Vaccine Schedule II

I posted these in the wrong order read Vaccine Schedule first to get a better idea to what I am responding to.
I received a comment on my free info Friday (thank you) and wanted to respond. As I started I realized it was going to be quite lengthy, I was also aware that Kristen was more than likely stating what most people thought. So I have responded below. Please note when reading this that it was written to show what I have learned, and to share my personal journey. Tone cannot be heard when reading a blog, please read this with my nice voice in your head and know that this comes from my heart. When I urge you to research vaccines it isn’t to get you to agree with me it is simply to get you to research.

Kristen said
Uh oh Marci. You have struck a sore spot for me with this one. I am a big fan of getting vaccines. I believe that half of the reason that people don't have to get immunized is that so many of us did that most of these diseases/illnesses have disappeared because of that. And by not having your children immunized you are taking a huge risk-with so many people coming from other countries where they carry diseases that we can help take care of-they can get these. But yes, you don't have to have them when they are recommended, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't get them.

Kristen,
Thank you so much for you comments. I am glad to know that people actually read what I write on Fridays whether they agree or not. I can hear myself in your comments; I was saying that exact thing 2 years ago. Several Fridays ago I wrote about my progression to not vaccinating anymore. I had your exact same sentiments. Everyone needs to be vaxed, the diseases are deadly, and those who are not vaxxing are putting MY children at risk. More specifically my sister-in-law, who wasn’t vaxxing her daughter was putting my children at risk because they were exposed to each other all the time. I asked my pediatrician what risk were my kids at? I was actually surprised at his answer, he hesitated a little and replied a little bit but don’t make that stop you from seeing her. I had my first 3 vaccinated with EVERYTHING! Before we left to come to Georgia I specifically asked for them to receive everything they would need, and/or could get because I didn’t know when we would be getting health insurance. So they got it ALL. So please believe me, when I say I know what you are thinking, I literally do.

My kids haven’t suffered from any noticeable reaction to vaccines, thankfully, and that is actually not my only reasoning behind my decision to not vaccinate. When I knew that I would have to look into it, I did so with the attitude that I would be convincing Danny that we did in fact NEED to continue vaxxing our kids. The first web site I visited was Thinktwice.com. I am going to be honest I don’t remember my reaction to it, other than I knew that I needed to do more research. For me, the website that furthered my decision to research even more was the CDC website.

The first vaccine that I decided against washepatitis B. It is ironic that I actually decided against this 6 years ago when I had Alison and Lisa. I signed the form and REFUSED the shot at birth. I had no idea how vaccines were supposed to work, but I did know that my little children who were born 6 weeks early didn’t need anymore taxing their little systems at that time, and it felt right to say no. The nurses messed up and gave one of the girls the shot. They came rushing in, asked me to sign a consent form, this was maybe 3 hours after I had given birth, I was in no condition to think what had happened through (can you say lawsuit?). At any rate I wanted the vaccine tracking the same for both and said well go ahead and do the other one as well. Four years later I learned that I was right in my thinking. Another Free Info Friday that I have posted is about hepatitis B. This was the first, and for me the easiest, vaccine to just say no to. It is mainly contracted as an STD, blood transfer, or dirty needle transfer. The CDC openly admits the reason they vaccinate babies is that they are unable to get their desired results when they try to get the vaccines to the target group, homosexuals, and drug users. It was a domino effect after that, some vaccines easier to make the decision about than others. The hardest part in all of this was probably telling my parents. I knew that they wouldn’t like the decision, but I knew in my heart it was right for my family.

I made this choice just over two years ago, I haven’t stopped researching since. The more I learn the more convinced I am in the choice that we made. I understand the desire to think that what your doctor is telling you is pure truth. However, after researching I have learned that I need to do additional research every time my doctor give me a diagnosis, and look at both sides of the coin, because, the doctor is only giving me his side of the story. This was put to the test several months after moving to Georgia. I was at the “women” doctor and was told I had some type of bacterial infection. When I asked the doctor to provide me more specifics about it, he looked surprised fumbled over his words for a few minutes, and then told me to read about it in the package insert of the medication he was going to give me to treat it. I don’t think he was a bad doctor, but all he was doing was reiterating to me the results of a urine sample, you don’t need a medical degree to do that, he wasn’t even vaguely familiar with the condition. A whole other side to this argument is the way the pharmaceutical industry has intertwined itself into the FDA. All of the pharmaceutical industry is protected by the federal government, read, they cannot be sued or be held accountable for any adverse reaction to the vaccines they provide. That in itself is a whole other topic, so I will leave it at that (for now). A great book that really educated me on the FDA is Death by Prescription. This book was neither pro or anti anything it really just layed the facts out there.
To address you comment about the diseases being in decline since mass vaccinations were put into effect in the I have learned that this is not so. The diseases were actually in decline before this happened. Many of the diseases were a result of poor sanitation, dirty living conditions, contaminated water, and improper nutrition. As these conditions improved the instances of the diseases decreased. When mass vaccinations started there was actually an increase of the disease again, before they fell. Won’t you be surprised to know that I would have no problem having my children exposed to any of these diseases. I do not understand the fear of vaccinated children being around non-vaxed kids, and remember I was once one of the fearful mothers. If the vaccines do in fact work, where is the harm? Look at the number of vaccines your children receive, aren’t you just as much of a threat to them as my un-vaxed child because you haven’t been vaccinated either? The chicken pox vaccine is actually a live vaccine, and it is advisable that you not be around anyone with a compromised immune system for 6 weeks after receiving the shot. So in reality, there is no way of knowing who the “true” carries of the diseases are, but society is ready to point the finger at the non vaxxed child. Many argue in behalf of “herd” immunity. They use this in the case of small pox, a disease that is eradicated. Only 10% of the world population received the vaccine, yet the disease is eradicated.

I have also had a chance to learn the reality of the disease, the actual dangers associated with it, and the body’s power to heal itself. My children haven’t been to the pediatrician for illness in almost 2 ½ years. The only times we have gone is to get the paper work signed for school. Nathan only went for his 2 week check up.
Did you get the chicken pox when you were little? Ask if your parents know anyone who had the mumps, or measles. My grandma sent my dad to school with the mumps! Rotavirus one of the newest vaccines, is something I saw my OWN children get, and weathered it just fine.

The final, and for me the most important reason that we no longer vaccinate is the power within the human body. It has been amazing to me to learn the capabilities of the body. This does delve into chiropractic philosophy, and the importance of being in alignment, for more info on the visit my other blog WhyChiropractic. How many years did mankind exist without these vaccines? I know the argument to that is the deaths associated with the diseases, but as I addressed before the conditions that existed then don’t exist now. We are all exposed daily to hundreds of thousands of viruses, bacteria, and disease. What impacts whether or not we develop the condition is directly related to the health of our bodies. Just because you are exposed to someone who is ill is only part of what would cause you to get sick. The other (more important, and controllable) part is the state of well being that you are in.
Again I ask that if you have done research, and yes this means more than just asking your pediatrician what they think, and have decided that having your child receive a vaccine is best, than I can support that decision. However, if you do this without ever giving it a second thought, because a man with white coat and stethoscope says you should, I would implore you to do more research. I realized how blindly I vaccinated my first three when someone pointed out to me: I researched the car seat for safety, the stroller, and the crib, I baby proofed every inch of my house, and made sure everyone washed there hands before they even looked at my baby. I didn’t give the safety or necessity of vaccines second thought. You can always choose to wait, you can’t un-vaccinate. Stay tuned for this Fridays free info, do you know What's In a Vaccine.