http://www.unhinderedliving.com/germtheory.html
A Faulty Medical Model: The Germ Theory
In the medical schools of the United States and many other Western countries
today, doctors are taught a lie. This lie is a particular viewpoint about
disease called The Germ Theory. The scientist credited with discovering it is
Louis Pasteur, also credited with finding a cure for Rabies. Pasteur has been
heralded as making some of the most important discoveries of all time. Yet,
when we look at the historical evidence, we see that Pasteur was an
incompetent fraud! Not only did he NOT understand the processes which he
experimented with and wrote about, but most of what he is credited with
discovering was plagarized from scientists previous to or contemporary with
him. For a thorough rendition of this history, you can read the full text of
the 1940's book "Pasteur, Plagarist, Imposter" by R.B. Pearson at The Dream
and Lie of Louis Pasteur .
Basically, it boils down to this: Both Pasteur and a contemporary of his,
Antoine Beauchamp, were experimenting with the process of fermentation. The
prevailing theory was that fermentation was a simple chemical reaction, but
the experiments of Beauchamp showed that fermentation was a process brought
about by microorganisms in the air. Pasteur continued to insist for some time
after Beauchamp's discovery that fermentation was a process that did not
require oxygen because it was a lifeless chemical reaction (called
spontaneous generation). It took Pasteur many years to finally grasp the
concept that fermentation of sugars is caused by yeast fungus, a living
organism. When he did grasp and write about these concepts, he presented them
as his own discoveries, giving no credit at all to Beauchamp. So at the very
least, he was a thief and a plagarizer, and at the most, a poor scientist
(1).
Throughout their lives, Pasteur and Beauchamp continued to experiment with
microorganisms. Pasteur continued to adhere to the idea of Monomorphism, the
belief that all microbes and bacteria have only one form. Beauchamp was able
to prove, however, the existence of Pleomorphism, that microbes can alter
their form to appear as different germs. This discovery was confirmed by many
scientists that came after Beauchamp, including Gunther Enderlein. In his
experiments, Enderlein found that every living cell contains two distinct
kinds of microorganisms called endobionts (which means "inside life"). These
microorganisms live inside the cell and cannot be removed from it. They play
an important role in cellular health. The state of a person's health is
determined by the stage of development of these organisms. Enderlein found
that all microbes that live permanently in our bodies go through three
stages:
The Primitive Stage (microbe)
The Middle Stage (bacteria)
The End Stage (fungus)
Other scientists were later able to confirm that there was a fourth stage
which occurs only after extreme toxicity in which the fungus goes through a
transformation, mutating into the Virus.
Most of the diseases in modern society today are not caused by the
"pathogenic bacteria" that enter from outside us, as was taught by Pasteur.
Disease occurs as these endobionts are transformed from the microbe stage to
more virulent forms of life. The state of development of these organisms
depends upon the state of the medium in which the germ lives. In other words,
the microbes which live in our cells and assist the cells in maintaining a
healthy state will mutate into bacteria, fungus, and viruses when the tissues
of our bodies in which they live change to provide a medium for their growth.
They begin to become "pathogenic" when the pH of the tissues becomes more
acidic.
Primitive phases live in a strong alkaline pH
Bacterial phases live in mild alkaline pH
Fungal forms live in a medium acid pH
Viral forms live in a strong acid pH (2)
These primitive organisms can live in our bodies in the microbe stage
indefinitely, and do not cause disease, but rather perform a restorative
function. Bacteria and other germs consume dead matter. That is their
function. Experiments show that if you put a fresh, raw steak that still has
active live enzymes in it, and a cooked steak outside in the open air, it is
the cooked steak that will become infested with maggots.
Microorganisms cannot live in living tissue. It is only when the tissue
becomes dead that they move in to do their job. That's what happens in your
compost pile. You put your table scraps in there, along with some bacteria,
and the bacteria decompose the food scraps into soil. Everything that exists
on this earth eventually BIODEGRADES.
It is really true that when we die, we will return to dust. Bacteria and
other pathogenic microorganisms are only doing their jobs. They are able to
sense chemically when dead matter is present, and they go about the business
of breaking it down. That is where disease comes from. The microorganisms in
your body are breaking down your dead tissues in preparation for
biodegradation (3).
Most of the germs which enter our bodies from the outside are quickly killed
by the immune system. But it is the microorganisms which live permanently in
our bodies that cause us to get sick. And they cause sickness because we
provide them with a rich growth medium so that they can mutate and transform
themselves into deadly bacteria, fungus, and viruses.
So you see, whether or not we get sick and die has very little to do with
what germ we catch, but has everything to do with whether we keep our bodies
free of the dead matter which these germs feed on. The dead matter these
germs feed on is produced when the pH in our bodies is altered from a
slightly alkaline state to a progressively more acidic state. In the next
lesson, we will learn how to properly equip our bodies so that these
microorganisms cannot mutate into virulent forms.
At the end of his life, Pasteur admitted that his theory was a fraud. He said
that it was not the germs that mattered, but the medium in which they lived.
And yet, his so-called "work" is the basis of the whole medical model of
disease and healing.
