This is the question!! Well, obviously I'm partially in jest – but there's also a serious side to this.
I've been triggered to write about this today because of an impassioned discussion I've had online with Steve, my business partner in BiW, and some other mums about current proposed changes to Australian vaccination laws for 2012. It has obviously and quite naturally sparked the whole vaccination conflict which tends to so polarise parents to one side of the fence or the other. Does this subject need to be debated? Yes, of course, but the major problem Is that it's hard to get truthful and factual education.
Every parent wants to do the best by their children. Unfortunately both the threats and promises of 'deadly diseases which can be cured by a simple and safe jab' put dreadful fears into parents and they make decisions trusting that the 'experts' are telling them the whole truth.
The good news (or possibly the bad news) is that I won't be able to answer that question here in this pst… at least not from my perspective. The reason being is I see that this great divide in supposed 'facts' about safety and efficacy of vaccinations have put parents in an almost impossible situation in the short term. The only short term solution is to offer parents personal choice.
At Business in Wellness we feel strongly about the right of individuals to have access to current and accurate education. We feel that people have a right to choose both wellness and sickness health choices for themselves. For better or worse, as parents, we also make those same choices on behalf of our children to the best of all of our knowledge at any given time. This right to choice is a civil right for all Australians.
So, back to the vaccination debate from this morning – the current proposed Australian legislation changes for next year would have parents who choose not to vaccinate be penalised via their taxes (ie: not getting a payment that parents who choose vaccinations do get). As a parent, I don't want to be paid ANY amount of money to vaccinate my child – so that's not the problem. It's kind of like selling your child for drug trials!
It would be logical to poise the question – Why do they have to pay parents to vaccinate? But, I digress…
Calm Before the Storm
To me, the REAL problem is, that this situation very possibly might just be the beginning – the beginning of potentially further, more strict controls of individual's right's over their own health choices and parent's rights in choosing for their children. I see this as a REAL sign that some of the more frightening and military-like government control over personal rights in healthcare that we are seeing in the US might very well be following here. We simply can't sit back, be silent and then say, 'oh I should have spoken up sooner'.
As just one example of thousands, have a read of mommypotamus's post here (link to http://www.mommypotamus.com/war-on-cancer-nope-its-a-war-on-cancer-patients/). All parents would cry to read this or in our absolute worse nightmares, be in these parent's shoes.
Horror story? Yes, of course!
It will never happen here? Don't be too sure.
No parent wouldn't even want to imagine being in this family's shoes – but if we were… How would it feel to have your child removed from your care, like some states in the US, just because you asked 'is there is anything natural I can use as well', or 'can we get a second opinion'. Imagine that without warning the equivalent of community services arrive without notice and remove your child and force chemo/radiation/surgery (without documented proof of efficacy) AND without the choice of integrating the adjunctive support of complementary modalities alongside. It's unthinkable and OUTRAGEOUS at the same time.
Just as with vaccine control, the western medicine dogma or status quo, present themselves as doing the right thing for our health and the health of humanity. They come armed with all kinds of 'facts' and 'proof' which is basically smoke and mirrors. Should we blindly trust them? I don't know the answer to that for everyone, but I know that I have lots of evidence in my personal life to show me that's it's imperative for me to be discerning, well-educated, ask questions and be willing to get a second opinion. Sadly, in this modern day in the western world, we are called to have far more awareness than ever before, to be far more discerning than ever before and have BUCKET loads of common sense on board.
Do I Choose Western Medicine?
Yes, I do! And, not just for emergency care. Are you surprised? Quite possibly… but here's why.
I'd love to have had a lifetime of supporting my health naturally, of eating a wide variety of locally grown, organic produce which were vine-ripened, and of minimal toxic western medicine intervention. It would have been great to have had a 'family who was outside the norm of the time' and could see that the indiscriminate use of new industrialised, toxic products should be avoided. By the 'terrain model' of wellness (where your body as a fully nourished organism is far more healthy and capable of weathering the storms that life throws at it), these would be some of the important lifestyle choices to have been making to give your body the best fighting chance.
Instead I had weekly vaccinations developed personally for me for the first 4 years of my life, the full range of childhood disease vaccinations available at the time, almost full time antibiotics for the first 2 years of life and then with every little challenge for years after that. Sound like someone born in the 50's and 60's? LOL Mine is just one example, but I'm sure many of you can relate or know someone with a similar background… Each of us would have a different list of 'less than ideal' experiences or choices from your health and wellness past, but the point being, they all add up to being incredible stressors undermining our current day health.
