Seeking Information About MMR Vaccine and Complications or Side Effects

Google "vaccine ingredients" and read some articles. If that doesn't convince you, nothing will.

I have a 4 y.o. (vaccinated) with autism and a 1 y.o. (unvaccinated) who so far appears to be developmentally normal.

T.

Hi L.,
Yes, my friends little girl fell victim to this vaccination.
She had such a horrendous experience that she was blind and
educationally mentally handicapped along with motor skills.

Love and Light
C.

p.s. from what I understood they had zero restitution.

I am so proud to hear that you are taking the time to research this. About 5 years ago we went through the same thing.
We researched for at least 2-3 months. Reading everything we could get our hands on and talk to as many people we trusted.
I have 2 books I will recommend to you. I have to get them and I will email you back. Both books give both sides of the coin so a parent is educated and not bribed on just one side.
We ended up deciding not to give the vaccine and still people think wow, but I did not do it for anyone else than my daughter. IT was our job to research anything that had to do with her health. It was a tough decision but I feel good about our decision and why we did not do it.
I will share the books with you and just remember you are not on a time crunch to make a decision- the vaccine does not have to be given when the docs say so you are not to be hurried.
This is a topic to take your time, educate yourself on both sides and be openminded and not pushed into something because it is the norm. Do what is best for your family and that is it.
Best Wishes,
D.
____@____.com

YES!!! I have (had) an autistic son, and have learned so much over the years. Dr. Sherri Tenpenny has an awesome DVD that walks through each and every vaccine, the history, the potential side effects. All her research is within normal medical view, obtained from the CDC and such. It's not just the mercury to be concerned about, it's the side effects and the aluminum. As soon as I saw her DVD, we decided to drop all vaccines for the rest of our kids as well.

The government will never allow a study conducted by the CDC to show a positive link between vaccines and diseases like autism (also asthma, IBD, diabetes and the many other autoimmune diseases that attack today's child). This will simply not happen and anyone who believes the government's reassurance is being naive. You should know that the MMR-autism link was independently replicated in the USA at NYU by Ped. GI doctor/researcher/professor Dr. Arthur Krigsman (he was then fired for the controversy and subsequently went on to found the Thoughtful House in Austin, TX). Dr. Timothy Buie, also a ped. GI specialist has made the same conclusion in his autistic patients. He is a professor at Harvard Med. School and practices at Children's Hosp of Mass. 3 Immunologists at top US universities/university hospitals have risked their careers and gone public about the dangers of vaccines as well. The more you read, the more you will not want to risk vaccinating your child. A good book to start with is called "Evidence of Harm" by David Kirby.

-S.

I have the same questions as you and all the answers I get are from tons of people who strongly believe in shots and dont believe that shots and MMR cause autism and then I get answers from tons of people saying the same thing as me. We dont want to get our kids shots because we have done research and heard some scary stories. So it is very 50-50. I dont know what to do. I have a 2 yr old who has not had his shots yet and a 4 month old who hasnt had hers yet either because I am so scared something will happen!!! I dont know what to do either. Sorry this isnt an answer just another person worried too.

We are not vaccinating our son, who is due this month. I did most of my research by talking to other people who had made the same choice and a lot of reading. Here are a couple of websites that have information and other links:
www.vaccine911.com
http://www.nvic.org/Default.htm
http://nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm
There is some scary stuff out there considered "safe" and "normal" by the very people/organizations that are supposed to make us well.
Good luck to you in your decision!

L. W is completely correct. Speaking as a science journalist, while it is tempting to be swayed by individual family's anecdotes, the only way to determine if there is a link is by doing the very large, epidemiology studies that control for all factors like the ones the NIH and CDC have done. And to date, none of those studies have found a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

NIH and CDC are both federal agencies, so they are not receiving any kind of compensation from the company that make the vaccine. In addition, their mandates are concerned with the health of the nation as a whole, and they both recommend that children be vaccinated against MMR because they are deadly childhood diseases. The only reason they are so rare today is because almost all of our generation was vaccinated. Vaccinations only work if the vast majority of the population is vaccinated--when more and more families opt out of vaccinating their children, then we could start to see these diseases re-emerge. In other words, vaccines truly work on the principle of "for the greater good of society".

