Vaccinations and Autism; Cell Phones and Cancer

Over the pre-Christmas weekend there was health related news about the Health Bill passing and two other pieces of interest to me:

• Autism now affects about 1% of children.  Vaccination opponents say messing with the immune system early in life is one of the components.  Others suspect nutrition, preservatives, food dies and other chemical challenges to the body.
• Cell phone dangers have not been proven to produce brain cancers in Scandinavia where cell phone are ubiquitous.  But a World Health Organization study suggests there is a risk.  Maine is considering written warnings (article).  Opponents of cell phone use fear the emission of the signal so close to the brain can lead to increased brain cancers.

Nay-sayers respond:

• Autism type conditions  are counted differently which makes the numbers larger.
• Phone company say there are still no proven dangers from cell phone use.

Dr. Miller responds:

I have concerns in both areas.  If your child has autism and you were the one parent who followed the medical model and got all the vaccinations and your child reacted and developed autism… what would that be like?  One of my patients had a child that reacted to vaccines and has been in an institution since he was a child.

Another patient, an all day cell phone user recently passed away from a brain cancer that was operated on several times and just kept growing.  If there was even a slight chance that we might  be sensitive to the radio waves close to the brain… shouldn’t we be warned.

Assessing risks? The challenge with the news is how to think about it. How to assess the risks.  It gets exhausting as proponents battle for their position in the news.

The debate on Vaccines: Putting foreign substances directly into your body (vaccines)… or letting nature take its course with childhood diseases that challenge the immune system? I tell my children that these conditions strengthen their immune system though they don’t like the temporary discomfort of a flu, measles, chicken pox or the common cold. Every time a fever breaks, or they beat another cold I am glad their immune systems are working well… and I tell them so.  Is this the way you think of your body when its working as created?

With vaccinations, whatever your choice, you should know ALL the risks.  And at least THINK about the as yet undetermined risks.

With cell phones most people would agree that having something near your head that emits any kinds of waves may not be good for you.  Even if we can’t show it or prove it yet.   Our bodies’ don’t come with warning labels for who of us might get cancer.   Common sense says we should use hands-free when we can and keep an eye  on the debate.

Vaccinations – are they good for us?

There are issues with vaccinations – not everyone wants them or likes them, particularly immigrants to the U.S.  (like me!)  Some of the varied concerns:

• our hygiene has improved we don’t need them
• it messes with the immune system
• too many too often and more on the way
• not enough long term research
• its state mandated isn’t it?
• its proven to work, what’s the big deal?
• my kid got vaccinated, but I got sick
• don’t viruses mutate?
• they go directly into the body

That’s a short list. For a longer discussion I have a couple of links which give you a broad perspective from the standard medical mandate to those highly opposed:

Wikipedia gives a well-referenced extensive discussion of the vaccination controversy: link.

A well referenced “against vaccination” article: link.

Wellness philosophy vs. disease: Going back a few steps do you believe we are designed to exist, or co-exist on the planet with the various disease entities? I do, maybe because my undergraduate degree in zoology swayed me.  In nature the strong biological specimens survive and the strongest human immune systems can survive even epidemics like the plague.  But we don’t view ourselves as part of “biology” so we try to change the playing field.  We tend the sick (animals don’t) and attempt to reduce suffering and disease.  This is the human condition.

However, as much as we try, nature is still at work and the old saying “you can’t mess with Mother Nature” is still true.  Viruses and bacteria mutate as part of their process.  We cannot keep up with it easily on a global scale.  WE CREATED MSRA (resistant  bacteria) by using too much antibiotics too often thinking it would work; for it time it does on some people.  But some bugs survived and flourished and that generation is stronger.

Wellness triad: My philosophy,a wellness philosophy, the chiropractic philosophy is that the body has all it needs to cope with disease processes and medicine is in the back pocket for emergencies.  This entails a preventative pro-active mandate through life on three fronts: structural, chemical/nutritional and mind/spiritual.

Whichever way you approach it, the spinal structure and nerve control must be optimal, the fuel sources and detoxification must be optimal and the mental activity and spiritual self must be whole for WELLNESS.  Not, absence of symptom.  When symptoms are absent there are numerous activities to support the continued wellness and longevity of each of us.  And given this triad working optimally there is an expectation of a highly functioning immune system and less need to consider a vaccination model, indeed to expect to get sick.

Questioning the sickness model: Vaccinations assume we and our families will get sick from birth.  It ignores the immunity passed to the baby from the mother in utero, from breast milk and the support of the immune system by the Thymus gland in children.  Our health care system assumes we will get sick from birth on.  Pregnancy itself is considered a sickness not celebrated as a miracle of life.  Health, wellness, prevention and longevity are not on most people’s radar screen so they act accordingly making poor choices that will lead to illness.

I encourage my patients to change their thinking first.  To consider themselves strong, vibrant and to take care of what they have to live in the rest of their lives – their body.  Just the intention of wellness will improve their health. Followed up by action can lead to better and better health. Going for a walk during the first half of a football game is better than spending the whole day on the couch.  Saying “no” to sodas, prepared foods, trying chiropractic, meditation, yoga and long walks as regular activities leads to healthier choices vs. fast food, TV and taking pills.

My patients don’t expect to get the bug that is going around – they fight it by keeping warm, gargling if they get the start of a sore throat, making soups, having tea with some honey.  They should not expect a single perfect solution to improving their immune system using Airborne, excess synthetic Vitamin C or Tamiflu; easier but not the way the complex body operates.

The golden years should be golden: Many seniors spend far too much energy on doctor visits, prescriptions, surgeries etc. If one doctor visit takes up half a day, a few specialists can wipe out much of a week.  Our societal paradigm is that we “fall apart” after 60, or 50 or even 40 depending on what you have been told.  And we believe it!  In some cultures the seniors are revered and respected the older they become.  In these cultures botox and silicone are not king.

Once seniors start acting healthy, taking responsibility for being active, thinking younger, many can respond.  For some its too late.  But for those who can respond, feeling better, having increased energy, taking trips and enjoying family activities gives them a new lease on life… and ramps up their immune system.

The vaccination question revisited:  Drug companies say vaccinations are safe, work and they have statistics to prove it.  I’m not sure we should trust them implicitly with their history of finding out sometimes a generation later what their products can do to us.  My patients that have had children with severe reactions to vaccination and other medications can warn you there is another side, an ugly side to vaccinations.

However, if you are not going to do anything different for your health from the status quo you may have to go that route.   But I suggest at least the consideration of the alternative, to support your body in health. Do something healthy every day, learn about healthy living, healthy eating and options for avoiding illness.  Hopefully, your family like mine can decline vaccinations confidently, live long and vibrantly.

– Dr. Miller