RSV & Synagis

I wasn't planning on posting for a while, but a topic came up in conversation that I thought I would address here since I was going to be doing some research on it.

RSV, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, has become a household term this past decade. My 3rd son, Jesse, had it when he was 6 months old and we needed to take him to the emergency room to get a nebulizer and albuterol. It was scary when I laid my baby down to change his diaper and he struggled to breathe and his lips turned blue. But I specifically remember the day before watching a friend's little girl who had a nasty, sticky cough and I believe it was passed on to my son. I should have been a wiser Momma and just said "no!"

The symptoms of RSV "can range from having a simple clear runny nose and occasional cough that can be treated at home, to severe difficulty breathing that may require hospitalization. Other symptoms might include a low-grade fever, sore throat, headache, and irritability. Younger children, especially those under 2 or 3 years old, are most at risk for more severe symptoms, such as high fever, wheezing, difficulty breathing, a persistent cough, or apnea." (from http://pediatrics.about.com/od/childhoodinfections/a/05_rsv.htm). One of the problems with RSV is that it can show up as a simple cold in older children, so that you an expose a vulnerable child easily if you are not careful.

One of the best preventions is limiting exposure in very young children. Keep your newborns at home whenever possible. If this means you worship in your own home until the rounds of cold and flu are done, do so. Ask friends and family members to wash their hands before holding your baby. Limiting day care exposure is also strongly recommended. Routine cleaning of countertops, tables,toys, etc can significantly decrease live viruses.

So what about the new vaccine, Synagis (palivizumab)? This vaccine was developed in the 90's with some of the clinical trials held during 1996 to 1997. Palivizumabprophylaxis was associated with a 55% reduction of RSV hospitalization in all premature infants and an 80% reduction in hospitalization rate for 32to 35 weeks' gestational age infants without chronic lung disease (many children show signs of asthma or other lung disease after having RSV). But what are the risks?

As with all vaccines, I would encourage parents to make an informed choice. Get online and read both sides of the issues. (I have listed several websites at the end of this post.) Ask to see the package insert that comes with the vaccine.

We, as a family, have chosen to postpone vaccines for now. Here are several reasons:

**Vaccines bypass God's original plan for immunity. Your three main immune response sites are the mucus membranes (nose, throat, ears, etc.), the gut (stomach, intestines) and the skin. When one is naturally exposed to a virus or bacteria it is usually through one of these areas. Our body is a miraculously equipped machine that is trained to attack viruses and bacteria when they overload our system. A vaccine, though, enters the blood stream and neuro system directly and can cause many dangerous side effects like Type I diabetes and autism.

**Vaccines contain artificial and animal ingredients besides human components. Some of these include pesticides, formaldehyde, and animal viruses. Synagis contains 5% murine (mouse) antibodies (taken from package insert). It is even a possibility that RSV has become more common because it is carried in the Polio Vaccine used now. (http://www.thinktwice.com/Polio.pdf) The human components often come from the fetuses of aborted babies. Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Why would we intentionally inject ourselves and our family members with these ingredients?

**A child's immunity does not reach maturity until about 5-6 yrs. old. It is very important that we encourage our children's immunity by feeding them whole, nourishing foods; encouraging needed sleep; providing them with abundant, clean, drinking water; and bringing them up in a positive, loving atmosphere. These factors alone will contribute to strong, healthy children. We also need to make wise choices as parents and limit their exposure during times of sickness and disease. And when our children do get sick, we need to be well-educated in the things that promote true immunity: vitamins & minerals, herbs, natural supplements, juicing, and rest.

Yes, my sons have had RSV. But I would not have chosen the the vaccine if it was accessible when they were young. I treated their RSV with several Trilight Herb formulas: Echinacea & Thyme with Elderberry, Lungs Plus, & Yummy Yarrow. I used herbal lotions (Lympha Rub & similar to Vicks on their throat and necks to provide relief from coughing. I did go to my Dr. and request a nebulizer and albuterol when I felt we needed it. I also used Trilight Herb's astragulus to help build up Jesse's lungs to decrease the risk of asthma. And I have prayed over my children many nights and into the early hours of the morning.

When it comes to our children's health, we need to make informed, educated decisions. Many of the drugs and vaccines on the market today have not been properly tested over a long period of time. We do not know what effect this will have on our children and our grandchildren someday. May God grant us wisdom!

"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."
James 3:17


For more information: http://www.vaccinetruth.org, http://www.nmaseminars.com/index.html,
http://www.whale.to/vaccines/moskowitz.html,
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/

Our family prayer journal

I had a few comments on Facebook about our family prayer journal, so I thought I would share the details with you. It has filled 2 needs for us...first, how to begin praying on a daily basis for all of our family and friends. This is an area where I struggled in consistency and I really wanted to set forth a good example for my children. Also, what to do with those beautiful pictures that we receive at Christmas? We used to put them on our refrigerator but we were running out of room.

This fall I came across a Mead Primary Journal in the clearance aisle at our local Wal-Mart. It is a composition book with a 1/3 of the page blank for the child to draw a picture. I have had it sitting on my shelf for a special use and I found one!! I use the unlined area to mount the pictures or prayer cards. And in the space below I have written the name, family members and any prayer needs I know of.

I have designated 3 pages for each day (6 pages front & back). The first page is for family members. I have included parents, siblings, aunts & uncles and any cousins we have kept in touch with. This adds up to quite a few in our family: my Dad has 6 brothers and sisters alone!

Next, we have civil and governmental leaders. Some we included are U.S. President, V.President, U.S Rep, U.S. Senator, State Rep. State Senator, Sheriff, police men, firemen, IA Family Policy Center, NICHE (our State homeschool group), etc. Because of the past election we have become more involved with our local political party and have been able to meet face-to-face many of our leaders. I look forward to the day when one of the boys walk up to one of them and shake their hand and tell them they have been praying for them. If you do not know the names of some of your leaders, please begin to do so. We need to be watchful and in prayer for our nation. When I ran out of names I began adding those who we rub shoulders with each day: our mail man, our vendors and salesman for our business, the librarians, the "box lady" (We have a center we take our boxes to for recycling. I have made a point to get to know Rhonda who works there so we can witness to her. The boys even sang to her at Christmas.)

On the third page of each day are our church families. We have a smaller church so we can cover all our families in 1 month. The fourth page is for friends. This is where a lot of the Christmas pictures went. :) I always felt badly when I started receiving Christmas cards and realized I hadn't kept in touch throughout the year. Now we can keep the friends fresh in our minds each month. I may also find the time to drop them an e-mail or card near the day we pray for them.

And on the fifth page are missionaries. Their prayer cards get mounted on the top of the page and their current prayer requests are written below. We have 3 families we have chosen to begin praying for that are not a part of our church list and the rest are missionaries from our church. My goal is to write those for whom I do not have prayer cards and request them so that we can begin to put more faces to names. Perhaps I may help the boys to find pen pals from these families too.

We still may tweak our system a bit. Sometimes I wonder if I have too many on our list? But then we have 5 boys, so each of us takes one page with some getting prayed for twice. It has been encouraging to hear our little ones pray. They used to get stuck praying the same words over again and over again, now they hear a name or see a face they know and are anxious to pray for them. I would also like to bring some of the needs before God on a more daily basis. This will hopefully happen in my own prayer time, which still needs some work of its own. I would welcome your suggestions on that.

'I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers," Philemon 1:4