Measles - what next?

Bryan Hubbard — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:29:00 GMT

Vaccination rates are dropping. I believe that is a good thing. Living has its risks (and its benefits, of course). We are always making choices. In this case, it’s the risk of getting measles vs. the risk of getting autism or other neurological disease. It’s a no-brainer as to which one I would rather expose my children to. Many of us older people – say, older than 45 – have had measles, and survived it quite well, thereby becoming immune for life, no boosters needed.

Let’s remember that human beings are extremely complex organisms. The idea that a single virus will create a disease by itself in a body is absurd. If it were true, humanity would be erased within a day as viruses and bacteria of all kinds are literally crawling all over us when we’re well (as well as when we’re sick). There was a great disagreement between Louis Pasteur (the bacterium does it) and Auguste Bechamp, his contemporary, who insisted that the bacterium only does it in a susceptible terrain. It’s like saying that flies cause garbage, rather than recognizing that when there is garbage, flies appear. Best way to get rid of the flies is in cleaning up the garbage, not by shooting the flies.

So, to prevent disease, let’s strengthen the human terrain. Good, nutritious food is the best means for that. In the case of measles, it is well recognized that a deficiency in vitamin A increases the morbidity and mortality of this disease. Studies show that vitamin A supplementation in children is associated with a reduction of 23% to 30% in mortality risk and a noticeable reduction in the severity of symptoms. (Cad Saude Publica. 2007 Nov;23(11):2565-75. [Evidence of the impact of vitamin A supplementation on maternal and child health] [Article in Portuguese] Oliveira JM, Rondó PH.) I would extend that discovery to the notion that malnutrition in general can increase the risk for infectious diseases. Keeping those two concepts in mind, here is how to reduce the risk of measles in children, especially in very young ones:

1. Breastfeed them for at least 6 months, but better still, for 2 years. Solids can be introduced when they become interested and start putting things in their mouth to chew – about 6-8 months. The mother’s diet, of course, should be rich in nutrients.

2. Offer regular sources of vitamin A. These include plant foods (orange vegetables such as carrots, winter squashes, and yams, as well as leafy greens), and animal foods (organic, grass fed butter, liver and eggs with their yolks).

3. As vitamin A is fat soluble, there should be reasonable amounts of healthy fats in the diet, including extra virgin olive oil, organic butter from healthy cows, flax oil, coconut oil.

4. For supplementation, the classic European custom of giving children cod liver oil is probably one of the best.

Should they still get measles, heaven forfend, treat it with homeopathy. Then you can be reasonably assured that it will be mild and give them lifetime immunity.

Here is my favorite recipe for greens, which my kids used to eat with gusto from the time they were about 5.

Garlic greens (about 4 servings)

1 lb collards, kale, or mustard greens, stems removed.

2 T extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Fresh grated nutmeg

1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

1. Fill a large pot with water, bring to a boil, drop in the greens, and simmer them, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Push them down with a wooden spoon if they poke out too far.

2. Fish out the greens with a colander, and chop into bite size pieces. (You can drink the “greens water” with a little lemon juice while hot, a great alkalizer – discard once it has cooled, it gets too bitter).

3. Heat the olive oil in a skilled, add the garlic, sizzle for a minute, add the greens, stir and heat for about 3 minutes. Dust a faint sprinkling of nutmeg all over (less than ¼ teaspoon), add the lemon juice if desired, and serve hot. (If there are leftovers, add some beaten eggs with a pinch of seasalt, and make a scramble or a frittata next morning.)

Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D.

ANNEMARIE COLBIN, Ph.D., CHES, is an award-winning leader in the field of natural health She founded Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts (TM) in New York City in 1977, and is adjunct professor of nutrition at the city’s Empire State College. She is the author of four books, including The Book of Whole Meals (Autumn Press, 1979; Ballantine Books, 1983), The Natural Gourmet (Ballantine Books, 1989, 1991), and Food and Healing (Ballantine Books, 1986, 1996). Her website is: www.foodandhealing.com

Food and Healing : MMR

Measles - what next?