well, i'm doing it.
i'm taking the leap and writing about one of the most, if not the most, controversial topics in parenting.
vaccinations.
man, people do get heated on this topic.
let me start by saying that i support whatever choice you make for your child.
but i am going to write about our journey and decisions on the topic, so to stand confidently behind them and supply information and resources to parents who might be unsure what to do, or not do.
we do not vaccinate elliot.
we will not vaccinate elliot.
we have no plans to vaccinate elliot.
before i was pregnant, i nannied for a lot of different families.
all of which vaccinated their kids.
these kids were always sick.
always picking up viruses or having severe allergic reactions to...well, everything.
it wasn't until i started talking to my chiropractor at the time, that i even knew there was another option.
he didn't vaccinate his daughter, and in the 5 years of her life, she has only had one runny nose.
but how could that be?
shouldn't the unvaccinated be dropping like flies and spreading insane diseases to all those other unsuspecting children?
no.
it is proven that the most unhealthy children and adults are the vaccinated ones.
i have a seven month old who is thriving, healthy and has had one cold {which i passed to him} that he fought off himself.
i'm sick of people telling the parents who choose not to vaccinate that they are irresponsible and uneducated...when quite the contrary. it takes a lot to stand against what the modern medical society says to do. you have to research, you have to talk to parents on both sides, you have to study, and then you have to make the best decision for your family.
did you know that all of the diseases were on the decline when their respective vaccines were introduced?
did you know that the vast majority of children in california that contracted pertusis last year were vaccinated for it?
do you know what the ingredients are in the vaccines you are putting into your infant or child?
here are just a few:
mercury
aluminum
formaldehyde
monkey kidney cells
human fetal cells
mashed chick embryos
when it comes down to it, these diseases are horrible things, but getting vaccinated for them doesn't change your chances of getting them.
i feel there is a much greater risk of elliot having a vaccine injury (asthma, allergies, adhd...or worse, brain damage, autism or death) than him contracting one of these diseases.
you can't achieve health through a needle.
keep your babies healthy by limiting their exposure to chemicals (ie: not injecting aborted fetal tissue or heavy metals straight into their blood stream).
breast feed them as long as possible.
don't let them eat junk food and tons of sugar: feed them full and healthy diets.
go to a chiropractor.
the information is out there, do your research and decide what is best for your family.
no one should pressure you into either side of the argument.
Amen sister. I don't have children but don't plan on vaccinating when I do. It's really scary in general the amount of "bad" things we put into our bodies. Somewhere along the way we have comprised what was intended for us anD manipulated it to be conveinent. The overall damage, I'm sure, is devistating to the Creator.
ReplyDeleteI whole heartedly agree that you can keep anyone, even a child, incredibly healthy just by making sure they get the right diet + plenty of vitamins.
ReplyDeleteIt is very brave of you to post on this touchy subject. Kudos to you for standing up for what you believe. My 2 cents:
ReplyDelete>> did you know that the vast majority of children in california that contracted pertusis last year were vaccinated for it?
This was a very interesting article. The finding was that the type of vaccine used didn't last as long as they thought it did. As a result, at about age 8, the onset of pertussis skyrocketed. Scientists have already noted this phenomenon in Norway, and now recommend a teenage booster shot for this vaccine. See: ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22119924 ).
>> did you know that there are a lot of risks to getting a flu shot?
Mostly just a sore arm. And in reference to a statement you linked to, there is *a lot* of clinical evidence that flu shots are effective, including in infants. For example, Allison and colleagues ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17137887 ) state:
> Immunization with 2 doses of influenza vaccine is recommended for
> all 6- to 23-month-old children. This study evaluated the
> clinical effectiveness of the influenza vaccine specifically in the
> 6- to 21-month-old population. We found that 2 doses of vaccine were
> 69% effective in preventing office visits for ILI and 87% effective
> in preventing office visits for pneumonia/influenza, a subset of ILI.
> One dose of vaccine was not effective in preventing office visits
> for ILI or pneumonia/influenza.
[continued in next post]
[continued from previous post]
ReplyDelete>> do you know what the ingredients are in the vaccines you are putting into your infant or child?
>> here are just a few:
>> mercury
Known as Thimerosal, a preserative. Contains about 25 micrograms of mercury per dose. There is no evidence of any harm from this (source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11331700 ). See the FDA's position here: http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/UCM096228
>> aluminum
Aluminum is the most common metal found in nature. In fact, there is more aluminum in breast milk than in a vaccine dose. Source: http://www.chop.edu/export/download/pdfs/articles/vaccine-education-center/aluminum.pdf
>> formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a fixative used to inactivate viruses so that you *don't* get sick from vaccines. It is also naturally produced in the body, and a newborn (6-8 pounds) will have 50 to 70 times more formaldehyde in their body than in a vaccine dose. Source: http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/ucm187810.htm
>> monkey kidney cells
These are remarkably like human kidney cells. Although there was some concern with SV40 present in vaccines causing cancer, "exposure to SV40-contaminated poliovirus vaccine was not associated with significantly increased rates of ... cancer[s]". Source: http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/279/4/292.full
>> human fetal cells
This is pretty much just false. Source: http://autism.about.com/od/medicalissuesandautis1/f/vaxfetal.htm
>> mashed chick embryos
We call these "eggs" where I come from.
