Homeopathy: For Adverse Effects of Vaccination

Vaccination is the method by which microbes are introduced into the human body, either live or killed and thereby stimulating immune response and protect the human body from infectious agents.1 However; there are certain complications which results from the method of vaccination that are hazardous to the human health. These hazards can be either acute or chronic or sometimes may be life threatening. Practitioners of conventional medicine debate by saying that methods of vaccination has eradicated or drastically reduced the numbers of infectious diseases and it also claim that they are thoroughly tested and evaluated for their safety and effectiveness.

   Considering these facts, vaccination has been mandatory for every child immediately after birth as part of immunization schedule. Benefits of vaccination consist of preventing the spread of infectious disease like; eradication of smallpox worldwide and poliomyelitis in developed countries, this outweigh the hazards of vaccination. Early hazards are minimal and occur only in few, however, long term hazards can occur following introduction of pure toxins of bacteria or virus in human body.

NCIRS fact sheet December 2009 (Australian Homoeopathic Association, US FDA, British Homoeopathic fact sheets) mentions that there are no rigorously tested researches to show the efficacy of homeopathy in protecting children from infectious diseases. These gives rise to too many questions in the mind of people and even homeopaths on how effective homeopathy could be for prevention of disease and how it could give protection against the disease.

British Homoeopathic Association and Australian Register of Homoeopath recommend that people should be receiving conventional immunization unless there is some medical condition or some adverse effects which prevents its use and efficacy of homeopathy in prevention of infectious diseases remains unknown that is mainly due to lack of research.²

Stuart Close, The Genius of Homoeopathy; Lectures and Essays on Homoeopathic Philosophy: “Homoeopathy is opposed to the methods of vaccine and serum therapy, although it is claimed by many that these methods are based upon the homoeopathic principle. It grants that this may be true so far as the underlying principle is concerned, but opposes the method of applying the principle as being a violation of sound, natural principles of medication and productive of serious injury to the living organism.”

Stuart close opposes the methods of employing vaccination because of it injurious nature to the living organism, and denies it to be in any way similar to the principles of homeopathy.³

Foot note 63 to Aphorism 56:

   Dr. S. Hahnemann has clearly stated in the above footnote that it was actually the homeopathic principles employed to eradicate the small-pox as small-pox and cow-pox are in no way same disease but they are similar to each other in their manifestations. So homeopathy helps in preventing the disease and thereby can be employed and should be given in place of vaccination which has its own complications.⁴

Depending upon the severity of complications it is graded as⁵

Mind

Fever Rash Swelling Lump Tenderness Headach Wheezing (live Influenza Vaccine) Swelling of Glands

 

Moderate

Seizures Non-stop crying High-grade Fever ≥ 105 Sudden Jerky Movements Hives

Severe

Serious Allergic Long-term seizures Permanent Brain Damage (DPT) Deafness Gbs (meningococcal vaccine) Pneumonia

Dr. Jean Elminger says in his book La médecine retrouvée that, cause for hazards of vaccination are mainly due to vaccination being carried out too early, which prevents the new-born from building its own immunity. Too many vaccines are being administered together. Vaccinations are being carried out too frequently. Vaccines cultivated on animal proteins are used, which also contain chemical additives that can excite allergies.

Dr. Tinus Smith called it as post-vaccination syndrome. He advised HOMEOPROPHYLAXIS for this with potentized vaccine. Best way to treat chronic PVS is to give this remedy at four different potencies during four consecutive weeks. His method was to give in first week 30C, twice; in second week 200C, twice; in third week 1M, twice and the fourth week 10M, twice. Sometimes as a reaction one can have fever, which does not require treatment. In case, if there is no response whole case could be repeated. Usually one to three series is sufficient

In every case of adverse effects of vaccination, we need to prescribe constitutional medicines depending on mental and physical generals, especially in chronic complications like convulsions or eczema or arrested development from vaccination.

   However, in acute complications like swelling, fever, rash, swelling of glands can be treated by giving acute remedies or remedies on symptom similarity.

In cases where there is lack of symptoms intercurrent remedies like Thuja or Sulphur needs to be given.

All complaints resulting from vaccination like anxiety, headache, and ophthalmia. Eruptions like acne on face resulting from vaccination. Stomach pain and CHRONIC DIARRHEA accompanied with gurgling AFTER VACCINATION. Asthma in children. Extremities: emaciation, paralysis, suppuration, and swelling of limbs after vaccination. Restless sleep. Convulsions. In general never well after vaccination. Hydrogeniod constitution. Hurried and impatient. Music causes weeping and trembling of the feet. Fixed ideas that he is brittle and he will not allow someone to approach him from the fear that he will be broken. Delusions that his body and soul are separated and something alive in abdomen like a child. Eruptions only on covered parts. Sweats only on uncovered parts. Aggravation of symptoms at night, cold damp weather, AT 3 AM AND 3 PM.

Convulsions, diarrhea, swelling, erysipelas, and otitis media after vaccination. PUSTULES like that of smallpox may appear after VACCINATION. Imperfectly nourished child from defective assimilation. Head is large with open fontanelles and body is small and emaciated. Whole body is covered with offensive sweat. Rachitic children. SILICEA IS COMPLEMENTARY TO THUJA, especially in nervous affection from bad effects of vaccination. In constipation, stool partially escapes from the rectum and then seems to slip back again. Very CHILLY. Fear of failure, fear of examination. Yielding, mild, timid and despondent. Fear of speaking in public, but once he forces into speech he does well.

Bad-effects of small pox vaccination. Septicaemia, blood poisoning after vaccination. Emaciation of upper limb after vaccination.

John H. Clarke says: “It has been used on inferential grounds with great success in bad effects of vaccination. I have cured with it cases of unhealthy dry, rough skin remaining for years after vaccination; in small-pox, measles and impetigo”.

Burnett cured with it a case of knock-knee in a child who was constantly handling his penis. His indications are: “Lower half of body affected, greasy skin and greasy eruption. Slow pustulation never ending, as one heals another appears”.

   Dry, scaly; itching; rhagades of hands and feet in cold weather and from washing.

Our material medica is rich in remedies which can very well treat the bad-effects of vaccination be it chronic or acute. Method of employing remedies is solely on symptom similarity and principles that are clearly defined. There is always a question which remains in mind of every homeopath on how effective the homeopathy could be surely used as prophylactic in preventing the infectious disease. The only answer lies in the results and continuous research needs to be done in the field of prophylaxis and homeopathy.