Vaccines - Happy Valley,OR

I had my first child fully vaccinated, then after a bad reaction to her shots at one year, I started doing tons of research on them. I agree with you, I don't think there is one right or wrong answer on this very complicated issue. But based on my circumstances and my own extensive research, I decided not to vaccinate my second or third child. Good luck to you and kudos for taking the time to question this at all. I can't believe how many people (me included!) just believe that their doctor knows best and don't make a conscious choice about vaccines.

If I were capable of avoiding shots for my children to save them from pain and something that might be unnecessary, then I would, but I sat back and thought about the whole issue and how it could end. I would much rather my children take the small chance of having side effects from a vaccination that they received, then a lifetime of problems or something worse happening because I chose not to vaccinate. Not only that, if I choose not to vaccinate my children, I could potentially put other people at risk. I don't think that it would be fair to put others lives in danger all because I was concerned about the cons of a vaccination. To me, the pros outweigh the cons.

Hi Alice,

I'm in favor of reduced vaccines on a spread out schedule. There are community concerns with not vaccinating, such as spreading an illness to someone with a compromised immune system. For instance, I recently read an article by a mom who can't have her child in a daycare with unvaccinated children because he has leukemia and his treatment just kills his immune response. There are also enough stories of this in a sibling to sibling or other family situation. Also, for people who are unvaccinated, they are limited in their choices of careers (i.e. medical) and travel. To go to some Universities you have to have some vaccinations.

Another thing to think about is the parts of the world that would L. to have the opportunity to vaccinate that we do, but don't, and suffer for it. Vaccinations aren't perfect, but they are a benefit.

I am constantly dumbfounded that there is controversy among U.S. parents over whether or not to vaccinate their children against diseases that can result in death or permanent disability. Look at the mortality rates from these diseases in the underdeveloped world. Our parents and grandparents may have survived these diseases, but many became sterile, deaf, or suffered withered limbs from diseases that can now be prevented through vaccination. The reason we don't have to worry about Small Pox or Polio is because of a massive worldwide vaccination program. Scientists have analyzed this, and concluded that the risks associated with receiving an approved vaccine are far outweighed by the risks associated with the disease itself.

Unless you hold an advanced degree in biology or immunology, you likely don't have the knowledge and training to research this field. Does your research include medical texts and professional scientific journals?
Remember, anybody can post anything on the internet. I Googled "U.S. vaccination rates" and found a preponderance of anti-vaccination articles. Most of these articles were anecdotal, rather than scientifically based. About 90% of U.S. parents choose to vaccinate their children. Most of these parents are not writing articles and starting websites about the positive outcomes their children experienced. Take a look at what has happened in the former Soviet Union since those countries became independent. The central government previously provided childhood vaccines. The new governments were frequently too poor to continue the vaccination program. Many of these countries experienced diptheria epidemics. The bacteria and viruses that cause diseases are still out there, and those who are not protected by vaccination are susceptible.

I believe if you could find a survey of the vaccination practices of U.S. doctors, scientists and medical researchers, that more than 99% of them vaccinate their children. They would not put their children's health at risk if they felt these vaccines were dangerous. On matters of my health, and that of my children, I trust the experts. I might want a second opinion, but I would seek it from an expert in the field.

Hey Alice,

I've done a lot of research, too, and the bottom line is that there is NO studying of the long term effects of vaccinations because the CDC simply doesn't do it. There are hospitals and genius doctors all over our country who can keep your child alive during an acute illness such as whooping cough and can cure your child of many other diseases. There is no reason to willingly pump chemicals such as antifreeze, ether, formaldehyde, viruses and mercury into your child in hopes that it will keep them from getting an illness.

To those who try to shame you with the whole "herd immunity" argument, they simply are uninformed about how immunity works. Kids that have their full vaccinations have all kinds of other illnesses because their immune system has never had to function on its own. It's been bypassed since birth.

I feel that sooner or later the facts from other countries that don't do mandatory vaccinations (we're just about the only one) will overwhelm our Western Medicine society and people in the right places will tell the pharmaceutical companies to shut up and they'll listen to the facts!

Blessings!

I believe it is a personal risk/benefit analysis that needs to be made depending on the family's circumstance and sometimes it may even be different for siblings.
We do vaccinate, so I am not against it, but I am against the "one schedule fits all" prescription when it comes to any medical decision, including vaccinations.

My decision was influenced by the following factors: we travel a lot (internationally by air) and I work full time (full-time daycare). My daughters risk of catching an infectious disease is much greater than an infant that does not travel and does not go to daycare.

Another factor is age. Some vaccines make more sense as you child gets older, hepatitis A and B for example is only given in childhood because this is the time when government programs reliably cover large parts of the population to achieve a good immunization rate. It has nothing to do with the risk of catching Hep in childhood.

