Why I Choose Not to Vaccinate-Amy Goalen Whittam
Why I choose not to Vaccinate my child
by: Amy Goalen Whittam
What compelled me to write this paper and compile this list of reasons? The answer to the question, “Why don’t you vaccinate?” is not a short one. There are no easy answers to this question. They are deep and complex.
On many occasions I am asked if I vaccinate my daughter and when informed I don’t, the next question is usually, “Why?” (or some variation of that question).
Not that long ago, before the birth of my daughter, if someone asked me if I thought vaccines were dangerous, I would have said no. I wouldn’t have thought twice about having my theoretical children vaccinated, if and when they came along. Then I got pregnant with my daughter. A comment by a friend of mine started me on my journey “down the rabbit hole” and into the world of the great vaccine debate.
I started with the same resource most people start with: Google. I’m sure that some of you reading this are already rolling your eyes and repeating the same phrase that pro-vaccine people use in their defense that “anyone can put anything they want on the internet and call it a fact.” Yes, and I’m sure that many people do just that. However, when I started with a Google search, I was only at the very beginning steps of a long and arduous journey into my and my husband’s decision not to vaccinate our daughter. I started looking for books on Amazon as well as our public library and read and read and read. I looked at every website on the internet that had the word “vaccine” in it somewhere. I read information from the CDC, the Health Department, and the AMA as well as hardcore anti-vaccine websites and everything in between. I talked to people that vaccinated and people that didn’t vaccinate and even people that selectively vaccinated.
Finally months and months later when it was time to start finding a pediatrician, I was starting to realize that I didn’t want to vaccinate my daughter at all. I had gone from absolutely vaccinating, to maybe delaying or selectively vaccinating, to finally not at all. I don’t have just one reason I don’t vaccinate; I have many.
The rest of this paper is filled with all of my reasons that I now have for not vaccinating my daughter. Many people claim that anti-vaccine people believe nothing but “pseudoscience” and conspiracy theory. I have been told more than once, “I vaccinated my kids and they’re fine,” and “What makes you think you know more than doctors?”
When I sat down to write this paper, I decided to only use verifiable data and reputable sources. I wanted to rely only on the science and not make this a fear based and angry diatribe towards parents that still choose to vaccinate. I am not trying to change anyone’s mind about vaccinating. That is up to you the reader. I am simply conveying my reasons for my decision and assuring you that my decision was not made lightly or by one flaky fringe website created by people wearing tin foil hats and waiting for the mothership to land.
On the contrary, what made this decision become so deep and complex is that there is really A LOT of evidence on many websites and in many books that show that vaccines are not as safe and wonderful as we’ve been led to believe for decades.
What I have come to find in my own conversations with pro-vax individuals is that they have not done very much actual research into this topic. I have yet to talk with a pro-vax person who has researched as extensively as I (or any number of other anti-vaxers) have. This is not meant to sound judgmental, arrogant, or argumentative. This is my truth. Whenever I have spoken with anyone who chooses to vaccinate and we discuss the issues of not vaccinating I have found that they are woefully uninformed. And I believe if they had half of the information I do they would certainly choose not to vaccinate! Many people get their only information on vaccines from sensationalist media outlets whose main sponsors are pharmaceutical companies, from pediatricians who know next to nothing about what’s even IN vaccines, let alone admitting that they have dangerous side effects, or the CDC, FDA, & AMA who have monetary ties to drug companies and blatant conflicts of interest. This is not what I would consider being fully informed on this topic that holds the health of our children in the balance.
Let us proceed down the rabbit hole if you will...
Reason #1: The Risk of Side Effects
The burden of proof should NOT be on parents! It’s not our job to prove that vaccines are safe or not safe.
“The burden of proof for vaccine reactions should not rest on parents, as it does now in our medical-legal system. The burden of proof for the safety of vaccines, that is, that the vaccines are NOT causing adverse genetic changes, should rest on the manufacturers, federal and state Government health agencies, and the schools who are not mandating the vaccines. Until this matter is settled does anyone at any level truly have the right to force vaccinations in ever growing numbers on a generation of children?”
Harold Buttram, MD, 'Vaccines and Genetic Mutation'
Vaccines are drugs. Drugs have side effects. Some of these side effects are only annoying and will go away in time. Other side effects cause permanent damage.
This is by far my biggest reason for not vaccinating. The risks of side effects are real. This information is straight from the vaccine makers and the CDC. They print these side effects in the package inserts because there were actual cases where these side effects occurred. Then the side effects are completely downplayed so that we think it’s nearly impossible for our children to experience an adverse reaction to a vaccine. Doctors tell us that it’s extremely rare and practically a one in a million chance. The reality is that the chances are a lot lower than a million to one. But even at a million to one I’m not risking my child being that one.
Their focus groups don’t contain enough people to make a determination that a “one in a million chance” is possible. If they see a side effect within their focus group of 500 people, then that’s one in 500.
