Separating Fact from Fiction

In this world of “fake news” and conventional media outlets that constantly repeat falsehoods about subjects like homeopathy and vaccines, it’s hard to know what to believe. I’m afraid there are no easy answers, so all one can do is to diligently exercise discernment, while also keeping an open mind. Here are a few important recent items relevant to the world of health and homeopathy.

The Rate of Autism Has Gone Up — But Has Not Been Reported in the Media

I’m sad to report that the U.S Department of Health and Human Services and CDC have released the latest numbers on autism rates in the United States. 1 in 35 children (8-12 years of age) now have autism. This is up from 1 in 68 children reported in 2010. Since the rate in boys is higher than in girls (four times as high), that means that 1 in 28 boys (3-17 years of age) have autism. Moreover, more than 6% of our children (1 in 16) and 8% of boys (1 in 12) have a developmental disability.

The new report can be downloaded here. Amazingly (but perhaps not surprisingly), it states that the increase in autism rate from 2014 until 2016 is not very significant because it’s “only” up from 2.24% to 2.76%. But do the math. That’s actually a 23% increase between 2014 and 2016! It also means that on average, there is now one autistic child per average classroom. In previous newsletters I have graphed the rate of increase in autism. (See the graphs here.) It’s still a bit early to say for sure, but this new statistic indicates that we are following the exponential growth curve rather than the linear one. At this rate, 1 in 10 children will have autism by 2030 — just 12 years from now. What will this mean to the economic and social health of the United States and the rest of the world, whose rates are following close behind?

The Flu Vaccine Is Ineffective and Potentially Dangerous. Try Homeopathy for This Year’s Flu Instead.

Due to a strain mismatch, this year’s flu vaccine has been reported largely ineffective (10%), even by mainstream media. Indeed, there are various reasons why getting a yearly flu vaccine actually primes you to get more sick from the flu, especially if the strains don’t match (which has become increasingly common). For one thing, vaccines prime your body to fight a specific antigen, which weakens its ability to fight another. It also lowers the rest of your general immune response. And let’s not forget all the toxic ingredients in flu vaccines — including aluminum and mercury. You can read more about what Dr. Mercola has to say about this topic here.

But never fear! There is hope with homeopathy! There are many approaches to treating and preventing the flu and I have written about them before. According to Paul Herscu, ND, who does a particularly good job at tracking each year’s flu and what remedies seem to be working, Gelsemium (one of the most important classic flu remedies) was working initially, but Lycopodium (not as standard) has now emerged as very important. However, I have noticed that the flu this year has many different presentations, ranging from a stomach-type flu to a sinus-infection type flu and more. So please individualize as always! Herscu’s article provides some guidance here. Taking your constitutional remedy can also be very helpful. I also highly recommend using supports like Vitamin C, honey, a neti-pot for nasal congestion, and a humidifier for the cough (but don’t add menthol or eucalyptus — they antidote remedies.)

Is Access to Homeopathic Remedies in Danger?

There has been a lot of alarm circulating recently online saying that the FDA is about to essentially make all homeopathic remedies illegal because they haven’t been tested in formal modern drug studies. I felt very skeptical about these reports. Earlier messages circulating within the homeopathic community had simply stated that the FDA was thinking about cracking down on mixed remedies with a large number of high potencies (perhaps a good idea, since the practitioners who use these often don’t know very much about homeopathy), as well as nosodes (not such good news, especially since these remedies are very important in the treatment of autism and other serious diseases).

I contacted Dana Ullman about what was going on and he echoed my skepticism. As he told me, the AAHP (American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists) has an important statement on their website, and do not appear very worried, at least right now. Dana is also currently writing a report about this subject and is asking for your financial support to help him do so. Dana’s articles often appear in venues where they get a lot of notice, like the Huffington Post.