Germs

The Importance of Informed “Choice” ~ If, When & Which Vaccinations to Choose

My little sister asked me to do a written interview for an English project she was assigned.  I was excited about her topic of choice to say the least!  I agreed to be interviewed and asked her to send over the questions.

This is one of the controversial topics that we rarely engage in.  Our reservation does not come from lack of confidence or information regarding our choices, it is primarily a product of the sensitivity created around the conversation.

I was verbally attacked by a day-care owner in 2012.  I always thought there may be a day when someone expressed their displeasure in our family’s choice to not vaccinate, but I felt I was prepared with facts, figures, science, etc to respectfully defend my choice.  Well…..let’s just say when someone accuses you of being an “irresponsible and selfish parent” it is hard to breathe, much less think straight.

This experience led me to a firm stance in the realm of respect.  I firmly practice respect of others AND their choices, even when we disagree.  Because of this stance, I choose to make our personal choices as a family available to friends and patients that I feel will practice the same.  I have no desire to debate which stance is the RIGHT stance, I simply want the ones I love to practice Informed Decision making.

Informed Decision
A decision by a patient about a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure, based on choice, which requires the decision to be voluntary and that the patient has the capacity for choice, which rests on 3 elements:
• Possession of a set of values and goals
• Ability to understand information and communicate decisions
• Ability to reason and deliberate
Peace is a byproduct of making Informed Decisions about choices we have to make as parents.  There are so many things in life that we lose sleep over.  There are risks and consequences around every turn.  There is no greater responsibility we have in flesh than to nurture and care for our children.  My efforts are to encourage families to research, think, pray and have conversations about these decisions; it is not to criticize one choice or another.  If there were to be a consequence of your choice, could you move forward, knowing that you did everything to make the best decision.
Here is my interview with Shelby:

What all vaccinations have you avoided giving Mattie and why?

To-date, Mattie has not received any of the suggested vaccinations. After many years of studying the human body, immune & nervous systems, germ and immune theories, as well as countless research over the topic we have an ever-growing confidence in the body’s natural ability to fight foreign invaders. A few reasons we have made this conscious decision follow:

  • The vaccination schedule is aggressive, growing more aggressive each year (compare current schedule to 10, 20, 30 years ago)
  • The risk vs the benefit is strongly considered for all decisions, especially vaccinations
  • Vaccinations are suggested to increase your immune system, but are highly recommended for the immune compromised (young, old, pregnant, etc). Immune compromised individuals are discouraged from environments where they can be exposed to germs. The vaccine is a direct exposure. For a developing immune system and/or an overwhelmed immune system, vaccinations can cause an imbalance in immune response and/or function.
  • The method of transmission bypasses oral mucousa, which is the “natural” first line of defense for the immune system. This causes an unnatural cascade of immune response (IgA vs IgG), creating an inefficient reaction to the germ, possibly creating an inefficient memory of the invader – defeating the purpose of vaccinations
  • There are numerous toxins, synthetic and otherwise, that are used to manufacture and preserve the transport and delivery of the serum. This is one of my most significant reasons for opting out of most vaccines. Again, the benefit does not outweigh the risk
  • God made us awesome 🙂 No really….He did! When we allow our bodies to do what they were designed to do & supplement them with tools that help them to do it, magic happens….we are healthy! It sounds naive to some, but we have an undying faith that when we ACTIVELY pursue thoughts and actions that are congruent with healing and well-being, you undoubtedly reap health and well-being. It is indeed an active process because of the easy access to processed, dead, lifeless food; toxins at every turn; high paced, high stressed lifestyles; social consequences to natural options such as breastfeeding, cloth diapering, essential oils, herbs, no-poo, diy, etc; not to mention the guilt and shame that others (not actively pursuing health) deflect on people acting in health!! This is a lot of the personal and controversial section of the vaccine topic…..obviously!

What do you do/give to Mattie to help her against these diseases since she doesn’t have vaccinations?

