Certified Veterinary Homeopathy by Dr. Glen Dupree

Our cultural dependence on vaccinations as the mainstay in our struggles against contagion shows how firmly rooted we are in Pasteur's Germ Theory. According to Pasteur's thinking the pathogen is primary in the cause of contagious disease. In other words, the pathogen is the sole cause of contagious disease. Each pathogen causes a separate and distinct disease. Without the pathogen, there would be no contagion. If we control the pathogen, we control the contagion. The logical outcome of this line of reasoning is that the vaccine is the ultimate weapon in controlling contagion.

But what if Pasteur was wrong? What if there are other factors in contagion which are of equal or exceeding importance as the pathogen? Antoine Beauchamp, a contemporary of Pasteur, showed this may be the case through a series of experiments involving the ability of microbes to alter their form depending on their environment . This alteration dependent on environment was called Pleomorphism and may be the topic of a future essay. But for today let us be satisfied that Pasteur's work has been called into question and has been cast in doubt, and that there may be other important factors in contagion than just the pathogen.

A quick study of the body's immune system will show there are other viable factors in the control of contagion which are not dependent on vaccinations, and will, in fact, show the fallacy of the current dependency on vaccines in contagious disease control.

First, let's review what happens when a vaccine is given. A modified pathogen (either killed or physically and/or physiologically altered) is used as the base for the vaccine. This pathogen is injected into the deep tissues of the body (often into the muscle but sometime into the skin or just under the skin). There is usually (but not always) an adjuvant (historically an aluminum compound) added to the vaccine to stimulate the immune system into greater activity and a preservative (usually an antibiotic or thimerasol - a compound made from mercury). This mixture is deposited in the tissues where it is picked up by the blood stream and stimulates the production of antibodies specific to the pathogen used. This humoral response (as the production of antibodies is termed by immunologists) provides long term protection against the disease. Simple enough???

Now let's look at what nature provides in the way of disease protection and how far removed vaccination programs are from the natural order.

Most of the pathogens for which we have vaccines enter the body either nasally or orally - they are either breathed in or ingested. The two notable exceptions to this are tetanus and rabies. Whether you attribute the development of our immune system to evolution or cosmology, there is a wisdom in its structure. The primary defense mechanisms against contagion are at the points of entry. We have unbroken mucous membranes covered with surface level immunoglobulins. So as the pathogen enters the body, it is effectively blocked by this physical/immunological barrier. Other local barriers at this level include the mucocilliary apparatus which prevents foreign material from gaining access to the lower respiratory tract, and the acids of the stomach.

If the pathogen makes it past this primary defense, the oro-nasal region is endowed with a network of lymph nodes which filter the invaders out and kill them with specialized lymphoid cells. These include the tonsils, the submandibular and parotid lymph nodes. Also the digestive tract is lined with other lymphoid tissue in the Peyer's patches and the mysenteric lymph nodes. The respiratory tract also has deeper lymph tissue in and around the larger air passages.

If the pathogenic invader eludes this secondary defense, it will enter the blood stream where it is attacked by phagocytic white blood cells (a process called cellular immunity). At this stage specialized white blood cells actually attack and eat the invaders or in other ways incapacitate them and/or facilitate their removal from the body.

Finally after all this has taken place, the body will mount a humoral response and will develop antibodies for long term protection - the level of protection addressed in vaccinations.

That is a quick and not exactly complete description of a normal response to an invading pathogen but I think it proves a point - vaccines are not the only method of preventing contagion.

What if we shifted our focus from the Germ Theory to a more holistic view of contagion? Then we see that the disease is not the pathogen but rather the failure of the body to respond appropriately and effectively to the pathogen. Now instead of vaccinating to fight the offender, we concentrate on helping the body to function as it should by optimizing natural immunity.

Our first step in combating contagion is the same as for combating any "disease" - that is we need to remove as many stresses - both internal and external - from the body as we can. We need to provide species appropriate nutrition, ensure proper housing and husbandry, and utilize proper sanitation. This step sets the stage for a healthy body which is not likely to be susceptible to contagions.

Then we look to further protective measures - antioxidants, vitamin and mineral supplements, nutraceuticals. We look to medicines that will allow optimal functions of all the body systems.

Finally, in the face of contagion, we look to optimize the immune response through immune stimulating herbs (Echinacea, Ganoderma, Pao d'Arco, Cat's Claw, Garlic, etc), glandulars or whole food supplements (such as Standard Process products), acupuncture and/or Chinese herbs, or (my favorite) Homeopathic remedies.

The healthier the body, the less susceptible it is to contagion. So again the question becomes one of either fighting disease or fostering health - which would you prefer?

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