Some diseases become more dangerous as your child ages, for while you may not consider vaccinating your baby against MMR or Chickenpox, a vaccination may make sense for a teenager (especially girls, since these infections can lead to birth defects when contracted during pregnancy) that has never had the disease.

Also whatever decision you make does not need to be final. You can change your mind, for example if there is an outbreak or if your circumstance change or just because you feel more comfortable vaccinating when your child is older.

If you live in WA, your child does not have to be vaccinated to enter public school (even most daycares/preschools that I have checked out). You can simply fill out a waiver and claim a philosophical exemption.

Good luck.

I have read several of the posts, and as many are very long, I'll try to keep this short.

I'd agree with Ina: this doesn't have to be a fixed-in-stone decision. I have used an alternate schedule primarily because I believe that unless there had been concerning conditions, that my son didn't need to get started with his shots right at birth.

Two words of caution: this is a heavily polarized issue, and as such, there is a LOT of bad information out there. Even most recently, I found masses of incorrect info about the H1N1 vax that was very distressing, and even that from people who should be better informed (health professionals, even!). So look at the CDC website for information. Even some of us well-meaning moms don't always have correct information, and this is one situation where I'm unsure that a forum of
non-scientists is helpful.

There are some people who are die-hard opposed to vaccinations and some who think that everyone should get everything no matter what. Once again, on both sides, a lot of scary information.

If it were me, I'd talk to my pediatrician about what a delayed schedule might look like for your family. If you have a ped who is comfortable with a delayed schedule (mine is, and you can PM me for her name), you can discuss what your child's most likely to need. For example, we did the DTap and HiB when my son was one-ish; we had delayed the Hep A and B because there was little exposure to those pathogens. Now that I'm starting a preschool, I will have him vaccinated for both, because there's greater chance of exposure for him.

For what it's worth, you may claim a religious/philosophical exemption.Bear in mind that this means that every time there is an exposure case at a school or daycare that your child may be excluded from school for up to 3 weeks (this can vary) until the exposure risk has passed.

I believe that vaccinations are a good thing overall; I believe they should be used like medication: on an as-needed basis. This can be a complicated issue. Good luck!

I haven't vaccinated my kids yet. I don't think I won't necessarily do it, but here's how I figure it:

* If I do, I will not do all the shots. Gardasil, for instance, is one I WILL NOT do. I don't think they need a chicken pox vaccine, either. I would probably vaccinate against the ones that would be most life-threatening. Of course, I would work closely with their pediatrician in picking which ones to do when I decide the time is right.

* I want to wait until my kids are older. They stay home with me all the time, and I plan on home schooling them. If I sent them to daycare, maybe I would get them vaccinated sooner. But they aren't exposed to near as much as other kids.

* I would make sure that their shots were mercury free. These shots are more expensive (because they are single dose), but it would be worth it. The pediatrician I go to now only uses mercury free vaccines.

* I wouldn't do more than 1 shot per visit. I mean, they have tiny bodies with developing immune systems! Why pump them full of shots all at once? Sure, it would mean more office visits, but it would be easier for their body to deal with one shot, maybe two when they are older, than to deal with 5 or 8 shots like is sometimes done.

That said, I still haven't decided when if ever I will get my kids vaccinated. I figure there's no rush at this point. But if and when I do, the above is how I would go about it.

Hope that gives you some ideas, or is at least a little helpful.

Hi! I have a 15 month old now, and when she was first born, i also felt very confused and scared about the choices to make with vaccines. From the research I did on my own and by following my "peace" level as a mommy, I decided to do my best to find a balance with the subject. So I picked three of the seven vaccines that I felt were most important right now, and started at 6 months instead of two months because I personally felt she was stronger and could handle them better than a brand new baby. I also only gave her one shot per visit, and made the extra effort to come back every month to get the next one so that her system could fully process each shot one at a time. This way her system wasnt on overload with so many at once, and if there were to be a reaction, Id know which one it was from. I didnt follow the doctor's strict schedule by any means, but did stick to an "alternative" schedule i got from a Naturopath Ped i talked to. She gave me a lot of good insight on things, while still supporting that I gave my daughter some of the vaccines, she strongly stated that if you are breast feeding, you can start later with them. The vaccines I have done so far are: DTAP, Hib, and Pneumecoccal. I will most likely start the sets of Polio next, now that she is done with the others, but I have not done any flu shots, chicken pox or HepB. I figured I can handle her having the chicken pox eventually, and Hep B you can only get from sex or needles! Why is this offered at birth unless the mother is already infected? :)

So Each time I give her a shot I ask the nurse to write down the Lot# and Batch# for it to keep in my records in case there is a reaction, and always make sure they are giving it to her from a single dose bottle rather than one with several doses that they just extract the "right amount" from. This is because single dose bottles have less preservatives in them. And I always make sure the shots are Thimeresol free, which is the preservative with mercury. Although every doctor will say that all shots are Thim-free now, there are still some out there with it. :( I have found that all doctors and nurses are going to question your stance on doing less vaccines, but I have learned to just be calm and confident in my decisions. I always ask their opinion as the professional, but not let that shift my view if it goes against that level of "Peace".

