Cod liver oil didn’t stop measles, and some illnesses can’t wait for natural care

Key takeaways

• During the 2025 West Texas measles outbreak, a Lubbock children’s hospital admitted several children with headaches, vomiting and liver strain from vitamin A, most often from cod liver oil given daily for weeks¹.
• CDC says vitamin A doesn’t prevent measles; it’s a supportive treatment for children who already have measles, given under a clinician’s supervision, and too much can harm the liver, bones, nerves and skin².
• Strep throat, kidney infections and Lyme disease can spread or cause lasting harm without antibiotics, and strep can’t be told from a viral sore throat without a test⁵⁶⁷.
• The FDA ruled in 1999 that over-the-counter colloidal silver drugs aren’t recognized as safe and effective, and silver can turn skin permanently blue-gray and block some antibiotics⁸⁹.
• In a UK review of 195 asthma deaths, 45% got no medical help during the final attack, and many had relied on reliever inhalers while using too few preventers¹¹¹².

In 2025, a measles outbreak swept through the area around Lubbock, Texas. At Covenant Children’s Hospital, some young patients arrived with a second problem on top of the virus¹.

They had severe headaches, nausea and vomiting. Their blood tests showed raised liver enzymes, a pattern doctors tied to too much vitamin A¹.

Summer Davies, a pediatrician in Lubbock, later described what happened. Misleading claims had convinced some families that vitamin A could keep measles away¹. Cod liver oil was the usual choice, given daily or more, often for weeks, and many parents couldn’t say how much their child had taken¹.

The families meant to shield their children. Instead, the children came in sick with measles anyway, and doctors had to sort out two problems at once¹. None of the children went into liver failure¹.

This isn’t a story about careless parents or a bad vitamin. Vitamin A is real medicine for measles, in the right hands and the right amount². The harm came from asking a remedy to do a job it was never shown to do.

Natural care has a real place in recovery. But a few common infections, and asthma, can turn dangerous while you wait to see if a remedy works. Below, we look at how to spot them and how to use both kinds of care safely.

Vitamin A treats measles, but it doesn’t prevent it

No antiviral drug is approved for measles, CDC says, so care is mostly supportive². Vitamin A is part of that care. Children with measles may receive it under a clinician’s supervision, and those sick enough to be hospitalized should get it².

CDC is just as clear about the limits. Vitamin A won’t keep a child from catching measles, and it can’t stand in for the vaccine². Overuse can damage the liver, bones, nervous system and skin, and pregnant women should avoid high doses because of the risk of birth defects².

Measles itself is no small illness. About 1 in 1,000 people with measles develops encephalitis, a swelling of the brain that often leaves permanent damage, and 1 to 3 of every 1,000 infected children die².

The Texas outbreak started in January 2025 in a tight-knit community in Gaines County where vaccination rates were low⁴. By mid-April, two unvaccinated school-aged children in Texas had died, and neither had a known underlying condition⁴.

The U.S. confirmed 2,289 measles cases in 2025³. As of October 22, 2026, CDC had confirmed 4,588 cases this year, with 3 deaths³. By our math, that’s about 16 times the 285 cases reported in all of 2024³.

The problem can also run the other way. Patricia Stinchfield, a nurse practitioner who leads a national measles collaborative, wrote in a 2026 Healio feature that only about a third of children hospitalized with measles get vitamin A at all¹. The right dose, at the right time, from the right person, is the whole point.

Our article on nutrition and immunity covers how WHO uses vitamin A in measles care. Our article on answering health misinformation covers the 2025 vitamin A claims that spread online.

Three common infections that get worse while you wait

Most sore throats, coughs and fevers come from viruses and clear up on their own, as our sick-day comfort article explains. The trouble is that a few bacterial infections look much the same at the start.

Strep throat. Group A strep bacteria cause about 20% to 30% of sore throats in children and 5% to 15% in adults⁵. When there are no cold-like symptoms, CDC says clinicians can’t tell strep from a virus just by looking. It takes a rapid test or a throat culture⁵.

