I told myself that I would never write about vaccines. It is a scorching hot topic, and honestly I don’t want to get burned. But here I am, because I have this sneaking suspicion that maybe I’m not alone in feeling the way I do.
My daughter had her two year old well baby visit this week. And I was feeling very anxious leading up to the visit because I knew we’d have to face the issue of vaccines again with our doctor.
Let me start by saying that I am not pro-vaccine and I’m not anti-vaccine. The truth is that I really don’t know where I stand on vaccines. And I think therein lies the problem. Not just for me, but for this issue and all of the controversy surrounding it.
I’m looking for some kind of middle ground. A place where I can feel comfortable with the decisions we are making about vaccinating our children. But every where I look, there are only two extreme sides to this issue. (And maybe I’m just looking in the wrong places.) But honestly, I don’t want to have to choose either side.
I fall somewhere in the middle, but that puts me on very shaky ground. And shaky ground is not a place I want to be making important health decision for my children from.
Here’s my problem as I see it: I know too much to be 100% comfortable with vaccines. I know too little to be 100% comfortable with not vaccinating.
Here’s what I’m looking for: trustworthy, factual information about vaccines from trustworthy sources, without a conflict of interest.
15 Reasons I’m Looking for Middle Ground on Vaccinating my Child
I want to have an adult conversation about vaccines with my doctor.
I want to be taken seriously and shown understanding when I ask questions at the doctor’s office about vaccinations instead of being brushed off with an eye roll, or worse: belittled, talked down to, or harassed.
I want my doctor to be truly educated about vaccines enough to be able to handle my questions without using scare tactics. I want my doctor to provide me with guidance about which vaccines are most important and which are okay to be delayed or skipped altogether.
I want to talk honestly about the risks of vaccines as well as the risks of the diseases they are made to prevent.
I want to talk about the fact that vaccines are not 100% effective.
I want to talk about the reality that vaccines are marketed to consumers in the same way that toys, or food, or beauty products are.
I want to talk about why the current vaccine schedule is so intensive and who is actually benefitting.
I want to talk about the real risks of unvaccinated children on the spread of disease, instead of fear mongering and sweeping generalizations. I want facts about the recent outbreaks of certain vaccine preventable diseases and whether those who caught the disease were truly unvaccinated, instead of media sensationalism.
I want real research done on vaccinated versus unvaccinated children.
I want to be offered an alternative schedule that I feel comfortable with without having to just make it up as I go.
I want to be provided with information about vaccines beyond what the pharmaceutical companies and the CDC offer.
I don’t want to get in fights with people when I question the necessity of the current vaccine schedule.
I don’t want pat answers like, “This is the way we do it,” when I question the necessity of the current vaccine schedule.
I don’t want to feel pressured, bullied, guilted, or harassed into giving a vaccine to my child. Ever.
I don’t think I’m alone in wanting these things for myself and my children.
And I don’t just want this for me, I want this for ALL parents.
Especially those who don’t have hours upon hours to do their own research about this these issues. Especially those parents who don’t even know that they’re allowed to ask questions, that they’re allowed to question the current vaccine schedule.
It seems to me like there is a huge piece of the vaccination puzzle that is missing – the middle ground. The place where it’s okay for me to ask questions, and I can choose which vaccines to give to my child, and at a pace I feel comfortable with. A place where I don’t have to feel like a terrible parent because I do vaccinate, or be told I’m a terrible person and parent because my child is only partially vaccinated.
As parents, we have the right to make informed and knowledgeable decisions about our children’s health care. We don’t have to blindly trust and follow a vaccination schedule when our questions don’t get satisfactory answers.
We need to know that it’s okay to question. We need to know that we don’t have to choose a side.
We need to know that it’s okay for us to feel uncomfortable, worried, or anxious about giving our children vaccines. We also need to know it’s okay to feel nervous and worried about our child catching a vaccine preventable disease. We need our feelings to be validated and accepted, without backlash from the medical community, media, or other parents who might feel differently than us.
We need to know that there are other parents out there who feel similar to us, and are asking the same questions and seeking the same answers that we are. Can we join together in looking for these answers?
I feel like this is such an important issue for the health of our children that I want and expect more and better answers. I want a solid middle ground. I don’t know, is that too much to ask?
After talking with some of my natural living blogging friends who have had similar experiences and have similar questions and feelings, it helped me to feel like I’m not alone standing out here in the middle on this issue. Sometimes I feel like I’m on a deserted island, but I’m pretty sure there are lots of other parents out here with me.
I’m hoping we can elevate the conversation beyond two opposing sides or views. I’d love to hear your thoughts, experiences, and questions on this issue, but I will be monitoring the comments closely to make sure that the conversation remains productive and respectful. Disrespectful, mean, hateful, or otherwise unproductive comments will be deleted at my discretion. Let’s be adults and have an adult conversation about this. Thanks!
Thank you for this post!! I feel the same way. We do a delayed vaccine schedule and I always feel like I’m being interrogated with every pediatrician we’ve seen so far. And we’ve seen a lot because we’ve moved so much. I haven’t even been able to find a doctor who’ll see the kids b/c of their delayed schedule where we’re staying right now. So frustrating!! I just want their help, not their judgement!
My hubby and I don’t have kids yet, but this has been a hot topic for us too! We are just realizing the dangers of the chemicals and toxins pharm companies put in vaccines (mercury for one, since I have personally suffered with mercury toxicity), and are wondering if certain ones are important or if this is all just propaganda. It can be SO confusing, so we know what you’re going through! I haven’t stressed too much about it because I’m not in the place to make that decision yet, but I will soon be having those very candid discussions with our doctor about why and why not. I go to a NRT Doctor who has strong reasoning behind everything he believes and is very personable. Also, if you CAN’T have that adult discussion with your doctor without feeling belittled or looked down on, my advice to you: fire. him. Right now. Don’t look back. They aren’t worth your time, and certainly aren’t worth your money and kid’s health. I worked as a MA for 7 years – 5 of those giving baby vaccines. We would sometimes do 4-5 at a time! It was terrible. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have been able to do my job with a clear conscience.
Anyway, I hope God allows you to come to a place where you are comfortable and peaceful about you and your hubby’s decision. And I pray that your family suffers no ill effects of whatever decision you come to! Thanks for sharing your heart on a controversial topic even tho it opens you to backlash! What kind of bloggers are we if we only tackle warm and fuzzy topics? 😉 Have a great day!
Very well said! I feel the same way about almost everything. Little Lucy is 4 months and when we went in for her 2 month I just didn’t feel comfortable putting ALL of that into her body, especially things like hepB which is nearly impossible for her to contract at this point in her life. When I brought up the topic with my dr I got this look that made me feel like and idiot. I got all sweaty and scared. Ulitimately we just ended up doing the tdap and are going on a delayed type schedule. But it is hard when the answer is “it’s easier this way, they have to be poked as much” that doesn’t feel like the right reason for me.