So this is my opinion and story, Im still an open ear for anything i hear on the supbject, and am still learning for sure! I just knew I didnt feel comfortable on either side of issue; giving all the shots, or none of them... so this is my "balance" :) I hope it helps!

Hi Alice. You are correct that this is a controversial subject, but I truly believe that every parent must educate themselves before choosing whether or not to vaccinate, and not just blindly follow the schedule that their doctor is recommending. Before I even got pregnant, I had a chiropractor mention something to me about vaccines and it was enough to "put a bug in my ear" about the subject. When I got pregnant with my twins, I knew that I wanted to do my own research and come to my own decision. Ultimately, we chose not to vaccinate our boys at all and I am very happy with this decision. Severine (one responder below) mentioned a video by Dr. Sherri Tenpenny called "Vaccines: The risks, the benefits, the choices." My husband and I also watched this video along with another video that she did on vaccines. This was by far the best resource that we came across to help us make our decision. The bottom line for most people is "do I fear the vaccine more than the disease?" I arrived at the conclusion that vaccines compromise the immune system and I would rather invest my energy in helping to strengthen my child's immune system naturally so that they can fight off these diseases should they come in contact with them. The first few years of life are so critical for developing a healthy immune system and bombarding a child with vaccines is a backwards way of trying to develop a healthy immune system (in my opinion). We have never backed away from having our kids in "germy" environments. Yes, my kids have caught lots of colds and some flus but all of this has just strengthened their immune systems. Both my boys (now almost 4 years old) got the swine flu. Yes, it was a rough week on all of us, but we got through it and everyone is fine now (and they have natural immunity to H1N1). There is a HUGE community out there of parents and doctors who are questioning vaccines. If your pediatrician isn't supportive of your choices, then find one who is. It's just not worth having to fight that battle every time you go to the doctor. Our Pediatrician made us educate ourselves about the issue of vaccines and then we came to her with our decision. She recommended the Dr. Tenpenny videos and those were really helpful for us. I even had my mom watch the video so that she could understand why we were making this decision. My mom was totally on board after that. I also learned that there are other countries in the world that have a very different schedule than we do in the USA. Japan used to not give any vaccines before the age of 2, but I think they have changed that now. The debate about autism is still very alive and well (and has not been debunked as another person has said). I personally have 3 very close friends who all have sons with autism. All 3 will tell you that they are 100% sure that their son developed autism after receiving the MMR shot and have chosen not to vaccinate their other children. Schools like to make you think that you can't send your kids if they are not vaccinated, but it is VERY easy to sign the waiver. We have never had any trouble with pre-schools or anything that are kids have been involved with. Best of luck to you and just do the research for yourself. whatever decision you land on, you will know that it is YOUR decision for YOUR children. Don't let anyone else make this decision for you.

DO NOT VACCINATE -Do not believe the media and your doctors when they tell you its the proper and the safe thing to do. An outright LIE !! My friend had two healthy children, vaccinated them as she was told to by her (ill informed ignorant) pediatricians, and BOTH of her kids are now autistic ! You want to say 'well what are the chances of that happening!' I was quite naive when I first had my 3 kids, and did believe all the rubbish the pediatricians told me, was vaccinating my kids - when I finally stumbled across THE TRUTH, I decided NEVER to vaccinate EVER again. Had I known what I know now, my kids would Never have received any vaccines. READ these articles I have for you - I feel the doctors are outright misleading parents, its unreal. There still is one trusted source of TRUTHFUL information you can find out accurate medical information, www.mercola.com

Here are a bunch of articles at this link on this subject:

http://search.mercola.com/Results.aspx?k=vaccines

Here's a video:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/0...

Audio on this:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/1...

You don't say how young your child is, which changes the recommendations. As does whether he goes to day care, goes to playgrounds a lot, is around other immune-compromised people, has any recognized allergies or issues already, etc. etc.

I think you are taking a smart approach by evaluating the vaccines for your child specifically. It is my belief that, while the CDC has excellent and well founded recommendations, there is room in the vaccine schedule to personalize for each child.

Still, vaccines are really important for the continued health of your child. While there is more to be learned, the overwhelming mass of evidence is that these vaccines save both lives, and lifetimes of hardships caused by complications from illnesses. The risks of complications are lower than the risks of getting, and having complications from, the illnesses that they fight.

If i were you i would talk to your pediatrician about a MODIFIED vaccine schedule. I think it is great to modify based on your specific circumstances, but not great to avoid altogether. Your pediatrician should be able to help you evaluate which vaccines can be delayed, which ones are necessary today, and how you can schedule them to make the process the easiest on your child.

