Guest Post Written by Christina

Over the past two weeks, we've been approaching the subject of childhood immunizations, trying to come to the issue logically and methodically in order to make the best decisions for our children:

The Thoughtful Parent's Guide to Thinking Through Vaccinations (part 1)
10 Questions to Ask (part 2)

Many of you have asked for resources and articles so that you can continue your own thinking and start wading through your own research.

I recommend starting a three-ring notebook or folder. Print off or copy articles as you find them (making sure you have the source noted so you can direct someone else to find it... or re-access it). You may want to make a section for each vaccine, with an extra section for vaccines in general.

The following is a brief reading list (think of them as "Consumer Reports" for your "Tools"). I've divided them into pro-vaccine and cautionary vaccine categories for ease of reference, however, I actually would recommend reading both a pro-vaccine and a cautionary book side by side.

Start off reading the introductions to get a big-picture overview of the author's view and bottom-line assumptions. Then, I usually read a chapter from one perspective, then about that same vaccine from another perspective, so you can compare the two; try and fill in any gaps or see if the "other side" can explain the accusations of the other.

If you are pressed on time and don't want to tackle the CDC schedule as a whole, you may want to target one vaccine (perhaps the next one "up" for your child) and read as many perspectives on it as you can.

Here is an annotated list of articles and books:

Pro-vaccine:

The Institute of Vaccine Safety Vaccine Package Inserts- Keep this handy for reference when you want ingredients and side-effects in each vaccine, etc.

The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child (Sears Parenting Library) by Dr. Bob Sears (though he has an alternative schedule, he is fundamentally FOR vaccines; his goal is to provide a schedule so all parents feel comfortable fully vaccinating their children). This book is a great place to start looking at ingredients.  Dr. Sears' main concern is the adjuvants (ingredients added to the disease-causing medium, especially aluminum.  His alternative vaccination schedule spaces vaccines containing similar ingredients out to allow the body time to filter toxins out.  However, he never once questions the efficacy of vaccines, and assumes that combination shots are less toxic due to their lower adjuvant content, instead of being concerned about the tax of simultaneous immune reactions.

Vaccinated: One Man's Quest to Defeat the World's Deadliest Diseases by Dr. Paul Offit. This is essentially a biography of Maurice Hilleman, the man who made many of the vaccines still used today. It is always helpful to understand why someone did what they did, and this gives a lot of insights into Hilleman's world view, assumptions, and motivations. I found it revealing that he turned away from the strict Christian views of his family and embraced science as a better alternative, idolizing Charles Darwin and believing that vaccines were one more step in man's evolution.

Vaccines: What Every Parent Should Know by Dr. Paul Offit & Louis M. Bell. Paul Offit is today's most outspoken vaccine advocate, challenging even Dr. Sears' schedule. He has many books on the subject (including The Cutter Incident, and Autism's False Prophets, neither of which I have yet read). Please try not to let its oversimplified tone insult your intelligence so much that you throw it away after one chapter; it is very revealing. The opening story contrasts two children; one whose parent refused a vaccine, and one who sought it out. The unvaccinated child later caught the disease with great discomfort. The vaccinated child suffered only a sore arm for a day or so. End of story. Ah, if only it were that simple! If only we could choose a vaccine over a disease, instead of having to weigh partial vaccine immunity, possible short & long-term side effects, and multiple-drug interactions (CDC vaccine schedule) against natural immunity, immune-boosting nutrition, and the possible benefits and/or risks of a wild disease! Another revealing (and either twisted or insulting) aspect is Offit's description of the wonderful, life-saving idea of removing all potential legal responsibility for vaccine side-effects from vaccine manufacturers and placing that instead on the government (i.e. taxpayers), leaving them "free" to continue to manufacture vaccines without fear...or responsibility for their products' safety records. There is little by way of footnotes; this is written to soothe the fears of scared parents, not to encourage them to research more. Needless to say, I was not impressed.

CDC Vaccine Guide - This will provide you with up-to-date official recommendations et al.

Cautionary:

"A User-Friendly Vaccination Schedule" by Dr. Donald W. Miller, Jr. (cardiac surgeon). Dr. Miller points out the lack of any randomized controlled study where vaccines are concerned as a whole, again raising concern for the aggressive schedule which gives a child's brain no time to heal between attacks. He describes the difference in fetal/infant and adult immune responses and explains how vaccines can disrupt the transition from one to another.

"The Danger of Excessive Vaccination During Brain Development" by Dr. Russel L. Blaylock (now-retired neurosurgeon). This article challenges the CDC schedule as a whole, examining the dangers repeated, frequent, powerful immunizations pose to a developing brain. An excellent starting point for your thought process. To date, I have never found any answer to this criticism of today's vaccination campaigns at all. Many articles try to disprove a link between autism and a particular vaccine, but never do they address vaccines as the package deal most parents are expected to take.

