Guest Post by Christina
It's one of the big questions new parents face today, once you've gotten past "were you trying to get pregnant?" (which I still can't believe people ask...) and the less invasive "did you do it all-natural?" "are you going to breast-feed?" and even "are you using cloth-diapers?" The question with a capital Q seems to be "are you going to vaccinate?"
The stakes are pretty high, or so both sides claim. Everyone says my child's life is at risk if I don't do what they recommend. What's a mom to do?? Read, read, and read!! I got books (lots of them) and I looked up their source articles, and then accessed as many of those articles as I could. I pulled out my old file on "diet and disability" from one of my Education classes (back when I had access to all those medical journals through my university library), because I remembered it talked a lot about the humoral immune system and the way that the gut, immune system, and brain/neurological systems were related. Desiring a balanced view (you won't learn if you only read people you already agree with), I tried to read articles and books on both "sides" of the issue. I learned a LOT!!
My goal in this post is to bring you along with me as I have wrestled through asking questions about childhood vaccinations. The thought processes I've come to use and the questions I've come up with expand beyond just this one issue, and into every medical procedure and practice.
My desire is to serve you and equip you to become the most informed, critically-thinking guardian of your child's health that you can be! I'll try to organize all the information I've gathered like a house: first, I'll lay the "Foundation"-- 5 base-level facts that "ground" the whole thing. Then, I'll present "Two Blueprints"-- arguments both for and against the American CDC's vaccine schedule. As parents, our job is to create a vaccine blueprint that is the best fit for each of our children. To help with that, I'll lastly present "My Toolbox"-- 10 questions I have found useful for evaluating each vaccine I come across.
We Are Responsible
While of course I would be thrilled if I "convinced you" of my point of view, I feel like a sucess if you are inspired to research this on your own!! If you start asking questions, digging around, reading studies and books by people smarter than me (doctors, public health specialists, immunologists, naturopaths, etc.), and come to a different conclusion than I have, that's still great!!! My goal is to help you learn to think!!
Medical decisions can be so intimidating, especially since we feel so much is at stake-- our kids' health!-- but we are not helpless, forced to blindly depend on even a brilliant guide. To a certain extent, we can think things through and come to our own conclusions. WE are responsible for our children's health.
Whatever conclusion you come to, if you come to it after critical, intentional thinking and looking from both sides of the issue (and not neglecting prayer for wisdom and trust in God's sovereignty!), I applaud you! THAT is the kind of parent we are called to be!
Image by audiinsperation
The Foundation
Five base-line truths to keep in mind (if you disagree with any of these, I encourage you to go "back to the drawing board" and ask yourself why before you try and go on reading):
- God has created our bodies to heal themselves, living in dominion over all creatures (including microscopic ones) yet not living isolated from all creatures. In other words, we don't "exercise dominion" by killing everything within a 10 mile radius from us.
- This world is fallen, and man has a battle to survive in front of him-- sickness and pain is a part of that. Neither vaccination nor lack of it is risk-free; both have risks. Additionally, part of our dominion now includes shaping our environment (one example- agriculture instead of tending an already-planted, perfectly yielding Garden of Eden).
- The body is a whole with many sub-systems, but no part is independent from the whole. We can't treat one aspect (say, the immune system) and expect to see no effects elsewhere (perhaps in the neurological system or in the digestive system). Our allopathic (Western) medical system is beginning to see that the holistic (Eastern) medical approaches at least have this right.
- Vaccines are drugs and should be thought of as such. They come with their own side-effects, risks, and imperfections, just like any other medicine. In each vaccine is not only a weakened form of a disease, but "adjuvants"-- preservatives and metals that kick-start the immune reaction. They are developed at great cost by drug companies and are sold by drug salesmen.
- Individual families & children have different needs; this doesn't need to be an "all-or-nothing" debate. While some, such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advocate an "all!!" stance, and many who question the germ theory behind vaccines advocate a "nothing!" stance, the majority of vaccine-questioners fall along a middle-of-the-road spectrum; choosing different vaccines at different paces as is appropriate to their situations or even individual situations in their families.
Two Blueprints
Blueprint A: in favor of the CDC mass-vaccination schedule:
-- Childhood diseases are harmful to the population and need to be avoided, and eventually eliminated.
-- Vaccines are a way to stimulate the immune system into fighting diseases by giving the body a weaker version of the real thing. The body produces antibodies which later will be used to fight the full-blown disease, should it ever come around. (Though vaccines are not 100% effective and never technically claim to be, all vaccine-promoting literature implies that they are 100% effective and never mentions future infection as a possibility.)
-- Vaccines are in essence a little bit of pain now for big payoff of prevention later.
--Vaccines have rid the West of dangerous diseases, and there would be mass outbreaks if we stopped them. Everyone is responsible to get vaccinated in order to protect our neighbors.
-- There is minimal to no danger at all in vaccines, no matter how many are given at once or at what age. They will only prepare the body to fight future disease, and in the rare case that the disease is actually contracted from the shot (in live-virus vaccines), then this isn't nearly as bad as the disease itself would have been.
--Shots do not have any measured long-term negative effects other than in the rare cases where children react allergically (Guillain-Barre Syndrome, for instance). These are rare and isolated cases.
Image by wscullin
Blueprint B: cautionary arguments against the American CDC vaccine schedule, coming from all sorts of aspects:
--Childhood diseases aren't pleasant, but may not be all that bad, because they trigger the body's ability to heal. Most childhood diseases confer life-long immunity once overcome.
-- The toxic ingredients in vaccines (adjuvants, etc-- mercury, formaldehyde, other metals) are a concern, especially since they seem to have a cumulative effect. (Dr. Sears takes this position in his book The Vaccine Book). Egg, soy, MSG, antibiotics and other common allergens pose special risks for children with those allergies in the family.
-- Morally questionable vaccine ingredients: The line WI-38 (in the rubella component of the MMR) was begun in lung cells obtained from an aborted baby girl, for instance.
-- Children are each different, so a one-size-fits-all approach to vaccination is inappropriate, even potentially deadly. We are first responsible for our own health and our children's, not the population at large's.
--Hygiene, clean water, and nourishing food have been responsible for the decline in infectious diseases, before and independently from the advent of vaccination campaigns. See an article on this topic.
--Over-stimulation of the immature & still-developing immune system of an infant/toddler under 2: Babies' immune systems are stuck in a different mode (Th2 mode) than adults' to keep them from being targeted as an outsider by their mother while in the womb. During infancy they can switch to the adult Th1 mode if they get a recurrent infection, but they don't switch to full Th1 until toddler-hood. Vaccines given while the baby is still in Th2 mode cause the Th2 mode to persist longer than it should, leaving them at higher risk of auto-immune diseases (such as food allergies), which in turn are linked with neurological disorders (such as autism). Age is a factor in how a person will react to a vaccine. See Dr. Baylock's article on this topic.
