First of all. Holy cow (I’m vegan, I can say that right?)! Thank you to all of you who have commented (or will comment) on the vaccination issue. All of your comments and thoughts are helpful and have caused me to think about the issue in a new light.
So thank you.
I wish I had time to reply to each comment, as each one was well-thought out and delivered. As everyone presented a slightly different perspective, can you see why this issue is not as cut and dry as “just do it!” ?
A few things regarding the comments.
I agree doctor’s are not gods. They are professionals, yes, and even though they all receive similar training, opinions, biases, and other differences will affect the care they deliver to their patients. And really, I think it a little naive to think that doctors and other health care professionals do not have any particular bias towards pharmaceutical companies (do you have any idea how much money these companies make??), which do have a vested interest in the care doctors deliver their patients.
I do think taking preventative measures to prevent illness (other than diet, though supreme, is not the end all, be all) are warranted. Keeping a clean house, sterilizing/washing dishes before you use them, not sneezing or coughing on others when you are sick, and other methods of basic hygiene are important. Immunizations seem to be a part of all that as well. That said, where do we draw the line? If our immune systems are NEVER challenged, and we create an uber-sterile environment that should we encounter a mutated virus or some such other super-disease, would our immune system be up to the task (especially in light of the fact that many Americans are not in a good state of health otherwise)? I’m okay with my children experiencing the occasional cold, flu, and even chickenpox (which is natural inoculation for shingles as an adult) because these sicknesses challenge their immunity (and in most cases, without being life threatening), but at the same time also strengthen their immunity to be better equipped to fight future sickness. I’m also okay with my children playing in the dirt, being exposed to a certain amount of bacteria. That said, I agree with one of the comments made regarding diseases like polio. I’m also glad I can take my children swimming and not fear that a member of my family may contract a life-threatening, debilitating disease. And of all the vaccines, polio seems to be one of those that really makes a case for itself.
I also wish there was more long term research regarding the safety and efficacy of certain vaccinations. But it really is extremely difficult, if not nearly impossible to totally isolate and look at one vaccination at a time, and it’s long term effects as most children are vaccinated with multiple vaccinations in addition to the fact that are are dozens and dozens of other factors to take into account. This is similar to polypharmacology, or the practice of doctors to prescribe multiple medications for patients. Doctors may say they do this because it’s in the patients best interest, but it also covers their (the doc’s) legal hind-end from future lawsuits–patients who might say the doctor didn’t do enough for their particular illness (in terms of giving them the meds they needed) AND it also makes it pretty darn-near impossible for patients to come back and say that a particular medication caused this and this side effect (because when you’re on several at one time, it makes it very difficult to know which one exactly caused which side effect). Over the long-term though, many vaccinations (such as the polio vaccine), have proven to do much good, and the it seems the benefits have far outweighed the risks.
The idea of inoclulation makes a great deal of sense. Experience the illness or disease at a very low-grade level, enough to give your body a chance create immunity against it. I don’t have a problem with this idea. It has worked, “naturally” (get measels or chicken pox as a kid and get lifetime immunity, for example) and via vaccinations, millions of times over.
My dilemma seems to be with the additives, as well as the amount overall and at one time (multiple vaccinations in one visit) which has increased in recent years (currently, from birth to age 18, nearly 70 doses of 16 vaccines will be administered to a child). I know, I know, my pediatrician say that the additives/preservatives as well as administering several vaccinations in one sitting is completely safe. But still…I, like every other concerned parent out there, just want to do what’s in my child’s best interest. And it is interesting to note that the amount of vaccinations required now has multiplied since when I was a kid (which wasn’t that long ago).
On another related note. I went to my pediatrician’s office yesterday (taking three kids anywhere during the frozen, bone-chilling winter months is not my idea of a good time, in case you’re wondering). My son needed a simple iron-level test done, as required by his preschool (he had a great iron level, btw!). While I was there I requested more information on the vaccination schedule and vaccinations in general. I was handed a vaccination schedule with a list of the vaccinations as well as a flyer from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education Center (the same handout my pediatrician had given me previously). The schedule, aside from the recommended timeline, wasn’t very helpful. And the handout mostly included answers to questions with the intent to address the questions of a concerned parent. The handout seemed to say, “stop worrying, you silly parent!” So, I didn’t find either one particularly helpful (their website seems to be very thorough however).
So far, here’s what I know (almost!) for sure, about vaccinations and my family:
1) Some vaccines are crucial (polio, in particular).
2) Other vaccinations are not as crucial. (flu and chickenpox, hepatitis B)
3) I want to do a modified schedule (which I already have to some extent), one vaccine at a time (Is this possible with the MMR–measles, mumps, rubella? or do you have to get them together now?).
4) I want to have a respectful relationship with my pediatrician, one in which I will not be talked down to, or chided for having a different viewpoint.
5) Vaccines are not a cure against everything. In fact, they are not 100% guaranteed to protect against a particular disease. As they say, there are few guarantees in this life, but we do the best we can with the knowledge we have. It becomes a logical slippery slope when have the mindset that all we need to do is get our shots and we’re “safe,” while not addressing what we eat, how we move, sleep, ect. It seems counterproductive to wait three hours in line to get your seasonal flu shot so you will be protected from the flu, then to proceed to McDonald’s for burger, fries and a milkshake (which, I don’t think I need to say this, but I’m going to anyway, are not immunity-boosting, health promoting foods!~).
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