  • We ensure routine chiropractic care, about every 4-8 weeks unless a symptom of imbalance arises
  • We keep what goes IN her body as clean as possible as well as teach her the importance of good decisions when making intake choices
  • We supplement her dietary intake with omega fatty acids, multivitamin, immune specific support (glandular), probiotic, and others as needed
  • We use therapeutic grade essential oils as a “protection” against daily exposure to germs & toxins
  • We facilitate lots of SLEEP. Sleep is obviously necessary to heal everything, especially toxic burdens from the environment around us. We make it a priority and ensure that she gets adequate sleep daily, even when it means we have to hold her or lay down with her
  • We give her emotional support and nurturing. Emotional health is such a huge influence in healing and health; we always keep hers a priority
  • I would also just add our faith in her ability to BE HEALTHY! Some focus on the fear of “what if”, instead we focus on the “why not.” Why can’t she be healthy and normal? Why can’t she have a superstar immune system?

Are there any sources of information (articles, websites) about this that you would recommend?

Facebook is a great source, not because of credibility, but because a lot of credible people know that it is a valuable resource to get their message out:

  • Dr. Tenpenny on Vaccines
  • The Vaccine Machine
  • Dr. Bob Sears

A few links:

A few books/DVDs

INFORMED CHOICE – unless….information is kept from your provider

The following article is re-published from Vaccination Information Network

PRESS RELEASE: CDC Covers Up Influenza Vaccine-Related Fetal Deaths

Press Release For Immediate Release Wednesday, January 22, 2014 National Coalition of Organized Women Ncowmail@gmail.com 319 855-0307 Contact: Eileen Dannemann CDC Misleads Nations Ob/Gyns -Covering-up Of The Most Massive Fetal Death Reports Associated With The Influenza Vaccine in the History of Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) Dr. Gary Goldman’s study on the 4,250% spike …

in Flu, Fraudulent science, Pregnancy vaccines, Whistleblowers January 23, 2014

 
PRESS RELEASE: CDC Covers Up Influenza Vaccine-Related Fetal Deaths

Press Release For Immediate Release Wednesday, January 22, 2014 National Coalition of Organized Women Ncowmail@gmail.com 319 855-0307 Contact: Eileen Dannemann

CDC Misleads Nations Ob/Gyns -Covering-up Of The Most Massive Fetal Death Reports Associated With The Influenza Vaccine in the History of Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS)

Dr. Gary Goldman’s study on the 4,250% spike in fetal death reports during the 2009/10 H1N1 “pandemic” originally rejected by the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (AJOG), who is charged by the National Coalition of Organized Women (NCOW) as complicit in a massive cover-up and manipulation of data associated with the 2009/10 flu season fetal deaths is now available free to the public. Subsequently published in the Human & Experimental Toxicology Journal (HET), as a Sage choice study, the Goldman study is now listed in Pub med as a free PMC article.

Comparison of VAERS fetal-loss reports during three consecutive influenza seasons: was there a synergistic fetal toxicity associated with the two-vaccine 2009/2010 season? Goldman GS. Hum Exp Toxicol. 2013 May;32(5):464-75.

Despite an apparent trail of documented collusion and misconduct amongst the CDC, AJOG (Elsevier) and 9 non-profits including the March of Dimes, this alarmingly poor outcome of the 2009/10 H1N1vaccine experiment on the fetuses of pregnant women was successfully covered up by the CDC until Goldman exposed the statistics, documenting the harm in his recent publication.

Dr. Marie McCormick, chairperson of the CDC’s H1N1 Vaccine Safety Risk and Assessment Working Group (VSRAWG) testified, and submitted deceptive reports to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), contending no unusual signals nor adverse outcomes in the pregnant population during the 2009/10 public experiments on pregnant women.

However, pressed by the NCOW statistics extracted from the government’s own data, Dr. Shimabukuro of the Centers of Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) corroborated the NCOW data in a public presentation (slide 20) in Atlanta, Georgia, in October of 2010. This contradiction to Dr.McCormick’s testimony evidences that the CDC indeed knew of the increasing level in fetal-loss reports, in near real time. Yet the CDC failed to immediately notify the nation’s Ob/Gyns, who, uninformed, continued to double-dose their pregnant patients with the fetal-fatal flu shots that collectively delivered up to 50 micrograms of mercury. Due to the success of this well-orchestrated cover up and the complicity of the non-profits and AJOG, pregnant women are now pressured to get 4 vaccine doses, (Flu, TDaP) and thereafter are mandated to give up to 49 vaccine doses to their surviving children in order for them to attend school.