The Germ theory CANNOT account for the fact that if you expose 100 people to
what he called "pathogenic bacteria" that 10 of the people in that room will
NOT DEVELOP THE DISEASE. It's not that germs cause disease at all. The pH of
those people's bodies' was not acidic enough to support the transformation of
the germ into a bacteria, fungus or virus. Because the germ never mutates,
the person never gets sick.
Because of what I know about Louis Pasteur and The Germ Theory, there is no
way that I will allow myself to be treated by a medical doctor trained in the
United States or other Western countries. Their diagnoses and treatments
inevitably make the patient sicker by plunging the body into an even more
acidic state, and encouraging the more rapid transformation of microbes into
deadly pathogens.
In fact, if a person learns to alter their diet so that it encourages a more
alkaline pH in the body, there is no need to ever visit a medical
practitioner of any kind.
Everything I have said here is based upon sound scientific studies, and
actual historical documents. And yet, many people who choose to refuse
allopathic medical treatments are looked at as mentally unbalanced. And if a
person refuses to allow their child to be given medical treatments, they are
looked at as guilty of medical negligence and can have their children taken
away. And for what? Because they don't agree with one particular
interpretation of scientific data? The evidence I have given is sound and
proven. I hope anyone who reads this can see that a person who chooses to
reject The Germ Theory does so with much evidence to back them up, and they
are not being negligent with their own health or their children's.
I choose to reject the Medical Model. I choose to take charge of my own
health. And in doing so, I will avoid most all of the plagues of the 20th and
21st centuries, including Cancer, Anthrax, and AIDS.
References:
(1) Pearson, R.B. (2001). The Dream and Lie of Louis Pasteur. Available
online: [http://www.sumeria.net/dream.html]. Taken from "Pasteur, Plagarist,
Imposter" by the same author, 1940's.
(2) Poehlman, Karl H. (1997). Synthesis of the Work of Enderlein, Bechamps
and other Pleomorphic Researchers. Explore Vol. 8, No. 2.
(3) Logan, Cordell E. (2000). A Partially Unified Theory of Disease. Priority
One Health and Nutrition. Available online: [http://www.priorityonevitamins.com/articles/theory_of_disease_Logan.htm].
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"Actually bacteria are our symbiotic partners in both health and disease.
They serve a useful role. As scavengers they make harmless or remove
undesirable substances within our bodies. They also elaborate certain of our
body needs. That is, they help build complex organic compounds from simple
ingredients. "
"Do mosquitoes make the water stagnant; or does stagnant water attract the
mosquitoes? We should all we taught that germs are friends and scavengers
attracted by disease, rather {than} enemies causing disease...As their
internal environment is, so will be the attraction for any specific
micro-organism...The germ theory and vaccination are kept going by
commercialism."
http://www.healself.org/contagion2.html
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES
By Dr. Bernarr, D.C., D.D.
T.C. Fry wrote, "Actually bacteria are our symbiotic partners in both health
and disease. They serve a useful role. As scavengers they make harmless or
remove undesirable substances within our bodies. They also elaborate certain
of our body needs. That is, they help build complex organic compounds from
simple ingredients. A notable example of this is the production of vitamin
B-12 in our intestines."
Fry also wrote, "'Infection' is no war in which the body is fighting
invaders. The bacteria that come to these sites are symbiotic and help the
body in elaborating dead cells and tissues for expulsion-they are partners in
the cleanup process. When this has been accumulated the bacteria disappear
and the wound heals. Infection...is a body-cleaning process for a body
burdened with toxic materials."
Dr. Paul Goldberg writes, "We need to re-direct our perspectives of microbes
and see them in a new light. In terms of bacteria, for example, we need to
appreciate them as: Bodily inhabitants who assist us in such ways as
protecting us from other organisms (e.g. fungi), assisting in digestion and
metabolism of food, synthesizing vitamins, and helping to eliminate waste
materials."
Dr. Alec Burton writes, "DO GERMS CAUSE DISEASE? Or could it be the other way
around...first, the disease, then the germs. Natural Hygiene contends that
germs do not cause disease. They are not the originators. Most diseases occur
when people allow themselves to become enervated, that is, low in nerve
energy. As a consequence, the organs of excretion fail to function normally
and waste material accumulates in the body. When this waste continues to
build up, exceeding the body's toleration point, a crisis arises. The body,
to offset this overabundance of poisonous matter, begins to react. The result
of this reaction is sometimes a cold, the flu, pneumonia, or some such,
depending on the individual. At this crisis point of elimination, germs may
or may not be present. They are sure to come later, not to attack, but to
assist in the cleanup or cleansing process."
Dr. Virginia Vetrano writes, "Hygienists object to the germ theory of disease
because germs do not cause disease. They may be present in disease processes,
and they many complicate a disease with their waste products which can be
very toxic at times, but the germ or virus alone is never the
sole cause of disease."
"Germs are saprophytes; that is, they live off dead and decaying organic
matter. Bacteria are actually our benefactors. They decompose our excretions,
helping to rid the system of them. Bacteria are non-toxic, and non-virulent
as long as body secretions and excretions are normal. When
toxemia exists, that is, when metabolic wastes accumulate in the system in
excess, causing the secretions and excretions of the body to become abnormal
and poisonous, a non-pathogenic bacterium can turn into a so-called
pathogenic one simply by feeding on toxic wastes. Bacteria excrete toxic
waste only when human secretions are abnormal and when the cells of the body
are killed by excessive toxic saturation, bacteria go to work to disorganize
them and help the body rid itself of dead tissue. 'Disease producing' germs
are often present in the absence of the disease they are supposed to cause.
