Ryan and I haven't made all of our decisions regarding vaccines, but I thought I'd post where we are now on some of them. We have more reading and talking to do but have made a lot of headway. We are on the fence in some areas. If you've been doing research yourself, we'd be interested in comments on our uncertainties or other comments in general.
We will do a delayed vaccination schedule. None will be given at birth or two months, at the very least. We are leaning towards giving our kids select vaccines at 2 years. When they do get vaccines, we will take measures the day before, day of and day after with their food and vitamins to prepare them. If there is any hint of sickness beforehand or if they were recently sick, they will absolutely be postponed a couple of weeks. We will be watchful for reactions to individual vaccines and because they'll be separate, we'll know to which shot the reaction is related. I will not get a flu shot ever again, and not when pregnant. If for some reason our kids go to daycare and are formula fed, we will re-think our positions. That is not our intention, but the future is always uncertain.
We will not give hepatitis B (if you're thinking about that one, you need to decide before your baby crowns, since the first dose is given a day or so after birth).
We were pretty convinced about the chicken pox vaccine because it's worse to get it as an adult, and you have lifetime immunity from getting it as a child. Also, I read from the CDC itself that the reason for the chicken pox vaccine is they wanted to reduce the number of moms taking time off work to care for their spotty and itchy kids. Seriously. To me, that is a ridiculous reason for the shot. However, a friend pointed out that not many kids get it now so it's hard to have "pox parties" for your kids to get it and get over it (and have greater immunity than from a shot). That's a tough one because we wouldn't want our kids to get it as adults if it's not around as a child for them to contract. Ryan has never had chicken pox and could possibly have natural immunity. He never caught it as a kid even though he went to "pox parties" too. I actually read this week that kids can get chicken pox but not show symptoms and gain immunity. I came down with it right before I was supposed to go to a school roller skating party and had to stay home. :: sniff, sniff :: We lean towards declining the chicken pox vaccine in the chance that our kids could get it naturally and have lifetime immunity compared to the artificial immunity from the shot, which can wear off. The unknown long-term affects of "messing" with your immune system are a concern for any of the vaccines.
We will likely not give the measles vaccine because of the seeming high occurrence of the diseases from the vaccine itself and potential severe, and sometimes chronic, side effects of this particular vaccine. We will become familiar with the symptoms and signs and have it treated it if our kids get it.
As for tetanus, we are comfortable with our kids getting the shot if needed, when they are older. Tetanus is rare, and they are not at risk as babies. If they enter a situation we know about in advance (like if they work on a farm or near filth for whatever reason), they will get the shot. If they are injured and at risk, we'll talk to the doctor about getting the tetanus immune globulin, which is not a vaccine, and ask if he recommends it. The vaccine itself is not effective after the fact but many ERs push the vaccine anyway. If they will be traveling to a country where the risk is greater, they will get it. We are concerned, however, that all single tetanus shots still have mercury. The only way to get mercury-free tetanus is in the combo DTaP and DT. As for the D, diphtheria, there has been 1 case in the last five years, and it was in 2003. We do not believe the vaccine is necessary today. We'll look at the stats again in the future when we have kids to see if this changes. We may do DT in an older child to avoid mercury in the single Tetanus.
There have been no polio cases (both paralytic and non paralytic) in the last several years, and there is question as to the safety of this vaccine. Also, the inactivated vaccine (IPV) "cannot prevent the spread of wild polio virus" and "it induces only very low levels of immunity to polivirus locally, inside the gut" (source). We are leaning towards not giving this one but will do more reading and research.
We will definitely not have our kid get the combination vaccine MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), and since we're already taking out measles, we may only do mumps. I read that the chance of male sterility from mumps is extremely rare. The Rubella vaccine is cultured in aborted fetal tissue which is an issue for Ryan and me. Rubella itself also doesn't appear to be a concern today.
The least concerning shot to us regarding safety is Hib. We may do this after we read further. It seems that the majority of infections today are from a strain not addressed in the shot, so our question is, is this vaccine really necessary or effective?
If you've been following my posts, you may somewhat know that the concerns and questions we have are multi-faceted. The 1) frequency of shots, 2) the age of the child, 3) the ingredients, 4) the combinations, 5) the risk of the actual diseases today, 6) the lack of long-term testing (ie more than a few days) before going to market, 7) the application of a risk in a small group to the whole population not necessarily at risk (ie hep B), 8) the effectiveness of the vaccine itself and 9) the history of deceit negligence from those in charge. We can't just brush all that under the rug. In addition to that, as brought out by Dr. Cave in her book, those who have family history of auto-immune disorders should take care to consider the current vaccine schedules. There is diabetes, asthma, allergies, and fibromyalgia in my family. I have allergies and asthma. We'd like our kids to not have those things, and we believe adhering to the CDC schedule as it is today would compromise our kids' immune systems and cause them to be more prone to develop any of the above conditions. We believe the risk of the diseases that we wouldn't vaccinate against is not as great as potential problems from the shots themselves.
