It's time for another Vaccine discussion

Last July I posted a VERY long post about my thoughts regarding vaccination and my kids in particular.  As I stated in that post I am always learning and still making decisions regarding how I want to "protect" my children in the future.  I decided to error on the side of caution and stop vaccinating, and to this day I am very glad that I have.  I do not feel that I knew enough of what vaccines entailed and why I was choosing to vaccinate to just blindly allow them to be given to my girls.  If you want to know some of my concerns regarding vaccines check out my July 25th, 2011 post.  Today I want to share with you some of my new found information and how my mind has possibly changed over the past year regarding this highly debatable subject.
When I think about my kids getting an illness, as serious as one that they have created a vaccine for, it terrifies me- much like it would any parent.  But, as those closest to me know, I am not one to take something or allow it to happen to me or my kids "just because".  You better prove it to me for me to be on board.  Especially when it comes to my kids.  I just felt that I had no choice in the matter and felt totally under-educated by my family physician.  With that being said, one huge stumbling block for me is the fine line of protecting my children in the way I see as best, but then potentially putting other kids (including younger siblings) at risk if my kids were to get a "vaccinatable" disease.  I struggle with this a LOT.
I am forever still learning but, here is where my mind sits currently after much research and prayer. I will give some vaccines to my kids currently and if/when we have more.  Like I said in the last post, I am in no way against the "theory" of vaccines.  I totally agree with the thought behind them and the "good" that they are intended for.  My biggest hold ups are the potential side effects from the vaccine ingredients, the effect vaccines may have on us in the future, and simply the "unknown" and blind forging ahead without regard to possible consequences. 

Here is a break down of what vaccines I plan to get and abstain from, and a short reason why:

Hep B- No.  Hep B is largely an adult disease, spread by blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and saliva.  It is not transmitted through casual contact, up to 30% of infected people show no signs or symptoms (kids even less), and pregnant mothers are routinely screened for Hep B. If anything, this vaccine would make more sense being given to teenagers, rather than a 1 day old baby. 

Rotavirus- No.  Common childhood illness that resolves in a week.  Leading cause of diarrhea  worldwide and nearly all American kids have had it by age 5.  Can cause severe dehydration but supportive therapy usually gets them through fine.  Vaccine's potential side effects are not worth the risk. 

DTaP- The jury is still out.  This is a potential, yes.  Although I will wait until my child is 6 mos. to a year before vaccinating.  This would primarily be for the Pertussis part of the vaccine and wish that it could be a separate, isolated vaccine.  The problem is however, that people can still get Pertussis even if vaccinated.  Many cases of Pertussis go improperly diagnosed as bronchitis and such.  They've also discovered that the vaccine immunity starts to wane in 10-15 years. Thus adults, then need to keep getting boostered.  Not sure on this one yet.  The vaccine also has quite a few side effects that are known. 

Hib- Yes.  This is definitely one illness where the severity of infection outweighs the vaccine risks.  Once again however, I will wait until my child is 6 mos. to a year before vaccinating.  They have shown that the risk of Hib is decreased greatly with breastfeeding- something that I feel strongly about and love to do until my kids are at least a year old.  So, this is a yes.

Pneumococcal- Probably, no.  This is another meningitis illness, however seems to be less severe than Hib, often causing ear infections.  One factor is that there are 90 known strains of Pneumococcal, the Prevnar vaccine only covers 7.  There are significant known risks with the vaccine, and the vaccine's effectiveness has been questioned by the National Vaccine Information Center.  So, probably no at this point.

Polio- Probably, no.  Risks don't outweigh the benefits at this time for me.  Risk of exposure is low and even if they get the virus 95% of polio cases go unnoticed.  I truly believe media hype has added more scare to this disease than it is due.  Still learning and deciding on this one....

Flu- No.  Flu vaccines only cover a few of the many virus' circulating that year.  They contain heavy metals and other ingredients that I think the risk is not worth it.  Definitely will not get one again while pregnant.

MMR- This one is a hard.  Due to the recent outbreak of the Measles in our area, people are on high alert and the media is going crazy.  I do believe that this disease is a serious illness, with a higher mortality rate than I am comfortable gambling with (about 1 in 1000-3000), and for that reason I would like to vaccinate against the Measles.  I wish the Measles was a singular vaccine but it is not offered as such any longer.  My moral problem with this vaccine is that it contains WI-38 (among other not so good ingredients), which is female aborted fetal tissue and DNA.  My stomach does not sit well with "condoning" abortions for the use of vaccine development, nor the fact that human DNA is then injected into my daughter.  IF, I decide to get this vaccine for my kids, it will most likely be right before they go into school around 4 years old.  They say that the older a child is when they get the MMR the better the immunity they develop, and I would only then have to expose them to all of the toxic ingredients once. 