They are often found when an individual has not had the disease that a
particular germ is supposed to cause and when the individual never develops
the disease. Furthermore, in myriads of cases, a particular pathogenic germ
is not present when the disease it is supposed to cause exists."
Dr. Robert R. Gross wrote, "Germs do not cause disease! Nature never
surrounded her children with enemies. It is the individual himself who makes
disease possible in his own body because of poor living habits...
Dr. Herbert Shelton wrote, "Warmth, moisture, food-these are the causes that
activate latent germs and arouse them to activity. They exist, all except the
food, in the mouth, nose and throat at all times. The food is thrown out into
these, as excretions, in disease. The germs feed on the excretions. They are
scavengers. They were never anything else and will never be anything else.
They break up and consume the discharge from the tissues. This is the
function ascribed to germs everywhere in nature outside the body and is their
real and only function in disease. They are purifying and beneficial agents.
The medical profession has worked itself into hysteria over the germ theory
and is using it to exploit an all too credulous public. Germs are ubiquitous.
They are in the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink. We
cannot escape them. We can destroy them only to a limited extent. It is folly
to attempt to escape disease by attempting to destroy or escape germs. Once
they are in the body the physician has no means of destroying them that will
not, at the same time, destroy the patient. We cannot avoid germs. We must be
proof against them. We have to accept them as one of the joys of life."
Rudolph Virchow, a great German scientist, repudiated the germ theory of
disease. He said that disease brought on germs rather than the germs caused
disease. Claude Bernard, Bechamp and Tissot-great French scientists-all
disproved the germ theory of disease. In Hans Selye's book Stress of Life
(Page 205), an account is recorded that Louis Pasteur, inventor of the germ
theory of disease, admitted he was wrong. Sanitation is the only factor that
has reduced the spread of the old-time scourges. If the germ theory were
founded on facts, there would be no living being to read what is herein
written, for germs are ubiquitous-they exist everywhere. In many diseases
supposedly caused by a specific germ, that germ is not present. Contrariwise,
specific germs said to cause a specific disease are present in huge
proportions without the specific disease manifesting itself. Dr. Virginia
Vetrano writes, "Just remember that there are no contagious diseases, just
contagious habits which lower your vitality. There have been many people who
have had diphtheria and yet no germ could be found. The same can be said of
tuberculosis and other diseases. This is why the virus had to be
discovered-to save the germ theory. Now we have virus infections instead of
germ infections because pathologists could not find a germ for all the
diseases of mankind. If a germ does not cause disease, what does? Soon
everyone will learn that it is the individual's way of life that
produces disease and not the saprophytes of earth, which are actually
beneficial to us. Without them we would all succumb. They do so many jobs for
us that it would take volumes to tell you about them. In fact without
bacterial life, all animal and plant life would soon wither and die. On
second thought, without bacteria we can't even wither."
Dr. Vetrano adds, "A truly healthy child can sleep with a person 'infected'
with scarlet fever, mumps, measles or some of the other virulent so-called
infections diseases, night after night, and still not develop the disease.
But overfeed that same child and he will now develop a so-called infectious
disease. This disease will not be due to germs, but due to putrefactive
toxins absorbed from the digestive tract in an enervated and toxemic
individual."
"Hygienists do not use the term infection to mean 'invasion' of the organism
by pathogenic micro-organisms, but recognize the element of poisoning in all
so-called 'infections.' Tilden said that all infections stem from one
source-protein decomposition. The term septic infection covers the whole
field of infection and means protein decomposition. Pioneer (Natural)
Hygienists said specific infections have no place in biological abnormalities
or disease and any infection is only septic infection arising from absorbed
protein putrefactive toxins from the digestive tract. Dr. Shelton states that
'sepsis is the only infecting agent in all the so-called specific diseases.'"

Disease Names are Misleading and Misinform
Patients about Disease Prevention
Disease names like diabetes and osteoporosis are misleading and misinform
patients about disease prevention.
There is a curious tendency in conventional medicine to name a set of
symptoms a disease. I was recently at a compounding pharmacy having my bone
mineral density measured to update my health stats. I spotted a poster
touting a new drug for osteoporosis. It was written by a drug company and it
said exactly this: "Osteoporosis is a disease that causes weak and fragile
bones." Then, the poster went on to say that you need a particular drug to
counteract this "disease."
Yet the language is all backwards. Osteoporosis isn't a disease that causes
weak bones, osteoporosis is the name given to a diagnosis of weak bones. In
other words, the weak bones happened first, and then the diagnosis of
osteoporosis followed. The drug poster makes it sound like osteoporosis
strikes first, and then you get weak bones. The cause and effect is all
backwards. And that's how drug companies want people to think about diseases
and symptoms: first you "get"
the disease, then you are "diagnosed" just in time to take a new drug for the
rest of your life.
But it's all hogwash. There is no such disease as osteoporosis. It's just a
made-up name given to a pattern of symptoms that indicate you've let your
bones get fragile. As another example, when a person follows an
unhealthy lifestyle that results in a symptom such as high blood pressure,
that symptom is actually being assumed to be a disease all by itself and it
will be given a disease name. What disease? The disease is, of course, "high
blood pressure." Doctors throw this phrase around as if it were an actual
disease and not merely descriptive of patient physiology.
