Immunizations - Newman Lake,WA

Dr. Lendon Smith (retired) but practiced in Portland OR and is an excellent doctor has tons of information on this if you are looking.

N.
Wellness Coach

There is an interesting article in this month's Wired magazine regarding childhood immunizations, specifically in regards to autism.

Hello A.,

good for your for getting educated about vaccines! I am neither opposed to them nor totally convinced about their safety. Personally we vaccinate, on an alternate schedule after carefully reviewing our family's risks and benefits.

I think the most important suggestion I have for you, is that it simply is not true that you have to "make a decision now" or even stick to the decision you make. Like all drugs and medical interventions, vaccines have risks and benefits and they should be weighed for every individual, taking into consideration their lifestyle and risk profile. A child that is bottlefed and in daycare, has a different risk profile than a child that is breastfed and at home. Siblings and the parents profession and workplace make a difference too, as well as chronic conditions and other medical factors.

I believe that there would be much less misinformation and superstition about vaccination if we abandoned the "one size fits all" approach that is dictated by healthcare authorities today and helped parents make a reasonable decision based on their own family background and lifestyle.
Blanket immunization programs were instituted mainly because they are very manageable and ensure that people without access to regular health care have access to these preventative measures. Some immunizations were developed for their economical benefit (lower absenteeism) rather than their health benefits.

Take the time to do your research and when you have made a decision, review it periodically as your circumstances change. Good luck!

After reading all of the scary articles online (not all of them are actually true/scientific, keep in mind) I was leary of getting my daughter vaccinated. I decided to talk to my Mom about it since she is a microbiologist who specialized in communicable diseases, who now works as a special ed teacher working with a lot of kids with autism. I figured this gave her a special insight into the issue. She said she understands the hesitation parents have about the vaccines, but while working at the hospital she saw literally hundreds of unvaccinated children die of the diseases the vaccines protect against, but only saw a few mild illnesses resulting from getting a vaccine. How would you feel if your child got one of the diseases a vaccine could have protected them against...and worse, gave that disease to another child? I desided to get my daughter vaccinated, just space them out so she only got 2 at a time instead of 5 so her system could deal with each one and not be overwhelmed. We have not had any issues at all so far with up to her 2 year shots.

I was vaccinating my children, until my older daughter had a severe reaction at 18 months old. Her body was swollen and red for three days before it started to subside. Before that time she was ahead of development for speech and language. She was saying 2-3 word phrases at 15 months. When she had the reaction at 18 months, her language development froze and she only learned 8 words over the following 9 months. We've spent 3 1/2 years in therapy and now she is in special ed in school.

However, there are always a few children out there - and some have negative reactions. I'm saddened that this happened, but - of course - I knew there were some risks so I cannot blame the doctors. What disturbs me the greatest was the reaction I got from the medical community. When I took my child back to the doctor's office, while she was swelling, they asked me why I thought she was swelling. When I said vaccine, they freaked out and assured me that it was not the case. They rushed over my concerns and sent me on my way. She continued to swell and a few hours later my husband took her to the ER. Later, I got the reaction confirmed by an allergist. Still, when I've gone to places like the health department (due to my daughter's special needs), they put things on her chart like "possible reaction" even though I tell them I've had it confirmed - it is always glossed over like I'm a fanatic. I'm sure no one wants my daughter to be harmed, but I've lost faith in the medical community due to the reaction THEY have over her reaction.

It's not hard to send kids to school without vaccines if you choose. There is a form we have to fill out and we sign that we know that they will not allow my kids to go to school if there is an outbreak.

I'm not against the idea of vaccines - I think its a wonderful idea. I've just lost faith in the current application of the idea and those who administer it. I'm not against the idea of some vaccinating their children. I just wanted to tell you my story so that you could mull it over with the other information you gather. There are excellent points either way.

One thing to remember though - its not like you can't do them later. As you get close to the birth of your child, if you aren't ready to make a decision, you can delay the vaccines while continuing to debate it. Being two or three months behind the schedule is unlikely to have an impact. However, make sure the hospital staff is aware not to give the vaccines. With my second birth (fortunately I was not yet against vaccines and would have allowed it) the nurses took the baby and vaccinated her without my realizing what they were doing.

