This book review is reprinted from The Homoeopath with permission from Nick Churchill of The Society of Homoeopaths.
2 Artizan Road, Northampton NN1 4HU, United Kingdom.

A Handbook of Homoeopathic Alternatives to Immunisation
by Susan Curtis
First published 1994, reprinted 1995, 1996.
Reviewed by Lesley King

In the book review guidelines sent to me by the editor of The Homoeopath, one sentence advises the reviewer that 'You can make statements that may be controversial but they should always be defensible'. How apt, when the subject under review is vaccination.

So many of us cry out against the practice of vaccination, but how scientifically can we defend our reasons for doing so? How grounded is our attitude and what can we confidently offer our patients who want to do something as an alternative? Do we rest easy in our beds as our patients (with their homoeopathic first aid kits tucked under their arms) board planes to the Third World, chat about their children's health outside the school gates, or sing lullabies to their perfect little 2-month olds? I wish the answer wasn't 'No.'

This book is a confident attempt to reduce the insufficiency of our knowledge and to empower us as travellers and parents (and as homoeopaths) to replace vaccination with a successful and reliable alternative. The author, Susan Curtis, originally trained in homoeopathy then expanded her practice to include herbs and essential oils. She has more recently committed herself to writing, and to helping people to learn to self-treat with natural remedies. Her list of acknowledgements includes names like Janice Micallef and Ernest Roberts.

As a general overview I would say that this comes across as a common-sense book, clearly written with practical advice and very good general information. There is a short but well explained chapter covering the background and principles of homoeopathy, and later a materia medica of acute and first-aid remedies. I'm not sure why Calcarea carbonica is included in this, but otherwise the selection of remedies is very useful. Diseases are discussed individually, including symptom description, possible vaccination side-effects and brief advice about preventative and curative treatment.

The first chapter opens with a strong and concise case against vaccination, let down only by the omission of references for the reports quoted. This is followed by a chapter on homoeopathy and prophylaxis. I feel uncomfortable here with how Susan puts across the idea of homoeopathic prophylaxis as being a simple and uncomplicated process. She states that 'The idea is that you take a particular remedy into your system so that it is ready to act should you come into contact with the corresponding disease. The disease will therefore not get a chance to establish itself and you will not experience any symptoms.'

I can see this as being the case where it is necessary to protect against one particular disease, eg. if a case of meningitis is reported in a school and there may be other carriers it would be wise to take the meningitis nosode until the all-clear is given. Unfortunately prophylaxis is not always a simple matter.

Susan's usual advice on using remedies preventatively for each disease is to repeat the nosode once a week at times of high risk, eg polio: 'Take Polio 30 (nosode), one dose a week for three weeks if there is an epidemic or contact with the disease is suspected'. Typhoid: 'Take Salmonella Typhi 30 (nosode) once a week when travelling in high risk areas'. This sounds sensible enough, but what about when half a dozen vaccinations are recommended for a certain area? There is no advice as to whether you should swallow a cocktail of remedies on Saturday morning or whether you should take a different one each day.

We know nothing about the ability of the organism to respond to a succession of different remedies given prophylactically. Can our vital force attune itself to all these different diseases at the same time or does each remedy supersede the last? Maybe we take Malaria 30 on Tuesday, Cholera 30 on Wednesday, Yellow Fever 30 on Thursday and then on Friday we get bitten by a mosquito carrying malaria. Does our organism remember the Malaria 30 we took on Tuesday?

It should also be emphasised that the book does not go into the wider issues of the holistic approach to health. It is not a 'This is how you do it' handbook for people without prior grounding in alternatives. The concept of susceptibility to disease is not really explained and there is little mention of constitutional treatment. Consulting a homoeopath is suggested in passing as being advisable to do before you get ill, or if your choice of remedies is not getting you anywhere.

Remedies are suggested for treatment of the illnesses but there is no information about how to interpret any response when they are given.

I feel this is more a book for the traveller who already has some familiarity with holistic health concepts than for parents who are choosing not to use the vaccination programme for their children. For example, under Tetanus, high risk activities are listed as trekking, mountaineering and exploring. No mention is made of the fact that the main source of tetanus in this country is horse manure, so an unvaccinated person should pay special attention to wounds incurred around horses, stables, gardening etc.

Also, under Polio, no warning is given to parents with unvaccinated babies that polio is excreted in the stools of those vaccinated for approximately six weeks afterwards, so special attention should be paid to hygiene during nappy changes where babies are mixing. The advice is that the nosode should be taken once each week if contact with the disease is suspected. But how does a parent know when to expect contact with the disease?

For instance the question of swimming has often arisen. Swimming pools are deemed to be safe, but what about British beaches? How should parents know if their children are at risk? I feel this area is insufficiently covered in the book. I was also disappointed that there is no coverage of TB or HIB (although HIB is referred to fleetingly in the meningitis section).

The introduction does begin with an emphasis on prophylaxis for the traveller, but in the penultimate paragraph Susan says: 'As more and more parents choose not to immunise their children, so a knowledge of the alternative needs to become more widely available. This book has been written as a practical guide with this aim in mind'. If that is the case then I feel it falls a little short of the mark. It is a very good book for the traveller but I would like to see a second book written specifically for parents of unvaccinated children, including information on disease management, the management of fevers and the role of fever in overcoming disease etc.

There are already many books written on the subject of childhood disease but not from the perspective of homoeopathic prophylaxis and treatment where prophylaxis has either failed or is too late. With an ever increasing number of parents opting out of the vaccination programme I feel there is a real need for a more comprehensive handbook aimed solely at supporting and educating/ informing them.

In conclusion I would say that my main criticism is that I feel there is a danger in oversimplifying homoeopathic prophylaxis and understating the risks and responsibilities involved. I am concerned that Susan Curtis gives the impression that homoeopathic prophylaxis is indeed a ready-made, successful and reliable alternative to vaccination. It certainly could be, and maybe it should be, but how much real evidence of its success rate do we truly have?

I see this book as a starting point, in need of further expansion, rather than a fully comprehensive handbook. However, in general it is well structured, well indexed, accessible, informative and well communicated; and above all else, its aim - for travellers and parents alike - is essential.

The HOMOEOPATH - Spring 1998, No. 69