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Mnogi mislijo, da tradicionalna kitajska medicina (TKM) deluje proti znanosti, in bi bili presenečeni, če bi jim zdravnik TKM predlagal cepljenje. Že na začetku je treba pojasniti, da ta članek ni „proti cepljenju“. Namesto tega govori o „odgovornem cepljenju“ in „praktičnem cepljenju“. Kot drugo gre pri TKM za celovito in prefinjeno filozofijo za izboljšanje našega splošnega zdravja. Cepljenje, zelišča ali akupunktura so orodja za dosego tega namena. Razmišljati bi morali prilagodljivo in praktično ter izbrati pravo orodje za lastno zaščito in izboljšanje zdravja, saj nas ta ne bi smela omejevati.
Uporabite glavo
Cepivo uporabljam, vendar nisem slepa podpornica cepljenja. S poznavanjem tako sodobnega znanstvenega izobraževanja kot tudi starodavne filozofije zdravljenja lahko iz obeh načinov izluščim koristi in izberem to, kar je najučinkovitejše ter učinkovito za moje zdravje in zdravje mojih pacientov. Za bolezni, kot je gripa, nikoli ne uporabljam cepiva, saj lahko zase dobro poskrbim in z lastno tehniko povečam svojo odpornost. Enako velja za cepivo HPV, ki naj bi zmanjševalo tveganje za nastanek raka materničnega vratu. Kljub temu pa se cepim proti virusu hepatitisa, saj pri meni obstaja veliko tveganje stika s krvjo, poleg tega pa sem bila cepljena tudi kot dojenčica. V tem članku bom pojasnila svoje odločitve.
Moja preprosta in splošna logika je:
Stare bakterije + staro cepivo = varno
Nove bakterije/virus + novo cepivo = ne hitite
Osnovno cepljenje otrok – Ja, seveda!
V zadnjem desetletju se je pojavilo več skrbi glede hudega škodljivega učinka ali celo dolgotrajne škode zaradi cepljenja otrok. Razprava sega še v leto 1998, ko je britanski gastroenterolog Andrew Wakefield v reviji The Lancet objavil študijo o 12 otrocih, v kateri je kombinirano cepivo proti ošpicam, mumpsu in rdečkam (OMR) povezal s težavami s črevesjem, za katere je verjel, da so povzročile avtizem.
Svetovna zdravstvena organizacija je to komentirala tako:
„Kasneje je bilo dokazano, da je bila študija iz leta 1998, ki je povzročila zaskrbljenost zaradi morebitne povezave med cepivom proti ošpicam, mumpsu in rdečkam (OMR) ter avtizmom, zelo pomanjkljiva in sleparska. Znanstvena revija, ki je članek objavila, je ta članek kasneje umaknila. Na žalost je njegova objava povzročila paniko, ki je privedla do znižanja stopnje imunizacije in posledičnih izbruhov teh bolezni. O povezavi med cepivom OMR in avtizmom ali avtističnimi motnjami ni dokazov.“
Največje tveganje pa je, da sploh ne tvegate.
Medtem ko je povezava med cepivom OMR in tveganjem za avtizem še vedno neznana, je zagotovo v nekaterih primerih veliko bolj verjetno, da bo bolezen, ki jo je mogoče preprečiti s cepivom, škodila veliko bolj kot cepivo. V primeru poliomielitisa lahko ta bolezen povzroči paralizo, ošpice lahko povzročijo encefalitis in slepoto, nekatere bolezni, ki jih je mogoče preprečiti s cepivi, pa lahko celo povzročijo smrt. Morda obstajajo nekateri neželeni učinki in neprijeten občutek, ki je posledica cepljenja, vendar splošne koristi odtehtajo preračunano tveganje.
Resnica je, da niti ena metoda ni povsem učinkovita, uporabna in še neškodljiva. Največje tveganje pa je, da sploh ne tvegate. Pri tem gre pravzaprav za filozofijo jina in janga. Pri dinamiki jina in janga ne gre le za delovanje dveh nasprotnih sil, temveč tudi za medsebojno odvisnost in integracijo obeh sil. Namesto da bi dovolili, da vas negativna moč (kot je vaš strah) vodi do nepremišljene odločitve, izkoristite to moč na prokativen način, ki bo zaščitil vaše otroke.
