Laina is supposed to go in for her flu booster shot on Tuesday. She got the first one at her 6 month check up. Of course, after getting the shot, I did some research into it and it turns out there are some flu shots that contain mercury (in thimerosal, a preservative) and some don't. We had to go back to the doctor because I was worried about some eye redness that Laina had, so while there I asked about their flu shots. The doctor explained very nicely that yes, theirs does contain thimerosal, but that it's perfectly safe, she gave it to her own kid, blah blah blah.
This deeply troubles me. Of course the more research I do the more troubled I become. I know, you have to take everything you read online with a grain of salt, but it really seems there could be some serious repercussions of injecting babies with mercury. One interesting thing is that vaccine manufacturers have mostly voluntarily stopped using thimerosal, and only one or two brands still put it in their flu shots. It sounds like most of the other vaccinations for other diseases don't have it either, but I need to do a bit more research to make certain. I am going to check out a few highly recommended books from the library.
There are other issues I'm discovering with the other vaccines, but I don't feel as well-read on those so that post will have to wait until another time. Also Jay and I have been interested in "epi-genetics" which he could elaborate on much more eloquently than I could. But in a nut-shell, some people may be pre-disposed to certain diseases, and the things we do or eat or get injected with may be triggers.
So, some random chunks of food for thought which I've been thinking a lot about (not all related to the flu shot, but all shots in general):
- Why do 99% of pediatricians recommend all vaccines and the timeline suggested by the American Association of Pediatricians, when there is mounting evidence (or at least suggestive studies) that this may not be in the best interest of the child, and may have serious side effects.
- Why is is so hard to find a pediatrician who will work with the parents on possibly not getting some shots and delaying others? They look at you like you're crazy if you even bring it up.
- Don't most pediatricians have their own children, and wouldn't they be reading up on this info as much as possible? Are they just so ingrained with whatever they were taught in medical school, which may well be outdated? Or is all this "alternative" info really just junk, internet fodder, for hungry conspiracy theorists?
- Is there some sort of conspiracy between drug manufacturers and the FDA? My brother was really trying to convince me of this a few years ago and I pretty much laughed in his face, but now I'm starting to see his point...
- Why have most (but not all) drug manufacturers voluntarily removed thimerosal from their vaccines? My guess - they know something's wrong with it. Yet why hasn't the FDA mandated that it be removed? And why, oh why, does my pediatrician's office have to use the one with thimerosal, when there are others without it?
- I have decided NOT to get Laina's booster flu shot. I have to call the office today and let them know. I am not looking forward to that call.
- What to do about the rest of her vaccinations? The stuff I'm reading is pretty scary, possibly linking vaccinations to autism, Alzheimer's, and other auto-immune disorders. It sounds like there are reasonable ideas out there on delaying shots and spreading them out over more visits, instead of inundating kids with so many shots at one time (to give the body time to "recover" from each one individually). How do I bring this up to my pediatrician, and what do I do if they won't be flexible?
- Some veterinarians are even starting to re-think the numerous vaccinations our animals get. When I worked for Healthy Pet magazine I remember having articles about this very thing - inundating pets with so many vaccines and how it might be harmful. My friend's horse vet doesn't give too many shots at one time because there might be harmful side effects. Why are the doctors of our animals more concerned about this than the doctors of our children?
- Why did I even get myself into this? It would be so much easier to just be ignorant and mindlessly do what the "people who know best" say we should do.
- I'm not saying that vaccines are horrible or that I don't want Laina to get them. I just want to know that they're safe and do everything possible to ensure that the manner in which she gets them is safe.
7 comments:
A quick rundown on the epigenetics thing- we watched this episode of Nova where they talked about a surprising find from the Human Genome Project, where genes of identical twins could be turned on or off by another biochemical process that wasn't previously known. Basically, as people age, the different things they are exposed to in their environment can cause certain gene sequences to shut off, sometimes causing certain "genetic" disorders. They think that chemicals, viruses, and even emotionally traumatic events and stress can trigger permanent "genetic" changes over time.
Its a whole field that is in its infancy, but basically I think they're going to start discovering all kinds of external triggers that cause serious problems that previously were thought of as "genetic".
Crazy stuff...
I was just talking to a friend about this last night. She had said that her son was in a funk for about 6 months, starting with his 2 month shots. He rarely learned a new motor skill and showed little interest in toys. She decied to back off on vaccinations, still doing them, but just one at a time and no combo shots (the ones that may link to autism, but nobody knows) Within two weeks of his nine month appointment he began rolling continuously, crawling and pulling up. She said it was like he woke up out of a fog. Her belief is that her son is sensitive to all the junk in the shots, so letting him deal with one at a time is better. She didn't get the flu shot for her kids either.