If you are still concerned, you might talk to your doctor about the delayed and separate vaccine schedule that another poster said she is using for her child.

Best of luck,
K.

I looked into this too and all "scientific" research states that there is absolutely no link. In my personal opinion (after researching this) there is a much larger risk of your child getting ill and getting a horrible disease if not vaccinated.

Carefully performed scientific studies have found no relationship between MMR vaccine and autism.

The percentage of children with autism who received MMR vaccine was the same as the percentage of unaffected children in the region who received MMR vaccine.

Here is a link with some info that supports this.

http://www.cdc.gov/od/science/iso/concerns/mmr_autism_fac...

L.

L., I feel I should express the alternate viewpoint. The MMR vaccine may expose your child to a higher risk of permanent damage, than his or her chances of catching MMR.

There is a difference between personal health and public health. The vaccination issue should be something you consider carefully, for your individual child, using the best information possible. There ARE scientific studies that show links between the MMR vaccine and brain injury, intestinal disease and other side effects. Although the National Institute of Health did issue a finding in 2001 stating that "the evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship at the population level between MMR vaccine and autism spectrum disorders," this issues is still very contentious.

My advice to you is to read as much as you can--some of the books other people recommended in these posts are a start, and consider the unique case of your own child. Does he or she have existing health problems, previous vaccine reactions (even minor), do you go to daycare etc?

There were approx 100 cases of measles per year in the US between 1997-2000, 300-400 cases of mumps, and 200 cases per year of rubella. In the whole country! Compare that to statistics for the reported wide range of potential side effects (and think how many side effects are likely unreported). Autism rates are now 1 in every 150 children!

You have options. Avoid the vaccines entirely; vaccinate only for rubella; vaccinate at a later age. These are very difficult choices and can be overwhelming. And the push-back from the public-health driven conventional medical establishment can be intense. But take the time to educate yourself, consider your options, trust your mothers intuition, and make the best possible choice you can for your child.

The biggest concern about vaccines is the use of Mercury as the holding agent for the virus. If your child already has heavy metals in his body - and most do - the addition of the Mercury can overload the system and lead to serious side effects. A simple blood test or hair analysis can indicate the levels of heavy metals. Also, keep in mind that all vaccines are the injection of a live virus into a very small body. The combination vaccines, such as MMR, is alot for a child's immune system to handle. The use of immune system boosters, such as Echinacea, prior to receiving the vaccine may raise the body's ability to develop antibodies to these diseases. The use of herbal formulas, such as Chlorella or Spirulina, which are actually blue-green algae, that attach to heavy metals in the body and remove them through the digestive tract should be a consideration if the heavy metal levels are high. Remember when giving children any type of medication, herbal or pharmaceutical, the general dosage instructions are for a 150 pound person - adjust the dosage to the child's weight.

I don't have any personal experience to offer but my friend is going through this right now. She gave birth to a normal healthy baby boy. Within a month of receiving his vaccines he began to show signs of autism. I've read that if a child is going to have autism that they would begin to show the signs around the same time that the vaccinations are given. My friend is now an advocate against vaccinating your child or delaying the vaccinations until they are older. In the end, I think it's a personal decision and you need to do your research and go with your gut feeling.

Our daughter had some serious reactions (seizures that require long term management and major developmental delays) to early vaccines so we decided to look into them further before we gave her anymore. A great web site you can check out is Thinktwice.com It really helped me to decide that we will not do any vaccines for future children and my daughter will not receive any more than she already has. Of course it is a pretty sensitive subject with parents, but I think we all need to research it out for ourselves and make the best decision for our own kids. After the research that I personally did I don't feel that vaccines are safe or in the best interest for my child's health. The side affects and long term damage that can happen just don't seem worth compared to the good they are meant to do. Check out this web site and keep in mind that not all children will have an adverse reaction to the vaccines, but is the chance something you feel comfortable taking. Good Luck and take care.