--Long-term effects: There is a huge increase (quadrupled!) in auto-immune diseases (ADHD, asthma, allergies, ASD (autism-spectrum-disorder), Type 1 diabetes) in Western culture, and we don't know why. Mandated vaccines on an aggressive schedule (beginning before birth if the mother gets a flu shot while pregnant) is a huge new factor which must be considered as a variable that could have contributed to or even caused this increase. (An auto-immune disorder basically means that a person's immune system attacks what it shouldn't; it thinks normal things are invaders and triggers an immune response to fight them.)
-- Link between childhood disease and future immunity. If you get the real thing, you get full immunity to it, and possibly to other diseases --for instance, women who get childhood mumps have increased immunity to ovarian cancer. (This is due to the correct stimulation of the Th1, or cell-mediated, immune system, which thwarts cancer.)
-- Conflict of interest: the CDC's Safety Committee is financially tied to the vaccines which they approve, biasing them in favor of vaccines. They are not objective judges looking out for our child's health. (Would we trust a clothing retailer to write our clothing budget or give us unbiased opinions on what clothes to buy?) Similarly, the pharmaceutical industry has a massive political voice, encouraging the federal government to be pro-vaccine.
--The CDC's vaccination schedule is "too much too soon:" 32 vaccines by age 2. For example, 7 vaccines injected into a 13-lb baby (standard for a 2 month old well-baby visit) is equivalent to 70 vaccines in a 130 lb adult! Chart comparing vaccine schedules from the 80's and now here.
Hopefully this has provided some food for thought. The next post in this series will provide the "Toolbox" of questions I've developed in order to decide what vaccines our family accepts when, and lastly a post full of books and articles for you to delve into on your own.
What are your thoughts on the decision making process? On the vaccination issue as a whole?
Stephanie's note: It's a touchy subject, I know, but I think that Christina has approached it in a very thoughtful way that encourages open dialogue, rather than criticism and condemnation (which was exactly the approach I was hoping for- thanks for a fantastic first post, Christina!). I'm definitely keeping the comments open to thoughts on both sides of the debate, so long as they remain polite and contribute positively to the discussion (translation: I have a delete button and I'm not afraid to use it). I love venues where we can share our ideas even on tough subjects, without cutting one another down.
I am so thankful for the freedon of speech and the availability of information on the internet. I have two young children and have been doing research on vaccines, and plan to continue more aggressively to be convinced on where I stand and why. When I come across blogs or forums discussing vaccines, to me the proof is, as they say, is in the pudding. When mama after mama recounts a personal journey of tragedy as a result of vaccinating, that to me is the purest of proof. What mother hopes to gain from their child's suffering? And since the medical world has not been properly documenting the after-shot results that absolutely skews every "scientific" claim offered. Thank you to all the mothers and fathers who dare question their world!
THIS is why I want to distance myself from Christian women. Educate yourself.
I'm a proud pagan, highly educated, work in the medical field and I don't vaccinate!
I wanted to bring up the concept of "herd Immunity". First, we know in the medical community that vaccines are NOT 100% effective for all people. Second, we do not always know how long a vaccine will offer protection. For example, the protection from Pertussis vaccination is not necessarily present into adulthood. In the recent past, families of newborns were getting infected with mild symptoms, while their newborn would have severe life-threatening Pertussis with unfortunately sometimes life-ending results. This is the reason the OBGYN community is promoting booster vaccines for Pertussis to all medical personnel and women immediately after childbirth. Note: Pertussis vaccination is started at 2 months of life.
"Herd Immunity" is the concept that if most people are protected/immune, than those few people who are not immune (your newborn from Pertussis) will be protected, because no one in the immune "herd" can give them the infection. So if you have the one child in your elementary school who was vaccinated but did not successfully get immunity, well thank God all the other children were vaccinated and are immune. Your child is then protected. I would argue that we as a society have an ethical obligation to protect that one non-immune child. That is the CDC's stance. Again using the Pertussis example, if everyone who comes into contact with your newborn during baby's first 2 months of life has been revaccinated and immune to pertussis, then your baby is safe because the "herd" protects baby.
As an OBGYN, I too have seen horrible, preventable examples of children hospitalized. But when the H1N1 influenza first arrived in our country, I lived it. Just 1 week prior to the vaccination being released to the public, H1N1 devastated my family. My 4 year-old son went from happily playing to being intubated in the ICU in the course of a couple hours. I sat by his side wondering if he would wake and if he did, would he be mentally intact. My son recovered with all his faculties. But if I could have prevented his illness with a vaccine, what a blessing that would have been to my family. If only the vaccine had been available 7 days sooner. I still remember all the publicity and hype over H1N1 before my son got sick and thinking, people are probably making a big deal out of nothing. But I was wrong. Some of the other children and their families in the ICU that week were not as fortunate as my family.
So I will end with asking what others think. Do we as a society or as the "herd" have an ethical obligation to protect those who will not be successfully immunized or are too young to get vaccinated?
First off I'd challenge the "herd immunity" concept. Diseases are constantly changing, especially when toxic elements have been widely used to fight them (beekeepers are seeing this). Soon a strain develops that is differerent enough or resiliant enough to re-infect a population- especially if that population has a partial immunity such as vaccines provide, or if the population is malnourished. This is why we see cyclical patterns in disease occur (like pertussis outbreaks every 5 or so years). Are you aware of just how high the percentages of folks in a breakout who are fully or partially vaccinated? The majority!! Herd immunity is so fragile and temporary that it isn't worth risking my own child's (or my own) well-being to protect. If each parent takes responsibility primarily for their own children, we will be doing what is right. We will give an account before God primarily for how we caree for them... then our larger "neighbor." If I'm in a car accident and swerve to avoid an oncoming car which would have killed my family, and in so doing sideswipe another car, injuring another person, I don't think anyone would blame me
Here is an aricle you may find helpful: http://drsuzanne.net/dr-suzanne-humphries-vaccines-vaccination/
I have to respectfully disagree with your reasoning that we should look out for health of our own children at the expense of others. The Bible clearly states to love your neighbor as yourself. I studied herd immunity at medical school and have to support Leah's explanation. The reason that the majority of people in an outbreak are vaccinated is simply statistical: the overwhelming majority of people in North America ARE vaccinated. Childhood diseases are not "minor" as the above argument claims, they killed and disabled many many children when they were prevalent. Of course we have better nutrition and hygiene now, but that would not be enough to prevent an increase in childhood death if we stopped vaccinating. The author who wrote the paper suggesting a link between autism and vaccines retracted his opinion, there is absolutely NO evidence for this link. The reason that there has been an increase in ADHD and autisum is because we are only now diagnosing them and widening the criteria for inclusion. ADHD children still existed 200 years ago, we just did not label them as such. I agree that like any medical intervention vaccines have their risks and that ultimately every parent needs to come to a decision that they are comfortable with, but I think we have to consider the health of every single child, not just our own.
If you read the above article you'll see some info on Dr. Wakefield-- the autism-vaccine link is far from disproven. However, that is another topic.