Another factor is that for any of the vaccinated diseases, they are preventable, and our kid's doctors will know how to treat them. Also, Ryan and I can learn the symptoms of the non-vax diseases to identify if our kids get them. However, if our kids have a reaction to a vaccine, it is more likely that we will not be helped by our doctor to treat the reaction and address it like we would for the actual diseases or infections. The overwhelming response to vaccine reactions today seems to be that it's normal and not related to the shots. End of story. We would rather take our chances with some preventable diseases (note: some, not all), knowing they will be addressed immediately and knowledgeably. Many of the diseases have a quick recovery and are not life-threatening or even requiring a hospital stay.
Your comments are welcome.
Showing posts with label Vaccines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vaccines. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 16
Thursday, June 26
Letter to Parents
Background to this post
Other posts labeled Vaccines
If some of you fear reactions in your child to vaccines, you may soon get a letter like the one below from your doctor, which is the product of a very new movement of organizations including the American Association of Pediatrics, to (in my opinion) bully parents into vaccinating and retain national control of the vaccine industry, in partner with pharmaceutical companies. This new group, which will be called Immunization Alliance, will seek to counter parents' rights to make informed decisions for their own kids. I wonder what goes on behind the scenes in doctors' offices that support parent's decisions to delay or fore go vaccinations? Surely they receive this literature and pressure.
"By not vaccinating your child you are taking selfish advantage of thousands of others who do vaccinate their children, which decreases the likelihood that your child will contract one of these diseases. We feel such an attitude to be self-centered and unacceptable. We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We recognize that the choice may be a very emotional one for some parents. We will do everything we can to convince you that vaccinating according to the schedule is the right thing to do.
However, should you have doubts, please discuss these with your health care provider in advance of your visit. In some cases, we may alter the schedule to accommodate parental concerns or reservations. Please be advised, however, that delaying or "breaking up the vaccines" to give one or two at a time over two or more visits goes against expert recommendations, and can put your child at risk for serious illness (or even death) and goes against our medical advice as providers....such additional visits will require additional co-pays on your part. Furthermore, please realize that you will be required to sign a "Refusal to Vaccinate" acknowledgement in the event of lengthy delays.
Finally, if you should absolutely refuse to vaccinate your child despite all our efforts, we will ask you to find another health care provider who shares your views. We do not keep a list of such providers nor would we recommend any such physician."
From Barbara Loe Fisher: "The message from the AAP leadership to vaccine-educated parents is: you WILL give your children every vaccine that industry produces even it brain damages or kills them. You DO NOT have the human right to protect your child from vaccine injury and death because you MUST sacrifice your child for what AAP and government officials have decided is the "greater good." Your child does NOT belong to you and if you don't agree to do exactly what we say, we will make sure your family is denied medical care."
The underlying assumption is that if you choose an alternate schedule, you are doing it because you are confused and stupid, and the government knows better. You may think that is rash, but it's my opinion. If you are a parent who chooses to do individual vaccines instead of combination or multiple vaccines (an act that can significantly reduce the risk of reaction, both short term and long term), they will try to convince you it's unsafe to give them individually. This is an utterly false and negligent assumption. Were these vaccines designed to be given together? They were not. They were married up by the government for convenience to assure full vaccination. It was not because a vaccine given alone would cause increased health risk.
What trust has the CDC & AAP earned to dictate to you that your child is better off receiving 5 shots containing 7 vaccines at a mere 8 weeks of age rather than receiving each or some shots individually, when the child is older?
By the way, twenty-six years ago, the AAP concurred with the need to provide "simple justice for children" by passing the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.
Source
Other posts labeled Vaccines
If some of you fear reactions in your child to vaccines, you may soon get a letter like the one below from your doctor, which is the product of a very new movement of organizations including the American Association of Pediatrics, to (in my opinion) bully parents into vaccinating and retain national control of the vaccine industry, in partner with pharmaceutical companies. This new group, which will be called Immunization Alliance, will seek to counter parents' rights to make informed decisions for their own kids. I wonder what goes on behind the scenes in doctors' offices that support parent's decisions to delay or fore go vaccinations? Surely they receive this literature and pressure.
"By not vaccinating your child you are taking selfish advantage of thousands of others who do vaccinate their children, which decreases the likelihood that your child will contract one of these diseases. We feel such an attitude to be self-centered and unacceptable. We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We recognize that the choice may be a very emotional one for some parents. We will do everything we can to convince you that vaccinating according to the schedule is the right thing to do.
However, should you have doubts, please discuss these with your health care provider in advance of your visit. In some cases, we may alter the schedule to accommodate parental concerns or reservations. Please be advised, however, that delaying or "breaking up the vaccines" to give one or two at a time over two or more visits goes against expert recommendations, and can put your child at risk for serious illness (or even death) and goes against our medical advice as providers....such additional visits will require additional co-pays on your part. Furthermore, please realize that you will be required to sign a "Refusal to Vaccinate" acknowledgement in the event of lengthy delays.
Finally, if you should absolutely refuse to vaccinate your child despite all our efforts, we will ask you to find another health care provider who shares your views. We do not keep a list of such providers nor would we recommend any such physician."
From Barbara Loe Fisher: "The message from the AAP leadership to vaccine-educated parents is: you WILL give your children every vaccine that industry produces even it brain damages or kills them. You DO NOT have the human right to protect your child from vaccine injury and death because you MUST sacrifice your child for what AAP and government officials have decided is the "greater good." Your child does NOT belong to you and if you don't agree to do exactly what we say, we will make sure your family is denied medical care."
