.Opinion: Please vaccinate

A personal and professional plea

by Sadja Greenwood and Steve Heilig

Dear Parents (and others),

We write as concerned health professionals and Marin community members. Our topic: Vaccination, or lack thereof, and risks to our health.

The urge to protect one’s children is one of the strongest known to humans (and other species). Parents will sacrifice their own lives for their offspring, if needed. Thus it should not be so surprising that, when questions are raised about the safety of vaccines, many parents have concerns, and even forgo the shots—even though protecting children (and adults) from serious diseases is the reason that the vaccines exist.

This controversy has arisen ever since vaccines were first discovered, and is here again as infectious diseases such as measles and pertussis (whooping cough) reappear—following declines in vaccination rates in some communities, including our own. Accusations, blame and conspiracy theories abound. And in some areas, the percentages of unvaccinated children have increased to levels where real experts tell us that we are all in danger of disease outbreaks.

This is particularly important in Marin, so much so that Jon Stewart recently mocked our county as being a center of “mindful stupidity” (ouch). The jab was spurred by a new California Department of Public Health report and database confirming that Marin’s rates of non-vaccination are among the very highest in the state. Stewart’s fellow television host Jimmy Kimmel then piled on, saying that some “parents here seem more frightened of gluten than smallpox.” This month’s National Geographic magazine has the theme of “The War on Science,” with examples being climate change, evolution, the moon landings—and vaccination. Thus we become a laughing stock; but laugh as many might, the reality of the risk is not funny.

In some California schools, the percentage of kindergarteners who were vaccinated against the measles in the 2013-14 school year was lower than rates in the developing world. In Sudan, for example, 85 percent of 1-year-olds were vaccinated against measles in 2013, according to the World Health Organization. Here at home that same year, only 54 percent of kindergarteners were immunized against measles at Bolinas-Stinson Elementary, and even less—2 students out of 11, or 18 percent, were reported as fully vaccinated. At the Bolinas Children’s Center, the rate was 35 percent fully vaccinated; At the Stinson Montessori School, one kid out of 13 (8 percent) was reported as fully vaccinated. In Marin overall, 84 percent of kindergartners are fully vaccinated; statewide, the rate is about 90 percent, with our neighbors to the north, Sonoma and Mendocino counties, higher than that. Depending on factors such as the type of disease, most experts feel that vaccination rates should be at over 90 percent, with 95 percent or higher more optimal.

We don’t expect to “solve” the vaccination controversies here—the arguments seem unresolvable to some, no matter how many facts are presented. We can only provide our own perspective, based on experience and training. And by way of disclaimer, it might be important to some readers to note that we are not “tools” of any organization or industry. As longtime medical and public health advocates, we offer our thoughts here as two who have adhered to no orthodoxy, choosing to challenge established thought and practice wherever we have hoped doing so would lead to better health. We have no financial interest in drug companies or anything else related to vaccines—in fact, one of us has developed policies to remove all pharmaceutical marketing in medical schools and hospitals, with some success so far. Again, we list this information only for those who might suspect our motives or orientation.

Here is our key point: Most medicine involves risk/benefit calculations. Virtually nothing is 100 percent risk-free, or 100 percent effective. Used wrongly, aspirin can kill. And yes, vaccines can have risks. But it is clear to us that, overall, the benefits far outweigh the risks both for the vast majority of individuals of all ages and for the community overall. Now, this can seem difficult to grasp—in part due to the success of vaccines over the decades, we don’t see the sickness and death that is being prevented anymore. With prevention, success means that something does not happen—and thus current generations have been fortunate to not live in continual fear of infectious diseases.

The Decline of Awful Diseases

I (Sadja) grew up in the 1930s, way before many vaccines were available. I distinctly remember my mother’s fear of polio, the lack of understanding of its transmission, the avoidance of swimming pools, the iron lungs, the reliance on Sister Kenny’s methods of hot compresses and gentle movement of paralyzed limbs, our paralyzed President Roosevelt. When the Salk vaccine became available in the 1950s, it felt miraculous. That polio vaccinators are being murdered today in Pakistan and some African countries is horrible, as with universal vaccination, this virus could be eliminated.

While in medical school, I saw an 8-year-old boy die of tetanus, even though a vaccine was available but not widely used. I saw a child whose throat was clogged with diphtheria exudate, unable to breathe. I had whooping cough (pertussis) at age 11 and missed a half-year of school, as did many children, with convulsive coughing and vomiting. I saw desperately ill children with measles admitted to hospitals. I remember the extreme fear of pregnant women who contracted ‘German measles’ (rubella) because of devastating birth defects that could ensue (women would sometimes say that they had German measles to qualify for an abortion, since this was the only way abortion could be legally obtained). Mumps can result in sterility for men, and also can affect a woman’s ovaries.

There are many other such examples of the painful and even lethal impacts of diseases that few people have encountered in recent years—fortunately for all of us. There are multiple reasons for this. As some anti-vaccination advocates note, many diseases have indeed declined in modern history prior to the introduction of the relevant vaccine (or other medical intervention). Contributors can include cleaner water and air, better food and better living conditions in general. But to sustain such healthy trends often takes both healthier communities and vaccination programs.

To give one striking example, the one disease eradicated by human effort in our time was smallpox, wiped out in Asia by a concerted, intense vaccination campaign. The experts there knew that they could not eliminate poverty, hunger, sewage and so forth in India, but that smallpox vaccination could interrupt the transmission of the horrible disease long enough for it to die out. After millions of vaccinations, it worked, even though the other conditions stayed the same. It was a targeted triumph that has prevented incalculable suffering and death since the 1970s. And there are other such examples; Steve has seen entire hospital wards in Asia and Africa that had been converted from infectious disease units, usually places of rampant death, into much less lethal places as those diseases became rare following international health programs with vaccination as their key weapon.

Measles is currently in the news. Yes, as with Ebola, some of the reporting has been sensationalistic and some political statements absurd. But think of this—throughout the world, measles kills about 400 children every day, and many more are made very ill, some with lasting problems. Historically it has been one of the most lethal infections affecting humans. The success of measles vaccination has made us either forget that or never know what this infection can do. Considering that, and that until recently there were hardly any cases at all in our country (as opposed to, say, a recent and ongoing outbreak of over 50,000 cases and many deaths in the Philippines), even the relatively small “Disneyland outbreak” we are seeing is very concerning to us. Although it may be unlikely that a big outbreak will spread as in the past—primarily due to many people being vaccinated—it is a frightening reminder to us of the suffering of those times.