>> Suzanne Humphries
Not everyone on the internet is super-keen on Suzanne Humphries. Decide for yourself. Some suggested reading:
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2011/12/quoth_dr_suzanne_humphries_vaccines_are.php
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Suzanne_Humphries
>> when it comes down to it, these diseases are horrible things,
>> but getting vaccinated for them doesn't change your chances of getting them.
Disagree. See numerous studies, e.g. ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22226055 ).
An article entitled "Addressing the vaccine confidence gap" just came out ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21664679 ). I think you may find it is worth a read. If you are unable to get to the article (published in Lancet), let me know and I will email it to you.
In conclusion, I 100% support your decision to choose whether or not you should vaccinate your child. However, I am 100% on the other side of the argument. I hope you found my (long!) response respectful and enlightening, rather than inflammatory.
Wow thank you for taking the time to write out all of this information. And thank you for opening up the other side of the conversation. As you can guess, none of that changes my mind. And you and I can post articles and research all day and still stay on our respected sides...like this i read today: http://www.whale.to/a/children1.html
ReplyDeletethere are facts and evidence supporting both sides. and I will be honest, I went back and forth on my decision. But from my own personal experience with children who were vaccinated and who weren't - my choice was clear. I have never seen any of the unvaccinated children I know have more than a cold, they didn't have that constant runny nose most toddlers get, and even more than that...they never contracted any of these diseases. however, of the kids i know that are vaccinated, they are constantly sick, they have severe allergic reactions to things like peanuts and laundry detergent. I know a child who is almost 3 and still can't put a sentence together. Boys have a higher rate of requiring a vaccine injury. I'm just not going to risk it.
Hi Chelsey, I'm glad you are so determined in how you want to raise elliot, and you are doing an amazing job. I am also very glad RyanT took the time to post those comments. When i read your entry yesterday, i was a bit weary. As someone who has been involved in academic research, it worried me that most of the references you posted were not peer reviewed (or, it was hard for me to find evidence that they were peer reviewed), and i spent some time trying to find scientific article about vaccination. Of course, I haven't had a chance to compile the things I found, so thanks to RyanT for pointing those points.
ReplyDeleteI feel like perhaps it is possible that the children who were vaccinated and got sick were born with an immune system that is not as strong. It is possible that the kids who were never vaccinated were just healthier to start with. Who knows what would've happen to the kids who are constantly sick had they not had the vaccine? It's hard to say, no one can know for sure. In terms of the unvaccinated not contracting the disease the vaccines are aimed at protecting them from, it's likely that because these disease have been mostly eradicated by vaccines in the last decades, and are less common in our population. That being said, when it comes to flu shots, I am a big believer in our body's ability to recover and become stronger...
Thanks for reading, just my two cents. And thank you again for yours.
Here is a list of ingredients and side effects of the vaccines: http://www.generationrescue.org/resources/vaccination/vaccine-ingredients-and-side-effects/
ReplyDeleteI again appreciate all you say. But those ingredients are facts, and regardless if monkey cells look similar to human...they are still from a monkey. It's hard for me to understand how anyone could believe that injecting a tiny infant with heavy metals, chemicals, aborted fetal tissue, and other animal parts wouldn't have adverse effects. I also find it highly unlikely that the unvaccinated children i know were all just born healthier than the vaccinated ones. I also want to again point out that the vaccines were introduced far after their respective disease declined.
you take a risk either way. I don't know if elliot will ever come into contact with any of those diseases, but i do know that me voluntarily injecting him with so many unnatural things will more likely put him at risk for other issues, that are just as dangerous.
Also ryan, each vaccine might have a safe amount of mercury or aluminum in it, but babies are getting multiple shots at a time and do for their entire first year of life...all those shots add up, and that is where the dangers of the amounts are.
Some more thoughts:
ReplyDelete* Basing your position on personal experience or people you know can be very misleading. For example, I have never broken a bone, but for me to say that growing up in Florida makes your bones unbreakable would be wrong. In order to determine if breaking a bone is related to Florida, we need to sample a sufficiently large group. For an effect as small as autism (~1% or less), you need a very large sample size to see a statistically significant effect.
* "Whale.to" is not a good resource to use in regards to reliable scientific/medical information. The information posted is *not* peer-reviewed, and the site in general is home to a lot of whacky stuff. In relation to the issue at hand, whale.to claims that Amish do not have Autism because they don't get vaccinated. Both of these claims are false -- Amish have autism (see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19302947, http://imfar.confex.com/imfar/2010/webprogram/Paper7336.html ) and they are not prohibited from vaccination (http://amishamerica.com/do-amish-vaccinate-their-children/).