"The Challenge to Mass Vaccination" by Barbara Loe Fisher. One of the first voices to question vaccines in America (especially the DTP), she summarizes her own article in this way: "First, is it better to protect children against infectious disease early in life through temporary immunity from a vaccine or are they better off contracting certain contagious infections in childhood and attaining permanent immunity? Second, do vaccine complications ultimately cause more chronic illness and death than infectious diseases do? Both questions essentially pit trust in human intervention against trust in nature and the natural order, which existed long before vaccines were created by man."

The Vaccine Guide: Risks and Benefits for Children and Adults by Randall Neustaedter. This is my favorite book on the topic, largely because of the first chapter. He starts off with a great big-picture overview of vaccines and how they fit into modern medicine and the allopathic way of treating the body. I feel that, of all the books I've read so far, he provides the most calm overview of vaccines without assigning or assuming evil motives on the part of vaccine developers. He gives a variety of strategies for dealing with each vaccine-treatable-disease (ex. either vaccinate at X age, or use this brand or vaccine instead, or treat the actual disease in this way, or in an emergency get this emergency version of the vaccine).

The Virus and the Vaccine: Contaminated Vaccine, Deadly Cancers, and Government Neglect by Debbie Bookchin & Jim Schumacher. This addresses the topic of SV-40, the virus that contaminated many doses of early polio vaccines.

Make an Informed Vaccine Decision for the Health of Your Child: A Parent's Guide to Childhood Shots by Dr. Mayer Eisenstein. Another heavily-footnoted book, Dr. Eisenstein (a Medical Doctor as well as a Master of Public Health & Doctor of Law) tackles each vaccine individually, taking a question-and-answer format. He has additional chapters on multiple vaccines, aluminum, autism & social obligation.

The Vaccine Safety Manual by Neil Z. Miller. The forward by Dr. Blaylock is almost worth the price of the book on its own. I also appreciated the chapter on smallpox, a disease we no longer see as a threat. Usually we assume that this is because it was the subject of the first vaccination campaign... after reading this book you will know that the opposite is true. Written with Dr. Eisenstein, much of the content and style of presentation are very similar to Make an Informed Decision for the Health of Your Child. (Read Miller's take on polio here.)

Generation Rescue's website- this website is a the product of a group of parents, scientists, and physicians dedicated to helping parents treat and help their children with autism, ADHD and other chronic illnesses. Many articles on the science page relate to vaccines, and the pages relating directly to vaccines have many suggestions for vaccine options.

Using These Resources

As you read these books, look up the footnotes for scholarly articles and studies. Many are available online-- try typing the title and author into Google Scholar and see what you can come up with. If you live near a college or university you may also be able to use their scholarly journal database. Print out anything you can so you have it on hand!

One last note regarding comparing information: when you come to information that seems at odds, pay close attention to the scale of the graph and what it is showing. Take for example these two takes on vaccination's effects on polio: in this article, Neil Miller uses a graph of polio deaths per year (Figure 4, page 4) to show that polio was already declining prior to the introduction of the vaccine. This website, entitled "Vaccines Are Incredibly Effective At Preventing Disease", shows a similar graph to show the opposite. Who is right?

I'd challenge you to look a bit deeper. A graph is a presentation that is supposed to guide you to see what the presenter wants you to see, so be careful with them. The first graph shows polio deaths beginning in 1920; the second begins in 1944, after polio incidence had already decreased a good deal (but this graph doesn't show it). Little things like starting or ending dates, or scale (how much space is between each year shown) make a big difference in how data "looks."

All right. You've got your basic Foundations, you've seen the Blueprints, you have the Tools, and now you have some Consumer Reports to read through. You know that you are responsible for your child, but that ultimately, the Lord ordains and protects. You're ready (or at least, as ready as you'll ever be =D). GO!

Do you have any resources that you would add to this list?

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Other Posts in This Series

• Part One: The Foundation and Two Blueprints
• Part Two: 10 Questions to Ask

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• The road back to better health (and the details of my diet)
• The Thoughtful Parent’s Guide to Thinking Through Vaccinations: 10 Questions to Ask
• Adrenal Fatigue: Help and Resources for Healing
• The Thoughtful Parent's Guide to Thinking Through Vaccinations

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Last week we started discussing the controversial topic of vaccination.  It has been very encouraging to see the responses it has generated, and to get to discuss a topic so near to our hearts!

We began by taking a look at the Foundational beliefs we can use to anchor and base our "Vaccine-Stance."  We briefly looked at two Blueprints, one being the CDC's recommended vaccination schedule, and the other being a more cautionary approach to vaccines.

Today I will present 10 Tools for sifting through all the Blueprint-variations out there and framing your own Family Vaccine Plan.  It may look different than mine or your best friend's- it may even be different for different children.  That is better than "ok"-- that is wonderful!  As a parent, you know your own child, your family history, and your situation better than anyone else.  My desire is to empower you to metaphorically "build your own house!"