Proponents of vaccines tell us “The benefits outweigh the risks.” Do they? Vaccine makers know that a certain percentage of children will experience an adverse reaction to the vaccine, but taken as a whole (i.e. the rest of the population) these children are expendable for the “greater good.” I just DO NOT buy into that belief. My child is not expendable. My child is not a lab rat to be be experimented on with the notion that if my child is one that does have an adverse reaction that I can rest assured that by “taking one for the team” that the rest of the industrialized world may now rest easy under the blanket of vaccine protection. Call it a philosophical viewpoint but as a parent I just can’t sacrifice my child on the altar of the “greater good.”
Before I started researching vaccines I had never heard of children being damaged by vaccines. There are more than 340,000 reports of adverse reactions to vaccines on VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System). This number is only a tiny fraction of the actual number of reactions because most doctors don’t report vaccine reactions.
You can peruse the VAERS database at any time to read about the kinds of adverse reactions caused by vaccines. Pro-vaccine people will call this “anecdotal evidence” and then use the argument that correlation does not equal causation. I might believe that if it were a couple of incidents, but when you start reaching incidents in the hundreds of thousands there just might be something to these anecdotes.
Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
http://vaers.hhs.gov/data/index
The following link will list all the different vaccines on the current CDC schedule. Each link will show the package insert for the vaccine straight from the manufacturer:
http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/thi-table.htm
Below are some specific quotes pulled from the vaccine package inserts (written by vaccine manufacturers) or from CDC sources. Each quote is followed with a citation for the actual link to read for yourself in you so desire.
DTaP:
“Adverse events reported during post-approval use of Tripedia vaccine include idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, SIDS, anaphylactic reaction, cellulitis, autism, convulsion/grand mal convulsion, encephalopathy, hypotonia, neuropathy, somnolence and apnea.
Events were included in this list because of the seriousness or frequency of reporting. Because these events are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequencies or to establish a causal relationship to components of Tripedia vaccine.” ~Manufacture package insert
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/ucm101580.pdf
Varicella (Chickenpox): Can Chickenpox Vaccine Cause Injury and Death?
“Yes. Between March 1995 and July 1998, the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) received 6,574 reports of health problems after chickenpox vaccination. That translates into 67.5 adverse events per 100,000 doses of vaccine or one in 1,481 vaccinations. About four percent of cases (about 1 in 33,000 doses) were serious including shock, encephalitis, thrombocytopenia (blood disorder) and 14 deaths.
The VAERS data analysis led to the addition of 17 adverse events to the manufacturer's product label after the vaccine was licensed in 1995, including secondary bacterial infections (cellulitis); secondary transmission of vaccine strain virus infection to close contacts; transverse myelitis; and Guillain Barre syndrome; and herpes zoster (shingles). There have been documented cases of transmission of vaccine strain virus from a vaccinated child to household contacts, including a pregnant woman.
A CDC vaccine safety study found that children aged 12-23 months were twice as likely to experience febrile seizures with the 4 in 1 combination shot, ProQuad, which contains varicella zoster, measles mumps and rubella vaccines, compared to administering MMR vaccine and Varivax separately.”
http://www.nvic.org/Vaccines-and-Diseases/Chickenpox.aspx
Rotavirus:
Commonly Reported Reactions: temporary diarrhea, fussiness/irritability, cough/runny nose, fever, loss of appetite, and vomiting.
More Serious Reported Reactions: ear infection, pneumonia
Also, according to the Rotarix package insert: Since FDA approval, reports of infants with intussusception have been received by Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Intussusception occurred days and sometimes weeks after vaccination. Some infants needed hospitalization, surgery on their intestines, or a special enema to treat this problem. Death due to intussusception has occurred.
Other reported side effects include: Kawasaki disease (a serious condition involving inflammation of the blood vessels that can affect the heart; symptoms may include fever, rash, red eyes, red mouth, swollen glands, swollen hands, and feet and, if not treated, death can occur).
http://www.nvic.org/Vaccines-and-Diseases/Rotavirus.aspx
Hepatitis B Vaccine: HEPATITIS B VACCINE REACTION REPORTS OUTNUMBER REPORTED DISEASE CASES IN CHILDREN ACCORDING TO VACCINE SAFETY GROUP
http://www.nvic.org/nvic-archives/pressrelease/pressreleasejan271999.aspx
MMR:
(Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Virus Vaccine Live)
ADVERSE REACTIONS
The following adverse reactions are listed in decreasing order of severity, without regard to causality, within each body system category and have been reported during clinical trials, with use of the marketed vaccine, or with use of monovalent or bivalent vaccine containing measles, mumps, or rubella:
Body as a Whole
Panniculitis; atypical measles; fever; syncope; headache; dizziness; malaise; irritability.
Cardiovascular System
Vasculitis.
Digestive System
Pancreatitis; diarrhea; vomiting; parotitis; nausea.
Endocrine System
Diabetes mellitus.
Hemic and Lymphatic System
Thrombocytopenia (see WARNINGS, Thrombocytopenia); purpura; regional lymphadenopathy;
leukocytosis.