The underlying assumption is that if you choose an alternate schedule, you are doing it because you are confused and stupid, and the government knows better. You may think that is rash, but it's my opinion. If you are a parent who chooses to do individual vaccines instead of combination or multiple vaccines (an act that can significantly reduce the risk of reaction, both short term and long term), they will try to convince you it's unsafe to give them individually. This is an utterly false and negligent assumption. Were these vaccines designed to be given together? They were not. They were married up by the government for convenience to assure full vaccination. It was not because a vaccine given alone would cause increased health risk.
What trust has the CDC & AAP earned to dictate to you that your child is better off receiving 5 shots containing 7 vaccines at a mere 8 weeks of age rather than receiving each or some shots individually, when the child is older?
By the way, twenty-six years ago, the AAP concurred with the need to provide "simple justice for children" by passing the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.
Source
Tuesday, May 20
Vaccines: Hepatitis B
Background to this post
Other posts labeled Vaccines
All infants are inoculated at birth and at one month against Hepatitis B. Looking at the risk groups for this disease, one typically has to engage in a sexual act to be placed at risk for Hep B, or share drug needles with infected persons. The vaccine is effective for 23 years. "HBV is not spread through food or water, sharing eating utensils, breastfeeding, hugging, kissing, hand holding, coughing, or sneezing" (source).
I wonder if this vaccine was instituted for all children to protect children of drug users? Does a baby need this inoculation, especially at birth? What does this vaccine (and the preservatives included, which can be toxic chemicals) do to such a little baby? Since this appears to be a disease contracted through lifestyle choices, should a parent shield their child from the consequences of sin? Ryan and I wouldn't vaccinate ourselves or our kids against AIDS, should a vaccine arise. Why? We have no intention of placing ourselves at risk, and if we do, we should face the consequences of it. We believe the same goes for a disease like Hepatitis B. It's not an airborne disease that can be contracted in everyday life.
Interestingly, on the CDC website is the following statement at the very bottom of the page about the disease:
From the CDC:
Refuse, Accept or Postpone: Unless I become infected with Hepatitis B or our life changes to such an extent that we would be at risk, our children will not receive this vaccine.
Other posts labeled Vaccines
All infants are inoculated at birth and at one month against Hepatitis B. Looking at the risk groups for this disease, one typically has to engage in a sexual act to be placed at risk for Hep B, or share drug needles with infected persons. The vaccine is effective for 23 years. "HBV is not spread through food or water, sharing eating utensils, breastfeeding, hugging, kissing, hand holding, coughing, or sneezing" (source).
I wonder if this vaccine was instituted for all children to protect children of drug users? Does a baby need this inoculation, especially at birth? What does this vaccine (and the preservatives included, which can be toxic chemicals) do to such a little baby? Since this appears to be a disease contracted through lifestyle choices, should a parent shield their child from the consequences of sin? Ryan and I wouldn't vaccinate ourselves or our kids against AIDS, should a vaccine arise. Why? We have no intention of placing ourselves at risk, and if we do, we should face the consequences of it. We believe the same goes for a disease like Hepatitis B. It's not an airborne disease that can be contracted in everyday life.
Interestingly, on the CDC website is the following statement at the very bottom of the page about the disease:
...administering the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine soon after birth to all infants acts as a safety net, reducing the risk for perinatal infection when maternal HBsAg status is either unknown or incorrectly documented at delivery. Also, initiating the hepatitis B vaccine series at birth has been shown to increase a child's likelihood of completing the vaccine series on schedule.It is interesting that the two main reasons it's given is 1) they might not know if the mother is infected, so they protect the baby and 2) parents are more likely to return for further vaccinations. A CDC memo from 1999 states that the vaccine must be given to babies with mothers who are positive for Hep B and for those where it is unknown. However, seeing this on the mandatory schedule, it appears that now, ti's given all across the board no matter if the hospital knows the mother is negative.
From the CDC:
When vaccines that do not contain thimerosal as a preservative are not available, these groups should be vaccinated with thimerosal preservative-containing vaccine. For infants born to HBsAg-negative mothers and who are not in high-risk groups, existing recommendations should be used for administering thimerosal preservative-containing hepatitis B vaccines if vaccine that does not contain thimerosal as a preservative is not available.Summary: Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, is a toxin. When the toxin-free vaccines aren't available, instead of opting to not vaccinate, they opt to administer a mecury-laced vaccine to a newborn. More alarming: those NOT AT RISK for contracting Hepatitis B should still receive a mecruy-laced vaccination.
Refuse, Accept or Postpone: Unless I become infected with Hepatitis B or our life changes to such an extent that we would be at risk, our children will not receive this vaccine.
Thursday, May 8
Vaccines: Catherine's Book Reviews
Background to this post
Other posts labeled Vaccines
I'm a slower reader (or just average, and Catherine is speedy :)) and got sidetracked recently in reading another book, so I wanted to refer you to Catherine's book review from this week which covered two vaccine books. I'm reading one of them and have the other on my list.
Other posts labeled Vaccines
I'm a slower reader (or just average, and Catherine is speedy :)) and got sidetracked recently in reading another book, so I wanted to refer you to Catherine's book review from this week which covered two vaccine books. I'm reading one of them and have the other on my list.
