Questions: What is safe?

May 2010: Encouraged by Stephen's progress we felt like things were finally looking up for our family...until May 9th when Ruth woke up vomiting and screaming in pain and was diagnosed on Mother's Day with severe acute pancreatitis. Up until this point I had believed all natural products were safe but my first reaction to the diagnosis was fear that I had given her something to trigger this rare attack. The pediatricians at the hospital were puzzled why a two year old would have stomach damage similar to an alcoholic or someone with acute trauma which did nothing to ease my concern! I started to go back and study everything that went in her mouth/body—natural or not!

I began to realize that whether consulting a chiropractor or a surgeon—we are still responsible for our children's health. There is plenty of research and support to give information on both topics. While I totally trust Dr Gault and feel that Ruth does have good medical doctors also, only if I know and believe for myself what is right for Ruth will I have the motivation and confidence to consistently choose the right products/medicine for her and defend that choice to others, even medical doctors.

That is one thing I always appreciated about Dr Gault especially, he would present the information, the products he thought would help and then let me make the decision for what we wanted to use. It is harder sometimes with modern medicine to have that confidence because doctors are so gun-shy with all the liability suits that they prescribe medicine at the drop of the hat to cover their license when often it does not treat the root of the problem. For example most ear infections are viral and do not need treated with antibiotics. However, invariably if you take your child to the doctor they will prescribe meds. Sometimes I feel it is more for the parents sanity than the child's well-being. Overuse of antibiotics has weakened the bodies resistance so much that now hospitals are having a hard time fighting severe infections with the routine antibiotics which means meds need to keep getting stronger and harsher.

An example of this occurred last winter when Stephen had a severe ear infection three times in a row. The doctor was concerned and told me if he didn't get better the third time we might have to consider tubes. I came home that day so discouraged because I knew the meds were killing his good bacteria and he was in a vicious cycle that wouldn't end. So I did the unthinkable...I stopped the antibiotics, had him adjusted and got ear drops at the health store that I used on his ears 3x a day. I took him back a week later and the infection was almost gone! I told the doctor what I did and he brushed it off as a pain relief support and nothing that actually killed the infection. My question is—than why did Stephen get better without the meds?

As you can tell I like to rock the boat a little :-) Anyway, sorry for that little rabbit trail. I really do have an excellent working relationship with all of Ruth's doctors and for the most part we have a mutually respecting relationship that I appreciate. I value the medical information and experience they have to offer while appreciating some of that natural alternatives that are available.

While Ruth lay in the hospital bed suffering I went back and read all labels on the supplements etc that she was taking. I even read some off to the doctors at the hospital and they recognized the ingredients as providing liver support or bacterial balance—none of which they assured me could cause an attack like Ruth was experiencing. I was encouraged by the connection between natural and modern medicine but still went back and studied a lot of the ingredients for myself. It was interesting to read for myself what I was giving Ruth and I realized that it did not make sense to connect the supplements to her stomach distress.

My next avenue was researching the connection with vaccines and illnesses. There is a national website for medical doctors and families to report adverse reactions to vaccines. I found over 100 cases linking vaccines and pancreatitis! I know that doesn't seem like a high percentage but it was enough to make us wonder if it was connected. The doctors had questioned me if Ruth ever had the measles or mump virus which can affect the pancreas. My first response was no but then I realized that the viruses from vaccines are introduced into the bodies system with no way for the children to expel them. Because Ruth's last shot was the MMR vaccine we began to wonder if the dormant virus had flared up causing the attack.

We will never be able to prove it either way but considering the research we had found in Stephen's case it did make us feel more uneasy about future shots.

The third thing I researched was the safety of raw milk. Modern research often touts raw milk as risky, contaminated and overall a bad decision. Ruth's doctors concluded that her attack was caused by a bacterial infection. My response was caused by what??? I didn't want the other two children to suffer the same reaction. They could not pinpoint a cause so I began to fear that it was the raw milk we were drinking. We chose raw milk because of all the beneficial vitamins, amino acids, healthy bacteria and protein in it. Pasteurized milk has been heated so much that most of the nutritional value is gone leaving only the milk sugars which are hard for the body to digest without the necessary healthy bacteria and amino acids. When I researched the safety of raw milk I found it is actually safer than pasteurized milk...the health standards on farms that produce raw milk are very strict and the cows are kept in a clean and sanitary environment. Whereas on regular dairy farms they assume that the pasteurization will take care of most of the bacteria. This is the info I found in a nutshell but it was enough to reassure me that milk was not the contributing factor. Our children have had only raw milk for a year now and most of their diarrhea and stomach issues have resolved. If they do get any processed milk they react immediately.

There is not much money in natural supplements; not compared to the billion dollar drug and vaccine industry. Our country has twisted its focus into providing more sick care than preventative 'healthcare'. The media does its part in supporting the industry and doctors use what they were trained to use. Sometimes it feels safer to do what the majority are doing yet I can't help but wonder: which is safer?

My point with this article is not to tear down modern medicine or supplements: the bottom line is that we as parents need to be informed and educated about what our children are exposed to through medicine, food and vaccines.