Right after I first posted an entry on my vaccination experience with Roman one of my closest friends posted on her Facebook page a link to a study which claims that there is 2-5 times more disease and disorders reported from vaccinated children then unvaccinated one’s. Read the article here
Here are some of the highlights…
- A German study released in September 2011 of about 8000 UNVACCINATED children, newborn to 19 years, show vaccinated children have at least 2 to 5 times more diseases and disorders than unvaccinated children.
- The independent study is self-funded and is not sponsored by a large “credible” non-profit or government health organization with political and financial conflicts of interest;
- Each one of the 8000 cases are actual cases with medical documentation.
- No study of health outcomes of vaccinated people versus unvaccinated has ever been conducted in the U.S. by CDC or any other agency in the 50 years or more of an accelerating schedule of vaccinations
This hurts me more then the needle experience. I am not much of a traditional medical client. I go to my doctor less then once a year for a physical and dreaded pap but that’s the extent of my time in a doctors office. I go to a Naturopath for anything else and don’t even have Tylenol in my cupboard.
That said once I brought Roman home I spent much more time in Doctor’s offices both holistic and traditional. I took him to my Naturopath, an International Adoption Doctor Specialist, my Family Doctor, a Pediatrician and a Pysiotherapist. I wanted everyone’s opinion on his health and what I could do to support his growth and heal his rashes. My cupboards are stocked with both fish oil and probiotics and Baby Tylenol and Benedryl.
One of the big health concerns that weighed on me was the question of vaccinations. The International Doctor, Family Doctor and Pediatrician advocated that I start from scratch and redo all his vaccinations according to the Ontario schedule. This is the most common practice for children adopted internationally.
My Naturopath said that she does not advocate any vaccinations and it is her belief after doing extensive research that multiple vaccinations can lead to autism. She also said that she thought that refusing to vaccinate your child can be reported and your child could be removed from your care.
The medical doctors all say that there is no research to support that view. They are absolutely confident that the vaccination schedule they follow is completely safe and necessary.
So what to do? I chose to not repeat any vaccinations that the doctors said they did in Russia. I decided to follow the schedule that Ontario Doctors recommend and that meant that last week he had two needles.
Now I feel sick thinking that maybe I made the wrong decision.
Is there any real risk of our children getting the diseases that we are immunizing them against?
Who can you trust when it comes to the health of your child?
Which research and researchers do you trust?
Whose opinion can you reply on?
Where do you stand on the vaccination debate?
This is certainly a contentious topic! We have chosen to do very few vaccinations in our house after my first child had a severe reaction to his first set of “routine” vaccinations. At this point, my three children would be considered terribly behind schedule by any health authority, but I feel comfortable with our decision. Our decision on which vaccines to give was based on researching the diseases themselves. Many of the vaccine preventable diseases are frequently mild in otherwise healthy children. I examined each disease in detail and then came to terms with the reality of my child contracting the actual disease. Once I read the side effects of each disease and weighed them against the reported (look to the CDC’s website for reliable info) vaccine side effects I was able to comfortably say that my child would survive and would likely thrive even if any of them contracted a vaccine preventable illness. That said, we did proceed with the meningitis vaccines since I could not determine a vaccine side effect that would be worse than the actual disease.
I also believe that many parents vaccinate out of fear of the unknown or an obligation to please the medical authority. I also think many parents vaccinate for diseases such as chicken pox to avoid the complications of missing work and child care requirements for sick children. That, in my humble opinion, is a poor reason to subject your child to any medical procedure.
Finally, I wanted to clarify a point in your post. NO CHILD is at risk of being removed from their family home because of a decision to refuse vaccination in Canada. In the US they have mandatory vaccination laws, in some states, but we are protected in every province and territory of Canada by the charter of rights and freedoms to make medical decision for your own child, without prejudice. The province of Ontario is one of the few provinces in Canada that requires a parent to sign a waiver, signed by a notary, that you are refusing vaccination based on religious or conscientious beliefs. Your child can attend public school in any province or territory of Canada once this waiver is signed- even though the authorities will try very hard to tell you that is not the case. I am a public school teacher and parent of children in public school and I assure you that vaccinations are NOT required for school entry, nor are you at risk of losing custody of your children.
Hope that helps you with your future decisions.
I did A LOT of research on this topic. Not just internet research, I read several books. Based on that I have not vaccinated my girls, yet. I say yet, because I think I will for Tetanus, Diptheria and Meningitis. I view Measles, Mumps and Rubella as like chicken pox, usually a childhood illness that is not serious. Yes, sometimes it is serious, but not often in healthy children.