Monday, April 28
Vaccines: Anthrax
In my reading, I'm finding information that vaccines can be unsafe for adults as well as children. The anthrax vaccine, mandatory for all US soldiers as of 1998, has never been clinically tested for safety. Yet it has been used on all soldiers for almost 10 years.
There is an independent film being shown at the at the GI Film Festival, Carnegie Institute in Washington, D.C. on May 18. This film reveals information about the anthrax vaccine and its dangers to our soldiers. You can view the trailer here. It's sad to see the images at the end of the trailer of deformed babies, borne to women who served in the military. They received the vaccine and later had deformed children. There are many cases of physical and neurological ailments tied to the vaccine. It all started with the "anthrax threat" in 2001:
The big question I'm facing currently is: are vaccines even effective? Do they really protect against various diseases? I've read from more than one source that major diseases were on the decline before vaccines were introduced in various communities and countries. Polio was on the decline, thanks to better sanitation, before the vaccine was introduced. It is very disturbing to me but I need to read more.
There is an independent film being shown at the at the GI Film Festival, Carnegie Institute in Washington, D.C. on May 18. This film reveals information about the anthrax vaccine and its dangers to our soldiers. You can view the trailer here. It's sad to see the images at the end of the trailer of deformed babies, borne to women who served in the military. They received the vaccine and later had deformed children. There are many cases of physical and neurological ailments tied to the vaccine. It all started with the "anthrax threat" in 2001:
Significantly, the infamous 2001 anthrax powder attacks, killing five people and sickening 17 others after 9/11, were domestic and not foreign in nature. They were allegedly inspired by laboratory insiders who mailed the powder to the offices of two US senators, a number of national news offices in New York City, and elsewhere. The incidents are still under active FBI investigation. That probe, says Fox News, recently identified three or four new suspects at an Army bioweapons lab intricately involved in helping to support the need for the mandated vaccine. They include a deputy commander, an anthrax scientist and a microbiologist. Thomas D. Williams, Truthout Report (April 9, 2008) http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040908A.shtmlRetired Air Force Lt. Col. John Richardson said,
Two federal judges have now confirmed the Pentagon broke the law by forcing service members to take anthrax vaccine from 1998 to late 2005. Since 2005, mandating the vaccine is now lawful only because of the FDA's willingness to ignore clear evidence in military medical records of the deaths and disabilities associated with the anthrax vaccine. Just as the government misled the American people about the threat from Iraqi anthrax and the source of the anthrax letter attacks, it continues to mislead the troops about the safety and efficacy of the anthrax vaccine.Also,
Several Israeli news investigative reports from May 17, 2007 and February 24, 2008 reveal that elite combat unit troops were given the experimental anthrax vaccine in 2000 without being informed what they were getting and, when they suffered severe reactions and disability, were told their poor health had nothing to do with the vaccine they were given.What does this have to do with us who are not in the military? For me, it's eye opening to consider the breadth and depth of misinformation about vaccines. Apparently, the anthrax vaccine is not proven to protect against powder anthrax. It hasn't been clinically tested, yet is fully endorsed by the FDA.
The big question I'm facing currently is: are vaccines even effective? Do they really protect against various diseases? I've read from more than one source that major diseases were on the decline before vaccines were introduced in various communities and countries. Polio was on the decline, thanks to better sanitation, before the vaccine was introduced. It is very disturbing to me but I need to read more.
Sunday, April 27
Vaccines: Mercury Followup
I wanted to follow up my other post on mercury with some information from the book I'm reading (What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations), from Chapter 3, Mercury in Vaccines: Shots of Danger?
Thimerosal has been used in vaccines since 1930. The concern over mercury in foods and drugs began in 1997.
There has been some victory with the removal of thimerosal from many vaccines. Yet the government, in a joint statement from the CDC, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics and the Public Health Services, said that "while there was no evidence of any harm caused by low levels of thimerosal in vaccines and the risk was only theoretical," they agreed to remove thimerosal from vaccines "as a precautionary measure".
Do you believe thimerosal is dangerous? If so, you might have a problem with the above organizations saying the risk is only theoretical. What does common sense tell you about the safety of metals being injected into babies (or anyone, for that matter)? Do you believe the above organizations when they tout the safety of other medications and vaccines when they ignore the danger of thimerosal? It's true that many vaccines had thimerosal removed. However, what else do these organizations say (including your doctor, possibly) that may not be true or a blatant negligence of the truth? Are they truly informed and justified in saying that it is not too much to inject a 2 month old with 7 vaccines? Can you really believe them when they say that when your baby has an adverse reaction to a vaccination event that it's just normal? Is there something that could be going on inside your baby that he can't tell you about, and with the next set of vaccines, does it worsen and build up further? Do we really understand the long-term impact of vaccines on one's immune system? Has the government truly given you assurance that the safety and health of your child is #1? The vaccine industry is a huge business (If you don't know how huge, read this to start, thanks Sara). I read on a government site that the thought behind combination vaccines and multiple injections is to ensure that all the vaccinations are administered. Parents don't want to make 10-15 trips to the doctor every year to space the shots out. It's more conventient to stack them up. Is this safe? Is it really safe???
These are the questions we ask ourselves, and they raise such a level of concern to us.
Thimerosal has been used in vaccines since 1930. The concern over mercury in foods and drugs began in 1997.