My point in questioning her immunity is first to, well, question a faulty idea often used in reasoning, and secondly to say that my priority as a mom is my own child's health, and then secondly the health of those outside my family. That principle is clear in Scripture (widows in our family are to be cared for first by their family, children are to care for their own parents, parents are to teach their own children...). Obviously, we are not to set out to intentionally harm other people, but in choosing between a potential risk to another and a potential risk to my own child, it does not seem unethical to first protect my own child...especially if I feel the risk to him is great while the risk to others is very small (or non-existant, as in the case of "herd immunity.").
Thanks for the response! Okay so I did read that article, but that website is hardly legitimate. This woman claims to be an "MD" but I could find no page describing her education. She is clearly marketing herself as a health 'advisor', in her own words she is "not a primary care provider." She actually has an article describing how she thinks the medical community is trying to prevent/ hide a cure for cancer. She says that doctors are 'afraid of childhood illness because they don't know how to treat it' and that actually with good nutrition there are no bad outcomes from childhood vaccines. I have seen firsthand that this is absolutely false! I have seen babies near death from pertussis and it is awful. Childhood illness is real and can be deadly, regardless of nutrition. Her entire website is incredibly inflammatory and angry towards the medical community at large and makes blanket statements about physicians "not knowing anything about vaccines." I would agree that protecting your own children first is fine if others are not at risk but personally I believe it does put others at risk, and to me, that would not be 'loving my neighbor as myself.' Anyways, I respect your opinion but I do wish you would not link to such an obviously biased website from a woman with a clear financial interest in promoting herself as an advocate of health and natural remedies. I hope that readers will be able to read that article critically.
Sorry, but any post that starts with "god created our bodies..." as a "baseline truth" is just not "neutral."
I cloth diaper, wear my babies, eat and feed my family as thoughtfully as I can and try in general to be a wholesome mom. But I also studied biology and I do not believe in intelligent design or God. Most of the anti-vaccine propaganda out there is terribly thought-less--way more based on the fears, anxieties of our contemporary political, socio-economic environment, and it's a crying shame that uninformed mothers who wish desperately to do the best for their families are sucked into the anti-vax rhetoric as part of any movement (whether it be religious, anti-government, crunchy or Sears acolyte variety).
BOO!
Too bad. I really enjoyed your detergent review. This, not so much.
Yes, you are right: this is not a spiritually neutral blog, nor has it ever purposed to be! It is intended to help Christians best tend their homes. While the contributors and majority of readers may disagree on precisely how to best do that, we all are united by our desire to please our Lord Jesus and to live in accordance with His Word the Bible.
I'm glad you stopped by and have appreciated some of the posts! Stick around! :) The Christian worldview is all-encompassing and affects the way we function on every level.
Wonderful post. I love hearing neutral posts about vaccinations. Here's my perspective:
As a Christian, very soon-to-be mother (due in March!), and soon-to-be physician (graduating in June), I am extremely concerned about vaccinations - both personally and professionally. I also wrote a blog post outlining the importance of education and parent choice in the subject of vaccinations: http://naturalmedicineisthebestmedicine.blogspot.com/2011/09/all-naturopaths-are-against.html
I've posted this link in a number of medical blogs, and boy have I gotten ripped for making this type of commentary!! Many medical doctors consider it scandalous that I would even consider advocating parents making (GASP!) their own choice regarding vaccines.
That said, as a future physician, I highly encourage all your readers to CAREFULLY sort through information regarding vaccines. Much of what is written on the internet is blatantly false. I've found Dr. Sears' work to be well referenced by legitimate literature. Also, the CDC website is very helpful - even though the data on adverse vaccine reactions is probably greatly underreported, their data on actual disease prevalence is very good. A good doctor who is well-versed in both sides of the argument is your best source.
Here are some questions that I believe parents should be asking for EACH vaccine:
1) What are the ACTUAL RISKS of my child getting this disease? (What chance does he/she have of getting it? How serious would it be?)
2) What is IN each vaccine? (Adjuvants? Aluminum? How much? What is the research behind the effects of these? Is it a live virus?)
3) WHEN is it most appropriate to get each vaccine? (Which diseases are most deadly in early infancy? Which vaccines can wait? Which diseases are my child most likely to never encounter?)
4) How does my decision affect my neighbor?
To a future doctor,
I am a Pediatrician and training further in Infectious Diseases. Your view of vaccines scares me because I have seen these vaccine preventable diseases that are "not so bad." In my first month of training, I saw a little boy almost die from tetanus (prolonged ICU stay). In the past year, we have had children with measles, mumps, and multiple cases of varicella in our hospital. So does your child have a risk of getting one of these diseases? If they are not vaccinated, most definitely! And are these diseases serious? You obviously have not researched and read about the ill children and even deaths from measles in the late 80s/early 90s or the multiple infant deaths in California last year from pertussis. I encourage you to educate yourself further. Although I also encourage parents to obtain reliable information, one source should be their physician. Physicians like you scare me because I know you don't truly understand these vaccine preventable diseases, the immune response to vaccines, and the basic science of vaccines. Once you see a child close to death from one of these diseases and realize that it could have been avoided, you will understand. I am a advocate for children's health. If you cannot be an advocate for health, you may want to reconsider your future plans.
And how many of those pertissis cases were in fully or partially vaccinated children? Please read this- http://drsuzanne.net/dr-suzanne-humphries-vaccines-vaccination/
Whoa, let's stick to facts and not false scare tactics. According to the CA Health Dept, "no pertussis deaths have been reported in California since 2010" (http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/immunize/Documents/PertussisReport2012-04-24.pdf). In 2010, they were all under 3 months old so the question of being fully vaccinated didn't even apply there, and at least one of the infants was premature, which obviously complicates any vax/anti-vax stance. Moreover, if you actually look at the CA data, there are higher risks in certain counties and in certain demographics. A wise parent will consider these statistics when evaluating for risk, as well as weigh complicating factors such as premature birth, concurrent illness, etc.
Also, of those infected with Pertussis in 2010, it's estimated that the vast majority were fully vaccinated (http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/03/13/cid.cis287). Unfortunately, the writers concluded that we should just pump already fully vaccinated kids with even more vaccines--that will also wear off in a few years. Huh????
Side note: SR, Rather than criticize and demean that upcoming physician who has a more updated education than yours, maybe you should spend some time looking through recent studies and data before you falsify them on this respectable site.
You have to ask how your decision affects your neighbor and yet you somehow got into med school. Yikes.
A great site to view and get information is http://www.nvic.org/
Check this out when trying to decide for your child or children, it is a very informative and helpful site.
Thank you for posting this. Whether or not to vaccinate or which ones to choose is such a hard decision with all the information out. It is so hard to decide. I have been praying about this for awhile. I have a 4 1/2 year old and a 6 month old. My four year old has had some shots but not all. I had a real hard time deciding with my little one, I researched until it made me sick and confused. She didn't receive any vaccinations when she was born and I decided to find a doctor who would allow spacing them out. I had to switch pediatricians and then ended up getting all of her first set of shots according the the CDC anyway when she was 3 1/2 months. I felt like I did the right thing and guilty at the same time... so difficult! She has not had anymore vaccinations yet. We plan on homeschooling and my oldest was in daycare briefly for a couple days a week because I worked there but I will not be doing that again, so I'm trying to take that into consideration.