One thing also that may or not be important to you (depending on your stance on abortion), but I wish I'd known before my kids were vaccinated: apparently vaccine starters are grown in human tissue. Many vaccines were started by using aborted fetal tissue. http://www.cogforlife.org/fetalvaccines.htm and of course there are countless other websites with more info. If this is an issue for you, but you decide yes to vaccinations, I've heard there are some alternatively made vaccines for some of the shots.

So, think it over - and don't feel pressured, but don't let anyone push you over or give you a guilt trip in the meantime. You'll make the best decision for your child - and that is your right. Sorry about the length, its just a subject I'm passionate about.

In response to the reply of Elizabeth G:

http://blogs.healthfreedomalliance.org/blog/2009/04/21/wh...

"In 1975 Germany stopped requiring pertussis (whooping cough) vaccination. Today less than 10 % of German children are vaccinated against pertussis. The number of cases of pertussis has steadily decreased[3] even though far fewer children are receiving pertussis vaccine."

I do immunize my children and have friends that selectively immunize theirs. I just wanted to point out that I know for sure that this statement is wrong. I live in Germany and most kids here are immunized at least once. It is true that immunizations are not required to start school here but the number of children that have been vaccinated for pertussis has increased from 34% (1996) to 93% (2007). Most children here get the 5er vaccine or the 6er vaccine. Unfortunately, I can only quote from an article in German. http://www.n24.de/news/newsitem_###-###-####.html

I just want to make a statement that there is always going to be an article out there that will back up any opinion. You can only hope that what you read or hear is true.

I totally understand how you feel, i just went through this with my little girl. i immunized my first daughter (everything went fine) but then eveything i was hearing and reading made me afraid to immunize my new little baby girl. my husband and i went back and forth until i read an artical in parents magazine about a mother/writer going through the same thing and she did all the research and came to the conclusion that it was absoulutly the best thing for her baby. she also added some new things that i didn't know like if for just one generation we would all immunize our children we would wipe out all these diseases and our future generations wouldn't need them (which is why a few vaccines are no longer given). i guess the fact that every generation people "opt out" is the reason why we still have to vaccinate. also, she said that if you don't then you need to worry about people comming into the country from places that don't have these vaccines and your child coming into contact with them and getting really ill or worse from something that could have been prevented. You should really read the artical because i'm sure i'm not saying it as well as she did, i think you could probably google it. I have a pediatriation with three kids and she had them all immunizied so i talked to her and asked her feelings and i knew if she thought they were not safe she would not use them on her own kids. Well there is my two cents (or .50 :) I hope this helps, i'm sure you will get all kinds of pros and cons just make sure the info is accurate and not just fear based. I really felt so much better after reading that is mom used all her reserch avenues and dicided it was safe, after that i didn't bother worrying any more. good luck to you!!! God Bless -B

We do not vaccinate. My kids have been breastfed for two years each and adjusted by the chiropractor since birth. They are much healthier than their friends! In Washington you can sign a waiver for three reasons..medical, Religious, and personal. Schools have to accept the waiver! My favorite book is The Sanctity of Human Blood. You can google Dr. Tim O'Shea. For more local referrals to healthcare providers and info contact Cathy Weston, CPM. Good for you deciding what's best for your family!

Hi A.,

I was creeped out when I saw how many immunizations my baby got, compared to what I got as a child in the early 1970's. I'm not going to try to convince you to immunize, but I do want to point out that by not immunizing you limit opportunities for your child as an adult such as travel to certain parts of the world, and careers such as healthcare. An option might be to selectively immunize.

I'm editing because I just read an article that was related; it was by a mom whose son can't go to a daycare that has unvaccinated children because he has leukemia, and his therapy just trashes his immune system. Just wanted to mention some of the community issues that come up with vaccines..... I can't imagine how hard it must be to struggle with the disease of your child and then all the other things that you don't expect.

I vaccintated my first daughter (now 5) as scheduled, but chose an alternate schedule with my second daughter (now 1).