God is in Control

But before we dive in, I want us to remember one crucial point, the Bedrock upon which any "Foundation" and "Framework" is laid: God is ultimately in control; over our children, their lives, and their health.  How freeing that Truth is!! We can find immense comfort in knowing that He not only has ordained each of their days, but has even determined when and where they would live-- all with the goal of bringing them to Himself (Psalm 139:13-16, Acts 17:26-27), the Source of Eternal, Overflowing Joy!

What if this little blog series leads you to research aspects of vaccination that cause you to regret a past course of action? What if you're now thinking "I vaccinated my first child on the CDC schedule without thinking, and now I'm really wishing I hadn't"?  Praise the Lord, God is still sovereign, and He is full of grace! Even if we did do everything "right" medically with our children (which we won't)-- the Lord could call them Home through any "accident" any day.  Our responsibility is as limited as we are.  There are so many factors outside of our control; air pollution, traffic, animals, storms... Just as we trust Him with those factors, so we must trust Him with disease and medical decisions.

May we always act in faith, not fear. We might say, "whether you vaccinate, or don't vaccinate, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God..." (1 Cor 10:31)

Image by fauxto-dkp

The Tools

10 Questions you can use to decide whether a vaccine is appropriate to your child at this point in his life:

1. What disease(s) is this vaccine aiming to protect against?
2. What is the a) probable outcome of this disease, and b) worst-case scenario outcome?
3. Today, is this disease treatable and/or preventable by other/natural means?
4. What are possible dangers in this type of vaccine (look up whole list of ingredients)?
5. What is the a) probable outcome of this vaccine, and b) worst-case scenario outcome?
6. How much has this vaccine been tested, and are those tests by objective testers?
7. How effective is the vaccine?
8. Are there any benefits to gaining immunity to this disease through actual infection, rather than through the vaccine?
9. What is the rationale behind getting the vaccine?  Is this valid/applicable to my situation, particularly my child's age?
10. Is the disease generally worse than the vaccine?

Now before you freak out and think "that's a LOT of questions!," be assured that at least numbers 1-3, 9, and perhaps 10, should be answerable with a quick (but thorough!) search in a medical handbook, reputable website or even by asking your doctor. Look it up on wikipedia, using the footnoted references to go one level deeper. You may be able to stop there (for example, we felt the varicella, or chicken pox, vaccine was fairly obvious at this point).

Look up vaccine information from the manufacturers (your pediatrician can copy the info off of the vaccine box for you, or at least give you the name of the company and you can look it up on the CDC website) to answer numbers 4 & 5. Numbers 6-8 are the hardest to find answers on, and you may need to enlist a medically knowledgeable source to rightly read study results and findings, but there are GREAT books out there to help with that!  You can do this!! (More on the research aspect will come in the final blog post.)

Image by petter palander

An Example

Let me go step through one vaccine to show you how one might reason through a vaccine and come to a decision.  I'll do today's most-used polio vaccine, the IPV (inactivated polio virus).

1. What disease(s) is this vaccine aiming to protect against? poliovirus, causing poliomyelitis.

2. What is the a) probable outcome of this disease? a) 95% of polio infections cause no symptoms at all. In 5% of cases, mild symptoms such as headache, fever & sore throat develop (source). b) worst-case scenario outcome? In 1% of cases the virus enters the central nervous system, targeting motor neurons, leading to muscle weakness & temporary (rarely permanent) paralysis and, in rare cases, to respiratory arrest/death if respiratory support is not available (source). Most paralysis cases are temporary. (read more here). Polio levels were fairly constant until the 1880's, when the first polio epidemics began, primarily in cities in the summer months. (source)

3. Today, is this disease treatable and/or preventable by other/natural means? Yes. Because of how this disease is passed on (the fecal-to-oral route, i.e. lack of sewage disposal, contaminated food, unwashed hands etc.), hygiene is a huge preventative measure. If the worst case occurs, proper stimulation of affected limbs, ventilator-aided breathing and therapy (lots of massage) to regain muscle tone is key. A vitamin-rich diet is a huge preventative measure:  vitamin C seems to be a great preventative as well as a factor in how disease affects an infected person. B vitamins seem to be protectors from paralysis.  Read a Time Magazine featurette or Dr. Klenner, a hospital doctor from the '70's, studies, also here). It also stands to reason that a healthy intestinal immune system full of good bacteria and properly low pH (acidic) is a first-line barrier keeping the virus out of the blood stream (where it causes the worst damage).

4. What are possible dangers in this type of vaccine (look up whole list of ingredients)? Potentially hazardous ingredients: formaldehyde (toxic), monkey kidney tissue,* the antibiotics neomycin & streptomycin (linked to ear damage).