Antibiotics shorten strep symptoms, cut the spread to others and lower the risk of complications⁵. Those include abscesses near the tonsils and, after the infection fades, immune reactions that can strike the kidneys or the heart, as in acute rheumatic fever⁵¹⁴. In children, treatment can reduce the risk of rheumatic fever⁵.

Rheumatic fever isn’t only history. CDC cites older studies that found about 3.7 cases a year per 100,000 people in Utah, with much higher rates in American Samoa and Hawaii¹⁴. Serious invasive strep infections hit a 20-year high in preliminary 2023 data, and they kill an estimated 1,800 to 2,400 Americans a year¹⁴.

Kidney infection. A bladder infection usually means burning, urgency and frequent trips to the bathroom. When germs climb to the kidneys, CDC lists fever, chills, pain in the side or back, nausea and vomiting⁶.

A kidney infection can scar the kidney for good. A severe urinary infection can also trigger sepsis, which needs immediate medical attention⁶. CDC cites death rates from 8% to 60% for sepsis that starts in the urinary tract, depending on the study⁶.

Adults 65 and older face a higher risk of that kind of sepsis⁶. In pregnancy, even bacteria in the urine that cause no symptoms are linked to kidney infection, preterm birth and low birth weight, which is why CDC advises screening early in pregnancy⁶. Antibiotics are the main treatment; a common bladder pain reliever eases the burning but doesn’t treat the infection⁶.

Lyme disease. A spreading rash shows up in about 70% to 80% of infected people, usually 3 to 30 days after a tick bite⁷. Left untreated, the infection can move on over days to months, causing facial drooping, painful swollen knees, heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat, nerve pain, and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord⁷. CDC says the early fever and rash can be treated with antibiotics⁷.

Any infection that keeps getting worse can lead to sepsis. Our article on inflammation and infection lists CDC’s sepsis warning signs and when to call 911.

“Natural antibiotics” kill germs in a dish, but your body is harder

Plenty of plants and minerals harm bacteria in a laboratory. The hard part is reaching the infection, at a safe dose, inside a living person.

Colloidal silver. Silver does have medical uses, in some wound dressings, skin creams and medical equipment¹⁰. Swallowed, though, silver does nothing useful that researchers have found, and the body doesn’t need it⁹.

The FDA settled the drug question in 1999. Its final rule declared that over-the-counter drug products with colloidal silver or silver salts, used inside or outside the body, aren’t recognized as safe and effective and are misbranded⁸. One commenter sent a list of more than 650 diseases silver supposedly treated, and the agency didn’t accept it as evidence⁸.

Silver can build up and turn the skin blue-gray, a condition called argyria that’s usually permanent⁹. It can also lower how well the body absorbs some antibiotics and thyroxine, a thyroid hormone medicine⁹. Even so, colloidal silver is still marketed online as a dietary supplement, NCCIH notes⁹.

Garlic. Garlic is a fine food, and garlic pills may nudge cholesterol down a little¹³. For colds and immune support, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says little research exists: a 2022 review turned up just two studies hinting at benefit, both small and flawed¹³. Garlic supplements may raise bleeding risk, and raw garlic held against the skin can cause chemical burns¹³.

Oregano oil and manuka honey. The oregano oil studies we found tested the oil on germs in lab dishes, not in people with infections. Manuka and other honeys have a separate story as wound dressings, which our honey article covers. We found no trial showing that either one can replace an antibiotic for strep, a kidney infection or Lyme disease.

Chlorine dioxide. “Miracle Mineral Solution,” or MMS, is sodium chlorite in water. Swallowed, it becomes chlorine dioxide, a powerful bleach, according to a 2023 federal release posted by the FDA¹⁵. The FDA has urged people not to buy or use it for any reason, citing severe vomiting, diarrhea and life-threatening drops in blood pressure, along with reports of hospital stays and deaths¹⁵. Our article on miracle-cure scams covers the 2023 prison sentences for one family that sold it.

Asthma deaths often follow a quiet gap in care

Some of the clearest evidence on skipped treatment comes from Britain. In 2014, the Royal College of Physicians published the National Review of Asthma Deaths, a confidential inquiry by expert panels¹¹¹². The panels judged that 195 of the deaths they examined were caused by asthma¹¹.