I wasn't "afraid" of the vaccination at all. I did lots of research and could not find any hard evidence that they were harmful. Every single parent I currently know has had their children vaccinated and not one has had any negative effects.

I personally feel that the potential risks do not outweigh the benefit of my children getting their vaccinations.

My only reason for spreading out my second daughters vaccinations was due to a history of high fevers resulting in febrile seizures (my husband had them when he was younger and my first daughter had one, although not related to a vaccination).

Make sure you discuss your concerns with your doctor. My family doctor was supportive of my choice to spread out the vaccinations and she never made me feel bad about it, and was very helpful in determining which ones have a higher risk of producing a fever than the other.

Talk to your friends, talk to your doctor and make an informed decision based on facts and not on fear.

This is a discussion I wish I had been able to have before my children were automatically immunized at birth! I too have done a lot of research lately and if we were to ever have another child I would definitely be more involved in deciding what gets injected into them and what does not. I'm learning now that some of the things they were sticking into my kids are for things like ear infections - not a great experience but something you weather out and move on with a stronger immune system. My husband and I have decided that in the future we will get only those vaccinations that prevent diseases with horrible outcomes...polio for example. The risks from getting it far outweigh the risks from the vaccination in my opinion. I know people use the excuse that these diseases have been eradicated but there is also new information that things we haven't seen in generations are starting to crop back up again now that travel between foreign countries is so common - places that are not vaccinated are spreading the diseases back into the US through those people who have not been vaccinated here. SO...this is my suggestion. Don't make a blanket decision: all immunizations or no immunizations. Research each one and decide which are necessary and which are not - including all these many flu shots they're trying to push on everyone right now. Read as much as you can about both sides of the argument and make an informed decision. Some of these shots are a great blessing and prevent horrible diseases, deformations and death - a good reason. Some of them seem to be meant to pacify parents who don't want to spend a day home form work with their sick child...not a good reason or to drum up public fear and thus additional money for pharmaceutical companies...also not a good reason. Go with your gut as a mother. Good luck!

Hi A.,
I decided not to get my daughters vaccinated for many reasons. One big reason is because there are currently 36 childhood vaccines and 15-20 years ago, there were only 10. That means that there hasn't been enough time to prove the safety of the current ones. Another reason is Autism risk is so high and back when there were only 10 vaccines, autism was NOT common. I and my 5 bro's and sisters were never vaccinated, and we are all healthy and all my nieces and nephews have not had vaccines and they are all fine. (10 of them) We are an ANTI VACCINE family :) I Don't know 100% if I am making the right decision. But I am 99% sure :) Oh and just the fact that people are making BIG BUCKS from vaccines makes me uncomfortable. I mean of course they are going to make them sound perfectly safe. I think I might homeschool my daughters so I won't have to worry about school. But I heard ( Jenny Mcarthy) that you can totally get your kids in school.

If you live in Portland, OR, I would recommend attending one of Dr. Ed Hoffman-Smith's vaccination classes. He breaks out pros and cons of each vaccine and discusses how to determine if you want to vaccinate or not, select delayed vaccination schedules, etc.

I also recommend you do your research. Here are some wonderful research locations:

http://www.nvic.org/

http://www.mercola.com/article/vaccines/legally_avoid_sho...

http://www.vaccines.net/

Also keep in mind that the Amish do not vaccinate at all and none of their children have been diagnosed with autism. There was also a study done of 30,000 autistic children and every single child had been vaccinated at least once.

Good Luck in your research!
A.

We vaccinated on schedule for both our kids. If I had another baby right now, I would definitely delay (or not do) the Hep B shot given at birth. I'd suggest that you look into Dr. Sears Vaccine Book. It recommends an alternate schedule that spreads everything out. This is now what our pediatrician recommends.

Hi A.,
Whatever you decide to do, I'd also encourage you to ask your pediatrician for the manufacturer's informational inserts that come with each vaccine. Here you will find detailed information on the vaccine's ingredients, studies done, efficacy, etc. Yes, thimerisol has (mostly) been removed from vaccines, but not all. It's still in some flu shots, the individual Tetanus shot, which is not recommended for children under 6 or 12 (can't recall). And there are different brands of each vaccine, each having slightly different preservatives or chemical ingredients, or the amount of preservatives used. So, it's always good to read the information from the manufacturer that is included in the box with each vaccine. But, you have to ask for it!