Beyond Junk Science: “If vaccines were actually based on ‘science’, then this public experiment is a failure” says Ms. Dannemann, Director of the National Coalition of Organized Women (NCOW) and founder of the Vaccine Liberation Army. “So why are we still vaccinating pregnant women with even more vaccines when there is no science that proves vaccines are safe for the developing child. On the contrary, available data from this public experiment foisted on unwitting pregnant women proves the opposite – that the influenza vaccines are unsafe and exacerbate fetal deaths.” In 2009/10 the CDC initiated a massive public drug trial, whose outcome was devastatingly morbid, covered up and, more egregious, twisted by complicit medical journal editors, government agencies and non profit organizations in order to provide an unholy, misleading and deceptive basis for a worldwide publicity campaign, “Flu Shot Is Safe for Pregnant Women”. The success of this manipulation and collusion continues to result in an ever-increasing amount of vaccine recommendations for pregnant women advancing the flawed, unproven practice of maternal antibody-transfer to the fetus.

Vaccine Providers have immunity from lawsuits for any vaccine injury. Federal law prevents directly suing a vaccine provider and the federal government agency charged with ensuring vaccine safety. However, government personnel can be held accountable for willful misconduct contingent on the approval of the Secretary of HHS. But, what about the non-profits that signed off on the joint letter for the following flu season urging the nation’s OB/Gyns to continue to vaccinate their pregnant patients? Can they be held accountable?

A joint letter orchestrated by the CDC and co-signed by 9 non-profit organizations was sent in the fall of 2010, specifically targeting the nation’s Ob/Gyns who, upon the recommendation of the CDC, had been injecting their pregnant patients with two separate influenza vaccines, the seasonal and the H1N1 vaccine, each containing 25 mcgs of mercury, totaling 50 mcgs of mercury, regardless of the trimester or the weight of the fetus. The letter, strategically omitting reference to the 2009/10 VAERS data or Thimerosal, recommended only one seasonal flu shot for the following year, which as a trivalent, has all the necessary strains in one vaccine thereby limiting the toxic mercury dose to 25 mcgs instead of the fetus-fatal 50 mcgs. If 50 mcgs. kills a fetus, will 25 mcgs be enough to harm the survivors? Where is the science?

Although continuously informed by independent researchers, credible whistleblowers such as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., social networks and Internet media, of the agency’s long record of distorted studies, acts of omission, misconduct, deception, spurious and strategic rhetoric, State lawmakers remain mindlessly wed to the CDC’s vast range of flawed government vaccine programs without evaluation… and wonder why the public is “acting up!”

But most egregious, in the opinion of NCOW – the agency assigned to educate physicians and protect the public’s health chose not to notify the nation’s Ob/Gyns in near real time, as promised by Dr. McCormick, thus putting the vaccine program itself ahead of the public’s health in order save this expanding pregnancy vaccine program from the immediate collapse it merits. More disingenuous, the letter states despite the disturbing VAERS data:

“Influenza vaccine is safe” because:

“Influenza vaccines have been given to millions of pregnant women over the last decade and have not been shown to cause harm to women or their infants”.

“Hold on”, says Ms. Dannemann. “The vaccine manufacturers themselves state and have stated for the past decade that there are no adequate studies on the effect of vaccines on human fetuses or on reproduction. Manufacturers’ package inserts, Pregnancy Category C states and I quote ‘Animal reproduction studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in humans’. How did the CDC get away with recommending the vaccination of pregnant women for the last decade without proof of safety? Law requires proof of safety! Well here is a safety study, albeit the sad results of another government experiment foisted on an unwitting public”, submits Dannemann: “The Goldman study!”

Can these non-profits be held liable for participating in the collusion to deceive the public? Did the CDC tell the March of Dimes before they signed off on the joint letter urging the nation’s Ob/Gyns to continue vaccinating pregnant women – that the outcome of the 2009/10 government initiative to vaccinate pregnant women with the flu shot resulted in the most massive spike of fetal death reports in the history of the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS)?

Or did the CDC purposely mislead the March of Dimes & the other non-profits by omitting the morbid data, seducing them into a campaign targeting the nation’s physicians and misleading the public and in doing so, save the ill-founded pregnancy vaccine program from falling apart? Why does the American public not have a mechanism to investigate the misconduct of the CDC thereby allowing the agency to continue to harm the very public they are supposed to protect?

