Recent California legislation reduces my power to question when and how I inject my child with a vaccine. I believe it is a fundamental right of parents to ask questions about any medical procedure, including vaccinations.
On June 29, 2015 California Governor Jerry Brown made history by signing into law SB 277 – a law that denies parents the legal right to file a personal belief exemption to vaccination so their child can attend school. I believe this violates our fundamental rights as parents. Barbara Fisher of The National Vaccine Information Center agrees.
All nine of our children were vaccinated according to the vaccine schedule required at the time. None of them was directly injured by a vaccine, but if I could go back in time I would ask the following questions before giving my consent. I’m not “anti-vaccine.” But I believe these are valid questions and parents should be encouraged to ask them.
5 Critical Vaccination Questions
1. What’s in it?
There are numerous additives in vaccines today including detergents, fixatives, preservatives, antibiotics, food dyes and more. Here is a partial list:
- formaldehyde
- polysorbate 80
- thimerosal ( a mercury compound)
- neomycin
- gentamycin
- FD&C Yellow #6 aluminum lake dye
- Polymyxin B
- MSG
- Squalene
- Proteins derived from calf serum, monkey kidneys or porcine tissue.
- Proteins derived from the human abortive tissue. (See NVIC’s “Which vaccines contain human protein and DNA?“
The following is found on the insert for Sanofi-Pasteur’s Daptacel vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis given as a five-dose series in children 6 weeks through 6 years of age.
2. Why this many?
As of 2014, infants under the age of one are given 30-31 vaccine doses for 14 different diseases. If a child gets all of his vaccines, he’ll receive at least 68 vaccines by the age of 18. When I was a child we were given 4 vaccines in total. This marks a 17-fold increase since 1955. Is this really necessary? The documentary Bought addresses this mass increase in vaccination and offers this Bonus Short as further explanation:
Countries like Sweden, Japan, and Iceland have a far less aggressive vaccination schedule and continue to have lower infant mortality rates. See the study “Infant mortality rates regressed against a number of vaccine doses routinely given: Is there a biochemical or synergistic toxicity?”
3. Are combined vaccines necessary?
In a natural setting, children don’t get measles, mumps and rubella all at once. Does it make sense to bombard their bodies with multiple antigens? Why not allow the body to mount a response to one disease at a time?
Unfortunately, single vaccines are not typically offered. Parents are forced to make an “all or nothing” decision as in the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), and DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis). This is one of the best arguments for homeoprophylaxis, a natural vaccine alternative, as the formulas are designed to address diseases individually. (See point 5 for more about homeoprophylaxis.)
4. Is my child healthy enough?
Clearly, a child must be healthy to respond appropriately to a vaccine that includes multiple foreign substances. In her book, Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride suggests pre-vaccination testing and assessment to determine if a child is a candidate to receive a vaccine.
An infant born to a mother with ME, fibromialgia, digestive problems, asthma, eczema, severe allergies, autoimmune disorders or neurological problems should not be vaccinated. An infant presenting with eczema, asthma, digestive problems or any other disorder would indicate compromised gut flora and immunity and should be a red flag not to vaccinate. Younger siblings of autistic children, children with severe eczema, asthma, allergies, ADHD, epilepsy and insulin dependent diabetes should not be vaccinated. At a later age these children can be retested, and in those cases where a child does not have immune deficiencies, vaccination with single vaccines only may be considered. These single vaccines should be spaced at least six weeks apart.
I had severe digestive problems, allergies, and eczema as a child and into adulthood. Several of my children had similar issues. I might have chosen differently had I made pre-existing health a priority.
5. Is there a natural alternative?
Homeoprophylaxis (HP) uses homeopathic remedies called nosodes (prepared from disease germs) to educate the immune system towards the disease process. HP rose to prominence during the cholera epidemic 200 years ago. HP nosodes do not force antibody production. They are designed to stimulate appropriate immune responses to natural disease so that the body learns how to get sick and recover. I highly recommend the book, There is a Choice: Homeoprophylaxis An Appeal to Mothers, by Cilla Whatcott.