So, YES, I think western medicine is a necessity of today, and as I mentioned, not just for emergency care like broken legs etc. We are SO fortunate in western society to have access to the healthcare of today – and in particular, I'm grateful for their diagnostic support. Unfortunately we've gone off-course in caring for our wellness in western society, BIG time. We are now a society which is in dire need of emergency 're-programming' and 'quick action' on how to care for ourselves from a wellness perspective. We need to re-learn how to be well, protect wellness and return to wellness.
One of the Dr's I've had the privilege of interviewing says it beautifully (paraphrased) – "Many of our modern diseases are best represented symbolically by a picture of a runaway horse and buggy" By this he is meaning, the horse has bolted, it's too late to be preventative at this point and you quite often need to throw everything you can at the situation of health imbalance. In severe and advanced situations, you may need to choose everything western medicine has to offer you today, to stabilise and allow your body to have enough time to integrate the re-building and balancing that complementary modalities can offer.
Enter Integrative Medicine
Integrative Medicine in it's simplest definition can be described as 'using the best of both worlds'. We're in a place where we can't afford to 'throw the baby out with the bathwater' so to speak. We urgently require a skilled integration of the best what modern, western medicine has to offer in combination with the best of complementary choices. In using Integrative Medicine for our health – we need to seek out wellness professionals who are happy to work in partnership for our short term and long term health and wellness. We look for skilled wellness practitioners who know how to say "Gee, I don't know, I haven't heard of that, Let's research together". Sound like something out of one of your dreams? LOL, me too!
But all jokes aside – it's coming. There are more and more MD's and other western medical professionals who are seeing that western medicine as we know it is only part of the story. In fact, Integrative Medicine is being taught in over half of the US Medical Schools. The governments of all our western countries are taking note – and quite possibly because of the bottom line – the mighty dollar (or whichever currency is of your country). In Australia, they are predicting healthcare to quite possibly bankrupt the country by 2017 – that's an emergency! Learn more about Integrative Health.
Back to Where We Started – Vaccination
I can't leave you without expressing my thoughts on vaccination. I would read what your doctor or community care nurse gives you and also read information from organisations supporting pro-choice for vaccination. I recommend the Australian Vaccination Network (www.avn.org) and International Medical Council on Vaccination (www.vaccinationcouncil.org) as a starting point.
When choosing to vaccinate, I choose the following:
- Find a health and wellness practitioner open to both sides in assisting us to make a fully informed decision
- Evaluate risk vs rewards for our child's specific situation
- Delay vaccination until our bubs immune system has time to develop (older than 2yo)
- Separate multi-vaccines
- Use integrative modalities like naturopathy, nutrition for immune support, homeopathy, osteopathy, kinesiology etc. My children get glyconutrients every day for their immune system support.
And finally, I recommend considering these mandates from the Australian Vaccination Network:
There are a few issues that this government needs to address before they even consider bribing parents to vaccinate:
- Ask the question: why are these vaccines not working? Why have there been no independent studies comparing the health of the fully vaccinated vs the fully unvaccinated?
- Pass legislation ensuring that we have mandatory reporting of the vaccination status of those presenting with 'vaccine-preventable' diseases
- Ensuring that we have mandatory reporting of adverse reactions to all vaccines with independent follow-up of all serious reaction reports.
Exciting Times Are Coming
It is very empowering to know that our health is our responsibility. Some of us have given our power and authority away to 'expert's or 'authority figures' outside ourselves – and we can be forgiven for that as we for the most part were educated to do so. However, today is a new day – we have awareness and insight and can now educate ourselves and make different lifestyle and healthcare choices.
Make The Choice Today to be proactive with your health & wellness.
It's GREAT news is that there's so much more choice available to us now. We don't have to just accept western medicine alone or complementary medicine alone, and it's best that we don't. Get out there and read, network with friends, become informed, find Integrative practitioners with which to work with and take back control of your health and wellness.
I believe that Truth Will Prevail. Good Things Are Happening.
We have CHOICE! It's both a privilege and a right.
This is a critical point and the a right for which we might need to join together To be grateful for, To fight for and To protect!
Join us in Business in Wellness – feel free to contact us for more information or support.