This may all seem silly, right? But there's actually a very important point
to all this. When we look at symptoms and give them disease names, we
automatically distort the selection of available treatments for such a
disease. If the disease is, by itself, high cholesterol, then the cure for
the disease must be nothing other than lowering the high cholesterol. And
that's how we end up with all these pharmaceuticals treating high cholesterol
in order to "prevent" this disease and lower the levels of LDL cholesterol in
the human patient.
By lowering only the cholesterol, the doctor can rest assured that he is,
infact, treating this "disease," since the definition of this "disease" is
high cholesterol and nothing else. But there is a fatal flaw in this
approach to disease treatment: the symptom is not the cause of the disease.
There is another cause, and this deeper cause is routinely ignored by
conventional medicine, doctors, drug
companies, and even patients.
Let's take a closer look at high blood pressure. What actually causes high
blood pressure? Many doctors would say high blood pressure is caused by a
specific, measurable interaction between circulating chemicals in the human
body. Thus, the ill-behaved chemical compounds are the cause of the high
blood pressure, and therefore the solution is to regulate these chemicals.
That's exactly what pharmaceuticals do -- they attempt to manipulate the
chemicals in the body to adjust the symptoms of high blood pressure. Thus,
they only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.
Or take a look at high cholesterol. The conventional medicine approach says
that high cholesterol is caused by a chemical imbalance in the liver, which
is the organ that produces cholesterol. Thus the treatment for high
cholesterol is a prescription drug that inhibits the liver's production of
cholesterol (statin drugs). Upon taking these drugs, the high cholesterol
(the "disease") is regulated, but what was causing the liver to overproduce
cholesterol in the first place? That causative factor remains ignored.
The root cause of high cholesterol, as it turns out, is primarily dietary. A
person who eats foods that are high in saturated fats and hydrogenated oils
will inevitably produce more bad cholesterol and will show the symptoms of
this so-called disease of high cholesterol. It's simple cause and effect. Eat
the wrong foods, and you'll produce too much bad cholesterol in the liver
which can be detected and diagnosed by conventional medical procedures.
Yet the root cause of all this is actually poor food choice, not some bizarre
behavior by the liver. If the disease were to be accurately named, then, it
would be called Fatty Food Choice Disease, or simply FFCD. FFCD would be a
far more accurate name that would make sense to people. If it's a fatty foods
choice disease, then it seems that the obvious solution to the disease would
be to choose foods that aren't so fatty. Of course that may be a bit of
simplification since you have to distinguish between healthy fats and
unhealthy fats. But at least the name FFCD gives patients a better idea of
what's actually going on rather than naming the disease after a symptom, such
as high cholesterol. You see, the symptom is not the disease, but
conventional medicine insists on calling the symptom the disease because that
way it can treat the symptom and claim success without actually addressing
the underlying cause, which remains a mystery to modern medicine.
But let's move on to some other diseases so you get a clearer picture of how
this actually works. Another disease that's caused by poor food choice is
diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the natural physiological and metabolic result
of a person consuming refined carbohydrates and added sugars in large
quantities without engaging in regular physical exercise that would
compensate for such dietary practices.
The name "diabetes" is meaningless to the average person. The disease should
be called Excessive Sugar Disease, or ESD. If it were called Excessive Sugar
Disease, the solution to it would be rather apparent; simply eat less sugar,
drink fewer soft drinks and so on. But of course that would be far too simple
for the medical community, so the disease must be given a complex name such
as diabetes that puts its solution out of reach of the average patient.
Another disease that is named after its symptom is cancer. In fact, to this
day, most doctors and many patients still believe that cancer is a physical
thing: a tumor. In reality, a tumor is only a side effect of cancer, not its
cause. A tumor is simply a physical manifestation of a cancer pattern that is
expressed by the body. When a person "has cancer," what they really have is a
sluggish immune system. And that would be a far better name for the disease:
Sluggish Immune System Disease or SISD.
If cancer were actually called Sluggish Immune System Disease, it would seem
ridiculous to try to cure cancer by cutting out tumors through surgery and by
destroying the immune system with chemotherapy. And yet these are precisely
the most popular treatments for cancer offered by conventional medicine.
These treatments do absolutely nothing to support the patient's immune system
and prevent further occurrences of cancer. That's exactly why most people who
undergo chemotherapy or the removal of tumors through surgical procedures end
up with yet more cancer a few months or a few years later. It's also another
reason why survival rates of cancer have barely budged over the last twenty
years. (In other words, conventional medicine's treatments for cancer simply
don't work.)
This whole situation stems from the fact that the disease is misnamed. It
isn't cancer, it isn't a tumor and it certainly isn't a disease caused by
having too strong of an immune system that needs to be destroyed through
chemotherapy. It is simply a sluggish immune system or a suppressed immune
system. And if it were called a sluggish immune system disease or a
suppressed immune system disorder, the effective treatment for cancer would
be apparent. There are many other diseases that are given misleading
names by western medicine. But if you look around the world and take a look
at how diseases are named elsewhere, you will find many countries have
disease names that actually make sense.
