Vaccinations

I can’t think of any topic more controversial than vaccinations. I believe that every parent wants their children to be as healthy as possible and their children live life to the fullest. I know, because I am a proud parent of two children. Vaccination is a medical procedure that carries a risk of injury or death. As a parent, it is your responsibility to become educated about the benefits and risks of vaccines in order to make the most informed responsible vaccination decisions. You will be pressured by schools, relatives, social workers, pediatricians and others to vaccinate. In fact, the pressure can be overwhelming. You owe it to yourself and most importantly to your children to get all the facts before making decisions which may affect your children for the rest of their lives.

Your doctor is required by law to provide you with vaccine benefit/risk information materials before your child is vaccinated. Your doctor is required to keep a permanent record of all vaccinations given, including the vaccine manufacturer’s name and lot numbers. You are entitled to a copy of it. Your doctor is required by law to report all adverse events, including injuries and deaths that occur within 30 days after vaccination to federal health authorities. If your child is left permanently brain damaged or dies as a result of a vaccine reaction, you may be entitled to benefits under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986. By 2004, the federal vaccine injury compensation program (VAERS) had compensated nearly 2,000 families at a cost of $1.5 billion.

Most states have a personal beliefs exemption and/or a religious beliefs exemption from vaccination. In California, CCR Section 6051 grants personal beliefs exemption. You will be required to sign an exemption form when your children begin school.

Sadly, vaccine injuries to children are more common than we have been led to believe. I spent a great deal of time gleaning through websites, journals, books and CD’s. I discussed and occasionally argued vaccine issues with my personal doctor, colleagues, family and friends. Below is a summary of some of the data I reviewed:

· The first cases of autism emerged in the U.S. at a time when vaccination against whooping cough was becoming increasingly popular.

· Vaccination causes autism through brain inflammation (encephalitis).

· Autism, while rare before mass vaccination programs began is now a widespread disorder.

· The Vaccine Compensation Bill of 1986 provided for the establishment of a committee under the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine to review data on vaccine damage. Their reports in 1989 and 1993 establish the existence of a causal relationship between the DPT vaccine and encephalitis.

· In 1900, there were 13.3 deaths per 100,000 cases of measles. By 1955, before the measles vaccination was introduced, the rate had dropped by 97.7% to 0.03 deaths per 100,000.

· In 1958, there were 800,000 cases of measles. In 1962, the year before the vaccination was introduced, that number dropped by 300,000. For the next four years children were vaccinated and the number of cases dropped by another 300,000. Embarrassingly for the vaccine manufacturers, it was found that the vaccine was completely ineffective, discontinued, and later replaced by a new vaccine.

· The peak incidence of measles is now occurring in adolescents and young adults, and the risk of pneumonia and demonstrable liver abnormalities has increased from 3 percent to 20 percent. Why young adults and adolescents? Because the vaccine prevented them from developing permanent natural immunity in childhood. Artificial immunity through vaccination is temporary, if that — that’s why during measles epidemics, the majority of those developing the disease had been fully vaccinated.

· Medical doctors frequently cite the example of polio to prove that vaccination works. Yet in Europe, polio epidemics ended at the same time despite the fact that there were no mass vaccinations.

· The British medical journal Lancet (J. Trueta and R. Hodes, “Provoking and Localizing Factors in Poliomyelitis” 1954: 998–99) states: “Some of the factors provoking or increasing the severity of polio include vaccination, trauma, tonsillectomies, Pertussis vaccination, and the injection of cortisone and penicillin.”

· William F. Koch, M.D., Ph.D. stated that: “The injection of any serum, vaccination or penicillin has shown a very marked increase in the incidence of polio: at least 400%. Statistics on this are so conclusive, no one can deny it.”

· In Los Angeles in 1949, after the largest smallpox vaccination campaign, an epidemic of polio broke out within two weeks. Twenty-six deaths and 1,900 cases were reported.

· In 1961, there was a type III polio outbreak in Massachusetts. There were more paralytic cases in the triple vaccinates than in the unvaccinated.

· In 1983, UCLA School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics and the Los Angeles County health department performed a study of 145 SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) victims. Of this number, 53 had received DPT shots in close proximity to their deaths. Twenty-seven died within 28 days of being vaccinated, 17 of those within a week after receiving the DPT shot, and six died within 24 hours. The researchers concluded that these findings “further substantiate a possible association” between DPT shots and SIDS. (Baraff, L., M.D. et al., Pediatric Infectious Diseases, January 1983.)

· One in 875 DPT shots produces convulsions, shock, brain inflammation and even death.

· In her book, Vaccination: The Medical Assault on the Immune System, Viera Scheibner, Ph.D., states “Vaccination is the epitome of ignorance and the unscientific approach to illness. Immunizations, including those practiced on babies, not only did not prevent any infectious diseases, they caused more suffering and deaths than has any other human activity in the entire history of medical intervention. It will be decades before the mopping-up after the disasters caused by childhood vaccination will be completed. All vaccination should cease forthwith and all victims of their side-effects should be appropriately compensated.”

