Certified Veterinary Homeopathy by Dr. Glen Dupree

As we have followed the path of reductionist science in the world of medicine, several things have happened. We have come to more and more specialization and less and less general practice. We have concentrated more and more on the diagnosis and less and less on the patient as a whole. We have also confined "disease" more and more to a finite episode rather than a continuing trend.

This last point is very important as we begin to critically assess the role of vaccines in our health care programs. My contention is that the ill-effects of vaccines extend beyond the immediate threat of anaphylaxis and may affect the patient for days to weeks to months post vaccination.

In the field of human medicine there have been some interesting developments directly related to these thoughts. As more and more vaccines were recommended/mandated for children (but be aware that even with mandated vaccinations for school, etc., each state has the provision for exemption. The ultimate decision to vaccinate children or not rests with the parent, not some governmental agency), more and more serious side effects were seen. Initially there was an extended period after the vaccine was given during which time side effects could be blamed on the vaccine. This was an arbitrarily defined period for legal purposes. Then, with more and more complaints being filed against the vaccine manufactures, the government established a fund paid for by proceeds from vaccine sales to compensate parents whose children suffered irreparable damage from vaccines. Concurrently (but not coincidently) to the establishment of this fund, the definition of vaccine reaction was rewritten to only include those problems seen in the first few hours post vaccination, making it much harder to legally claim injury from the vaccine.

The extended effect of this program has been to train us as a culture and population to look at the immediate effects of vaccines as the only side effects possible. In truth, only a very few patients show true and immediate anaphylaxis to the vaccines. If we watch the trends and patterns of disease/symptomology in our patients we find that most of the deleterious side effects of vaccinations are only seen in the days to weeks following vaccination.

In the veterinary field this is perhaps more evident because of the historic annual revaccination programs and the multivalent vaccines in common use.

The side effects I am referring to are the exacerbations of existing but latent disease in our patients, allergies, and autoimmune diseases.

Very commonly in the practice of veterinary medicine, we will not see a particular patient for nearly a year. Then they are presented for their annual vaccinations. After this we may see them several times over the next few weeks for an exacerbation of their chronic ear problems, their recurrent bladder problems, an increase in their epileptic episodes,ЕЕ.. We also very commonly see an increase in allergies (itchy skin, inflamed ears, weepy eyes, hot spots) shortly after vaccination (shortly but with enough time elapsed so that the pattern is not readily seen). Long term, and with the increased number of vaccines used, we may see an increase in autoimmune problems such as hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune based blood disorders, kidney dysfunction, etc.

Are these problems seen in every patient? No, of course not. Not every individual reacts the same way, not every individual is as sensitive as others, not every individual has the same level of vitality and resilience as others. There is a wide range of reactions from vaccines from no discernible reaction to death from anaphylaxis to chronic, insidious debilitation.

I think there is a rational explanation behind these observations.

Again, let us look at what happens when a patient is vaccinated and revaccinated with no regard for current immune status.

The vaccine is composed of a pathogen which has been artificially altered so it will not likely cause overt disease (although this is not always the case as is shown by the epidemiology of current human polio cases in the US), a preservative such as an antibiotic, usually an adjuvant to hyperstimulate the production of antibodies by the immune system, and a vehicle to carry the vaccine. This mixture is deposited in the body by injection so that it is picked up by the blood vessels and reacted to by the immune components of the blood.

An individual who is hypersensitive (allergic) to any of the components of the vaccine may show symptoms of anaphylaxis - an immediate over-reaction. These individuals should never receive another vaccine. The same protocol should be followed as with patients who are allergic to penicillin - these patients are never given another dose of penicillin or related antibiotics. For some reason anaphylaxis to vaccines is treated differently in the world of veterinary medicine. Pets who have exhibited anaphylactic symptoms to vaccines previously are commonly premedicated with cortisone, epinephrine, antihistamines, and/or fluids so the anaphylaxis can be controlled then they are revaccinated. Knowing what we now know of the duration of vaccine immunity (multiple years to perhaps lifetime), these revaccination practices in allergic patients make no sense.

In the more delayed reactions where we see an exacerbation of chronic, recurrent problems, we see a different reaction taking place in the vaccinate. In this situation, the vaccine is given and the body responds. Commonly there is a transient suppression of immunity as the immune system is temporarily overwhelmed by the vaccine. There is a lag of hours to days before immunity increases. This is why vaccines are not recommended after exposure to contagion - the body is temporarily weaken/overwhelmed by the vaccine and is thus made temporarily more susceptible to disease. (This is also why it is not the best idea to vaccinate pets on their way into the kennel for boarding or during surgery or during concurrent episodes of illness - the immune system doesn't need the insult of the vaccines at these times.)

This insult the system sustains from the vaccine is often enough to cause a decompensation so that latent disease is activated. We then see a flare up of itchiness, hot spots, ear problems, vomiting, epilepsy, cystitis, etc. These are not problems directly caused by the vaccine but rather a reflection of a system not healthy enough to withstand the insult of the vaccine.

The third reaction type is the one I believe to be the most detrimental to the pet population as a whole - autoimmune dysfunction.

As has been shown by modern research (mostly by Dr. Ron Schultz) the immunity induced by vaccines is long lived - much longer than the year for which most vaccines are labeled. We also know that vaccines are manufactured in such a way as to artificially stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies. The combination of these two facts is where the real problem lies.

Evolution has not created dumb bodies. There is an inherent wisdom which dictates a wise and efficient use of bodily resources (not a conscious, thinking wisdom but an innate, life/species sustaining wisdom). This means that as we revaccinate our pets yearly with vaccines which produce multiple year immunity we are asking our pets to perform unnaturally by making unnecessary antibodies.

Another way of looking at the situation is to look at the negative feed back mechanisms which regulate bodily functions. If the body has an ample store of a hormone/antibody/blood component/etc, there is a feed back mechanism which measures these components and tells the body to stop or slow production until there is need for more production. All systems in the body are regulated by these feedback mechanisms. So we vaccinate with a particular vaccine which produces ample, long lasting immunity to the particular disease. Then we revaccinate the next year and the next and the next. The body runs an inventory and sees that it does not need more of that particular antibody - it is already amply protected. But the way the vaccine is manufactured forces the body to produce antibodies. If the vaccine is given and none of that particular antibody is needed, then non-specific or general acting antibodies are produced. With the chaos produced in the immune system by this artificial stimulation, the distinction between self and non-self is lost and these non-specific antibodies begin to attack the body's own tissue.

This is when we begin to see autoimmune hypothyroidism, immune mediated kidney failure, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, and a host of other autoimmune problems appear in the over vaccinated population.

Look back over the last 30 years of veterinary medicine. During this time we have moved our pets onto a diet of over processed food and have subjected them to vaccinations and revaccinations annually. There has been a steady increase of allergies, endocrine dysfunction, and chronic debilitating diseases in our aged pets. This is more than coincidence.

I am not necessarily advocating no vaccinations. I am trying to show that we need to rethink our vaccine protocols in the light of 30 + years of clinical observation combined with the results of current research. We should no longer blindly follow the ways of the past but should push for revised protocols which provide protection for our pets without overwhelming them.

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