A.,
You have recieved MANY wonderful responses! We have chosen to selectively vaccinate our boys. So far, they are doing fantastic. I too have them adjusted by a Chiropractor. I just wanted to mainly comment on one posters claim that Washington no longer allows waivers. I find this to be untrue. My oldest son is at a pre-school program at our local elementary school. I signed the waiver for him since he has some, but not all, of the "required" vaccines. He is still attending. I think that poster may have been bullied into that by her school....led to believe that it was required.
Good for you on educating yourself. It's the best thing you can do. If you choose not to, or selectively vax, some will criticize you, so be prepared. But don't take it personally, have faith in your research, and ultimately, it's none of any one else's business!!! You make the descision that is best for YOUR family! I choose to selectively vax becuase autism is in our family, and I was not going to take chances. I also waited until my boys were older to start the vax's I did choose to do.
Best wishes!
A.

We do not vax at this time. Our youngest 2 have never been vaxed!

If you want to talk about it and want me to point you to the info that helped us choose, you can email me at ____@____.com

I don't feel comfortable with going completely unvaccinated, so I used an alternative vaccination schedule suggested by Dr. Sears (you can buy his The Vaccine Book or find most of the info on his website http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/). I had to take my son in every month (2 shots at a time) until he was 6 months old, then it was every 3-4 months. Time-consuming, but so worth it! Your baby doesn't need a well-baby check every time he goes in (height, weight, exam, etc.), you can just schedule "the between-visits" with the nurse. Make sure to interview your pediatrician well. Not everyone agrees with the alternative vaccination schedule. If you have a hard time, just take your child to the public health department. They will do all the shots on your schedule - no questions asked. Good luck.

There is some great information on Dr.Mercola's website (Mercola.com). He recommends waiting until 2 years old, only doing 2 at at a time, waiting a minimum of 6 months in between. He also has a list of immunizations that should be completely avoided because they are unsafe. We've also decided not to do any during cold and flu season because my daughter became extremely sick after getting her 1 yr immunizations in January 2 years ago...It was very scary for us. Be sure to sign and exemption in the hospital so that they do not give your baby the Hepatitis B immunization at birth. I wasn't aware of that requirement and my daughter was given the Hep B immunization without my knowledge.

By the way, check out this link, about immunizations. It REALLY shows that your being proactive about your child's health will most probably save their life. http://articles.mercola.com/swine-flu-article/index.htm

I think you should go with your gut instincts and take what MDs say with a VERY LARGE grain of salt. If I had listened to them I would be dead. They (all, not just one) totally misdiagnosed ME, and my sister's pediatrician kept misdiagnosing her son. but that's another story. You have to be proactive and make sure that you are proactive working WITH the doctors, not just doing what they say and your health and your baby's health will be much better for it.

Suggestions:
Do not give a child any shots until they are 6 - 8 months of age. Then, go slow. 3 or 4 shots at a time maximum should be fine by that point. If it's a combined shot, just do one, then come back in a couple of months. Do it on YOUR time schedule, not the doctor's. A lot of children now have screwed up immune systems now because too many shots too soon. I know people who keep their children out of school for 1 week and keep their activity rate very low after having each shot. My children all have very healthy immune systems (aren't allergic and never had antibiotics, either).

