What you may not know about
Vaccine Safety
Dr. W. Gifford-Jones’ views on vaccines are consistent with his advice on other topics: be cautious about medications and don’t blindly live by everything you hear. Do your research. Make an informed decision that benefits from a discussion with your doctor.
The following article was written by Dr. W. Gifford-Jones and published in Orthomolecular Medicine News Service on Dec 18, 2018.
Why Doctors (and Newspaper Columnists) Rarely Dare to Question Vaccine Safety
Do you need excitement in your life? If so, just write a column on the rewards and risks of vaccination. Then find a safe, secure hideout. Pour yourself a drink and wait for those who want to boil you in oil. This scenario happened to me when an editor pulled my syndicated article, balanced I thought, after it was published, due to criticism. https://canadafreepress.com/
Some readers thought I’d been fired.
A professor of medicine in Calgary writes, “I was horrified that you would publish these remarks for unsophisticated readers.” This implies newspaper readers are stupid! Another reader wrote, “Your recent piece is a threat to public health. You should be ashamed for spreading lies and fear.” These are damning comments that must be challenged.
I also received an overwhelming positive response from readers. The general reaction was “Thank God a doctor has finally had the courage to speak out about this matter.” A few predicted I’d be fired. Another wondered why I wasn’t stoned at my front door!
WD from Toronto replied, “I cannot believe your column on vaccines was removed. What is happening in this world? Big pharma has its teeth in everything and people blindly follow. Your column simply advised people to look at both sides of the coin. We are living in a sad time.”
From the Prairie Provinces: “You are one of the brave. All mothers out in the trenches are celebrating your article.” Another reader in Massachusetts claimed that “Dropping the column was an attack on free speech.”
MG writes, “With my first and only flu shot I developed Guillain-Barre disease and became paralyzed. I’ve regained the ability to walk, but have permanent nerve damage. It’s so frustrating to hear that flu shots are safe as one nearly killed me. Thanks for speaking up.”
From Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario: “I’m a registered nurse who worked in Toronto and never took a flu shot. Like you, I take a lot of vitamin C, and also bee pollen to increase immunity.”
A doctor from Mexico says, “I wasn’t taught about immunology and I was impressed and shocked to read about the dangers of vaccines in your column.”
What have critics missed in denouncing this column? Investigators always counsel, “Follow the money to find the answer.” This means following 3.6 billion dollars, awarded to families due to the complications of vaccines. It’s a huge pay out if nothing wrong ever happened.
Critics also make the error in ignoring the fact that no therapy in this world is 100 percent safe. I could never guarantee that my surgical patients would have an uncomplicated recovery. Every day people die of blood clots after surgery and prescription medication. Vaccines are no exception.
Some things like apple pie, motherhood and vaccines have become sacrosanct. And if doctors analyze them they’re immediately damned.
Some critics claim that substantial amounts of mercury are no longer used in vaccines. But mercury even in small quantities is dangerous. Common sense tells us that something in the vaccine triggers occasional complications. To date, we regrettably do not have a utopian 100 percent safe vaccine.
I am a moderate, actually. I’ve previously written that vaccines have thankfully saved countless lives from infectious disease. I have never counseled anyone to refuse vaccines. Rather, the decision should always be made by the patient and his/her doctor. Informed consent should include the possibility of an unexpected, minor or serious complication.
One thing I do know. I’m not related to the Almighty. I therefore can’t be infallible. I also know that readers often request that my column be discontinued when I write about controversial social and medical issues.
In view of what happened should I have bypassed a column on vaccines? I hate hypocrisy, so I’d be the world’s worst hypocrite if I followed the non-controversial path. Medicine is made up of many controversies.
An editor 45 years ago counseled me, “It’s the job of a journalist to make people think.” This has left me with scars. But if I get fired for writing what I believe should be said, it’s time to stop. After all, the motto of the Harvard Medical School is one word, Truth. I will live or die by it.
Getting Rid of Infection
Will we ever be able to wipe out infection? It’s doubtful. Germs will be here long after humans have destroyed the planet.
The Common Cold
Virus or Bacterial Infection
A report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal says the common cold is the main cause of sinusitis. To evaluate the usefulness of antibiotics and corticosteroids to treat these problems, the University of Utrecht in Holland carried out a double-blind study of 174 adults. Dr. Roderick Venekamp reported that statistically there was no difference between those who received antibiotics and corticosteroids and those who received placebo medication.
This is bad news for those looking for a quick cure when a cold strikes. But since most colds are due to a virus, rather than the result of a bacterial infection, antibiotics are of no use.
Sir William Osler was right when he suggested this prescription for a cold, “Hang your hat on the bedpost, go to bed, start drinking whiskey, and stop when you see two hats.”
Wise advice, and unlike over-use of antibiotics, alcohol does not cause bacterial resistant organisms.
An explosive illness
Montezuma’s Revenge
Traveller’s diarrhea is usually the result of an infection from a bacteria called E. coli or due to Vibrio cholerae. Both of these germs cause watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps and a cold perspiring brow.
Cholera, in particular, is one of the most infectious diseases known. Its severe diarrhea results in rapid dehydration and shock that may be life-threatening in extreme cases.
During trips to vulnerable countries, always follow basic rules of hygiene. Say “no” to ice cubes in your drink, drink bottled water, eat well-cooked food, avoid street food vendors, eliminate fruits you don’t have to peel and stay in clean hotels.
Dukoral is an oral vaccine indicated for those two years of age and older. It’s prescribed in two doses one week apart prior to travelling and provides immunity for three months. The final dose should be taken at least one week before departure. If another trip is planned after three months a single booster dose is required to restore resistance to infections.
How effective is Dukoral? A study done in Bangladesh of 89,596 adults and children showed 67 to 85 percent protection against E. coli and 85 percent for Cholera.
The cost of Dukoral is what you would pay for a good dinner. It’s a cheap insurance policy to avoid praying to the Almighty for the sight of a bathroom.
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