Hi there-

I have not done any medical research aside from my own personal fear of vaccinations in general. Do you have a girl or a boy? When I asked the docs what I got from them was this-

Mumps can cause sterility.
Rubella is a disease that boys will never get. It is only a female disease.

So- what I chose to do which is an option for you is get the mumps vaccine only. I did not vaccinate my boy for measles because it is treatable and does not pose huge long term risks. Of course any thing we catch can be life threatening so that doesn't really make the decision for me.

You can separate the vaccines and adminster them individually. Just make sure that you look at the bottles as I did when I had the vaccination done. You want to be sure it is thimerosol free (Mercury) and that they indeed have separated them.

Hope this helps!

Having a son with autism, I really worry when I hear about anyone wanting to vaccinate their child. We have (4) kids and the one with autism is the only that was vaccinated...we chose not to vaccinate any of the other kids knowing the first ones' diagnosis. Remember - 48 states have the right to waiver laws in place. Which means, your child can attend school w/o shots! It's the law. It's also the law that IF you choose to vaccinate your child, you have the right to read the insert (beforehand) from the vaccines box - which contains the ingredients, precautions, injury and death statistics, etc. Here is a link that has the inserts in PDF format http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/package_inserts.htm

A really great book on the subject is called, A Shot in the Dark. Here are some other great links:

http://momsagainstmercury.com/

http://www.drgreene.com/21_644.html

http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/m/mmr_ii/mm...

http://www.vaccinetruth.org/doctors_against_vaccines.htm

http://www.chiropracticresearch.org/NEWSdoctors_group_vac...

For those that think our nation has been saved by vaccines, they need to do more research! Along with cleaner water, better sanitation practices, reduced food contamination, better cooking practices, etc - the human species around the world became more resistent to disease -vaccines were never the savior that some think they were. You might be interested to know that in segments where kids are not immunized, the autism rate is zero - as in the Amish communities. Coincidence? Beyond autism, the effects of vaccines can be staggering on virtually every level....causing neurological damage, and other problems.

I know it's a tough decision as parent; given that generation after generation has never questioned the vaccines. But, now we have education about the pros and cons. Do the research and follow your heart in whatever direction feels right for you. If you (or anyone else reading this post) has other questions, please feel free to write to me.

P.S. As a child, I was given the MMR - and still came down with measles. In fact, after being immunized, I became very ill (105 fever) and was left with Bell's palsy (facial paralysis) that I still have to this day.

-C.

the choice to vax or not vax your child is a very personal decision to make. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you re putting your child in harms way one way or the other. We put them in harms way every time we get in a car but no one berates you for doing it or not doing it. My boys are not vax'd bc I'm not convinced that there's no link to autism or other many childhood issues. Someone else already said that you will not hear from the gov't that they messed up...think of how much money on damages they'd have to pay out.

Another person mentioned before that we adults that were vax'd are fine but how many vaxs were we given at a time and for how long?? We were not given multiple vaxs in one injection and we weren't injected every 3-6 months for 2 years. The preservatives are also very different.

Also, mercury isn't the only issue w/ vaxs. Now it's aluminum that's the big deal. It helps the shot work better so they put aluminum in the vaccinations. They can't find something else that works as well because it would be tons of money to do so, so they let the toxic levels slide. There are also cells from fetal lungs included in vaxs as well as many other toxic ickies.

Lastly, we are all chemical beings. Think about it. We are all made up of hormones (which are chemicals) and the levels in each being differs some. A child may not have a noticeable reaction to a vax because his chemical make up might work alright with it. Children who have reactions to the vaxs are also chemical beings and the vax may touch off just the right imbalance to cause a major problem. It's ridiculous to say that because one person didn't have a problem then no others will. There is not sufficient proof to say that all children are fine because some were and that's what the government does. They use a control group and if the majority are then it means all should be. That's just not the case.

