Page 38 - Summer2015

I see so many tion. With Keshan’s we have an ideal laboratory by some trivial little virus.

patients in for this hypothesis, in which a deficiency in When we think about the child paralyzed by
a single nutrient, in this case selenium, could polio or the poor debilitated diphtheria-infected
their twenties cause a simple commonplace virus, Coxsackie, Asian children, we need to step back for a mo-
and thirties, to mutate into a very effective killer. ment and realize Nature is not the enemy. As
Polio is, in my opinion, somewhat more Dubos made clear fifty years ago it is what we do
the first of the complicated. Dubos did believe that the underly- as individuals, as cultures, and as governments
highly ing nutritional status of individuals often would that transforms a tolerable, manageable problem
vaccinated determine the nature of the infection, whether into something worse, and this includes force-
generation, it be mild or deadly. But here, too, additional feeding vaccination. When these discussions
ecological forces are so important, with expo-
begin, just remember the negative blowback
coming to sure at the right age in the right way in the right from those “improved” public health measures
my office circumstance provoking only mild disease, with in urban areas that made polio a much worse
unable to the added benefit of lifelong immunity. disease than it had been. Those measures left in

In my own case, I consider myself fortunate their wake death and disability.
function. that I contracted and endured the usual childhood Speaking scientifically, it appears that no
illnesses, including measles, mumps, and chicken polio vaccine was really needed any more than
pox, even a minor brush with Epstein-Barr. For one was needed for Keshan’s. Instead, we should
me, and for all my school friends, these diseases have let kids be kids, playing in the mud, let-
were hardly anything worth remembering, mere- ting their immune systems grow and mature as
ly leaving us somewhat disabled for a few days, Nature intended, without interference by well-
with much-appreciated time off from school and intentioned yet completely misguided science.
a certain amount of parental pampering. No one
I knew was left with encephalomyelopathy, nor
any other serious neurological deficit as a result Nicholas Gonzales, MD, received his medical
of their experiences with any of these viruses. I degree from Cornell University Medical College
do believe these illnesses served a valuable func- in 1983. During a postgraduate immunology fel-
tion, testing my immune system, letting it flex its lowship under Dr. Robert A. Good, considered
muscles, teaching it how to work against a mild the father of modern immunology, he completed
infection so that someday it might effectively a research study evaluating an aggressive nu-
deal with a more serious organism. tritional therapy in the treatment of advanced
I see so many patients in their twenties and cancer. Since 1987, Dr. Gonzalez has been in
thirties, the first of the highly vaccinated gen- private practice in New York City, treating pa-
eration, coming to my office unable to function, tients diagnosed with cancer and other serious
having been exposed to some viral illness like degenerative illnesses.
Epstein-Barr, or the Borrelia spirochete, or some
associated “coinfection.” Five, ten and fifteen
years later despite aggressive treatments of all
types, both alternative and conventional, they are JOURNAL NOW AVAILABLE AS
unable to function, finish school, hold a job, or A DIGITAL TALKING BOOK FOR THE
even unable to leave their rooms (except initially VISUALLY IMPAIRED
to see me). These are young adults with immature
We now have our journal converted
immune systems, whose immune cells either into an audio format for the visually im-
underperform, don’t perform at all, or that over- paired. Special software is required for this,
react, with immune regulation gone haywire. We such as Dolphin Easy Reader. Go to the
can get these patients well, fortunately, but they JOURNALS tab on our home page. Start-
often have endured quite a bit a suffering for long ing with Fall 2011, click the journal you are
periods of time. And these aren’t the kids with interested in. Please tell others! Many thanks
autism, these are young people with promising to Amy Adams of ePubUSA.com for this
futures ahead of them, sidelined and sidetracked service!
38 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2015 Wise Traditions

154242_V16N2_text.indd 38 6/25/15 3:54 PM