For example, in Chinese medicine, Alzheimer's disease is given a name that
means, when translated, "feeble mind disease." In Chinese medicine, the name
of the disease more accurately describes the actual cause of the disease,
whereas in western medicine, the name of the disease seems to be intended to
obscure the root cause of the disease, thereby making all diseases sound far
more complex and mysterious than they really are. This is one way in
which doctors and practitioners of western medicine keep medical treatments
out of the reach of the average citizen. Because, by God, they sure don't
want people thinking for themselves about the causes of disease!
By creating a whole new vocabulary for medical conditions, they can speak
their own secret language and make sure that people who aren't schooled in
medicine don't understand what they're saying. That's a shame, because the
treatments and cures for virtually all chronic diseases are actually quite
simple and can be described in plain language, such as making different food
choices, getting more natural sunlight, drinking more water, engaging in
regular physical exercise, avoiding specific food toxins, supplementing your
diet with superfoods and nutritional supplements and so on.
See, western medicine prefers to describe diseases in terms of chemistry.
When you're depressed, you aren't suffering from a lack of natural sunlight;
you are suffering from a "brain chemistry imbalance" that can only be
regulated, they claim, by ingesting toxic chemicals to alter your brain
chemistry. When your bones are brittle, it's not brittle bones disease; it's
called osteoporosis, something that sounds very technical and complicated.
And to treat it, western doctors and physicians will give you prescriptions
for expensive drugs that somehow claim to make your bones less brittle. But
in fact, the real treatment for this can be described in plain language once
again: regular physical exercise, vitamin D supplementation, mineral
supplements that include calcium and strontium, natural sunlight, and
avoidance of acidic foods such as soft drinks, white flour and added sugars.
In fact, virtually every disease that's prominent in modern society
--diabetes, cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, clinical depression,
irritable bowel syndrome and so on -- can be easily described in plain
language without using complex terms at all. These diseases are simply
misnamed. And I believe that they are intentionally misnamed to put the
jargon out of reach of everyday citizens. As a result, there's a great deal
of arrogance in the language of western medicine, and this arrogance furthers
the language of separation. Separation never results in healing. In order to
effect healing, we must bring together the language of healers and patients
using plain language that real people understand and that real people can act
upon. We need to start describing diseases in terms of their root
causes, not in terms of their arcane, biochemical actions. When someone
suffers from seasonal affective disorder or clinical depression, for example,
let's call it what it is: Sunlight Deficiency Disorder. To treat it, the
person simply needs to get more sunlight. This isn't rocket science, it's not
complex, and it doesn't require a prescription.
If someone is suffering from osteoporosis, let's get realistic about the
words we use to describe the condition: it's really Brittle Bones Disease.
And it should be treated with things that will enhance bone density, such as
nutrition, physical exercise and avoidance of foods and drinks that strip
away bone mass from the human body. All of this information, of course, is
rather shocking to old-school doctors and practitioners of western medicine,
and the bigger their egos are, the more they hate the idea of naming diseases
in plain language that patients can actually comprehend. That's because if
the simple truths about diseases and their causes were known, health would be
more readily available to everyday people, and that would lessen the
importance of physicians and medical researchers.
There's a great deal of ego invested in the medical community, and they sure
don't want to make sound health attainable to the average person without
their expert advice. It's sort of the same way that some ultra-conservative
churches don't want their members talking to God unless it all goes through
their priesthood first. Doctors and priests all want to serve as the
translators of "truth" and will balk at any attempts to educate the public to
either practice medicine or talk to God on their own. But in reality, health
(and a connection with spirit) is attainable by every single person. Health
is easy, it is straightforward, it is direct and, for the most part, it is
available free of charge. A personal connection with our Creator is the same
if we ask humbly in prayer for a relationship with Him, and guidance.
Don't believe the names of diseases given to you by your doctor. Those names
are designed to obscure, not to inform. They are designed to separate you
from self-healing, not to put you in touch with your own inner healer. And
thus, they are nothing more than bad medicine masquerading as modern medical
practice.
Overview:
Disease names like diabetes and osteoporosis are misleading and misinform
patients about disease prevention
Source: http://www.newstarget.com/002800.html

Challenging
the theory of Artificial Immunity
By Keith W. Wassung
The practice of vaccination against disease began in 1796
by Edward Jenner, who used the pus of blisters from cowpox to vaccinate people
against smallpox.
Despite the fact that vaccination is perhaps viewed as the strongest preventive
measure against disease in modern health care, its practice and protocol has
been challenged in recent years by a growing number of doctors and scientists,
as well as a large number of parents. Recent immunology research and the
availability of health information have caused the challenge of the foundational
tenets of vaccination.
“The control or even eradication
of childhood disease has been heralded as one of medicine’s finest
accomplishments, yet there is a growing suspicion that infection intervention
may have an adverse effect on the patients. As childhood infections have
decreased, chronic afflictions have increased” 1
The
Economist, Nov 22, 1997
“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.” 2
ABC News
It may seem incredulous to challenge the practice of vaccination. After all, it
has claimed responsibility for the eradication of many diseases in the past 100
years including polio, smallpox, whooping cough and diphtheria. But these claims
are largely based on epidemic studies, rather than on clinical evidence of
effectiveness. Europe for example, experienced the same rise and decline of
polio cases yet never had the polio vaccine. In addition, many diseases that
were once thought to be eradicated, simply take on different forms and are given
different names. For example, spinal meningitis and polio have almost identical
symptoms. We have learned an incredible amount of information in recent years
about the complex workings of the immune system, mostly due to advances in
cancer, genetics and AIDS research.