After researching it myself, I tend to agree with Christina when she said:
"It seems we may be trading one set of diseases for another as we choose to vaccinate on a very aggressive, one-size-fits-all schedule.
I’m not implying vaccines have no place– they very well could in emergency situations. It’s the blind, mandatory, fear-driven systematic approach that brings me to caution."
If we believe God works for the good of those called according to his purpose, then whether we choose to vaccinate or not, God uses it all, and He may be leading one family one way and another family another way.
Stumbled across your article- and am concerned that a lot of the women, who are understandably concerned about the safety of their children, don't understand why vaccines are so important. I know it's unpopular among Christians to think beyond their own children to the good of society, but aside from clean water, vaccinations have saved more lives than ANYTHING ELSE in the history of... in history!
(The following is for the women who refuse vaccinations altogether- not those who thoughtfully space vaccines out, etc.)
1. Vaccines are not 100% successful. That's why the idea of "herd immunity" is so important. When parents choose not to get their child vaccinated, they can carry a disease and spread it to other children/ people who WERE vaccinated, but whose vaccinations were not successful.
2. Unvaccinated people can also spread disease to children who were not vaccinated because their parents just didn't bother.
3. Unvaccinated children who are carriers for diseases that should be eradicated thanks to vaccines put those with low immune systems- AIDS patients, cancer patients, etc. at risk.
4. The unvaccinated put infants who have not yet been vaccinated at risk.
* Diphtheria
Cases per year (average) before vaccines: 175,885
Cases in 2003: 1
Decrease in cases per year: 99.9%
* Hib (<5 yrs old)
Cases per year (average) before vaccines: 20,000 (estimate)
Cases in 2003: 259
Decrease in cases per year: 98.8%
* Measles
Cases per year (average) before vaccines: 503,282
Cases in 2003: 56
Decrease in cases per year: 99.9%
* Mumps
Cases per year (average) before vaccines: 152,209
Cases in 2003: 231
Decrease in cases per year: 99.9%
* Pertussis (whooping cough)
Cases per year (average) before vaccines: 147,271
Cases in 2003: 11,647
Decrease in cases per year: 92.1%
* Polio (paralytic)
Cases per year (average) before vaccines: 16,316
Cases in 2003: 0
Decrease in cases per year: 100.0%
* Rubella
Cases per year (average) before vaccines: 47,745
Cases in 2003: 7
Decrease in cases per year: 99.9%
* Smallpox
Cases per year (average) before vaccines: 48,164
Cases in 2003: 0
Decrease in cases per year: 100.0%
* Tetanus
Cases per year (average) before vaccines: 1,314
Cases in 2003: 20
Decrease in cases per year: 98.5%
Holly, you could not be more wrong, nor more condescending! First of all it is ABSURD to say only the vaccinated are the ones who are risking others. First of all the act of vaccinating is actually injecting viruses and bacteria into a child's body so they are in essence, contaminated at that point and can and DO SHED those very viruses and bacteria through their saliva, mucus, feces etc.. not to mention, that now their body is overwhelmed trying to detox all those chemicals and deal with treating the bacteria/viruses they were just injected with.
Furthermore, a vaccinated child is NOT 100% immune or even at all, there is NO guarantee and all the same those vaccinated people can STILL contract and SPREAD illness, REGARDLESS of their vaccination status or titers. SIMPLY BEING "vaccinated" does not make you immune from contracting nor spreading illness. Point in fact...Look at whooping cough right now, over 80% of whooping cough cases are in the VACCINATED! You can STILL be a carrier of pertussis even if you are vaccinated! The evidence is clear.
Please, read these reports http://www.dailypaul.com/167931/a-collection-of-mainstream-news-reports-and-studies-exploding-the-whooping-cough-vaccine-myth
There are MANY cases where vaccinated doctors, nurses etc, spread the illness to their patients BECAUSE THEY WERE VACCINATED! The info is out there but I won't dig it all up for you. I've seen the reports and research.
I think it is extremely condescending for you to act like we are some scared "women" living in fear...actually I don't fear illness, because I understand that our body is meant to heal itself. Also My husband and I are both extremely intelligent and he agrees and believes the same as I do as do I am sure the HUSBANDS of MANY of the WOMEN here! We have just as much right, power, ability, knowledge as men to decide what is best for OUR children!
Also let's not put aside the MILLIONS of children who are DAMAGED by vaccines every day!
"A false polarity is perpetuated that positions deaths and injuries from disease as somehow more tragic than deaths and injuries from vaccines. These are equal tragedies. No child deserves to be written off as collateral damage in the war on disease."
"You can't vaccinate believing that your children are protected and then feel that your children are not protected because somehow, some non-vaccinated child is carrying some secret organism that no one else is carrying. It just doesn't make any sense." -- Dr. Larry Palevsky, pediatrician
"Dr. Martin Hirte writes on page 20 of his book 'Vaccination--Pro and Contra': "To create fear among parents to strengthen their motivation to vaccinate is an important part of the publicity used to promote vaccinations. A whole branch of research is examining the question: 'What level of fear needs to be created to appear as convincing as possible?'"--- Dr Buchwald (The Decline of Tuberculosis despite "Protective" Vaccination by Dr. Gerhard Buchwald M.D. p104)
" Since people cannot be vaccinated against their will, the biggest job of a Health Department has always been, and always will be, to persuade the unprotected people to get vaccinated. This we attempt to do in three ways: First by education; second by fright; and third, by pressure. We dislike very much to mention fright and pressure, yet they accomplish more than education, because they work faster than education, which is normally a slow process." Declaration by Dr. John P. Koehler, Commissioner of Health of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in an aricle in the Wisconsin Medical Journal, November, 1925.
Measles outbreak in 100% vaccinated population
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000359.htm
Editorial Note: This outbreak demonstrates that transmission of measles can occur within a school population with a documented immunization level of 100%. This level was validated during the outbreak investigation..
Your little reports above do not prove vaccines work or have anything to do with the decline of disease. There are MANY factors in the decline of disease, better nutrition, hygiene, medical and health care those ALL weight heavily in the rise/fall of disease, you can't throw the baby out with the bathwater and say that since vaccines came along, none of that matters and only vaccines were responsible...when actually there is NO PROOF this is true at all!
This is an intense topic and I think ALL PARENTS should have the RIGHT to CHOOSE what is best for their child. Again....if it is YOUR CHILD that dies after a vaccine, you will change your tune, or will you simply toss them up as for the greater good? if so...good for you, but for the millions of parents out there with dead or injured children, they may not feel that way and would like their child's death/illness to be acknowledged, even if they DID die for YOUR child! Don't THEY deserve the respect/right to KNOW and CLAIM what truly killed/injured their child and protect future children from that same fate? As well what about all of the immensely chronically ill children in our country today? We've traded acute illnesses like measles and chickenpox for chronic illnesses like cancer and juvenile diabetes, autism, PANDAS, multiple food and chemical allergies, unknown unbearable rashes and pains and aches. Our children are SICK and we can't see it!!