Who has the authority on behalf of the public–on behalf of humanity to get an answer to this very simple question of whether the 9 non-profits were complicit in co- signing the joint letter, misleading the nation’s physicians? Was the HHS misled when Dr. Mc Cormick omitted the VAERS data from her monthly reports? “Because the public apparently has no champion or channel to investigate this alleged collusion, the vaccine program for pregnant women advances unimpeded and continues to disable the emerging generations of humanity by weakening the fetuses and sabotaging its formative wellness!”, exhorts, Dannemann

The vaccine manufacturers package inserts state that there are no studies on the effect of vaccines on fetuses or on reproduction and yet, despite no safety studies as required by law, the CDC joint letter broadly admits that it has been giving pregnant women the flu vaccine for a decade. On what science does the CDC base its rhetoric that there are no harmful effects when autism, allergies, asthma, juvenile diabetes, obesity and alleged “mental illness” as seen in children at very early ages, is at epidemic proportions concomitant to increased childhood vaccine mandates? “How does this history of increased chronic illness in children, concomitant to increase childhood vaccine mandates, justify further weakening the emerging generation with in-utero assault? In light of this clearly failed public experiment with its morbid statistics and no safety studies from the manufacturers, why are we continuing to vaccinate pregnant women?”, the director of NCOW further opines.

Still another 2012 study involving analysis of maternal transfer of mercury to the developing embryo/fetus, by Brown et al. has been recently published, confirming the Goldman study. Data demonstrated that Hg [mercury] exposures, particularly during the first trimester of pregnancy, at well-established dose/eight ratios produced severe damage to humans including death. (Brown IA, Austin DW. Maternal transfer of mercury to the developing embryo/fetus: Is there a safe level?)

Sadly, due to the CDC cover up, there is no official follow up of the children that survived this catastrophic epoch in vaccine history. Asthma, diabetes, allergies, autism, ADHD, bi polar symptoms associated with vaccine injury is on the rise. “Given the recent publications of Goldman and Brown studies, is the CDC obliged to alert the nation’s pediatricians and parents of a potential health crisis in children injected in-utero in 2009/10 with 50 mcgs of Thimerosal (mercury), so they can consider cause, and treat accordingly? Or will media, physicians, healthcare professionals, public, HHS officials and lawmakers, in apathetic powerlessness, continue to allow the CDC to shove this under the rug in an effort to hide the injurious nature of the over ambitious and costly pregnancy and childhood vaccine programs?”, comments, Ms. Dannemann

Access all links HERE

Posted by Erwin Alber on January 23, 2014

Faith VS Certainty

Dr. Brene Brown says, “Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of uncertainty.”  

I have been investing time in thought around the difference between faith and certainty, or the lack of.  I have years of practice (religion, environment, experience, etc) that encourages me to embrace faith in my spiritual life.  There seems to be a growing intuitive compulsion to practice faith in the realm of health, especially natural healing.  It has been a journey to say the least.  I am hopeful that this journey continues.  I have seen the practice of faith lend miracles.  It is a power that I honor and revere, but it is far from understood.  I think that is the beauty of it….we are not meant to understand, just believe….be courageous!

A patient delivered her gratitude for this phenomenon in the form of a hand-made card.  She writes:

Dr. Taryn

It’s the day before Thanksgiving and I want to express to you how thankful I am that God placed me in your care to guide me on my journey to healing.  In May 2012 I found myself going down an unfamiliar path of dealing with several physical issues, and for some reason the majority of my pain manifested itself in my lower back and hip.  Something inside of me told me that all the issues I was dealing with had one root cause, and yet I couldn’t get anyone else to believe me.  I spent 7 months trying to deal with the issues myself.  I visited a couple of medical doctors that wanted to medicate the issues without getting to the root of all the problems, and that only added to my frustration.  I got to the point where I couldn’t stand the pain any loner and in January I found myself sitting in your waiting room.  After consulting with you I felt as though I finally found someone with a listening ear and the ability to address ALL that was going on with me.  I felt such a sense of peace when I left your office that day!  At that time I would have never dreamed all the things that I would learn on the other side of this journey….

First, I have learned to trust the God given instincts that He has given to me with the things concerning my body.  Secondly, I have learned to trust the peace that God gives to me when He leads me in a certain direction and to stay on that course and finish it.  I am so thankful God kept leading my path to you…..it was the only place my heart found peace and my body began to heal.  Thirdly, I have learned that my body is an amazing miracle that is complex and intertwined!  I have learned that if I treat the whole body….including the mind, spirit and emotion….then healing can begin.  I would have never guessed that all I was experiencing had so much to do with my chemical makeup and with what I was feeding it both physically and mentally.

