immune system

The Vaccination Dillema

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If you grew up in the 50′s or 60′s, receiving a vaccination was the norm and the thought of not receiving “a shot” was unheard of. Today, many young parents are questioning the validity of vaccinating their children, whether they are looking at safety concerns or simply their necessity.

A vaccine is a biological preparation that contains an agent that is similar to a disease causing microorganism that is introduced into the body so the immune system can create anti-bodies in order to prevent a future infection of that organism.

The idea of vaccination was first crudely demonstrated in the 1770′s in England. Later Louis Pasteur refined the technique in developing the first vaccine for rabies. But it wasn’t until the 20th century that widespread success against measles, mumps, rubella, and diphtheria by vaccination helped convince most to it’s effectiveness. Additionally, the development of the polio vaccine in the 1950′s and the eradication of smallpox by vaccination in the 60′s and 70′s helped to secure the efficacy of vaccination in the minds of most baby-boomers.

Today, we have vaccinations for those microorganisms as well as seasonal influenza and the Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention has a recommended schedule of vaccinations for all ages of people. Specifically, the CDC recommends vaccination against 16 preventable disease for children.

With the onset of October and the autumn season, not to mention the recent start of school, thoughts on whether to vaccinate or not abound. This year, the CDC is touting the benefits of this year’s influenza vaccine as being less painful and more aligned with the current strains of influenza that have been circulating.

But many people are still skeptical. A study conducted in 2010 and published this month in the on-line edition of Pediatrics indicates that 20% of parents who follow the CDC approved vaccination schedule have doubts about it and 13% follow a differently schedule entirely, with more than half of those parents refusing specific vaccines all together.

Although there has been opposition to vaccinations for some time, the increase in the number of young parents who are rejecting vaccinations for their children is related to the success of wide spread vaccinations of the last century. Experts agree that the lack of incidence of polio, whooping cough, mumps and measles in the United States has created a false sense of security and reduced the perceived need for vaccination. For those of us who remember the middle of the last century, it was not uncommon to know someone who had contracted polio, making the need for vaccination very personal.

So to me it is ironic that the very success of the vaccination campaigns of the past has created the perception of the lack of need for any type of vaccination. While, I agree that the decision to get an annual flu shot is a personal one, the decision not to vaccinate against diseases like polio, measles, mumps or rubella can impact more than just one individual, it can allow for the opportunity for these diseases to gain a foothold back into the population which is what researchers are just now beginning to see.

About Paul Kulpinski, LMT

Paul Kulpinski is a licensed massage therapist, holistic wellness educator and co-founder of Mountain Waves Healing Arts in Flagstaff, Arizona. Information contained in this blog should not be taken as medical advice. Readers are advised to validate the information presented here with other sources including your personal physician for information specific to you.

Human Predators

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We humans are so arrogant. We pretend to be at the top of the food chain and are confident in our ability to develop technology to keep us there. In all of nature, the natural checks and balances are created by predators and prey. The grasses of the fields are preyed on by the rabbits which are then preyed on by the hawks, foxes and wolves, which are then preyed on by the lions and tigers and so forth.

So when you think of what predator would prey on humans, you might think of lions, tigers and sharks but when you think about it, the natural human predator is much smaller than that. So much smaller that we humans take our superiority over these predators for granted, with little or no fear of them.

The human predators are microbes: bacteria, viruses, fungus and the like.

How can something so small, insignificant and seemingly at the bottom of the food chain prey on the mightiest creature at the top of the food chain? The answer lies in the beautiful irony of the natural world and it couldn’t be any more perfect. And what makes the microbial world so powerful towards us is our perspective of superiority toward the microbial world.

While we humans are busy ignoring the microbial world, the microbial world is changing and adapting faster than we can invent new antibiotics and counter measures against it.

Bacteria actually rule the world. One estimation counts about five billion trillion trillion microbes on the planet. Just inside your body, there are more bacterial cells than you have body cells by a factor of 10 to 1. Now, most of these bacteria are friendly and beneficial to us. In fact without this symbiotic relationship, life as we know it couldn’t exist. Yet humans have declared war on all bacteria.

We have anti-bacterial soaps, lotions and hand sanitizers every where. In fact the places where the most dangerous bacteria live are in hospitals, where so much effort is put forth to eliminate microbes. Why? Because when you seek to destroy all bacteria with the carpet bombing approach of antibiotics, all but the strongest bacteria are killed (the 0.1% of the bacteria not killed in the 99.9% effective hand sanitizers). It’s this 0.1% of the remaining bacterial that are left to multiply and re-colonize without any competition from other bacteria. And since they are the strongest of the bunch, this only allows them to get stronger.

Yes, our declared war on microbes is actually making them stronger. Over time, exposure to a particular antibiotic will cause the bacterial to mutate and develop an “immunity” to the antibiotic. When a bacteria becomes resistant to multiple antibiotics, it is considered to be a “superbug”. In 2007, these superbugs were responsible for more than 63,000 deaths in the United States, and that’s just in the hospitals!