Oh and Dr. Robert Sears has just published a book called "The Vaccine Book". I highly recommend it as he discusses the problems with vaxs and goes over which ones he does feel are necessary and which ones he feels you could go w/o. He also has an alternative vax schedule that keeps kids from getting SO many shots at one time. He feels that they will fair much better if they have the shots spread out over the course of time than all at once.

My last comment is that people with vaccinated kids shouldn't be afraid of our kids that aren't vaccinated. If your kids are vaccinated and our kids come down w/ something, then your kids should be fine in theory.

L. B, I don't know if you have been to this site yet or not: http://www.nvic.org/ but it may be of help to you. There is also a vax forum on www.mothering.com (click on Discuss on the top of their homepage) where you can find many other mothers that have kids w/ autism and have made it their lifelong work to figure this all out. They will have a ton of info for you so that you can make up your own mind. Good luck and good for you for questioning the info you have been given....

L., researchers used to think that the MMR and autism were linked but it has since been dispproved.I have a step sister who had not gotten her children vaccinated for anything until about a year ago and her son was diagnosed with autism about 3 years ago.

What causes autism?
Autism tends to run in families, so experts think it may be something that you inherit. Scientists are trying to find out exactly which genes may be responsible for passing down autism in families.

Other studies are looking at whether autism can be caused by other medical problems or by something in your child’s surroundings.

Some people think that childhood vaccines cause autism, especially the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine. But studies have not shown this to be true. It’s important to make sure that your child gets all childhood vaccines. They help keep your child from getting serious diseases that can cause harm or even death.

There are a number of informative books:
The Vaccine Book, Randeall Neustaedter OMD, North Atlantic Books
Vacinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide, Aviva Jill Romm, Healing Arts Press
What your Dr may NOT tell you about Children's Vaccines, Stephanie Cave, MD, FAAFP w/ Deborah Mitchell, Warner Books
You need to look at how you live, what are the childs exposure risks. 3rd world travel, extensive air travel in general, and day care situations are major factors. These books outline the diseases, how they are transmitted, symtoms, normal recovery time, and worst case scenarios, as well as the effectiveness of the vaccine and its possible side effects. Also keep in mind, there are dietary considerations and homeopathics that can support the body's processing of the vaccine, if you should choose to have it.
Also, Mothering Magazine has done several articles about the pros and cons of MMR.

I also did tons of research on vaccines. One book that is a great resource and has info on the history of all the vaccines and alternatives including delayed schedules is by Dr. Stephanie Cave M.D. It's called "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations." Good luck with your descision...it is not an easy one. M.

Hi L.. I don't have any advice about the cause of autism. But I do want to share with you the side effects that my daughter had from MMR. After given the MMR vaccine my daughter was fine up until about a week after. She started have sever fevers getting as high as 103.5! And the fever was constant for about 5 days! And after taking her to the hospital 3 times all I could do for her was give her tylenol and ibporfen. It was very stressful not to mention hard for her! She wouldn't eat, and was very lathargic!
Had I known that this would have happend I would have not given her the vacine.
Good luck in your decision.

In addition to the book the pp mentioned, take a look at "Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide: How to Make Safe, Sensible Decisions about the Risks, Benefits, and Alternatives" by Aviva Jill Romm. She breaks down each childhood disease, it's risks and the risks/benefits of each specific vaccine.

You might want to also take a look at the now infamous article by Robert Kennedy (yes, from THE Kennedy family) about the politicalization of vaccines called "Deadly Immunity" here is the link: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/7395411/deadly.... Please note that the article has been out for years now, and whatever erronous or incorrect information has been corrected for at the end of the article.

