Grassroots pressure on HPV vaccine and natural medicine

Too many people feel disempowered by the society in which we find ourselves. “There’s nothing you can do,” they say, “Countries are now run by corporations, politicians and bureaucrats, none of which are answerable to a democratic process”.

That might be the view of some, and it might even be the case much of the time. But it certainly isn’t all of the time. Our two pieces this week demonstrate this. The first deals with the issue of the complex neurological syndromes that are affecting more and more adolescent girls, the onset of which are being found (at least some of the time) to be associated with administration of the HPV vaccine. The symptoms range from reversible conditions, to chronic, long-term debilitating ones and even death. Find out more, especially if you are considering giving consent to have your child HPV vaccinated.

Our second story this week relates to the derailing of the South African drugs laws that were about to hamstring natural medicines. It may have been too much of a hot potato (like the HPV vaccine?) for the South African Parliament to handle. But the law that would have required manufacturers to prove safety before marketing natural health products—enough to sink most of the sector—is at least in abeyance for now.

Both these issues have been driven into prominence because of the activity of a few people who are not prepared to stand by. That’s why we always ask you to share our stories – it’s a key way of increasing awareness of the precarious situation in which we live, and the even more precarious future we leave for our children.

In health, naturally

Rob Verkerk, PhD

Founder, executive & scientific director