosophy will hold its 2nd summer lecture entitled.. Protecting Your Heart
‘Growing old’ is a challenge that we will all face at some time (hopefully). Developing a philosophical attitude as we grow older can help to address that challenge. This talk will develop that theme.
Speaker: Richard Edmunds free to attend, but now a charge for parking.
Enjoy!
Keep us posted with anything that you think is worth sharing, courses, workshops, events, awareness etc.....that way we all get a chance to share opportunities and that's what it's all about.
Sarah & Maddy
Multiple Sclerosis.....an amazing turn around
Whilst seaching for something on YouTube today, I stumbled on this TEDX talk given by a remarkable woman - Dr Terry Wahls. In it she describes how she cured her body of multiple sclerosis, firstly through supplements and then through diet.
It is an amazing talk and just goes to show that diseases we are told are incurable are from it - just whether we can be bothered to or is it easier to drift slowly (or quite quickly as in Dr Wahls case) into debilitated patient without even looking to see what we can change.
17 mins of inspiration...
It is an amazing talk and just goes to show that diseases we are told are incurable are from it - just whether we can be bothered to or is it easier to drift slowly (or quite quickly as in Dr Wahls case) into debilitated patient without even looking to see what we can change.
17 mins of inspiration...
Not sure just how powerful nutrition is and the role of mitrochondria in the body, this TedX talk by Dr Terry Wahls who had an aggressive form of MS, cured herself with nutrition.
If this can work for Dr Wahls, isn't it worth looking at for someone with MS that you know.
Breast Cancer - The Power of Choice
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Grantchester Tea Gardens - Summer Lectures
Grantchester Summer Lectures
Philosophy has been discussed beneath the trees of the Orchard at Grantchester for over a century from many including Wittgenstein, Rupert Brooke, Virginia Woolf and Bertrand Russell. The Summer lectures still draw those interested in finding meaning and truth every year to this magical place.
Protecting Your Heart 28 June
‘Growing old’ is a challenge that we will all face at some time (hopefully). Developing a philosophical attitude as we grow older can help to address that challenge. This talk will develop that theme.
Speaker: Richard Edmunds
The Greek Philosophers 26 July
What do the ancient Greek philosophers have to say to us in this day and age? This talk will attempt to show that their writings still resonate today and can provide a practical guide to life for each and every one of us.
Speaker: Stephen Silver
Aggression and Submission 30 Aug
Television, computer games and the internet have all recently been linked to a rise in bullying and aggression. This talk will look at the roots of human aggression and the way that the teachings of the wise can help us to deal with it.
Speaker: Ranko Pinter
Atheism and the Divine 13 Sep
‘Of any two possibilities choose the third’. The clash between militant atheism and fundamentalist religion can be seen playing out in the daily press and other media coverage. Is there a third way which is not just a ‘fudged compromise’?
Speaker: John Davis
For more information please call 0845 450 3688
The Orchard Tea Rooms can be reached by taking Junction 11 off the M11, following the signs to Grantchester and turning left off the road to Trumpington. Be careful; the entrance is very easy to pass. Alternatively, it can be reached by cycling or walking the riverside from Cambridge. Do try the wonderful home-made scones!
Monday, 12 May 2014
Cancer - get informed!
I know that anyone that has lost someone close to them will,like me, be haunted by dates. The day they died etc. They are never far from our thoughts of course at most times,but then significant dates come along and it gives a time to see it all from a slightly different angle, albeit none less painful.
It is 3 years today that my sister got a 'death sentence' from the hospital, when she was given the news that far too many receive, 'it's terminal cancer' 'we're sorry,there is nothing we can do'
Even more of a shock as she only went in for a hysterectomy - cancer was never on the cards.
But 7pm on Friday 13th of May in room 13 on this ward will be a scene that will never leave my head.
Even now I find it hard to think that I won't see her again and I can't just call her up for a chat or head out for the day.
We talk about cancer as being a cruel illness, like there are kindly ones out there - well maybe it's not the illness but the way it is treated or not treated that is the cruelty.
The choice, one quickly realises, on just what the NHS will offer, is limited, it is no different than 70 years ago. It is still surgery,radiotherapy and chemo....the drugs may have changed, but then again - even there, not that much.
All those years on, people still dying from it in ever increasing numbers, diagnosed with it in ever increasing numbers and yet still we persist with the same basic approach.
Across the globe innovative methods are showing results, methods that are cheaper in many cases, more effective but ignored.