One positive side-effect of the current measles outbreak and all the attention that it has garnered is a reported increase in parents asking more questions about vaccination and how they might best protect their children—this might result in increased vaccinations, but it is still too early to confirm that.

True Expertise—and Concern

Every pediatrician—every doctor, in fact—who we know, vaccinates themselves and their kids. They love their children as much as anybody. They tend to really like their young patients, too (OK, with maybe a few exceptions). They know, science, see the effects of their interventions and report the rare bad reactions when they do occur. And for doctors who give such shots, vaccines are rarely, if ever, moneymakers—sometimes the contrary, as insurers will reimburse so poorly that it actually costs a practice to administer the shots. But doctors provide vaccination anyway for any patient unless there is a medical reason not to do so, and that is because it works. To do anything other than what is best for the patient is rightly seen as a dereliction of duty.

The vast majority of scientists who have studied vaccines, support giving them. Even most who have questioned some aspects of vaccination still tend to favor vaccines. This is true for journalists as well—see, for example, Robert Kennedy, who favors making vaccines safer but is still pro-vaccine. Likewise, there has been much online talk of a possible Centers for Disease Control “whistle-blower” who has come forth to question research and practices done while he was at the CDC—but who still says, “I want to be absolutely clear that I believe vaccines have saved and continue to save countless lives. I would never suggest that any parent avoid vaccinating children of any race. Vaccines prevent serious diseases, and the risks associated with their administration are vastly outweighed by their individual and societal benefits.”

But research has shown that for some reason, many people give equal weight to nonscientific, unsupportable sources, such as online comments and editorials by self-appointed advocates with little or no scientific background. This reminds us of the climate change debate. More than 95 percent of the real experts agree that humans are causing global warming, but a small percentage get “equal time” in the media and even influence policy and behavior (and of course, there is big money behind “climate denial”). In the case of vaccine denialism, it seems that mistrust of authority (not always a bad thing!), a lack of science education and the parental instinct we started with above play into non-vaccination. A certain small number of crusaders presume to know more than almost everybody else, even though most of them have little to no training in relevant disciplines. Try, for a moment, to imagine how it feels for well-motivated scientists and doctors, who have spent many years learning how to understand and apply science to improve human health, to be attacked by those who, like anti-vaccine activist and actress Jenny McCarthy, proudly admit that, “The University of Google is where I got my degree from.”

The Autism Non-Connection

Based on many discussions we’ve had, parents in Marin and elsewhere express concerns not only about links to serious conditions like autism or cancer, but about the general issue of possibly overloading a child’s immune system with too many vaccinations in too short a time, or even “poisoning” them with toxins that they have heard are in vaccinations. But many who once believed that an autism connection existed are backing away from that position, convinced by evidence. There are many nuances in this debate, and even some reputable researchers who allow that in some limited cases, older vaccines might have “tipped” some children towards problems in the past—although the vaccines in question have been made even safer now.

Extensive analysis of all available good studies has not supported the fears that vaccines have contributed to the rise in autism and similar conditions. The most recent “meta-analysis” of many studies found, like all the others, that “vaccinations are not associated with the development of autism or autism spectrum disorder. Furthermore, the components of the vaccines (thimerosal or mercury) or multiple vaccines (MMR) are not associated with the development of autism or autism spectrum disorder.” On the other hand, the most recent study purporting to link autism to vaccines has been withdrawn, since the author used bad methods and had conflicts of interest—much like the original study that started this debate.

Autism Speaks, the nation’s leading autism advocacy group, just released a statement saying, “Vaccines do not cause autism … We urge that all children be fully vaccinated.” Which is what every medical group which has closely examined this issue has concluded as well, and again, the researcher who first brought it up has been wholly discredited and sanctioned, his medical license revoked. Something else is going on, causing the rise in autism. In addition to possible culprits like advanced maternal and/or paternal age at pregnancy, various infections, maybe even antidepressants taken during pregnancy, and more, there might indeed be environmental factors in autism—chemical pollution, for example.

Regarding risk in general, again, almost nothing is totally risk-free. With respect to vaccines, very rarely, the side-effects from a vaccine can be severe. Some people are likely more susceptible to bad reactions, and vaccines carry warnings to evaluate patients for such known risks, but not all can be prevented. About one person per million will have a severe allergic reaction to the MMR vaccine. Mostly, though, it’s a mild reaction, if anything. Such statistics are true for most vaccines, and researchers are continually trying to make them even safer, as they should.

Thin Conspiracy Theories

For those who think that the medical/scientific “establishment” has conspired to hide the ill effects of vaccines for profit or other reasons, again, we are not always fans of “big pharma,” but cannot support that. First, there would be much more potential financial profit for drug companies and the medical industry from sick people than from preventing diseases. For even the biggest vaccine manufacturers such as Merck, vaccines make up only about 10 percent of their business, and are one of the less profitable sectors (and thus the need for protection from lawsuits, or few if any companies would make vaccines at all).

Also, scientists are trained to be competitive and to debunk theories and discoveries; reputation is everything in both science and medicine. The idea that tens of thousands of scientists from all over the world would collaborate on such a vast hoax to sell bad vaccines and hide ill effects is less believable to us than most anything else in this debate. And we must observe, again, that some of the most prominent anti-vaccine figures have been discredited, even convicted, of the very kind of transgressions they have alleged that thousands of others have done. Some have tried to profit from the uncertainty they create by selling questionable “cures” for diseases. Now that is shameful.

For those who believe/hope that optimal nutrition and “natural” foods, supplements, etc., will make one and one’s kids immune from disease—and that “big medicine” or “big pharma” repress such products to keep them from competing—there is really no good evidence of that. We, as longtime proponents of healthy eating and nutrition, wish it were true that such good practices could protect us from infections. But it is not. General immunity might well be improved by smart diet and exercise, but the kinds of diseases that vaccines prevent respect no such robust health. Likewise, there is no evidence that “alternative” approaches such as chiropractic, etc., can make one immune to such infections. And frankly, it is unethical to claim they do, as misleading people in this manner—usually done by people who themselves have a financial interest in selling something—can endanger both individuals and others in the community.

Vaccination and Community Solidarity

On a somewhat more philosophical note, effective vaccination requires a form of solidarity—meaning, community consciousness and action. “Herd immunity,” wherein protection for a community comes from most people being vaccinated, is a complex but very real phenomenon. It takes all of us doing our part, vaccinating our children and ourselves where indicated. Relying on others to make our community, schools and kids safe by vaccinating, even if you don’t believe in it yourself, is just not in the collective spirit that has made our communities the great places they have long been.

