I recall hearing many years ago that having the measles reduced susceptibility to certain chronic illnesses. It had a ring of Steiner about it, so I've just searched on Google using "measles" and "Steiner". The following interesting information emerges.
(1) From Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients May 2006, :
"A cross-section study in The Lancet (May 1, 1999) compares 295 children (ages five to 13), attending two Steiner schools in a village near Stockholm, Sweden, with 380 children of the same age attending neighboring schools. The researchers gathered data on the children's history of allergy and infectious diseases, use of antibiotics and vaccinations, and other lifestyle/environmental factors (e.g., breastfeeding, household pets, maternal smoking, food). Children raised according to anthroposophy do not receive a combined measles, mumps, rubella vaccination. Consequently, these children account for most of Sweden's measles cases. The vaccinations they do receive--usually tetanus and polio--are given later than recommended by health authorities. Antibiotics and anti-pyretics (fever reducers) are also avoided. Anthroposophical families tend to eat organic or biodynamic food and spontaneously fermented vegetables.
"In addition to collecting histories, the researchers performed skin-prick tests for 13 common allergens on the children. They also tested blood samples, taken from the children and their parents, for allergen-specific serum IgE-antibodies. Seven percent of the Steiner students had positive skin prick tests compared to 13% of the control group, and 24% had positive blood test reactions, compared with 33% of the control. Yet, only 13% of the Steiner students had a history of atopy or allergy-like symptoms compared with 25% of children in the control school (p; the full text appears to be available via a link at .]
"American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. New research from Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology shows anthroposophic lifestyle reduces risk of allergic disease in children (press release). Available at
www.medindia.net/news/view_news_main.asp?x=7021&t=1. Accessed February 3, 2006.
"Floistrup H, Swartz J, Bergstrom A et al. Allergic disease and sensitization in Steiner school children (Abstract). The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2006;117:59-66. Available at
http://www.jacionline.org/article/PIIS0 ... 7/abstract . Accessed February 3, 2006."
[Full text of the lastmentioned study is available via a link on the page .]
*The lead author's surname is correctly spelt "Alm".
(2) Via a discussion board called Beyond Vaccination (at , on which another contributor mentions finding in his researches that measles cures what he refers to as Nephrotic Syndrome), a study titled "Allergic Disease and Atopic Sensitization in Children in Relation to Measles Vaccination and Measles Infection", Pediatrics March 2009; 123(3):771–778, >:
"RESULTS. In the whole group of children, atopic sensitization was inversely associated with measles infection, and a similar tendency was seen for measles vaccination. To reduce risks of disease-related modification of exposure, children who reported symptoms of wheezing and/or eczema debuting during first year of life were excluded from some analyses. After this exclusion, inverse associations were observed between measles infection and "any allergic symptom" and "any diagnosis of allergy by a physician." However, no associations were found between measles vaccination and allergic disease.
"CONCLUSION. Our data suggest that measles infection may protect against allergic disease in children."
This same contributor also referred to an amazing blog, Inside Vaccines, , which contains a review dated 3 January 2011 of a study on the average costs of measles cases and of adverse events following vaccination in industrialised countries. A quick look at the blog site suggests that it is a tremendous resource. Of course, there are other very useful vaccination resources, including Child Health Safety ; the U.S. National Vaccine Information Centre, ; and Australia's own inimitable Australian Vaccination Network, .
Of these three, the last two are particularly strong human-rights advocates, and the AVN can use all the support it can get, as it is under sustained financial attack by pseudoskeptics (who hack its electronic resources with apparent legal impunity) and a government agency that has exceeded its powers.
The first of the three, Child Health Safety, contains up-to-the-moment breaking news of secret U.K. Government documents showing the corruption underlying the persecution of Andrew Wakefield for threatening measles-vaccine profits by demonstrating a mechanism by which the vaccine may induce autistic responses.
None of this addresses directly the question of developmental leaps following measles -- but it's suggestive, isn't it.
Kind regards,
John
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"Gofman provides strong evidence that medical technology—specifically x-rays, CT scans, and mammography and fluoroscopy devices—are a contributing factor to 75% of new cancers. In… “Radiation from Medical Procedures in the Pathogenesis of Cancer and Ischemic Heart Disease: Dose-Response Studies with Physicians per 100,000 Population”, Gofman shows that as the number of physicians increases in a geographical area along with an increase in the number of x-ray diagnostic tests performed, the rate of cancer and ischemic heart disease also increases."
-- Gary Null, PhD; Carolyn Dean MD, ND; Martin Feldman, MD; Debora Rasio, MD; and Dorothy Smith, PhD, "Death by Medicine",