I feel the same way! I sure hope someone can provide a good, trust worthy reading list that helps explain the pros and cons in a good way! Great article! I think the majority of us feel the same way as you do!
I am with you in the middle ground. This is one issue that makes me the most fearful. My nephew was a normal baby and started developing autism after his 18 month vaccinations. My sister found a research study that through supplements and other diet changes completely changed him. She is staunchly anti-vaccine. It’s understandable, really. But I have had 3 children that have survived the regular vaccination schedule with no injury. So I just wonder and worry.
Could you put more info about what your sister used? Thank you!
Hi there,
I am right there with you in the middle. We all have to read between the lines and find the information for ourselves. Mass media and, I hate to say, our pediatricians are given tidbits of information and rarely look at the whole picture themselves. The CDC and FDA are public agencies and therefore all reports are public, although difficult to find in the mass media. For instance, over 50% people with pertussis last year were fully vaccinated-information found easily on the CDC website.
Unfortunately, we will have to continue to weed through mounds of information to be able to make a decision. As always, trust yourself-Mom knows best.
I personally may be not just delaying vaccines but skipping altogether (my 6 yo is fully vaccinated, according to schedule).
I have felt very much the same way. Dr.Sears’ The Vaccine Book helped to answer a lot of the questions I had. He is pro-vax but explains everything very thoroughly. I didn’t feel pressured one way or another when reading his book. He has different vaccine schedules for those that are looking for something in between. Our current pediatrician is VERY pro-vax and is pushy and demeaning about it. Due to various things we aren’t really able to change pediatricians at this point. It is very frustrating to not be able to have an open conversation with her. We wishes to you on your search for more info and the middle road.
Well said. I feel the same way and would love to be able to have an open, candid conversation with my peers about vaccines without a heated discussion that just makes me clam up. I want to talk, not be belittled. I found a great pediatrion that did a delayed schedule of most vaccines that I was happy with. My kids are now 10 and 13 and are done and healthy.
If you are worried about immunity for your child…..please remember this….vaccines are
only effective 50% of the time at best. That means 50% of the people who vaxed their kids
would still see their child get whatever they vaxed against.
As an adoptive mom to 3 kids who got vaxes and then became autistic and more….it just doesn’t seem to be worth the long hard pull that we are experiencing now. The metals and latent viruses that
are their long after the vax has become ineffective…..yes that does happen, don’t go away…in fact the heavy toxic metals that are in the vax attract other metals from the foods and life and cause more issues.
It is quite possible, altho I am hoping and prayin that it will not be so, that my kids will be permanently damaged because of the shots that they received before I got them. The price for them has been extremely high….for my other kids, also….not to mention the strain on my marriage and the high…extremely high financial cost. I wish I could go back in time and prevent the biological units that produced my kids, and stop them from allowing them to vax them. But as it stands….we will fight as hard as we can and pray for them to recover.
This is not a statement to cause a fight….but just a statement of fact. It is the truth that we live with
daily. It is a journey of diets because the vaxes messed them up so badly and now they leak, of supplements and trying to encourage the kids that they are not worthless because they have issues…that they are unique and priceless because they are a gift from Jesus, of pain and suffering that was all so unnecessary and soooooooooooo preventable.
http://teamtmr.org/
these families have healed their kids!
Hi, Emily.
Dr. Mercola just addressed this topic again this week and gave links to two downloadable guides to Vaccine policy and law in the U.S.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/06/10/nvic-vaccine-policy-law-reform.aspx?e_cid=20140610Z1_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20140610Z1&et_cid=DM47701&et_rid=550193301
AMEN AND AMEN. You KNOW I feel the same way!!!
my daughter contracted pertussis when she was three (even though she was vaccinated, as well as her father and i – adult boosters) – we took her to the ER when she coughed so hard that she lost her breath long enough it caused her body to “void” – peed and pooped on the couch. the dr, said that her little body was in “panic mode” …he said that if she hadn’t been vaccinated, then she “could have been hospitalized or worse” …she was so horribly ill as it was, i shudder to think about what would have happened if we had chosen not to vaccinate. if i ever needed any confirmation that we did the right thing – that was it!
On the flip side there are many children who have not been vaccinated that had a very mild case. I have not found a single scientific study that proves any disease will be more mild if a child is vaccinated. Vaccines actually make the human body more prone to a TH2 (antibody) response, instead of a cell-mediated response. I am not commenting to cause a controversy, but I do want other people who are reading your comment to know that there is no scientific proof that vaccines reduce the seriousness of a disease. With Whooping Cough there are two strains of Pertussis, and the vaccine only works against one. It is far more likely that your child contracted Parapertussis, which the vaccine has proven to be ineffective. (There are peer-reviewed studies that have shown this).
Thank you for saying this? As I was reading this I wondered about vaccines reducing the severity of an illness…. The whole idea of a vaccine is to cause the body to produce antibodies so that the individual can fight off the specific invader. If it doesn’t happen, why not? My 2youngest daughters both got shingles when they were about 4 and 5, AFTER having had the varicella vaccine in infancy. Doctors couldn’t explain why. And the older of these 2 got vaccinations at 2 months with a compromised immune system, and at 17 we are still struggling with Autism Spectrum Disorders that have impacted not only her, but our entire family. Wish I had known then what I know now…
i understand that we all want to do what is best for our child. in my own experience, a doctor in the emergency room gave me that information first hand. i know that the internet is a valuable tool, but i don’t think the value of a health care professional should be completely discredited because of “ew, western medicine.” plus a five minute internet search revealed this supporting study, plus several on pubmed, and the cdc. http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/03/14/cid.ciu156.abstract
Thank you! I am right with you and it’s nice to know there are others. I hate being condescended to by either extreme when I feel like both are wrong to some degree. Let’s find a better solution.
+1
Hey there – I posted a comment a little while ago that just says “+1”. You probably already know this but just in case it looks spammy, it means: I AGREE!
http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/thi-table.htm
I’m not a fan of shots, but it is good to know, St least, that mercury is out of most of them. It was in a preservative called thimerosal which is now no longer used in almost all shots.
Mercury was simply replaced with aluminum.
Thank you. This is a very well written post. I have found myself so torn on the vaccine issue. I am a super crunchy, nursing student. I do everything I can naturally; I use essential oils, vitamins, fermented foods, yoga, exercise and many other non-pharmaceutical options most of the time, however, there is a time and a place for medicine. I am fighting to find the middle ground between allopathy and naturopathy. I hope to be a well-balanced practitioner when I am all done and have my own practice. The vaccine issue has always been such a place I feel torn. When I am asked about it, I usually say, “I really don’t know where I stand on the issue.” I have seen the devastation of easily preventable diseases in other countries, and I understand not wanting to introduce chemicals into one’s child. I agree we need to have reasonable adult conversations about this issue. I think not vaccinating at all can be very naive and dangerous at times, but I think there must be some middle ground. Thank you for saying what has been rattling around in my heart and head for a long time. My children are vaccinated (two of them are adults now), but there have been times in my life that I would have chosen not to vaccinate them, and times (like now) that I feel like I did the right thing.