One should not be using others’ kids as a sort of “human shield” to keep your own safe. Babies who are still too young to be vaccinated are put at risk. Plus, it simply doesn’t work to try to “self-quarantine” oneself and hope the broader hazards won’t impact you and your loved ones. As Dr. Phil Landrigan, one of the best environmental scientists and pediatricians around recently said, “Rather than worry about a vaccine-autism connection that has been proven not to exist, parents should be banding together and writing their elected officials to insist that chemicals be properly tested for toxicity to children before they are allowed to enter the American market. The Europeans have passed such legislation. We should, too.”

We agree. We believe that policies have made it not only too easy for pollution of all kinds to affect our health and environment, but also for parents to be overly influenced by bad information and to opt out of vaccination due to unfounded fears. Proposals are now being made to make it much more difficult to opt out, to ban unvaccinated kids from schools and so forth. Some of these might make sense, some less so. We do not believe in taking away parental rights, but parents who do vaccinate, who have kids with immune problems or other medical conditions that put them at risk, and so forth have rights, too. There should be reasonable consequences for not doing the right thing, such as less access to schools, public spaces, and the like. The UC system will soon require that all students are vaccinated; would a parent be well advised to eliminate their kids’ chance of going to a UC campus because of bad advice from the Internet? We wish that every parent would avail themselves of solid scientific information and a sense of communal responsibility that good public health requires.

Dr. Mike Witte, family practitioner and pediatrician since 1981 with the Coastal Health Alliance in West Marin, says, “There are still too many vaccine holdouts to ensure overall protection of our communities. Will legislation at the state level change this? Maybe. We would be relieved to have this decision made firmer under the law. But our job as healthcare professionals, and as a society, is in finding much better ways to communicate this real science so that it can be heard and trusted by many more of the vaccine doubters.”

We agree, and that is our intention here as well—not to force vaccination but to show that it is the right thing to do. We should not go back to the time when now-preventable diseases were prevalent: It seems tragic that so many people are not taking advantage of the amazing gifts of vaccination. We hope that every parent—every adult—who has kids who are not fully vaccinated, or who are not vaccinated themselves, will consider the facts, the health of their kids, and of the community, and seek advice from their pediatricians and doctors. If they go in with an open mind, and with the kind of trust they otherwise likely place in them, they might be surprised. They will work with people to confront their fears, and the misinformation that they might have heard elsewhere. And then—vaccinate.

We thank you for your attention. Good health to you and yours.

Sincerely,

Sadja Greenwood and Steve Heilig

Sadja Greenwood is a retired physician and public health advocate who writes a health column for the ‘Bolinas Hearsay News’ and the ‘Point Reyes Light’. She was an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at UCSF. Steve Heilig is a veteran health advocate trained in epidemiology, environmental and public health, and medical ethics. He works at Commonweal in Bolinas and with the San Francisco Medical Society (which accepts no pharmaceutical industry support) and is an editor of both the Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics and the ‘Bolinas Hearsay News’. A version of this plea recently appeared in both the ‘Bolinas Hearsay News’ and the ‘Point Reyes Light’.

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34 COMMENTS

  1. This Op-Ed piece, by Greenwood and Heilig, is so full of the usual disinformation talking points it is hard to know where to start.

    Let’s start by asking this question, can vaccines really co-opt, improve upon, and replace natural immunity with synthetic immunity?

    And how many vaccines will that require, 60, 100 140?

    Compliance with the CDC’s immunization schedule for children from birth through 6 years of age requires 60+ vaccines be administered, purportedly to make them healthier than non-vaccinated or naturally immunized ones. Sixty vaccines, does not even give a hint at the number of antigenic challenges each of those 60 vaccines will cause.

    A paper published in the journal Lupus entitled, “Mechanisms of aluminum adjuvant toxicity and autoimmunity in pediatric populations,” points out that as many as 125 antigenic compounds, along with high amounts of aluminum (AI) adjuvants are given to children by the time they are 4 and 6 years old, in some “developed” countries. Breathing in Al or having it injected into the body is neurotoxic.

    The authors also state: “Immune challenges during early development, including those vaccine-induced, can lead to permanent detrimental alterations of the brain and immune function. Experimental evidence also shows that simultaneous administration of as little as two to three immune adjuvants can overcome genetic resistance to autoimmunity.”

    Vaccine adjuvants are agents that accelerate, enhance or prolong the antigen-specific immune responses vaccines intend to elicit. In essence, they enhance vaccine “efficacy,” which is defined by the ability to raise antibody titers. A vaccine’s “effectiveness,” on the other hand — and which is the real-world measure of whether a vaccine works or not — is not ascertainable through the number of antibodies produced.

    The semantic confusion between “vaccine efficacy” and “vaccine effectiveness” ensures that vaccines which disrupt/harm/hypersensitize the immune system by stimulating unnaturally elevated antibody titers may obtain FDA approval, despite the fact that they have never been shown to confer real-world protection. Some vaccine researchers have even suggested that breastfeeding, which may reduce vaccine-induced elevations in antibody titers in infants, i.e. its iatrogenic disease-promoting effects, should temporarily be delayed in order not to interfere with the vaccine’s so-called “efficacy.” That is total idiocy.

    Adequate breastfeeding, in fact, is the most successful strategy in the prevention of morbidity and mortality associated with infectious challenges, and is so distinctively mammalian (i.e. obtaining nourishment and immunity through the mammary glands), that without adequate levels (only 11.3% of infants in the US were exclusively breastfed through the first six months of life (Source: CDC, 2004)) infants become much more readily susceptible to illness.

    If you believe the official pronouncements of top governmental health agencies like the CDC and FDA, all the vaccines in the present day schedule are a priori safe and effective. “Vaccines are Safe, Vaccine Save Lives, etc”

    But what happens when the actual evidence from the scientific and clinical literature produced by these very agencies contradicts their own vaccine policies?

    Such as, Journal of Pediatrics titled ,”Adverse Events following Haemophilus influenzae Type b Vaccines in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, 1990-2013,” wherein CDC and FDA researchers identify 749 deaths linked to the administration of the Hib vaccine, 51% of which were sudden infant death linked to the administration of Hib vaccine.

    The CDC has boldly denied that there is any evidence supporting a causal link between vaccines and infant death, despite the fact that their own webpage on the topic acknowledges that “From 2 to 4 months old, babies begin their primary course of vaccinations. This is also the peak age for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).” Written off as coincidence, the CDC suggests that stomach sleeping is the primary modifiable risk factor.

