Re: Immunizations

[Guest guest]

We don't get our kids immunizations either. My 21 y/o had them and my

17 y/o had a few, but the other 4 kids are immunization free. When I

enrolled my 21 y/o into the public school in his 9th grade year, the

school hassled me about it, but I stood my ground and signed an

exemption paper. He was the last and only one of my kids to be in the

public school, what a night mare! I was constantly trying to talk him

into quiting to return to homeschooling or some other alternative

program. He said I must be the only mom that encourages their kids to

quit school in favor of a real life and education. Anyhow, the

schools do try to make you believe that they are mandatory, when they

are not. They also try to put you on a guilt trip, like your exposing

all these other children to risk and your own child as well. I could

never understand this line of reasoning, because if all these other

children had their immunizations they should be protected and at no risk

at all from my kids. I had a person tell me once I should be charged

with child abuse because we don't immunize. A good book that

strengthened my position against immunizations is, Vaccines: Are They

Really Safe and Effective? by Neil Z. .

Robin

          

          

[Guest guest]

I have 3 boys ages 5-16. My oldest son had one set of shots, none since. This

was a very difficult decision for me back when my first child was born. I'm an

RN and was working in the hospital at the tme...found out very quickely that it

was better to keep my mouth shut (about my decision NOT to immunize) around my

fellow employees. I read EVERYTHING I could find...pro and con...I also

" interviewed " a couple of pediatricians...who told me " off the record " that they

would not immunize their own children. They have all gone to public schools and

daycares without any issues to date. I am very matter-of-fact, inidicating

awareness of the immunization requirement....I ask for the form and return it

filled in appropriately (either the personal or religious exemption). We have

lived in Washington state, Oregon and Montana. I usually steer around having a

debate about immunizations w/ most people...if they are intrested I'm more than

happy to discuss as well as offer my library and internet sources. My motto

really holds true for this subject: " Don't have a battle of the wits with an

unarmed person! " (this includes most conventional doctors)

I continue to research and stay up on the subject of immunizations to the best

of my ability. Very often I read something that reinforces my decision that it

was the RIGHT one...NOT to immunize.

Take care,

Lynn

[Guest guest]

I wanted to also tell my experiences with the decision not to immunize. My

three oldest have had some shots, basically I quit doing it when my 3 oldest

were 5, 3, and 6mo. I've had 4 other children since then and none have had

shots. The response from the nurses and docs we've come into contact with

since then have been the most interesting. Our personal pediatrician was

totally cool with our decision, she never said one word against it, I always

wondered how she really felt, I wondered if it wouldn't be politically

correct in her position to tell me she thought I was making the right

decision.

I don't even take my kids in for their " well-child " check-ups. I feel like

those are just an excuse to get the kids in there and give them shots. I

don't need to take my kids in to have an " expert " tell me their are well, so

the most contact I've had with nurses, etc, is when one of the kids has an

emergency. I have been impressed by how many times the nurses and docs

didn't say a word to put down or disagree with our decision, I was always

worried that they would give me a really hard time about it. The few times

I've been given a hard time were when one of the kids needed stitches and

the nurse or doc would freak about the kids not have a tetanus shot. They

really laid the guilt trip on thick then. I actually gave in at the

emergency room last year and let them do an immune-globular (I'm sure I

spelled that wrong) shot on my 1yo when his pinky finger was 3/4 severed at

the tip (got closed in a door). They had us really worried about it, but

they wanted him to have the regular tetanus shot along with that one and we

refused. My husband finally asked the over bearing doc if we still had the

right as parents to decide not to get the shot. The doc said " yea " and then

shut up about it. They took so long to get the shot down there that I was

sure they were calling CPS on us.

We homeschool so the school issue isn't a concern, although we signed the

kids up for some homeschool activities through the local school district and

the were not a bit concerned about the mandatory thing, she just gave me the

papers to fill out for the exemption and it was really easy.

Michele

<I could find...pro and con...I also " interviewed " a couple of

pediatricians...who told me < " off the record " that they would not immunize

their own children. They have all gone to <public schools and daycares

without any issues to date. I am very matter-of-fact, <

indicating awareness of the immunization requirement....I ask for the form

and return it < filled in appropriately (either the personal or religious

exemption).

[Guest guest]

First of all, I don't call them immunizations, because I don't believe they

immunize, I believe they sensitize. We've also chosen to not vaccinate our

son or any future kids. I spent literally hundreds of hours researching it,

reading pro and con points of view, scientific studies, and the like, and it was

a long, agonizing road from believing what I'd always been told, that vaccines

were the most important health advance ever and responsible for wiping our

polio, smallpox, etc., that they confer lifelong immunity and help the immune

system, to where I am now, which is believing that's all bunk. I rarely bring

it

up in casual conversation, but I do talk about it if I think it could be

productive.

When I know someone is having a baby, I ask if they'd mind if I give them

some info on vaccines to help them " make their decision " about whether to

vaccinate or which ones to accept (which I've found is often the first time some

people have even considered that it IS *THEIR* DECISION, not the

government's, the doctor's, or the school's or whoever else). I've come to

recognize a certain look in the eyes of people who immediately shut down

their brains when you mention that vaccines may not be all they're cracked up

to be, their eyes glaze over and their face goes blank, it's like they just stop

hearing what you're actually saying. I think it's a defense mechanism,

because it's too scary to think that they got vaccinated, their own parents

thought it was perfectly good and maybe even miraculous, just about

everyone they know and love has been vaccinated, and if there's anything

possibly wrong with vaccines then it could impact their whole world and

world-view, so they just don't want to hear it. They'd rather just believe I'm

a

fruitcake, it's much easier. I think those who get hostile usually do so out of

a

knee-jerk reaction that you must be insulting them and what they believe in,

and they get defensive, when in fact all you're trying to do is help people

broaden their horizons and have all the info necessary to take responsibility

for the health of their children and themselves. It's amazing what an

emotional subject it is, just as emotional as people's choice of religion or

lack

thereof, or their food choices. Anyway, I do try to help spread the awareness,

but I always approach it gingerly at first, and I don't bash my head against the

wall if they're completely unreceptive.

