Saftey Rules

I believe vaccines are a wonder and a blessing to us. Like anti-biotics, like surgery, and all manner of things. I do, however, wonder why we're being convinced to have so many, why the list has grown and grown, and why a toxin like thimerosol is allowed to be injected into my baby? Why boosters are given whether the child needs it or not? Why? Why? Why? To me, it's not a matter of whether or not to vaccinate. I will. I did. The question is:

Do we need that many, and can we make them safer?

Do we really need to inject so aggressively into a 14 lb., 20 lb., 30 lb. little human? And why do they need preservatives?

I recently read a blog in which a mom expressed why she decided it is important and responsible to immunize her children with the "standard" schedule currently in place. Apparently, she read a story a child who caught something from an unvaccinated child and died. How tragic! To have your child die of, say, chicken pox in this day and age?? But is there something we can agree on that is less than the current "standard" that we should be fighting for? I think most doctors would agree they don't know everything. They aren't taught anything about the role of nutrition in our health except the most obvious things we all now know (fat=clogged arteries yadda yadda.) Most don't even know what autism spectrum disorders look like except in their most perverse and serious form. So how about looking at the thousands of circumstantial cases and playing it safe?

Imagine this scenario: You are one of thousands and thousands and thousands of parents, who has a beautiful, well-developing and perfectly healthy toddler. She's your joy, a delight! You entrust her to your pediatrician, but right after a visit, this same bundle of giggles and crawls stops developing: loses skills like talking, stares into space, won't hug, screams in terror for unknown reasons, or any of the variety of symptoms of a mysterious illness. Not to mention the entire spectrum of symptoms.

Here are excerpts from what I think is a very rational opinion piece about the role of vaccines in today's society. You can read the whole thing by clicking on the link. I know this is a HUGE, hot-button topic. For full disclosure, I'm warning you that this is written by Jenny McCarthy's boyfriend. Some of you may things Jenny's wacko; some of you may think she's a saint. So, I ask just one thing. Please take your Opinion Hat off, sit back, and read the words he is saying. Try to get over the big-bad-pharma, sheister-cdc stance or over-interpret the phrases and see the important points he's making:

"Not everyone gets cancer from smoking, but cigarettes do cause cancer. " (In my mind, this means not everyone gets autism from vaccines, but we may find out vaccines may be the main contributor to autism.)

"The anecdotal evidence of millions of parents who've seen their totally normal kids regress into sickness and mental isolation after a trip to the pediatrician's office must be seriously considered."

"We have never argued that people shouldn't be immunized for the most serious threats including measles and polio, but surely there's a limit as to how many viruses and toxins can be introduced into the body of a small child. Veterinarians found out years ago that in many cases they were over-immunizing our pets, a syndrome they call Vaccinosis. It overwhelmed the immune system of the animals, causing myriad physical and neurological disorders. Sound familiar? If you can over-immunize a dog, is it so far out to assume that you can over-immunize a child? These forward thinking vets also decided to remove thimerosal from animal vaccines in 1992, and yet this substance, which is 49% mercury, is still in human vaccines. Don't our children deserve as much consideration as our pets?"

"In all likelihood the truth about vaccines is that they are both good and bad."

I know there are as many people vociferously on one side as the other. In the pro-vaccine camp, I see a lot of condescension about the crazy, unreasonable and (implied) stupid people who are concerned about the way vaccines are handled these days. I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty smart. I went to very legitimate universities, earned a master's degree, learned to read, analyze and reason. I also learned to question and criticize. There must be a reasonable stance between "vaccines are totally healthy and cause no problems" and "vaccines are the complete cause of all forms of autism."

I am reminded of something that happened to my husband in the ER. He was shaking, shivering. I asked the nurse for a warm blanket. Do you know what she said? "His temperature is fine." and would not get us a blanket. Did you read that? He was teeth-chattering, shaking. He was also extremely dehydrated. I asked for an IV drip. This nurse said, "His saliva is fine and his numbers look good." Not even a drink of water. Guess what? He was dehydrated. My point is this: the "numbers" and "data" don't necessarily reflect what is happening in real life, in the trenches, to a real person. (I just want you to know I went to the nurses' station and insisted on a blanket. Yeah, I could sense their condescension.)

I immunized and boosted my son. My only son. I will never know, if those toxins contributed to his autistic-like behaviors. If those toxins on top of all the environmental toxins we breathe, lather, drink and eat pushed him over the proverbial edge. And I have to live with that. Because, deep in my heart, I didn't do the ONE thing that is required of me as a mother: Keep my baby safe.

*Boldface and italices mine