    Neglect and suppression of available data has recently been exposed with the confession of a top CDC vaccine scientist who was compelled to covered up data revealing an autism-MMR link in African-American boys – 340% increase!!! He has said he was compelled to cover up research link mercury in vaccines to autism as well.

    What, did you just read that the senior CDC epidemiologist and author on a bunch of published papers was told to fudge the data and cover up the link, in this case, of give young African-American males autism at a clip 340% higher than the general population?

    But how can that be? The organization Autism Squeaks just came out and said vaccines don’t cause autism, so what gives? What gives is we are being lied to – that is what gives!

    This callous disregard for the evidence — evidence that clearly shows the CDC misrepresents the safety of vaccinies — speaks to the blind investment ($$$$) in vaccine policy decisions over human well-being. Millions of parents have listened to the CDC and FDA and believed that these vaccines not only work but are safe. Informed consent requires those undergoing a quasi-mandatory medical intervention like vaccination to know the true risks associated with it. Failing to do so is clearly a violation of this medical ethical protection against being abused, and in some cases disabled and even killed.

    The CDC is largely responsible for generating the mass public perception that there is greater harm in not “prophylactically” injecting well over 100 distinct disease-promoting and immune-disruptive substances into the bodies of healthy children. They have been successful in instilling the concept into the masses that Nature failed in her design, and that medical and genetic technologies and interventions can be used to create a superior human being.Vaccines and flu shots containing mercury may contribute to severe neurological diseases and/or death in children.

    This article was just published in JAMA a couple of months ago – apparently not everyone is under mind control: Vaccines and the risk of multiple sclerosis and other central nervous system demyelinating diseases.
    JAMA Neurol. 2014 Dec ;71(12):1506-13. PMID: 25329096

    Abstract:
    IMPORTANCE: Because vaccinations are common, even a small increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) or other acquired central nervous system demyelinating syndromes (CNS ADS) could have a significant effect on public health.

    OBJECTIVE: To determine whether vaccines, particularly those for hepatitis B (HepB) and human papillomavirus (HPV), increase the risk of MS or other CNS ADS.

    CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: We found no longer-term association of vaccines with MS or any other CNS ADS, which argues against a causal association. The short-term increase in risk suggests that vaccines may accelerate the transition from subclinical to overt autoimmunity in patients with existing disease. Our findings support clinical anecdotes of CNS ADS symptom onset shortly after vaccination but do not suggest a need for a change in vaccine policy.

    Article Published Date : Nov 30, 2014

    So, ask any doctor out there to show you a vaccine vs non-vaccine study, or a study looking at the safety of the current vaccine schedule… go ahead ask them to show you, but don’t hold your breath… it does not exist.

    Vaccines only provide temporary immunity, at best, while simultaneously and significantly increasing the risk of immune dysfunction, behavioral disorders and other major health problems.

    • A more full response below, but for information on Stoller’s most recent problems with his medical practices and license, see:
      http://www.abqjournal.com/512358/news/doctor-accused-of-treating-child-who-wasnt-sick.html
      “The New Mexico Medical Board alleges there is “sufficient evidence” to believe that Stoller over a three-year period treated the child “repeatedly, unnecessarily and injudiciously,” and enabled the child’s mother to engage in “medical child abuse.”

      And there is more about him and his attempt to sell autism “cures” here on this “American Loons” site:
      http://americanloons.blogspot.com/2014/10/1179-kenneth-paul-stoller.html

      • Interesting how Mr Heilig does not respond to any of Dr. Stollers important points about vaccines and only personally attacks him? Also, in his arricle he mentions getting false information from the Internet? But he relies on some random blog site to discredit Dr. Stoller? Not very professional of you Mr. Heilig. If you want to support your article, then please respond to each one of Dr. Stroller’s important points questioning the safety of vaccines and all of the toxic adjuvents such as aluminum (which is a neurotoxun and accumulates in the brain) with comprehensive-independent-research-studies on the safety vaccines.

    • In 13.1 on all vaccine inserts, it states the vaccine has not been tested for Carcinogenesis (to create cancer), Mutagenesis (to mutate our genes and cause autoimmune diseases and cancer), Impairment of Fertility, as in to sterilize the future generations. http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/package_inserts-bymanuf.htm

      There is a reason why it has this statement. We cannot ignore that pediatric cancer is up 4,000 percent, and so many children now have autoimmune and neurological diseases. Please read this entire article. All of the mammalian cell substrates being evaluated are neoplastic, since they are immortal, and some are tumorigenic. The fear that components from the production-cell substrate could induce cancer in vaccine recipients was the main reason that tumorigenic cells were proscribed for vaccine manufacture for over 40 years. This proscription was partly due to the inability to identify the risk factors; yet even after they were identified, there was a lack of assays that could quantify the risk from these factors. http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/ScienceResearch/BiologicsResearchAreas/ucm127328.htm

    • Go Ken! I just cured my unvaccinated daughter of measles using vitamin C – I have also cured MRSA infections with it and have read about how it cures almost all of vaccine diseases, and even Cancer. I was in the military and was injected with many vaccines during the time of the gulf war – and 8 years later I had cancer. I have done nothing but study everything I can about health and immunity for the last 5 years. You can read the clinical guide to using Vitamin C for free here- this information has been around for 75 years- and is backed by pole prize winning scientists- its just been suppressed, of course.

  2. In 1986 The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act was passed, protected vaccine manufacturers against lawsuits. Since then the number of vaccines for infants was dramatically increased along with a parallel increase in chronic childhood illness. (1)

    Mercury, a preservative in vaccinations, is a neurotoxin. Profits were valued over people as mercury was added as a preservative to allow multi-dose bottles to be used, instead of single dose bottles. To save packaging costs, we injected our children with mercury. The FDA recognizes that mercury is a toxin and has been working to eliminate mercury from vaccinations since 2000. It is still used in flue shots and in smaller ‘safe’ amounts of other vaccinations (2). The FDA admits to previous mistakes: “However, depending on the vaccine formulations used and the weight of the infant, some infants could have been exposed to cumulative levels of mercury during the first six months of life that exceeded EPA recommended guidelines for safe intake of methylmercury.”

    Since mercury has been reduced in vaccinations, and one would expect to see a drop in neurological illness among children over time. However, that has not been the case and other agents are suspect (3). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention is monitoring adverse effects of vaccinations with it’s Vaccine Safety Datalink program (4): “CDC actively monitors the safety of these vaccines through several systems. If any vaccine is found to cause health problems, the vaccine may be withdrawn and no longer given to the public.” Note the use of ‘may’ in the previous sentence as the risk and benefit of immunization is carefully weighed.