Please note, if you go this route, you may have to be more vigilant that your child gets the right vaccines at the right times - make sure you keep your vaccine records up to date - because you won't be able to depend on the 'this is the basic schedule' to determine timing.

I haven't read the other responses yet, because yes (!) this can be a very controversial subject, and I want to get my own answer down before reading what everyone else has to say.

First of all, there is a wonderful book called The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears. It lays out all of the routine childhood vaccines, tells you about the vaccine, its ingredients, the disease(s) it can prevent, etc, so YOU can decide what YOU think about each vaccine and decide if it is for your particular child. The book is SO informative. I believe that no matter which way you go with vaccinating, it is super important to be informed. Blindly vaccinating along with the typical schedule can be just as bad an idea as blindly refusing ALL vaccines out of hand.

For us, personally, I did not feel we needed to vaccinate along with the usual schedule. My son was 100% breastfed (which protects against a LOT of the illnesses we vaccinate for) and he was not in daycare, and did not regularly go to playgroups. I did not feel we were in the high risk group. Also, genetically, my son is at high risk for learning disabilities and other disorders of the brain like depression. I wanted to do everything I could to reduce his exposure to harmful chemicals (everywhere, not just in vaccines) and for us, not vaccinating was one way to reduce his exposure to give him the best chance at having a normal life. (I also do not bring chemical cleansers into our home, I buy natural and organic foods, etc. Vaccines were only one piece of the puzzle.) He breastfed for thirty months, to give his own developing immune system a chance to catch up before being "on its own."

My son has had a few vaccines (less than five) spread out over the past three and a half years. Using The Vaccine Book and other research I decided which would benefit him most with the least chance of causing harm.

That all said, I still believe 100% that we have done right by our son. He is nearing four, and is the healthiest child I've ever met. He has never had rotovirus, pneumonia (or even a serious cough), or anything more than a strong cold. He has had exactly one ear infection (in his whole life!), at the age of 23 months.

So do the research, do the reading, take into account your lifestyle, health and genetics, and decide what is right for your family. A child who weans from the breast at age 8 weeks and goes straight to daycare before taking a tour of Eastern Europe at age one would probably need more protection via vaccines than a child who stays home with M. and nurses to two years and beyond and then goes on to be homeschooled. ...And most of us fall somewhere in between.

But that's just my opinion. ;o)

This is a personal decision, but it is also a societal one. What happens if we all decide not to get our kids vaccines? That's how it used to be, and the reasons vaccines were invented (and still passionately desired in still-developing countries) is that vaccinated people don't get some really terrible diseases.

That said, I do think our government is very pro-vaccine, and pro-chemicals in general, but that doesn't mean some of the vaccines aren't extremely valuable.

While you are doing your research on what harm vaccines can do, I encourage you to research what the diseases they prevent can do. My mom had polio (in the 40s), and I had whooping cough (in the 70s, when vaccines were extremely common). I nearly died at only a few months old. My mom has worn thick glasses since she was two, and that is one of the better options for things polio can do to you. Polio was such a big deal that Jonas Salk recieved the Nobel Peace Prize for intenting the polio vaccine. It was erradicated from the western hemishpere in the 90's.

Many of the diseases we vaccinate against are still active around the world. The risk of getting them is low in the US, which is partially a result of most people vaccinating. But we live in a world full of imported everything and people travel from every country in the world every day. It is possible that your child may someday be exposed to one of these diseases.

People who chose not to vaccinate say if there is an outbreak, they will keep their kid home. Or they will vaccinate then (would there really be enough to vaccinate everyone on such short notice?). But if there is an outbreak, that is probably too late. It's very possible that it will be their kid that has the disease. When you don't vaccinate, you are taking a different kind of risk.

It is important to evaluate the risks of vaccination with the risks of not vaccinating, most of the discussion against vaccines I've seen completely ignores the risks of not vaccinating. On the other side, most of the pro-vaccine info minimizes the risk, and you really need to understand both.
Good luck w/ your decision.

Good for you, M.! Good for you for not blindly vaxing your child just because people are saying you should! I believe first and formost that parents should seek to be educated on both sides of the issues before making their decision.

You have gotten a lot of great responses (and some really rude and ignorant ones).

We have studied and talked to so many different drs and people and parents and read books and watched videos and so on. We had our first son vaxed until 9 months. The next step was the yr shots which includes MMR. I refused. I had a bad mommy gut feeling about it and that was the beginning of serious research. From what we know now, we choose to not vax at all. Our oldest is 4 and he has not been vaxed since and his younger brother and sister have never been vaxed.
Recently, our oldest son was dxed with high functioning Autism. Not surprisingly, he is the only of our children who has had some vaxes. People want to say that there is no link and that reactions to vaxes are less common then bad reactions to the illnesses. Really? Can they prove that? Well, no..no one has proven that. Have there been any real studies done? No. Guess who puts all the money into and controls the outcomes of the studies that show vaxes are safe? The companies that make them. That is fact. The truth is that besides Mercury, there are so many other chemicals and things in vaxes that we don't really know the effects that they have on your body or how it is affecting people 10 year/20years/30years later. The truth is that vaxes are purely experimental even now! Why do you think they keep having to add booster shots?

