The Great Debate
Vaccination is an ongoing topic of debate and controversy. How can you make an enlightened decision about vaccines when there are medical doctors on both sides of the issue, each with their own body of proof to support their statements?
For instance, aluminum and mercury are found in trace amounts in vaccines. (a side point here, vaccine manufacturers are not legally required to list every ingredient, trace amount or otherwise nor give a full detail disclosure of their development) Some doctor’s say these trace amounts are perfectly safe, others strongly disagree.
What does your research reveal to you? Do you say aluminum enters our body through others sources so it doesn’t matter how many shots you get at once? Do you say ethyl mercury doesn’t cause brain damage? Or do you say there is no such thing as a non-toxic amount of mercury and aluminum and I don’t want to voluntarily add to the toxic load?
It’s up to us as parents to do our due diligence and fully weigh the information. There are questions worthy of consideration: What are the risks if any? Do any potential risks outweigh the benefit? How do I as a responsible parent mitigate any possible risks? Consideration of the research in light of such questions will help you make an enlightened, informed, decision.
Interestingly, sixty to seventy years ago there were only 4 scheduled baby immunizations; whereas now, there are upwards of 35-40 within the first two years of a baby’s life, many are produced as a 3-in-1 dose. The infographic below indicates the rise from 1940 to 2012.
Infographic depicts the rise of vaccines since 1940
I’m going to go out on a limb here, but this has to be said: Don’t make your decision based solely on what another person or organization tells you! For instance, because the CDC tells you to vaccinate, does that make their words gospel? For some, yes. For others, no. Why?
Research and Considerations
Here are links for the CDC’s immunization schedule (effective as of February 2017) and a health tracker which includes vaccine timelines. You’ll notice the guideline is to first administer HepB at birth. The Hepatitis B disease is most commonly spread by exposure to infected body fluids (i.e. through sex) so unless a birth mother has HepB and transmits it to her baby during the birthing process or the newborn will live with a chronic sufferer, the chances of them contracting the disease are slim to none. In this case, do the benefits outweigh the risk?
Certain members of the FDA advisory board, as well as the medical community caution that despite released findings, vaccines which contain both thimerosal and an adjuvant can adversely affect your neurological system. Further, published science links aluminum adjuvants in vaccines to chronic autoimmune diseases.
It is a well-known fact that chemicals interact with each other. There can be a combinatory effect between multiple chemicals as well as an effect derived from the numerous toxins found in our environment. For example, consider the synergy between fluorides and heavy metals (i.e. aluminum) which forms aluminum fluoride, a compound that can cross the blood/brain barrier and is considered a major contributor toward dementia.
A baby’s brain development during pregnancy and infancy is critical; emerging scientific research alerts us to serious health risks associated with injecting aluminum-based compounds into a baby’s body during this time of development.
Center on the Developing Child | Harvard University Source: C. Nelson (2000)
Ingredients
You may assume the ingredients in each vaccine has been studied both for individual safety as well as combined safety. According to this medical doctor and neuroscientist, that assumption is incorrect.
Wouldn’t it behoove you to find out the ingredients of the vaccines, which are most toxic, possible allergens and other side effects so that you can effectively manage your child’s care? A good starting point is the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) which provides an ingredient calculator for the vaccines doctors typically recommend so that you can get a report to measure your child’s ingredient exposure to all vaccines licensed in the United States.
Why do some people spend more time researching their next family car?
DROP DOWN MENUS FOR EXTENSIVE RESEARCH CATEGORIZED BY ARTICLE | BOOK | VIDEO
This is by no means an exhaustive list of articles available for research, but I’ve tried to present a roundhouse both for and against vaccines in order to be as objective as possible. CLICK TO LEARN MORE: FINDINGS | ARTICLES
CLICK TO LEARN MORE: BOOKS
CLICK TO LEARN MORE: MUST SEE VIDEOS
As with the articles, this series of videos are by no means an exhaustive list of videos available for viewing, but I’ve tried to present a roundhouse both for and against vaccines in order to be as objective as possible.
A Possible Moral, Ethical and Religious Issue
Beyond the chemical ingredients in vaccines which can create a toxic load on the body, some contain ingredients that pose a moral, ethical or even religious dilemma.