    The CDC receives funding for immunization research from drug companies (5)(6) which is of benefit to them, and will buy 4 billion dollars worth of vaccinations this year to distribute to States. A parent of a child with autism sued under the information of freedom act to obtain immunization research from the CDC, which resulted in a statement in 2014 from one of the CDC employees admitting the link between autism and the MMR vaccine for a specif ethnic group was suppressed. This paper has been retracted but is still available online (7) (8).

    There is reasonable doubt about the safety and current administration of vaccinations. Vaccinations in the past have been wonderful in eliminating or reducing serious illness. But some of the current vaccinations are for mild illnesses. When evaluating the risk benefit of some vaccinations, days missed from work taking care of a sick child are part of the equation, with the evaluation funded by pharmaceutical companies (9). It appears business lobbyists have taken over all parts of our government. If our government was more concerned about our health than the profit of it’s donors, it would eliminate heavy metals, antibiotics and pesticides in our food supply.

    As a parent you currently have the choice to immunize your children, limit immunizations, or follow a different immunization schedule. Let’s hope that right does not get taken away from California citizens.

    1. http://vactruth.com/history-of-vaccine-schedule/
    2. http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/UCM096228
    3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21623535
    4. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Vaccine_Monitoring/Index.html
    5. http://www.immunize.org/aboutus/funding.asp
    6. https://www.wellbeingjournal.com/profits-not-science-motivate-vaccine-mandates/
    7. http://retractionwatch.com/2014/08/27/journal-takes-down-autism-vaccine-paper-pending-investigation/
    8. http://www.morganverkamp.com/august-27-2014-press-release-statement-of-william-w-thompson-ph-d-regarding-the-2004-article-examining-the-possibility-of-a-relationship-between-mmr-vaccine-and-autism/
    9. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022347605831737

    • Though the CDC bothered to take the mercury out of most of the schedule, the statistical truth has been masked. The CDC allowed all of the remaining stock of mercury-containing shots to be used and those lasted for another 3-4 years. At the same time, the CDC began to recommend the mercury laden flu shot for much younger babies and, of all things, pregnant women. The flu shot has never and WILL never be tested on pregnant women. It’s not safe. The MOST vulnerable to mercury are unborn babies, as proven in Japan decades ago after a mercury spill. Pregnant women were shielded from the worst affects of the toxin by the babies in their wombs which absorbed the metal. The result was incredibly tragic.

      The results today are also very tragic and more wide spread.

      Also, we’re still exporting multiple dose, thimerosal-laden vaccines to developing nations, so that while it might affect the statistics regarding infectious disease, they’re still getting all the toxic downside and auto-immune dysfunction, only in countries with limited health care.

      See the movie TRACE AMOUNTS. It’s all about the science.

  3. Sadja Greenwood and Steve Heilig – if you are so sure of the efficacy and safety of all vaccines currently recommended by the CDC…Show me the independent double blind placebo (that is with saline not the adjuvant) research on humans done for each of the vaccines – that is the gold standard in all other prescription medication research, but it is never done on vaccines. Show me the research that shows that studies the interactions of the combination of 49 vaccines given before the age of 6. Explain to me why the Supreme Court in 2011 stated that vaccines are “unavoidably unsafe”, ie inherently unsafe. Show me that vaccines are not cancer causing, do not cause DNA mutation and do not cause infertility. Explain to me why communities that are 100% vaccinated still have outbreaks of the diseases they have been vaccinated against. Show me that the current CDC vaccination schedule was created completely independently of any interest from the vaccine industry. You can’t do any of the above and stick with your way of thinking, because the research does not exist, vaccines are unavoidably unsafe and say right in their package insert that they have not been tested for carcinogens, genetic mutation or infertility, and the pharmaceutical industry lines the pockets of our government and the CDC.

    The fact that you blindly agree to vaccinate and that you want impose that idea on everyone you can is WRONG. Are you going to take liability for the children and adults that become injured from these vaccines, because the vaccine manufacturers and physicians who administer them are off the hook due to the 1986 Childhood Vaccine Injury Act? Are you going to pay for their lifelong care, therapy and everything else that it takes to get them through each day? Because thousands more get injured from vaccines each year than those who get injured from these diseases, and that is not because the vaccines have done their job. Death and injury from these diseases was already at a comparable low the 10+ years before these vaccines were introduced.

    You should be ashamed of putting this kind of uninformed message out there, but it is not surprising, given that is just what the vaccine manufacturers want you to do.

    • There are three comments above that aptly illustrate how “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” All of them take bits of info out of context and further misinterpret them. Stoller and Gawoski actually provide citations/links that disprove their own assertions. The authors also don’t appear to have really read our piece.

      The CDC scientist Stoller (and Gawoski) refer to as supporting anti-vaccine propaganda was is fact quoted in our piece. Again, that scientist, Dr. Thompson, says this: “I want to be absolutely clear that I believe vaccines have saved and continue to save countless lives. I would never suggest that any parent avoid vaccinating children of any race. Vaccines prevent serious diseases, and the risks associated with their administration are vastly outweighed by their individual and societal benefits.”

      Again, as even Gawoski notes, the most recent ‘study” supposedly supporting an autism link to vaccines has been withdrawn, just like the others, due to faulty science and conflicts of interest – there is still zero evidence of such a link: http://www.translationalneurodegeneration.com/content/3/1/22

      Breastfeeding? Good practice, of course, and indeed natural too – but 10 seconds of rational thought and a look at history should reveal that is not protective of many diseases.

      I don’t respond to cowardly anonymous comments but will note that “CH” is apparently anonymous for a reason, as his/her comment betrays a complete lack of understanding of the topics addressed, and would apparently fail any high school science, logic, or reading comprehension classes.

      For those who want some actual facts on vaccine risks, here is one good recent source:
      http://aapnews.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/07/01/aapnews.20140701-1

      For those who might wish a simpler graphic presentation, search for “Penn and Teller on Vaccination.” (profanity alert).

      For more information on Stoller’s most recent problems with his medical practices and license, see:
      http://www.abqjournal.com/512358/news/doctor-accused-of-treating-child-who-wasnt-sick.html
      “The New Mexico Medical Board alleges there is “sufficient evidence” to believe that Stoller over a three-year period treated the child “repeatedly, unnecessarily and injudiciously,” and enabled the child’s mother to engage in “medical child abuse.”