As for MMR protecting against deadly diseases (for the sake of space I'll paraphrase, but actual numbers can be supported by the CDC themselves:

Measles - HIGHLY contagious, most danger lies in complications from measles, which are rare in first world nations (even without vaccination). Problem for CDC is that if there was a breakout, it would overwhelm hospitals. Also, pregant women with measles will have low birth weight babies & possibly other complications

Mumps - Not deadly, but 1/4 of the males that contract mumps will have one of his testes effected. We as a nation vaccinate against mumps for the whole population, because vaccinating just males wouldn't work.

Rubela - Not deadly, but if a pregnant women contracts rubela, it will cause birth defects and still births in roughly 20-25% of the women. Same reason for total population vaccination as mumps.

As you can see, MMR does not protect from DEADLY diseases, but that is not to say that measles, mumps or rubela is a pleasent thing to contract by any means.

You are doing the right thing by weighing your options to see what is best for YOUR son.

good luck.

There is no evidence of a link with autism. See http://www.quackwatch.org/03HealthPromotion/immu/autism.html for an overview. Unscrupulous scientists and nonscientists pretending to do science are simply taking advantage of people's fears. If people stop getting their children vaccinated, they risk other children's lives as well by causing higher incidences of preventable diseases. Please do not decline the immunization.

hi L. - i have not done the research you have, but do not question giving immunizations to my baby. measles, mumps and rubella are all diseases that are still circulating in the US and elsewhere in the world. i never had any of them, as i was immunized as a child (were you?). why risk your child's health? i have given my 10 week old her entire 1st series, including rotavirus. as medicine develops more & more proven vaccines, i'll be giving them to her as well. imagine if we questioned the polio vaccine...the disease would still be around today, crippling kids & adults alike. i was so shocked when i had my baby & discovered there was a controversy over whether or not to immunize babies. we (presumably) live in the 1st world and are incredibly lucky to have medicine and technology at our disposal to create longer, healthier lives for ourselves & our kids. the basic immunizations have been around for 35 years that i know of (because that's how old i am), and i've never heard of anyone having complications..which isn't to say there aren't any, but nothing is foolproof. it's our job as parents to protect these little lives we made. i couldn't sit & watch my little one suffer with mumps or measles (which can cause pneumomia, strep, ear infection in babies & kids) or anything else for that matter. you also have to consider the effects on your child later in life. mumps in adults can cause pancreatitis, hearing loss, encephalitis, miscarriage in women...also, american assoc of pediatrics & the cdc both refute claims that the MMR causes autism. i urge you to be careful about where you do your research - there seem to be a million alarmists out there telling us new moms about all sorts of horrors that EVERYTHING can cause in our babies. it seems most of them are unfounded fears, and i think completely unfair to be worrying us with. i know it's easy to get caught up in "if i do this, will it hurt my baby?", but i think payign too much attention to every little alarm could hurt our babies in the long run. :) the best advice is to go with your instincts, and trust that medcine is doing it's very best to HELP us, not hurt us. good luck with your decision.

Hi There was an entire issue of Mothering Magazine a couple years ago that was devoted to imunizations, and there were a lot of scientists who were alarmed at the evidence. There were lots of websites referenced, and reports on some international symposium for the study of vaccine responses. It is a huge resourse and I suspect you can find archived copies. Homeopaths have been tracking vaccine damage in children for a while and that particular vaccine is one of the most damaging--it is hugely implicated in autism that shows up after a vaccination, when the child was normal before. If you have access to a Naturpathic Doctor that knows homeopathy, he/she may have some books. Good luck.

I too had concerns about this issue with my kids.
The preservative used in these vaccines is what was believed to be the link to autism and is no longer used, has not been for a number of years. Considering this and the re-appearance of some "banished" diseases, (tuberculosis, measles, and now chicken pox is on the rise), usually in children who have not been immunized, I would think that immunization is vital, where once I did not have my children go through the series.

First of all, I would not be concerned about the link to autism. Like others have said, research has shown this is not true, and even those that did the first study have stepped forward and said they believe their results to be incorrect.