Immune System
Anaphylaxis and anaphylactoid reactions have been reported as well as related phenomena such as angioneurotic edema (including peripheral or facial edema) and bronchial spasm in individuals with or without an allergic history.
Musculoskeletal System
Arthritis; arthralgia; myalgia.
Arthralgia and/or arthritis (usually transient and rarely chronic), and polyneuritis are features of
infection with wild-type rubella and vary in frequency and severity with age and sex, being greatest in adult females and least in prepubertal children. This type of involvement as well as myalgia and paresthesia, have also been reported following administration of MERUVAX II.
Chronic arthritis has been associated with wild-type rubella infection and has been related to
persistent virus and/or viral antigen isolated from body tissues. Only rarely have vaccine recipients developed chronic joint symptoms.
Following vaccination in children, reactions in joints are uncommon and generally of brief duration. In women, incidence rates for arthritis and arthralgia are generally higher than those seen in children (children: 0-3%; women: 12-26%),17,52,53 and the reactions tend to be more marked and of longer duration. Symptoms may persist for a matter of months or on rare occasions for years. In adolescent girls, the reactions appear to be intermediate in incidence between those seen in children and in adult women. Even in women older than 35 years, these reactions are generally well tolerated and rarely interfere with normal activities.
Nervous System
Encephalitis; encephalopathy; measles inclusion body encephalitis (MIBE) (see
CONTRAINDICATIONS); subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE); Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS);
febrile convulsions; afebrile convulsions or seizures; ataxia; polyneuritis; polyneuropathy; ocular palsies; paresthesia.”
http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/m/mmr_ii/mmr_ii_pi.pdf
2000 Simpsonwood Conference: Selected vaccine authorities from CDC, FDA, and manufacturers discuss, in a closed meeting, the possibility of neurodevelopment disorders resulting from vaccine components.
“The CDC published a study in late 2003, repudiating any possible link between thimerosal and developmental problems such as autism, but the CDC did have data supporting such a link which it secretly kept from the public.
Documents released through the Freedom of Information Act detail the transcript of a meeting held in June of 2000 between members of the CDC, the FDA, and representatives from the vaccine industry.
This top secret meeting was held to discuss a study done by Dr. Thomas Verstraeten and his co-workers using Vaccine Safety Datalink data as a project collaboration between the CDC's National Immunization Program (NIP) and four HMOs. The study examined the records of 110,000 children.”
http://www.whale.to/vaccine/selected.html
Excerpts from the conference can be read here:
http://www.aapsonline.org/vaccines/cdcfdaexperts.htm
Reason #2: Vaccines are not 100% effective
“I find it interesting that there exists an incredible double standard when it comes to ‘our’ evidence versus ‘theirs’. The proponents of vaccination safety can just say they are safe, without any supporting evidence what-so-ever, and it will be accepted without questions. They can announce that mercury is not only safe, but that it seems to actually increase the IQ and we are to accept it.”
Russell Blaylock MD, Neurosurgeon, 'Vaccines, Neurodevelopmental and Autism Spectrum Disorders'
“All vaccines only provide temporary immunity.”
http://nvic.org
One of the arguments used by proponents of vaccines is “Not vaccinating endangers the lives of babies and infants too young to vaccinate or sick children that are unable to be vaccinated.”
Even if you do decide to vaccinate your child, there is no guarantee that your child will not get the disease or become a carrier of the disease. In fact a vaccinated child is more at risk to a vulnerable baby or child because they often are vaccinated with a LIVE VIRUS vaccine. Many of these vaccines also have a shedding period where the virus can be exposed to others. This explains why many of the outbreaks we hear about in the media are usually started with recently vaccinated children. The current Pertussis outbreak has over 80% of VACCINATED patients being diagnosed with Pertussis. The Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine has a known 20% failure rate.
http://www.whale.to/vaccines/hancock.html
Pro-Vaccine Immunologist admits a shocking truth about vaccines:
http://gaetacommunications.com/site/?p=1092
This information doesn’t give me the confidence that I need to justify the statement “The benefits outweigh the risks.” There is a lot of risk involved with vaccinating and no clear guarantee that my child will be disease free.
Merck vaccine fraud exposed by two Merck virologists; company faked mumps vaccine efficacy results for over a decade, says lawsuit
http://www.naturalnews.com/036328_Merck_mumps_vaccine_False_Claims_Act.html
Reason #3: Vaccines did not save us
While researching vaccines and the debate around the vaccine controversy there appears to be a lot of propaganda involved with the mass vaccination programs here in the US and around the world. We have been told for decades that vaccines are responsible for saving millions of lives and that vaccines are miracles of modern medicine. When you look a little closer at these “facts” you will see that these statements are just false.
