When parents start talking about vaccines and the possible link to autism, the gloves come off. On one side are the folks like Jenny McCarthy who link vaccinations to autism. On the other, are celebrities like Amanda Peet and other impassioned folks who call parents pariahs for not vaccinating.
Like most conflicts between parents, this one is rooted in fear. One side fears that vaccinations could cause autism in their children. The other fears that lack of vaccination could prompt outbreaks of previously controlled diseases, like mumps and measles, putting all children at risk.
We all want to do what is “best” for our children. But with all things parenting, what is “best” is often dictated by our children. For example, my oldest child received all her vaccines on schedule and never had any issues. My second also seemed fine until 9 months when croup on vacation landed us in a strange emergency room in the middle of the night. They gave him a steroid shot (full of g-d only know what fillers) and he immediately began to fall apart.
My previously healthy, happy son started projectile vomiting (an unusual thing to start at 9 months), crying constantly and producing diapers in every color of the rainbow. Our pediatrician did not seem to be concerned despite the fact that we were now visiting on a weekly basis, due to a sudden barrage of colds and ear infections.
Things got worse after his one year shots, deteriorating to the point where the pediatrician suggested we put tubes in his ears. I decided to seek a second opinion and found an amazing nautropath who explained that his little system was overwhelmed and was starting to shut down. She explained that the steroid shot threw his system off balance and he didn’t have time to recover before being hit again by another round of shots. Imagine trying to balance on a tight rope but before you find your balance, they throw you more things at you to hold – something will have to give.
In my son’s case, his whole body was reacting. The doctor suggested we put him on a highly restrictive diet, give him probiotics and other stuff for “leaky gut syndrome.” When I asked the pharmacist about the leaky gut medicine, he immediately asked if my son was autistic, then elaborated that a lot of autistic kids have similar issues where their systems shut down. To say this totally freaked me out was an under-statement.
I immediately bought and read the Jenny McCarthy book in one night and actually think she is more moderate than she is being portrayed. She never advocates not to vaccinate. Instead, she notes that some kids have a much stronger reaction to vaccines than others. She then suggests that if you have that kind of kid, you spread out the vaccines over time instead of following the recommended schedule. Having experienced a child who had a negative reaction to the vaccines, I think she has a point that has been lost in heated debate.
Anyway, back to me…. Within a week of the changes to my son’s diet, his vocabulary quadrupled, he stopped vomiting, crying and the diapers got better. We delayed his 18 months shots until his two year appointment and he is not autistic. I have no idea whether autism would have developed if we had not intervened on his diet and vaccines, but I am happier safe than sorry. And I honestly do not believe that delaying his shots by a few months hurt anyone.
3 Comments
I won’t talk to other parents about vaccinations, period. It’s one of those topics where people can hold very strong opinions on both sides of the issue. I’d only talk about it if someone asked me and even then I don’t think I would be particularly enthusiastic about replying.
Cindy made a statement in her comment that really took me back. “not vaccinated…I don’t feel like it is a decision a parent should be allowed to make for their child..” Wow. This type of thought is scary to me. Of course parents should be making this type of decision for their children. They are the ones who live with their children, know the ins and outs of the their lifestyle and their choices for their children should reign supreme above government or socially accepted practices. The vaccines are marketed and make some folks very rich. They also have a place and do prevent some diseases for some people but they also have some questionable origins and can make some people very, very ill. A parent is exactly the person who should be making these choices for their children. If we ever get to a place that a woman can choose death for her unborn child, but a woman cannot choose to delay vaccines or even withhold them altogether…yikes! Look at the statistics and see how many children actually die from chickenpox or measles…even in their rampant years. The odds are that even if your child got several of these diseases, they would come out with natural immunities…not death.
There are so many opinions and I hate to start a B****ing match here when you can find one so many other places. So, I encourage following posts to be polite and not argumentative and to express your point of view without putting down other posts. This is a manners site after all. Anyhow, my opinion is that you should at least try the vaccine. I would rather have an autistic child than a dead child. If your child ever has to go to the hospital it is likely they could catch what they are not vaccinated against and the reason we vaccinate is to prevent DEATH. I don’t really care if you choose to vaccinate or not for me, my child is vaccinated so she is good, but I don’t fee like it is a decision a parent should be allowed to make for their child, unless like above they know their child has an adverse reaction to the shots. To me it is like a parent who chooses not to let their kid wear a seat belt, you are choosing a shot that your kid will be hit by a car and die and not be protected which is of course illegal now. I don’t think you should be able to choose possible death for your child with out knowing for sure that the vaccine is worst than death.