Dr. Neustaedter:

Might I respectfully suggest that you rewrite your article on whooping cough to encourage parents who choose not to vaccinate their children at least TELL others that fact - so that others can make informed judgments as to whether they want to expose their children to the increased risk of playing with unvaccinated children.

I write this because our son was infected with whooping cough after playing with my brother's son, who was coughing and vomiting at the time while they were visiting us from out of state. We did not learn until much later, and then only by accident, that my brother's son had in fact not been vaccinated. It turns out that there was a major outbreak of whooping cough in my brother's town at the time of their visit with us.

You also downplay the seriousness of whooping cough. While I realize that the vaccine is controversial, it is intellectually dishonest to downplay the seriousness of the disease. Our son continues to suffer from asthma-like symptoms and coughing spells over six months after contracting whooping cough. People are certainly entitled to their own opinions, but while there are many articles praising the independence, exercise of informed judgment, heroism, etc. of people who choose not to vaccinate their kids, there is virtually no mention in any of those articles as to the basic courtesy those non-vaccinators owe to others so that THEY can likewise make informed judgments as to their own kids' safety and health.

I sympathize with you over your son’s illness, however a family that chooses not to vaccinate is under no obligation to inform everyone that their children are not vaccinated. Families with unvaccinated children already run the risk of stigmatization and ostracism. You should also be aware that receipt of the whooping cough vaccine does not guarantee that a child will not contract and transmit the disease, so your child also runs the risk of contracting the disease from a vaccinated child. I assume your own son was vaccinated, or you would be in the position of telling everyone you know as well about not vaccinating. And your son contracted the disease nonetheless.

I advise that people who choose to avoid the whooping cough vaccine seek out homeopathic medical care because whooping cough can be a serious disease if left untreated. Allopathic medicine has no successful treatment for this disease. I have treated many cases of kids with whooping cough, including infants, and although it is never pleasant for families, I have not had children hospitalized or seen any permanent adverse effects of contracting the disease if the kids were appropriately treated with homeopathy and/or Chinese medicine. Recurrences of a cough over the six months to one year following the illness are not uncommon.

Here is an article I thought worthy of reproducing, written by

Karma Metzgar, C.F.C.S. Former Northwest Regional Nutrition Specialist
Nodaway County Extension Center, University Outreach and Extension


Have you noticed the little 'brand' stickers on your bananas, apples, peaches, pears, mangos, kiwi, and other seasonal fruits?

Those stickers are helpful for the store clerk, as they don't have to distinguish the difference between Fuji apples and Gala apples. That little helpful sticker has the price look up (PLU) code to speed up the check-out process. But did you know that look up numbers also tell how the product is grown or created. This has made news recently with the release of the new rules for organic labeling.

For conventionally grown fruit, the PLU code on the sticker consists of four numbers. Organically grown produce has a five-numeral PLU beginning with the number 9. Genetically engineered produce has a five-numeral PLU beginning with the number 8.

So using this numbering system, a conventionally grown banana would be 4011, an organic banana would be 94011 and a genetically engineered banana would be 84011.

The numeric system was developed by the Produce Electronic Identification Board, an affiliate of the Produce Marketing Association, a trade group for the produce industry.

According to that Association, some shippers have begun using stickers designed with tabs that make them easier to lift off, and are buying equipment that applies adhesive to the sticker but not to the tab.

Companies are also experimenting with different sticker materials, such as vinyl, that hold up under a variety of temperature and moisture conditions.

The adhesive now used to attach the stickers is food-grade, but the stickers themselves aren't edible. To remove stubborn ones, soak in warm water for a minute or two.

So the next time you pick up that kiwi, melon, pineapple, apple or banana, check out the numbering system. Is it conventionally or organically grown? Or, is it a result of genetic engineering? It's all in the number.

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Randall Neustaedter OMD, LAc
Classical Medicine Center
1779 Woodside Rd., Suite 201C
Redwood City, CA 94061
650 299-9170

Upaya Center for Wellbeing
478 Santa Clara Ave. (at Grand Ave.)
Oakland CA  94610
510 798-6520

Author of The Vaccine Guide, North Atlantic Books, 2002