This has shed new light on the inner workings of the immune system. One thing
we have learned is that simply altering the natural physiology of the body may
temporarily give the appearance of resolution of disease, but may actually
create more problems in the end. Virtually all studies of effectiveness of
vaccines are based on statistical data and the presence or absence of disease.
There have never been any medical studies that have been performed that
clearly demonstrate that vaccines increase the immune system competence of the
human body, nor has there been any medical study on the long-term effects of
vaccines.
It must be understood that vaccine studies are economically influenced by the
pharmaceutical industry, which has tremendous influence on the outcome of these
studies. Vaccine sales represent a huge profit for these companies and a certain
amount of economic bias will always be involved.
“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. Conversely, the CDC offers
financial bounties to state health departments for each “fully vaccinated”
child” 3
The Medical
Sentinel, 1999
The
past decade has seen a number of books and articles written which challenge the
practice of vaccinations, mostly on the grounds of the potential side effects
and long term latent effects of the vaccine.
These topics are certainly a factor in the vaccination debate, but the real
issue is whether or not vaccines actually produce lasting immunity that is at
least equal or superior to immunity that is obtained via natural exposure. This
article provides the last scientific evidence in answering that particular
question.
Fundamentals of the Immune System
The Immune System is the name of a collection of
molecules, cells, and organs whose complex interactions form an efficient system
that is usually able to protect an individual from both outside invaders and its
own altered internal cells, which lead to cancer.
The immune system is comprised of the lymphoid tissues and organs of the body.
Lymphoid tissues are widely distributed. They are concentrated in bone marrow,
lymph nodes, spleen, liver, thymus, and Peyer’s patch scattered in the linings
of the GI tract.
The lymphoid system is encompassed by the system of mononuclear phagocytes
(equivalent to the reticuloen-
dothelial system or RES) Lymphocytes are the predominant cells, but macrophages
and plasma cells are present also. Lymphocytes are cells, which circulate,
alternating between the circulatory blood stream and the lymphatic channels of
the body.
The immune system is divided into two components, non-specific, also
referred to as innate or non-adaptive immunity and specific which is also
known as acquired or adaptive immunity. The breakdown into non-specific and
specific is for classification purposes only as there is a constant and complex
interaction, coordination and communication between all parts of the immune
system. The majority of the immune resistance occurs in the non-specific
components.
“The
non-specific defense system responds immediately to protect the body from all
foreign substances, whatever they are. The non-specific system reduces the
workload of the specific defense system, by preventing entry and spread of
micro-organisms throughout the entire body”
4
Essentials of Anatomy and
Physiology
“In the
1980’s Paola’s team at the Pasteur Institute in Paris showed that 98% of the
immune response triggered at the early stages of infection is non-specific.
5
Nature Medicine, April 2000
Lines of Defense
1st lines of defense are the physical barriers which include the
skin, mucosal membrane, tears, ciliary elevator, and urine. Chemical barriers
include sebum sweat, stomach acid and lysozymes.
2nd lines of defense are the macrophage system, complement, fever,
interferon and inflammation. The macrophage system attacks and consumes
pathogens by engulfing them, a process known as phagocytosis.
Complement cooperates with macrophages by attaching to foreign cells and
initiating the ingestion of the cells by phagocytosis. Interferons are a class
of proteins; activated by fever that prevent viral replication in surrounding
cells and also inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
“The
antiviral action of interferon provides a major host defense against viral
infections” 6
Essentials of
Medicine
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” 7
Human Physiology
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.”
8
The Cell Biology of Inflammation
3rd lines of defense are the specific system
also known as acquired or adaptive immunity. The specific system consists of B
cells (humoral), and T cells (cell-mediated). These cells have mechanisms for
selecting a precisely defined target and for developing memory to the antigen,
so that subsequent exposures will result in a more efficient and effective
response.
Definition of Immunity
Immunity;
1. Protection against infectious disease by
either specific or non-specific mechanisms. 2. Pertaining to the immune system
or immune response 9
Dorland’s Medical Dictionary
Every standard definition of immunity involves the
overall competence of both the non-specific and specific components of the
immune system to recognize, isolate and eliminate foreign pathogens. This
competence also involves the ability of the immune system to be able to
distinguish between self and non-self. Immunity is the body’s ability to
establish and maintain molecular identity. There is a huge difference between
true immunity and the absence of symptoms of disease.
Theory and Practice of Vaccines
Vaccines are suspensions of infectious agents used to
artificially induce immunity against specific diseases. The aim of vaccination
is to mimic the process of naturally occurring infection through artificial
means. Theoretically, vaccines produce a mild to moderate
episode of infection in the body with only minor side
effects. They are said to work by causing the formation of antibodies, which are
proteins that defend the body from an invasion by harmful germs.
Vaccines are grouped into three different types:
Attenuated microbes, in which the antigen is diluted or weakened.
