[JeanLynn81]

A friend of mine, with a child the same age as mine, has been reading a book about things doctors don't tell parents about immunizations. She has brought to my attention that many of the recommended and almost automatically given ones are not only unecessary, but dangerous as well! She didn't have enough time to get specific. Of course now, I have lots of questions and decided to start here.

Which ones would actually be considered unecessary? Why?

Did you choose to not give your child some of them and why?

I thought most daycares wouldn't take a child that isn't up-to-date on recommended immunizations, as well as some schools-Is this true?

What are the dangers?(other than the usual sleepiness and slightly raised temperature.)

Any information you have is very much appreciated. Thanks!

[mama2riley]

She has brought to my attention that many of the recommended and almost automatically given ones are not only unecessary, but dangerous as well!

Do you mind me asking what her source is for this information? There is a lot of "anti-vaccine/medication" literature out there that isn't necessarily backed up with medical studies and research. Just wondering if you have more infomation about where this is coming from.

[JeanLynn81]

Well I've always been more of a go-with-the-doctor kind of girl. I never thought to question something that is protecting my child from something that could possibly kill her! I forgot the name of the book-sorry! I will get more info when I get the chance...

[mama2riley]

Just some info to throw out there:

http://www.marquette.localhealth.net...CCINE%20SAFETY

CONCERNS ABOUT VACCINE SAFETY

• Sometimes parents and care givers of children are concerned about the safety of vaccines. A person may find much conflicting information on whether to immunize or not, much of which is not based on sound science. Here is a web site with information on what has happened to "unprotected people" in their own words or the words of their loved ones. http://www.immunize.org Here you will find many stories as well as other information that may be helpful for you.

http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/immun...ine_safety.htm

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/401_vacc.html

[twinzplus3]

That is true--that they are unnecessary in one sense--BUT it used to be that people contracted these diseases all the time. Vaccinations pretty much have wiped out diseases or lessoned their severity a gazillion fold. (Who gets polio in the US anymore?) So if a mass of people started not vaccinating--who's to say that these diseases wouldn't pop up again as they are prevalent in other parts of the world?! So my short answer is yes, you should probably have your child vaccinated. There are some materials in vaccinations that SOME research suggests MIGHT be harmful but you can ask for different versions of the same vaccine. I would talk to your child's pedi and ask very specific questions. It's likely that he/she has heard it all before and will have some good answers for you.
[quote=JeanLynn81]
Which ones would actually be considered unecessary? Why? None

Did you choose to not give your child some of them and why?--No although we did delay them and/or spread them apart due to some of my babies' reactions.

I thought most daycares wouldn't take a child that isn't up-to-date on recommended immunizations, as well as some schools-Is this true?
I don't know of any day cares except religious ones (where the religion would find the vaccination unacceptable), that will take a child w/o up to date vaccinations. For public schools you can use a religious exemption if you have sincerley held religious beliefs against vaccinating. Otherwise--yes, they have to be vaccinated.

What are the dangers?(other than the usual sleepiness and slightly raised temperature.) I am sensing another blog topic coming on. . .look for it soon!

[babydawn]

I am going to have to agree with the rest of the ladies on here.... vaccinate your kids. Anyone can write a book about vacines being harmful, I highly doubt it has had the extensive scientific studies to back it's findings that the vaccines have had before they even offer it.

[kimchee67]

I believe the book that you are referring to is called What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations by Stephanie Cave, M.D. F.A.A.F.P. It is not just written by a "somebody" it is actually written by a doctor, who isn't anti-vaccination, she does give them in her practice. I would recommend reading the book for yourself or at least looking it over. She really stresses parents making an informed decision about vaccinations instead of just blindly choosing a side (either full vaccinations on schedule or anti-vaccination) Her book is based on extensive research that is all cited in her book. I think it's really important to read it for yourself because there is a lot of information that can't easily be relayed to another person. She also offers important links and other resources to check out to further your research. I understand that it can be hard to question authority, especially medical authority (my mom's a nurse, so I was raised to trust Western medicine), but I think that it is important to make informed decisions.

[kimchee67]

Which ones would actually be considered unecessary? Why?

None...kinda. I think that the Varicella vaccine is unnecessary, but others may disagree.

Did you choose to not give your child some of them and why?

We are not going to get Scarlet vaccinated for Pneumococcal because there has not been enough research on the safety of the vaccine. Also, it is only effective against 7 strains. There are another 83 strains that it does not vaccinate for. I would rather allow them to further research the vaccine before giving it to her. We are also opting against the Varicella vaccination. We are going to wait until she is schoo-aged and then test her immunity. I would rather her get chicken-pox on her own if possible. There is concern that vaccination against chicken-pox at such a young age is causing it to become a more "adult" condition, because immunity from the vaccination can wear off making multiple vaccinations necessary. (Instead of contracting it and being immune for life) The problem with getting it as an adult is that it is more severe and can cause shingles.

I thought most daycares wouldn't take a child that isn't up-to-date on recommended immunizations, as well as some schools-Is this true?

This depends on the state in which you live. You are allowed to object to vaccinations based on medical, religious, or philosophical reasons. The exemptions vary by state. For instance, I live in California so I can object for any of these three reasons. On the other hand, if I lived in Oregon I could only object for medical or religious reasons. Here is a link to the state exemption information on the National Vaccine Information Center's page:
http://www.909shot.com/state-site/state-exemptions.htm

What are the dangers?(other than the usual sleepiness and slightly raised temperature.