“One of the chief concepts that vaccine proponents tell us, and that we generally believe in modern society, is that the use of vaccines is responsible for the virtual elimination of many childhood scourges that used to ravage the world. We are told, and assume, that in the 1800s and early in the 1900s many diseases killed a large number of people, and that vaccines were invented and stopped these diseases from being a threat.”
http://www.whale.to/a/bystrianyk3.html
“On the face of it, we cannot help but assume that vaccines have played a key role in improving all of our lives. But looking carefully at the evidence over a longer period of time reveals a different picture of disease evolution and the role vaccines have played. One Swiss scientist that analyzed data over a longer period of time came to a different conclusion of what occurred in Switzerland:
‘An analysis has been made of the evolution in Switzerland of mortality due to the main infectious diseases ever since the causes of death began to be registered. Mortality due to tuberculosis, diphtheria, scarlet fever, whooping cough, measles, typhoid, puerperal fever and infant gastro-enteritis started to fall long before the introduction of immunization and/or antibiotics. The decline was probably due to a great extent to various factors linked to the steady rise in the standard of living: qualitative and quantitative improvements in nutrition; better public and personal hygiene; better housing and working conditions and improvements in education.’ “[2]
http://www.whale.to/a/bystrianyk3.html
Vaccine Failures compiled from Dr. Sherry Tennpenny:
http://drtenpenny.com/vac_failures.aspx
Having an antibody does not guarantee protection from infection.
The medical journal Vaccine states, "It is known that, in many instances, antigen-specific antibody titers do not correlate with protection." PMID
"The findings of efficacy studies have not demonstrated a direct correlation between antibody response and protection against pertussis disease. Antibody studies are useful to compare amount of response elicited by different vaccines under different conditions or in different groups. Thus, efficacy studies are required to measure clinical protection conferred by each pertussis vaccine. MMWR
Vaccine Failures in America
Connecticut, Chickenpox 2007: Connecticut: State health experts are investigating an outbreak of chickenpox in Colchester. Sixty-five students at the Jack Jackter Elementary School got chickenpox last year. It was one of the largest outbreaks in the state. The chickenpox vaccine has a known 20-percent failure rate.
Oklahoma, Chickenpox Outbreak February 20, 2006: Elgin ISD Experiencing Chickenpox Outbreak. More than 40 kids were out of school today in Elgin after an outbreak of chickenpox. School officials at Elgin Independent School District say on Friday they had 61 cases of chickenpox and strangely, school records show most of the kids had already been immunized.
Wisconsin, Chickenpox Outbreak Jan. 20, 2006: Health officials are looking into an outbreak of chickenpox in the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District in which all except two of the 44 affected children had been vaccinated against the illness. Winona Daily
Alabama, Chickenpox Dec. 15, 2005: Chickenpox outbreak zeroes in on school. Hazel Green kids discover vaccine is no guarantee.
Multistate, Mumps Outbreak January 1--May 2, 2006: In Iowa, preliminary vaccination data were reported through May 3, 2006. Among 1,192 patients, 94% were vaccinated, 141 (12%) had received 1 dose of MMR vaccine, and 607 (51%) had received 2 doses. The vaccination status of 375 (31%) patients, the majority of whom were adults who did not have vaccination records, was unknown. MMWR publication
Mumps Outbreak, April 19, 2006: Report from Julie Gerberding: "In addition, although this is a very good vaccine, it is not perfect. About 10 percent of people who get both doses of the vaccine still remain [susceptible] to mumps. So if you are in a community of 10,000 people and 10 percent of the people who got both doses of the vaccine are susceptible, once you get a little outbreak going in that community, that means that up to 1,000 people in the community would actually come down with mumps even though they were properly immunized with what we know is a very good vaccine." CDC Press Release
Oregon, Chickenpox Outbreak October 2001. Chickenpox Outbreak in a Highly Vaccinated School Population. A chickenpox outbreak occurred in a school in which 97% of students without a prior history of chickenpox were vaccinated. Students vaccinated >5 years before the outbreak were at risk for breakthrough disease. Pediatrics Vol. 113 No. 3 March 2004, pp. 455-459
Mumps Outbreak, 1995: Between October 3 and November 23, 1990, clinical mumps developed in 54 students; 53 had been vaccinated. Cheek et al. "Mumps outbreak in a highly vaccinated school population". Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med; 149: 774-778
Tennessee, Mumps Outbreak 1991. 99.6 percent of schoolchildren in Maury County, Tennessee met vaccination requirements for mumps. "Mumps outbreak traced to vaccine failure" (Medical) JournalWatch
Measles Outbreak 1987: An outbreak of measles in secondary school with more than 99 percent vaccination rate and more than 95 percent of students have measles antibody (vaccine immunity.) Gustafson et al. "Measles outbreak in a fully immunized secondary-school population", NEJM; 3216: 771-774
Measles Outbreak 1987: Nknowane BM et al. Measles outbreak in a vaccinated (70%) school population: epidemiology, chains of transmission and the role of vaccine failure": Am J Pub Health;77:434-438.1987
Measles Outbreak 1972: Twenty-four cases of measles occurred in a school in which 89% of children were immunized or had had natural disease; 19 of these cases were vaccine failures. Cherry JD et al. "Urban measles in the vaccine era: a clinical, epidemiologic, and serologic study". J Pediatrics; 81(2): 217- 230
Vaccine Failures Around the world
Australia, Bacterial Meningitis July 28, 2007: Two of the five cases were within the same family, the other three seem unrelated. Dr. Margot McLean, the Medical Officer of Health, reports that two of the children were completely immunized against meningococci while others are partially vaccinated. Related article from Vaccine RX
Israel, Pertussis Infection in Fully Vaccinated Children in Day-Care Centers. (REF: Emerging Infectious Diseases Vol. 6, No. 5; Sept-Oct 2000
The Netherlands, Pertussis in the Highly Vaccinated Population. (REF: Emerging Infectious Diseases Vol. 6, No. 4 Jul-Aug 2000)
Australia, Pertussis in North-West Western Australia in 1999; All vaccinated. (REF: Communicable Diseases Intelligence 2000 Vol 24 No 12)
Hungary, Measles Epidemic occurred in Hungary during 1988-1989 despite over 93% of people born during 1970-1973 and over 98% born since 1973 had been vaccinated. Agocs et al."The 1988-1999 measles epidemic in Hungary: assessment of vaccine failure". International J Epidemiology; 21(5): 1007- 1013. 1992.
