Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Vaccine Woes

I am really struggling in weighing the pros and cons of vaccines. Bishop had his two month check up this morning and we chose not to start the recommended vaccines. I just can't imagine letting them inject his little 13 pound body with 6 different vaccines that contain live viruses. We already said no to the Hepatitis B shot when he was born even though the doctor treated me like an idiot for not doing it. If I was worried about my infant shooting up or becoming a prostitute I might have considered it otherwise it seemed unnecessary to me. There are others that I have ruled out also like Polio. There hasn't been any cases in the United States since 1979 (actually there was one case in 1985 that was caused from the vaccine but no other natural occuring cases) and the vaccine is derived from aborted fetuses! Chicken Pox, Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR), Hepatitis A and Rabies all come from aborted fetuses as well. I have also read that flu shots come aborted fetuses but I haven't looked into it to confirm it. I was shocked when I read that! Being someone who is Pro-Life it would have been nice to have been given that bit of information upfront instead of stumbling across it through my own research. I asked my doctor about this and he said "Yeah I've heard that too but I'm not sure which ones." There are alternative forms of the vaccines that are derived from monkey kidney cells and chicken embryos but you have to ask for them.
Another huge concern of mine is the risk of Autism. Autism has now reached epidemic proportions with 1 in 150 children diagnosed, boys are 4 times as likely. More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined! This is an issue that hits very close to home for us because Bishop's 8 year old uncle, Alden, is Autistic. Alden is an incredible little boy who's IQ far surpasses mine. I've never met an 8 year old who names composers and compisitons as his favorites that very few adults have heard of and reads books like The Inconvient Truth. I was completely stumped when I tried to play "name that composer " with him. Even though he is a child prodigy we don't know how he will socially function in society as an adult. It's sad because his disease possibly could have been avoided if we knew half of what we know now when he was a baby . We will never know for sure what caused his autism but with all the research being done on autism's link to vaccines that is the most logical cause. For example the measles component of the MMR vaccine has been shown to be in the brain, spinal fluid and intestines of children with autism and not in children without autistism. That is more than just a coincidence to me and I don't believe it is worth the risk. The more research I do the more uncomfortable I become. What if Bishop has a prediposition for autism and I allow something to be given to him to trigger it? This was why I was up until two o'clock last night stressed out. I guess ignorance really is bliss. I'm not saying that vaccines should never be given and I understand that they are recommended to protect us from having outbreaks of diseases and viruses but I just want more research to be done to make them safer and until then I'm staying on the fence.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It sounds like you have done alot of research and that is awsome, but you should look up the mortality and morbidity rates of autisim compared with those of the diseaes that do still occur and can be vaccinated against. That might help you with the pro's and cons. And fyi: iv drug users and prositutes are not the only people exposed to Hep B. If he ever wants to work in health care of any kind he will need the Hep B vaccine. Love you.

Bishop's Mom said...

Good points and I know that Hep B can also come from blood transfusions or from the mother if she is infected. I was actually quoting what my doctor said. And I have read about vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S. which are 1 in 1500 and I just read yesterday that autisim is actually 1 in 100. I know it's a gamble and I will give him some vaccines as a baby and then maybe some when he's older like the MMR. Measles, Mumps and Rubella are said to be rare and with very few problems but the side effects of the vaccine are the most severe like the potentiol for triggering Autisim. There is no cure for Autism unlike some other diseases that are treatable. This is why I titled it Vaccine Woes. There is too much to worry and think about my brain feels like its going to explode but I do love a friendly debate.
Love you Juls!