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Vol. I, Issue #2    Free Newsletter    Published Monthly by SparkyFightsBack.com

    August, 2005 Do Vaccinations Promote Cancer?

Recent News, Events and Tips on Animal Cancer
Compiled For All Animal Caretakers by Josée Clerens and John Clifton, Co-Authors of "Sparky Fights Back: A Little Dog's Big Battle Against Cancer"
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in this issue

Authors' Note

Vaccinations and Cancer

What Are Titers?

Do Shots Reduce Immunity?

Vaccinations- A Holistic Opinion

Cancer Help On Your Spice Rack?

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A NOTE FROM THE AUTHORS

A Rewarding Start

Our first issue certainly was well-received! We got lots of positive feedback, some good suggestions and a great overall response. Many more subscribers have signed up over the past month, and we are encouraged to continue. 

This issue is dedicated to a big topic nowadays - vaccinations. Are we doing too much "immunizing" while actually damaging the immune system? There's a lot of controversy in the air regarding human as well as animal vaccinations. We've tried to highlight the main issues and point you towards more complete information.

We also came across news about a kitchen spice (!) that seems to fight tumors and reduce resistance to chemotherapy as well. It seemed too good to be true, but a US-funded scientific study shows some pretty amazing results.

If you haven't picked up a copy of the August Dog Fancy, check out Terry Winkleman's nice review of our book "Sparky Fights Back: A Little Dog's Big Battle Against Cancer." 

Wishing you success in all your battles,

-- Josée and John

Got ideas? Please continue to e-mail news items to us at authors@sparkyfightsback.com .  


ARE VACCINATIONS PROMOTING CANCER?

Many Say We're Overdoing It

The word "vaccine" has its root in vacca, or cow, the original vaccine being taken from the lymph of a cow and used in humans against cowpox or smallpox. Vaccines, as we learned in school, are preparations of bacteria or viruses designed to cause the body to produce antibodies. Antibodies are disease-fighting organisms created by the body's immune system. In the history of human health, vaccines have been considered a boon, virtually eliminating some diseases (like smallpox) and bringing others under control (flu shots). In the pet world, vaccinations against many diseases - from rabies to bordetella - have become standard procedure.

But can vaccinations actually harm us and our pets, as well as help? After all, every vaccination causes the immune system to work overtime, creating those antibodies. Can too many vaccinations actually damage the immune system, leaving it vulnerable against diseases such as cancer? Many say "yes." That is the heart of the current controversy.

We brought the subject up the other day with a veterinarian friend. John mentioned that a vet who had years ago examined our Sparky's puppy shot record had said that "breeders tend to over-vaccinate. I know. I used to be a breeder." Our friend concurred and said "and the vets also overdo the shots - because they make money on them."

Much of the danger comes with the repetition of shots from year to year. They're finding out more and more that vaccinations last a lot longer than originally thought. Many believe we're giving unnecessary so-called "booster" shots, and they are breaking down the immune systems of our animals. The result is cancer and other diseases.

Our dog Sparky, at six years old, underwent a one-year regimen of chemotherapy when he came down with lymphoma back in 2000. Since then, our oncologist recommended that Sparky be given NO vaccinations. ZERO shots. A strain on the immune system might mean opening the door for his cancer to return. Sparky is now eleven, and we don't feel he has been particularly at risk due to the lack of immunizations. 

A reader of this newsletter wrote to say that NONE of his animals, which include horses and dogs, ever received a single vaccination, and none had ever contracted cancer. To be sure, these animals lived in the country, with far less chance than city dogs of picking up communicable diseases. 

The case against over-vaccinating is certainly clear. We advise that you express your concerns about overdoing the shots to your veterinarian. Discuss the possibility of minimizing the number and the frequency of shots. This will at least let the vet know that you're aware of the problems, and possibly he or she will think twice about giving anything over and above what is absolutely necessary.



WHAT ARE 'TITERS'?

Determining You Dog's Immunity

Titer tests measure the serum antibodies present in the body.  Using the titers test, a veterinarian can tell more about whether a booster shot is necessary. Low titers indicate the necessity for re-immunization. From this, you can see that if the test shows high titers, you can avoid the booster shot. 

Lauren M. Silvesti, DVM, VCP has written a thorough report on vaccinations and titers. She writes:

"Measure antibodies through serum antibody titer tests and only vaccinate when indicated by low titers. These tests are not going to save the pet owner any money and they should still be performed annually until we know more conclusively how long these antibodies last in the blood. However, these tests give us peace of mind that we are not doing unnecessary procedures as well as helping the veterinary community establish just how long vaccinations actually protect the average dog or cat. This knowledge may save many thousands of pets in the future from unnecessary illnesses."

We highly recommend the use of titers tests! Why vaccinate if it's unnecessary and could harm your dog?  More...



DO VACCINATIONS REDUCE OUR IMMUNITY? 