High levels of mercury can cause brain cells to die, and lower, chronic levels may result in silent, or insidious effects that affect the immune system at the cellular level. Thus the first signs of low-level mercury poisoning may be an inability to get rid of the flu, bronchitis, or a yeast infection, or it may lead to cancer. Thus many people may be toxic from mercury and not even know it.Also,
The ethylmercury in the vaccine is being injected into the bodies of infants who do not have a fully developed immune system, and their bodies cannot get rid of the mercury properly. The mercury in the tuna is not injected into the bloodstream; it is eaten, which means it goes through the digestive tract, and the liver has an opportunity to help rid the body of the poison. In infants, the blood-brain barrier, a membrane between circulating blood and the brain that prevents certain harmful substances from reaching the brain, is not yet able to keep out toxins that can damage the brain. So mercury sent directly into the bloodstream enters the brain and converts to a form of mercury (inorganic) that remains the brain, where it does its damage.The author mentions the dramatic increase in autoimmune and neurological health problems affecting children since 1964, "the year the US added six new vaccines to the required vaccination schedule: live virus polio (five doses), measles, mumps and rubella (MMR, two doses); Hib (four doses); and hepatitis B (three doses)." Autoimmune and neurological health problems include asthma, autism, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease and more.
There has been some victory with the removal of thimerosal from many vaccines. Yet the government, in a joint statement from the CDC, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics and the Public Health Services, said that "while there was no evidence of any harm caused by low levels of thimerosal in vaccines and the risk was only theoretical," they agreed to remove thimerosal from vaccines "as a precautionary measure".
Do you believe thimerosal is dangerous? If so, you might have a problem with the above organizations saying the risk is only theoretical. What does common sense tell you about the safety of metals being injected into babies (or anyone, for that matter)? Do you believe the above organizations when they tout the safety of other medications and vaccines when they ignore the danger of thimerosal? It's true that many vaccines had thimerosal removed. However, what else do these organizations say (including your doctor, possibly) that may not be true or a blatant negligence of the truth? Are they truly informed and justified in saying that it is not too much to inject a 2 month old with 7 vaccines? Can you really believe them when they say that when your baby has an adverse reaction to a vaccination event that it's just normal? Is there something that could be going on inside your baby that he can't tell you about, and with the next set of vaccines, does it worsen and build up further? Do we really understand the long-term impact of vaccines on one's immune system? Has the government truly given you assurance that the safety and health of your child is #1? The vaccine industry is a huge business (If you don't know how huge, read this to start, thanks Sara). I read on a government site that the thought behind combination vaccines and multiple injections is to ensure that all the vaccinations are administered. Parents don't want to make 10-15 trips to the doctor every year to space the shots out. It's more conventient to stack them up. Is this safe? Is it really safe???
These are the questions we ask ourselves, and they raise such a level of concern to us.
Thursday, April 24
Vaccines: Meet Sara
I just "met" Sara, who started a blog to chronicle her investigation into vaccines. We're coming from very similar points of view in raising awareness and chronicling our own journey for more information to make a decision for our family. She is a fellow Christian in the area, and her blog is called Vaccines and My Child.
Vaccines: Mercury & Preservatives
Background to this post
Other posts labeled Vaccines
It's pretty widely known that mercury is poisonous to humans. I learned that the volume allowed by the EPA to be considered nontoxic is .1 mcg per day. I also learned that the amount of mercury in vaccines that contain the preservative thimerosal is 25 mcg, many times over the "safe" amount. While the presence of mercury is not as prevalent today as it was in the 1990s (thanks to countless parents and advocates who raised enough of an outcry to have it examined and largely removed), there are still a couple vaccines that contain mercury, seen here. Where it shows .01% Thimerosal concentration, that equates to 25mcg of mercury. Largely, most children's vaccines do not contain thimerosal today.
The EPA has been outspoken regarding mercury in women who are of a child-bearing age and who are pregnant, advising against consumption of fish with higher levels of mercury and also warning about spills and proper cleanup for both men and women. On the basic information page of EPA website, they introduce mercury and where you might find it, and it does not even mention its content in vaccines. It is mentioned further down on the site along with other products containing mercury. Even more disturbing, on the Human Exposure page for how humans can come in contact with mercury, it does not mention vaccines. However, they bend over backwards to illustrate how fish become contaminated with mercury. On the FDA's website, I read the following:
Some simple questions to consider: 1) are you aware which brand of vaccines your doctor gives your child, and 2) does it contain toxic preservatives, and 3) can you ask for a different brand? And for your own health as an adult, did you know the adult flu shot contains thimerosal, as well as the tetanus shot? According to the table, there are 7 kinds of flu shots, and 4 of them contain thimerosal (the pediatric version (up to 35 months) does not). One company makes the single tetanus shot, and even the booster contains 25mcg of mercury. The DT(the T being tetanus)for pediatric use does contain thimerosal but the combo DTaP does not contain thimerosal even though the individual tetanus does. That's a challenge for us because we do not wish for our children to receive combination vaccines, but getting the tetanus later in life when there is greater risk doesn't look so hot either because of mercury.
What's interesting is that when most shots did contain thimerosal, the content was the same whether it was an adult or a baby receiving the shot. It's just one problem that we have with the "one size fits all" approach to vaccinations.