Chickenpox- No.  I hope my kids get this virus while young to develop life long immunity.  This vaccine also contains MR-5, male aborted fetal tissue, as well as a slew of nasty ingredients.  I'm not convinced this vaccine is doing anyone any favors.  Unfortunately, because of the vaccine and the reduction in Chickenpox cases, adults are now getting the illness when their immunity wears off, or if they've never had either. This means that adults are now at risk, when the illness is much more severe later in life.  So, maybe when my kids are 18 they can get this vaccine.  Hopefully, it's safer then. 

Hep A- No.  Up to 70% of kids have no symptoms at all.  Mortality rate is extremely low.  Exposure to Hep A provides life long immunity.  Good hygiene makes a world of difference.

Meningitis- No.  But we may think about it when our kids go off to college.

HPV- ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!  I encourage everyone to do the research on this vaccine whether you have a girl 8-12 years old or not.  It was only researched for 18 months before being put on the market and people are seeing devastating side effects (including some that I know about here in our own county). I would not be surprised if it gets pulled or majorly re-vamped in the next few years.  Not to mention that there is no better Cervical cancer prevention than getting your yearly PAP. 

Ok, that is my list, for now.  I encourage everyone to do the research.  Being informed is the only way you can guarantee you are doing the "right" thing.  It's not easy and believe me facing the opposition of differing views is hard and I know it will get much harder as my girls get into school.  Like every parent, I'm just trying to do what I think is best for my kids.

Here are some of my resources:

• Childhood Vaccinations by Lauren Feder, M.D.  Great book, that really gives good info for both sides and also lays out delayed vaccine schedules.
• http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/vaccines
• http://drtenpenny.com/default.aspx
• www.mercola.com
• http://www.nvic.org/

The Great Debate (well at least one of them)-WARNING- a VERY LONG post

Recently there has been question of the possible Chicken Pox virus going through our circle of friend’s kids and along with it I am faced with having to defend my position on choosing to not vaccinate my kids (I’m officially announcing it on our blog- what is your initial reaction???). It’s not just the Chicken Pox that I am choosing not to give them but also most all the childhood illnesses that they routinely get vaccinated against. (I know, sacrilegious right!?!?!) It’s amazing how quickly one seems to offend and turn off friends and other individuals when you say that you choose not to vaccinate. In some ways it’s like people now view my kids as “contaminated” and that they potentially pose a risk to other’s kids because of this choice. I feel that I need to share a small bit of why I have come to this conclusion. I preface all of this by saying that I in no way, shape, or form, look down upon anyone else’s decision to vaccinate or not. I, like all moms, am only trying to do what I think is best for my girls. I also admit that I am still learning and my mind is not totally made up on how I feel about vaccines. As I learn more, there is a chance that I will change my views, but at this point I am erring on the side of caution and to wait. I only ask that you at least have an open mind and seek to educate yourself on what way is best for your family. BTW, this will be a long post and will not even closely include all of the information that has been written on this subject.


I have only come to this decision within the last year. Being from a medical background, where vaccines do play an important role, I was 100% for them and totally thought other’s that chose to not vaccinate were foolish and playing a risky game. I still believe that vaccines in veterinary medicine are needed, however I feel we way over vaccinate- but that is another, long, blog post….. I began feeling uncertainty about the vaccines when Morganne hit about 18 months old. Let’s call it a gut feeling, but maybe it was God’s nudging too. So, when Kaelynn was born, I already knew I at least wanted to do a delayed vaccine schedule and space everything out. It wasn’t until Kaelynn was about 9 months old that I felt that my “gut” was truly telling me to stop vaccinating all together (at least for now) after I had done only a small amount of research. Most doctors just “do vaccines”. I’m guessing very little to none of you reading this were explained the why’s and possible side effects of the vaccines that your kids got when they were little. If you did, then you have an incredible doctor. Even our GP, who I adore, just “did” the vaccines. I’m at least grateful she is open to my ideas and appreciates my concerns and if not supports, at least accepts, my decision to not vaccinate at this time. To try and keep this blog post as short as possible (though it’s going to be VERY LONG regardless), I’m just going to list some of the reasons I choose not to vaccinate or my thoughts on the situation. Remember, I’m still researching and there is a TON of information out there.

• First off, there is no one “true” right way. Both sides can not prove which side is “healthier” or “safer” at this time. With that being said, and that our own family doctor (who routinely vaccinates following the CDC guidelines) also admits that she can’t prove my doubts wrong, I’m more apt to stay away from something certain that could bring negative side effects (vaccines) instead of take the chance that my kids could get an illness, in which they would most likely survive just fine and develop natural immunity to. Also, most of the childhood diseases that we vaccinate against (i.e. Chicken pox, measles, rubella, mumps, diphtheria, etc.), though can have a small risk of severe side effects (which so can taking Tylenol) are mostly benign and they survive just fine after a week or so of feeling crummy. (Educate yourself on these diseases and you decide the risk.)