Attenuated vaccines include those to prevent measles, mumps, rubella, polio and
chicken pox. Killed organisms, fragmented organisms, or antigens produced
by recombinant DNA technology. Examples of these include pertussis, Hib,
Hepatitis-B, and many of the experimental HIV vaccines.
Toxoids, which are
comprised of the toxins of particular infections such as tetanus or diphtheria
and have been partially detoxified by heat or chemical treatment. Vaccines
contain chemical preservatives such as mercury, formaldehyde, and aluminum,
which prevent contamination. Mercury has been linked to numerous central nervous
system and developmental disorders.
“The Center for Disease Control recognizes a “small but statistically
significant association between cumulative mercury from vaccines and
neurological disorders, such as autism, tics, attention deficit disorder,
language and speech disorders, and other neurological development delays”
10
Portals of Entry
The human body is designed to be able to defend itself against foreign invaders,
much like a castle or a fortress with outer and inner walls and then interior
perimeter barriers. The majority of pathogens that enter the body do so via the
mouth and nose. The upper respiratory area is packed with powerful defense
mechanisms designed to combat and filter these foreign invaders. Every possible
portal of entry in the human body is lined with mucous membrane, a defense
mechanism loaded with powerful secretory IgA.
“IgA is the key defender against viral infections”11
Essentials of
Medicine
Natural immunity happens only after actually recovering
from the actual disease. When naturally exposed to pathogens, the organism has
to pass through the body’s natural defense systems in the body before it ever
reaches the bloodstream. A tremendous amount of biological events are triggered
which are essential in developing true immunity long before the pathogen ever
comes into contact with the bloodstream.
Vaccination by direct injection into the bloodstream bypasses much of the normal
defenses of the immune system, which produces only partial immunity. There is a
greater quantity of biological communication in the human body than all of the
man made communication systems in the world combined. Signaling is essential to
the development of immunity.
“No one could survive without precise signaling in
cells. The body functions properly only because the cells constantly communicate
with each other”
12
Scientific
American, June 2000
Cytokines are low-molecular weight proteins that control,
coordinate, and regulate various immune or inflammatory responses. The
importance of cytokines in the host response to infection cannot be overstated.
Full protection against disease requires the involvement of many different
systems of the body and it is the cytokines that coordinate them. Vaccines
inhibit the normal function of cytokines, and in fact new vaccines specifically
target cytokine activity.
“Recently, gene therapy and
DNA vaccination has been used to produce memory against a number of cytokines
that promote inflammation. Antibodies to the product of each inserted gene were
produced. These antibodies were found to prevent the effects of the cytokines”
13
Immunology, 1998
Vaccine and Antibody Production
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. The most predominant forms of life are viruses, bacteria and fungi,
each with countless numbers of varieties and strains. When the weight and number
of these organisms are multiplied together, they are the greatest biomass in
existence on earth.
“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.”
14
New York University Medical School
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.15
“Natural Immunity is a complex phenomenon involving many organs and systems.
It cannot be duplicated by the artificial stimulation of antibody production”
16
Dispelling Vaccine Myths
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.
Cause of Long Term Immunity
Recent research by Dr. Rafi Ahmed and his
colleagues has shown that the stable maintenance of total memory cells may be
dictated by the principle of homeostasis. Models suggest that the total number
of cells in the immune system is constant and the long-term maintenance of
cellular immunity may be regulated by competition for space by memory cells.
As an individual is exposed to new pathogens, some memory cells may need to
make way for new ones. Since the total number of memory cells can be very
large, the immune system is normally capable of maintaining immunity to many
pathogens at once. The impact of new pathogens could govern the loss of
existing memory cells, and might explain the loss of memory to certain
viruses. 17
Emory Vaccine Research Center
The ability to
remember and respond to invading organisms, even years later, is one of the
fundamental features of the immune system. Traditionally, it was thought that
memory cells were developed after initial exposures, but new research
demonstrates that multiple exposures are required to develop T cell memory
Scientists figure out how immune system
remembers
Reuters-media:
Scientists have figured out how the immune
system “remembers” enemies it has encountered in the past. A report in the
journal Science shows that so-called memory T cells are extremely slow
learners. Scientists knew that one particular type of T cells, known as CD8
cells, could either become vicious attackers that immediately kill invaders,
or could become “memory” cells that help to quickly flag invaders if they ever
show up again. Scientists at the University of
Chicago found that the process by which memory cells are made are
excruciatingly slow. They found that several generations of the cells must be
exposed to the troublemaker before some of them can become memory T cells
specific for it. “This finding suggests that the basic approach to vaccines is
not likely to produce the desired result” said Phillip Rickhardt, one of
the researchers. 18
Lasting Immunity
The notion that
vaccines create a life-long immunity that is equal or superior to natural
immunity is not even claimed in medical literature. They only claim that
vaccines reduce the symptoms of diseases.
“The practice
of DPT vaccination has played a major role in markedly reducing the incidence
rates of cases from each of those diseases.”
19
Connaught Labratories
“It is true
that natural infection almost always causes better immunity than vaccines.
Whereas immunity from disease often follows a single, natural infection,
immunity from vaccines occurs only after several doses.”
20
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
“One problem
with inactivated influenza vaccines is that the immunity generated is only
partial. In the presence of a strong adjuvant, antigens can stimulate B cells
and induce a good humoral response, however, there is little cell-mediated
immunity generated by a killed product. This means that the difference between
disease and protection or at least a more rapid recovery from disease. Also, the
immunity provided by a killed product is short lived.”