I choose to delay the vaccinations because I read a lot about a blood brain barrier that convinced me to wait. I don’t remember the details now, but the gist is the barrier isn’t firmed up until at least 2 years of age. I also want them to get separate vaccinations, not just one.
I’ll dig out my research and write a post on it (if I remember, I seem to have a sieve for a brain lately).
Anyway, I made an informed choice. I read studies from both sides of the debate. It’s MY choice. And I am NOT a moron.
We do vaccinate our kids, but not according to the schedule outlined in Ontario. I’m not comfortable with my kids getting more than one needle at a time at any one visit. Sure, it takes a longer time to vaccinate everyone, but by the time they are ready for school, they are all up-to-date and on track. Everyone has their own thoughts on vaccination… I’m actually surprised that there aren’t more TNS’ jumping on this…
Posting on behalf of Laura Reid via Facebook
I think there is more to vaccines than gets thought about. There is much emphasis on possible side effects that have not necessarily been proven by equitable study. People who have seen rubella, polio, small pox, etc. understand the horrific implications of these diseases. There is good reason for preventing them. More education is needed on how disease works – rather than trying to feed into fears, confuse with controversy and guilt that cause parents to make decisions that effect EVERYONE, not just our own kids. Relying on pack immunity IMHO is just as risky as vaccinating. There’s no absolute answer, but as a concerned parent I am frustrated with how little unbiased information and research there is, but plenty of guilt, judgement and divisiveness amoung both camps – a disease in it’s own right! ;-D
Wow….what an a-hole the first poster is.
On a side note, feel free to ignore this study. It is not published in a industry-respected, peer-reviewed journal.
There’s lots of BS out there. My first lesson as a parent was determining what you need to ignore and what you should take seriously.
I found the advice in this article very useful:
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/10/5-tips-evaluate-medical-websites.html
Good luck with your precious bundle of joy!!
I’m a vaccinator. I believe in them, and there seems to be evidence to support that there is a “return” of some diseases that had been all but eradicated, like polio, and measles, as many people are opting not to vaccinate. I can’t say for certain – it’s not my area of expertise. But I HATE the fact that polio is on the rise…
It’s a tough choice to make, and it’s individual. You are doing an incredible job, and getting educated fully is the only way to make such an decision. (I’m also not certain that vaccinating causes autism, but again, I’m no expert – I’ve just read some things.)
Le sigh. We NEVER know if our decisions are the right ones until long into the course… you’re going a great job getting informed though!
PS – TNS is a rude mutther. But yes, you’re a “real” blogger now!!
I really love Amanda’s comment. I really loathe TNSs. I’ll tell you why. I think the damned if you – damned if you don’t is bang on. I believe in vaccinations. I strongly disagree with your naturopath…there is no proof that vaccinations cause autism. But let me reiterate – I STRONGLY AGREE. That’s me. My opinion. My choice for my child. TNS shouldn’t be trying to shove his/her opinion down anyone’s throat. I did go through your thought process on the swine flu vaccine for Will – I just wasn’t convinced it was adequately tested. Then someone said ‘what if you don’t and he gets it’…aka damned if you do and damned if you don’t. So I did. And we moved on.
Wait to jump in with a hot topic Heather…I love it! And I’ll share some of my more horrid comments with you over a glass of wine. Put it this way – they took the time to read…:)
It is a huge thing these days with all the information out there and all the sources of that information. Both of my kids have received full immunizations. I personally figured that it was scarier to risk the possibility of the diseases/illnesses than the not-so-certain (my interpretation) risk factors of the shots themselves. We have an awesome medical system and I chose to trust that going ahead with vaccinations was best for my kids. Based on the few things I have read I don’t blame anyone for being skeptical of vaccinations and their effectiveness. Overall I believe they are a good thing.
Oh, wow, Heather…you go out on a limb, sharing your fears and concerns for the well-being of your child, and someone goes and takes a crap all over them. You’re right, though…now you’re an honorary blogger: a visit from a troll is a rite of passage. 🙂
I too battle with the vaccination debate but have ended up getting it done for all three of our daughters (ages 5,3,1). I put it in the “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” camp and hope for the best. Not the best advice, I know, but it’s how we’ve approached it.
You are clearly an amazing mother: doing your research and examining every option to provide the best care for you son.
My first abusive comment. Thanks TNS, I feel like a real blogger now. No I generally try not to listen to people with half a brain, I find people with both sides of their brain have far more insight.
If you don’t vaccinate your child then you are a fricken moron… but you sound like a huge hippie with your “naturopathic” BS anyway, so you probably won’t listen to what anyone with half a brain says. Have fun dealing with your kid’s polio and such!