Mema///thank you SO MUCH for your rebuttal...I didn't know exactly where to start with the falseness that Holly was posting. Thank you Thank you!
YEAH, MEMA!!!!!
Holly, have you ever gotten an auto-immune attack for up to a year after receiving a vaccination? Have you watched your child regress into autism and repeat back to you whatever you say to them, after a "recommended" round of vaccinations? Or had to put them in a behavioral program because that child was so aggressive they could not play with other kids? Have you had other people blame you for your child's problems when you are the only one trying to work with this child, and barely have the energy to get through the day because of your auto immune disorder?
My child has PANDAS now, an autoimmune brain disorder, and is on the autism spectrum. I have Hashimotos disease. If we continue to vaccinate, both of us will likely end up severely ill or dead. Vaccines stimulate autoimmune reactions by increasing antibody levels, and that means trouble for those with immune dysfunctions. Our healthy preschooler could also end up with autoimmune disease if I keep pumping him full of vaccinations. Doesn't sound like a smart choice to me.
Oh man...this is SUCH a hard topic! We read Dr. Sears book, The Vaccine Book, and I did feel much better after being more informed. We staggered the vaccinations as best we could, but then at her one year appointment the nurse accidentally gave my daughter the MMR, even though I had requested she not get it. Oh, I was so concerned! My sweet (and wise) husband had to remind me repeatedly that our God knows exactly who our daughter is going to be and He is in control of all things. I felt a WEE bit better, but I had to really keep quoting Phil. 4:6 to myself, "Be anxious for nothing.....Be anxious for nothing....." Thanks for your post!
Thank you for the interesting article and thought provoking comments. I wanted to emphasize the sovereignty of God in our lives-vaccination is indeed an overwhelming topic, too overwhelming for human knowledge alone...Our mighty God is working out His purposes in each of our lives and we must be seeking His will in all our decision making...as a medical student I prayerfully researched the TB vaccine I was being offered and was led to choose NOT to be vaccinated. Little did I know that 8 yrs later I would end up working in the world's TB capital and (not surprisingly) became infected AND unknowingly infected my unborn child, who subsequently was born prematurely, and very ill. It was an incredibly traumatic experience as my child nearly died. By God's grace my son was healed, I was treated and I can see the hand of the Lord through the whole experience, as He used it to work in my life to deal with sin and refine me, my son's life as he is an amazing fighter at a young age, my whole family, the lives of the doctors and nurses involved, even other prem babies who have been saved by sharing our story.....God is working out His purposes for His glory and I praise Him for what He brought about in our lives...as a doctor (who has seen children die from vaccine preventable illnesses) and having had my own personal horrifying experience of what can happen when you don't vaccinate, I am, in a general sense for vaccinations BUT it is still an individual decision that needs to be undertaken prayerfully and wisely, resting in the grace and goodness of our Great Lord.xxx.
I dont get into discussions about vaxing, becasue we are a special family. :) I am pregnant with #4. my hubby and my 2nd oldest have Hirschsprung's disease. They both dont have a colon. So for me the choice is obvious, I have done the extended version. My son (hes 3) when he gets the flu he must be hospitalized for at least a week for dehydration. He has almmost died several times because of renal failure. I will do anything to help his chances and some people dont see that. My family gets every flu shot possible, there are chances to everything, but I weighed my chances and because we live where lots of people dont vax their kids, my sons chances to get them are way higher. :(
I have struggle for years now with the question of whether the immunization shots my boys were given was the cause of their problems. My oldest has Asperger Syndrome and my other son has more severe learning problems no one has been able to put a name to. Did I do this to them by having them get the shots? This is the question I struggle with. People say "It's not your fault" but yet I am the one who gave the consent to have the shots given. I was the one who believed it was best for them because "all children need to be immunized." I haven't felt like anyone has proven to me that the shots were not the cause of the learning problems yet I can't without proof blame everything on the shots. It is more a deep regret and sadness that maybe it could have been prevented if I had understood more or asked more questions. One of the interesting thing though is that I had all three of my children vaccinated for the Chicken Pox back in the mid 90's and both boys got the Chicken Pox anyways. Only my girl has no learning problems and also didn't get the Chicken Pox. It makes you wonder when most Autism disorders effect mostly boy and it is only me two boys who have issues and my daughter is fine. Someday I hope to know the "Truth" about the whole immunization issue but until then I will always have the questions and guilt in the back of my mind.
I am the mother of five boys and have been stuck on both sides of this discussion for the safety of my children, and all who come near them. My oldest son had severe allergic reactions every time he recieved the vaccinations. After his third series of shots and another case of major swelling and fevers over 102, I quit giving him the shots. The doctor told me that all I was doing was putting others at risk and opening my child upto many many illnesses. In other words I was a "bad mother" At the age of 18 months my son went to his dads. He brought him to that doctor and had him vaccinated again. Two days later my son had a fever of 104.6 and went into convulsions. I had to watch him for two years to monitor for brain damage. Needles to say he never recieved them again. My next two children had partial shots given one at a time to figure out exactly what shots they were elergic to. The reactions were fairly mild and the ones they had reactions to they didn't receive again. However, when it became time to go to school I was told that they had to have them up to date so against my better judgement I had them done. My younger son had no issues, but my second son had severe swelling and a fever of 103 that didn't go down for 4 days. Again they send me home to monitor him for possible brain damage? My fourth son was a very inteligent bright and calm child. He had not recieved any shots untill the age of 16 months in which case he recieved one shot. Two days later he wouldn't sleep through the night. He gets another shot a month later, he starts to become outragiously hyper and uncontrolable on top of not sleeping through the night and never taking naps. Third shot, he becomes withdrawn and starts throwing uncontrolable screaming fits. I quit giving the shots to him. At the age of two they diagnose him with asbergurs syndrom and adhd. My doctor tells me I am one of the "unlucky" ones that prove that the shots do cause autism. My youngest son has not recieved any shots and never will.
I am looked down apon for not giving my children vaccinations any more. And I am so happy that finally there are other people out there willing to see both sides and understand that each family is different. Some may never have a bad reaction to the shots. Get them. But for some people like me who are not willing to sacrifice our children for the masses, please understand it is not just fickle reasoning, it is life or death....
I love the fact that you even tried to present both sides of the issue. I wish that we had more concrete info on the effects of the additives in the vaccines. This is not an open and shut case, and parents need to be aware of ALL (or as many as humanly possible) issues at stake here in order to make an informed decision.
I personally am more than a little suspicious of vaccines, as we have at least 6 friends with autistic or challenged children. There certainly seems to be SOMETHING going on somewhere .