I have adult children as well. Back then, there were about one third the number of vaccinations that are being offered/ pushed on families today. Multiple vaccinations are given in one shot to avoid sticking the baby so many times. I remember how they spread them out so as not to overtax their system! It was easy to do, since there were so few. Check out the ramifications of the varicella vaccine on Dr. Mercola’s website. My unvaccinated older children never got chicken pox, despite my efforts to else them while young. (That’s what we did back then!) And my 2 youngest both got shingles as small children after being vaccinated.
There are several good books out there. The Vaccine Safety Manual has a lot of science but is an easy read for the lay person as well. The thing with this middle ground stance, is that it is actually not making a complete decision based on facts – but rather on fear. Conquer your fear and you will be able to make a good educated decision you will be comfortable with. The way you conquer your fear is through education. Dr Sherri Tenpenny’s website has some fantastic info as well and she mostly goes to the CDC and shows you what they are hiding. You mentioned both sides of the issue have vested interests so I am interested to know what vested interests people against vaccines have?
I, too, am curious as to what “vested interest” the non-vax people have. I certainly understand that the pro-vax people want to make money be selling and injecting their product, but the non-vax people just want to make their own decisions about what goes in their own/ childrens’ bodies.
I’m not sure where you see that I said both sides had a vested interest? I understand that most/many non-vax people do not have a vested interest beyond much of what I talked about – good research and information (without conflicts of interest) being available to parents to help them make informed decisions, and a freedom of choice based on that information. The only issue that I sometimes have with the non-vax side is that they assume that if you do the research and know the facts that you will make the same decision as they do – to not vaccinate at all. Or, as you mentioned, that a decision to vaccinate is still based on fear. (This is not true for all on the non-vax side, of course.) And I think both for myself, and from reading all of the comments here, the decision to not vaccinate at all is not necessarily a decision that many/most parents are comfortable with. And parents can make an informed decision that includes giving their children selected vaccines. So from the non-vax side, I would just look for more understanding for parents that do choose to at least partially vaccinate their children. I just don’t necessarily think that it has to be all or nothing.
Thanks for your book recommendation, I will definitely check that out!
~Emily
The “vested interest” of those against vaccines usually comes from having life damaging effects caused by vaccines. As a child my mother chose NOT to give me vaccines. At 17 I allowed a nurse to bully me (literally) into five vaccines before leaving on a missions trip to India. I had the most violent reaction ever – migraine, flu-like symptoms, feeling sun-burnt from head-to-toe, uncountable shaking, etc. The reaction started less than 12 hours after the vaccines were received. It is almost 11 years later and I still suffer daily. I am on narcotics to deal with the pain; I have been diagnosed with multiple diseases.
What happened? My immune system crashed after receiving the vaccines due to heavy metal toxicity.
What the hospital/nurse did? Refuse to recognize what happened to me as anything of consequence.
What am I doing now? Doing everything I can (therapy, doctor appointments, researching treatments in other countries, etc.) to see if there is still a possibility that I can regain my health and live without daily pain.
Thank you! I so agree with you! I get so sick of being attacked by the different sides and being demonized by both. Both sides make me feel awful! And it seems neither side is interested in honesty but only want to promote their own side.
There needs to be another place to stand. The place where the majority of us are!
Thank you! I, too, am in search of solid middle ground. Thanks for creating a voice for all of us in the middle.
I thought long and hard about this before I even got pregnant. I absolutely agree that we shouldn’t be belittled or otherwise mistreated for questioning
vaccinesanything, but I also think it’s absolutely okay to shut down false information as long as it is done without attacking the person who presents it. And any research I’ve ever read that supports an anti-vaccine stance has been discredited by the vast majority of qualified researchers who have reviewed it. The man who “discovered” a “link” between autism and vaccines – the one everyone talks about – wanted to make everyone afraid of the current vaccines so he could promote the vaccine formula that he had patented. He cherry picked his data to make it look like there was causation that didn’t actually exist and has since lost his medical license.The mainstream medical community does acknowledge that there are risks, but they also keep close track of adverse reactions and are required to include all reported reactions even if the individual’s physician believes it is unrelated. As a community, they agree that the risks are very unlikely – according to the data, less than 1% of vaccinated children ever get an adverse reaction other than mild fever and/or localized soreness.
It is terrifying – my daughter has had her vaccinations on schedule and every time we both cry and we both are miserable. She feels bad. I feel bad. I feel guilty. And I dread every coming appointment from the moment we leave the last one. But ultimately, I would rather have a weekend of us both feeling bad than have her get a preventable disease. And herd immunity is a real thing – it’s absolutely valid for people to have a concern about whether or not someone else’s child is vaccinated because when the vaccinated population drops below a certain threshold it can mutate outside of the realm that the vaccination protects – putting us all at risk.
I don’t believe that the entire medical community is in cahoots to make money for big pharma, the way many anti-vaxxers do. I think that is a very cynical view of humanity as a whole, to believe that many people could be ignoring the wellbeing of an entire community just to make a little money. I believe, and the research supports this, that people in the medical community actually want us to be healthy. They might be mistaken sometimes, as we all make mistakes, but this is a big and heavily researched topic. We would know. And someone would leak the true information. But all the anti-vax info I’ve ever read is cherry picked, misquoted, or simply made up. And honest people believe it because they simply don’t know better – they don’t have the time, the inclination, or sometimes the education to look into it for themselves.
But we can evaluate data based on research criteria and judge for ourselves – Where is this information coming from? Was this study done in an unbiased way? How big was the sample size? Who paid for the research and do they have a reason to promote a specific outcome? How many other reputable studies have similar findings? What do other professions in the same field have to say about it? Will the people criticizing it benefit from the research being discredited and how many of them are there? What are their credentials?
No doctor should ever belittle a patient or a patient’s family, and that stands no matter what the topic is. But I honestly don’t believe there is a middle ground on something like this, where we have clear research that overwhelmingly supports one stance.
Apparently you have not read “The Vaccine Illusion”, written by a woman who had a PhD in Immunology.
A little late, but I recently attended a seminar with Dr. Tatyana (along with Dr. Bob Sears) She is amazing!
Unfortunately that is exactly what’s happening with GMO’s & also with pesticides that are killing the bees that are needed as part of the food chain. Big money over the wellbeing of humanity. That is nothing new…
Love, LOVE this. 🙂 So good.