We haven't had any troubles with medical professionals, my midwife (who did

not vaccinate her children) helped us find a doctor who wouldn't hassle us

about it (our son has only been to see him once as an infant, anyway - we just

haven't had need for an MD), haven't ever been to the emergency room (in

that situation if they asked I'd tell them he was current on his vaccines, which

is technically true because he's current on his *own* schedule, which is none

- I don't think the emergency room is the right environment in which to get into

a debate about vaccines). We plan to homeschool, but even if we didn't, here

in CA a philosophical exemption is easy to claim for school admittance, and

the only school I'd consider sending a child of mine to would be Waldorf,

where no vaccines is typically not a problem at all.

I know people with grown children who were never vaccinated, and they've

been very healthy. Yes, they got measles, mumps, some had whooping

cough, but guess what, they recovered from these (what should be) routine

childhood illnesses, and their immune systems were the better for it. (People

of my generation should recognize that they're trying to demonize chicken pox

and make people believe it's some deadly plague, like they did to measles

when the vaccine for that came out.) Our son has been extremely healthy, a

rather stark contrast to the fully-vaccinated kids his age we know, many of

whom seem to be constantly coughing, sniffling, asthmatic and allergic.

It can be hard to keep current on the vaccine situation, it's changing

constantly, but I think it's an important part of being an informed parent,

especially since they're always trying to ram the new ones down our throats -

are you ready for mandated vaccines for everything from dental caries to

cocaine addiction? (I'm not making that up.)

Aubin

[Guest guest]

Great post Aubin. Thanks.

DMM

> First of all, I don't call them immunizations, because I don't

believe they

> immunize, I believe they sensitize. We've also chosen to not

vaccinate our

> son or any future kids. I spent literally hundreds of hours

researching it,

> reading pro and con points of view, scientific studies, and the

like, and it was

> a long, agonizing road from believing what I'd always been told,

that vaccines

> were the most important health advance ever and responsible for

wiping our

> polio, smallpox, etc., that they confer lifelong immunity and

help the immune

> system, to where I am now, which is believing that's all bunk. I

rarely bring it

> up in casual conversation, but I do talk about it if I think it

could be productive.

> When I know someone is having a baby, I ask if they'd mind if I

give them

> some info on vaccines to help them " make their decision " about

whether to

> vaccinate or which ones to accept (which I've found is often the

first time some

> people have even considered that it IS *THEIR* DECISION, not the

> government's, the doctor's, or the school's or whoever else).

I've come to

> recognize a certain look in the eyes of people who immediately

shut down

> their brains when you mention that vaccines may not be all they're

cracked up

> to be, their eyes glaze over and their face goes blank, it's like

they just stop

> hearing what you're actually saying. I think it's a defense

mechanism,

> because it's too scary to think that they got vaccinated, their

own parents

> thought it was perfectly good and maybe even miraculous, just

about

> everyone they know and love has been vaccinated, and if there's

anything

> possibly wrong with vaccines then it could impact their whole

world and

> world-view, so they just don't want to hear it. They'd rather

just believe I'm a

> fruitcake, it's much easier. I think those who get hostile

usually do so out of a

> knee-jerk reaction that you must be insulting them and what they

believe in,

> and they get defensive, when in fact all you're trying to do is

help people

> broaden their horizons and have all the info necessary to take

responsibility

> for the health of their children and themselves. It's amazing

what an

> emotional subject it is, just as emotional as people's choice of

religion or lack

> thereof, or their food choices. Anyway, I do try to help spread

the awareness,

> but I always approach it gingerly at first, and I don't bash my

head against the

> wall if they're completely unreceptive.

>

> We haven't had any troubles with medical professionals, my midwife

(who did

> not vaccinate her children) helped us find a doctor who wouldn't

hassle us

> about it (our son has only been to see him once as an infant,

anyway - we just

> haven't had need for an MD), haven't ever been to the emergency

room (in

> that situation if they asked I'd tell them he was current on his

vaccines, which

> is technically true because he's current on his *own* schedule,

which is none

> - I don't think the emergency room is the right environment in

which to get into

> a debate about vaccines). We plan to homeschool, but even if we

didn't, here

> in CA a philosophical exemption is easy to claim for school

admittance, and

> the only school I'd consider sending a child of mine to would be

Waldorf,

> where no vaccines is typically not a problem at all.

>

> I know people with grown children who were never vaccinated, and

they've

> been very healthy. Yes, they got measles, mumps, some had

whooping

> cough, but guess what, they recovered from these (what should be)

routine

> childhood illnesses, and their immune systems were the better for

it. (People

> of my generation should recognize that they're trying to demonize

chicken pox

> and make people believe it's some deadly plague, like they did to

measles

> when the vaccine for that came out.) Our son has been extremely

healthy, a

> rather stark contrast to the fully-vaccinated kids his age we

know, many of

> whom seem to be constantly coughing, sniffling, asthmatic and

allergic.

>

> It can be hard to keep current on the vaccine situation, it's

changing

> constantly, but I think it's an important part of being an

informed parent,

> especially since they're always trying to ram the new ones down

our throats -

> are you ready for mandated vaccines for everything from dental

caries to

> cocaine addiction? (I'm not making that up.)

>

> Aubin