It is incredibly offensive to me (as a mother of a child with Autism) for someone to say thats a very rare case. It is not! 1 in 150 children is affected by some type of Autism disorder and the number is growing AND that is just Autism!

It's not ok to just say that all kids are the same and we should just give them al the same stuff. Some kids can't handle it! People say..oh well that's tragic for them, but look all these kids are fine! No, that is not ok. I have no problem with the idea if vaxes, BUT they should all be safe for all kids!

I found an awesome video from a ped who used to be pro vax before he started really researching. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/1...

It's a series of videos and takes about an hr to watch, but is is very informative!

One more thing, you do not have to vax for your kids to go to any school. By law, you can sign a religious or medical exemption in the state of Oregon. Be careful of forms others give you as they are often worded in a way that makes it sound like you are putting your child at risk by not vaxing. If this is the case, refuse to sign and write your own and sign it and give it to them. The law does not state that you have to sign a certain form..only that you have to have a written and signed exemption letter.

Good luck in your decision and if you would like more resources please feel free to email me at ____@____.com

Yes!! Congratulations on standing up against the multi-billion dollar for-profit industry!! There are some really great resources for those who choose not to vaccinate. The biggest reason for me was the Autism factor - not enough science to support the link (which is BS, because it is just paid to get skewed or hidden!)

Your child's natural immune system is developing on it's own up until the age of two - after that they are really good to go! It can be hard making it through the first two years, but anything they catch will only build natural immunity to it. This is the same with most of the childhood illnesses - take vericella (chicken pox) for instance...most of us have had it and have a natural immunity to it...if you vaccinate, then you need to have three more boosters and there is no natural immunity to it. The risk is then much higher to contract it as an adult and that usually means shingles - which can be deadly for adults. My friends and I actually had a chicken pox party where she and her friends from the Montessori got a bunch of other families together and we shared everything from lollipops, whistles, drink straws, anything that would help the other children contract it so that it they would gain the natural immunity and just get the chicken pox out of the way...Some folks think this is just plain crazy, but how crazy is it when they want to vaccinate a newborn for Hep C when the newborn is not sharing drug needles, not having unprotected sex, etc??!! the other thing that is so very important to remember is that the vaccinations are given in sets (MMR, etc three at a time and usually a few of those at a time so about 9 all together at a time) and each singular dose has enough mercury in it to be three times the exposure limit set forth by the EPA and Niosh - that is more than someone with an occupational hazard gets!! No wonder there are so many problems with vaccinations nowadays. If you choose not to there are loopholes that I can help with - e-mail me and i can help so you don't get caught in one, and also if you do choose to vaccinate be aware of the more expensive ones without mercury (they are available by request)these are usually single dose - much safer. There are a couple of books that are really helpful - don't remember the authors off the top of my head, but one is called "The Sanctity of Blood," another is called "Vaccines; Are They Really Safe." There are more, but another great resource who has really put their foot down on the subject is Mothering Magazine. They have been following the issue for years. Good luck with your decision ultimately - there is support out there if you choose not to. BTW, the docs get paid for the vaccinations that they do so, beware, they will try to convince you that you HAVE to. I didn't listen to the PCP (Primary Care Physician)that the state had us with...my boys are fine and now 9 years old, strong immune systems even though they were born preemie!

Also, for those who cannot understand, if in case of an outbreak of something deadly then it would only be appropriate! But look at the reality of the facts, it isn't very common to have Mumps, Measles, Polio (and polio was already on the decline when they introduced the first vaccines anyway.) etc anymore. You cannot say it is because of vaccination, it is because the living situations that these arise in is not common any more. The things you have to worry about now days is tainted meat/food, over exposure to life threatening chemicals, diabetes, etc. I am strongly against mass blanket vaccination. If in the case of outbreak in a community then I see it appropriate, but when the threat is virtually non-existent in the first place, why do that to our children? Too many negative side effects - God has gifted us in birth with all that we need to be healthy blessed human beings - including an immune system that is incredibly remarkable. Why ignore that?

Hi Alice,

Dr. Mercola has a lot on Vaccines. check out his website. I can tell you that vaccines are not all they are cracked up to be. A 6 year old just died one week after getting a flu vaccine. There is evidence that vaccines are a cause for autism. The mercury and aluminum in the vaccines can be accumulative. Also, there may be a connection between infant death syndrome and vaccines. Not to scare you but these are the facts. Dr. Mercola gave vaccines shots to his patients then he started looking at the studies and started investigating and found out - oh, oh, maybe not do vaccines. And now he is against it. Dr. Lendon Smith, retired, is a well reknown doctor in the Portland, Oregon area says "no vaccines".