Yup. Luckily, our pediatrician not only encourages questions and discussion about this and every issue, he has a pre-printed alternate schedule for spreading out the vaccines. We took that and I crossed off ones I don’t want (like chicken pox), and it’s so nice to have something written down to help me remember and to keep the nurses straight. He happily gives some, no, or all vaccines after straightforward, non-judgmental discussion with the parents. I wish there were more doctors like him.
I did delayed vacc’ing for my kids. The only thing in your post that makes me shake my head a little is the idea that you can get a schedule you’re comfortable with, but not have to think about it and research and figure it out yourself. If you want to be comfortable AND not use the CDC schedule, you will need to research. Because different parents are comfortable with different things, for different reasons, there isn’t going to be one right middle of the road plan.
It’s worth it, though. And I think what you’re saying – that lots of us want a delayed, or slowed, or partial vax plan – is important. Vaccinating shouldn’t be a CDC Plan or Nothing choice.
Best wishes
We do an alternate/delayed vaccination schedule that I came up with based on lots of research and talking w my pediatrician. My ped has been great with working with my schedule and nurse pract said she would have done the same if her kids were still little. I feel like that is the perfect middle ground. The only time I have had an issue was with a lady who did the shot records at the peds office who was completely uneducated and rude. :(.
I am a grandmother to five great kids. All of them have some sort of chronic illness from asthma, adhd and allergies. Three of my grandnephews have been diagnosed as autistic. In my personal opinion the new vaccine schedule has aggravated young bodies that were already under duress from our toxic environment. The overuse of antibiotics on factory farms, gmo food and widespread pesticide use has wreaked havoc for adults also.
From my own research I have not found where there has been a study conducted comparing vax vs unvax children. I have spoken with parents of vaccine injured kids; their doctors did NOT report these injuries to VAERS. And yes, I said vaccine injured. ALL prescriptions come with possible side effects. Heck, I just a weird reaction the other day to a niacin supplement. There is no magic pill, no one size fits all.
If possible, ask your parents, grandparents, and extended family for some basic health history. That will impact your decision. Eat organic whenever possible. Avoid processed foods including fast food chains. Let the kids play in the dirt and with pets if possible; that sure helps build up natural immunity.
Above all, if your doctor will not discuss these issues, fire that doc and find another. Read the vaccine inserts. Take the insert home and really read it. If you choose to vaccinate, spread out the schedule. You may pick and choose! The MMR is unsafe when given as a single dose. The better option is to request each one individually.
Blessings to all!
You are apparently unaware that the MMR is not available as individual shots, has not been for some time, and will not be in the foreseeable future. Advising parents to do the impossible is in no way helpful.
I vaccinated my first child on schedule, I pretty much didn’t even know vaccines were optional. Then, before my twins were born I started to do some research (kicked off with Sear’s Vaccine Book) and we did a delayed schedule… until they were 4 months. We just stopped as we weren’t sure if we were making the right decision. We followed the advice of you can always give a vaccine but you can never undo one. Now, after many many MANY hours of reading, researching, watching documentaries, weighing pros and cons, I am completely comfortable and confident not vaccinating. I was once where you are, in the middle ground, and it is scary. The info out there (and not out there) is overwhelming! Although I am “anti-vax” when it comes to my family, I think it is so important for everyone to do their own research and come to their own conclusions. I see so much hate from both sides, it is so disheartening. If you ever want to talk vaccines with someone and don’t want the hate that usually comes as a side, shoot me an email!
Thank you for this.
I am so sick of hearing about vaccines and autism and mercury and thimerisol and MMR and Wakefield.
The things that strike me about this whole discussion are twofold (and I think it fits nicely in with your big picture point of view here).
1. Why are we still talking about health as being the absence if childhood diseases? “Your kid didn’t get mumps because they are vaccinated, therefore they are healthy.” Yes, but they have asthma, and ADD, and eczema, and chronic ear infections with antibiotic abuse. I want to see some research on vaccines and all these “sub clinical” disorders that we’ve been told are “normal” in “healthy” kids. I have a sneaking (and well educated) suspicion that there is a huge connection.
2. Why isn’t there more conversation about how the vast majority of childhood diseases are mild, and children with healthy immune systems have no issue fighting them off? I was reading an article about the outbreak of measles in PA recently. The article stated that hundreds had been sickened and 2 had even required hospitalization. So what they were saying was less than 1% were sick enough to be admitted to the hospital…but that wasn’t the point of the article.
I wish, like you, there was open, non-emotionally charged dialogue about vaccines. I rarely, RARELY engage in vaccination discussions. THANK YOU for creating a space in which I feel I can actually express my thoughts.
Thank you so much for commenting Robert! I appreciate you sharing your thoughts – I definitely agree with you that our idea of “healthy” has changed and probably not for the better!
There are two parts to this. The first part is that I agree you should not feel uncomfortable having a conversation with your doctor, learning about the risks, asking questions.
The second is that I’d be very careful rejecting the current schedule, and would urge you to learn a lot about how a vaccine gets onto it – a long, difficult process – before you decide to do so. It’s hard to get a vaccine approved, and harder yet to get it on the schedule – it doesn’t happen unless the risks are overwhelmingly less than the benefits, and even then, it’s reviewed for cost effectiveness (for example, they don’t recommend the meningococcal vaccine even though it’s a horrible disease because we the current vaccine not enough lives would be saved). Here is information on the process: http://shotofprevention.com/2014/02/28/acip-updates-and-reasons-to-dismiss-vaccine-conspiracy-theories/
The schedule is also carefully evaluated for safety and effectiveness; other schedules are not.
In short, I’d separate out the need to be respected and the need to get answers to your questions – both very, very important, and things you should insist on – from the question of how and when to decide to reject expert recommendation and refuse a vaccine. Because at the end of the day, refusing a vaccine means accepting the risk of that disease – not for you, but for your child, who cannot make a choice in the matter. It’s a heavy responsibility.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/123/1/e164.full
I felt the same way. Every book out there was you are killing your kid either way. I found “The vaccine book” by Dr Sears to be an awesome and reassuring resource.
As a mommy of a beautiful (fully vaccinated) little boy on the Autism spectrum, a granddaughter of a wonderful man crippled by Polio and wife of an immunosuppressed husband who needs vaccines to survive things as simple as the flu, I’m very middle ground yet leaning toward pro. One thing I’ve learned with my specific family is that everybody has very different vaccine needs.
Would my son be Neurotypical if I didn’t have him vaccinated? Probably not since I have a strong family history of Autism and he showed very early signs. Has the thought been hammered into me that I’m wrong? Yes, and it’s a terrible feeling when people directly blame me for my son’s disability.
On the other end, did my newborn really need a Hep B vax upon arrival? I’d say probably not. Hell, I haven’t even had that one myself.