Spain, Mumps Outbreak occurred in a group of vaccinated children aged 3-4 years in San Sebastian (Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain) in 2000
Reason #3: Vaccines have not been tested for safety
“There are no control group studies. Authorities consider that “to not vaccinate” is unethical and have refused to study unvaccinated volunteers. If control studies were done according to honest science, vaccination would be outlawed.
Studies which have been done are not designed to eliminate the examiners bias. Authorities who compile and report disease statistics work closely with and have a vested interest in companies which produce vaccines. In other countries, this kind of bias is not tolerated. Injuries and deaths in these studies are attributed to anything but vaccination to skew the results and make it appear that vaccines have some merit.”
http://www.sayingnotovaccines.com/
“Carcinogenicity--We have done no testing for the carcinogenicity of MF-59 or any of our vaccines. We haven’t done it and we don’t plan to.”
Dr. Novicki, Scientist, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, F.D.A.-N.I.H. Meeting 12/2008
“How can you have a product on the market where you do not provide proper liver toxicity data?”
Vijendra Singh, Ph D Research Associate Professor, Neuroimmunology, Dept. of Biology, Utah State University
“Not a single vaccine has ever been tested for (links to) cancer.”
Rebecca Carley MD, Surgeon, Court Qualified VIDS Expert
“Incredible as it sounds a controlled study comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated children has never been done in America for any vaccination...The only explanation for this is bias and political pressure...This means that vaccination is essentially a large scale experiment in our nation’s children.”
Dr. Philip Incao MD Hepatitis B Vaccine Testimony, 1999
Vaccinated Kids 2-5 more diseases than unvaccinated. Vaccines are not safe or Effective.
http://www.thepetwhisperer.com/big-study-vaccinated-kids-2-5-more-diseases-than-unvaccinated-vaccines-are-not-safe-or-effective/
Reason #4: My Pediatrician completely supports my choice
More and more doctors, physicians, and pediatricians are questioning the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Many of these same doctors are choosing NOT to vaccinate their own children. The pediatrician I chose for my daughter is one of them.
What most people don’t know is that childhood vaccines have always been controversial within the independent scientific community which has collectively long recognized that the vaccination realities were not as positive as the hype associated with each vaccination program. This is one of the realizations I have come to since delving into this issue.
“Knowing what I know now, I would not vaccinate my children and run the risk of getting diabetes, asthma, eczema and becoming more susceptible to meningitis and ending up chronically disabled.”
Dr. Jayne Donegan, MBBS DRGOG, DCH, DFFP
“...This forced me to look into the question of vaccination further, and the further I looked the more shocked I became. I found that the whole vaccine business was indeed a gigantic hoax. Most doctors are convinced that they are useful, but if you look at the proper statistics and study the instances of these you will realize that this is not so...”
Archie Kalokerinos MD, PhD FAPM, author, 'Every Second Child'
“As a result of my experience in the military I was vaccine injured and I made a statement that I will never take another vaccine or give another vaccine as long as I live. I had no idea the damages that could be caused by vaccines.”
Joyce Riley, Military RN (Doc., 'Beyond Treason')
“As a pediatrician, who has been a fellow of the American Academy of pediatrics (AAP) for two decades, I find the AAP’s approach to the autism epidemic to be deeply disturbing. Not only have they allowed the myth of better diagnosing (as the reason for all the notice given to affected children) to be perpetuated, but when they were put on notice at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Simpsonwood meeting in 2000, that the mercury in the preservative thimerosal was causing speech delays and learning disabilities, they obfuscated and hid that information. For all above reasons, I will no longer enable the AAP to be party to the damage that is being done the world’s children by sending in my dues for a third decade. It is a token protest, but it has to begin with someone.”