The book that I previously referred to goes through in great detail the adverse reactions that may be associated with certain vaccinations, but there are three main types of adverse reactions: toxic, autoimmune, and infectious. In vaccines that contain a killed bacteria, the bacteria can release toxins into the blood stream. If they reach the brain they can cause neurological problems. Vaccines are supposed to jumpstart the body's own immune response, the body can have an autoimmune response, attacking a part of the body that is similar to the vaccine. Also, vaccines that contain live viruses may cause the disease that they are intended to vaccinate against.

This being said, we have still decided that Scarlet will get vaccinations. We have opted against the above said, but have also created our own timeline for the vaccinations she will receive. In our plan, her vaccinations will start at 4 months. She will be given most of her vaccinations in separate components, be given only one vaccination per visit, and given all thimersol-free vaccinations.

[Alejandros Mommy]

I would rather her get chicken-pox on her own if possible. There is concern that vaccination against chicken-pox at such a young age is causing it to become a more "adult" condition, because immunity from the vaccination can wear off making multiple vaccinations necessary. (Instead of contracting it and being immune for life) The problem with getting it as an adult is that it is more severe and can cause shingles.

I agree. We are not giving Aiden this shot either. I feel the same way. With Both of uses being Nurses we also feel their is no reason for him to get this. If Aiden doesn't get CP by 10 we will get him vaccinated...but we will try to let him develop his own immunity for it

[goodenough]

Are you talking about meeee? The book Kimchee mentioned is the one I'm reading. It's very levelheaded and written by a doc.

Originally Posted by JeanLynn81

Which ones would actually be considered unecessary? Why?

That depends on how you feel about the disease. I think flu, chickenpox and polio (in the US) are 100% unnecessary. The only cases of polio in the US since the 70's were from the old oral Polio vaccine. It's essentially gone.

Did you choose to not give your child some of them and why?

No more for Lorelei. There are no adequate CONTROLLED studies out on vaxs and until there are, we won't be vaxing. A controlled study would be one that involves a group of vax'd kids versus a grop of unvax'd kids. NOT a retroactive look at medical records, which is an incomplete look at a child's reaction to a vaccine.

I thought most daycares wouldn't take a child that isn't up-to-date on recommended immunizations, as well as some schools-Is this true?

Private daycares, I'm not sure. Schools, 48 of 50 states allow for religious exemption. You do NOT have to belong to a particular organization and the church you attend does not have to explicitly oppose vaccinations. You sign a statement that you are religiously opposed and you are NOT legaly required to discuss your beliefs further.

What are the dangers?(other than the usual sleepiness and slightly raised temperature.)

Autoimmune disease, including diabetes, eczema, allergies, asthma as well as convulsions, seizures, brain swelling, autism and death.

The single best website I've found on the issue is 909shot.com. They are NOT "anti vax" and ALL their sources are cited and (YES) based on medical studies. I don't pay attention to scare mongering sites that don't have evidence to back them up, thank you. Just because I'm not a doctor doesn't mean I can't read or that I'm stupid. 909shot is the oldest Vaccine Safety group in the US. They advocate for education and full disclosure about vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) and vaccines.

And while I'm on the "doctors don't know everything" train of thought, did you know that, according to the CDC, doctors are required by Federal law to give their patients a Vaccine Information Statement (VIS), created by the CDC, anytime they vaccinate your child?
LINK It includes the risks and benefits of the vax they receive. I've had vaxs at 2 different doctor's offices and NEITHER one gave me my VIS. I have heard this from most people. I think that is shameful neglect on the part of a profession that thinks they know better than their "uneducated" patients. I think that many doctors think they should just do whatever they think is best for their patients without full disclosure, and that's wrong.

Anyway, more links:
A chart on SIDS from the CDC
Scroll to the bottom to see the chart that indicates that SIDS peaks at 2 months. When the first big round of shots is in the US. I do not believe this is a coincidence. I'll see if I can find more links later.

A chart with the US mortality rates of VPDs
You can see that the MORTALITY rates of those VPDs had already come to a screaching halt BEFORE the vaxs were invented. Vaccine makers like to act like they are saving the darn world, that we'd all be dropping dead of measles if it weren't for them. Patently untrue. Better hygeine, sanitation and nutrition had already lowered the rates of disease and modern medicine had reduced the death rates even more.

A link to package insert PDFs from the vax makers own websites. (most of them)
You can read for yourself what is in a vaccine. For instance, the DTaP (diptheria, tetnus and pertussis) includes aluminum and formaldahyde.
You can also look under "Indications and Usage" to see what ages receive that vaccine. W/ DTaP it's approved for 6 weeks to 6 years. So your 10 lb 2 month old gets the same amount of toxic chemicals that your 45 lb 6 year old would get. I find this troublesome.

Also, and I don't know the rules here about linking to other forums, but if you go to Mothering.com and find their forums there is a forum for vaccines and there are women on there that have studied vaccines (and autism, etc) more than your pedi, I guarantee it. Don't believe EVERYTHING you read, but they're an excellent resource because they can direct you in the right direction.