Thimerosol (may not be correct spelling) is what used to be used in the Hepatitis B shot and in the MMR shot. The doctors have denied that mercury poisoning occured in kids where Thimerosol has been given, however, there are a lot of parents who say that their child was NOT autistic until after the MMR shot was given to their 2 year old child. It has been proven outside of allopathic (MD vs ND) doctor circles that Thimerosol DID cause autism. (I have a friend who's son is severely autistic and says he has all of the symptoms of mercury poisoning) - but no one will admit to anything. NOW, the medical establishment has (without claiming any responsibility for this) turned around and taken all of the mercury out of the shots. So, you're in luck. However, now the latest problem is there is aluminmu instead of mercury according to natural news and that's bad for other reasons, but not as bad as mercury. However, I would NOT give my own child any shots until they were a little older, especially since I was breastfeeding. I also REFUSED to give my daughters the Hepatitus B shot when they were born, for 2 reasons. Why are you giving a little child a shot that was just born? They don't even have their own immune system yet, for goodness sake. 2nd, there was thimerosol in the shots at the time. Plus I'm not a drug user or addict, neither is my husband. We're both monogamous. The drug companies are eager to sell drugs, the faster the better. I think that's the push for having extra vaccines that really aren't needed or to push for more, ealier. You still have to check the vaccines to make sure (especially the flu shots) that there is no thimerosol in THOSE.

My advice to you is, take the shots, but go slow. I did things on a much later time schedule than the doctors suggested. In fact because I did that, the children ended up (all 3) with less shots than if I had given them when suggested. I would not give any of my children shots before 6 or 8 months of age. I also spaced them out so they didn't get more than 2 or 3 vaccines at a time. By the time they were 2 or 3 they had all of their shots, but on what I thought was healthy, not on the sped up timetable the doctors gave. 21 years ago when my son was born, the timetable was much different, much healthier than it is now. First shots were not started then until 6 - 8 month. To me, that is more reasonable. I think it was a year before I gave my daughters her first shots, but again, I was breastfeeding. Breast milk has your immunity built into it.

Dr. Sears (check it out online) also has a modified shot schedule - but even he is too fast in my opinion.

I don't vaccinate my child - I started researching vaccinations while pregnant at the encouragement of an acquaintance and am soooooo glad! I read a ton of books, articles and research, and it's very hard to get a balanced, non-fear-mongering approach to the issue from either side (CDC: if you don't vaccinate your child could DIE! Anti-Vacciners: if you do vaccinate your child will get autism and diabetes!!!). Anyway, I found the most helpful resources to be:

Vaccination: a thoughtful parents' guide (a little outdated, as it was written before thimerasol-free vaccines, but gives an excellent history and summary of the thinking and research behind the anti-movement, regardless.)
The Vaccine Book (Robert Sears): this one is very very balanced and not alarmist. He almost sounds a little pro-vaccine, but as my pediatrician put it, he thinks he did that so medical professionals could actually use the thing - Dr. Sears doesn't vaccinate his own children (so my ped says).

Getting a good supportive pediatrician has been so helpful to me. I can actually have an intelligent conversation with him about vaccinations and which ones may or may not be worth considering at what point. I see Dr. Paul Thomas. I'm sure there are others (in fact, Dr. Sears' website has some resources)

As for school exemptions, the "religious exemption" in Oregon is written very broadly, so as to include even an ethical objection. So all you need to do is sign the religious exemption thing. It feels weird, because the wording says you belong to a religion, but the statute specifically defines "religion" very broadly. The Oregon DHR has a brochure on it that is very clear and helpful. They specifically tell you that schools may not harass you or ask you for any further information if you sign that section, so rest assured. :)

Good for you and good luck!

A.,

First, I'm so glad that you are educating yourself about vaccinations. There are obvious risks either way you go, but it's best not to just trust the "norm" and sometimes your pediatrician. Educating yourself is the best way to know what's right for you and your family instead of relying on someone elses opinions and views on it.

I too decided not to vaccinate my children as infants. I wanted to wait until they were older and choose the few that I found necessary, and have them done INDIVIDUALLY (the combo shots have, by far, the most side effects). However, they stopped making the individual ones again, so now we are just waiting and hoping that they're forced to do them again. :o\ (At this point, neither of them have any vaccinations.)

You have a lot of good information here about links for more information to help you feel more comfortable with your decision. I tried to read info on both sides, but it's difficult to find info that's for it that's not over-the-top and pushy.

As far as school exemptions, I'm pretty sure that it's across Washington State that you can do a "Personal Exemption". That's what I did. I'm pretty sure that it's a state wide law (and not by school district). Otherwise, you can always claim the "Religious Exemption". I suggest calling your local elementary school office and asking.

