Question:

Hello Amy,

When my 3 children got chicken pox a couple of years ago they were each given different remedies. It was wonderful to witness each handle the chicken pox with very little discomfort and to my surprise, witnessing cognitive development. As a home school parent, it was very apparent that their ability and readiness for learning had made a huge leap. I’d be interested in any research or information that you’d have on this subject.

Also, I was wondering what is your opinion of homeoprophylaxis. I know that many homeopaths do not believe this is truly “classical,” and therefore the patient shouldn’t be treated UNTIL they are showing symptoms.

–Alejandra

Answer:

Hi Alejandra.

I don’t have a lot of research on it, but I have often read that pediatricians always used to notice cognitive leaps in their patients after the childhood diseases. They wrote about it too.  I discuss this in Chapter 4 of Impossible Cure. Today’s pediatricians simply don’t have the opportunity to notice this. You are lucky your kids got to experience chicken pox.  Both my kids did too (the chicken pox vaccine wasn’t even being given yet).  Now they really are immune!  I have often heard it said, as well, that “shedding” from children who have recently had the chicken pox vaccine sometimes triggers shingles (a related disease) in their grandparents.

As far as homeoprophylaxis — I am not an expert on it.  But I believe it is an important tool.  Yes, giving vaccine nosodes on a fixed schedule in lieu of vaccines is definitely not classical homeopathy. But people who have experimented with it extensively (like Isaac Golden in Australia) claim it works and is safe.  In fact, as I also discuss in Impossible Cure, the nosode of smallpox was accepted in lieu of vaccination in at least one state in the early 1900s.  It worked!  Recent studies of very successful homeoprophylaxis campaigns have also been conducted in Cuba and South America. However, in both these cases, they were conducted during active epidemics.

So I guess my short answer is: if there is an active threat of an epidemic, it’s probably a very good idea.  Being generally healthy (for example, due to ongoing constitutional treatment) is also a preventative for any acute disease. Of course, it would be great if homeoprophylaxis were accepted in lieu of vaccination!  It would be much safer.  Still, I do worry that blanket fixed protocols of disease nosodes might be foolish for some people, especially sensitive individuals.

If you want to learn more about homeoprophylaxis, there is a lot of activity about it these days.  There are conferences and books too (a good place to start might be Kate Birch’s book). Just google “homeoprophylaxis.”

-Amy