Would my husband still be alive if he/my son wasn’t vaccinated? There’s a possibility that he wouldn’t. We’ve almost lost him a couple of times to things that are easily prevented with vax.
Really when it comes down to it, I’m pro support. I have friends that are anti vax and friends that are pro vax, I support them both. All I ask for is support back when I make decisions that I feel are best for my family instead of hearing that keeping my husband alive has hurt my baby. That’s a terrible thing to implicate somebody with.
It’s like you read my mind and wrote it all down!
I’m on your island with you. I am pretty crunchy in my orientation, but I also had an uncle that died of polio as a child so I appreciate the value as well as the danger of vaccines. We started out doing the delayed schedule with my son… but after he was diagnosed with sensory processing disorder and developmental delays (he was later diagnosed to be on the Spectrum) we went to see Dr. Sears who advised us that for this child to stop vaccinating, so we did. Now I have a daughter (who also has SPD) and have only given her the dTap… but with measles outbreaks around us I worry. I also hate the way I was strongly lectured and treated like a total idiot by the hospital staff when I had to take my daughter to the ER a couple of months ago. I hate seeing comments about people that don’t vaccinate on the local moms’ boards on facebook that make it sound like we are vectors and the scum of society. Now that my son is nearing 5 yrs of age I think I want to go back and have another conversation with Dr. Sears about vaccinating him a bit more now that he is older and his immune system is a bit more mature to see if he would still advise holding off. It’s an expensive out-of-pocket conversation but I feel that it is the only place I can get an educated non-biased opinion. (Contrary to popular belief Dr. Sears is not completely anti-vaccine, as becomes quickly apparent if you read his Vaccine Book.)
I, too, would like to see more balance in this issue. I think doctors need to step up to the plate and help us make educated health decisions, not just spout the medical party line. Until then, it’s up to parents to research, research, research. This is an interesting starting place when studying vaccinations. This list is put out by the center for disease control, CDC.gov, so it is an official government list of vaccines and their ingredients. Some of the more questionable (you might ask your Dr about their risks) ingredients in various vaccines are: formaldehyde, aluminum, detergent, ammonium sulfate, Vero (monkey kidney) cells, embryonic guinea pig cell cultures, human embryonic lung cultures and many others. The site for this list is: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf
LOVE this post! I would say that I fell into the vaccination camp a couple years ago…and then I started getting more interested in what really is in these vaccines and recognizing I have a choice when it comes to my body and my one day children. A place I have found to be the most opening and willing to hear me out and let me have my own process is with my chiropractor. This field gets a lot of labeling and yet the work my chiropractor does for the community and his patients is unlike anything I have ever experienced. I would say if you can find a trustworthy chiropractor that would be a place to have the conversation and glean some knowledge and factual information.
I believe a good resource about vaccines is the book by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. A medical doctor, a neurologist who also has a masters degree in nutrition. She has a son that was on the spectrum and she healed him with nutrition. Her advice about vaccines is very “middle ground” and not polarizing, which is quite refreshing. Her book is titlted GAPS: Gut And Psychology Syndrome.
I believe that my condition of fibromyalgia could have been caused by all of the vaccines I received while I was in the military but also combined with poor nutrition, stress, injuries and toxins. Fortunately I have been completely recovered for over 6 years now.
I want to be able to get vaccines a la carte, without being told all or nothing! I grew up in third world countries as well as industrialized ones and have seen different sides played out. You can’t win ’em all, but I would like tetanus boosters only and skip the rest!
My children were both vaccinated ‘on schedule’. But the issue really came to a forefront when I wanted my teenage daughter to get the Gardasil vaccine. She refused. And I am SO glad that I didn’t force the issue, as more information has come to light. I won’t condemn anyone for their decision to vaccinate or not. My issue is that before vaccines came along, we all got sick and dealt with it, and as humans, we developed herd immunity. Vaccines give the pathogens the opportunity to mutate to forms that we can’t tolerate, while herd immunity gives us a better chance at beating any mutations. While I don’t ever wish a parent to lose a child to a ‘common’ disease, what is wrong with letting your child get sick and build natural immunity? I compare this to parents who never let their kids get dirty or have a pet…Let them play in the dirt with their dog/cat/whatever, and you will find far fewer allergies…
I’m a middle-grounder myself, still debating whether to let my 15-month old continue his vaccination schedule. But I just feel obligated to point out that disease mutation is NOT caused by vaccines: that has always happened and will continue to happen no matter what we do. Also, back when “everyone got sick” there was also sometimes a significant risk of death. Sure, measles aren’t the scariest thing for me, but about 1/5 of the world’s population was killed by the Black Plague. Bet they would have given their eye teeth for a vaccine… Smallpox was eliminated from the world by vaccine-induced herd immunity. I know older people who have been severely disabled by polio. I also have a friend who lost a son to a severe vaccine reaction. 🙁
What really bothers me with the CDC/pharmaceutical companies is their stubborn refusal to talk openly about the issue of vaccine injuries. Agree with Emily, I just want a rational discussion and some unbiased population studies.
One thing that might work for some – look up the vaccination schedule in a different country. I live in Norway, and they give a lot fewer vaccines here than in the US. So you could take that schedule in to the pediatrician and say, “if it’s good enough for the Norwegians, it’s good enough for me”. 🙂
I want to know where the unvaccinated kids who have autism are? Are there any? Honestly it is hard for me not to get worked up about this issue because of how the vaccine injured are treated and the ridiculously unscientific defense of Pro vaccinators. It’s so wrong. What do anti vaccine people have to gain for what they promote? What could their agenda possibly be?!? If anything it gets heated from the anti vaxers because life is at stake. The sense of injustice is to much to contain. There is to much to say I’m rambling out scattered thoughts but I really appreciate what you wrote and so many of the responses. We all just want facts and freedom.
Sorry I didn’t read through all the comments but I would suggest you read through a vaccine insert, weigh that against occurrence rates of that disease in your own country. This might help you make a decision. It is good that you are searching, whatever you decide there will be those who strongly oppose you.
This is wonderful, and I totally agree. We are not stupid, uneducated, malicious people seeking to harm ourselves or our children by not being vaccinated. Quite the opposite, we are independent thinkers who desire to be fully educated on a topic of which we are unaware. Physicians, nurses, pharmacists should help us, no bully us.
As a nurse, I face this all the time–people asking me about vaccinations. The problem is that I work in an area that doesn’t specialize in vaccination of children and I’m just as confused as the next person. :-/
None of us like being “told” to do something just “because it works”. I didn’t like being forced to take a flu shot in order to keep my job–and then get the flu anyways because of how cheap and ineffective the vaccine really is at times. Nor do I like being forced to have a Chicken pox vaccine (at 28 years old) after contracting Chicken Pox (a rather severe case of it) as a young child and still living with the scars of that childhood disease now) just because of rules and regulations that say every nurse must be vaccinated against every disease in order to have a job.