One doctor said that you should not vaccinate your child until 2 years old and you should just do the DPT shot - separate the DPT into individual shots and whooping cough. All separate and different time frames.

N.
Wellness coach

The only thing that I would urge is that in your research, that you consider mainstream sources of information (e.g., the center for disease control, mayo clinic, etc.) as well as the other sites that are mentioned by other responders. I would just take care in considering whether information is supported by published research, or is just based on anecdotal findings or theories unsupported by scientific evidence. It happens to be human nature that people are strongly affected by anecdotal information, but it is not the most effective way to understand the facts. Good luck in your considerations!

My children are unvaccinated. Just to follow up on what someone said below.. You do NOT have to vaccinate to put your kids in school. There is a religious exemption that allows unvaccinated kids to attend. If there is an outbreak of a virus that we're not vaccinated against my son will have to stay home from school for 3 weeks (not a big deal).

Alice:

Do what your heart tells you. I didn't vaccinate either of my two from the jump & they are both fine. :) If you chose to vaccinate, do it when you are ready to. I recently chose to finally vaccinate my oldest so she could go to school. As she was growing up, she was just fine! :) Follow your heart M.! Good-Luck!

It's an interesting dilemma whether or not to vaccinate. If enough parents refuse, a large pool of unprotected children can make it easier for dangerous disease to get established in the general population, thus putting everyone at risk (especially those who can't be vaccinated for health reasons).

And if you do vaccinate, there's the whole thimoserol question – can it cause autism? Many researchers believe the two are not connected, but only appear to be because autism develops coincidentally during the same time frame that kids are receiving their vaccines.

If you're the parent of a child who becomes autistic after receiving a vaccine, that reasoning may offer no comfort. On the other hand, if an unvaccinated child becomes dangerously ill or handicapped, his parents would probably feel deep regret. A rock and a hard place, for sure.

Some vaccines are available without thimoseral, but you may have to research a bit to find doctors who give those. Contact Dr. Debra Glasser-Green in Portland, or Dr. John Green III at the Evergreen office in Oregon City, for some guidance on that possibility.

I believe you can also choose to wait on most vaccinations until the child is past the usual onset age for autism.

As you work toward a decision, consider risk. Choosing not to vaccinate does NOT eliminate risk, it exchanges one (questionable) risk for another (proven) one.

I get flu shots every year, just got the H1N1 vaccine yesterday, because my lungs are extremely challenged. I'm grateful for the availability of that protection. And if I don't get sick, I don't have to be concerned about spreading the flu to other people. But consider the possible outcome of any disease on your child as you weigh whether or not to vaccinate.

I totally understand how difficult of a decision this is. We used to vaccinate our 3 kids but have stopped in the last year and half. I really wish I had been more informed earlier on. It’s good that you're looking into this so hopefully you can feel good about the decision you make; either way.

One of the most informative things I did was to watch the video I linked to below with my husband. It is made by a very well respected doctor who was pro-vax for a long time (she was the head of an ER at a hospital) but then started researching it for herself and found much to be concerned about. She says most doctors are very well meaning but the education they receive is very one sided and they simply don't have time to do the research for themselves and/or don't even know/want to really question the vaccine policies. Here's the link:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=70188352404511075...=

It's a video by Dr. Sherri Tenpenny called "Vaccines: The risks, the benefits, the choices." It was a couple of hours, but walked through each vaccine and gave a ton of helpful info.

Also, it really is a misconception that vaccinations are the reason the typical "childhood diseases" are not as prevalent anymore. The real reasons behind the decline are better nutrition and sanitation. You can read more about this info at:

http://freelearner.typepad.com/free_learner/2008/05/why-d...

This article was also very interesting and addresses the many issues and concerns that come up about vaccinating vs not vaccinating (from another doctors perspective who used to be pro-vaccinations): http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/1...

There are a lot of helpful groups you can join to get more info. Try www.cafemom.com and search their groups for "educate before you vaccinate" and others like that. You have to take what is said with a grain of salt and do your own reserach to check it but I still find a lot of their info very helpful.

Oh and by the way, all states offer exemptions (either medical, religious, and /or philosophical) for attending school without being vaccinated. In Oregon (and other states), they don't have the philosophical but the religious one is very broad and can encompass many views (not necessarily because of belonging to a religious group that believes vaccination is wrong). You can find prototype exemption letters for most states just by googling them.

Good luck to you in this decision.

S.
www.hazelaid.com
All natural, organic, handmade hazelwood necklaces for the relief of eczema, acid reflux, & teething pain for babies and their families. We now offer Baltic amber too! Great for arthritis, headaches, & teething!