The trend is still growing. By 2009, hospitals have seen a rapid growth in resistance to carbapenems, an antibiotic considered a “last resort” when other antibiotics have failed. The percentage of carbapenem bacteria which have shown antibiotic resistance has spread from 5% in 2000 to over 40% in 2009. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) once only found in hospitals is now spreading to other communal settings like gyms, with as resistance rate of over 70% in some areas of the country.

The cause is the widespread use and increasing misuse of antibiotics, coupled with the proliferation of antibiotic use in animals raised for human food, the residue of which are ingested by humans upon consumption. Our desire for sanitizing our world is actually making us sick!

The solution lies in multiple actions. First, minimize your use of antibiotics. Use them to fight infection as a last resort using the minimal dose to be effective and use the antibiotic properly by completing the full course of meds according to directions. If taking an antibiotic, promote the recolonization of friendly bacteria by using acidophilous or eating good quality yogurt with natural cultures.

Avoid or eliminate your regular use of hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial soaps. Use more conventional sanitizers like diluted chlorine bleach or alcohol. Incorporate good hygiene by washing your hands regularly with warm water and regular soap. After all, it’s not the soap that eliminates the bacteria, its the friction from rubbing your hands together that does the trick. In fact, studies have shown that simply washing your hands is just as effective at removing bacteria than is using an anti-bacterial soap or hand sanitizer without the harmful side-effects of creating resistant bacteria.

Finally, keep yourself healthy by boosting your natural immunity through proper nutrition, adequate rest, exercise and hydration. Your body knows how to defend itself. Simply let it do it’s job naturally and you’ll be much better off in all but the most severe cases of bacterial infection.

Let’s call a truce with microbes and recognize that for most of them, we are allies that can actually help protect us from the few strains of non-friendly microbes. In doing so, we might actually find that we are no longer being hunted by the smallest organisms on the planet.

About Paul Kulpinski, LMT

Simple Solutions to Prevent the Spread of Flu Virus

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The current buzz in the media and around the water cooler is about the upcoming flu season, especially the H1N1 strain of influenza – or the “Swine Flu”. While the main focus of the discussion centers around getting immunized, there are some simple habits around good personal hygiene that are key to keeping the spread of virus in check.

First it’s important to remember that viruses, like all flu strains, are transmitted in airborne water particles usually launched by a cough or a sneeze from the person with the infection. Being in the vicinity of that cough or sneeze, you might inhale those water particles, or get some on your clothing or hands then touch your mouth, nose or eyes. Any of which will easily accept the water particle carrying the virus. Now, let’s get real. “Water Particles” is a nice way of saying mucus or saliva. That’s what you’re really breathing in or putting into your mouth from the other person, along with that flu virus. Yuck!

You don’t even need to be all that close to the person sneezing or coughing. The sneeze or cough can launch those mucus particles several feet and many of the micro-droplets will stay airborne for some time. Typically, these droplets are so fine that we don’t even see them, so we don’t have an awareness of their impact, until it’s too late and we’ve come down with the flu. Here’s a good video to explain an experiment by Ruth Carrico of the University of Louisville, designed to teach health care workers about the impact of a cough or sneeze from a patient. Watch it here.

The first thing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends is to stay home when you are sick to avoid spreading the virus. Secondly, they teach the practice of “covering your cough”. This is done by covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue. If a tissue is not available, they recommend using the crook of your arm (elbow) to block the cough or sneeze. This is different from when we were taught to cover your cough with your hand. The reason is (and the video shows this clearly) that all of the mucus particles and the virus are now on your hands when you cover your sneeze with your hand. When you then touch something, like a doorknob, a computer keyboard, or someone’s hand in a handshake, you’ve just transmitted that virus. You are less likely to transmit the mucus droplets via your elbow. Finally, if you do use a tissue, throw it away. Don’t reuse it. Then wash your hands. More on that later.

For those of us who use a handkerchief, while the CDC doesn’t specifically address them, handkerchiefs are reused through out the day and are more likely to spread virus as those moisture laiden “snot rags” are fermenting away in your pocket. While I always carry one, it’s probably a better idea to use a disposable tissue during flu season.

The CDC also recommends washing your hands regularly during the day, especially after coughing or sneezing, after using the restroom, before preparing and/or eating food, the list goes on. The see the complete list, click here. When washing your hands, use warm water to wet your hands. Then lather with soap and rub all of the surfaces of your hands: the palms, back of your hands, and especially the fingernails. Continue rubbing for at least 20 seconds. Then rinse with warm water and dry your hands with a paper towel.

If soap and water are not available, the CDC recommends using an alcohol based hand sanitizer by applying it to one hand then rubbing both hands together covering the surfaces of both hands and fingers with the product. Continue rubbing until your hands are dry.

Finally, keep your immune system supported with plenty of sleep, regular physical exercise, nutritious foods, plenty of water and manage your stress with regular massage therapy, meditation, yoga or tai chi.

Sure go ahead and get the flu shot, but you’ll still need to practice these simple personal hygiene techniques to keep yourself and those around you protected.

Sources:

CDC: Seasonal Influenza

CDC: Clean Hands Saves Lives

How Far Can A Cough Spread Germs?

University of Louisville Cough Simulation Video

Discovery Channel News: Coughing Robot Spews Flu Germs

About Paul Kulpinski, LMT