We want to be educated–with the real truth. And then be allowed to make choices based on the truth.
Thank you for this. You are well supported, and I couldn’t agree with you more!
I believe that all parents should be treated with respect by medical professionals, regardless of what the medical issue is. It bothers me greatly when they are not.
I had the experience of being a public health nurse who has given thousands of vaccines without so much as a thought until I had a daughter who was due for her shots. Suddenly I questioned everything. Then a man from Africa brought his children in for shots. He was in the US obtaining his degree. After I gave the usual round of vaccines he thanked me. He then proceeded to tell me how wonderful America was that his children could obtain free vaccines for diseases that had taken one of his brothers lives, crippled another and blinded yet another. I had to step back and see the forest through the trees. We are so blessed to have these vaccines available to us that instead of focusing on the great blessing wide vaccination has brought to us by saving the lives of our children and preserving the health of our community, we have over focused on the very small chance that something may go wrong. I vaccinated my daughter without hesitation. Now she is 16 and starting to drive and all over again I find myself facing my fears and making decisions about her safety. Parenting just never has any easy answers. Be informed, pray and trust God. That is the only answer I have for today.
The truth of the matter is, you will never get that conversation with any doctor unless you choose a doctor that backs your beliefs. If you want to hear they are necessary then any pediatrician in the phone book will most likely do. If you want to hear they are not safe and the reasons not to vaccinate, you then need to look for an alternative doctor that supports your right to choose. Unfortunately, doctors only repeat what they are told by the pharmaceutical industry, none of the doctors I have ever dealt with over the years (mine daughters are now 23, 24 and 27) could ever explain what goes in the vaccines let alone any real idea of adverse reactions. I had one doctor say to me “You can look at the insert packaging precautions and ingredients for the shot I want to administer, but you wont understand it any better then I do.” Meaning she herself had no clue what she wanted to inject into my child besides the name of it and what it supposedly protects you from. That is not good enough for me to say “ok, go ahead, give it to her.” At least she was honest. I look at it this way, their immune systems are much stronger to fight off things when their systems are not compromised. Injecting toxins and disease to create an immunity for the sake of doing it, does not build a stronger immune system, it weakens it. I will take my chances. Not to mention the toxins go right to the brain and nervous system. Adverse reactions can be worse then the disease it is trying to prevent, and its permanent. I just read an article that said that Germany no longer gives shots, you need to request them if you choose to inoculate. If it is so necessary then how come it is not a global issue or mandate? If countries that anyone can travel to do not require vaccines and it supposedly will weaken the herd immunity then how come each country has their own standards. The U.S. allows profiteers to call the shots here. Literally
Not true about Germany- I’ve lived there (recently). However it is much more common and accepted to vaccinate less/not at all.
Very well said. I have always been pro-vacc- until recently. Now I am pretty much in the middle also. Being a Pediatric nurse for 28 yrs, unfortunately I have seen what these diseases do – too many times. I couldn’t wait until my daughter got the H-flu vaccine, because when she was little – they had to wait until the age of two. I saw so many beautiful children die of the diseases caused by H-flu. (meningitis mainly). As I had more children, they were able to get it younger and younger, which I really appreciated. But I also appreciated that my Dr waited for them to be older to get the Hepatitis shot. But he has changed since those days and my granddaughter got them at a young age. I have also seen the effects of Pertussis. Not good. But now, I am not so crazy about how many there are to be given. All for good reasons, because the diseases are not fun, but still it is worrisome how many and how fast. If I were doing it over again, I would probably want to have a different schedule.
If you are looking for a place to get some answers without judgment you may want to try http://www.chop.com. I worked as a public health nurse and used them when patients had questions I could not answer myself. They are a pro vaccination site but they have a feature where you can ask your questions and receive an answer emailed to you. I found them to be very helpful and its difficult to be judgmental through an e mail. As far as a delayed schedule unfortunately there is not a guideline like they have for the CDC schedule but in my experience a doctor of osteopathy may be more sympathetic to your needs is that aspect.
I am hoping I have a solution for you: please check out “The Solution” by Kate Birch on Homeoprophylaxis. I have spent several YEARS researching vaccines, delayed schedules, etc. and felt very similar to you. I was amazed at what I learned about homeoprophylaxis and how this can offer inoculation without vaccines. This book is incredible about explaining the immune system in general (i.e. the importance of fevers, etc.). The main reason why most people have not heard about this method (which has been successfully used in other countries) is because it costs a fraction of what vaccines do. I’ll save the rest for those who want to check it out. I also spoke with Kate, the author, and she is a wonderful person. What’s cool about homeoprophylaxis is that it can be done with vaccinated individuals or non-vaccinated individuals. I hope this helps. I feel so much better about the whole immunity issue (notice how I left out the word vaccine ;-)) since researching homeoprophylaxis.
I, personally, am pro-vaccine. But I am pro-vaccine after a long, lengthy bit of research and a lot of good, honest discussions both with my doctor and my pharmacist husband. I’m a bit horrified that your pediatrician is not willing to have an adult conversation without rolling his (or her) eyes. I hope that this was more your own anxiety about the possibility of it and not the reality of what occurred, but assuming it was the reality, I am so sorry.
Doctors, *especially* pediatricians should be educated and capable of having an adult conversation not only with their patients, but with the caregivers of their patients (e.g. Parents). This should never be a problem, ever.
I had specific concerns about the varicella vaccine. I’ve had chicken pox twice and had the varicella vaccine twice and am still not immune to varicella. I am also immunocompromised for a variety of reasons, so I was somewhat concerned about my kids receiving an attenuated virus while I was around. But, I was equally concerned about them coming home one day with chicken pox – for me it could easily be fatal. My pediatrician spoke with me for a solid half an hour not once, but three times (when our oldest was due for it, when our triplets were due for it, and when my youngest was due for it). Although I’d talked to him before, I wanted to make sure nothing had changed in the interim. He was and is always able to speak to me intelligently about the pros and cons. His recommendation was to vaccinate anyway, but he was happy to speak with my team of infectious disease doctors if I felt more comfortable. He didn’t make his recommendation without providing me with a solid foundation and clear, peer-reviewed studies that supported his recommendation. He also pointed me to dissenting opinions (though I admit, it’s hard to find dissenting opinions with statistically significant sample sizes in peer-reviewed scientific literature) so that I could have a balanced approach. Ultimately, we decided to vaccinate and haven’t had complications, thankfully, but that doesn’t mean complications never occur. Had he been unwilling to discuss it with me like an adult, I would have changed doctors.
I’m sorry that your pediatrician doesn’t give you the respect you deserve and isn’t willing to have an adult conversation with you. By and large, pediatricians WILL recommend vaccinating – but if they can’t discuss WHY they are recommending it, their opinion isn’t helpful in the least bit. If they aren’t willing to provide good patient/parent counseling, they are in the wrong field.
