Caution! Long Winded Rant Ahead!

Let me begin this rant by stating that I feel that whether or not to vaccinate your child is a very difficult and personal decision. I do not "look down" on anyone who vaccinates their child, as long as they make that decision after doing their own research.

Don't get me wrong, I was once part of the "my doctor knows everything/is always right" crowd when it came to vaccinations. The Mermaid received all her shots, right on schedule.

The Guppy hasn't had any shots. If she does have shots, she won't until she is at least one year old, possibly two. When I was pregnant with the Guppy I met some mothers who did not vaccinate their child. Wanting to know why, I did my own research. What I found was shocking and a little scary. I'm still doing research, b/c there is a LOT of info out there. But until the information I receive makes me sure that vaccinations are right for the Guppy and now the Mermaid, neither of them will be vaccinated. More on that later.

The vaccination debate can be very heated and emotional. There are two sides to the argument. For us, not vaccinating made sense. Our children stay home with me, they are not in daycare. The Knight is not exposed to sickly people in his job. We have no contact with relatives who are in ill health. We don't smoke, drink, we live a healthy lifestyle. We do not travel abroad to areas with infectious diseases. So for us, there was no need to vaccinate. Perhaps it is different in your family. Perhaps one parent works in a field where they come into contact with sick people regularly. Perhaps you have sick relatives. Either way, even if you do decide to vaccinate, Please, research each vaccine. A great resource is the book What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations. The author explores the risks and benefits of each vaccination, and explains steps you can take to minimize risks of reactions if you do decide it would be in your child's benefit to receive vaccinations.

I think the one of the most hotly debated vaccination on the market is the MMR. The MMR has been linked to autism and other autoimmune diseases. The drug companies deny that there is a link, and say that the vaccine is safe for children. However, one of the leading manufacturers of the MMR vaccine, GlaxoSmithKline, in now under investigation after it was discovered that the drug Seroxat was the cause of a number of adolescent suicides. From the article:

GSK faces action in the US where bereaved families have joined together to sue the company. As a result, GSK has been forced to open its confidential internal archive. Karen Barth Menzies is a partner in one of the firms representing many of the families. She has examined thousands of the documents which are stored, box upon box, in an apartment in Malibu, California. She said: "Even when they have negative studies that show that this drug
Seroxat is going to harm some kids they still spin that study as remarkably effective and safe for children."

So, let's think about this. This company claimed that the drug Seroxat was safe for teens and that it would even lower the suicide rate, despite knowing that it was actually not safe. This is the same company that claims that the MMR vaccine is safe for children, despite that large number of studies done and parents who have spoken out, stating that the vaccine has caused harm to their children.

Who are you going to believe? The company that lies, or the bereaved parents and studies?

If you and your child were walking down the street and someone came up and injected your child with something, how would you react? Would you want to know what was in the shot? Would you want to know how safe it is? Of course you would, you would freak out, right? So why is it OK for a doctor to inject your child with something that you know nothing about, except that the doctor and drug companies says it's OK? Because they went to medical school? Could your doctor, without looking at the label, even name all the ingredients that are in that shot? Could you?

Do the research. Find out what is in the vaccine before you put it in your child's body. Find out if your child even needs the shot. And remember, all states have a least a medical exemption when putting your child in school, so no, you do not have to have your child vaccinated in order to attend school. Some states even offer a religious and/or philosophical exemption as well. You do have choices. Say no if you feel your child doesn't need it. Or you can even delay vaccines, or selectively vaccinate. It's your decision, but please, make an informed and educated choice. Your child's health is at stake.

BTW, did you know that the development of vaccines has been linked to the origin of AIDS? Just a theory, but it hasn't been disproven yet. Look for my second post on vaccinating for more info.

Caution! Long Winded Rant Ahead!