Kenneth P. Stoller, MD 'My Open Letter to The American Academy of Pediatrics'
Dr. Jay Gordon, MD, FAAP
http://drjaygordon.com/category/vaccinations
Dr. Paul M. Fleiss, MD (Los Angeles Pediatrician)
*Dr. Lauren Feder, MD (Our Pediatrician)
http://www.drfeder.com/
The second pediatrician I interviewed was Dr. Lauren Feder. I could tell right away that I had found a doctor that I could trust and made me feel comfortable. She was recommended by my midwives so she was familiar with my choice of home birth. After thoroughly vetting her I found out that she had 2 boys whom she birthed at home too. She chose to nurse her boys until they self weaned at around 4 years old. I knew she was “vaccine friendly” which means that she was supportive of parents who choose not to vaccinate, delay or selectively vaccinate. Then I found out she chose NOT to vaccinate her sons. Wow. An educated Mother and a doctor and she decided that vaccines were not safe and not necessary for the well-being of her children.
Reason #5: Unnecessary Vaccines
Why are we vaccinating children for diseases that are not considered “deadly diseases”? Why are we injecting newborns with ANYTHING the day they are born for a disease they can’t possibly get as a baby and is so incredibly toxic? Most American newborns are vaccinated with HepB before they are released from the hospital.
Hepatitis B:
http://drtenpenny.com/why_hepatitis_b.aspx
“Hepatitis b is a liver disease caused by a virus with the same name. The infection may be acute or chronic and symptoms can include fever, malaise, fatigue, jaundice, abdominal tenderness, and elevated liver enzymes. While a person can be quite ill with this infection, the treatment is supportive and aimed at providing comfort. The vast majority of patients recover within eight weeks of an acute episode of the infection without any long term complications.
Parents are told that hepatitis b is a potentially life-threatening illness. What they are not told is the real risk of serious complications from the disease and that it is very unlikely their child will contract it.”
Hepatitis A:
http://drtenpenny.com/side_effects_hep_a.aspx
"Hepatitis A is transmitted orally, and its incubation period is about 15 to 45 days. The disease is usually mild, and many times, recognizable clinical disease does not occur at all, particularly in children under 5 years of age. In one study, 84% of infections in children under 2 years of age were asymptomatic, 50% in 3 and 4 years of age and 20% in 5 years of age and older. If infection occurs later in life, after puberty or in adulthood, clinical disease can be expected in 50 to 80% of infected individuals. Hepatitis A never develops into chronic liver disease." ~ “Vaccines” Textbook by Stan Plotkin, MD, long-time pro-vaccine advocate.
Flu Shot:
http://www.nvic.org/getdoc/53c221e4-536e-4f76-9e76-a0a2e4586297/Why-Influenza-Vaccine-Mandates-Are-Ineffective---U.aspx
“Influenza transmission can be prevented or reduced in home and health care settings with hand washing, masking, and separating sick and healthy persons.”
“Influenza viruses constantly evolve and, depending upon the year, the flu shot may or may not match strains associated with reported influenza cases.”
“The influenza vaccine is less than 70 percent effective in preventing influenza, and like all pharmaceutical products, use of influenza vaccine is not without risk of vaccine injury.”
Chickenpox:
http://www.nvic.org/Vaccines-and-Diseases/Chickenpox.aspx
“The vast majority of children recover from chickenpox disease and do not suffer complications. They are left with a qualitatively superior immunity to the disease.”
“The chickenpox vaccine only gives temporary immunity and leaves older children and adults vulnerable to chickenpox later in life when complications can be much more serious. Mass use of the chickenpox vaccine by children has eliminated the opportunity for natural asymptomatic boosting of immunity in adults and left adults vulnerable to shingles later in life.”
Reason #6: Conflict of interest between drug manufacturers, doctors, CDC, and FDA
I have repeatedly heard proponents of vaccines say that all kinds of studies were done to refute the paper from Andrew Wakefield that started this whole vaccine controversy. The reality behind these so called studies is that every one of them was funded by a vaccine manufacturer. Below you will see a link (Fourteen Studies) to studies that have been used to support the assertion that vaccines do not cause autism. The second link is a CBS news story that questions the conflict of interest with vaccine defenders. The third link is a report from 1999 on Government Reform initiated to investigate the federal vaccine policy for possible conflicts of interest.
Fourteen Studies...
http://www.14studies.org/studies.html
How Independent are Vaccine Defenders?
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/25/cbsnews_investigates/main4296175.shtml
Conflicts of Interest in Vaccine Policy Making
http://vaccineinfo.net/issues/conflictofinterest/conflicts_of_interest.shtml
Reason #7: Many childhood diseases can be treated with homeopathic remedies, antibiotics and/or home remedies.
Two books that I have in my home library for easy reference are:
“Raising A Vaccine Free Child” by Wendy Lydall
“Natural Baby & Childcare” by Dr. Lauren Feder, MD
Both of these books have a massive amount of information on how to treat childhood illnesses using natural home remedies such as diet, nutrition, and supplements as well as homeopathic remedies for indicated symptoms.
It is also highly recommended to read up and be informed of how to recognize childhood illnesses such as measles, whooping cough, mumps, and even chickenpox. Know what the signs and symptoms are as well as the best way to treat these illnesses immediately and when it’s time to get help from your pediatrician.