Nearly half, 45% or 87 people, had no medical help during their final attack¹¹. Over half were being treated for mild or moderate asthma, a sign that neither patients nor doctors saw the danger¹¹. And 57% hadn’t been under a specialist’s care in the year before they died¹¹.

The medicine pattern stood out. Preventer inhalers were widely under-used, and many people leaned too hard on relievers¹¹. In the year before death, 39% had been prescribed more than 12 reliever inhalers, and 38% had fewer than 4 preventer inhalers¹².

Eight of the 10 children under age 10 died before reaching a hospital¹¹. A 2018 paper by UK researchers noted that more than 60% of asthma deaths are potentially preventable¹².

Preventer inhalers work in the background, which makes them easy to skip when breathing feels fine. Our asthma article explains the newer approach to quick relief and lists the signs that mean call 911.

Natural steps, such as the trigger control our asthma article describes, belong alongside a preventer, not in place of it. Don’t stop or change an inhaler on your own; bring your questions to your clinician.

Add-on or can’t wait? A sorting tool

Use this table when you’re deciding whether a home remedy can carry the load. The third column is our own suggestion of comfort steps that don’t delay care. It’s a guide for deciding how fast to act, not a diagnosis.

Situation	Why it can’t wait	What natural care can add safely	Source
A child with measles, or fever and rash after a known exposure	No antiviral exists; brain swelling and death are possible; vitamin A is a clinician’s tool, and too much harms the liver	Rest, fluids and comfort; tell the clinician about any cod liver oil or vitamin you’ve given	12
Sore throat without cold symptoms such as a runny nose or cough	Only a test shows strep; untreated strep can lead to abscesses and rheumatic fever	Warm drinks and rest while you wait for the test result	5
Burning urination plus fever, chills, side or back pain, or vomiting	These are kidney infection signs; it can scar the kidneys and lead to sepsis	Fluids and rest alongside the antibiotic your clinician chooses	6
Spreading rash after a tick bite, or later facial droop, a swollen knee or an irregular heartbeat	Untreated Lyme disease can reach joints, heart and nerves	Rest and comfort during treatment	7
An infection that keeps getting worse, especially in someone 65 or older or pregnant	Urinary infections can turn into sepsis, which needs immediate care	Nothing should delay care; see our sepsis guide for 911 signs	6
Reaching for a reliever more often, or skipping a prescribed preventer	In asthma deaths, under-used preventers and late help were common	Trigger control and calm breathing, alongside your written plan	1112
A plan to treat an infection with colloidal silver or MMS	Silver can stain skin for life and block antibiotics; MMS turns into bleach	Skip these and lean on comfort care while you get checked	915

How strong is the evidence?

Claim	Evidence level	Why
Vitamin A prevents measles	Evidence says no, or unsafe	CDC says it doesn’t prevent measles; toxicity cases in Texas12
Vitamin A, given under supervision, helps children who have measles	Strong evidence	CDC recommends it for children with severe measles2
Antibiotics treat strep throat	Strong evidence	They shorten illness, cut spread and lower complication risk5
Antibiotics treat kidney infections and early Lyme disease	Strong evidence	CDC names antibiotics as the main UTI treatment and says early Lyme symptoms respond to them67
Colloidal silver treats infections	Evidence says no, or unsafe	FDA’s 1999 ruling; permanent skin staining; drug interactions89
Chlorine dioxide (MMS) treats disease	Evidence says no, or unsafe	FDA warnings citing severe vomiting, dangerous blood pressure drops and deaths15
Garlic supplements prevent or ease colds	Not enough evidence	Two small, flawed studies13
Oregano oil treats infections in people	Not enough evidence	Lab studies only, in our search
Relying on a reliever while skipping a prescribed preventer	Evidence says no, or unsafe	A common pattern in a review of 195 asthma deaths1112

Doing both: natural care that works alongside treatment

Natural health has always asked a fair question: what can I do to help my body heal? That question still matters when you need an antibiotic or an inhaler. Rest, food, fluids and calm work best as partners to treatment. For cancer, our article on complementary, alternative and integrative care looks at a Yale study of patients who chose alternative medicine alone.

