If a Mom chooses natural treatments for a sick child, is she a criminal?

Is chemotherapy the only answer for cancer??

When a child is critically ill, the issue of parental rights in how to treat that child often becomes cloudy. It’s easy to understand when the courts intervene in the case of a child of Christian Science parents, who has
appendicitis and the parents refuse treatment on the grounds of religious belief. Odds are, an infected appendix will burst and cause severe illness and potentially death. Right now, the best treatment is removal of the infected appendix.

What about allergies, strep throat or even cancer?

Do we as parents have the right to choose the best care possible- even if it doesn’t involve drugs? Does any parent choosing a non-traditional treatment protocol do so out of carelessness, foolishness or selfish pride?

Hardly. Every parent I know, including myself, who has chosen an non-traditional treatment or drug-free protocol has done so after careful deliberation and personal research. We have made these choices based, not on mindless fear of medicine, but based on the very real results and scientific proof of drug free treatments.

Prescription drugs are not always a guarantee of anything. Not all surgeries are 100% effective. Adults and children both have died from the side effects of cancer treatments, surgeries, proper use of prescription drugs, and infections caught in hospitals. So people who choose alternative means often have very real concerns about the outcomes of pharmaceutical treatments.

And there is overwhelming, scientific proof that drug free protocols are often as effective as their drug based counterparts – at a fraction of the cost and without negative or serious side effects.  In fact, here in Virginia, a very similar case occurred two years ago.  Just recently, the boy’s blood work showed no trace of cancer.

So why is Daniel’s mother in Minnesota being treated like a criminal? Daniel has nodular sclerosing Hodgkin disease, the most common form of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Daniel’s Aunt died from her chemo treatments. The family did treat Daniel with one round of chemotherapy, and after seeking 3 different medical opinions, decided to treat Daniel with natural means. The family is not new to natural treatments, it is how they live their lives.

A judge decided that the family is being negligent and remanded Daniel to Child Protective Services. They would force Daniel through Chemotherapy against his parent’s, and Daniel’s wishes.

Daniel’s mother did, what any mother in her right mind would do. She has taken matters into her own hands, and she and Daniel have run away. Even her husband doesn’t know where they are.

I wish Daniel and his family well. I hope that his cancer heals and that the courts back off, and allow Daniel and his family to live according to their conscience.

In an era where the government is “trying to control costs” you’d think they’d applaud Daniel’s family, not seek to arrest them.  Daniel’s parents are taking personal responsibility and LOWERING the expense on society.  Too bad it’s not politically correct.

What do you think? Should Daniel be treated by standard chemotherapy protocol against the strong wishes of his family? Or should they be allowed to seek the treatment for him in accordance with their lifestyle?

Links: Boy who refuses cancer treatment flees with mother

Daniel’s story

Parents who refuse treatments on religious grounds

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About the Author: Karen Miner Hurd is a wellness educator, entrepreneur and a Mama Bear when it comes to her children.  She and her husband Dale live in Virginia Beach with their 5 children and Bomber the dog.  Karen is also the founder of the Hampton Roads Tea Party and the FreedomWize & WomanWize teams.  She is passionate about life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and a good pumpkin pie.  Contact Karen if you are interested in natural health and infinite income from home. Karen@gohealthygo.com  or Twitter.com/LongevityCoach

Should You Use Zicam?

I’m an allergy patient. When I get a cold, it’s like adding an insult to injury. The congestion is awful.  If I don’t take care of it quickly, it quite often goes into a secondary infection.  It’s best to avoid getting colds altogehter, and for the most part I seldom get them.

As a wellness person, I know that much of the cold remedies are questionable, and most never really worked for me.  I kept seeing Zicam, and was very intrigued because it contained zinc and seemed like a good natural alternative.  The price tag (over $10) kept me from buying it.  Right now I’m using a neti-pot, or nasal irrigation when I get a cold or am exposed to alot of dust.  It works quite well. In addition I take quite a lot of garlic, Vita-C (TM), Nutriferon (TM), Formula I (TM) and Alfalfa (TM).

Guest Blogger today is Dr. Richard Brouse.  Dr. Brouse is a chiropractic physician, biochemist, certified clinical nutritionist, teacher, author and lecturer on health preservation and disease prevention. you can find his site at: http://www.healthedcorp.com/

Zicam manufactures a form of zinc gluconate + gylcerine lozenge supposedly said to treat colds.  An other product with the same ingredients include Cold Ez. Zicam has had a number of lawsuits due to alleged damage to olfactory sensory nerves.

In September 2003, Zicam faced lawsuits from users who claimed that the product negatively affected their sense of smell, and sometimes taste. However, Zicam advocates assert that instructions on the container clearly indicate proper use, which will allow users to avoid these problems. In January 2006, 340 lawsuits were settled for $12 million.^[9] In early 2004, at the height of the controversy, Matrixx Initiatives, Inc., the maker of Zicam, claimed that only a small number of people had experienced problems and that anosmia (loss of smell) can, amongst others, also be caused by the common cold itself. Matrixx also claimed that zinc gluconate dissolves into zinc ions and gluconate, and that both are naturally occurring compounds which are found in all human tissues. They also claim that Zicam is a buffered gel which is formulated to have a neutral pH. The plaintiffs countered Matrixx, claiming that many of the patients had experienced a strong and very painful burning sensation when they used the product, indicating damage to the nasal tissue. No part of the settlement targeted the product’s removal from sale, and the nasal gel continues to be available at drug stores throughout the USA. The two creators of Zicam have come under scrutiny. Robert Steven Davidson received his PhD from an unaccredited university which has since closed while Charles B. Hensley has been cited by the US Food and Drug Administration for selling unapproved drugs over the Internet.^[10]

· 9 zicam.vanosteen.com

· 10 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/30/AR2006013001255.html Retrieved on 2008-02-27

My advice over a product like zinc gluconate is to take Vivix, Nutriferon, avoid sweets, evaluate your zinc status by laboratory testing and get enough rest.  This works for my patients.

Dr. Richard Brouse Health Education Corporation