I’m so glad this part of my life is behind me (except for decisions on flu and shingles vaccines), because I feel the same way you do.
With undocumented unvaccinated children streaming across the Southern border, I do realize that there’s a great risk of diseases that were once considered almost eradicated may raise their ugly heads again.
But then there are all the questions. Despite all the claims that a connection between autism and vaccines have been debunked, I’m not convinced. And I’ve read that vaccines are tested and “proven” to be safe individually, but schedules frequently lump several together. And then there’s the really big, relatively corrupt government–run by some folks who think they are smarter than we are, but somehow still tend not to think of second- and third-order effects of their regulations–giving us a really hard sell on vaccines of all sorts. And I think that’s the part that makes me most uncomfortable. If vaccines are as great as they say, why do they have to sell them so hard?
I have four children the oldest is 19yrs, then 10yrs.(both fully vaccinated), then a 4yr.old (2 doctors visits of vaccines), and a 3 yr. old absolutely no vaccines. Now, I was born in 1974, and my mother didn’t keep shot records except for in my baby book. So when I took a job at the hospital, I had to get re-vaccinated all over again with ALL the childhood vaccines!! I am only 40 and have found that my memory is not at all as it should be, I even went gluten free to rule out wheat. I have more ADD symptoms, and I feel less empathetic. Now draw your own conclusions, but I used to be a different person before all those shots. My two that are fully vaccinated are more ADD, and harder to handle, and a little less empathetic. The one that’s partially vaccinated is very caring but a little ADHD, and the one that has nothing is content to play by himself or with others, focused, can sit for longer periods, just more normal in behavior. I am afraid to NOT vaccinate for tetanus though. So I too have been researching and found this
(homeoprophylaxis program). Natural immune building defenses against diseases. Curious if anyone has tried it. Good luck as this issue is a very hard one. I used to be by the book too, till I found all the junk in vaccines, and to see the differences in all my own children. I just pray for God’s guidance.
Agreed. To add to your list of wants, I want clear information on how vaccines and schedules are different in Canada than the States. Canadians that try to educate themselves can often only find American statistics and information.
With my first baby I started out in the hospital refusing HepB and vitamin k. I didn’t know my child’s personality so early on and wouldn’t know if the way she was responding to certain things was normal or abnormal if we had given her shots while in the hospital. Not to mention my child was les than 24 hours old and they wanted to already give her two shots! I got a lot of criticism from the hospital pediatrician and was seriously offended by his reaction to me. And then he wondered why I wouldn’t chose him as my child’s primary care provider.
We ended up choosing the dr closest to us which was a huge mistake. I was slightly familiar with a delayed shot schedule and told him I only wanted her to receive two shots and told him which ones. He lied to me and told me that those shots couldn’t be split up and they came in the same vile. So i agreed for my daughter to ONLY have the two he said came in one and resolved to find a new dr immediately. When we went to the new dr I looked at my daughters immunization card and saw that four shots had been recorded on the card. I told them it was a mistake because she only had the one. I don’t know If a nurse messed up somewhere or what but it looks to me like they ended up giving my baby all the shots instead of the two I asked for. This was my very first experience ever with shots and it already started off to be not so great.
Like you I view that it’s important for my child to be protected. But why so early and why so fast? We have one dr in our county who will do delayed shots and this is her explication for why other doctors will not do it: other doctors are not willing to do delayed shots because there is a financial incentive from insurance companies to have children fully vaccinated by age 2. Her words. Not mine. She then said “it’s my job as a doctor to inform you as best I can, it’s your job as the parent to make the final decision”.
Here we are on baby number two and I plan to research even more so that I as my child’s parent can make the best jnformed decision. We owe it to them since they can’t make the decision for themselves
I’m glad I was vaccinated. Thanks mom and dad for making an informed decision!
I am SO with you! My 4 year old is vaccinated for all but chx pox and as we’ve been doing more research pre-birth of our now 1 1/2 year old she hasn’t had any accept the first round in the hospital. So far both have some mild food sensitivities and neither have had any severe illnesses or had to have antibiotics. So, what to do?! Just trusting in God’s grace as we move forward working with the knowledge we have now.
My children are all grown and having families of their own. Yes, my children, all 4, were vaccinated. I was also a public health nurse. I truly believe vaccines are basically safe, of course their are occasions when someone is allergic to an ingredient etc. I would just like to remind you and other parents that the human average life span has increased ! I’ve read many articles that state this is not from improved health care for the elderly but primarily because the infant and childhood death rate has GREATLY decreased mainly from the benefits of vaccinations preventing most of the major communicable childhood illnesses! When I was a child, it was normal for all to get the smallpox vaccine. By the time I was in nursing school the disease has been eradicated. This was a MAJOR accomplishment to say the least!! YES, I believe children should be vaccinated! If you do not believe this, I hope for your children’s sake that other children in your community are, so your child is safe from these deadly diseases!
have you looked at the SmartVax website? lots of good info and alternative schedules
I have to say thank you for this I struggle with this more than anything else we have completely delayed shots until my son is two but as that draws closer it just makes me sick to my stomach. The fact that all of the pharmaceutical companies are protected from anyone coming against them for any bad reaction and how many vaccine injuries there are out there just sickens me. my son is so healthy and smart and to think that I might put something in his body that could change that, as well as the knowledge that vaccines do not protect you from all of the strains of any virus. It’s such a weight as a parent when you just want to do the right thing for your babies.
Yes yes yes! You hit the nail on the head! Another middle grounder over here! However, I have one vaccinated child and one unvaccinated child, and anyone can call me dumb , I see a huge difference between the two of them:)
So interesting to read all the comments and so glad that as parents we just want our kids to be healthy. My kids are all in college- 4 kids, 18, 19, 22, 24. But when they were babies I had the same decisions to make. I remember my precious grandmother holding my babies and reminding me to get their shots. She cried as she told of her friends whose babies died from the diseases that we now have the shots to prevent.
We cannot all depend on the herd immunity, because if we all depend on that, the whole herd will be sick.
Thank you for posting this! Parents need to know that there are other people questioning vaccines. And that it doesn’t make them negligent or a bad parent who is endangering their child by not following the recommended schedules. I would rather not expose my tiny baby to these substances with their many known side effects. I’m doing my research. I am delaying and figuring out which ones are actually necessary and which ones aren’t.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who feels caught in the middle.
I often feel like the debate is polarized not between “anti-vax” and “pro-vax,” but between “anti-vax” and “pro-vax-to-the-max”, with the former group insisting that all vaccines do more harm then good, and the latter group insisting that vaccines are “perfectly safe” and there can’t possibly be any such thing as too many, or any such thing as a vaccine whose risk outweighs the benefit, or any such thing as corporate influence on government in the name of profit.