For instance, some vaccines (type varies by country) contain such controversial ingredients as baby cow blood serum and human blood proteins among other things. Important to note: medications that contain human albumin have specific side effects and those prescribed medications containing albumin are advised that the medicine made from human plasma may have viruses that may cause disease.
An informational table drawn from vaccine package inserts downloaded from the FDA website show as of 2011 which vaccines contain human protein and DNA. Again, the HSA containing vaccines currently vary by country and the 2017 CDC vaccine ingredient list displays the most up to date information.
With regard to bovine-derived materials, the FDA states the source may not always be known and the public should be aware of safety issues and the rare but possible risks of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) or also known as “mad-cow disease“. An FDA report from 2006 also warned that “products made from human plasma may contain infectious agents, such as viruses, that can cause disease.” – SEE FULL REPORT
Vaccine development
Aside from the vaccine ingredients, consider how they are made. The method used to produce a vaccine such as the controversial live MMR virus requires an animal or human cell as a host.
In the case of rubella, a vaccine is made using a human cell line derived from the lung tissue of a female fetus. That fact may not be an issue for most, but it could be a moral, ethical or even religious hinderance for some parents.
The COG website lists the various fetal cell lines used in the development of vaccines. Dr. Theresa Deisher, lead scientist, and Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute (SCPI) founder noted with regard to fetal cell lines:
“Not only are the human fetal contaminated vaccines associated with autistic disorder throughout the world, but also with epidemic childhood leukemia and lymphomas.” | Dr. Theresa Deisher
A study released by SCPI stated that these discoveries should prompt an immediate investigation by the FDA, “if not an outright ban on the use of aborted fetal cell lines as substrates for vaccine production. There are numerous other non-human FDA-approved cell lines that can and should be used.”
That being said, I’m going to clearly state that I am NOT against vaccinations, but I don’t automatically let my child be dosed with a Molotov cocktail of ingredients just because a doctor says so without doing my own research to determine what is best for my child; no doctor is infallible. And no vaccine is a guarantee against contracting the disease!
Food for thought here, at one time respected physicians went from performing autopsies to delivering babies without washing their hands! It took decades from the time a link was determined until a protocol to rectify the practice was standard. In the meantime, the obstetrician who started the “wash your hands” movement was widely criticized by his medical peers.
What does that teach us? Hopefully, it helps us appreciate that: [Tweet ” just because the medical community holds to a practice doesn’t always mean they’re correct…”]
and it in this day and age we have the resources to educate ourselves.
For the most part, I’m satisfied with the middle ground our family has adopted. Spacing out the dosage allows my baby’s body to better detoxify the chemicals that are found in the vaccines. Additionally, we’ve added a probiotic to her diet to aid in detoxification.
You may want to consider a quality probiotic for your infant such as this or for your older child such as this.
And as my children reach the age for booster shots I will ask that the doctor check for titers and/or get serological evidence of immunity with a blood titer test to identify antibodies.
Law and Parent Choice
Regardless of whether you choose to strictly follow the CDC vaccination schedule or you opt for an alternative schedule, you’ll need to know your state requirements before your child starts daycare, preschool or Kindergarten. Additionally, knowing your state-mandated vaccines will allow for easier scheduling. For instance, not all states in the U.S. require the Rotavirus vaccine; however, given your personal lifestyle (i.e. other children in school or daycare) you may choose to get the vaccine for your baby if you don’t object to Polysorbate 80.
The CDC does have a handy interactive tool that allows you to print a personalized schedule of immunizations for your baby. You can also find a 2-page .pdf form here to print and fill in along with vaccine abbreviations and a complete example sheet. Either such form is convenient for record keeping; you can cross off any shots you may opt out of. Alternately, you can click on this link to get a customizable record-keeping page for scheduled shots from birth to 12 years.
Here is a link to all State requirements
Here is link to The National Vaccine Information Center for State exemption options
Here is a link to Physician’s Informed Consent form in English and Spanish
Additionally, if you opt for the flu vaccine please be aware that as of 2014 the only mercury-free option is the nasal mist. And no known adjustments were made to that option as of 2017. Hover Here For 2014/2015 Info On Nasal Spray Flu VaccineThe single-dose units are made without thimerosal as a preservative because they are intended to be opened and used only once. Additionally, the live-attenuated version of the vaccine (the nasal spray vaccine), is produced in single-dose units and does not contain thimerosal. Per CDC.gov Link to The British Medical Journal’s published 2013 report on flu vaccines released by a John Hopkins researcher.