21
Center for Biologics Laboratory
“The antigens
contained in many injectable vaccines will not produce an immune response
sufficient enough to confer protection against infection. Of the 23 vaccines
currently in routine use, 20 are delivered by injection and stimulate only
systemic immunity” 22
Avant
Immunotherapeutics
If it cannot be
demonstrated that vaccines create lifelong immunity by strengthening the immune
system, then they must achieve their objective of reducing case numbers of
disease by actually weakening or suppressing the normal function of the immune
response. The idea that vaccines work by subtle immune suppression is receiving
rapid support within the scientific and research community
“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” 23
Dr. Robert Moskowitz, Dissent in Medicine
Over time, the term vaccine has evolved to include all preparations used
to generate protective immunity to microbial pathogens or their toxins.
More recently, the definition of vaccine has been further expanded to include
antigenic materials used to tolerate or turn off antigen-specific immune
responses to prevent or treat immune mediated diseases. A variety of
approaches are being pursued to induce T cell tolerance. These include
blocking the activation of T cells by antigen presenting cells focusing on the
interactions of the T cell receptor (TCR) with peptides presented by the major
hisocompatability complex
(MHC). Other strategies target costimulatory pathways in T cells, or the
interaction of cell surface adhesion molecules and their counter ligands. Some
of these experimental therapies are currently being developed as vaccines
24
American Autoimmune Research Association
“The later part of the 20th century has witnessed an
unprecedented rise in the number of individuals with impaired immunity. There
is considerable experience with most vaccines in those with impaired immunity”
25
Clinical
Microbiology Review, Jan 1998
Recent
vaccine research and development has focused on recombinant DNA vaccines as a
way of duplicating natural immunity, but the findings demonstrate that they work
by suppressing the immune system as well.
Could DNA
Vaccines Undermine Immunity?
DNA vaccines
consist of a bit of DNA containing a gene for a marker from the pathogen. The
idea is that when the DNA is injected into the muscle tissue, it works it way
into cells where it is incorporated into cellular DNA. The body “learns” to
recognize the pathogen and mount a strong defense to it in the future.
But research published in the Journal of
Clinical Investigation, shows that instead of being immunized to the
protein encoded by a DNA vaccine, it actually learns to tolerate it. In fact,
when later injected with the same protein, no antibodies were developed at
all. This finding raises the possibility that a DNA vaccine could convert
someone who normally would be able to clear a pathogen-albeit they might get
sick first, to someone who would be unable to clear it at all. 26
Science, 1996
Symptoms and Disease
The paradigm shift in health care is gradually moving
from a symptom based model, to one in which the function, performance and innate
healing potential of the human body is maximized. With this change in
understanding comes the concept that not only are many diseases normal and
natural, they may actually benefit the body by strengthening the immune system.
“Through the process of developing and then conquering
infection, the child gets rid of acquired toxins and poisons from the body and
receives a boost to the immune system”27
Healing Arts Press
“Whenever the immune system successfully deals with an
infection, it emerges from the experience stronger and better able to confront
similar threats in the future. Our immune system develops in combat. If at the
first sign of infection, you always jump in with antibiotics, you do not give
the immune system a chance to grow stronger”
28
Andrew Weil, MD
Several studies have shown that the incidence of asthma and
allergies tend to rise in countries where childhood immunization rates are
high. This has prompted researchers to suggest that certain infections may
trigger immune changes that protect children from developing asthma and
allergies later. Preliminary studies have shown a protective effect of measles
and infections with intestinal parasites.
29
Science News, 1997
With the rise of vaccines and antibiotics, people in
developed countries have experienced fewer childhood diseases than ever before
and scientists suspect that an immune system with no serious work to do is
likely to become a renegade army, attacking whatever it encounters30
Newsweek, 1997
In a study of 58 children under the age of 16 with insulin
dependant diabetes and 172 non-diabetic controls, infection during the 1st
year of life was associated with a reduction in diabetic risk. Infection
during the first year of life may have a protective effect by modifying the
lyphocytic response to subsequent immunological challenges. A link with
decreasing early exposure to
common infectious disease could account for the increased risk of diabetes
over the past thirty years. 31
Archives of Childhood Disease, 1997
Conclusion
The science of immunology is on a fast
track due to recent advances in molecular biology and genetics research.
However, there is still much to be learned, it is become evident that artificial
immunity, stimulated by vaccination is not even close to duplicating immunity
received from natural exposure and may actually work in an immune suppressive
fashion. Pressed by advancing technology and consumer demand, health care is
slowly changing its focus from disease treatment to performance enhancement.
Accompanying this will be an increased emphasis on nutrition, exercise, and
structural integrity of the human frame, all of which maximize the body’s innate
healing power
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Archive of Childhood Diseases, Nov, 1997 77; 384-385
About the Author:
Keith Wassung is a nationally
known author and speaker in the field of health education and research. He is
available for speaking engagements and can be contacted at Riverhorse
Publishing, 104 Berkeley Square Lane, Ste 6 Goose Creek, SC 29445,
(866)642-0916, kwassung@yahoo.com
You can visit his site
at
www.riverhorsepubl.com
