Nosodes: alternative to vaccines

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What Is A Nosode? In homeopathy, there is a special type of remedy

called a nosode. A nosode (from nosos, the Greek word meaning disease)

is a homeopathic

preparation made from matter from a sick animal or person. Substances

such as respiratory discharges or diseased tissues are used. It sounds

repulsive,

but the preparation, using alcohol, as well as the repeated dilution and

succussion, essentially renders the substances harmless, while producing

a powerful

remedy. The use of nosodes in a prophylactic manner, for preventing

disease, has been employed in veterinary and human homeopathy for many

years. It is supported by various holistic veterinarians and authors.

Homeopathic Nosodes

Dr. Loops D.V. M.

Nosodes are homeopathic remedies that are made from the specific

products of a particular disease. This can be tissue containing the

actual disease agents

or tissue affected by those agents. Sometimes nosodes are made from

vaccines containing the organisms. The nosodes are prepared in a

diluted and potentized

form just like all other homeopathic medicine. There is no potential

for an animal to become infected with a given disease agent from a

nosode because

of the pharmaceutical process that occurs which dilutes and inactivates

any viable organisms. Nosodes seem to work most effectively,

homeopathically,

when they are given near or at the time of exposure. For instance,

giving a Parvovirus Nosode immediately before and after a potential

exposure would

provide the best protection from the Nosode.

Homeopathic nosodes can be used when your companion becomes at risk for

a disease before three months of age, or if warranted, in unvaccinated

animals to

help protect against some contagious diseases. Many guardians use these

homeopathic medicines to help protect their companions against

Parvovirus, Distemper,

and Kennel Cough in dogs and Panleukopenia and FIP in cats.

Homeopathic medicines

are " animal friendly " for several reasons. Because their action works

across the mucous membranes of the mouth, it is not necessary to swallow

the medicine.

This makes it easier when dosing, since the mouth doesn't have to be

opened and the remedy can be placed on the gum or inside the lip. The

single dose

powder is sweet tasting as it is in a lactose sugar base and the liquid

remedies are diluted at home before giving, so that the alcohol taste is

not a

problem. Even cats generally do not mind taking their medicine. In

fact, they often get excited when the bottle appears.

Rabie Vaccines

By law, an animal must be vaccinated against rabies every three years.

To protect your pet, you can request a homeopathic antidote to minimize

the side

effects of vaccine damage from Dr. Charlie Loops. For rabie vaccine,

the remedy is " lyssin " . The cost $6.00 for single doses and $15. for 1/4

ounce bottles

for repeated dosing. Some nosodes seem to work more effectively than

others. None produce titers against disease like a vaccination, so they

are not vaccine

replacements. They do seem to moderate a disease condition if the

animal is exposed, even if they don't prevent it. Homeopathic nosodes

are another option

for guardians who wish to avoid vaccinations. Nosodes cost $15. each and

provide many doses. They are dosed " as needed " and instructions are

provided

from Dr. Loop's office.

Dr. Loops:

Telephone Consultations by Appointment: Hours: 9-4 (EST) Mon., Tues.,

Wed., & Fri. (closed Thursdays) Phone: (919) 542-0442 Fax: (919)

542-0535

Alternative Vaccines is an excerpt from

The Vaccine Guide : Making an Informed Choice

by Randall Neustaedter

(For those in the UK click here)

Alternative Vaccines

Conventional vaccines prepared by modern vaccine manufacturers represent

only one form of disease-specific prevention. Vaccines and preventive

medicines

are also available to parents in homeopathic form. There is a long

history within

homeopathic medicine

of attempting to prevent specific diseases, especially during epidemics.

The medicines used in homeopathic form consist of two classes. One class

includes those substances obtained from the natural world of plants,

minerals,

and animal products. The second class, called nosodes, includes

substances derived from disease products, tissue samples, mucus, pus

from discharges, or

pure cultures of microorganisms. Nosodes correspond to the specific

diseases associated with the individual bacteria or virus, or the

infectious material

sample taken from a patient. Both of these classes have been used to

prevent disease. Examples of this include Lathyrus sativa (a plant) for

polio and

Pertussin (a preparation of the bacteria Bordetella pertussis) for

whooping cough.

A medicine that has proven effective for a specific epidemic of a

disease in the community can be used as the preventive for other cases

of that disease,

though homeopaths tend to use those medicines that have proven

themselves in the past. As a general rule, homeopaths utilize the nosode

of the infectious

organism to prevent disease. Nosodes are named with the Latin terms for

the infection or organism, Morbillinum for measles, Diphtherinum for

diphtheria.

