As part of my ongoing search to find some local (Australian) parents to connect with for support, advice and resource sharing I joined a Facebook group. It's a support page for parents of children with all special needs, however most of the parents have kids on the spectrum. I haven't spent a lot of time on the page as I don't always relate to the topics being discussed, but do like to pop in from time to time. Last night I dropped by to find the topic had turned to vaccinations. My heart sank as I know by now how this usually plays out. Of course there was a long list of comments, and disappointingly they all expressed concern about vaccinations, with some suggesting it as the cause for their child's Autism. With a sinking feeling I deliberated how best to proceed. Just leave the group, or respond? Then I saw one of the group members recommending Homeopathic immunisations and I had to say something. Namely that Homeopathy does not protect against viruses, no matter how much you want it to.
The inevitable happened with she and I pinging back and forward. Then she claimed to have been cured of breast cancer in three weeks by Reiki, and I knew our discussion was over. There's no reasonable response to that claim, and I knew the sentiment on the page was with her, and against me. No point in persisting.
It was nice then, this morning, to wake and find some articles posted on twitter by smart peeps about Homeopathy and it's inherent dangers. Posted below for your interest is one such tweet.
http://www.zenosblog.com/2011/07/dangerous-homeopathy/
The inevitable happened with she and I pinging back and forward. Then she claimed to have been cured of breast cancer in three weeks by Reiki, and I knew our discussion was over. There's no reasonable response to that claim, and I knew the sentiment on the page was with her, and against me. No point in persisting.
It was nice then, this morning, to wake and find some articles posted on twitter by smart peeps about Homeopathy and it's inherent dangers. Posted below for your interest is one such tweet.
http://www.zenosblog.com/2011/07/dangerous-homeopathy/
See, this is where I think you show your ignorance and close-mindedness. You cannot accept that your experience is not that of others.
ReplyDeleteAs I have mentioned many times in the past our experience is vastly different to yours. We were mainstream through and through. My husband has an honours degree in maths, physics and science. I have a degree in Economics. I was so pro-vaccination that we even paid for the chicken pox vaccine prior to it being on the schedule.
Then it all went horribly wrong. Do I think the MMR CAUSED my son's autism? No. But I do think it triggered a genetic predisposition which brought my son's autism to the forefront. Something else down the track may well have also set off this time-bomb if we had not immunised.
Our GP's reaction (because the change was incredibly obvious to everyone including him)? "Oh, we know not to give him THAT again." And there I was left. My son had regressed into someone I did not recognise, my son had incredible PHYSICAL as well as EMOTIONAL health issues from it.
Did the medical profession want to help repair the damage? No. So for the first time I went alternative, or for me, complementary as we call it.
The homeopath could describe the physical symptons without me even having to clarify. She prescribed a tiny white pill over three days.
The evening of the third dose my husband came home from work, and his smile lit up our house. "Boy 1 is back!" were his words.
Yes, it was that extreme a difference.
My elderly mother had not moved up at that time but she was there on holiday. My mainsteam, in her 80's, witness to all the vile diseases vaccination had since eradicated mother told me if I ever vaccinated my child again she would make sure he was put into someone else's care. It WAS THAT EXTREME.
So, don't poo-poo others experiences. It merely belittles you.
And please, I am not one desperately looking for a cure, or wanting to change who my son is today, I am one who thinks you should maybe listen to others a little more and don't allow your anger to close your mind totally.
Madmother as I said above Homeopathy does not and can not provide protection against viruses like immunisation does. For homeopaths to claim it does is pure nonsense and dangerous to boot. Did you bother to watch the short film on the link, or just jump straight into defensiveness? Are you saying you accept that someone was cured of cancer in three weeks by Reiki? Sorry but I just find that claim fanciful, not because I am close minded but because if Reiki was so effective we would all know about it. Science would have studied it and hospitals would now be implementing it. After all it would be a hell of a lot cheaper than chemo or radiotherapy.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore why do you assume I am angry because I think homeopathy is bunkum? If it really worked you could replicate the results in independent studies right? Well you can't, so what I am to make of that? I'm not angry, but frustrated that people will listen to the opinions of self appointed experts such as homeopaths and chiropractors, and dismiss virologists, immunologists and epidemiologists. This trend just strikes me as bizarre. I completely understand based on your own experience why you would feel the way you do. Just like I understand the way the woman I mention above feels. It's just that anecdote is not evidence, and until I see evidence I cant help wonder what else may explain these stories. Thats not being close minded, thats being open to broader possibilities, isnt it?
ON the topic of immunisation more generally, do things go wrong sometimes? Sure they do, that is recognised world wide, and is why there are compensation schemes. That is a separate issue from the one I post about today. Again I wonder what your response is to the actual footage shown in the link?
Well. Your Facebook support group certainly doesn't sound very supportive, to say the least.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on all your points. All of them.
As for Reiki, I have a good friend who is a Reiki practitioner. She has worked on me many times, and I find it very relaxing. However, it has never cured me of any of my ailments, and my friend never claimed it would.
Thanks Grace. Yes you are right that it was only supportive if you didnt offer an alternative position. As soon as you made a respectful argument against the prevailing attitude you were accused of being mean. Not a robust environment I prefer to be part of.
ReplyDeleteLOL I'm having bad flashbacks about a 9 month stint at a hippie store as a teenager. "And this... duck liver... and milk powder... will...help?" I didn't quite fit in, lol. Paid well, tho. (Hey, I was a kid, I can't be held morally responsible! Lol)
ReplyDeleteThe things we do hey Sunshine? LOL
ReplyDelete