Hi Alice, my husband and I were very much concerned with the vaccine issue and we took a very educated approach to this issue and we started to vaccinate at almost two years old. I am not sure which state you live in, however, in NJ the shots that require multiple boosters, actually require less boosters if the child is older. In other words, if you receive the first shot at 4 months you need 3 or 4 boosters. If you receive the first shot at 2 yrs old you may require only 1 or 2 boosters, as the child is older and therefore more likely to have a healthier immune system at the older age. Making a long story short, both of our kids will have all of the required vaccines by the time they get to 1st grade, but they will be much more spread out and we are starting them a lot later.

I think some vaccines are necessary. Perhaps if you wait until your child is older and space them further apart. Before you rule out vaccines, find out what diseases they eliminate and their worst cases. Some of them are really terrible.

I am not a NO vaccine mom either BUT... especially with boys I would not let them vaccinate my child unless it is thymerisol FREE. Thymerisol is a metal and has been known to cause autism. I have read too many articles that the kids were perfect at one dr visit, got the shots and then reversed later to be diagnosed with autism, and it affects boys more so than girls.
My youngest son was normal, socially and accedemically and our school made him take an extra mmr shot and after that he began to become unsociable and then his grades dropped dramatically. He just changed. I keep thinking in the back of my head that shot is when it all started.
There is a man on you tube that did alot of research on this. The gov was paying him and when he came up with that conclusion, they took all his money away. Strange!
I think he was onto something and that was their way of stopping it, don't know why.. maybe they were afraid it would cause some kind of epidemic.
But I still think there is something to it.
Now in order to go to school they have to have the shots.
I would tell them that your baby is highly allergic to it and he has to have it without it, otherwise I think you can go to the health dept and get a waver and claim it is for religious purposes.
Hope that helps.

You have lots of great dialog on the topic from other moms, so I will only add one thing - an experience in our family... My husband's sister died at the age of two from Spinal Meningitis....a death that could have been so easily avoided if the vaccine were available at the time. So, the known/proven risks of not vaccinating are very real. Yes, many common childhood diseases can be fatal...this we know without a doubt. Whereas there is no medical proof of a link between vaccines and autism. As another mother said - just look at the statistics, you can do a simple comparison of causes of infant and child mortality in the Developed vs. Undeveloped world. Also, and perhaps more importantly, I am one who believes we cannot live our lives wondering if (or worse, worrying that) we (us or our children) will be that 1 in 500,000 or even 1 million that experiences the risk factors.

And by the way - Kudos to Zoe A for her write-up!

we do not do vaccines and have found a dr. in portland area who will do homeopathic vaccines. we haven't tried them yet but plan to soon!! :)

First of all, I'm so glad that you're researching into this for your family and not just blindly trusting "the norm". Either way you choose will be the right decision for your family, but I definitely think that each family should really understand both sides before making a decision.

I decided to wait until my children were a little older to start the vaccination process, though I've only chosen to do a few specific ones and to only use individual vaccinations (not any of the combo shots, which are known to have the most negative reactions). Unfortunately the pharmaceutical companies are no longer offering the individual shots anymore at this time (I really hope they change their minds back!), so we have simply discontinued the vaccination process, which is a major disappointment.

I'm sure you've already checked it out, but in case you haven't, you should check our Dr. Sears alternate vaccination schedule. I didn't follow it, but if you choose to do vaccinations, I think it's a much healthier way to go about it for your child.

Best of luck to you! :o)

This is a very controversial subject. Get supplied with all the facts before making a decision. One website to try is Dr. Mercola's site- mercola.com
He is very educated on this subject. I have vaccinated my first 4 children without researching. I have not vaccinated my fifth child and do not plan on it.
Stop and think about this: if the majority of kids at school are vaccinated then why are they worried about the kids that are not vaccinated? They are SUPPOSED to be, quote, unquote, 'protected' from this illness, so they say. Our human bodies are designed to have an immune system to respond to these viruses and attack them. Getting vaccinated does not use the whole immune system's way to respond to the vaccine. If you got a virus then your immune system kicks in and uses all the required steps that your immune system needs to fight it off. Getting vaccinated bypasses two crucial steps in the immune system's response to help protect you.
I, myself, feel much better about this decision I have made after researching the subject. Especially with all the thimersal they put in it. This is mercury going into their bodies. They also use squalene which is formaldehyde. I wish I hadn't vaccinated my other children after learning what I did. You have to read between the lines. Sometimes you don't always get all the facts and you have to dig deeper to find them.
I hope this helps you make a conscious decision.
Good luck.

It is wise to do research, and talk to your doctor about a plan that works for you. Be warned in doing the research on line, some will talk about Dr. Mercola. His "studies" have been proven baseless. There is no link between vaccines and Autism, and even he was saying that there may be a link, not with all vaccines, but with the MMR in particular.

read Vaccine Epidemic and see how big pharma manipulates americans with fears and is taking our parental rights away like nazi germany
all for their profit

go to drpalevsky.com to learn holistic child health and vaccine issues

vactruth is a great site by a father of a vaccine injuried nchild
also nvic

ps I almost died due to vaccine as a child and my sister regressed after a dtp shot

My neighbor has 3 boys. The oldest & youngest have autism. She vaccinated the 1st child & vowed never to vaccinate the other 2. Neither her family or her husbands family have anybody with any mental handicaps. So they are baffled at why their 3rd son has autism.

