(Newswire.net — December 17, 2014) — The CBC Marketplace has been investigating an unproven homeopathic vaccine “alternative” which the practitioners had been offering to parents. The investigation showed that the practitioners are telling parents that the vaccines are unsafe for their children.
The vaccine myth is one of the most widespread myths, as the conspiracy theorists have launched a story that the vaccines are causing severe damages, instead of helping the immune system fight diseases. Actress Jenny McCarthy wrote a book about her beliefs that a vaccination caused her son’s autism. Even Sen. John McCain, said he thought there was “pretty strong evidence” that some vaccines cause autism.
Though the stories about a bad MMR vaccine – that may cause autism, were later debunked, many parents still fear that it is all a cover-up. This had made them vulnerable targets for alternative medicine practitioners who are offering vaccine alternatives.
A CBC’s Marketplace investigated homeopaths in Vancouver and Toronto, following a report that practitioners are offering homeopathic substitute for vaccines. These treatments are not approved by Health Canada as alternatives to immunization, however, the practitioners have the right to prescribe homeopathic drugs. What still remains is the moral issue of telling worried parents that vaccines could damage the health of their children.
The investigation showed that almost all practitioners are telling parents that they should avoid the vaccines and are convincing them to take the homeopathic alternative instead.
A CBC’s Marketplace undercover mother, equipped with hidden cameras and microphones took her child from one homeopath to another to consult about the vaccines. Almost every one of them said she should reconsider submitting her child for a vaccination.
Some of the homeopathic practitioners that Marketplace visited offered Nosodes, a special homeopathic treatment telling parents it is as effective as (MMR) vaccines against diseases such as measles, polio and pertussis.
According to homeopathy websites, Nosodes are homeopathic preparations made from bodily tissues and fluids (including faces, blood, pus, discharges, and saliva) taken from patients suffering from a disease, sterilized and serially diluted to the point where no active ingredient remains. According to homeopaths, what remains is information, like a code that our organism recognizes and activates to develop a very effective self-healing mechanism. While some experts say the immune system is able to fight any disease, some public health groups strongly oppose this approach.
According to Marketplace, some homeopathic practitioners also downplayed the severity of some diseases like measles, which can be prevented by vaccination. In fact, measles could result in brain damage and death.
Though vaccine-preventable diseases like measles remain uncommon in Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada warned that there are an unusually high number of cases of measles, with outbreaks reported in five provinces.
“I think it’s frightening,” Shannon MacDonald, a registered nurse and adjunct assistant professor at the University of Alberta, who researches vaccine trends, told Marketplace co-host Erica Johnson.
The Marketplace investigation showed the homeopathic practitioners were selling alternative vaccine treatments anywhere between $16 for a single bottle and $200 for a complete course of treatment covering multiple diseases.
Canada does not have a tracking system that gives an accurate picture of vaccination rates across the country. However, local and provincial statistics suggest that in some communities, more than 40 per cent of seven-year-old children do not have all their shots.
Part of the reason seems to be that common myths about vaccine safety persist, and many parents remain fearful.