As a Christian and an historian, I do feel compelled to add another viewpoint in the interests of truth, however. Go to your local cemetery and count the number of gravestones with lambs on them. Your local cemetery will probably be full of them. You might also consult mortality schedules in your local census....in the past children routinely died from diseases that we no longer even worry about. In the mid-19th century, it was not uncommon for families to lose half of their children for one reason or another...and many of these reasons was illness.
We in the 21st century have forgotten the horror of the REAL epidemics: helplessly watching your child convulse under the effects of scarlet fever, or die covered with smallpox sores(or have scars for life). I saw my first photo of a true small-pox case when I was in my 20s, and it shocked me. It's like a really bad case of chicken pox on steroids and those it didn't kill, it often scarred horribly. Then again children might be crippled from polio as was my grandfather. My other grandfather almost died from diphtheria one time, and from typhoid fever another. We get upset and terrified when a few people sicken from infected food or there's the threat of H1N1; in the 19th century THOUSANDS of people (often whole families) died almost every year in New Orleans from Yellow Fever. Smallpox epidemics and cholera killed whole families. Even the seemingly milder measles and whooping cough killed children, too.
You may say, truly, that there are different variables today: people in the past did not have the fever-reducing medicines, nutrition, advanced medical care or antibiotics that we have now. Today even those with smallpox could be treated...although it would probably still have a serious effect on the body. Also, not all of the great epidemics that I've mentioned above are or can be treated with vaccines. Even the great scourge, smallpox, is not vaccinated against here in the U.S.
I am not meaning for this to be a scare tactic, but just as information that many people without a historical background do not comprehend. I DO think, that parents should carefully research what life was like before vaccines controlled the number of childhood illnesses. I think then you might understand the CDC's almost obsession (right or wrong) with vaccination.
We also cannot downplay the dangers of "childhood illnesses" to the child. What IF the child caught the measles? What would be the symptoms and what medical care would be needed? What about mumps? What complications could result? How would these illnesses affect a weak or immune-compromised child? One of my beliefs is that the reason many of the people in the past seem so strong to us today, is that childhood illnesses went a long way toward weeding out the weak. It's good to say that these diseases increase immunity, but that's only if you survive...and many children simply didn't. Also consider implications later in life. Chicken pox may seem rather benign, but ask anyone with shingles how they feel!
Also, as Christians we must also take into account the dangers illnesses present to others. What is the risk of sterility if your husband or brother or older son gets mumps from your child? And if a pregnant woman (you included) gets rubella, there is a grave danger to the unborn child. If you don't know about these risks, then you need to look into them. And, or course, we need to consider what might happen if large numbers of people in the community do not vaccinate. Right now, unvaccinated children are relatively safe because most children ARE vaccinated and do not spread the disease. As the number of unvaccinated children rises, it is possible that the likelihood of contracting a serious illness would also increase.
As I said before, this is NOT an easy issue. I think all parents need to have the right to make their own decisions, BUT it needs to be a decision based on knowledge of the potential risks to the child, community, family members and play mates.
Dr Tenpenny was not listed and she is a guru on the sugject of NOT vaxing. You also never mentioned Dr. Mercola. These would be great resources for your cautionary list. Here is a video of Dr. Tenpenny and the dangers of vaccines. It is very informational. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OORHqEedtUY
This is Tenpenny's website...... http://drtenpenny.com/default.aspx
Tenpenny facebook page...... http://www.facebook.com/vaccineinfo?ref=ts
My neice and nephew are both current on their on all f their vaccines. My sister is young and I'm not quite sure she would even be able to understand the complexities of the vaccination debate(a nice way of saying she's sweet, but not too bright). Regardless, as I type this, both my niece and nephew are at home right now with the chicken pox. They had the vaccine. My sister had the measles and mumps back to back, and was vaccinated for both. I have a friend who's daughter has been in a coma for the last two months becuase she contract an unusual varaint of the flu. She had the flu & H1N1 vaccines. I am NOT anti-vaccine. We choose which vaccines to give our daughter based on necessity, our region, etc. We have chosen to vaccinate her for for tetinus because we live in the rural south and she plays in the dirt and we do a lot of gardening. We have spent an insurmountable amount of time educating ourselves about vaccines. Let me tell you why....We were always aprehesive from the beginning. We felt that God was leading us in a different direction that normal protocol. We ended up duped & guilted until our daughter came due for the Chicken pox Shot. The nurse put the needle in and began to squeeze. Immediately, my daughter began to blotch all over and her arm began to swell. The nurse screamed for help & I stood there holding my daughter with shame & fear in my heart. I knew from the beginning that we shouldv'e done reseach and exercised our ability to be independant thinkers. Yet, I continued to listen to others about what was best for our daughter & family. My daughter is allergic to the chicken pox shot. A hard lesson to learn for our family. We choose to seek God's guidance with all things. We now take our time, research, and pray, before we just say, "If you think it's best, then, OK." All vaccinations are foriegn to our bodies(a poison of sorts). So are antibiotics. Sometimes, however, they are necessary. I'd say, take your families needs into considereation. We homeschool. We venture out for co-ops, field trips, shopping, ect. But my daughter does not spend large amounts of time in closed spaces with 30+ kids for 8 hours a day. Therefore, we are slightly less exposed...or even exposers.
@Christina, It is easy, and even somewhat fun, to list off all of these examples of people still getting diseases they were vaccinated for. Let me remind you that whooping cough kills people, the flu kills people. I have no idea if they were vaccinated or not, but I do know that saying people are not bright and being so casual about it is not OK. When 3 years old, my daughter was diagnosed with an insanely rare form of cancer. What!?!? We're organic to the core, breastfeeding, leave the weeds in our yard people! Something truly, truly shocking was that the #1 thing we were told to stay clear of while she was on chemo was the chicken pox! That vaccine that I thought was ridiculous... I now had a whole new appreciation for the danger of that disease. Someone mentioned it is a game of statistics. My daughter is 6 years old now, but I know more people than I ever imagined who have lost a child because of becoming a part of the childhood cancer community. Please hear me -- there is no right or wrong. Your child may not have autism -- possibly because of avoiding a vaccine and possibly not. Your child may be the one that gets the chicken pox and dies from scarlet fever -- possibly because of not getting the vaccine and possibly it would have happened anyway. Children die. Parents make medical/drug decisions for their children far bigger than vaccinating or not vaccinating. I'd be more worried about the water, soil, and air as the culprits for autism, etc.
@Jen, Cristina, my response was not all directed toward you. I agree with many of your points. Homeschooling makes a difference, picking and choosing is the way, and more. My response is in response to reading everything from everyone, but I'm not ever a reply-er on any blog, so I clicked and now realize that it looks like I was writing you a letter, personally!
Thank you so much for posting this! Everything I find is so one sided, and I get frustrated. I have opted to not immunize until this point because I felt like I was not getting all info. However my son is 21 months old, so I think I will go ahead and start him. He is probably ready.