· In congressional hearings, Martin H. Smith, M.D., president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, stated that there is no accurate reporting of reactions to vaccines. Edward N. Brandt M.D., assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services, concurred with Senator Henry Waxman of California that in general physicians do not recognize vaccine reactions and attribute them to some other cause.

· If there’s no accurate reporting of reactions to vaccines as Dr. Smith says above, and if physicians often don’t even know a reaction when one occurs, as Dr. Brandt acknowledges, how can we be so confidently assured that the risk of reaction is small? (Black, D., Immunizations, Compulsion or Choice? 1989 p. 7.)

· We are beginning to see some of the long-term effects of mass inoculation programs. For example, girls who were vaccinated against measles never developed natural immunity to the disease and had no immunity to pass on to their babies. Once infant measles was rare, now it is more common.

· A study compared DPT (or DTP) and non-DPT vaccinated children. 23.1% of the vaccinated children had asthma episodes and 30% had allergic illnesses. The non-vaccinated had 0% (none) asthma or other allergic illness. Kemp, T, Pearce, N., Fitzharris, P. Is infant immunization a risk factor for childhood asthma or allergy? Epidemiology. 1997;8:678-680

· American Children are the most vaccinated children in the world. By the time a child is 6-months-old they are injected with 45 different vaccines; by the time they’re 18-months-old it’s 64 and when they are 4 to 6-years-old that number jumps to (at least) 74 (2003 vaccination schedule. We’re counting DPT as three, MMR as three and Prevnar as seven, etc.).

Robert Mendelsohn, M.D., who said so many things so well:

The greatest threat of childhood diseases lies in the dangerous and ineffectual efforts made to prevent them through mass immunization. Much of what you have been led to believe about immunizations simply isn't true... If I were to follow my deep convictions ... I would urge you to reject all inoculations for your child.

There is no convincing scientific evidence that mass inoculations can be credited with eliminating any childhood disease.... If immunizations were responsible for the disappearance of these diseases in the United States, one must ask why they disappeared simultaneously in Europe, where mass immunizations did not take place. (Mendelsohn, R., How to Raise a Healthy Child ... In Spite of Your Doctor. Ballantine Books/New York, 1984.)

Today, a growing number of parents, scientists, and clinicians are convinced that childhood vaccinations cause or contribute to much of the chronic illness abounding in the U.S. and other industrialized nations. These diseases and conditions include autism, allergies, asthma, multiple sclerosis, meningitis, stuttering, vision and hearing problems, dyslexia and other learning disorders, various neurological and immunological disorders and crib death. All these conditions were exceedingly rare prior to mass immunization.

Alternative doctors are not alone in their traditional opposition to vaccinations. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) calls for an end to mandatory childhood vaccines: Our children face the possibility of death or serious long-term adverse effects from mandated vaccines that aren’t necessary or that have very limited benefits…. Parents…should make decisions about their children’s medical care — not government bureaucrats. Jane M. Orient, M.D., AAPS Executive Director, November 2, 2000. (www.aapsonline.org).

The most basic question is: Are vaccinated children healthier than non-vaccinated children? After decades of vaccination, we are among the sickest people in the world. Nearly half of Americans (in all age groups) suffer from at least one chronic illness: allergies, heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy, arthritis, cancer, autoimmune disease, mental illness, etc. One-fifth of Americans have two or more chronic illnesses. Chronic illnesses cause 70% of all deaths, reports the Center for Disease Control (CDC). (www.whale.to/m/illness.html).

Research increasingly implicates vaccination as the main reason for much of the chronic disease today.

There simply is no proof that vaccinated children are healthier than non-vaccinated children. No government or drug company has ever compared the health of vaccinated and non-vaccinated children to see which group has less chronic disease; higher mortality; less neurological and immunological illness; less learning disorders; less cancer, diabetes and epilepsy; higher IQ; better emotional health and less illness overall.

Vaccine researchers often say, “The incidence of neurological and other diseases that occurred in the vaccinated group was no different than that which you would normally expect in a group of children.” They are referring to “background incidence”, the diseases and conditions expected to pop up in a random population. But there is no known “background incidence” for non-vaccinated children. When vaccines are tested, vaccinated and non-vaccinated children are not compared. This is done with most drugs but vaccine research runs by its own set of rules: the vaccinated or test children are compared to children vaccinated with a different vaccine (the “control” group). If both groups are similar in outcome the vaccine is reported as safe. There is a term for this type of research: junk (or quack) science.

To summarize, there is no proof that vaccinated children are healthier. In fact, the reverse seems to be true.