Good health for my family is very important to me and can contribute to the body being able to fight off illness or be able to recover quickly to sickness. I made sure that I breastfed my daughter exclusively for the first 6 months of her life and continue to breastfeed well into her 3rd year. As a mother who enjoys cooking I make it a high priority to prepare good quality food made from organic products, whole foods whenever possible, avoiding the overuse of processed foods, take-out foods, and restaurant foods. My family sees a chiropractor on a monthly basis to keep our immune systems in tip top shape, and we take daily supplements of Vitamin C & probiotics as well as consume plenty of water and dark leafy greens every day.
Reason #8: People contract the disease FROM the vaccine
5 of the vaccines ((measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and varicella) administered are LIVE virus vaccines and can sometimes infect the recipient. Those vaccines also have what is known as a shedding period where the virus can be passed to others.
http://vaccineinfo.net/immunization/vaccine_facts.shtml
Many proponents of vaccines or people who simply have never had reason to research vaccines have repeatedly urged me to at least vaccinate my daughter for polio. They rationalize that polio isn’t considered a harmless childhood disease that would provide them with lifelong immunity, but a crippling killer of children. The following is direct quote from the CDC website regarding polio. This was quite eye opening for me.
POLIO: “The last cases of naturally occurring paralytic polio in the United States were in 1979, when an outbreak occurred among the Amish in several Midwestern states. From 1980 through 1999, there were 162 confirmed cases of paralytic polio cases reported. Of the 162 cases, eight cases were acquired outside the United States and imported. The last imported case caused by wild poliovirus into the United States was reported in 1993. The remaining 154 cases were vaccine-associated paralytic polio (VAPP) caused by live oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV).” ~CDC website:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/polio/dis-faqs.htm
Reason #9: More vaccines have not made our children healthier
The US administers more vaccines than any other country in the world and still our infant mortality rate is ranked at #47 worldwide. Why is that? We have given up the diseases of the past like Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Whooping Cough, and even Polio for autoimmune diseases and chronic illnesses and disabilities. When I was a child in the 70’s I was give a total of 10 vaccinations. Now that number is up around 68 and growing. Vaccine manufacturers continue to develop more and more vaccines and intend to keep adding them to the vaccine schedule.
http://www.lifehealthchoices.com/the-center/education/vaccines/do-vaccines-work
http://www.lifehealthchoices.com/the-center/health-options/whatishealth
Reason #10: “Vaccine Theory” is flawed
There is a so much that we as an educated people do not know or understand about the human immune system. The “Vaccine Theory” is simply to take a weakened version of a disease and inject it into the bloodstream so that our bodies create antibodies to attack that disease should we come into contact with it again at a later time. This is the simple theory that all vaccines are based upon. So what’s the problem?
The human immune system is made up of many layers (or barriers) to protect our bodies from disease such as mucus glands, the nose, throat, and our skin. These are all our first line of defense when it comes to germs, viruses, and bacteria.
When we bypass these initial barriers and inject a virus/disease/germ directly into the bloodstream (or muscle tissue) we do not have the full scope of information of how that bypass has interrupted the body’s natural pathways to fight disease and maintain homeostasis.
http://www.lifehealthchoices.com/the-center/education/vaccines/do-vaccines-work
http://www.naturalnews.com/035371_vaccine_theory_antibodies_viruses.html
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1913/speedread.html
Frequently Asked Questions:
Here are a list of questions that I am routinely asked when someone questions my decision not to vaccinate:
1. Question: How will you send your child to school without current vaccines?
Answer: All states have vaccine waivers for exemptions from vaccines.
2. Question: What are you going to do if your child contracts one of the diseases that we have vaccines for?
Answer: These diseases are extremely uncommon today, and even if my child does get them, I know enough about the signs and symptoms to seek medical care if needed. The serious complications are extremely rare, fewer than 1 in 10,000 in many cases.
3. Claim: If you don’t vaccinate, you’re putting my child at risk.
Answer: It is your job to protect your child, and my job to protect mine. Vaccines come with a risk that I am not comfortable taking.” Vaccination DOES NOT equal immunity. Vaccines are NOT 100% effective. There is always a chance of contracting the disease that you were vaccinated for; so vaccinated kids pose just as much risk as the rest of the population.
4. Question: How will you feel if these diseases become an epidemic again? Pertussis cases are already rising and it’s your fault.
Answer: The majority of these cases are occurring in fully vaccinated individuals due to vaccine failure.
5. Question: You know that anti-vaccination is just a conspiracy theory, right? There’s no actual science behind it.
Answer: There is quite a bit of science to support the idea that vaccinations may be harmful. Please check out the CDC’s Pink Book and read the vaccine package inserts. I’d be happy to point you towards other accepted medical sources as well.
6. Question: I’ve gotten all of my information from doctors so why do you think you are smarter than doctors who practice medicine?