My journey has had its ups and downs, but I finally feel like I am reaching the end.  I feel as though I have found peace in my heart.  In my mind, and in my body!  You have shared with me a vast amount of knowledge and have been my support and cheerleader throughout this journey….not to mention the many times your healing hands have brought relief to my hurting body 🙂  My words fall so short of what my heart feels and to simply say “thank you” seems very inadequate….but my words are all I have.  God has used you in my life to help me find my way to healing and I will forever be grateful!

My heart overflows with gratitude – Teresa Diener

I don’t know that I could say it any better than that.  When you listen to your “guts” and act in faith, truely amazing things can happen!

Sometimes we are blessed with confirmation through bloodwork or imaging  of a diagnosis (aka certainty).  From that diagnosis there is often a recommendation for treatment that can either prevent progression of the condition or resolve it.  BUT….more often than not, we are not given certainty.  It is very common to consult a healthcare professional with a symptom, maybe multiple symptoms, and a treatment is recommended as a trial.  Notice I used the word trial.  The practice of medicine usually starts with a differential of diagnosis.  One symptom could be a product of countless conditions.  A healthcare professional has to gather data from the patient and combine it with knowledge of disease/health that they have to conclude the list of possible conditions.  Again, we are occassionally blessed by a lab test or imaging that can confirm a single condition.  More often, treatment is recommended based on the more common or more likely condition, hence a trial of treatment, reducing and/or resolving the condition.

With a different pair of glasses on you can consider the power of adding good 🙂  Let’s say you are admitted to the hospital for 3 days for a cardiac procedure.  Of course the heart is an important organ.  The procedure is necessary to keep you alive.  Let’s also say you were denied food and water for those 3 days.  How would a lack of nutrition and hydration affect your ability to endure the procedure?  Recover?  Thrive?  I think everyone would agree, you would have to add food and water during your stay at the hospital to endure, recover and thrive.  The importance of nutrition and hydration, among many other “good” additions to our body, can be a game-changer when it comes to healing.  We all know what we should do to stay healthy; what if the right combination of  consistent “good” could be the key to our prosperity, even when there is disease present?

We need a myriad of “good” in our lives to thrive.  Everyone priortizes them a little different, but to name a few: food, water, relaxation, purpose, supplementation, sleep, exercise, oxygen, adjustments, detoxification, connection to others and positivity.  How often do we priortize the needs of others: work, school, friends, status, church, etc?  The  constant demand to serve immediate needs (of ourselves or others) at the expense of our long-term needs can rob us of our health!

It is often easy to convince yourself that a prescription medication that has been researched and approved by the FDA will help hault progression or resolve your condition.  What gives you that certainty?  Can you think of areas of “good” that you have neglected in your health?  Could you convince yourself, in the presence of a symptom/condition, that simply adding good would help you heal?

Every body is unique.  Every body has strength and weakness.  Every body handles germs, inflammation, pain and stress differently.  Strive to find the perfect combination of provider, treatment, faith and certainty that is right for you!  Never doubt your intuition, even if it challenges the norm!  Regardless of your religion or belief in a higher power, believe in YOU!  Find a proposal that delivers an inner peace and follow through!  Remember Teresa’s discovery, the “body is an amazing miracle that is complex and intertwined!  I have learned that if I treat the whole body….including the mind, spirit and emotion….then healing can begin.”

In Loving Service,

Dr. Taryn

PESKY GERMS BE GONE….WITHOUT ANY SIDE EFFECTS OR RESISTANCE!

I have so much to say about this experience, it’s hard to find a starting point!!!  I guess I should start with a little about our Olde English Bulldogge.  

 

His name is Bambino.  He is around the corner from his 2nd Birthday (May 2nd).  Bambino was a surprise for Joey’s 31st Birthday in September of 2009.  He was named after Babe Ruth (Joey is a huge Yankees fan!).  He is a pretty big guy, usually hanging out around 90 pounds.  Needless to say, with that irresistable face, he stole our hearts and has been one of our “boys” ever since.  To avoid an injustice, we have two boys.  Fitch is our 12 year old terrier mix.  These two little guys are our pride and joy!  We travel with them, they sleep with us, we lay in the floor and wrestle, only the best food and health products, they get monthly pedicures….I’m sure you have the picture, these boys are our children!! 