I hope we do find what causes Autism. It's become the "new ADHD." Because Autism is a spectrum disorder, there are many, many , many different presentations of it ranging from extremely mild to very severe. This may be part of the reason for why we have seen such a rise in diagnosed cases.

That said, I am a firm believer to immunize your children. You can do it on the suggested schedule or a delayed schedule, but I believe you should immunize. Immunizations are designed to work only if the majority of kids/adults get them. The more parents start to opt out of these vaccinations, the more likely it is for us to see an epidemic on our hands. Just like anything we do carries a risk, so does getting a vaccination. Getting in a car carries a risk of getting into an accident and being injured or even dying, but we subject our children to that every day. Because of this risk, would you just never go anywhere with your child? I wouldn't skip immunizations either.

My brother and I were given immunizations on the right schedule, so was my husband...we all grew up to be healthy adults. Both my girls have been immunized as suggested and both are happy and healthy, and slightly ahead of developmental milestones.

Now that I have said my peace, you do have to decide what is best for you and your child(ren). I wish you the best of luck in your research and in coming to a decision that for many is not easy. Be sure to talk to your pediatrician about an alternate schedule too. Good Luck!

And Laura, I have to ask, How old is your child? What signs of Autism are you seeing? Signs don't typical "rear their ugly head" until the age of 2.

Hi L.,
I have not and will not ever vaccinate any of my children who are now 25,23,16 and 11. My oldest daughter hours after she had the MRI had sezures that lasted for several days. Now at the age of 25 she has a reumatoid disorder, severe allergies to all animals, dusts, pollins and most foods. She spends more time in the critical care unit than at home or work. She spent the first 5 years of her life in 26 hospitals, 5 states over 150 Drs. and had more diagnosiss than you can count. Her pediatritian said the reactions to the MMR does tend to run in families, so I decided I would never take that chance of having it happen to any of my other three children.
S.

Hi, L.,
My name is J. Watkins and I work from home with Shaklee.
I love Shaklee because it has been around so long (52 yrs), has tons of professionals from all areas who are distributors and they all have experience to share. I was recently reading some posts on a Shaklee yahoogroups site about vaccines and the concerns about them. I would be glad to share what I found if you would like. No sales, just info.

on t.v. just the other night said that mercury has been taken out of the vaccinez and that there is no link to autism and in california the studies there confirm there is no link and autism is still on the rise but not because of mercury or immunizations....

On the national news last night there was information about the vaccines. You can probably check it out on CBS.com. The website should have the information that they reported in the news story. My son had the vaccine and had no problems at all with it.

Hi L.;
this is my area of expertise from a medical perspective. you can order or watch a panel discussion with myself and two other MD's in the Boulder area on channel 8. I do not recommend the MMR for anyone. it is completely irrational. i have not been able to find any reason to give this vaccine or to recommend it. it has many side-effects. unfortunately, by the time your child is in college, the institution can mandate that he/she has the vaccine to attend. other than that, there is little reason to give this vaccine. K. (www.naturemedclinic.com)

way back when my first child was born, i assumed everyone received all vaccinations. when i realized there was more risk involved and other research to explore, i started reading...and figured i'd pick and choose.

by the time i'd read everything i came across on the subject over the course of the following year, i ended up opting not to vaccinate my daughter, but to nurture and support her immune system with healthy food and life choices.

of the many i researched, this (MMR) was one i let go early on.

in spite of it's omminous name (i avoided this book until i'd made up my mind about things, figuring the slant would be quite oppinionated toward convincing against immunization) eventually, i did opt to read it, and turns out, it's one i chose to buy for my personal library afterward... maybe it would be of good use to you, too (?) the title is something like "immunizations: the reality behind the myth" (i ended up passing my book along to a friend for reference, so i don't have the book for reference right now...

good luck in this decision! it seems the most important thing...is that you are comfortable with the decision you make in the end and are willing to accept what risks--either way.