      And there is more about him and his attempt to sell autism “cures” here on this “American Loons” site:
      http://americanloons.blogspot.com/2014/10/1179-kenneth-paul-stoller.html

      Finally, regarding proposals to tighten exemptions for vaccination, nobody is going to physically “force” vaccinations on any kids (or adults). But the 90-plus % of parents who vaccinate are reasonably asking that their children not be exposed to diseases via unvaccinated kids, and thus there will be more consequences for not doing so, like not being allowed in public schools, from elementary to the UC system. Choices should have consequences – as we teach kids. None of us has the right to endanger others due to bad information and bad choices.

      • I do not understand this sentence: “But the 90-plus % of parents who vaccinate are reasonably asking that their children not be exposed to diseases via unvaccinated kids…” My question is this: if vaccines protect your children from disease, how is it a danger to them to be around unvaccinated kids?

      • You say “nobody is going to physically “force” vaccinations on any kids”. And it is true that SB277 doesn’t force people to vaccinate — instead, they can just decide to move out of California.

        But, all kids residing in California will be vaccinated, except for a very small number who can qualify for a medical exemption. If you don’t vaccinate, a child will not be allowed in school and will be truant. When kids are truants, Child Protective Services will take custody and vaccinate them (holding them down if necessary), and may or may not return them to you. What part of this is not “force”?

  4. First, let me say that I love the idea of vaccines. But they have to be shown to be safe and effective in order for me to consider them for myself or my family.

    Vaccines have to get over a very high bar for safety, because the chance of having permanent disability or death from the “vaccine-preventable illnesses” is extremely low, and had already fallen by 95% to 99% from 1900 until vaccines were introduced. This reduction was due to improved sanitation, nutrition, and lifestyle improvements. Diseases like scarlet fever died out altogether, and in the US, no one dies from typhoid fever or cholera. The death rate from measles had fallen to no more than 1 per 5,000 before vaccination, and likely would have followed the path of other infectious diseases if we hadn’t started vaccination.

    Natural illness gives lifetime immunity, while vaccines give temporary immunity (if any at all). So one of the things to factor into vaccination is that you will have to get regular booster shots, and each booster has its own risk of disability or death. Studies show that boosters stop working altogether for some people, and they will be at increased risk from the illness as they age, whereas getting it in childhood is lowest risk.

    For example in the US, the chance of dying from the measles is about 1 in 300 million per year (1,000 cases of measles per year in 300MM people, with no more than a 1 in 1,000 chance of death), or less than 1 in 4 million lifetime (assuming 75 year lifespan). In contrast, according to the government’s VAERS database, in the last 10 years there have been over 80 deaths following MMR vaccination, and almost 2,000 disabilities. So the risk from measles vaccination is at least 1 in 20,000 (2,000 disabilities and deaths over 40,000,000 children vaccinated over 10 years). Thus, the risk from measles vaccination is at least 2,000 times greater than the risk of the disease. Why would anyone aware of these numbers choose to vaccinate for the measles, while they live in the US? (If you visit a third-world country, the risks of getting ill will go up, but the risk-benefit ratio still clearly favors not vaccinating.)

    When people make pro-vaccine arguments, they always end up saying “vaccines do not cause autism”. If this statement means “vaccines never cause autism for any child”, it is patently false: the US government has compensated cases where vaccines were determined to cause autism, as in the case of Hannah Poling. So perhaps the people making this claim really mean “vaccines only rarely cause autism”.

    Assuming that is what they really mean, then the question is “how rare is it?”. And the answer is “we don’t really know”. For example, European countries have a fraction of the autism rates of the United States, and they also give far fewer vaccinations. This is highly suggestive. There are also limited studies of never-vaccinated kids, and they show much lower rates of autism in never-vaccinated kids.

    But really, autism is just the tip of the iceberg. We have in the United States an epidemic of chronic childhood illness. When I grew up, I didn’t know anyone with asthma, severe peanut allergies, seizures, ADD/ADHD, learning disorders, or autism. Today, just in the kids I’ve met through my 5-year-old son, I saw a newborn go into seizure-after-seizure after getting her HepB shot; I know three autistic kids; I know a kid who has an anaphylactic-shock reaction to eggs, and I know a kid who has epileptic seizures. As my son enters school, I expect to meet kids with learning disorders and ADD/ADHD.

    The recommended vaccination schedule increased right along with this epidemic of illness in our kids, and there are of scientific studies that show a connection between vaccination and these illnesses.

    And it is not just chronic illness: the IQs of boys are dropping, which can be explained as a “side effect” of our vaccination schedule.

    The evidence for both safety and efficacy of vaccines is sorely lacking, and there is no accurate information about vaccine-caused disability and death. Thus, with the information we have today, it is impossible to evaluate the risks and the benefits, and it is impossible to give true informed consent for any vaccination.

    Really, if we are going to vaccinate despite the lack of evidence that they are safe and effective, we would be much better off to adopt the recommended vaccination schedule used by Japan or by any European country, than to use the schedule recommended by the CDC. It makes me sick to my stomach to watch what is happening to our kids, and the way people buy into the pro-vaccine propaganda from media and our medical system. All you have to do is open your eyes to see that something is wrong: and there are 200+ more vaccines in the pipeline!

  5. This article really tries to be impartial and even showing they don’t have ties with any big pharma’s, etc, but somehow they leave out key information from all sides. How can you call yourself impartial and unbiased if you don’t truly explain both sides. But I understand, you are scarred that the powers that be, the powers of the CMA and AMA and Merck PR reps will take you down if you say anything different.
    ==================================
    Here are some quick bullets and fun facts the writers left out:

    –Zero deaths in the last 10 years from measles but 108 measels deaths due to the measles vaccine (source CDC)
    –Former head of the CDC, Gerberding, just months after leaving office, got a President title heading Merck’s vaccine division and they monopolize production
    –Former CDC Director, Gerberding said in and interview…”Can Vaccines Cause Autism? — “We Don’t Know” — CNN interview
    –The CDC routinely allows scientists with blatant conflicts of interest to serve on influential advisory committees… for which they are supposed to be providing unbiased oversight.” — Dan Burton, former U.S. Congressional Representative
    –CDC Whistleblower: CDC Covered Up MMR Vaccine Link to Autism in African American Boys – See more at: http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/cdc-whistleblower-comes-forward-admits-coverup-on-vaccine-link-to-autism/#sthash.pbN2WD6v.dpuf
    –Dr Richard Pan, but lead State Senator that is sponsoring the SB 277, has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from pharma and other health-related sources

    If you are pro or anti or unsure about the 149 mandated vaccines before the age of 15, you should worry about this law since:
    * You can sue Merck for there product (law says you can’t)
    * And now they will force all to receive it? ….THIS DOESN’T ADD UP …You can’t have it both ways..