Answer: I do not believe that I am smarter than doctors. There are legitimate concerns when it comes to the safety of vaccines. I have simply found that there IS scientific evidence that there is a considerable risk when vaccinating my child. Doctors have been indoctrinated with the same propaganda that most of the population believes-that vaccines save lives and that more vaccines can only be better. I do not believe this. There is also a growing number of doctors and physicians who are also beginning to question the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
Conclusion:
When is it going to be okay to question the medical industry without being branded an uneducated, stupid, hippie, conspiracy theorist? How many babies, children, and adults are going to be killed and permanently disabled because we won’t stand up and demand that vaccines be properly tested for safety and effectiveness? When billions of dollars are at stake the altruistic nature of medicine is at risk. It is no longer about placing the health and well being of a population at the top of the priority list. How many more diagnoses of autism are we going to take before independent researchers are allowed to perform the tests necessary to determine where these high numbers over a short period of time are coming from?
Where do we stop? How many more vaccines are we going to keep adding to the schedule of vaccines? More and more vaccines are being developed and advertised as absolutely necessary for health and well being. Right now we have vaccines for everything from polio to chickenpox and the flu. Gardasil (HPV) vaccine has been the most recent vaccine to begin damaging and debilitating woman (and now boys). Vaccines are currently in the works for allergies, depression and yes, even HIV. How many vaccines are we going to continue administering to babies and children and then to adolescents and adults? Right now the demographics for vaccines with the least amount of recipients is adults. So it makes sense that vaccines for seasonal allergies and depression are being developed. The irony that a vaccine is being developed for the very thing that a previous vaccine caused is not lost on me.
In the meantime I will gladly take my chances with my child getting measles, whooping cough, or chickenpox before I subject her to the possibility of the many documented side effects of vaccines such as: autism, learning disabilities, mental retardation, allergies, asthma, SIDS, diabetes, and ADHD just to name a few.
You can call me a conspiracy theorist. You can call me stupid, uneducated, and a even a hippie (which doesn’t really offend me) that gathers my information on vaccines from sluts who pose for Playboy, but don’t tell me that vaccines are safe and that “I vaccinated my kids and they’re fine.” Are you sure about that? Do your research.
Resource List:
http://dr-king.com/docs/120702_Revu_VaxSafety_WhyParents_AlternativeImmunizationSchedulesMayCauseHarm_b.pdf
Websites:
http://www.nvic.org/
http://www.vaccinesuncensored.org
http://www.thinktwice.com
http://www.14studies.org/index.html
http://vaxtruth.org
http://drtenpenny.com
http://vaccineliberationarmy.com
http://www.vaccinationcouncil.org
http://www.whale.to/index.html
http://vaccineresearchlibrary.com/
http://vactruth.com/
http://vaccineinfo.net
http://vaccinationdilemma.com
http://www.vaccineriskawareness.com
http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/opinions_decisions_vaccine/Published
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22099159
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19880572
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22235057
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21225508
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9700638
http://www.ei-resource.org/articles/gulf-war-syndrome-articles/how-vaccinations-work/
http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/06/skeptics-censor-skepticism-of-paul-offits-book.html
http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/05/penn-prof-paul-offit-to-gw-grad-student-get-the-fck-out-of-here-piece-of-sht.html
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/prinvac.pdf
http://www.wnd.com/2012/06/sudden-infant-vaccine-death/
http://www.sayingnotovaccines.com/
Documentaries:
Vaccine Nation
Vaccination: The Hidden Truth
Vaccines: What CDC and Science Reveal
Vaccines: The Risks, the Benefits, and Choices
Mercury, Autism, and the Global Vaccine Agenda
The Greater Good
Shots in the Dark: Silence on Vaccine
Books:
http://www.nvic.org/resource-center/Book-Journals-and-Magazines.aspx
Vaccine-nation: Poisoning the Population, One Shot at a Time by: Andreas Moritz
Vaccination is not Immunization by: Tim O’Shea
Raising a Vaccine Free Child by: Wendy Lydall
The Vaccine Guide: Risks and Benefits for Children & Adults by: Randall Neustaedter
The Parent’s Concise Guide to Childhood Vaccinations by: Lauren Feder
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children’s Vaccinations by: Stephanie Cave
The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert Sears
The Vaccine Book by Barry R. Bloom & Paul-Henri Lambert
Vaccine Safety Manual for Concerned Families & Health Practitioners by: Neil Miller & Russell Blaylock
Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent’s Guide by: Aviva Jill Romm
Vaccine Epidemic by: Louise Kuo Habakus
Vaccine Illusion: An Immunologist Speaks by: Tetyana Obukhanych, PhD
Saying NO to Vaccines by: DO Sherry Tennpenny
Every Second Child by: Archie Kalokerinos
Vaccinations: Deception & Tragedy by Michael Dye
Vaccines: Are they really safe and effective? By Neil Miller
How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of your doctor by: Robert Mendelsohn, MD
A Shot in the Dark by: Harris Coulter & Barbara Loe Fisher
Evidence of Harm by: David Kirby
The Age of Autism by: Dan Olmsted & Mark Blaxill
Callous Disregard by: Andrew Wakefield
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