* You state: "It's hard for me to understand how anyone could believe that injecting a tiny infant with heavy metals, chemicals, aborted fetal tissue, and other animal parts wouldn't have adverse effects." I respond with "That's the entire purpose of scientific inquiry." Aside from the fact that there is NOT aborted fetal tissue in vaccines, we do not have to guess about whether something is harmful or not. Each part as well as the whole of the vaccine is tested for safety and efficacy. These peer-reviewed studies are available in the public domain -- start your inquiry here ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed ).
well, luckily for Elliot, we don't make all our parenting decisions based on "science" or else he would probably grow up in an atheist household. You can argue all the scientific points you want, but when you guys have a baby...go ahead and give them all the shots and we can compare the differences in health and development in our children...
ReplyDeletebut in the meantime, here are some REAL stories of vaccine injured children...but since they aren't peer reviewed, I'm sure you will chalk them up to something else:
http://www.vaccinationnews.com/DailyNews/December2002/NicholasStory9.htm
http://www.vaccinationnews.com/DailyNews/November2002/BrandonsStory4.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/20050206081332/http://www.whats-going-on.net/journal.html
http://www.vaccinationnews.com/DailyNews/August2002/Graham'sStory3.htm
http://www.vaccinationnews.com/DailyNews/August2002/MichaelJessica2.htm
here is one where the three month dies shortly after being vaccinated: http://www.vaccinationnews.com/DailyNews/July2002/DeathByLethal26.htm
this one is probably a made up story since it's on the whale website: http://www.whale.to/vaccines/jonathan.html
http://www.ouralexander.org/
http://www.whale.to/vaccine/elizabeth_b.html
many more REAL reactions: http://www.vaccinationnews.com/Books/Adverse_Reactions/Personal_Stories/personal_stories_of_vaccine_inju.htm
here are over 1000 comments from parents with vaccine injured children (comments started in september of 2010) :
http://www.followingvaccinations.com/
stories separated by the specific reactions:
http://healthimpactnews.com/2011/stories-of-vaccine-injured-children/
correct me if i'm wrong, but what you're saying is that the amish do get vaccinated and that there is an autism rate in their society?
Also:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.phmiracleliving.com/htmlmail/2012/pHe1_13.html - the top ten vaccination news from this year.
All I have to say is you do know that Ryan and I ate Christians right Chelsey?
ReplyDeleteof course i do.
ReplyDeleteI think we are just trying to say you should be very skeptical of the things on these non-peer reviewed website. As someone with experiences in academic and professional research (and a Christian), we are trained to look for poor research methodology. Of course you could argue that we should be skeptical of these scientifically proven research, and you are right. New research are continually changing the knowledge that we once thought were flawless.
ReplyDeleteThis is your blog, and of course we read it because we like it. But I took great offense I'm you saying that good thing Elliot is not raised based on science otherwise he would be an atheist. Many scientist became Christians the more they studied science. I also thought it was hurtful when you said lets compare who's child is healthier. My almost 6 month old has never yet been sick or anything, he is happy and well, and he had both his 2 and 4 month vaccinations and will be getting his six month shot soon. But this is your blog and me choosing to read it is my own issue. Just I wish you understand the importance of peer review vs junk science.
Helen, I'm very sorry you were offended. Those comments were directed towards Ryan, not you. The Christian comment was saying that I believe in God not because there is overwhelming science to prove He exists (is there?) but from my own EXPERIENCES and those of others. Which is the same with vaccines. You have to remember, that vaccines are a billion dollar industry...of course, no one will be allowed to come straight out and say they are bad..some of those links I posted of real vaccine injury stories even say that the doctor never even put in the child's file that something happened, let alone reported it to the vaccine company...so if no one is reporting what is happening, then how can there be any clear problems?
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes down to it, you have to decide if you think your child is more likely to contract some disease (which i have never seen in my lifetime) or a vaccine injury - ranging from asthma, to severe development problems and death.
It is fine if you chose to vaccinate, I am beyond happy that your baby is healthy and has reacted fine to those shots but I know that, knowing what I know and having seen what I have seen, if Elliot were to get shots and then was injured...I couldn't live with myself.
Ryan...vaccines have actually never been studied for safety to my knowledge because it's unethical to do pharmaceutical trials on infants...the "safety reports" come from vaers which is wildly under reported! Also, never in history has the safety or effectiveness of multiple vaccines at once been tested! All of the vaccine safety trials have been against another vaccine...which doesn't give a true result. I agree so much with what chelsey has said. It would be impossible for the vaccine industry to ever admit fault...they would then be liable for the injured. As a nurse and a mother and a Christian who do believes in the way the body was designed and the brilliance of the immune system I say-do you thing! Also..what about the rise in autoimmune disorders, etc!?!?!? That is something that is marvelous to study and to understand how the immune system responds to vaccines (or 7 injections at once) or when te blood brain barrier closes???? All interesting topics! I have spent 4.5 years researching...and probably won't ever stop!
ReplyDeleteOps...cut off. Needless to say-it's for sure a personal choice that shouldn't be done either way without research. My 3.5 year old and 1.5 year old who are thankfully as healthy thus far as they come (never have had a sick visit or antibiotic yet!). At the end of the day we all do what' we think it best for our littles!
ReplyDelete