    Contact Mark Leno, Marin’s local rep. to “talk” to him about this Merck sponsored bill
    Phone: (916) 651-4011
    Phone: (415) 557-1300

  6. Typo correction on my past comment:
    –Marc Levine is our state rep, not Mark Leno. So Leno’s tel is (415) 479-4920
    –one of the last bullets should say, ” you can’t sue Merck” not you can…

    Interesting that author Heilig takes the low road to personally attack each opposing viewpoint, which further proves his lack of balance. Try answering the points? Debating 101.

    The article also doesn’t mention Wakefield’s partner was exonerated by British courts recently, so Wakefield would be next.

    Last point: Lundeen makes Interesting point about obvious sicknesses on today’s kids. I do support vaccines, but they should be safer and better tested and not dictated by private industry. Also in my circle, I have heard from mothers and fathers of autistic kids that right after the mmr shot they noticed the change. I’m sure other readers have stories like this….pls comment here. They know their kids.

    Are there any studies comparing the health of vaccinated vs unvaccinated?

    • I watched my nephew lose milestones within 10 days of the MMR. He lost speech and eye contact. This is directly in line, timing wise, with the onset of encephelopathy in vaccine injured kids who have received awards front he Vaccine Court. His story is featured in the movie Trace Amounts.

      Also, it’s worth qutoing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebalius, in Reader’s Digest magazine in an interview about the H1N1 several years ago:
      “We have reached out to media outlets to try to get them to not give the views of these people equal weight in their reporting to what science has shown and continues to show about the safety of vaccines.” CLEARLY this is the case because there is no mainstream journalism reporting this story anywhere.

      The media, for its part is also cowed by the advertising dollars from drug companies. They are, by far, the biggest source of revenue for the news media — over 70%. And they are obviously having a real impact on editorial content because you can’t find the conversation contained herein ANYWHERE on the news. Which is honestly quite frightening.

      This is the power of corporate money to impact the most personal aspects of our lives. This isn’t annoying negative campaign ads or remote lobbyists whispering on Capitol Hill. This is compulsory injection of toxins into babies and children we’re talking about.

      Something HAS to change.

      Anyone with half a brain can see that there is a huge amount of misinformation and Tobacco Science supporting the illusion that vaccines are “safe and effective.”

  7. Thank you for writing this opinion piece.
    Important well-considered points that I hope will enable parents who are concerned about vaccinations to at least weigh the experience and scientific knowledge of their information sources before choosing whether to vaccinate their children.
    The certainty of some respondents that vaccination is the source of ADD, autism, asthma, and the like, or that the “medical system” is against protecting public health or that doctors, especially retired doctors, are concerned about being “taken down” by the AMA seems quixotic.
    If the EU vaccination schedule seems more reasonable, then work toward that rather than against vaccines. The EU may require fewer vaccines, but also has much stricter chemical and food policies than the United States. Too much of the “information” provided by the respondents are conjectures or misleading statements presented as facts, and it seems as if they didn’t actually read the article but used it as a launch for their own opinions.
    Vaccinations became the norm to prevent highly-contagious, life-altering, deadly diseases that we’ve been lucky enough not to have experienced or witnessed if we’re young enough to be considering whether or not to vaccinate our children. It’s important to provide the safest vaccinations possible, and equally important to direct our attention toward potential and known sources of illness such as the processed fructose-laced merchandise that passes as food in the United States and chemicals in agriculture, personal care, cleaning and gardening products as well as in our clothing and modes of transportation.
    As far as ADD/ADHD, why do people assume that is related to vaccines rather than our current proclivity toward over-diagnosis when a wide range of human variation exists? And why assume difficulty focusing is due to vaccines rather than too little exercise or time to daydream, or a lack of sleep, or food choices, activities and stressors that amp up the nervous system?
    Thank you Dr. Greenwood and Dr. Heilig for writing this thoughtful caring opinion piece.

  8. Thanks to all those who have read and commented – even those who think us corrupt and deluded because they don’t agree with us. A few quick responses:
    – If one reads the comments above, it should be clear that it was not I who started any “personal attacks.”
    – But it is striking how often those who allege some vast profiteering conspiracy here are themselves so tainted. And how many anti-vaccine activists sound unhinged, using comparisons to Nazi Germany (see letter in this week’s paper), or calling Sen. Richard Pan MD, author of the current vaccine bill, telling him to “Go back to China” (or who used to allege vaccination was a communist plot). The more reasonable and sane advocates would do well to disavow and reign in such people.
    – Some of the comments employ the standard tactic of throwing out all sorts of wild allegations, citing research out of context, misquoting experts, and then demanding, “prove me wrong.” That’s not how science or “debating 101” work. Concerned people can and should do their own homework, but not be too credulous regarding random items posted online.
    – The answers to most if not all of the questions posed by commenters are easily found online – from reputable sources, not anti-vaccine propaganda – if not in our article. Some may need help interpreting the information (that’s not an insult – just factual; science is complex and thus the many years of training to truly ‘get’ it).
    – Again, we certainly agree that vaccines should continue to be made even safer, and those efforts are ongoing.
    – Likewise, if revised vaccine schedules are reassuring and effective, those should be supported.
    – Again, contrary to some paranoia expressed above, nobody is going to forcefully vaccinate anybody. But there will likely be more consequences for not voluntarily doing so, as there should be.
    – A good new piece on some of these controversies appears in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1501198?query=TOC
    – Finally, and once again, here is the quote from the CDC “whistleblower” scientist anti-vaccine activists are quoting out of context: “I want to be absolutely clear that I believe vaccines have saved and continue to save countless lives. I would never suggest that any parent avoid vaccinating children of any race. Vaccines prevent serious diseases, and the risks associated with their administration are vastly outweighed by their individual and societal benefits.”
    – That’s it in a nutshell. We understand we have not convinced those who are already sure they know, but if a few people “on the fence’ have looked into this some more, good. Thanks again for reading/writing.

    • Mr. (It’s not “doctor”, is it? I thought not) Heilig, you didn’t “start” the personal attacks!? That’s your rationale? Ad hominem is valid when someone else has already started it? I think I used that argument when caught by my mother fighting with my brother when we were five and six, because in kindergarten logic, it makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? “He started it”. I remember it like it was yesterday, only in my case it wasn’t actually yesterday because I’m 34.
      Nextly, had YOU bothered to read the article YOU keep posting in your pathetic attempts to discredit Dr. Stoller (hm, doctorate envy much?) you would know that the mother in that case was never charged and her custody of the child was restored. How can a doctor help a mother commit medical child abuse if cyfd’s investigation concluded she never committed medical child abuse?