There are various experts out there with documented studies and strong case study evidence to show how different approaches can work.
We held our own conference a year after my sister died, 2 months later, a similar conference and later next month Back to Health in Exeter, UK, have a fantastic line up of speakers, all sharing the knowledge of what is out there and working to restore to health for those with cancer.
At the moment, those wishing to follow a different route need to have the finances behind them, but how much does it cost to fund that same patient through the set route. What if doctors can explore other methods for patients, what if you had a budget for your treatment, i wonder where you would spend it.
Cancer was an illness I wanted nothing to do with, I didn't want to have to think about it, so how quick a learning curve for me, when I watched my sister being given the news and that look of disbelief on the face of her husband. The coldness and matter of fact of the delivery from the doctor.
My single biggest regret was not having enough knowledge at the time and playing catch up with the limited time we had
Don't let lack of knowledge be a regret......in terms of health and treatment, get informed and keep updated. Some people watch their stocks and shares more than what's going on with their health. There are no pockets in shrouds as they say! They keep a look out for the best interest rates, but not the latest innovations in health. They vote on X-factor but not in an election. Press the MP's to review the outdated 1939 cancer act and untie the hands.
Why do we trust decisions on our health provisions ultimately to MP's a Secretary for Health one minute and Trade and Industry the next.....So we need to press for better provisions and greater choice in heath care and train our doctors far wider than the MERCK manual.
How many people will hear the same words today my sister heard 3 years ago and how many through conventional and blinkered approaches will be dead in 6 weeks.
I will never forget my sister being told she was too ill for chemo, so we had to try diet and supplements and natural medicine, so much so she got stronger and well enough to have chemo offered - her fear lead her to accept it and just one bout lead to her death along with increased so called pain relief.
She regretted the chemo instantly, her instinct over taken by fear, yet there is no going back after a chemo infusion.
Cancer patients rarely have an autopsy of course, after all, who wants to put a body through that they say....I wonder what the real cause of deaths would be if autopsies were carried out?
Get informed and don't act out of fear.
As Philip Day (Health Journalist) writes....Cancer, why are we still dying to know the truth?
It is 3 years today that my sister got a 'death sentence' from the hospital, when she was given the news that far too many receive, 'it's terminal cancer' 'we're sorry,there is nothing we can do'
Even more of a shock as she only went in for a hysterectomy - cancer was never on the cards.
But 7pm on Friday 13th of May in room 13 on this ward will be a scene that will never leave my head.
Even now I find it hard to think that I won't see her again and I can't just call her up for a chat or head out for the day.
We talk about cancer as being a cruel illness, like there are kindly ones out there - well maybe it's not the illness but the way it is treated or not treated that is the cruelty.
The choice, one quickly realises, on just what the NHS will offer, is limited, it is no different than 70 years ago. It is still surgery,radiotherapy and chemo....the drugs may have changed, but then again - even there, not that much.
All those years on, people still dying from it in ever increasing numbers, diagnosed with it in ever increasing numbers and yet still we persist with the same basic approach.
Across the globe innovative methods are showing results, methods that are cheaper in many cases, more effective but ignored.
There are various experts out there with documented studies and strong case study evidence to show how different approaches can work.
We held our own conference a year after my sister died, 2 months later, a similar conference and later next month Back to Health in Exeter, UK, have a fantastic line up of speakers, all sharing the knowledge of what is out there and working to restore to health for those with cancer.
At the moment, those wishing to follow a different route need to have the finances behind them, but how much does it cost to fund that same patient through the set route. What if doctors can explore other methods for patients, what if you had a budget for your treatment, i wonder where you would spend it.
Cancer was an illness I wanted nothing to do with, I didn't want to have to think about it, so how quick a learning curve for me, when I watched my sister being given the news and that look of disbelief on the face of her husband. The coldness and matter of fact of the delivery from the doctor.
My single biggest regret was not having enough knowledge at the time and playing catch up with the limited time we had
Don't let lack of knowledge be a regret......in terms of health and treatment, get informed and keep updated. Some people watch their stocks and shares more than what's going on with their health. There are no pockets in shrouds as they say! They keep a look out for the best interest rates, but not the latest innovations in health. They vote on X-factor but not in an election. Press the MP's to review the outdated 1939 cancer act and untie the hands.
Why do we trust decisions on our health provisions ultimately to MP's a Secretary for Health one minute and Trade and Industry the next.....So we need to press for better provisions and greater choice in heath care and train our doctors far wider than the MERCK manual.