Tell every clinician what you use. NCCIH advises talking with your health care provider before using garlic or other herbal products¹³. It also warns that unproven products should never be a reason to put off seeing a provider about a medical problem⁹.

Check for clashes. Colloidal silver can blunt some antibiotics and thyroid medicine⁹. Garlic pills may raise bleeding risk, which matters before surgery or with drugs that affect bleeding¹³. Our article on combining habits with treatment covers St. John’s wort, an herb that weakens many medicines.

Give each remedy a job it can do. Comfort care, such as fluids, sleep and saline, can ease a sick day while a proven treatment does the heavy lifting. Our sick-day comfort article covers which comforts CDC suggests and the age limits that apply to babies.

Know the safety number. If a child may have swallowed too much vitamin A or another supplement, call the poison center hotline at 1-800-222-1222, which is free and open around the clock¹⁰.

There’s a deeper value here, too. Trusting the body includes trusting its alarms. A rising fever, a worsening ache or a tight chest is the body asking for more help than a remedy can give, and answering it is part of caring for yourself.

Questions readers ask

The bottom line

Natural care can support recovery, and many sick days need nothing more. But measles, strep throat, kidney infections, Lyme disease and poorly controlled asthma can do lasting harm while a remedy is being tried. Vitamin A didn’t keep Texas children from catching measles, and colloidal silver and chlorine dioxide carry real risks.

The safer path is both, in the right order. Get the diagnosis and the proven treatment first, tell every clinician what else you use, and let rest, fluids and comfort do what they do best alongside it.

Related reading

• Inflammation isn’t always infection, and sepsis is the infection that can’t wait
• What replaced the rescue-inhaler-only asthma plan that global experts dropped
• Chicken soup won’t cure a cold, and comfort still counts until it delays care
• How to combine healthy habits with proven treatment safely
• Why people set aside proven treatment, and what the records show

Sources

1. Cimberle M, with Stinchfield PA and Davies S. “What are the challenges with using vitamin A to manage measles in the US?” Healio, Ocular Surgery News, September 21, 2026. healio.com
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Measles Clinical Overview.” CDC, updated August 5, 2026. cdc.gov
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Measles Cases and Outbreaks.” CDC, updated October 23, 2026. cdc.gov
4. Mathis AD, Raines K, Filardo TD, et al. “Measles Update — United States, January 1–April 17, 2025.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2025;74(14):232–238. cdc.gov
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Clinical Guidance for Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis.” CDC, updated November 18, 2025. cdc.gov
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Clinical Overview of Urinary Tract Infections.” CDC, updated July 16, 2026. cdc.gov
7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Signs and Symptoms of Untreated Lyme Disease.” CDC, May 15, 2024. cdc.gov
8. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Over-the-Counter Drug Products Containing Colloidal Silver Ingredients or Silver Salts” (final rule). Federal Register, 64(158), August 17, 1999. govinfo.gov
9. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. “Colloidal Silver: What You Need To Know.” NIH, last updated April 2023. nccih.nih.gov
10. Quinn R, Bruccoleri R. “What is colloidal silver?” Tennessee Poison Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, February 14, 2025. vumc.org
11. Royal College of Physicians. “Complacency in asthma care must end, says first confidential enquiry report from Royal College of Physicians” (on the National Review of Asthma Deaths, “Why asthma still kills”). RCP news page dated July 14, 2015 (the report was published in 2014, per source 12). rcp.ac.uk
12. Levy ML, Garnett F, Kuku A, et al. “A review of asthma care in 50 general practices in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom.” npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine, 2018;28:29. link.springer.com
13. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. “Garlic.” NIH, last updated February 2025. nccih.nih.gov
14. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Group A Strep Disease Surveillance and Trends.” CDC, last updated July 8, 2024. cdc.gov
15. U.S. Department of Justice and FDA Office of Criminal Investigations. “Leaders of ‘Genesis II Church of Health and Healing,’ Who Sold Toxic Bleach as Fake ‘Miracle’ Cure for COVID-19 and Other Serious Diseases, Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Federal Prison.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, October 6, 2023. fda.gov