Now that you know how much we LOVE our boys, let me say Bambino is HIGH MAINTENANCE!!!  I was spoiled for the ten years prior to adding Bambino to the family!  I rescued Fitch from a rain storm when he was a puppy and he has been the coolest, smartest, most awesome dog ever!  He is always in a good mood, he very rarely has any illness or problems, let me just say he is THE MAN!  Not to say I love Bambino any less, but he makes it hard some days with all of the trouble he gets into!  He gets into anything that has “funk” on it, in turn he has diarrhea within 12 hours!  He likes to chase cars, WHILE he’s on his leash, leaving us with all sorts of bumps, bruises and sore spots.  He has jumped OUT of the car window while going 35 MPH in attempt to chase a car in the oncoming lane!  He was diagnosed with Ehrlichia, causing Joey and I a LOT of worry and stress.  After putting our brains together with an awesome veterinarian in Rayville, LA we thankfully discovered he did not have Ehrlichia!  Anyhow, the list goes on, but you can see he keeps us on our toes!  One of the main struggles we are continually battling with him is his skin.  The breeder, a very nice lady in Georgetown, TX, assured us that this breed, particularly her blood-line, is free of skin problems that their relative the English Bulldogge possess.  I think we have grounds for dispute! 

I wanted to be a veterinarian from a very young age.  I pursued that dream all the way through undergrad, earning a degree in Animal Science.  In the meantime I was employed by, and volunteered for, many veterinarians, both small and large animal.  I don’t know it all by any means, but I know enough to be inquisitive.  With this being said, you can understand why I have put myself in the middle of Bambino’s care.  I have exhausted many resources, including people and reference material.  When we began our most recent journey, I decided to document the whole thing in an effort to share it!  Now that you are up to speed on the background of this “experiment” I’ll dive in!

First, I should disclose that I am not a researcher.  I don’t really like to read it, I am definitely not qualified to conduct a publishable research project, and I do not claim to be an expert on the associated conditions, animal medicine or the products/techniques used.  I say that because I don’t want to mislead you.  I am a chiropractor with a big heart who loves to learn.  I put together some ideas (with a variety of help) and used them to successfully help Bambino recover from a germ overtaking, naturally.  So, this is just one dog, one study and one person’s ideas.  ENJOY!

About a week before Christmas Bambino went on an escapade in the woods behind our house.  When he “escapes” into this beautiful mess of pine tree and brush, we never know what he gets into….pretty scary!  This occassion he came home with a scratch on his left hind leg.  No big deal, minor incident, we left it to heal.  When we left for Christmas, we decided not to take the boys because we knew we would be coming home with a car-full.  We asked Joey’s parents to feed them and take them on their walks.  While we were gone on our two day outing to Texas, the weather was beautiful here in Louisiana so they decided to turn Bambino out in their backyard during the day.  Well, when we came home the scratch looked more like a sore and he had two additional lesions on each side of his tail.  His entire abdomen was red and bumpy too!

These weren’t little spots that I wanted to leave to heal (using previous skin-related experience with Bambino).  I immediately increased his fish oil, added a probiotic and sprayed the areas with colloidal silver.  We also have colloidal silver in their water bowl to help maintain gum health.  For those that are not familiar with colloidal silver, I will get to that in just a bit 🙂  So, while attempting to boost the healing potential within his body, Bambino could not resist the urge to LICK!!  He would apparently lick all day while we were at work because when we would come home the three areas would look more irritated and they began to bleed and ooze puss.  We are now at the Saturday following Christmas, New Year’s Day.  I decided I would “fix” the licking problem so I went to the store and got an E-Collar.  An E-Collar is one of those huge cone collars that wrap around the dog’s neck and extend out past their muzzle to keep them from licking and chewing.  Before I introduced the collar, I really tortured him (in his opinion) and gave him a bath.  I used this opportunity to scrub all of the lesions to get the “goop” out of his hair, clean up the wounds and see what we were working with up close.  It was not pretty, but I was confident he had a chance to heal now that he didn’t have free reign all day.  We continued his supplement regiment and introduced the collar, which he wore at all times!  We felt sorry for him a few times because he would sit in front of his toys and just stare, so we would take it off.  Within a few minutes he would find a spot that needed to be licked.  A few repeats of this and we resisted the urge!