Other posts labeled Vaccines
It's pretty widely known that mercury is poisonous to humans. I learned that the volume allowed by the EPA to be considered nontoxic is .1 mcg per day. I also learned that the amount of mercury in vaccines that contain the preservative thimerosal is 25 mcg, many times over the "safe" amount. While the presence of mercury is not as prevalent today as it was in the 1990s (thanks to countless parents and advocates who raised enough of an outcry to have it examined and largely removed), there are still a couple vaccines that contain mercury, seen here. Where it shows .01% Thimerosal concentration, that equates to 25mcg of mercury. Largely, most children's vaccines do not contain thimerosal today.
The EPA has been outspoken regarding mercury in women who are of a child-bearing age and who are pregnant, advising against consumption of fish with higher levels of mercury and also warning about spills and proper cleanup for both men and women. On the basic information page of EPA website, they introduce mercury and where you might find it, and it does not even mention its content in vaccines. It is mentioned further down on the site along with other products containing mercury. Even more disturbing, on the Human Exposure page for how humans can come in contact with mercury, it does not mention vaccines. However, they bend over backwards to illustrate how fish become contaminated with mercury. On the FDA's website, I read the following:
It's only in a few species of fish that methyl mercury levels reach FDA limit for human consumption of 1 ppm. [This is .1 mcg...compare to 25mcg in some vaccines] This most frequently occurs in some large predator fish, such as shark and swordfish. Certain species of very large tuna, typically sold as fresh steaks or sushi, can have levels over 1 ppm. (Canned tuna, composed of smaller species of tuna such as skipjack and albacore, has much lower levels of methyl mercury, averaging only about 0.17 ppm.) The average concentration of methyl mercury for commercially important species (mostly marine in origin) is less than 0.3 ppm.The government is concerned about people being exposed to mercury fish and other substances, but it recommends that even higher amounts of mercury be injected through vaccines! Many people can properly excrete the mercury before it does a lot of damage. However, one cannot see what internal mechanisms have been affected and what neurological effect could be taking place from mercury. It may not be evident until years later. The damage from diabetes, smoking, and drinking cannot be seen for some time either, but the damage is still occurring. Thankfully, there are significantly fewer children today being exposed to mercury than there were in the 1990s. I don't know at this point which preservative replaced thimerosal in each vaccine, and some do not require a preservative at all. The package contents of the vaccine disclose what substances are contained in the shots and which brands have what such as: formaldehyde, anti-freeze, aluminum, aborted fetal tissue (human diploid cell cultures and human diploid lung fibroblasts), and fetal bovine serum.
Some simple questions to consider: 1) are you aware which brand of vaccines your doctor gives your child, and 2) does it contain toxic preservatives, and 3) can you ask for a different brand? And for your own health as an adult, did you know the adult flu shot contains thimerosal, as well as the tetanus shot? According to the table, there are 7 kinds of flu shots, and 4 of them contain thimerosal (the pediatric version (up to 35 months) does not). One company makes the single tetanus shot, and even the booster contains 25mcg of mercury. The DT(the T being tetanus)for pediatric use does contain thimerosal but the combo DTaP does not contain thimerosal even though the individual tetanus does. That's a challenge for us because we do not wish for our children to receive combination vaccines, but getting the tetanus later in life when there is greater risk doesn't look so hot either because of mercury.
What's interesting is that when most shots did contain thimerosal, the content was the same whether it was an adult or a baby receiving the shot. It's just one problem that we have with the "one size fits all" approach to vaccinations.
Thursday, April 17
Vaccines: Recent News
Excerpts from the National Vaccine Information Center this week:
"After nearly three decades of resisting public calls from parents of vaccine injured children for a formal investigation into vaccine safety, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has established the National Vaccine Advisory Committee Working Group on Vaccine Safety to review a scientific research agenda proposed by DHHS."It's my understanding that three decades is also how much time passed after the first studies came out (1939) about smoking for the government to start issuing warnings on cigarette packages that smoking "may" be harmful to your health (1969).
"Another panel participant, Peter Bell, of Autism Speaks, described his son's regression into autism. While making it clear he is strongly pro-vaccine, Peter gave an eloquent plea for credible scientific research into vaccine safety issues and asked Committee members and government officials to "not demonize parents who are asking questions and searching for answers" to outstanding questions about vaccine risks."
"SafeMinds board member Jim Moody, JD, commented that a lack of credible scientific studies demonstrating vaccine safety makes the application of one-size-fits-all vaccine policies on the entire child population an uncontrolled "scientific experiment."
"Only time will tell if the meeting on Capitol Hill last Friday was for real or for show. Three decades is long enough to wait for government to listen to the people and take action to find out the truth about vaccine risks so every child in America has the opportunity to grow up healthy."
Vaccines: Article
Cluster of "SIDS" deaths in north Idaho prompt parents to blame vaccines; doctors, government deny vaccine link
The deaths of three infants in Coeur d'Alene in September and October, 2007, within a few days of their four- month vaccines, prompted one of the mothers to fight back.
By Ingri Cassel
Frontpage story
Shelly Walker's heart wrenching story made the front page of The Spokesman-Review newspaper on December 22, 2007, with the provocative headline, "Did vaccines kill?"