*Let's talk about that monkey tissue. Diseases which monkeys carry harmlessly are often deadly to humans. One such virus, SV-40 (simain virus 40-- "simian" means monkey) was accidentally given to at least 30 million (some estimate as high as 200 million worldwide) children up until 1963 via polio vaccinations. It is still being treated today in the form of numerous cancers, many of which do not respond to standard treatment.  (Some evidence has shown that SV-40 has even been passed from vaccinated-infected-mothers to their children in the form of brain tumors!)  While monkey tissues used are now tested for SV-40 and a growing number of other diseases, the threat of viral contamination is still very high, and utterly probable. (Some postulate that HIV is the human version of SIV, which infects 50% of all African green monkeys; the kind most used to culture polio vaccines). Several doctors have warned that only about 2% of existing monkey viruses are known and are tested for, and since you can't test for something you don't know is there, there is literally no way to know what is potentially in a batch of vaccines. [The Virus and the Vaccine (2005) is completely devoted to this topic.  A book with a summary we found helpful is The Vaccine Guide: Risks and Benefits for Children and Adults.]

5. What is the a) probable outcome of this vaccine? Due to the highly probably contamination of the monkey tissue used to culture the disease, an undetected viral contamination is quite likely, even if the patient has no immediately observed reaction to the shot. b) worst-case scenario outcome? Our child does receive a contaminated vaccine and suffers a life-altering (or death-causing) complication  later in life.

6. How much has this vaccine been tested, and are those tests by objective testers? So far I have found no studies at all, much less those of a vaccinated group contrasted with an unvaccinated control group.

7. How effective is the vaccine? Difficult to say; the definition of "polio" as counted by the CDC has become drastically more restrictive since the development of the vaccine, which further confounds the problem of judging its effectiveness; the numbers are falsely lowered.  Now a patient must exhibit the worst possible symptoms in order to be counted as having polio, as opposed to having mild symptoms and being counted (as before).

8. Are there any benefits to gaining immunity to this disease through actual infection, rather than through the vaccine? Not in so many words.

9. What is the rationale behind getting the vaccine?  Is this valid/applicable to my situation (especially my child's age)? Polio is exceedingly rare in the US today, and is both preventable and treatable.  Any vaccine is a tax on a still-developing immune system (source here and here) of an infant under 2. Also, our daughter in particular is allergic to certain antibiotics, so we limit her antibiotic exposure as much as possible. Since the likelyhood of our children contracting polio is so low, we would prefer to wait indefinitely on this vaccine.

10. Is the disease generally worse than the vaccine? That's a tough call, but I think not.  While the worst-case scenario is awful, the usual course of polio (especially in a well-nourished individual) is to be completely asymptomatic, while the vaccine with its potential contaminants is a huge unknown.  In other words, we prefered the known (low) risk of the wild virus to the unknown (potentially huge) risk of this particular vaccine.

How this "Framed Up" for us: we judged polio, which is rare in the US today and has no symptoms in 95% of people, to be less risky than a vaccine possibly tainted with (a) simian virus(es) (effect/s unknown).  We will actively bolster our children's immune systems- including the gut!- through a nutritionally-rich & varied diet full of vitamins (including C & B as well as probiotics), as well as breastfeeding through 18 months.  We have access to good medical care should a serious case of poliomyelitis strike despite our best efforts.

Phew!  One vaccine down, just 10 more to go!  :) Seriously, though, I hope this has whet your appetite for investigating each vaccine individually.  If you would like to see more examples of the "Toolbox" being deployed, you may want to visit my blog post thinking through the varicella vaccine, as well as a brief treatment of all today's CDC- recommended vaccines.

Tune in next week for an annotated list of resources (on all sides of the vaccine issue), as well as some concluding thoughts on the CDC vaccine schedule as a whole.  Hopefully these three posts will inspire and help you to frame your own "Family Vaccine Plan!"

What questions have you asked as you've made decisions on vaccinations? What does your decision making process look like?

Top image by AdamSelwood

Other Posts in This Series

• Part One: The Foundation and Two Blueprints
• Part Three: Pro-Vaccine and Cautionary Resources

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• The Thoughtful Parent's Guide to Thinking Through Vaccinations
• How to Prepare for Going on the GAPS Diet
• The Thoughtful Parent’s Guide to Thinking Through Vaccinations: Pro-Vaccine and Cautionary Resources
• The GAPS Diet: Why Our Family is Doing It

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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!

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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):

1. 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.
2. 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).
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

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If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• The Thoughtful Parent’s Guide to Thinking Through Vaccinations: 10 Questions to Ask
• How to Prepare for Going on the GAPS Diet
• The Thoughtful Parent’s Guide to Thinking Through Vaccinations: Pro-Vaccine and Cautionary Resources
• The GAPS Diet: Why Our Family is Doing It

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I say one mom's, because we're all different. We each have different ideas of what natural prevention even looks like. I'm not trying to tell you that I totally understand everything about swine flu and that I know exactly what you should do to prevent it. I don't. What I do know is that I've been looking into it for the sake of my own family, wanting to make sure that we all stay healthy, especially with a new baby and young ones in the house. These are just my own ideas and suggestions, and I pray that they will be useful or at least offer a starting place to those of you who are also concerned and wish to prevent your family from catching the flu, in the most natural way possible!

Am I concerned about Swine Flu/H1N1?

You bet.