Dr. Sherri Tenpenny is a wealth of information. I have checked out her videos from the library. She also has a website: http://drtenpenny.com/default.aspx I could give lots of reasons why I choose not to vaccinate, but I believe getting your answers from a doctor who has done the research will be more helpful.

I know that there is a lot of different information floating around about immunizing and not immunizing. My kids are both current on their immunizations, and I will immunize my third child just the same (due April) but I did learn this year when registering my daughter for kindergarten that the schools will no longer except exemptions. I don't know if that is the same everywhere, but here in Washington- they told me they make no exceptions. The reason it came up was because my kids were both born in Oregon. My daughters first Hep B shot was given by her PCP there, and when we switched to Washington, for some reason that part of her medical record did not get transferred. Anyway, it was a simple fix, but the school actually took my daughter off the roster and she was not allowed to start school until I was able to prove that she did indeed have all of her immunizations up to date. I asked if I could just sign a waiver until I was able to get her records, and they said they don't allow it anymore. I was really surprised, and a bit upset to be honest. I mean, I am all for immunizing my kids, but to be told that it isn't my choice kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Anyway, don't know if this helps, but I think it is good to know.

Good luck making a decision.

Many options exist for non immunization. You can do the religious exemption, w/o proof from a church or any of that silly stuff. All you need to know if the specific jargon, but legally, they can't ask you about that anyway at the school. If you google Non Immunization, you can find some links to some legal ways of having your child in the system w/o immunizations. I have a 10 yo non-immunized child. It's not the big deal most people make it into to make this choice, and you do have the right to refuse the vaccines, though your doctors may want to shove them at you. Make the choices that feel right for your family, not that meet someone else's agenda. Good Luck!

I am a mother of four (11,9,7,5). The only shot that any of my kids have had is the first one that they get in the hospital. We live in Washington and all I had to do to get my kids into school was make the spot on the back of the form for personal reason and write a letter to the school district, saying that I know the pro's and con's and that I will remove my kids from school if there is an outbreak. In the seven years that my kids have been in school I have never had to do this. I also think that my kids are less sick and healther than others. I have had doctors that have refused to treat my children because I will not vaccinate, but I currently have one that accepts it, but is willing to help me if I change my mind.

washington state has currently lifted ban on thimerisol (mercury) in children's flu vaccines they are now at levels believed to be unsafe for children. the state website does not hide this http://www.doh.wa.gov/Publicat/2009_news/09-154.htm . I always get my children and myself vaccinated but I will not do flu vaccine at this time.

I know of many parents who decided to not immunize their children and have done a lot of research on this. I personally would not immunize. There is a big movement against this right now and more and more evidence is pointed away from immunization. As with anything, research is so important. The latest and most shocking information came in an email I just received so I have not verified this yet (http://blogs.healthfreedomalliance.org/blog/2009/04/21/wh... and http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6696666502913965.... If you want to speak with some mothers that have not vaccinated their children, let me know. Good luck with your research and hope this helps. One more thing that may happen if you do not immunize is that some people will make you feel like you are irresponsible especially some doctors. One of my friends that did not vaccinate had to sign a waiver for her daughter to go to school (after being told that her daughter needed to be vaccinated to before she could attend school). All you need to do is to sign a waiver.

I agree with most moms on here to do your own research about them and then form your own conclusions. The Dr. Sears Vaccine book is great! For my son, we had him selectively vaccinated (not fully). I stay at home with him and breastfeed so my situation didn't call for the full vaccination schedule and our pediatrician was very helpful and understanding.
I did my research on each vaccination, their ingredients, the pros and cons of that vaccination, and the disease it was for. Then I weighed the risks vs. the benefits for my child's situation. I think it's important for our bodies to develop their own antibodies and fight off disease so most of the vaccines I opted against. However, for me, Pertussis was a biggie because it is still prevalent and nursing does not protect your little one from it, so my son got that vaccine. However, Chicken Pox is usually mild in young children so no go for that vaccine. If he contracts it naturally then that is great (I had it and am fine, so did my whole family and all my friends) but if not, then by.age 12 we might vaccinate him since contracting it later in life is more dangerous (although I contracted mine at age 15 and it wasn't fun but I was fine). Just an example for my decision-making process.
Hope this helps and remember the decision is yours. Don't let anyone make you feel bad or guilt you, either way.
Also, you can sign a waiver form for your kids to attend school in the state of Washington. It can be for medical, religious, or philosophical reasons.
Good luck and good job for your questions! Shows you are a thinker and not a follower. ;)