By Wednesday the lesions were healing quite nicely.  They had all started to scab and did not look as inflammed.  He still had a ways to go, particularly in the left hind leg.  The original scratch was in the bend of his knee and was taking a little longer.  That night I gave him another bath to clean up and take a close look at the progress.  During his bath, I noticed that his chin and neck were a little inflammed.  The area smelled yeasty and was a little thicker feeling when I rubbed it.  You can only guess my excitement! 

On Thursday I called his veterinarian and asked to make an appointment for Monday.  They accommodated my request and scheduled him for a colloidal silver IV Monday, January 10th.  On Friday, his neck was even more inflammed and had started to break into a few sores, some areas seeped puss.  I called back and asked if Bam could stay overnight and get an extra dose (I am really discouraged at this point).  They explained that they were not open on Saturday and that they felt like his stay on Monday would be plenty of time to get a sufficient dose of colloidal silver.  No problem, right??!!

Saturday Bambino’s neck was BAD!  Let’s call the skin hanging from his neck a sack.  I don’t know how else to explain how it looked hanging from his neck!  The skin itself was extremely irritated – lots of puss, blood, goop!  I called my mom at this point.  She is a veterinary technician and breeds Great Danes.  She spends a lot of time researching care of dogs to minimize outbreaks in her breeding stock and obviously the little ones as they hit the ground.  She uses a lot of natural remedies to not only eliminate bacteria and viruses, but also to boost immune system function.  I thought it would be good to make sure I was doing all I could to get him through the weekend.  As we talked, my description of his condition led her to believe that he might have a pocket of infection under the skin.  She suggested I lance the neck and drain the infection.  I’m not sure at this point if it was my raging pregnancy hormones, my mommy instincts or just absolute frustration, but I began to cry and handed the phone over to Joey.  I didn’t think that I could touch his neck, much less make an incision and then express the mess!  I usually go for that kind of stuff, but it was quite different when it was my little boy!  Anyhow, I eventually developed the nerve to wash his neck and lance it.  I am blessed to have such a willing and patient husband.  He helped me get through it, and thankfully it was not a subdermal infection!  His skin was just so thickened from the yeast and infection that it was pulling his wrinkles out!

Well we made it through the weekend and the ice storm from Sunday night.  As we arrived at his appointment Monday, I begged them not to think I was a horrible mom!  Poor guy not only looked awful, but was pretty sad.  I think he was tired of all this too!

Before I turn the corner into the results of his treatment, I want to make good on my promise to tell you more about colloidal silver.  Again, I will admit, I am not an expert, just an advocate with a little information.  We use colloidal silver manufactured by Dave’s Healthy Solutions.  This is a company in Texas.  I mention this because the QUALITY of the colloidal silver we use is a key factor!  You may have heard of the “Blue Man,” Paul Karason.  He took large amounts of colloidal silver that HE made himself.  The silver deposited in his tissues and he turned blue, a condition known as argyria.  This is NOT a problem that we are concerned with.  The colloidal silver that we use has been proven to filter from the tissue within 72 hours.

So, what is colloidal silver.  It is a virtually tasteless, odorless, non-stinging and non-burning liquid.  It has been used for hundreds of years as a powerful, natural remedy with no known side effects.  It can be safely used in a variety of ways for a variety of reasons.  It may be taken orally, or applied directly to cuts, scrapes, open sores, warts, burns, or used as a rinse for acne, eczema and other skin conditions.  It may be gargled, dropped into the eyes and ears, used vaginally, anally, atomized or inhaled into the nose or lungs without fear of burning, stinging or irritation.  According to research conducted by the Department of Microbiology at Brigham Young University, colloidal silver was tested on and found to be effective against numerous bacteria, fungi, yeasts and viruses.  The reports of these kill-time test studies (1994 – 1996) confirmed neutralization was achieved in less than ten minutes contact time with the colloidal silver.  While most antibiotics destroy about a half dozen germs, colloidal silver has been reported to destroy over 650!  One of the most interesting facts about colloidal silver is that it acts as a catalyst in these germs; it disables the enzyme that they use for their oxygen metabolism, suffocating them.  With this method of action, these germs are unable to build a resistance to the colloidal silver!!!  How awesome is this stuff!!

Now for the big finale!!  I took a LOT of pictures of his progress so you could visualize each step of his healing.  I hope that you are not offended with the graphic nature of the lesions.  I wanted to capture the severity of this infection!  Bare with me as I elaborate on his treatment and his progress over the next seven days!

