In reading a lot of your posts on different Facebook sites it has come to my attention that some people seem to have a confusion on exactly when to take your child or your family member to the doctor. Many of us are inclined to use “home remedies”, I know. But how do you know when and how long to do this before we take ourselves and our family members to the doctor?
For many years, one of my jobs was to be the liaison between people coming for services and their medical doctor when needed. When I started this position, I had the impression that a lot of doctors and medical professionals would over-prescribe or would “poo-poo” any use of natural healing substances. I have to say that the majority of the time this was not true. Most of the medical professionals I worked with were often cautious, but willing to look into alternatives as long as they a) did not contradict their knowledge and b) worked quickly enough. That said, of course there are some medical doctors that did not agree to look, but it is at the same time good to remember that we are hiring these doctors to help us and to inform us. To that degree we have the opportunity to interview and choose a doctor that will work with us.
In a Technical bulletin of 12 March 1969 L. Ron Hubbard wrote and was clear about this:
“The body is capable of having physical illness, acute (momentary) or chronic (continual). Broken bones, pinched nerves, diseases can any of them occur to a body independent of any mental or spiritual action.
“The mind or spirit can predispose the illness or injury. By this is meant a person can be distraught and have an accident, or decide to die and get a disease.
“But the disease or injury when he’s got it is a body circumstance and responds best to skilled medical (ordinary, usual, put on a tourniquet, set a bone, give a shot) treatment.” LRH
Some people have the mistaken idea that Scientologists refuse or will not seek medical treatment. This is misinformation created by the press and people not knowledgeable of the true technology of Scientology. In fact as you see above, it is not only not discouraged – it is in fact required in instances when needed before counseling can either begin or continue.
So when should we bring our children to the doctor? I can only advise you this way:
1) Find and read the above reference so you have the complete data.
2) I can tell you what my pediatrician and other doctors have mentioned to me as a parent of two children and that has worked for me:
A body temperature 99 degrees or over is indication of a fever and possible contagion in a human body. The body creates this fever when there is a virus or bacteria or something foreign in the body in the effort to kill it off. This is a good thing unless the fever lasts too long (in which case it is not getting the job done effectively enough) or the fever spikes to 102 degrees and beyond. At 106 degrees the brain is at risk of damage. And in fact a person can be susceptible to febrile seizures. A febrile seizure is the effect of a sudden rise in temperature (>39°C/102°F) rather than a fever that has been present for a prolonged length of time.
So the question is how long do you wait to let the body try to burn the infection out and at what point do we take the child to the doctor? If the child is under 3 months of age, a fever of 100.4 is an indication that you should definitely check with your doctor. Older than this my pediatrician recommended this:
If the fever is 99 degrees to 101.9, stay home, drink plenty of fluids, keep the child comfortable and quiet and allow them to rest. You can handle with home remedies. (The only exception to this would be if the child has a stiff neck.) If after 3 days they are not better, then the infection is usually not viral or too persistent and needs medical attention.
If the fever spikes to 102 degrees give the child some form of substance to bring the fever down to the safer range. If you are using natural remedies and they don’t work within thirty minuets to an hour they are not working sufficiently enough and this would be an indication to contact your doctor. If the fever spikes high and stays high, you definitely need to contact your doctor, as an antibiotic or some other medical treatment might be required.
Also, if a young child has diarrhea or vomiting watch closely for dehydration. Ensure they are drinking some form of drink with electrolytes in them. If they are not drinking liquids or cannot keep fluids in them, it is important and imperative that you see a doctor immediately, as they might need to be given fluids intravenously.
It is true that as Scientologists we also, concurrent with the doctor’s orders, deliver assists to help the body heal faster. A better understanding of what these are and how they are used correctly can be found at the Scientology Handbook site under “Assists for Illness & Injuries ((http://www.scientologyhandbook.org/SH6.HTM )
But all doctors’ orders and instructions on how to take medications should be strictly followed for the best possible outcome.
I agree that it is not needed to run to the doctor for every little cold or low grade fever, but we must be knowledgeable enough of how the human body works to recognize when there is a dangerous situation that needs medical attention and when there is not. I encourage each of you to further educate yourselves on this matter, read up, talk to your trusted doctors and other health professionals to get the best working knowledge before illness occurs in your household.
I hope this helps to clear up any possible confusions and worries parents have on the matter.
Sending you love,
Diane DiGregorio Norgard
Mace-Kingsley Family Center
727-442-3922