Hi A.,
I chose not to get my baby immunized for the same reasons. I chose to seek advice from a naturopath, who told me that there is no reason why we should pump our little tiny bundles full of these nasty things. Especially if you plan to nurse, your baby will get everything and more from nursing. It is magic stuff, Mother's Milk. :) We finally just got our first shot at almost two years, because our naturopath suggested to get the HIB shot, since the whooping cough is on the rise. My best advice would be so search out a local naturopath, let them know your concerns, and get the background info to make an educated decision. I hope this helps. GO MOMMY! :)

Good for you for educating yourself! If you want to read a series that discusses the other side of the issue, WIRED magazine's latest issue discusses the lack of a "group immunity" due to people not immunizing their kids. Sears himself has touted that if you choose not to immunize, the kids who are immunized will actually help your kids by creating a herd/group immunity. Don't forget Sears has made big bucks on promoting his alternative vaccination schedule to parents who want something to be "concrete" in the debate about vaccinations.

I had many, many reservations about immunizing according to schedule. My naturopath helped me decide what could be done safely, including spreading out doses, and doing other immunizations at more appropriate ages. In the end, we chose the normal vaccination schedule for our girls (3years and 6 months) and have not had any issues. One of the British studies that showed a "correlation" between autism and vaccinations, was later found to be flawed because the parents of all but one of the autistic children in the study had documented concerns about the babies' interactions/behaviors before the vaccinations in question. If I had an infant that seemed to be having some social issues (not "connecting"), I might decide against vaccinations, because my thinking is that if they already have autism (if they were born with it), the vaccinations could be what exacerbates it for whatever reason.

I also teach in a school of about 1000 students. I look out at each class and am thankful that they are mostly fully immunized. There are two students in our school with severe cases of autism. There are several others on the autism spectrum. I'm not sure if their parents would contribue their situations to immunizations alone. It would be dreadful if a serious childhood illness that could be prevented were to strike and that group immunity was not there.

Do what you think is best for your kids and family. Be prepared to keep them home if outbreaks occur. Be prepared to hospitalize or more if they get sick.

Hi A.,

I am so glad you are taking the initiative and educating yourself about vaccines. I have three daughters, and do not vaccinate. Two of my daughters are school aged and I have had no issues with their schools. On the back of the immunization record is a box to check siting religious exemption, which is what I use for exemption. I am hoping that at some point we are able to have a philosophical exemption here in Oregon, but am grateful for the religious exemption at the least.

My kids are far healthier then nearly all of their peers and I have never regretted making the choice not to vaccinate. I was really bucking the system when I decided to not vaccinate, including my ex-husband's beliefs. After the research I had done, plus watching someone close to me become someone else after the MMR series, I knew that I would not be willing to jeopardize my child based on something the government was telling me I HAD to do. I hope you know of and have visited Dr. Tenpenny's site, it is a wealth of really good information.

Good luck in your decision. All I can say is go with your gut and be prepared to have some resistance if you do decide to forego the vaccines. I can say, when you have the strength of your convictions, nothing about not vaccinating is hard.

If you have the antibodies then your breast feed baby will be covered for the first few months. After that I would study each vaccine case by case, rather then decide for or against all at once. I know the MMR/Autism link is not true(check out Datelines "A Dose of Controversy") but many decide to split up the MMR and get just the individual immunizations (the MMR is a combo pack) just in case. Every parent must do what is best for their child, that is what is important, but I would look at each shot, weigh the pros and cons, and do not just look at the "scare literature", because much of what they say is just plain not true. I would research several locations.