Vaccination safety has not been established. Long term studies have not been performed. Cancer studies required for medication safety standards are not conducted for vaccinations. The Interactions between vaccines have never been evaluated yet vaccines are routinely given in combinations, such as the DPT (Diphtheria – Pertussis – Tetanus) shot. A significant number of reports demonstrate that vaccinations can permanently damage the nervous system, making our children more vulnerable to a plethora of lifetime physical and emotional problems.

I advise you to get informed. There are many resources available to you. Here is a list of recommended books:

· Vaccination, Social Violence and Criminality by Harris l. Coulter, Ph.D.

· Vaccines, Autism and Childhood Disorders: Crucial Data That Could Save Your Child’s Life by Neil Z. Miller

· Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective? A Parent’s Guide to Childhood Shots by Neil Z. Miller

· What Every Parent Should Know About Childhood Immunization by Jamie Murphy

· Childhood Vaccination: Questions Every Parent Should Ask by Tedd Koren, D.C.

· Vaccination and Behavioral Disorders – A Review of the Controversy by Greg Wilson

· Impossible Cure – The Promise of Homeopathy by Amy L. Lansky, Ph.D.

· The Coulter Reader by Harris L. Coulter, Ph.D.

· The Vaccine Guide: Making An Informed Choice by Randall Neustaedter, O.M.D.

· A Shot in the Dark by Harris L. Coulter, Ph.D.

· Immunization Resource Guide by Diane Rosrio

· The Sanctity of Human Blood: Vaccination is Not Immunization by Tim O’Shea, D.C.

Don’t be intimidated by medical personnel and forced into a vaccination decision before you are comfortable with your decision. Become educated about childhood diseases and vaccination. Check out the following websites for additional information: www.909shot.com, www.thinktwice.com,

and  www.mercola.com. Remember, you have the ultimate responsibility for your children’s health and well-being and you, not your doctor or state or federal health officials, will live with, and be responsible for, the consequences of your decision.

Your family, friends, schools, doctors, clergy and others may have strong pro-vaccination opinions. As you educate yourself, share your findings with them. Most will be very surprised by the data. It’s great that we live in a country that allows for freedom of choice. I thank you for reading this section on vaccinations. Your children will thank you later.

As informed parents, my wife and I decided against vaccinating our children. By doing so, we believe we are protecting our children. Our daughter is 11 and our son is four. They are vibrant, happy and healthy.

Do You Know What's In A Vacine? By Ted Koren, D.C.

• Ammonium sulfate (salt) – suspected gastrointestinal, liver, nerve and respiratory system poison
• Beta-propiolactone – known to cause cancer. Suspected gastrointestinal, liver, nerve and sense organ poison
• Genetically modified yeast, animal, bacterial & viral DNA – can be incorporated into the recipient’s DNA and cause unknown genetic mutations
• Latex rubber – can cause life-threatening allergic reactions
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG) – Being studied for mutagenic, teratogenic (developmental malformation and monstrosities) and reproductive effects. A neurotoxin. Allergic reactions can range from mild to severe
• Aluminum – Implicated as a cause of brain damage; suspected factor in Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, seizures and comas. Allergic reactions can occur on skin
• Formaldehyde (Formalin) – Major constituent of embalming fluid; poisonous if ingested. Probable cancer causing agent. Suspected liver, immune system, nerve, and reproductive system poison. Linked to Leukemia, brain, colon and lymphatic cancer
• Micro-organisms – Live and killed virus and bacterial or their toxins. The polio vaccine was contaminated with a monkey virus now turning up in human bone, lung-lining (mesothelioma), brain tumors and lymphomas.
• Polysorbate 80 – know to cause cancer in animals
• Tri(n)butylphosphate – Suspected kidney and nerve poison
• Glutaraldehyde – Poisonous if ingested. Causes birth defects in experimental animals
• Gelatin- Produced from selected pieces of calf and cattle skins, de-mineralized cattle bones and pork skin. Allergic reactions have been reported
• Gentamicin sulfate & polymixin B (antibiotics) – Allergic reactions can range form mild to life threatening
• Mercury (Thimerosol) – One of the most poisonous substances known. Has an affinity for the brain, gut, liver, bone marrow and kidneys. Minute amounts can cause nerve damage. Symptoms of mercury toxicity are similar to those of autism.
• Neomycin sulfate (antibiotic) – Interferes with Vitamin B6 absorption. An error in the uptake of B6 can cause a rare form of epilepsy and mental retardation. Allergic reactions can range from mild to life threatening.
• Phenol/phenoxyethanol (2-PE) – uses as antifreeze. Toxic to all cells and capable of disabling the immune system’s primary response mechanism.
• Human & animal cells – Human cells from aborted fetal tissue and human albumin. Pig blood, horse blood, rabbit brain, guinea pig, dog kidney, cow heart, monkey kidney, chick embryo, chicken egg, duck egg, calf serum, sheep blood and others.