Cepljenje proti gripi? No ... dvakrat premislite.
Če ponovno omenim citat Svetovne zdravstvene organizacije: "Gripa je resna bolezen, ki vsako leto ubije med 300.000 in 500.000 ljudi po vsem svetu. Za noseče ženske, majhne otroke, starejše ljudi s slabim zdravjem in vse s kroničnimi boleznimi, kot so astma ali bolezni srca, obstaja večje tveganje za hudo okužbo in smrt. Cepljenje nosečnic ima dodatno prednost, saj lahko tako zaščitijo svoje novorojenčke (trenutno ni cepiva za dojenčke, mlajše od 6 mesecev).“
Ja, gripa ubije veliko ljudi, vendar obstajajo tudi številni, ki po gripi okrevajo. Tisti, ki jih gripa ubije, so ponavadi imunsko ogroženi. Vsako leto znanstveniki izberejo le nekaj virusov, ki jih imunizirajo s cepivom. Obstaja ogromna družina virusov gripe, vendar nas cepivo ščiti le pred nekaterimi od njih. Da ne omenjam, da se mora vaš imunski sistem zaščititi pred temi patogeni, zato je šibek. Kar morate storiti, je, da ga okrepite, vendar ne s kupovanjem cepivske loterijske srečke.
Še en pomemben dejavnik, ki ga je treba upoštevati, je, da se gripa običajno prenaša po zraku, kar pomeni, da virus dobimo skozi respiratorni trakt (včasih ga pogoltnemo tudi skozi prebavni trakt). Ko obdelani virus vbrizgamo neposredno v našo kri, se dejansko odrekamo pomembnemu obrambnemu mehanizmu. V globljo stopnjo kot patogen vstopi, več škode lahko povzroči. To je razlog, da mnogi dejansko zbolijo zaradi cepiva proti gripi. Študija v Hong Kongu je tudi ugotovila, da čeprav je manj verjetno, da bodo otroci zboleli za gripo po cepljenju, obstaja štirikrat večja pogostost drugih virusnih okužb, za katere nekateri verjamejo, da so celo povezane z astmo.
Znano je, da je pri novopečenih materah dojenje za otroka koristno, saj prek njega od matere dobiva protitelesa. Gripo je mogoče preprečiti pri obeh, dokler je mati zdrava in močna, kar doseže z uravnoteženo prehrano in zadostnim spancem.
Dodatno energijsko podporo lahko zagotovi dobro usposobljeni zeliščar, ki poskuša preprečiti gripo ali skrajšati trajanje bolezni. Pri sebi in svojih pacientih uporabljam zelišča za krepitev energije, ki podpira normalne funkcije naših sistemov. Najpomembnejša sistema sta pljučni in jetrni. Pljučni sistem deluje kot zid za pasivno obrambo, medtem ko jetrni sistem zagotavlja vojsko za aktiven napad. Uporabljam tudi zelišča za želodčni sistem, da zagotovim učinkovito absorpcijo energije iz prehrane, s katero dobimo stabilno zalogo energije. Že dolgo časa sem prepričana v svoj pristop, zato uporabljam le svojo tehniko, in ne cepiva proti gripi. Ne pozabite, da prihajam iz Hong Konga, kjer so nas v preteklosti prizadele številne epidemije gripe, ena od njih pa se celo imenuje „gripa iz Hong Konga“.
Cepljenje proti HPV? Odvisno.
Od številnih vrst humanih virusov papiloma (HPV) jih več kot 30 okuži genitalni trakt. Povezava med nekaterimi onkogenimi (z visokim tveganjem) sevi HPV in rakom materničnega vratu je dobro uveljavljena. Čeprav je HPV bistven za preoblikovanje epitelijskih celic materničnega vratu, ni edini vzrok za raka materničnega vratu. Obstajajo različni kofaktorji in molekularni dogodki, ki vplivajo na razvoj raka materničnega vratu. Prav tako večina žensk s HPV ne dobi raka materničnega vratu in večino časa okužbe s HPV izginejo same od sebe v 1 do 2 letih. Nekateri drugi dejavniki tveganja, kot sta kajenje in okužba s HIV, vplivajo na to, pri katerih ženskah, izpostavljenih HPV, je bolj verjetno, da se bo razvil rak materničnega vratu.