I am a mama of many and have many friends with many (6-10) children. I do not know of a single child from my non-vax friends who has a child with a problem from non-vaxing. I do know several families with an autistic child who did vax. I know one child who had severe seizures after his well baby checks (when shots were given) and now lives in a group in his late 20's. I know one man whose brain was teribly damaged from the shots he got after boot camp before shipping out to Vietnam. He was sent home a changed person (retarded).
I don't think the bad results of vacinating get reported as they should. I also don't think the good results of not vacinating get reported either. My 15 year old recently went into ER with a broken arm. When they asked me about his doctor, I had to admit that he has never seen a doctor. The child has never been sick enough to take to a doctor, and the doctor we do go to does not want to see us unless there is a problem.
Oh yes, my response when they ask me if they are current on immunizations? Yes they all are. For our family, 0 is "up to date and current". Fortunately I found a doctor who agrees. That is helpful. I go to him when there is a question such as a puncture wound from a barn tool. :) Be smart. Read the information and figure it out.
Thank you for this post. Whether or not to vaccinate my daughter has been one of the most confusing decisions I've had to make in her 2.5 years of life. I wish there wasn't so much contradicting information on this topic; it makes it so difficult to discern what is right for our children. All I can do is pray that the choices I have made will serve my daughter well and she will be healthy and happy.
Before I was a parent I thought non-vaccinators were bordering on child neglect/abuse. Now that actually have babies I realize all the pro-vaccine boils down to numbers and statistics. I don't care if it saves 20 billion babies from something if my baby is the one that dies. It's such an overwhelming topic and so hard to decide what is the right thing. I'm looking forward to the toolbox questions.
@HeatherB, Thank you for say this for some reason when you said "that this is an overwhelming topic" I started to cry. Maybe it's cause I'm pregnant with number 2 and I still don't have a grasp on all of this. But it's good to know that we are all here to learn, grow and become the best parents we can be for the children God has in trusted us with!
"I don't care if it saves 20 billion babies..." That sounds like it came right out of the mouth of Jesus.
Thank you for a very thoughtful article. It is so hard to find unbiased information on this subject - I really find that most people come forward with an "all or nothing" approach and as a family who have decided to selectively and delayed vax, we are wrong whoever we talk to. Some of these diseases are life-threatening and for those, we have decided that it is worth the risk, with others (e.g. chicken pox, HPV, rotavirus) we decided to forego them. That's what works for us. There is risk either way - while people think that measles is a harmless children's disease, my grandmother lost two sisters to it - that doesn't take away from the fact that I feel that the vaccine also has inherent risks. As parents, for each and every vaccine, we need to prayerfully weigh the risks of the disease and the vaccine and decide what we feel to be best for our own children.
As a Canadian, what I don't get is that the American protocols call for Hep-B shots at a day old. I read an article in an American parenting magazine that interviewed several doctors who put forward that parents who opted out of this vaccine were putting their children at grave risk and yet in many other countries, including Canada, this shot isn't even included in regular protocols or is included much later (here, it is suggested at age 13). Are American children biologically different, putting them at risk when other children are not??? It really makes you question the motivation behind medical and government bodies pushing these schedules.
Sarah,
You're absolutely right. A Canadian nurse lectured a friend of mine on how vaccination laws were much stricter in Australia, when she was completely wrong about the subject at hand. Makes one wonder...
I have chosen to stop worshipping my medical doctor and take everything they say with a grain of salt - just like I would my mechanic or a used car salesman.
What ever happened to pox parties? My parents hosted two that I can remember, allowing all the neighborhood kids to come over and get chicken pox from me then 2 years later again from my sister. But I guess now chicken pox is nolonger a right of passage for kids. I have had it 3 times total, @3, @8, and 17-working in the church nursery. My kids haven't been immunized for pox, and yes all three have had it.
@Mrs Jones,
Pox parties still happen! But there is some risk involved. The reason for the chicken pox vaccine is not for the masses, but for the few who are at risk for developing swelling of the brain, febrile seizures, etc. as a result of chicken pox. Not your normal symptoms, but symptoms that can and do occur with chicken pox and can even be fatal.
I chose not to vaccinate my children--or at least delay vaccines until they are older. In my son's case I am very glad I made that decision. He has eczema, thus a compromised immune system. He is also highly allergic to eggs, a key component of some vaccines (flu vaccine, for instance). His pediatrician recommends Dr. Sears's alternate vaccination schedule to all his patients, but in my son's case he is very supportive of my decision to delay vaccinations. If and when I decide to vaccinate any of my children, it will be when they are at least 8 or 9, and then I will be very selective of the vaccines I pick. Polio would be one I would probably pick; the chicken pox vaccine...probably not.
Two of my kids have eczema (my baby, the 4th, hasn't yet developed it, praise God). My son's is the worst adn began the earliest, though it has improved with our family's shift to real foods and more fermented foods. He aspirated during birth and was consequently in NICU for 10 days; he was on antibiotics from day 1 and some formula shortly thereafter, as they wouldn't let me breastfeed exclusively!! Then they said he had reflux and switched him to soy, but they were really overfeeding him! Anyway, he also received all the vaccines on schedule, as did my other kids, and I am just now realizing that this, combined with everything else that was assaulting him, may have contributed to his weak immune system. Not only does he have bad eczema, but he catches EVERYTHING that comes his way. I'm going to be a more informed mama with my 4th, who is now 7 months old. I plan to look into Dr. Sears' book. Thanks for all the comments here!
Although I think it's a little fast, I've decided to go with the CDC's schedule. I'm a firm believer in herd immunity, and my mother's stories of her classmates who contracted polio (around 1950) have convinced me that I need to vaccinate my children not only for their own health, but also for the health of the other children they play with (some of whom are not vaccinated or on delayed vax schedules).
Of course I would delay vaccinations if I saw any negative reactions in either child, but so far that has not been the case.
@Anitra,
Anitra, here is a great article on polio. What people in the 50s didn't understand is that Sabin admitted the polio vaccine was a farce. http://vran.org/about-vaccines/specific-vaccines/polio-vaccine/polio-perspectives/
@Anitra, Good for you for thinking of the other kids around your son! However, remember that as parents choosing to delay vaccinations, they are in no way holding you responsible for a herd immunity. Many parents who delay or do not vaccinate would prefer that their child be exposed to the "real thing" instead of a killed version in a vaccine. I know that goes against EVERYTHING in vaccine literature! The point is that you are responsible for YOUR children, and if you decide something might hurt them, you absolutely should NOT feel guilty for choosing to avoid it, even if it could potentially harm another person's child down the road.
What a super post Christina! I knew it was you as soon as I saw the title and your name. I appreciate your balanced view, and it looks like LOTS of other people do too.
Looking forward to seeing the rest of the series. Go girlie!! Stephanie, great job letting her have at this. She's a natural!
@Leah@ Dance And Be Glad, Thanks, Leah! :)
To be honest I guess I didn't see both sides as being represented equally. I'm not surprised or upset by that though. I mean, it was kind of to be expected given the focus on natural health- which is why I'm drawn to this blog.