This method of homeopathic prophylaxis has been formulated into

strategies and rules of two types - short-term prevention during

epidemics and long-term

prevention.

Experience with the use of nosodes during epidemics has led to a level

of confidence and optimism about the protective effect of this method.

Since the

mid-nineteenth century, homeopaths have attempted to prevent or limit

the spread of disease during epidemics, with some success. Most of the

experience

with this approach occurred during the era preceding the availability of

vaccines. Homeopaths reported a decrease in the severity and frequency

of disease

in those patients who received the nosode preventively.

The method of homeopathic prophylaxis has never been rigorously tested.

Nonetheless, there is some evidence suggesting that homeopathic

medicines do act

to prevent diseases during epidemics. One study observed the occurrence

of meningitis in a group of children who received a homeopathic

preventive (Meningococcinum

10c in a single dose) during a 1974 epidemic in Brazil. Of the 18,640

children given the homeopathic nosode, 4 developed meningitis (0.02

percent), compared

to 32 cases in the 6,340 unvaccinated children (0.5 percent). This

represents a significant difference in a controlled study, although the

control group

was not randomized (Castro and Nogueira, 1975). Eisfelder reported an

uncontrolled study of 50,000 children who received Lathyrus, a

homeopathic preparation

used to treat paralysis, in varying potencies during the polio epidemic

of the 1950s. Only one of these children developed (non-paralytic)

polio. The general

population had a significantly higher rate of polio than 1 in 50,000

(Eisfelder, 1961).

These studies do not prove the effectiveness of homeopathic prophylaxis

in epidemics, but many homeopathic practitioners have been convinced by

their own

experience with this form of disease prevention. The practice of using

homeopathic preparations to prevent disease during epidemic exposure may

be effective.

The medicines cause no adverse effects, and, in the absence of any other

form of prevention, there was no reason not to use them. In an epidemic

of a serious

disease their use is still warranted, though there are valid reasons to

allow children to undergo the milder childhood occurrence of measles,

mumps and

chickenpox to acquire lifelong immunity.

Alternative vaccines in homeopathic form are also available for

long-term prevention. Several protocols exist for the administration of

homeopathic nosodes

or the corresponding remedies for the prevention of whooping cough,

meningitis, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, and other diseases during

childhood. There

exists significant controversy within the homeopathic profession about

the appropriateness of using these preparations for long-term

prevention. This controversy

involves the areas of effectiveness, safety, and ethics.

No long-term studies have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of

this form of prevention. There is no reason to assume that these

vaccines continue

to act preventively years after administration, unless immunity is shown

through an objective test or clinical studies.

Homeopathic preparations have not been shown to raise antibody levels.

Smits tested the titre of antibodies to diphtheria, polio and tetanus in

ten children

before and one month after giving homeopathic preparations of these

three vaccines (DTPol 30K and 200K). He found no rise in antibody levels

(Smits, 1995).

He speculates that protection afforded by a homeopathic remedy acts on a

" deeper " level than that of antibodies. Other homeopaths have stated

similar opinions.

Golden says, " unlike conventional vaccines, the Homoeopathic alternative

does not rely on antibody formation. " He postulates that " Homoeopathic

remedies

reduce the patient’s sensitivity to the dynamic stimulus of the virus or

bacteria, thus lessening the patient’s predisposition to being overcome

by this

stimulus " (Golden, 1994).

If homeopathic remedies do not produce an increase in antibody levels,

then the only way to measure the effectiveness of homeopathic

prophylaxis is through

clinical results. This is a formidable undertaking. The cost of

long-term studies using homeopathic prophylaxis would be prohibitive,

given the present

resources available. Ethical problems could also prevent such studies

from occurring; it is doubtful that ethics committees would allow

children to be

deprived of the commonly administered and approved allopathic vaccines.

Moskowitz has suggested that the sizable population of unvaccinated

children whose

parents have refused vaccines, could provide a control group to assess

the long-term negative effects of vaccines (Moskowitz, 1985). Perhaps

this population

could also serve as a test group for homeopathic prophylaxis.

Parents need to understand that there is no evidence to support the use

of these homeopathic preparations for long-term prevention. There is

nothing in

the literature that shows homeopathic prophylaxis provides lasting

immunity from specific diseases

From:

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/nosodes.htm