Now that my 4th granddaughter has arrived and I am surrounded by lots of young parents, the question comes up more and more frequently. Should we vaccinate? As I've posted before, I've been pediatric registered nurse for 32 years, but more relevant to this discussion is the fact that I've interacted with hundreds of parents of autistic children as a clinician, as well as during my ten years as the coordinator of the Defeat Autism Now! conferences. Because of these experiences, I get many inquiries from family members, friends and clients regarding this very hot and very controversial subject. My reply to these young parents is "It's not as black and white as your pediatrician would have you believe". Please do some homework on this subject before adhering to the guidelines set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics and or the CDC." It's easier sometimes to blindly trust the authorities because in this case, once that homework or research begins it typically creates incredible doubt on the whole vaccine safety issue. Although almost every article you read on this subject in the mainstream media says that all the studies have shown there is absolutely no link to vaccines and autism, that is simply not true. There is good science pointing to a connection (some studies listed below) and more importantly there are hundreds, if not thousands of parents of sick children who can tell you they had a normal child up until he or she received several vaccines in one day, or he or she was sick and still got their vaccines etc. More research needs to be done for certain (especially examining the differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated populations). But these accounts by intelligent, observant parents can not be discounted and to me are equally if not more important than ANY scientific study.
For the purpose of practicality, lets say a parent does decide to selectively vaccinate. Here are some ideas on minimizing potential problems which could be caused by vaccines:
1. Choose which vaccines to give only after careful consideration of the individual childs' history and or genetic background. For instance if a child was born prematurely or if they have had recurrent ear infections or if the parents have a history of autoimmune disorders or allergies, these are all indicators that a child may not respond well to vaccines and certainly not when several are given at one time. I'd like to say discuss all of this with your pediatrician, but unfortunately most would not agree with the suggestion to postpone, spread out or avoid vaccines based on a famaily history or current illness. As a matter of fact, I have heard several high ranking pediatricians say that a child's immune system could handle hundreds of vaccines in one day. Honestly, what are these people thinking? And where are the studies proving their theory? They don't exist!
To read this full post (article), go to my website www.SOKHOP.com Saving Our Kids, Healing Our Planet. http://www.sokhop.com/pdf/a_safer_way_to_vaccinate.pdf
Thursday, December 17, 2009
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Hi Maureen, I love the blog and especially this latest entry. Marcin and I feel very fortunate to have found a progressive and accepting pediatrician in MA, who supports our desire to use an alternate vaccination schedule for Fiona. I'm very grateful for your advice, as we were explicitly advised to give Fiona Tylenol before vaccines and would have done so without any knowledge of the risks. Thanks for helping to keep us and others informed! :) Sara
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Sara. I'm so happy you found the post helpful. With all we've learned about autism's connection to the environment/nutrion and vaccines, it seemed time to make it all practical and focus on prevention. I certainly don't have all the answers, no one does. Something about this grandmother thing though.....I can no longer keep quiet about something I know in my bones to be true.
ReplyDeleteIs there a healthy way to give the pertussis vaccine. and I live in Texas and am new at this. How will I get my child into school without them?
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