The headline shook up many residents here as they prepared for Christmas with their families. The story highlighted Shelly's shock when she discovered her son Vance in his crib unresponsive and limp. Blood was crusted under his eyes and a bloody foam was coming from his mouth onto the blanket lying beside him.The following is from The Spokesman-Review story:
"My baby was so healthy," said Shelly Walker, 39, of Hayden. "He was extremely full of life, energy and vitality.
"In the early morning of Sept. 15, less than three days after Vance Vernon Walker received a round of vaccines at Lakeside Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine in Coeur d'Alene, his mother awoke to a parent's worst nightmare. "It was about 5:15 a.m. I woke up and thought, 'He's not making any noise!' " Walker recalled. "I went to pick him up and then I screamed.
"Her 16 1/2-pound boy was warm and his lips were still pink, but he wasn't moving. Blood was crusted beneath his eyes and his clothes and toys were covered with a bloody froth. As her husband, Brian, 46, called 911, Walker worked frantically to resuscitate their child. But in the emergency room at Kootenai Medical Center, doctors said Vance had been dead for several hours."
Read the rest of the article here.
The deaths of three infants in Coeur d'Alene in September and October, 2007, within a few days of their four- month vaccines, prompted one of the mothers to fight back.
By Ingri Cassel
Frontpage story
Shelly Walker's heart wrenching story made the front page of The Spokesman-Review newspaper on December 22, 2007, with the provocative headline, "Did vaccines kill?"
The headline shook up many residents here as they prepared for Christmas with their families. The story highlighted Shelly's shock when she discovered her son Vance in his crib unresponsive and limp. Blood was crusted under his eyes and a bloody foam was coming from his mouth onto the blanket lying beside him.The following is from The Spokesman-Review story:
"My baby was so healthy," said Shelly Walker, 39, of Hayden. "He was extremely full of life, energy and vitality.
"In the early morning of Sept. 15, less than three days after Vance Vernon Walker received a round of vaccines at Lakeside Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine in Coeur d'Alene, his mother awoke to a parent's worst nightmare. "It was about 5:15 a.m. I woke up and thought, 'He's not making any noise!' " Walker recalled. "I went to pick him up and then I screamed.
"Her 16 1/2-pound boy was warm and his lips were still pink, but he wasn't moving. Blood was crusted beneath his eyes and his clothes and toys were covered with a bloody froth. As her husband, Brian, 46, called 911, Walker worked frantically to resuscitate their child. But in the emergency room at Kootenai Medical Center, doctors said Vance had been dead for several hours."
Read the rest of the article here.
Wednesday, April 16
Vaccines 3: CDC Schedule
Background to this post
Resources I'm using (plus others that I will link)
Below is a link to a chart comparing vaccinations today versus in 1983. Those in my generation should keep in mind that it's not the same as when we were kids and received vaccinations. And even then, I do not believe they were very safe when we were kids because vaccines contained the preservative thimerosal during that time. Thimerosal's content is half mercury, and there was enough of an outcry in the 90s that thimerosal was removed from most vaccines...eventually (the existing shots with mercury were still administered until they were gone...hel-LO it's a poison...they should have been destroyed, not injected into kids!!). Some vaccines still contain toxic levels of thimerosal today (adult flu shots and tetanus) and I'll post about that and more about mercury later. Regardless of what is or is not contained in preservatives today, we are concerned about the vaccinations themselves (frequency, age given, necessity, etc).
Looking around at how many people I know who have immune system problems, I wonder about volume of issues (allergies, asthma, fatigue, arthritis, gluten allergies & celiacs) in adults today. While I am not ready to say, yes, these are caused by such and such (because I don't know), I do not believe it is all attributable to "greater capabilities to diagnose and learn". Take mercury poisoning from dental fillings - it's fairly widely known (I think) that the mercury in fillings can slowly poison people. In a couple cases of people I know, much relief was found by purging the body of mercury that had been built up over time (often from dental fillings) and had been slowly, daily, released into the blood stream. There has been a surge of poor health in recent years and I wonder how much, if any, can be attributed to childhood vaccines, resulting in a compromised immune system. Maybe the vaccines alone were handled OK by the body, but other factors hindered the body from resisting the effects. I believe there are other factors such as food and environment too.
Now for the chart. Here are the vaccines given today compared to vaccines given in 1983. Note the increase: there were 10 vaccine events in 1983 by the age of 6, and there are now 36. Looking at the chart, in 2007, at two months of age, an infant is injected with the following vaccines in one office visit:
This totals 7 inoculations given in 5 injections. Thinking about that makes us uneasy, and we wonder what that does to a two-month old. We are looking at each vaccine and the related disease and will post here about them. Keep in mind how long it takes the government to finally admit something isn't safe when you look at their recommended schedule and their assertion that vaccines are safe and not harmful. They are just beginning to take the concerns of parents more seriously and conduct studies. Many studies in the past were promised, but not conducted. The studies will take years to complete. Don't wait for that. Take a look around now at the facts about vaccines and also growing number of testimonies of parent after parent who now have a vaccine injured child and trusted the word of their doctors to proceed with vaccinations. We certainly do not wish to tell you what to do or not do. We encourage you to look at this subject and consider the issue of vaccine safety for your children (or future children). We may look at the same research and draw different conclusions - I just want to put the information out there.
