Were You Vaccinated?

Most of us already have experienced measles in childhood, whether we were vaccinated against it or not. However, exposure to this usually mild infection, through exposure to someone contagious with the measles, will usually ensure lifetime immunity so that you don’t have to experience the problem again. The vaccine against measles is not necessarily 100 percent protection against the virus, nor is it necessarily the reason for the eradication of the disease. Here are some interesting facts:

• The death rate from measles declined by 95 percent from 1916 to 1958. Note that this occurred years before the introduction of the vaccine.
• More than 95 percent of measles cases have a history of vaccination, according to Dr. William Atkinson of the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
• In Hungary, between December 1988 and May 1989 there were 19,000 cases of measles; 77 percent of these cases were found in people age 17 to 21 who had already received the live measles vaccine.

Whether you were vaccinated against measles or not, you can still utilize the same herbal remedies to help you recover. Let’s take a look at an old remedy, boneset.

Measles: No Measly Solution

Measles is typically a childhood illness, caused by a contagious virus. The symptoms include a rash that lasts about three to five days, a cough, a fever, and sometimes small red spots with white centers on the inside of the mouth. This illness usually lasts a short time, but you should take care of yourself for at least a week after you recover to ensure that you avoid further complications from the illness. An inner ear infection or other ailments of the respiratory tract can sometimes follow a measles outbreak.

Suma: Wrestling with Lyme Disease

When you think Suma, do you think sumo wrestling? Well, wipe that vision of a big black thong out of your mind’s eye, and let’s get back to business! Suma is an adaptogenic herb that can help the body recover from illnesses such as Lyme disease. This herb also has been called Amazon or Brazilian ginseng, and in Spanish it has been referred to as “para todo,” which means “for everything.” Suma can help get you back on your feet by helping to regulate sugar balance, acting as an aphrodisiac, and serving an immune stimulant. One herbalist claims that it helps fight the virus responsible for Epstein-Barr, and some recent Japanese research insinuates that suma may inhibit some cancer cells.