When I picked him up Monday afternoon, the veterinarian (I didn’t get permission to use his name, so sorry to keep saying “veterinarian”) explained that he had Moist Deep Pyoderma.  This just means he had a bacterial infection that produced puss and penetrated to the deep dermis.  So, in addition to his supplement regiment, he now had colloidal silver given intravenous (IV).  For all of you out there that need details, he was given 4 oz of colloidal silver mixed with B12, Dextrose and Saline.  That evening I adjusted him and gave him a bath with chlorhexiderm shampoo, a sensitive shampoo with antiseptic to help keep the area clean.  I adjusted his atlas and sacrum too.  At this point he had a good appetite and no change in his bowel or bladder function.  He was moderately uncomfortable – gently shaking his head, carrying his head low, carefully licking, rubbing against couch (or anything/anybody) and he was really clingy.  Bambino is just like a kid, when he doesn’t feel good, he likes to be given extra attention and TLC 🙂  To add to what you can see in the pictures, his skin was very thick, red and bumpy.  His neck was especially raw and distended (remember the sack!).  It was bleeding and oozing puss.  He had flaky scabs where the puss would dry and sluff off.  His coat was really loose and he was shedding like crazy!

Tuesday, January 11th was Day 2 of our treatment.  We continued his supplements – fish oil, probiotic and oral colloidal silver.  Today we added cold laser therapy.  We used the yeast and wound frequencies first thing in the morning and again that evening.  I adjusted him again.  On this day he was only mildly uncomfortable.  We really saw his attitude start to lift!  He would fully shake his head, which he was doing as a form of scratching I think.  His ears were clear and we wouldn’t allow him to scratch (although he now had a desire to) so I think it felt good to shake!  He started to carry his head normally.  His sack wasn’t nearly as saggy….he had a few wrinkles again!  He was still clingy, but more peppy in his activities.  He is definitely rubbing against anything he can!  The skin at his neck and hind leg is less thickened.  The scabs are starting to harden and get thick.  He still has some bloody areas, but the puss is minimal.  Although I didn’t photograph it, his abdomen that was red and bumpy was completely clear at this point.

Day 3: January 12th.  Bambino’s treatment today was the same as Day 2.  He continues to have healthy bowels and urinary function.  His appetite is as good as ever.  He is beginning to be exciteable – he’s bouncing through the house like a bull in a china cabinet (his normal behavior).  We had to work a little harder to get pictures because he wouldn’t sit still!  He has his normal posture, he does not appear guarded or uncomfortable.  He is not rubbing as much.  He is finally sleeping deeply, loud snoring and all!  Sleeping is one his favorite things to do!  The skin on his neck is very close to normal thickness.  There are not any areas that are bleeding or oozing.  The scabs look clean…minimal irritation and dry edges.

We’re back around to Thursday!  The 13th of January, Day 4 of treatment.  Today, Bambino got another chlorhexiderm bath.  We took the pictures after his bath.  You can see a lot of the scabs are gone and the healing skin is exposed.  He continues to improve and return to his loveable self! (Momma and Daddy are very relieved that he is getting better and he hasn’t got into anything to set us back!)

TA-DA!!!!  Day 7 was the Monday following the IV colloidal silver treatment, January 17th.  He still has a little hair to reclaim, but his skin is very close to scab-free and he is feeling much better!! 

I’m not sure how these results compare to results with an oral antibiotic (recommended course of care with traditional veterinarian).  I am sure that Bambino healed effectively without the use of oral antibiotics.  I don’t mean for that to sound judgemental.  Our family believes in the body’s ability to heal itself!  Antibiotics are definitely essential in certain situations, they are not without side-effects though.  One of the downfalls to antibiotics is that they kill ALL bacteria, even the good.  With just one “round” of antibiotics, the natural gut flora can be disturbed for life.  If that can be avoided, why not!  In this case, thankfully we were able to avoid it.  In fact, Bambino has never had an antibiotic.  We actually made a veterinarian very upset one time because we declined the antibiotics she recommended (not the same veterinarian that we use now – obviously).  That’s another story for another time 🙂 

So, the beginning of this journey was very frustrating and even had me in tears at one point, but in retrospect I would not have changed a thing!  I truely believe my little guy is happier and healthier because of the choices we made, today and long term.  I hope you were able to take a little from my experience.  I certainly enjoyed my first little “experiment!”  After all is said and done, we will continue to use colloidal silver at our house! 

Blessings to you and your family! 

 Dr. Taryn Lowery