I think I told you, but I only got Aubrey her first dose of the flu shot when she was 6 months. NOBODY TOLD ME TO SCHEDULE ANOTHER APPOITMENT. I found out from friends that it was 2 doses at her age and just decided one dose was enough. Ainsley's flu shot was mercury free this year, but not Aubrey's. I had to sign a waiver acknowledging that it didn't have mercury so maybe there are inherent risks there too.
Laina is YOUR daughter not the doctors. If they are unwilling to work with you then find a new practice.
Hi, I'm Rachel's friend from high school. I'm a total blog snooper, and I read yours from time to time. (We have kids around the same age, so it's interesting to me. :) ) Anyway, I got worried about the immunizations too, after I saw an episode of Oprah about autism. What complicates things for me is that my mom is a pediatrician and specializes in autism and ADHD. When I asked her about he link between autism and immunizations, she rolled her eyes at me and said that there's no found link. BUt I kind of feel like just becuase there is no link found doesn't mean that one doesn't exist. And even if the risk is only 1%, I'm not sure that's a risk I'm willing to take. I did a little research and found that the MMR shot at 18 months, I believe, is the "austism shot" and if you ask for the shots to be given seperately, instead of just one big shot, it's doesn't contain the mercury. I asked my pediatrician about it and he rolled his eyes too. My mom said some parents ask for that and its "a total pain in the butt." Looks like I'm going to be a total pain in the butt!
As far as the flu shots, I haven't been giving them to either of my kids. I didn't get them as a kid, and I seemed to have survived the flu. Maybe I'm totally ignorant, but I think the flu is just part of life. Oh well, you're sick for week. Mommy will take care of you, and you'll survive.
Okay, that's all. Just wanted to add my 2 cents.
i'm also a blog snooper. :) all four of my kids have been traditionally vaccinated. (i believe that when we adopted our sons we had to sign something saying they would be.) i honestly doubt that there will ever be comprehensive studies done to prove/disprove the autism link b/c pharmaceutical companies have an extremely powerful lobby, are very wealthy and wield a lot of power. there's a lot of money in vaccines.
sooooo the hard part is that all the evidence is purely anecdotal. none of my kids have had adverse reactions to their vaccines, but not every parent can say the same. it's hard b/c i feel like there's no way to get real answers. i do think pediatricians want the best for our kids. i don't like the wacky conspiracy theorists that think all traditional western medicine is evil. having seen where my sons come from i am extremely grateful for the medical care we have here!
good luck, i hope you post more about what you find out. and never feel bad for asking your doctor to do something differently--she's your baby! :)
Jenna, very interesting post. You've discovered something that I've been reading about for the past few months. One question that comes to mind is:
Why is Autism, Obesity, Diabetes, ADHD growing in numbers of affected children?
Where there's smoke there's fire. What's in a tetanus shot? Ask your doctors and see if they know. Your kids will be required to have them to go to public school.
For a drug to become classified as a "drug" it must be tested using the LD50 method. Whereby of the test subjects (lab rats) 50% died at a certain dose (Lethal Dose). If a product doesn't kill any test subjects, then it can't be considered for a drug. Good News! all drugs are toxic, so there's no need for sorting out which ones are good or bad.
After discovering about all this, I stopped using Sweet-n-low (Splenda is just as bad), Erin stopped taking all unnecessary drugs.
Problem one, most people demand quick action to their ails. Problem two, we aren't getting our propper nutrition. Even organics are grown for their weight and not nutrient value (they just weren't given pesticides). Problem three, as I don't like to come home and read more books about my job, just the same, doctors are inundated with materieals from big pharmaceuticals that they'll read before seeing an emerging technology in their own periodicals.
Wow, I guess I'm pretty passionate about this subect too. Sorry if the comment is too long, but as for me and my house, we're doing something different.
wow, I like how everyone is writing comments that are just about as long as the original post! I know this is a really hot topic right now, so this shouldn't surprise me. I did call and cancel Laina's flu booster and was surprised at how understanding the receptionist was. That's a good sign. When I go in for Laina's weight check next week I am going to see about scheduling an appointment to talk to the doctor just about vaccinations. I have heard this is really necessary if you want to have a real conversation with the doctor about it so they actually have the time to talk to you, instead of trying to have a serious conversation about it during a regular check up. My current thought is to see if they will separate the combo vaccines and spread them out.
And Joshua - I've always had a "fear" of artificial sweeteners and "regular drugs" like Tylenol and Advil, even since I was little. Not to say there aren't some good things that come out of the medical and pharmaceutical industries, just sometimes I think we are over-inundated with it.
Talking to your doctor to address your concerns, and if the doctor cannot answer your questions--find another doctor.
With so many comments in favor of delays vaccinations here, however, you should also consider the counter-argument in making your decision:
http://children.webmd.com/news/20050308/vaccination-delays-put-many-children-at-risk
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