How many people will hear the same words today my sister heard 3 years ago and how many through conventional and blinkered approaches will be dead in 6 weeks.
I will never forget my sister being told she was too ill for chemo, so we had to try diet and supplements and natural medicine, so much so she got stronger and well enough to have chemo offered - her fear lead her to accept it and just one bout lead to her death along with increased so called pain relief.
She regretted the chemo instantly, her instinct over taken by fear, yet there is no going back after a chemo infusion.
Cancer patients rarely have an autopsy of course, after all, who wants to put a body through that they say....I wonder what the real cause of deaths would be if autopsies were carried out?
Get informed and don't act out of fear.
As Philip Day (Health Journalist) writes....Cancer, why are we still dying to know the truth?
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
Good Health Needs Effort and Sometimes an Innovative Approach
April seems to have flashed by in an instance and here we are in May.
It is national walking month here in the UK and there are so many beautiful walks. In much need of getting my own legs going, I took myself off to Paxton Pits,which if you have never been and live near by, is well worth a visit, especially at this time of year where the cormorants are nesting. It has the biggest inland colony of cormorants in the UK and watching them sweep across the lakes carrying huge sticks for nesting is a joy.
Watching them do what they do without an architect or planning permission and not bound by the man made rules and social nonsense makes you envy them their freedom. I'm guessing there is no 'jobs worth' cormorant giving instructions!.so having done the flat walk of the reserve and woods, the legs needed a hill and so of to Sandy. Where half way up the winding hill to the Hill fort, I met an 83 year old on her way down, which obviously meant she had done the worst of the slow steep climb in the other direction. I was more the impressed, she looked slightly concerned but it was all down hill for her walk wise. It is no mean feat if you take the steep path way which she had....if at 83 i still have the will to do it, i'd be pleased. The view is worth the climb and the reward of the cuckoo at the top was certainly a bonus. My first one in spring. Having watched the cormorants nest build, this hill was once home to an Iron age fort and with various info boards showing how they lived and built there homes.....well we have just learnt how to complicate matters with so called progress. They were true environmentalists without having to invent how to do it.
It's never far from my thoughts that at the basis of enjoying life is good health, it is certainly true that without it,life is much more difficult and I'm sure that 83 year old enjoyed excellent health to have the desire to do it. All of which leads me on to Patrick Kingsley's talk.
We were delighted to have Patrick come and speak to our group in Cambridge
I'm sure those that attended would agree what a font of knowledge and more importantly the practical experience to back it up, he is. As some of you said after, you could listen to him for ages. I don't think i have ever heard Patrick speak, where he finishes before his time.
He focused of course mostly on cancer and touches slightly on MS. I think he would be great to ask him back in the future to cover other aspects of health. If any of you purchased a copy of the New Medicine book, you'll find it an excellent read and a generous sharing of knowledge.
He was a head of his time in many ways and you wonder just who will be the maverick doctors of our day...they are few and far between of course.
Yet still the 'free' treatment that is the prescribed route for NHS patients with a cancer diagnosis is based in the dark corners of 1939...we have technically not moved on from that time...the format is now 75 years old and we call it modern medicine! It is only the drugs that have changed but the format remains the same - yet the problem is worse than ever.
Health shouldn't be dictated by influential financial lobbying!
Interesting article in the Times and the Telegraph today on Lord Saatchi's bill to allow Dr's to be less tied to these conventional approaches and this appalling act. It seems a large study has been carried out on the public to see if there is an appetite for this and it seems there is - well what a surprise! It's good to know the general public would like a more innovative approach to health as the reality is what they have isn't always the best of what's out there.
According to Andy Lewis from the quackometer website, he thinks this will open the door to charlatans etc - clearly the guy thinks doctors need laws to apply thought! Or that we have medicine according to Andy Lewis and our health remains in the hands of the closed minded.........
A talk i really recommend is called Survive and Thrive and delivered by health journalist Philip Day. There are 2 dates near us. The first is Saturday 5th July 10.30-4.30 in Norwich at the Holiday Inn, Cromer Road. Norwich or the other one is slightly nearer at the Suffolk Golf and Spa Hotel, Fornham St Genevieve, Bury St Edmunds - on the 6th July 10.30-4.30. The cost being £25 if booked in advance. Details on the website www.credence.org and click on events.
Well worth it and will stir the health passions i'm sure. If you check out the website, you'll find a date for a talk near you.
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