Am I hysterical, freaked out, anxious or ready to drag my kids off to get their shots asap? Nope, not in the slightest.

Last year when the H1N1 started to rear it's ugly head, I'll confess, I was pretty nonplussed about the whole thing. I believed that it was being thrown entirely out of proportion, that it's risks were being exaggerated by the government and those who stood to gain from public fear and that it did not pose much of a threat to the average person. Half a year later, I still believe some of those things to a degree, but I have also seen the flu begin to spread among my own community (knowing some people personally who have contracted it) and I know that it is at the very least a nasty flu that is spreading more rapidly than I expected.

Do I still believe that there is exaggeration in the claims being made about it's pandemic status, about the number of cases and deaths, about the need to receive (and the safety of) the swine flu shot? Yes. I don't think that we are being told the whole truth.

I don't believe that the numbers coming out are accurate, mainly because many, many people reporting flu symptoms are not actually being tested for which stain of the flu that they have (keep in mind that it is flu season in general, whether the swine flu is going around or not). Not every person with the flu has H1N1. Many places have stopped specifically testing for specific flu strains and have begun to assume that every case in indeed H1N1, which is creating more of a fear and panic than is necessary or realistic. I certainly believe that there are those who would like to (and will) gain from the sense of public fear, namely pharmaceutical companies who are creating and pushing vaccines, and whomever is on the payroll of the large corporations (ie. those who are further promoting a sense of fear).

Whatever the ultimate truth of the swine flu is, these things I know to be certain:

1. God is sovereign. He alone knows what is truly happening, and in His goodness and wisdom (which we do not always understand) He is in control of the situation. We need not fear.
2. Even though we have no need to fear, we have every reason to choose to act with caution and purposefulness, and to do our best to keep our families healthy this winter.

So what can we do to prevent ourselves and our family from catching it?

The best defense is a good offense. If we want to avoid catching the flu, even though chances are high that we will be exposed to it at some (or several) points throughout the season, then we must ensure that we have a strong immune system, capable of fighting off this virus and not allowing it to set up camp in our bodies.

Dried elderberry image from Wild Food Larder

Here are some ways that we can boost our own immune systems, as well as the immune systems of our husband and children:

• Elderberry- A berry that is particularly helpful in preventing the flu virus from infecting cells. Donielle has a great recipe for elderberry syrup that I plan to try making! It can also be bought at health food stores, in both adult and child-friendly forms.
• Echinacea- The popular immune-boosting herb, for good reason. It's best taken as a preventative, though it can also be taken once you've come down with the flu to help increase your body's ability to fight off the virus. Sometimes you can find great Elderberry/Echinacea combos at a health food store. Or you can purchase your own bulk herbs and makes teas, syrups, etc.
• Vitamin D- In recent years, this important fat-soluble vitamin has been shown to really impact immunity. We get some from exposure to sunlight but most people don't get enough, especially in the winter months. You can find it in Cod Liver Oil (which I recommend that everyone take year-round but especially in the wintertime), as well as organ meats (like liver), oily fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, etc.), and egg yolks (particularly pastured/free-run eggs).
• Vitamin C- This is one of the easiest of all. This water-soluble vitamin (which means you need to consume it frequently as it gets flushed out of your system daily) is found in many fruits and vegetables: parsley, bell peppers, spinach, strawberries, oranges, lemon juice, leafy greens, cauliflower, among others. You can also take it in a high quality supplement if necessary (though food sources are usually preferable). One very kid-friendly way to take it is Emer'Gen-Cdrinks (mamas like it, too!).
• Take probiotics- These improve digestive health (and will help you digest more of the good nutrients you're loading up on), but they also have their own positive impact on immunity. You can also achieve this by eating more fermented foods!
• Homeopathics- This year my mother-in-law discovered some homeopathic remedies intended to be both a preventative and a treatment for the regular flu and the swine flu. We are purchasing a bottle of each and all of us will be taking both of them throughout the winter.
• Staying well hydrated- When your mucus membranes are moist enough, there is less chance of germs being able to really set in and create an infection.
• Getting enough rest- A tired body is not effective at fighting off anything. Ever noticed how when you let yourself get really run down, you almost inevitably get sick? Making sure that you go to bed at a decent hour (I'm preaching to myself, here!) and resting adequately is a really important aspect of a strong immune response.
• Garlic- With strong anti-viral and anti-bacterial qualities, this is a food that you should be consuming more this winter! It's most potent when taken raw, which I know can be hard to swallow for some (pardon the pun). When I was sick a few weeks back, my husband and I discovered that it's pretty easy to take like this: Make a piece of toast and butter it. Put a clove (or several cloves for a real kick!) in a garlic press and then spread it on top of the toast. Eat, enjoy and give some to your hubby so he'll still kiss you (because at least you'll both have crazy garlic breath!).
• Oil of Oregano- Oregano also has similar anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties and is excellent to take both preventatively and as soon as you feel something coming on. It seems really pricey (usualy about $20 or so for a very small bottle) but it lasts a long time. You only take a drop or two for prevention, and then more like 2-6 drops several times a day when you're actually sick or fighting something. We buy this every year and we truly notice that it makes a difference. We don't give this to the kids as it's quite strong, but my husband and I both take it.