Če pogledamo celotno stvar, vidimo, da lahko telo večino časa obvladuje HPV. Četudi je oseba okužena s HPV, se iz tega ne bo nujno razvil rak. Najpomembnejši so pravzaprav „drugi dejavniki tveganja“, ki določajo, ali bodo celice mutirale in postale rakave. Ko gre za odločitev, ali bi morali uporabiti cepivo HPV za „preprečevanje raka materničnega vratu“, je vse odvisno od tega, koliko ste pripravljeni storiti, da omejite dejavnike tveganja, kot sta način življenja in prehrana. Če imate raje nekaj hitrega in enostavnega, je cepivo seveda prava izbira. Če pa ste pripravljeni na celovitejši pristop, je TKM dobra alternativa. TKM razume raka kot rezultat odvečne „energije jang (hitra, rastoča, aktivna)“. Pri sebi in svojih strankah redno čistim energije, ki predstavljajo tveganje.
Svet ni črno-bel
Kampanje proti cepivu ali zanj me ne zanimajo. Živimo v dinamičnem svetu ravnotežja, kjer stvari niso povsem črno-bele, le dobre ali le slabe. Upam le, da vam bodo moje osebne izkušnje in znanje pripomogli k oblikovanju novega stališča, ko boste sprejemali odločitve glede cepljenja.
Prevod: Klara Lubej
Vir fotografije: internet
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Vaccinate or not? Is alternative available?
Many people think that Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is working against science and they might be surprise that a TCM doctor would suggest vaccination. First thing first, this article is not about “anti-vaccination”. Instead, it is about “responsible vaccination” and “practical vaccination”. Second of all, TCM is a comprehensive and sophisticated philosophy to improve our general health. Vaccination, herbs or acupuncture are the tools for the purpose. We should adopt a flexible and practical mind to choose the right tool to protect ourselves and promote health, not bound and limited by them.
Use your head
I use vaccine but I am not a blind supporter of vaccination. With a background of both modern scientific education and ancient healing philosophy, I can take benefits from both ways and choose what is the most efficient and effective for my healthcare, as well as my patients. For disease like influenza, I never use vaccines because I can take good care of myself and I can boost my immunity with my own technique. The same goes for the HPV vaccine which is believed to lower the risk of cervical cancer. I do, however, vaccinate myself from Hepatitis virus for I high risk of blood contact not to mention the vaccine that I was given as infant. This article is the explanation of my choices.
My simple and general logic is:
Old germs + old vaccine = safe
New germs/virus + new vaccine = Do not rush into it
Basic Vaccination of Children – Yes, for sure!
Over the past decade, more concerns about the severe adverse effect or even long term damage from vaccination for children have been raised. The debate could trace back to 1998 when Andrew Wakefield, M.D., a British gastroenterologist, published a study of 12 children in The Lancet that linked the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) combination vaccine with intestinal problems that he believed led to autism.
However, with the quote from the World Health Organization:
“The 1998 study which raised concerns about a possible link between measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism was later found to be seriously flawed and fraudulent. The paper was subsequently retracted by the journal that published it. Unfortunately, its publication set off a panic that led to dropping immunization rates, and subsequent outbreaks of these diseases. There is no evidence of a link between MMR vaccine and autism or autistic disorders.”
The biggest risk ever, is when you take no risks at all.
While the risk between MMR vaccine and autism is still unknown, it is for sure that in some cases, it is far more likely to be seriously injured by a vaccine-preventable disease than by a vaccine. For example, in the case of polio, the disease can cause paralysis, measles can cause encephalitis and blindness, and some vaccine-preventable diseases can even result in death. There might be some adverse effects and unpleasant feeling result from vaccination, and yet the overall benefits outweighed the calculated risk.