• “Vaccines cured Polio”- well maybe not. Studies show (look them up) that as with all virus courses, Polio was possibly dying itself out, at the same time the vaccine was introduced. So, did the vaccines actually stop Polio, or did it die out naturally? You’ll have to see the graphs to truly appreciate this.

• Vaccines have side effects. Not only do you have the immediate ones such as fever, injection site reactions, vomiting and diarrhea, not to mention the more severe immediate ones like seizures, anaphylactic reaction and death (read the vaccine information), but they could potentially have long term side effects too. There is a lot of thought that auto-immune reactions are linked with vaccines, as well as thyroid disorders, childhood diabetes, allergic reactions, and of course mental/behavioral disorders (though I know Autism has been debunked, it still could possibly be linked, we just don’t know it yet). Relating side effects to vaccines has been tough, and though they may be or not be linked, most parent’s and doctors miss the possible connection.

• Unlike with medications, we use the same dose of vaccine no matter how small or big the patient. A 2 month old premie, gets the same vaccine dose as a regular baby, a child, and an adult. How does this seem right when the immune system isn’t fully developed until around age 12 years? Actually the Dtap (child) and dtap (adult) vaccines are are the same virus’, but the “D” in the child’s version means that it is a higher strength version. Also, why do kids need the Dtap vaccine at 2 mos, 4 mos, 6 mos, 15 mos, and 5 years, when adults only need it every 10 years?

• In 1950, when vaccines really hit the seen most kids received around 12 vaccines by age 6. In 1982, when I was born, we received around 23 vaccines by age 6. Today, by age 6, they receive 47 (including the flu shot only once). Most of these are by the age of 3. This does not count amount of shots they get, it’s vaccines, which are routinely combined within one injection. Don’t believe me, check out the rec’d CDC vaccine schedule at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/0-6yrs-schedule-pr.pdf

This just seems like a lot for their immature immune systems to take on all at once. Also, with this and the effect on the immune system, how “natural” is it that a person is exposed to 8 major virus’ at one time? Like at the visit where they get 8 vaccines at one time- at 2 MONTHS OLD!?!?!?!

• Vaccines routinely include preservatives such as Formaldehyde (which is a known carcinogen), MSG (which my father, if given a vaccine with this in it, could have a severe anaphylactic reaction, as well as many unsuspecting individuals out there. We try not to eat the stuff, I sure don’t want it injected in me.), 2-phenoxyethanol (which is in antifreeze, solvents, detergents and emulsifiers, and crosses the blood brain barrier), among many others. Not to mention Thimerosal (Mercury) which is still in Heb B and the annual flu shots!!!

• Vaccines such as the MMR and the Chicken Pox vaccine also include aborted fetal tissue which includes DNA and protein. Check out the ingredients list on the Varicella vaccine Verivax website http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/v/varivax/varivax_ppi.pdf. It includes MRC-5 which is an aborted 14 week old male fetal lung tissue. There is also WI-38 in some vaccines which is 3 month old female fetal lung tissue. As a mom and a Christian this is just hard to swallow, not to mention knowing that it is injected into my daughters.

• Lastly, and to what I think is most important in my doubts, is the effectiveness of long term immunity health from vaccines. Scientists truly don’t know how long vaccine immunity lasts. So, take the Chicken Pox vaccine, given at 2 years old, they now recommend a booster sometime in middle school. There is no way of knowing if the vaccine immunity will last into adulthood, where getting Chicken Pox is then potentially life threatening. We have seen life time immunity to those of us that got it naturally, however, and when our immune systems are “naturally boostered” when we get exposed to the virus at different times during our life. Also, along this line, no vaccine is 100%. They only estimate on average they are 70-80% effective which means even though your child is vaccinated, they could still get, and pass along the virus.

This list is by far all of the doubting factors that I have read and continue to learn about. I don’t like the thought that in 20-30 years, after my children’s generation of getting nearly 50 vaccines by the age of 6, we might start seeing the potential side effects of this way of thinking. I don’t underestimate the seriousness of these diseases that we are trying to prevent (though I also don’t think that financial gain isn’t also part of the equation- more on that maybe later), but I also worry about the side effects that we have not seen yet. Vaccines, and the diseases they are supposed to prevent, scare me. I hope that if you took the time to read this long blog post you will at least decide to do some research yourself and make an educated decision. It’s not something to take lightly. Take charge of your health and that of your children’s. God only gave us this one chance on Earth.

BTW, I hope I have not "offended" anyone.