My daughter has had all of her vaccinations and won't be due for another year. We've decided to go ahead with the vaccinations but get them spaced out instead of all at once. I don't feel like a bad parent for this choice or regret what she has had. At the end of the day she's a healthy, growing girl and some choices aren't so clear.
@GM, And you shouldn't feel like a bad parent for that. Some choices are absolutely difficult and not always clear, and we're never asked to be perfect or always know the right things to do. We're asked to be faithful, to love our children, and to make decisions to the best of our ability, end of story. You're a wonderful mom, just doing your best to care for your daughter.
I hope that it comes across loud and clear that regardless of which side of the debate you land on, and what decisions you make, there is no good parent/bad parent determinations happening here. I think that we ALL love our kids and want the very best for them, right? :)
I wrote my own take on vaccinations here: http://lifeonthefrancofarm.blogspot.com/2010/09/vaccines-and-why-my-kids-wont-get-them.html
Since writing that blog, I have made a firm decision to stay far, far away from them. I have read articles, books, pro-vax sites, studies, etc... and nothing has come close to convincing me that injecting toxins into my child's body is what God had in mind when He entrusted these two kids to me.
Thank you for posting this article, as it just reaffirms my own personal convictions regarding vaccinations, and allopathic medicine in general.
God bless...
Darlene
I really appreciate (LOVE) your foundation and the perspective that provides. I believe each of those statements, but had never thought about it in connection with vaccinations. Thank you for sharing!
As for our family, we began giving our kids their "required" shots and then stopped when our kids were about 3 and 1. My 1 year old had a reaction to the chicken pox vaccine that scared me. At that point, I also did a lot more reading and am now content with our decision to forgo vaccines.
I completely agree with being an educated parent about vaccines. But at the end of the day, I believe that this decision, as with all decisions, should be left to God in prayer. I imagine God's leading for each family is unique. Our situation is similar to Laundry Lady's - we vaccinated and thank God for the gifts of the vaccines and the benefits they provide.
Thank you for this article.
I've never quite understood why the idea behind vaccinations seems to be "get it over quick." My son was going to be given 6 different vaccinations before he left the hospital at 4 days old. Seriously?!? He is going to have direct, life threatening exposure to 6 different hardcore diseases that quickly? Somehow I doubted it. He is all current on his vaccinations now (at almost 7) but we opted to take a much slower route. In the end, he aged out of over 5 different diseases that only occurred as life threatening before the age of 4.
I have a brother who was born pre-maturely, and then had extreme amounts of antibiotics and vaccines dumped on him, and has grown up with mild Aspergers and autistic tendencies. Though I realize there is no direct scientific evidence that such issues are directly caused by each other, the idea of dumping all those chemicals into a new baby still worries me.
We have the book, "Vaccine Alternatives--How to Prevent and Treat Illness Using Natural Remedies". I've found that the preventing illness part is pretty straightforward. It basically says to live healthfully and it will do a great deal of good for you. There are some good treatments if you get the illness, too. But the best part of the book, I think, is the middle part. It's written by a doctor and tells what is the chance of getting the disease (in America) and also lists all of the possible side effects for each vaccine. It also tells what the effects of the disease are. I thought it was excellently done and seemed to be unbiased. I'm guessing that the person writing the book was against vaccines or would not see the need for the book, but my point is that it's not written in a way that tries to persuade you one direction or the other. It just states the facts of the diseases and the vaccinations as of the publishing date.
@dena, The things many should remember is that the risks of contracting a certain illness vary with the amount of vaccination in your area. In areas with low vaccine rates and therefore low herd immunity (group immunity to an illness) then the likelihood of your child contracting an illness increases. I worked in pediatrics in rural north idaho where there is a strong inclination to avoid vaccination and there were repeated outbreaks of whooping cough. This doesn't mean that everyone needs to decide to vaccinate, but everyone should not only consider their unique family needs, but that of the community they're in and also any travel plans (for instance, if you regularly travel to mexico, you might be more inclined to get your children a hep A vaccine than if you just stay in the US).
@Christine.,My children had whooping cough. Not pleasant but no worse than the flu or a bad cold. It does last a long time but we did get through it and now I assume they are all fully amune to it. Also, my older children who had been immunized and my husband and I also got it. It was no respector of who had gotten shots previously. So remember --- the shot does not always work anyway. I am glad my younger children never had any shots. They have been very healthy, never needing to go to a Dr. for illness.
@dena, The things many should remember is that the risks of contracting a certain illness vary with the amount of vaccination in your area. In areas with low vaccine rates and therefore low herd immunity (group immunity to an illness) then the likelihood of your child contracting an illness increases. I worked in pediatrics in rural north idaho where there is a strong inclination to avoid vaccination and there were repeated outbreaks of whooping cough. This doesn't mean that everyone needs to decide to vaccinate, but everyone should not only consider their unique family needs, but the community they're in and also any travel plans (for instance, if you regularly travel to mexico, you might be more inclined to get your children a hep A vaccine than if you just stay in the US).
@Christine.,
Your comment rests on an inherent belief that vaccinations work. I, for one, have read too many studies of fully vaccinated children contracting the infectious illness anyway. Numerous studies have shown the flu shot to be a farce - it MAY reduce symptoms by one day, but in no way prevents transmission.
Herd immunity - if you dig a little deeper - was a term applied ONLY to natural immunity, and the rate was much lower - around 60-70% of a population with natural immunity seemed to protect the rest. Scientists erringly applied the term to vaccinated populations and arbitrarily raised the rate to 90-95%. I have not seen one study that corroborates that statistic.
@Darlene Franco, Yes, I believe that immunizations work because the science supports it. No one has had smallpox recently and areas with high vaccination rates for many illnesses have very low incidence of the disease. Not all vaccines are as highly effective as others, but they are an invaluable way of saving lives and preventing disease. It's not a matter of believing or not believing. It's a matter of science.
@Christine, Don't confuse correlation with causality. Areas with mandatory vaccine programs generally have better nutrition & sanitation, too. Conversely, many areas have historically shown dramatic drops in communicable diseases when clean water and plenty of food became available, without shots. (http://www.naturalnews.com/027203_vaccination_health_vaccines.html)
Many diseases disappeared from the US around the same time as smallpox, etc., without the help of vaccine campaigns (typhoid, cholera, for example). It seems we may be trading one set of diseases for another as we choose to vaccinate on a very aggressive, one-size-fits-all schedule.
I'm not implying vaccines have no place-- they very well could in emergency situations. It's the blind, mandatory, fear-driven systematic approach that brings me to caution.
@Darlene Franco, Science?? You must keep good records to call it science. When your child has a problem after they receive a shot, the Dr. (mine at least) does not report it as being related to the shot he just gave them two days before. The statistics have got to be way off.
Thanks so much for sharing this! I've been feeling like a bad mom because my 6.5 month old hasn't had any vaccines yet. Now I've thrilled... even if we do get to them eventually... at least he wasn't so little!
You're thrilled because you read something on a blog. Bravo.