The truth to the matter is, not a single method can be completely powerful, useful and yet harmless. And the biggest risk ever, is when you take no risks at all. This is indeed the philosophy of Yin and Yang. The Yin and Yang dynamics is not just about the counter action of two opposite forces, but also the interdependent and integration of the two forces. So instead of letting you negative power (like your fear) driving you to a reckless decision, let put this power into a proactive way to guard your children.
Vaccination against influenza? Well… think twice.
With the quote from WHO again “Influenza is a serious disease that kills between 300 000 to 500 000 people worldwide every year. Pregnant women, small children, elderly people with poor health and anyone with a chronic condition, like asthma or heart disease, are at higher risk for severe infection and death. Vaccinating pregnant women has the added benefit of protecting their newborns (there is currently no vaccine for babies under 6 months).”
Yes, influenza kills many people but there are also plenty of people who can self recover from influenza. Those people who get killed by influenza are usually immunocompromised. Each season scientist will only select a few viruses to be immunized by the vaccine. There is a huge family of influenza virus but the vaccine only protect you from a few of them. Not to mention that your immune system is supposed to guard yourself from those pathogens, so if your immune system is weak, what you need to do is to boost it up but not buying a vaccine lottery.
Another important factor to consider is that influenza is usually airborne, meaning that we get the virus through our respiratory tract (sometimes we swallow through digestive tract as well). When we inject the processed virus directly into our blood, we are actually giving up the important defense mechanism. The deeper level a pathogen enters, the more damage it could result. This is the reason why many people actually get sick from the influenza vaccine. Or in some cases, just as a study in Hong Kong found out that although children are less likely to catch a flu after the flu jab, there is a 4 times increase of incidence of other viral infections some is even believed to be related to asthma.
For newborn mothers, breastfeeding is known to give benefits for passing antibodies to the baby. Influenza prevention to both can be achieved, as long as the mother is healthy and strong by getting balance diet and enough of sleep.
Additional energy support can be provided by a well trained herbalist for the purpose of flu prevention and shorten the duration of sickness. What I do to myself and my patient is that I will use herbs to enrich the energy to support the normal function of our systems. The two most important ones are the Lung and the Liver. The Lung work as a wall for passive defense while the Liver provide the army for active attack. I also use herbs for the Stomach system to make sure that we absorb energy efficiently from our diet so we have a stable supply of energies. And so far for many years I am very confident with my approach and use only my technique but not a single shot of flu vaccine. And never forget I come from Hong Kong, where historically we were hit by many flu epidemics, one of them even named as “Hong Kong flu”.
Vaccination against HPV? Depends.
Of the many types of human papillomavirus (HPV), more than 30 infect the genital tract. The association between certain oncogenic (high-risk) strains of HPV and cervical cancer is well established. Although HPV is essential to the transformation of cervical epithelial cells, HPV is not the only cause of cervical cancer. There is a variety of cofactors and molecular events influence whether cervical cancer will develop. Also, most women with HPV don’t get cervical cancer and most of the time HPV infections go away on their own in 1 to 2 years. Certain other risk factors, like smoking and HIV infection, influence which women exposed to HPV are more likely to develop cervical cancer.
So the whole picture is, the body can manage HPV most of the time. And even if a person is infected with HPV, not necessarily will that turn into cancer. It is actually the “other risk factors” that matter the most whether the cells mutate and turn into cancer cell. When it comes to the decision if you should use HPV vaccination for “prevention of cervical cancer” all depends on how much you are willing to do to limit the risk factors like lifestyle and diet. If you prefer something fast and simple, of course vaccine is the choice. But if you are willing to engage yourself to a more well-rounded approach, TCM is a good alternative. In the TCM understanding, cancer is the result when the “Yang energy (fast, growing, active)” is excessive. What I do to myself and many of my clients is regularly cleaning up the risk-posing energies.
The world is not black and white.
I have no interests in the Pro vs Anti vaccine campaign. We are living in a dynamic balance world where things are not sharply black vs white, good vs evil. I just hope that my personal experience and knowledge could provide a new stand and point of view when you are making decisions regarding vaccination.