As I mentioned previously, our family has chosen to space out vaccines. There are people, including pediatricians who do not like this. Why? I’ve been told by my pediatrician’s office that it is largely because they are afraid parents will not bring their children back to the office in a timely manner and do not end up following an altered schedule resulting in children not fully immunized.
Interestingly, Neil Z. Miller, a medical research journalist whose investigated vaccines for over 30 years and serves as the director of the Thinktwice Global Vaccine Institute responds to such fear with this comment:
“The CDC’s immunization schedule requires that children receive eight vaccines at 2 months of age, eight vaccines at 4 months of age and eight vaccines at 6 months of age. I ask parents, ‘When did you ever take eight drugs at the same time?… If you did take eight drugs at the same time, would you think it was more likely that you would or would not have an adverse reaction?’ Because toxicologists know that the more drugs you take at the same time, the more potential for some kind of a synergistic or additive toxicity …The CDC has put together a schedule based on convenience. They say ‘[G]ive eight vaccines at 2 months, give eight more vaccines at 4 months and give eight more booster shots at 6 months’ because it’s convenient. They’re afraid that parents will not come to the pediatrician again and again and again if they have to keep coming back for more vaccines, so they get multiple [shots all at once]. They said, ‘We’re going to make this schedule based on convenience.’ Not based on evidence. Not based on science. There’s nothing scientific about the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule.” | Neil Z. Miller
Alternatives
There are a few different alternate schedules provided by renowned doctors. I’ve included a tab chart for some doctors below, simply click on each left sided tab to view the individual schedules.
Personally, I follow a schedule that is a cross between Dr. Cave, Dr. Sears, and the CDC’s catch-up schedule. There is also a schedule advocated by Dr. Donald Miller which can be seen in the third tab.
The fourth tab is bottom line information on each major vaccine by Dr. Ashley Mayer relayed in a parent-to-parent format. I highly recommend you visit her site for a vast collection of references. Dr. Ashley indicates that a concern lies in the overuse of vaccinations which can lead to mutations, similar to the way in which the misuse of antibiotics has lead to antibiotic-resistant superbugs. She states on her website: “The overuse of vaccines over the next century may wreak havoc in much the same way that antibiotic resistant strains of disease are wreaking havoc today.”
Additionally, for your own comparison, you can use this interactive tool to see vaccination schedules for countries outside the U.S. and Canada or use this interactive infographic entitled, Calling The Shots, to see in graph form the schedules across the G8 nations.
Dr. Stephanie Cave is a medical doctor who has published her findings and concerns in the book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About (TM) Children’s Vaccinations. Her concerns lay with the potential damage that vaccine ingredients can have on a baby given the fact that so many are recommended within such a small window of time.
Her suggested changes to the CDC’s guidelines are a general recommendation to start vaccines at four months with a dosage of only 1-2 shots per visit. She does recognize the need to get the HIB and DTaP early (prior to 3 years, preferably as an infant) because whooping cough, and haemophilus are much more serious diseases at a younger age. You can read further about her safe recommendations here.
Remember, YOU as the parent have the right to make medical decisions for your child. If you want to find a doctor that provides state-mandated vaccines using a lower risk protocol to reduce the possibility of adverse reactions, here are a few sites with a state-by-state list of doctors who will honor your request to follow an alternative schedule if you so ask.
Schedules
Hopefully, the research provided in this article will help parents to comfortably answer the questions presented at the outset: What are the risks of vaccinating if any? Do any potential risks outweigh the benefit? How do I as a responsible parent mitigate any possible risks? And that you feel you can make a fully enlightened, informed, decision for your family.
This post is a compilation of information I have found helpful in doing my own vaccine research. I am not a doctor and I don’t pretend to be one. I share this research only for informational purposes. It should not be treated as medical and or legal advice nor is it intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment from your doctor or another health-care professional. In stating my personal medical preferences, I am not advocating that any individual delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website. Reliance on any information provided on this website is solely at your own discretion.
Reference Books:
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P.S. Please share – what have you found to be a good vaccination schedule for your family?
