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Then I started to get philosophical. I thought: “We are probably
all parasites in one way or another. We’re all trying to survive
in this world. How many of us take from others without giving
anything in return? Probably all of us.”
There’s another side to parasites, too: parasites help the world
to go round. Intestinal worms, for example, have a function.
In perfect balance, our dogs would have one sentinel worm in
their systems. This worm would eat debris and toxins in the digestive
system, and also worm eggs that our dogs ingest. With
a strong immune system, a host will benefit from a worm. With
a weak immune system, or by using chemicals that wipe out all
worms, infestations occur.
In an attempt to keep our beloved
dogs healthy, many of us
have been forced to leave the
comfort of received veterinary
wisdom behind, and find what
is true for ourselves.
Viruses are, incidentally, also parasites. Viruses are not cells;
they don’t have a cell membrane or any components of living
cells. They need living host cells for their reproduction. Therefore
viruses form parasitic relationships with living organisms:
the virus benefits at the expense of the living organism. In the
case of retroviruses, these parasites can give rise to cancer, and
this also includes retrovirus contaminants in vaccines.
However, viruses also appear to be protective in some ways. Dr
Viera Scheibner discovered in the course of her research, for
example, that children who have normal childhood infections
such as measles and mumps are less likely to get cancer or leukaemia
in adulthood than vaccinated children who do not have
natural childhood infections. Similarly, viruses can be protective
to their natural hosts in that viruses which live harmoniously
within one species can kill that species’ predators. Therefore,
we are wrong to say that all parasites take without giving.
The harm is caused not by the parasite itself, but by imbalance,
or the disruption of natural equilibrium. If the person or animal
is strong, the parasite will not overcome the host.
Parasites are part of life. We live with bed bugs, and insects
feeding off our dead skin. When we die, parasites eat our remains
and return us to the earth. If fleas are a problem for our
dogs, natural rearers see them as messengers, telling us that
our dogs’ immune systems are under par. Similarly, those of us
who do not vaccinate strengthen our animals’ (and our own)
immune systems through diet and natural herbs and supplements
so that, should a parasite seek to take hold, the immune
system will respond appropriately and healthfully.
Complementary therapists have long held the view that our illnesses
or diseases are reflective of our mental and emotional
states. Much of this has been confirmed with the science of
psychoneuroimmunology, showing that our biochemicals, and
therefore our wellbeing, mirror our emotions. When stressed,
our body produces hormones that are damaging to the body,
and use up nutrients that are protective to the body. Stress,
for example, depletes some of the B vitamins – and B vitamins
repel parasites. Studies also show that stressed individuals do
not respond to vaccination well (they fail to establish immunity),
and also that individuals with dietary deficiencies do not
respond well to viral challenge or vaccination.
On physical, emotional and mental levels, healthy individuals
have good boundaries to protect themselves from assault or
infection. Our immune system – our physical boundary against
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Dogs Naturally Magazine | May/June2012
17