Morwenna Given / Medical Herbalist

OPINION

In the last ten days there was been considerable media exposure to two items – measles and the Toronto Star article on Gardasil. I have been disgusted with both the media and its craven attitudes as well as the medical establishment. Neither in my view have covered themselves with glory.

Let us take the measles first. When I was a child everyone had measles it was a rite of passage. Measles, Mumps and Chicken pox were the standard trio of infectious disease. It is not the end of the world if you get measles or mumps in childhood. In adulthood that is a different story – more later. It does require a period of four to six weeks at home with rest and Mother’s nursing.

Yes it is itchy, yes it can be painful and yes fever can be high. That is all quite normal for a body dealing with a pathogen and learning how to manage and deal with it. When the immune system becomes exposed to a pathogen – not only does it become stronger but it also keeps the memory of the ‘recipe’ of cells needed to kill that pathogen. No exposure to disease means that the body has no experience with disease and thus when something happens it can be far worse than a body regularly dealing with low grade infections etc. A month at home is not a bad experience – it gives a child an appreciation of loving parents and for those parents to develop a loving bond. It exposes a child to the fact life can be nasty and teaches it to survive.

In Canada there were in 2013, 83 cases in total, of which 14% came from outside Canada. That is 2.4 persons per million. No deaths were reported. The Government does not record outcomes. Please see the Government of Canada website. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/14vol40/dr-rm40-12/dr-rm40-12-surv-1-eng.php

Occasionally there are side effects of measles, encephalitis may occur in about 1 in 1000 children in the developed world; ( again no evidence for this in Canada ) and if the patient is not properly nursed and rested there may be a susceptibility to ear infections. Death from measles is very rare at any age. Some of the figures I have heard on the radio and seen in the media are frankly untrue and alarmist, used in the promotion of the vaccine. I do not have any direct answers to why both the medical establishment and the media peddle disinformation in this way. Is it to maintain the fiction that the medical establishment is all knowing and omnipotent or the more crass desire to enhance the pocket book? Well frankly the current medical establishment in Canada is looking increasingly like the fairy tale of the Emperor with no Clothes. The hot air generated is in inverse proportions to the evidence.

Traditionally measles has occurred in populations affected by malnutrition where it can kill in high numbers but in Canada where a third of the population is obese that is not the case. In adults measles can be a cause for concern as its mumps as it can affect male fertility. In all cases the vaccine is only about 20% effective.
Measles like HPV for which the Gardasil vaccine is used are viruses. Viruses mutate constantly. It is unlikely that we will ever eradicate viruses that is harmful to us.

The only viruses for which there has been a successful eradication is smallpox. Why? Because world governments got together in the days before global travel and treated the population broadly at the same time, thus preventing the virus from mutating. This has never been true of Measles. When the measles vaccine was introduced only one jab was deemed sufficient. Now the medical establishment wants 2 jabs to be given. A sign that very simply the vaccine is no longer effective and frankly although I have not yet seen any data it may well be that those who have acquired measles this time have been exposed to a new variant of the virus. With good nursing they will be the stronger for it provided they have no other comorbid diseases.

One argument for maintaining use of the measles vaccination is the concept of herd immunity. This is the concept that if enough members of a community are immune to the viruses it protects ‘the herd’ in a given population. This argument has not been offered, despite the fact it is a very valid concept… instead we had big brother demanding we go for inoculation. Is this because the medical establishment are frightened into have a discussion with an increasingly educated patient base because it exposes their weaknesses? A particular heinous episode in my mind was a sophisticated CBC female radio presenter hectoring and intimidating a woman who had volunteered to discuss why she did not want her children to be vaccinated.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and for that opinion to be respected. CBC take note.
The Gardasil vaccine was the subject of a front page piece by the Toronto Star and generated an almost hysterical reaction from the medical community which was quite disproportionate to the content of the article. Firstly the medics assumed that readers are not aware newspapers have to have dramatic headlines to sell. Most readers are perfectly aware of this.

I find it amusing if it was not so sad that when there is a dramatic headline in the medical press, often by way of abstracts, they all climb on the bandwagon and do not analyse the content i.e. its’ OK to play the same game in the medical press but not the consumer press! The medical community responded to same way to the Star article. It was highly unprofessional of the medical community to create such a fuss just because in their perception the vaccine appeared to be threatened by the existence of 60 people who had appeared to have an adverse effect in the same time frame as receiving the vaccine. It is time to admit all vaccines will have some side effects which in the vast majority are insignificant. All the trials etc., are conducted for effect over placebo ( which sometimes is close to zero ) dose, and side effects but are designed for mass marketing ie those unusual cases are not deemed to be of significance.

It is no use quoting that ‘millions’ have been tested, when in fact it is only it is a proportion of a trial ie sub sets or one arm of the study design and often in a country with a completely different socio-economic environment. Lifestyle matters. The lifestyle of an Indian woman is radically different than a Canadian woman and thus their respective health and its potential for interactions. Japan recently suspended the use of vaccine as it had reported adverse effects.

The appropriate strategy would have been to individually identify those who were believed to have had an adverse reaction; go through their medical history, drug history etc to identify not only what they may all have had in common but also if in fact they should never have received the vaccine in the first place. For example in children with a pre disposition to neurological problems, or a family history of such, or febrile convulsions then the HPV vaccine should never be prescribed. However taking that route costs money and no Pharma company would be prepared to fund it. Evidence still is largely determined by financial considerations. I regret that the Toronto Star did not stand firm against the medical establishment but rather critiqued its own failings. That is not good for medicine or democracy, particularly in a province where there is virtually no system or enforcement to ensure adverse reaction reporting or review of medical inappropriateness.

The HPV vaccine is only effective for the viruses 16 & 18 and when given to teenage girls prior to sexual activity onset. Although marketed as a preventative of cervical cancer these strains only account for 40% of cases. Depending on the country this percentage is likely to alter. It is a pity that it is not given to boys, especially gays, as the incidence of anal cancer from these viral strains is high. Just like measles, there is a very high likelihood that these viruses will mutate into another form for which the vaccine is useless.

In my opinion, neither the media or the medical establishment, served their audiences well in the last two weeks. Medical personnel have to be accountable and recognise their limitations in the same way the media has an obligation to preserve democracy, freedom of speech and to tell the truth.

Morwenna Given BA MA (Oxon) BSC OHG AHG RH is a Medical Herbalist with a practise in downtown Toronto including resolving cervical cancer and its pre cursors. More information can be found at her website www.medicusherbis.com