there are things to consider such as the age (some ages are more risky than others...if you choose TO vaccinate against MMR, or anything else, there is also the option to wait one year or longer, until the immune system is more fully formed), lifestyle/environment/risk... if your child has a vital strong immune system, it seems measles and mumps IF contracted...would be manageable. rubella, as i understand it... is dangerous only to pregnant women.

i've had two friends who's young children did spike exceptionally high fevers after MMR, both of whom said the high fever lasted about four days. both children are okay, but i know That experience was frightening for them...

for some vaccinations, there are homeopathic alternatives or supports--for the illness, and, often, for the immunization itself--to help the body cope...

My kids have both got the shot on time. My little boy did get a fever and rash about 10 days later but is just fine. I just read a study put out by Cali. and it showed that even though thimerosol was taken out of vaccines in 2001 the rate of autism has not gone down, in fact has gone up. Also just last night a news blurp mentioned a genetic link to autism has possibly been found. we've never had any hesitations about vaccines. and the benefits far outweigh the side effects.

I have read "What your doctor may not tell you about children's vaccinations". It's a great read, very helpful. We will do the MMR in separate vaccines, starting at 15 months with measles, 20 months mumps and 12 months later rubella. I'm starting my son on a delayed schedule, he gets his first shot this months. Have your kid(s) had any side effects from other vaccines?

I know I'm a little late in chiming in on this but I do know that they have taken the mercury out of the vaccines now. Both my children (and myself) have been immunized. Neither myself nor my son had any side effects. He's 12 years old now and highly intelligent with no disabilities.
My daughter is 16 months and has also had her shots. She did develop a fever a week after her shots (but her shots have also coincided with the same age as when she's been teething) She's had no other symptoms and the fever was just that. No other complications.
The possible outcomes of Measles is pneumonia, ear infections, encephalitis and meningitis which could cause deafness or death. With Mumps encephalitis and meningitis (again risking death or deafness, pregnant women can miscarry) and with Rubella if a pregnant woman is infected it can cause birth defects like blindness and heart defects.
I guess the question would be which risk you are more willing to take? The possible side effects of these diseases are a proven fact, not conjecture. The autism, digestive and immune disorders are just theories (and not ones that are shared by all professionals. In the case of autism, it is still debated see link http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ab... which states "The question of a relationship between vaccines and autism continues to be debated. In a 2001 investigation by the Institute of Medicine, a committee concluded that the "evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship.... between MMR vaccines and autistic spectrum disorders (ASD)." The committee acknowledged, however, that "they could not rule out" the possibility that the MMR vaccine could contribute to ASD in a small number of children. While other researchers agree the data does not support a link between the MMR and autism, more research is clearly needed."

Hi L.,

I have a twelve year old with "autism". I wonder often what happened to him. In my knowledge about vaccinations and autism, the problem was giving the child all three at the same time. Maybe you could ask your doctor if he or she could give your child the Measles, mumps and rabella separately.

I recommend the book, "How to have Healthy Children in Spite of your doctor" by Robert S. Mendelsohn ISBN number ###-###-#### or ###-###-#### It has the straight info on each of the vaccinations. And for optimum health, I recommend watching the 12-minute video at www.mineralstory.com They have a Kid's Toddy, which is specially formulated for children, and has vitamins, amino acids and MINERALS. If you would like more info, please call me at ###-###-####. Warm Regards, R.

You picked a good day to ask this question. On the national news last night was a story about how they've now found a specific gene defect that may be one of the causes of autism. Also, they mentioned that new research out of California has further proven that there is no link between the thermisol in vaccines and autism. They stopped all thermisol in vaccines in the state of CA in 2000. The rates of autism have continued to increase dramatically. I would google "autism" and "vaccines" and "genetic link" to see the latest stories from 1/9/08. Also, instead of declining the immunization altogether, you can request the vaccines separately if you are still concerned. It may cost a little more, but at least your children will still be protected from the diseases that are covered in the vaccines.