** Note that I'm not specifying what is okay to take when pregnant or breastfeeding, for different ages of children, for those with specific illnesses or disorders, etc. but instead I have just given general ideas of what to take. Please make sure that you look into whatever you choose to take and ensure that it is safe for you or your loved ones to be taking. Though I make my suggestions based on my own research, I'm not a doctor, naturopath or certified 'anything', so take responsibility for your own health and use discretion in what you take or give to your family!

Lastly (but very importantly!), lay off the sugar. One of the very best ways to deplete and depress a good immune system is to eat sugar, especially refined sugars like white or brown, corn syrup, etc. But even natural, wholesome sweeteners (ie. Rapadura/Sucanat, honey, palm sugar, dried fruits, molasses, etc.) still contain sugar that will depress the immune system (though to a lesser degree). White flours (or other processed grains) also have the ability to do this. Keep your sweet treats to more of a minimum during flu season to help keep that immunity at it's peak!

Other Ways to Lower Your Risk

• Wash your hands and face thoroughly, with soap and warm water, after being out in public (and do the same for each of your children). I'm usually not into hand sanitizer (because I don't like to use things that kill all bacteria, and it has both alcohol content and several chemical preservatives that I wish to avoid). However, we are using it this year if there is nowhere to wash our hands. I have been in the hospital and doctor's office (along with my children) several times so far this season and those places are germ hotbeds! Definitely wash or sanitize well in those situations and even consider taking a shower and changing/washing your clothes as well.
• Gargle once or twice a day with salt water and especially after you've been out in public or if you're concerned that you  may have been exposed. This gets rid of bacteria or germs in the throat and helps them to not spread further into your body.
• Avoid those who've been sick or exposed. I know that this can sound mean (or lonely) but sometimes it's wisest just to avoid contact when necessary.
• Keep your time in public, crowded places minimal. This might be the year to attend less big holiday events, or try to do your grocery shopping at non-peak hours. You might even consider doing your Christmas shopping online this year. I've been using Swagbucks to buy gifts from Amazon using the gift certificates I earn!
• If anyone in your family gets sick or you know that you've been recently exposed, please use common courtesy and avoid contact with others. Even if it means skipping out on a social or family event, or missing out on a church service. Protecting others when you or your family might be contagious is a loving and considerate thing to do!

To Vaccinate or Not?

I choose not. I wrote a post last year on the flu vaccine and why my family doesn't get it, so I won't get into the whole issue all over again (but definitely read the post if you're interested in my reasons). My reasons for not choosing the H1N1 vaccine this year are similar. One particular reason why we especially won't try out this new vaccine is because the risks are really quite unknown. I don't believe that the threat of the virus is bigger than the unknown risks of using the vaccine. Some may disagree with me, and that's quite alright.

Other Resources Worth Reading:

Swine Flu Update by Shonda Parker. She is a certified herbalist and educator on health, nutrition and midwifery. She has an excellent, very detailed post that covers prevention, some more scientific information about the flu and natural remedies to take.

Critical Alert: The Swine Flu Pandemic- Fact or Fiction? Note that I tend to consider Dr. Mercola an extremist and I don't believe that he always presents a balanced view. I do think that there are some worthwhile things in this article, including his tips on staying healthy and avoiding the flu.

7 Immune Boosters in Light of the Swine Flu. This was on The Nourishing Gourmet back in the spring when all the hubbub about swine flu began. She's got some great suggestions for keeping your immune system healthy through foods and supplements.

What are your thoughts and feelings about the swine flu? What will you be doing to try to prevent your family from coming down with the flu this season?

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Quite honestly, I'm not sure that it has many.

As always, the topic of vaccination is a touchy one. Many will disagree, some quietly, some loudly (and I don't mind being disagreed with, so long as you keep it polite).

I was asked a while back what I thought of the flu shot, and seeing how flu season is upon us, I thought I would just briefly give the reasons why our family won't be immunized this flu season (or any other).

1) Flu vaccines, just like all other vaccines, have very sketchy ingredients. To name a few:

• Mercury (seriously, straight out, there is mercury is some- though not all- vaccines. Mercury is a severe neurotoxin!!!)
• Thimerosal (a fancy name for mercury, still in many, many vaccines)
• Formaldehyde (you know, the stuff you used in high school science class? It is a serious irritant to skin, eyes and the respiratory tract, as well as being carcinogenic, among other effects)
• MSG (neurotoxin)
• Antibiotics (several different kinds- these weaken the immune and digestive system)
• A whole gamut of other nasty chemicals you really don't want in your body (or your kid's bodies!)

(To view the ingredients in other vaccinations, check out this excellent site)

2) It's not highly effective, nor do I believe it to be necessary.