Overtaxing The System

The following list is excerpted from an article by Dr. Joseph Mercola. The focus here is on humans, but most of it could apply to animals as well. There has been much written of late about dangers due to presence of  mercury in vaccines. We think this has been greatly exaggerated. In fact, the entire mercury conspiracy theory was pretty much debunked by Michael Fumento, a senior fellow of the Hudson Institute (NY Post, July 3, 2005).  Mr. Fumento notes that "Some of these fear mongers mean well but are woefully ignorant...For example, they claim childhood vaccines cause the (disorder) autism because they contain a mercury-based preservative called thimerosal. Never mind that production of childhood vaccines with thimerosal ended several years ago..."

Having noted the above, we reprint the list (condensed here):

1) Vaccines contain many chemicals and heavy metals, like mercury and aluminum, which are in themselves immuno-suppressing. 

2) Vaccines contain foreign tissues and foreign DNA/RNA which act to suppress the immune system.

3) Vaccines alter our t-cell helper/suppressor ratios ... just like those seen with AIDS. 

4) Vaccines alter the metabolic activity of PMNs.  PMNs are our body’s defenses against pathogenic bacteria and viruses.

5) Vaccines suppress our immunity merely by over-taxing our immune system with foreign material, heavy metals, pathogens and viruses. 

6) Vaccines clog our lymphatic system and lymph nodes with large protein molecules which have not been adequately broken down by our digestive processes.. This is why vaccines are linked to allergies.

7) Vaccines deplete our body of vital immune-enhancing nutrients, like vitamin C, A and zinc.

8) Vaccines slow the level of nervous transmission, and communications to the brain and other tissues. 



HOLISTIC VET WARNS

Lighten Up On The Shots!!

Our holistic friend in Iowa, Dr. Gary VanEngelenburg - known popularly as "Dr. Van" - has concerns about over-vaccinating. We met Dr. Van in Texas, when he, John and Sparky were guests on the same television show - "Your Health."  Dr. Van claims cancer success rates comparable to traditional veterinarians. On his Web site, Dr. Van writes:

"Does your veterinarian still recommend annual vaccinations? The reasoning often is that we give them simply because of habit. Some hint that they are aware of some controversy but are “playing it safe”. The sad truth is more one of economics to most practices as annual vaccinations makes up a large portion of the income for many practices. I really think many veterinarians don’t want to hear the truth about the hazards of giving annual modified live virus (MLV) vaccines.

Fortunately, for our pets’ sake, public awareness and medical awareness are starting to surface and change is starting..."

We think Dr. Van makes a lot of sense. Read the rest of his article here.


FIND HELP FOR CANCER ON YOUR SPICE SHELF

New Study Shows Value of Curcumin

You might have a proven treatment for cancer sitting on your spice rack! A new U.S. Government funded study shows that an ingredient in turmeric - a spice used in curries - can shrink tumors, and even help in chemotherapy by suppressing the tendency for the body to develop immunity to it. The substance in question is curcumin -  the stuff that gives turmeric its yellow color. Here is a condensation from the Reuters news article found on Yahoo! [Read the entire article at this link]:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Turmeric, a yellow spice used widely in Indian cooking, may help stop the spread of cancer, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday. Tests in mice showed that curcumin, an active compound found in turmeric, helped stop the spread of breast cancer tumor cells to the lungs.

Tests have already started in people, too, said Bharat Aggarwal of the Department of Experimental Therapeutics at the University of Texas in a telephone interview.

"What's exciting about this agent is that it seems to have both chemopreventive and therapeutic properties. If we can demonstrate that it is efficacious in humans, it could be of tremendous value, but we're a long way from being able to make any recommendations yet," Aggarwal said.

Aggarwal said earlier studies suggest that people who eat diets rich in turmeric have lower rates of breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer.

No drug company is likely to develop a natural product that cannot be patented, he said. "There are no companies behind it so our only source of funding is either the National Institutes of Health or the Department of Defense," he said.

This study was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense's Breast Cancer Research Program. Aggarwal's team is also testing curcumin against pancreatic cancer and multiple myeloma. 

We find this to be very exciting! We've begun to sprinkle a little turmeric on Sparky's breakfast. We don't see a downside to this, since turmeric is a food, without the risk even of a medicinal herb! Cancer-dog caretakers should certainly check this out with their veterinarian. There have been no studies on dogs, of course. But we always remember the fact that 65% of the genes of dogs and humans are identical.

Curcumin has properties resembling the COX-2 inhibitors (found in anti-arthritis drugs such as Celebrex). COX-2 is an enzyme that seems to help cancer grow. Dr. Chintalapally V. Rao, a scientist with the American Health Foundation in Valhalla, New York, has conducted extensive animal studies with curcumin and notes that while the new drugs (Celebrex, etc.) "undermine the activity of the COX-2 enzyme, curcumin completely blocks formation of the enzyme itself." 

More about this here.


 

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
This newsletter is for informational purposes only, and the intent is to provide sources of possible veterinary assistance, treatments and other help for owners of animals with cancer. The authors do not in any way endorse or make claims for any of the medical personnel, medical facilities, treatments, therapies, medicines, or methods recommended, described or quoted herein. Nothing herein should be deemed to be medical or veterinary advice, since no doctors or veterinarians are employed by or connected with this publication. Visitors are directed to consult with licensed veterinarians for all medical advice. Although every effort is made to avoid factual errors, we cannot not guarantee the accuracy of any of the content of publication.

 

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