Hey I just wanted to say that I am also doing a lot of research and am currently not vaccinating my two girls. My doc thinks I'm nutty. lol. You should look up Jenny Mcarthy on vaccines on youtube. She explains some really cool stuff. I was never vaccinated, and neither were my 5 bros and sisters. We are all healthy :)

The states have it to if you dont vaccinate your child you cant even enroll them in school. I am on the fence about vaccinating my 2 kids, but i feel like the state has taken my options away!

I was pretty sure I didn't want to vaccinate my children and I too work for a chiropractor. I asked him and the book he gave me was "The Sanctity of Human Blood". Their website is www.thedoctorwithin.com. I had to convince my husband but when you read that, it's pretty helpful. I helped a friend convince her husband last year, he's moved by scientific data, etc. so we looked up any and all articles we could find. We're lucky in Washington (I see you're in Oregon) that we have religious, medical, and philosophical waivers for schools. Look into what you have, also to the respondent in Alaska, look at what's available! They don't like to make it well know or more people would not vaccinate, which means less money for schools through government probably =)

Alice,

We elected to go the vaccine route in part because our research showed the benefits outweighed the risks. Another consideration is if you child will attend public/private school, here at least, they have to show they've had all their vaccines. I think you can opt out but schools and daycares are such germ factories, I'd like to think this is giving our son a little bit more 'armor'. I think it's very personal decision, and you're the only one you have to 'convince' either way, but one thing no one might have told you yet is you can wait to get many of the vaccines until you baby is a little older. We did, and I guess I felt that was a fair compromise. Gook luck!

I'm sorry but I just cannot understand all these anti vaccine people. I guess for all those people, it is a good thing most of the population does get vaccines since they save our children from dying from terrible disease. In my opinion, the medical professionals have done everything they can to make sure people are free of disease and to make sure the vaccines are as safe as they can be. Everything you do in life comes with risk so we weigh the risks and make our decisions and go from there. That is all we can do as parents/people. I have vaccinated my children on schedule... I would L. to be able to do a more stretched out schedule but unfortunately I haven't been able to do that. Also, my kids have both been vaccinated from the regular flu as well as the H1N1. Good luck with what you decide :)

Get "the vaccine book" by Dr. Sears. It will help you to make good decisions.

First I want to say we do all the vaccinations.

It really is your choice - but keep in mind the reason most of these child hood illnesses are rare is because of the vaccinations. The biggest problem theses days are kids in college when they have an outbreak of very dangerous things.

Other thing to think about if your child goes to a third world country they will need vaccinations for visas and the likes.

Whooping cough is on vaccination that most parents who don't do will do because it is so dangerous.

Also most of the younger kid ones are the thermol free so request that from your doctor.

There is a bunch of slow start things that might be worth looking into.

Hi Alice... I just posted a similar question. I have been debating on whether or not to vaccinate my son, who is 11 weeks old. We did not get his hep B in the hospital, but were extremely pressured by his pediatrician to get it at two weeks old... and so relunctantly I did. He did great with it... no fever or any side effects besides fussiness because his leg was sore. However, since then ,we have switched pediatricians and are holding off on the Hep B series and a few other shots. I have decided that we are going to have him on a selective and alternative vaccination schedule. He is only getting 2 vaccines at a time and only one aluminum containing vaccine at a time. Some of the vaccines I see good reason to get.Some of the shots to me are just non-sense. The varicella vaccine (chickenpox) being one of them. I had the chickenpox when I was a child... as a matter of fact, we use to have chickenpox parties, so that all the kids would get it and get it over with at one time. And vaccines do not last for a lifetime and are not 100% effective. So lets say that a child gets the chickenpox vaccine and then does not have the chickenpox all during his childhood, but then later as an adult is exposed and gets the chickenpox due to the immunity of the vaccine not lasting a lifetime. Chickenpox can be a VERY serious virus during adulthood. My aunt was hospitalized from a case of the chickenpox when she was in her 30's! All I had to do was take oatmeal baths! (which are wonderful if your child ever does get the chickenpox!) And flu shots being another one. They still put mercury in flu-shots, even though it has been proved to be a neurotoxin. But you are right about how every child is different and I think every parent should listen to their instincts with every individual child and make a decision based on their unique circumstance. I applaud you for doing the research, though, and for not just "going with the flow." So many people don't realize that they have options when it comes to these types of issues. (And if you haven't read "The Vaccine Book" by Dr. Robert Sears, I would highly recommend it.)