Part of the gamble of the flu shot is that each year, doctors and scientists must try to make a guess (albeit an educated one) and outsmart the viruses, by selecting the correct 1 or 2 that will happen to be the "biggies" that year. Some years, they do this fairly successfully, and the viruses are slowed down significantly. Other years, they miss the boat, choose the wrong flu strain and the flu spreads like wildfire anyways, meaning all those people just risked themselves by being vaccinated for nothing.

Not to mention, this quote from a CBC (Canadian) news article:

While the flu shot is becoming increasingly important, critics note
that it doesn't work all the time. It's 70 to 90 per cent effective in
healthy adults. The success rate is somewhat lower in children and
seniors.

Proponents of the flu shot cite one of it's major benefits as being the fact that it helps to protect vulnerable parts of the population, in particular seniors and children. If it's efficacy level is only 70-90% in healthy adults, and they're not even willing to quote the success rate (only that it is "somewhat lower"- whatever that means) for children and seniors, then truly, how effective is it in it's stated goals?

One of the most effective ways to avoid getting the flu is to focus on strengthening the immune system, so that it is more capable of fighting off infections when it comes in contact with them. In fact, one of the common complaints of the flu shot (this is not scientific, but merely anecdotal) that I have heard and read is that those who receive the shot often develop a worse case of the flu than they usually would. Why, I'm not exactly clear on, though I would suspect that it could be weakening their natural immune response in the process of "vaccinating" them (does anyone have any thoughts on this?).

3) Lastly, the shot itself can have serious effects.

Consider this preposterous paragraph from the above quoted CBC article:

Still, flu awareness campaigns are helping Canadians stay healthier.
Flu drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza are easily available, although
they can have their own dangers: 10 Canadians have died after taking
Tamiflu, while at least 84 more have reported adverse reactions to the
drug. On Nov. 29, 2006, Health Canada issued an advisory about reports
of hallucinations and abnormal behaviour — including reports of
self-harm — in patients taking Tamiflu.

Edit: Thanks to a commenter for pointing out that drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza are not actually vaccines, but intended for once you have already contracted the flu. I stand corrected. :)

Additionally, the flu shot can cause Guillain-Barre Syndrome in approximately 1 in 100,000 people who receive it. This is an inflammatory condition where the immune system attacks the nerves outside of the brain and the spinal cord, which can lead to weakness and tingling and even to severe paralysis.

If these are some of the things that are being observed and reported on, then could it possibly be doing harm within our immune system or other parts of the body that we are not even aware of, causing unknown or long-term effects that may not be immediately evident?

Final thoughts

All that said, the flu is inconvenient, uncomfortable and fortunately only temporary, very rarely causing long-term or more serious results in most people (yes, I know there are exceptions- there are ALWAYS exceptions to every generalization).

Why would I want myself (or my family) to receive a vaccination that includes dangerous and highly toxic ingredients (and if we want to talk small doses of toxins, let's review this video), is less successful than the government and health organizations would have us believe, and is a risky shot in and of itself? Thanks, but I'll pass.

Next week, I'll go a bit more into the best way to truly avoid things like the flu, by building a healthy immune system and taking extra precautions to boost our immunity during the winter months when viruses abound!

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Well, I've been called many things in my lifetime, but this is the first time anyone has ever referred to me as a parasite.

Alright, so it wasn't direct, but I'm included in the group of parent's that Amanda Peet so lovingly referred to in a recent article in Cookie. Quite frankly, I barely know who Amanda Peet is, but her stance on childhood vaccinations caught my attention.

"Once we had spoken, I was shocked at the amount of misinformation
floating around, particularly in Hollywood," says Peet, who quickly
boned up on the hot-button controversies surrounding the topic,
including the unproven link between certain vaccines and autism; the
safety of preservatives like mercury-based thimerosal; and the fear
that the relatively high number of shots kids receive today can
overwhelm young immune systems. Her conclusion? Well, not only is
Frankie up-to-date on her vaccines (with no staggering), but her mom
will soon appear in public-service announcements for Every Child by
Two. "I buy 99 percent organic food for Frankie, and I don't like to
give her medicine or put sunscreen on her," says Peet. "But now that
I've done my research, vaccines do not concern me." What does concern
her is the growing number of unvaccinated children who are benefiting
from the "shield" created by the inoculated—we are protected from
viruses only if everyone, or most everyone, is immunized: "Frankly, I
feel that parents who don't vaccinate their children are parasites."

Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment. :)

If you'd prefer to read something of greater substance, I would highly recommend this Open Letter on Vaccinations by Dr. Jay Gordon, in response to the controversy created by Ms. Peet's words.

Additionally, I would also suggest this excellent article by Dr. Sears, Is Aluminum the New Thimerosal?

Quite truthfully, I'm not offended in the slightest and she is entirely welcome to her viewpoint. I think, however, that it's worth highlighting some more substantial information and research than simply the opinion of a Hollywood star, don't you?

