Thursday, November 12, 2009

To Vaccinate or Not To Vaccinate? Is It Safe?


I've been receiving a lot of emails recently regarding vaccinations. The questions range from asking about my personal beliefs on vaccines to whether or not it is safe to vaccinate at all. The other question I am often asked is if there is a "safe" vaccine schedule. Before I delve into any of this let me say this very clear, I am not a doctor and have no medical training. I am a mother of a child on the spectrum who witnessed first hand a vaccine injury in my own daughter. Due to this I have become a research machine. I think my time in journalism/news was a blessing in helping me navigate between medical journals, books, blogs, doctors interviews and other research. I also want to point out that I am not anti-vaccine. I am anti-the current vaccine schedule and anti-how 'dirty' or toxic our vaccines currently have become.

Did you know that according to the American Academy of Pediatrics current vaccine guidelines that a child today will receive 36 vaccines. Most of these by the time they are 15 months old! Compare this to the 1983 vaccine schedule of just 10 vaccines. In 1983, 1 in 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism. Today that number is a staggering 1 in 100. For boys the incidence is even higher. I am not saying it is all vaccines, but I do believe there is a connection. I also know that I witnessed first hand a healthy child drop into the dark world of autism following a group of vaccines. I do believe that a family history of autoimmune diseases combined with toxic filled vaccines were the one-two punch that delivered autism to our front door. I should also note that on top of these two things that it was also discovered my daughter was allergic to eggs and yeast. Both of these are precursors according to the DAN protocol not to receive the HepB and MMR vaccines. Both of which she did.

Click here for the current DAN vaccine guidelines. Click here for the 1983 vaccine protocol. I would also recommend that you head over to the Generation Rescue website to read more about vaccines, safe schedules and what a safer vaccine schedule looks like. Here are a few other questions that I think are important to ask:
Look at your current health and ask yourself how many vaccines did you receive as a child? Are you a healthy adult or did you need more? Does your family have an autoimmune disease (celiac disease is an autoimmune disease)? Do you or your child have food allergies or sensitivities? Egg and yeast sensitivity can be a problem with a few of the current vaccines. Do you know what each current vaccine is for and what is in them?

Here is what I do know and feel comfortable stating:

1. You are your child's advocate and have the right to say yes or no to any vaccine.
2. NEVER give a sick (even a cold!) child any vaccine
3. NEVER give a vaccine with thimerosal (mercury) in it
4. Ask to see and read the vial of the vaccine and the insert of any vaccine BEFORE it is administered.
5. Double check the expiration date of the vaccine.
6. Space out vaccines and break apart/space apart any double/triple all-in-one vaccines
7. Talk to a DAN! doctor before having a vaccine done to make sure your child is healthy enough and has done enough pre- and post-supplements regarding a vaccine.

I hope that this blog will make you stop, think and do your own research. I really don't feel that I should or can tell any other parent what is right for their child. I do believe though that I am supposed to put the questions out there and make you stop and think. Too often we are told by doctors or someone else what is best for our child. We believe that because they have a higher level of education and have passed rigorous tests that they know what is best. I think we transfer our children's advocacy to others all to often and all to easy. I have done it in the past and I have to constantly remind myself not to do it again.

Faith, Hope & Healing-
Melissa