Homeoprophylaxis is an excellent option for parents who are uncomfortable doing nothing in terms of vaccination and disease prevention.
For more information on homeoprophylaxis check out Free and Healthy Children.
The first vaccine I ever questioned was the chicken pox or varicella vaccine. My seven oldest children survived the chickenpox just fine. I wanted to expose our youngest two but couldn’t find any other child with the chickenpox. I chose the vaccine because I didn’t know what else to do.
When our oldest daughter was 14 years-old our pediatrician offered the Gardasil vaccine. She seemed unsure about it. Her uncertainty caused me to refuse it. Given the current controversy surrounding the Gardasil vaccine I’m glad I did. This mom made a different decision and wishes she hadn’t. See Gardasil: the Decision We Will Always Regret.
The pressure facing young moms today has intensified. Parents are often ridiculed or dismissed for questioning medical authorities. How can this be? After all, who knows your child like you do? Who, ultimately, is responsible for the health and well-being of your child? Whether pro-vax or anti-vax, all parents want the same thing – to protect their children from potentially fatal diseases. Let’s encourage moms and dads to ask questions before making these difficult decisions.
Just in the spirit of information sharing, the reason why they do the chicken pox vaccine is to prevent chicken pox but the big picture is to prevent shingles. The hope is that by the time our children are older, no one will get shingles anymore which is incredibly painful. Our ped explained that to me and I found it super helpful 🙂
Yes, I’m aware of the shingles issue. But I thought if they had a nice healthy bout of chicken pox they reduced their chance of getting shingles! Interesting questions for sure. Thanks for commenting.
Any exposure to the vaccine or chicken pox means you have a chance to get shingles, since it comes from the dormant virus waking up as your immune system weakens (which is why mostly older people get shingles). Chicken pox/ vaccine does not inhibit shingles, it puts it right inside you, both diseases come from the same virus…
My 7 year old son had a rash that I thought was poison oak. The pediatrician said it was SHINGLES. I said no way, he hasn’t had chicken pox. The upshot is that he had asymptomatic chicken pox (not visible) and now he has SHINGLES. It was confirmed Shingles. Why a 7 year old with Shingles? Well, the simple answer is that a classmate was vaccinated for the chicken pox and it is a LIVE virus vaccine. That child shed the virus from his nose and my son got shingles. The number of cases of childhood shingles has gone up dramatically since mandatory vaccines for chicken pox.
So crazy huh? Vaccines have a six week shedding period after being injected. In reality, after a child is vaccinated they should stay out of school for that six weeks. It’s the vaccinated themselves who spread the diseases, not the other way around.
Your pediatrician was misinformed and does not know how varicella works. Any basic microbiology class would cover the fact that “chickenpox” lays dormant in the spinal cord until aggravated by another sickness or injury occurs that stressses the body to produce shingles. The only way to be sure you will never have shingles is to never have chicken pox/or chicken pox vaccination. I would go to another doctor.
When adults who have had wild chicken pox are exposed to their kids and grandkids who have chicken pox it serves as a natural (and free!) booster. Kids are not getting wild chicken pox, and adults are not having their immunity boosted naturally, which is why they are getting shingles. That said, I would never inject toxins that can cause permanent immmune system damage, to avoid a temporary illness! Research the ingredients in vaccines and their side effects!
To be frank on this subject, Parents who do not quarantine their children , and those around them, are at fault for the spread of disease, not those who do vaccinate.
For example, how many children are kept home from school for two to three weeks when they have flu, measles or mumps? Yes, it does take that long to get rid of the germs which pass onto others if you allow children (and adults) out before they have really got rid of the disease. It seems to me that vaccines are relied upon to prevent our children from getting the disease, but it does not.
Keeping our children inside our home will prevent the spread of disease, not the vaccine.
I live in Indonesia and am questioning..do younthink that the vaccines in my country will have the same ingredients as yours? I have read the substances inserted in the vaccines. do you think each vaccine has the same subtances for every country?
That’s an excellent question, Sari. I have no idea! Maybe someone else will chime in. If you learn anything I’d love to hear.