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Though I haven't talked about it a whole lot (yet), I'm not really a fan of vaccinations. Tonight I read something that I just felt I needed to pass on. Sometimes I try to be all nicey-nice and not just say what I really think, but here's what I was thinking tonight as I was reading this article:

The HPV vaccine (intended to prevent cervical cancer and aimed at teens and young women) is not only worthless, but it is extremely dangerous! Avoid it like the plague! Please!

Phew... that felt good. I'm so glad I got it out. I've been thinking it for quite some time.

Although this article comes from a source that I'm not particularly thrilled with these days (oh, don't get me started on why... negativity, extremism, constantly trying to sell me his extremely expensive products, frou-frou emotional healing techniques that ignore our need for Christ... as I said, don't get me started), I felt it had enough worthwhile information to want to link to it. Please, spare yourself and avoid the comments below the article (if you start reading them, you'll see why).

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I just had to bring attention to this article on Dr. Mercola's site, and his response to it. The issue of immunizations is one that has long concerned me. It was during my years as a therapist for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder that I first became aware of the link between vaccinations and auto-immune and neurological disorders,  and shortly after the birth of my first child, when I read a 3 inch stack of information from my midwife, that my husband and I made the decision never to vaccinate any of our children.

This morning I read a disturbing article that was highlighted in the Mercola newsletter. The article is about a recent situation in Maryland, where parents whose public school children where not immunized were threatened with fines and jail time if they did not promptly show up at a court hearing and immunize their children on the spot. Here are some of Dr. Mercola's thoughts:

If this kind of forced medical treatment does not bother you, then
you may have given up the very last shred of personal freedom you, and
your children, have.

If that is the case, make no mistake – it will not end with the
forceful poisoning of your children. There are lots of medications out
there that the pharmaceutical industry would love for everyone
to eat in lieu of breakfast… What medications, and how many, would you
like to be force-fed every day? Or do you truly believe industry,
together with your government, would never take it that far even if
they could? I believe public opposition is the only thing standing in
their way.

Where are We Heading?

To get a glimpse of your potential future without using a crystal
ball, just look at the current trends. For example, according to a BBC
news brief, aired over the Thanksgiving weekend, autism has skyrocketed
from 1 in 10,000 in 1993, to the current rate of 1 in 150. The
mandatory immunizations program and the MMR vaccine were introduced in
1998.

Coincidence?

Hardly.  Although you will read reports, and hear through the
conventional media that this has been disproven, don’t you believe it,
as nothing could be further from the truth.

Are they involved in all cases of autism? 

Probably not, but they are a major factor in many, especially in
conjunction with the absolute explosion in exposure to
information-carrying radio waves from cell phones, cell phone towers
and WiFi routers.  These waves tend to disrupt intercellular
communication microtubules, which greatly increase these children’s
ability to tolerate heavy metal insults that can cause severe free
radical injury.

Read the entire article and Dr. Mercola's response here.

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I just had to bring attention to this article on Dr. Mercola's site, and his response to it. The issue of immunizations is one that has long concerned me. It was during my years as a therapist for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder that I first became aware of the link between vaccinations and auto-immune and neurological disorders,  and shortly after the birth of my first child, when I read a 3 inch stack of information from my midwife, that my husband and I made the decision never to vaccinate any of our children.

This morning I read a disturbing article that was highlighted in the Mercola newsletter. The article is about a recent situation in Maryland, where parents whose public school children where not immunized were threatened with fines and jail time if they did not promptly show up at a court hearing and immunize their children on the spot. Here are some of Dr. Mercola's thoughts:

If this kind of forced medical treatment does not bother you, then
you may have given up the very last shred of personal freedom you, and
your children, have.

If that is the case, make no mistake – it will not end with the
forceful poisoning of your children. There are lots of medications out
there that the pharmaceutical industry would love for everyone
to eat in lieu of breakfast… What medications, and how many, would you
like to be force-fed every day? Or do you truly believe industry,
together with your government, would never take it that far even if
they could? I believe public opposition is the only thing standing in
their way.

Where are We Heading?

To get a glimpse of your potential future without using a crystal
ball, just look at the current trends. For example, according to a BBC
news brief, aired over the Thanksgiving weekend, autism has skyrocketed
from 1 in 10,000 in 1993, to the current rate of 1 in 150. The
mandatory immunizations program and the MMR vaccine were introduced in
1998.

Coincidence?

Hardly.  Although you will read reports, and hear through the
conventional media that this has been disproven, don’t you believe it,
as nothing could be further from the truth.

Are they involved in all cases of autism? 

Probably not, but they are a major factor in many, especially in
conjunction with the absolute explosion in exposure to
information-carrying radio waves from cell phones, cell phone towers
and WiFi routers.  These waves tend to disrupt intercellular
communication microtubules, which greatly increase these children’s
ability to tolerate heavy metal insults that can cause severe free
radical injury.

Read the entire article and Dr. Mercola's response here.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• Healthy Homemaking: Homemade Condiments
• Living Simply Saturdays- I can’t do it all!
• Fudge-it or Budget
• Toxins, schmoxins

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