It seems like one group would deny the past horror of smallpox, while the other group wants us to believe that chickenpox was a deadly scourge.
Other medical issues aren’t as polarized. If you say that you think antibiotics have saved lives but have been overused, most people will agree with you – not tell you either that you’re brainwashed for thinking antibiotics can save lives, or that you’re “anti-antibiotic” and “anti-science” for thinking they’ve been over-used and caused new problems.
Western medicine HAS saved lives, and many drugs and medical interventions – including some vaccines, IMO – have done a lot of good. And Western medicine has also been over-used and mis-used in the name of profit and other dubious motives – which is why I don’t blindly trust a vaccine schedule that’s tripled since I was a child, with little apparent benefit to children’s health.
And being in the middle means getting attacked from both sides.
This is excellent insight on this topic and debate, El. I feel like there are many, many of us out here in the middle, but unfortunately it can feel like a lonely place sometimes because it is the extremes that debate the loudest. You’re also so right that in the middle it feels like we are being attacked from both sides. I hope that more of here in the middle on this issue can join together for our voice to be heard. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and insights.
~Emily
Thanks Emily.
I just wish there were more opportunity to have serious discussion about vaccination as a medical intervention that has both benefits AND risks, and which therefore has value but should be used sparingly.
I’m so tired of the polarized debate. It seems crazy to me is that we now have a vaccine schedule – and a vaccine debate – that would put all vaccines in the same equally-needed (or unneeded) category. The reality is that the diseases we are now told to vaccinate against range greatly in their potential severity! And the medical establishment is neither pure evil nor saintly, IMO; it’s just a collection of imperfect individuals whose recommendations can be influenced for better or worse by science AND by money.
IT IS SO HARD. You’re right – we’re on an island. A tug-of-war kind of place that only those who’ve done just enough research, but lack the right support system, can really get to. Would you please consider starting a closed facebook group where we can share our research and success? For example: I am 37 weeks pregnant and have probably added far too much stress to this pregnancy while researching vaccines. After much toil, my husband and I ultimately decided on a delayed vaccine schedule. Our Pediatrician has agreed to work with us on that (THANK GOD!). We found a few resources to get us there: Check out Dr. Sears’ website and his book: “The Vaccine Book”. Also Dr. Mercola’s website and Dr. Paul Thomas on youtube was a great help. He also has a delayed vaccine schedule which you can find the link to in the comments section of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZQkTOZQg2A. We live in Illinois, and unfortunately, this state does not have a philosophical exemption for vaccines. The only one that would apply to us is the religious exemption but that seems to be an all or none kind of exemption. I’m not against all vaccines. Dr. Paul Thomas’ delayed vaccine schedule may be best in states which offer a philosophical exemption since he wants to wait until 10-12 years for Hep B. Unfortunately, I think I may have to give HepB (a series of three shots) to my child before Kindergarten. But, at least for now, I have confirmed I am able to decline consent to it in the hospital and the nursing staff seemed totally okay with it (wow and few!). Anyway… I have done so much research on this I could keep typing and typing my story. But what I’ve come to learn is everyone’s success story will differ depending on which state they live in. So having a community of people on facebook would be an awesome start to getting us connected in order to offer help and encouragement. 🙂
This is interesting and can provide insight to how people are influenced and why they believe the things that were ingrained into society.
Edward Bernays – read his books.
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/bernprop.html
I just want to know why we can’t sue the vaccine manufacturers and hold them liable for vaccine injury. If vaccines are so safe why can’t they be made liable for their vaccines?
I currently have 4 month old son and I must admit a part of me feels bad for just taking my son in for the standard vaccines. I wish I knew enough to make an informed opinion but between working 40 hours each week and going to college I just don’t have the time to do the research. For this reason I’m choosing to just go with the doctor. It just seems safer then not having him vaccinated at all. I don’t think I’ll ever have him get flu shots though. It just seems silly to me to get a shot that can make you sicker than getting the virus.
I feel like you read my mind on this topic. I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter who is unvaccinated and I feel 100% the way you do. I’m not completely against or for it because I don’t know enough about both sides. I’m surrounded by a lot of extremes from both sides. I would love it if you would share your findings on the subject with me if possible via email(although I’m in Canada but it’s not too much different). Thank you so much for the article. Great read.
Oh yes!!! I feel so lost with no middle ground and such “religion” on both sides!!! Why cant this be a personal non-problematic decision? Because of different circumstances, after much prayer, I have finally decided to get some vaccinations at a much more delayed rate.
We too do delayed vaccinations. Sometimes by choice, other times by necessity. I feel fortunate to have had pediatricians that didn’t really “force” them on us. My biggest one is the MMR, around 18 months old, that we always delay. As a mother of 4, from ages 20- 5. We’ve seen a lot of changing opinions on them. My oldest got sick after her 2 month ones & was too sick from then on to get most of them. Delayed the middle children’s as a result. The youngest one also had some slight health things so got their much more delayed.
Agreed wholeheartedly!
I, too, am in the same position. I had learned enough to scare me out of vaxing my children as babies. But now, a few years later, I am really researching the matter. I want to have sound reasons for not doing it if I’m not going to do it. Seems like the pro-vaxers just talk about the scary diseases, and anti-vaxers just talk about scary injuries! Which is why many of us are on the fence…
I think we should be more informed. There ARE risks to vaccines, and that part is not discussed much. Why else is there a vaccine injury compensation program?? From what I’ve read, the worst reactions occur after receiving multiple shots at once. Sounds like too many toxins for the body to deal with, especially if the immune system is not at it’s best. Which I assume is why some have reactions or health problems after vaccinations, and others do fine. Everyone’s body and immune system is different. I’ve read the ingredients. Scary stuff to be injected with. Need we mention the aborted baby parts? That is why many get a religious exemption. Really, that should be enough for any of us who are pro-life!
I want to know the facts, but facts are hard to find. Is it true they use cells from human and monkey parts? Is it true that a lot of these diseases were on their way out before they came up with the vaccines? Is it true that it’s all about money? Is it true that vaccinations are causing more problems than they’re solving? I wonder if time will tell. But in the meantime, we want to know so we can do what’s best for our children, right? I’d love to hear if you came to any conclusion on the matter…
If I were to ever vax, I’d definitely do a very delayed and spread apart schedule. And I’d look into detoxing supplements that I’ve heard about for post vaccinations. I am still learning, but at this point I’m not doing any. This is my decision, of course, and we all have to make that decision for our own families. We each need to pray for wisdom and trust in the Lord.
For those of you who have a pediatrician who will not work with you on either delaying or avoiding shots, find another doctor. A good alternative is often a family physician. I recently found an integrative family practice where they give shots, but are fine with delaying, or even not doing altogether. Perfect for those in the “middle ground”. : )