Resources I'm using (plus others that I will link)
Below is a link to a chart comparing vaccinations today versus in 1983. Those in my generation should keep in mind that it's not the same as when we were kids and received vaccinations. And even then, I do not believe they were very safe when we were kids because vaccines contained the preservative thimerosal during that time. Thimerosal's content is half mercury, and there was enough of an outcry in the 90s that thimerosal was removed from most vaccines...eventually (the existing shots with mercury were still administered until they were gone...hel-LO it's a poison...they should have been destroyed, not injected into kids!!). Some vaccines still contain toxic levels of thimerosal today (adult flu shots and tetanus) and I'll post about that and more about mercury later. Regardless of what is or is not contained in preservatives today, we are concerned about the vaccinations themselves (frequency, age given, necessity, etc).
Looking around at how many people I know who have immune system problems, I wonder about volume of issues (allergies, asthma, fatigue, arthritis, gluten allergies & celiacs) in adults today. While I am not ready to say, yes, these are caused by such and such (because I don't know), I do not believe it is all attributable to "greater capabilities to diagnose and learn". Take mercury poisoning from dental fillings - it's fairly widely known (I think) that the mercury in fillings can slowly poison people. In a couple cases of people I know, much relief was found by purging the body of mercury that had been built up over time (often from dental fillings) and had been slowly, daily, released into the blood stream. There has been a surge of poor health in recent years and I wonder how much, if any, can be attributed to childhood vaccines, resulting in a compromised immune system. Maybe the vaccines alone were handled OK by the body, but other factors hindered the body from resisting the effects. I believe there are other factors such as food and environment too.
Now for the chart. Here are the vaccines given today compared to vaccines given in 1983. Note the increase: there were 10 vaccine events in 1983 by the age of 6, and there are now 36. Looking at the chart, in 2007, at two months of age, an infant is injected with the following vaccines in one office visit:
- Diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus (DTaP)
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV),
- Polio (IPV)
- Rotavirus
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
This totals 7 inoculations given in 5 injections. Thinking about that makes us uneasy, and we wonder what that does to a two-month old. We are looking at each vaccine and the related disease and will post here about them. Keep in mind how long it takes the government to finally admit something isn't safe when you look at their recommended schedule and their assertion that vaccines are safe and not harmful. They are just beginning to take the concerns of parents more seriously and conduct studies. Many studies in the past were promised, but not conducted. The studies will take years to complete. Don't wait for that. Take a look around now at the facts about vaccines and also growing number of testimonies of parent after parent who now have a vaccine injured child and trusted the word of their doctors to proceed with vaccinations. We certainly do not wish to tell you what to do or not do. We encourage you to look at this subject and consider the issue of vaccine safety for your children (or future children). We may look at the same research and draw different conclusions - I just want to put the information out there.
Saturday, April 12
Vaccines 2: Books and Sources
These have been recommended to me.
BOOKS
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations (Currently Reading)
By Stephanie Cave, M.D., F.A.A.F.R
The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child
By Robert Sears
Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide: How to Make Safe, Sensible Decisions about the Risks, Benefits, and Alternatives
By Aviva Jill Romm
WEBSITES
Think Twice
National Vaccine Information Center
Vaccination Information & Choice Network
Generation Rescue
BOOKS
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations (Currently Reading)
By Stephanie Cave, M.D., F.A.A.F.R
The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child
By Robert Sears
Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide: How to Make Safe, Sensible Decisions about the Risks, Benefits, and Alternatives
By Aviva Jill Romm
WEBSITES
Think Twice
National Vaccine Information Center
Vaccination Information & Choice Network
Generation Rescue
Wednesday, April 9
Vaccines 1: Intro
A few years ago, I heard that a mother of six typically opted out of some vaccinations for her children and spaced the shots over time. I also recall reading on a message board that a woman was checking out pediatricians for her unborn child, and she asked about vaccinations. The Dr. rattled off something about how the CDC recommends shots at such and such an age, etc. The mother was going to accept the Dr.'s opinion at that but decided to ask the Dr. what she did for her own children. "Well, I skip this one and space these two out..." or something along those lines - it wasn't what the CDC recommended or mandated. It was intriguing.Fast forward to the present day. Ryan and I would like to have children someday, and I recall hearing about vaccines a little more recently. If we have children and we do nothing besides what the doctor's office routinely administers based on CDC policy,
- What injections will our children receive?
- What are they?
- Why are they given?
- How many diseases are contained in the shots?
- What are the side effects?
- What warrants each vaccination?
- Is there a neurological or developmental affect on the child from the shots?
- What are the dangers of the diseases themselves if they are contracted?
My intent is to blog periodically about what I learn, and there is a two-fold purpose for it. I'd like to sort my own findings and thoughts as Ryan and I work through this, and I'd also like to provide that information to encourage those who read my blog who have young children or may have children someday to consider their understanding of vaccines. I wondered at one point if it was too "early" to look into this since we are not parents-to-be, but I don't believe it is. We'll need to make this decision someday, and I have resources now which can help us. This can be a sensitive subject and I don't intend to tell you what decision to make regarding your family. I will probably ask a lot questions and leave many unanswered, mainly to raise them for consideration. We are looking at this from a Christian perspective, that our kids will be entrusted to us by the Lord but belong to Him, that God has redeemed us unto salvation and gives us wisdom to make decisions.
Stay tuned.
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