Extremes… Why Can’t There Be A Middle Ground?
Natural or Conventional Medicine?
I see families going to extremes on both sides and no one can see the middle ground. Some families that think Doctors are Gods and families who think the Man and the industry are out to get them.
I believe that many illnesses should heal naturally so that we can build up an immunity to our environment and learn to live with it, not fight against it, but there are illnesses that do need treatment. There are good and bad people on both sides of the medical debate.
I have a huge list of things that need treatment, but for now I want to focus on strep throat. Strep throat will heal naturally, but you are contagious for at least 30 days which means if you choose to ignore it, then stay home. Do not leave the house. Do not get bored and take your kids out. Do not think that you don’t need the official test because you can read up on the internet.
Have a sore throat for more than a few days? That is a symptom, not an illness all on its own. Get it checked. If you have any of these in addition to it: difficulty breathing, swallowing or opening the mouth; joint pain; earache; rash; fever over 101; blood in saliva or phlegm; a lump in the neck; a sore throat that recurs frequently, get it checked.
Although strep throat itself isn’t dangerous, it may lead to serious complications if left untreated. These complications include other infections, such as:
- Tonsillitis or a collection of pus around the tonsils caused by infection (peritonsillar abscess)
- Sinus infection (sinusitis)
- Ear infection
- Scarlet fever, an illness characterized by a rash
- Inflammation of the kidney (poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis)
- Rheumatic fever
Problems with rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever causes inflammatory deposits (nodules) to form in various tissues, including the joints, skin and muscles. These nodules also may form on the heart muscle, the lining of the heart and especially the heart valves, causing scarring that can interfere with the flow of blood inside the heart. Although surgery can sometimes repair scarred valves, the damage may be permanent. In some cases this damage may lead to heart failure. 1
My sons reaction was acute mesenteric lymphadenitis. Even though he was treated he was being exposed by people who were not treating it and were exposing others to it without knowing the facts. The facts being you are contagious for longer than the symptoms. You have to stay home until you test as a non carrier.
This is what repeat strep does to an immune system, even when treated.
http://joannaglass.com/?s=strep
October 20 2009 12:14 pm | Attachment Parenting and Random Thoughts and Rants