  9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/22099159/

    Explain how this article is totally absurd and completely incorrect? Unlike your above links, this is .gov study. It has been available since 2011 and has not been retracted. One can’t blatantly ignore the fact that aluminum is not a safe adjuvant. I’ll follow the CDC schedule when vaccines are safer. Until then, I’ll follow a delayed and safer schedule. One where my child isn’t pumped full of neurotoxins.

    • Thanks for your comment (and using your real name, presumably – check some of the others and you can see why they are not worth responding to!)
      The study you cite is a very flawed one that does not really tell us anything (and is not a ‘gov’ study, that is just the site for accessing research).
      For in-depth critique, see here – the responses/discussion particularly good –
      http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2011/12/08/and-global-warming-is-caused-by-the-decr/

      If the sort of links they posit were true, we would have exponentially higher autism and other problems than we already tragically have. The causes are elsewhere.
      But again, if a ‘delayed’ schedule is what you are comfortable with, and your MD will do it, go with that.

  10. No. And no matter how much money you are paid to try and convince us that mandatory vaccines are necessary my answer will still be no. This is still america, we still have freedom of religion? The right to bodily integrity? Vaccinate your children if you like, that is your right, but you have no right to tell anyone else what they MUST do with their own children.

  11. He is begging you to Euthanize your children because they know over 95% of the pops already have the world’s most highly associated cancers gene sharing stealth and they hope to assist in reducing the pops not needing your stealth infected water!
    http://www.lymeneteurope.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=5147&start=20

    They don’t care about treating what they gave you for decades causing ALL manner of Neurological Syndromes, Psych and Cancers, they had rather have you gone!
    Like your AIDS infected fecal fertilizers Bee’s, your AIDS infected white nose Bat’s, your fecal infected AIDS FISHES all already growing the stealth they want you to add more infectious antigens to kill you faster!
    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-great-lakes-plastic-fibers-scientists-20150109-story.html

  12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAkz6LWNRLo. DR HUMPHRIES talks about the dangers of aluminum in vaccines. She is a very intelligent doctor, not working for illuminati and not controlled by them. She have held conferences to spread the truth, the dangers of vaccines. The mainstream media, medical field,big pharmas are owned and controlled by illuminati. Don’t get your garbage info from garbage media. Garbage In, Garbage out in your brain. Go to independent media, independent scientists, doctors, and sites that are not controlled by illuminati. THEN AND ONLY THEN YOU WILL FIND OUT THE TRUTH.

  13. Dr. Scott Johnson’ s in depth studies of all vaccines with links and proofs of the harmful effects. He exposes all substances of every vaccines and the results of the vaccines to children that got vaccinated became autistic in the next few days, to pregnant women who got miscarriages after being vaccinated, up to a release of liabilities law that you can’t even sue the killers. This video has shown all the sites, the secret documents under freedom of information act that cdc refused to release that took 7 years fight.       https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XmbePQW-7ys https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fPwGjy7UhoE.   Dr. MICHIOKAKU ON NANOTECH CHIPS mind control chips in the vaccines.http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0b_RMDrx1js.  Ebola's nanotech chips exposed on this video.

  14. My goodness, I was hoping for some logical retorts from Mr Heilig as there are many valid points made in regards to the lack of efficacy studies, the lack of controlled studies comparing vaccinated vs non-vaccinated, etc etc. Instead I had to reread his bullet point responses.

    Please provide responses to the concerns raised. I would love to have that information to use myself. I believe it is of utmost importance or else the pro vaccine arguments continue to be lacking…ad hominem attacks indicate weakness instead of strength

    • The information/research you ask for is all readily available if you truly want it (some of it in my responses above). Please do your own looking but beware of the non-scientific anti-vaccine propaganda; they just seek to tie people up forever in responding to already disproven allegations and concerns, and won’t change their minds no matter what evidence is provided. And see comments just above for true ad hominen insanity.
      But again, my practice is not to respond much to anonymous posts, as I consider them cowardly. I’m only making an exception here as you do sound reasonable and genuinely concerned.

  15. you don’t talk about people like me with vaccine injuries. I am vaers Id 251221. You admit there are risks to all medical interventions but minimize the risk. But I am still fighting the damage to my body ten years after the shot that almost killed me. Vaccine court conceded my case but the settlement would not cover my $500,000 in medical bills.

  16. Western trained Allopathic Medical Doctors have insufficient training in “natural science”, health, nutrition, toxicity and immunology. Organic whole food nutrition VS GMO and processed foods and botanical and food supplements to support cells and to reduce inflammation and returning the body to an alkaline Ph balance to reverse disease and chronic pain and illnesses.
    Every infant in America is at high risk for brain cancer, nerve and gut damage from the increase of toxins in the environment and the number 1 killer of infants, toddlers, and children. According to the President’s Cancer Panel Report and having a solid look at what’s in vaccines are filled with toxic chemicals such as aluminum, formaldehyde, peanuts, aborted calf, male and female fetuses and cancerous cells that make tissue. The notion that there is no harm to infants is a great reason to stop vaccinating. First of all the immune system is suppose to kick in coming down the birth canal of full term babies. What if a baby is premature or born C-Section? So, forcing more toxic vaccinations is causing “toxic overload”. MD’s who do not understand the immune system or the effects of toxins introduced into the body of infants clearly need to stop enforcing the CDC Schedule. The One Size Fits All dosages. Keeping up with this schedule out weighs common sense and precautionary non-delivery of vaccines. It does not matter if an infant is sick, low birth weight, struggling with respiratory lung conditions or liver dysfunction or digestive problems, the Vaccines must go on! Killing our babies and when the gut and digestive system is destroyed painful. Their diaphragm becomes paralyzed and death follows. Along with liver and kidney failure because toxins in the blood is closing down organs within minutes. Giving pregnant Mothers Vitamin C and Glyconutrients, along with parsley, cilantro, and mint and green tea will help reduce the toxic overload and upon birth the same daily formula. The problem is with the lack of training by MDs’ ……making the Baby Killers. So, SAD that the Medical Mafia is in our town! The ignorance and arrogance is going continue to kill all of us.

  17. This article is so utterly full of crap I can’t even motivate myself to begin to rip it’s extensively flawed logic to shreds. Who would believe we’re actually debating giving the state unilateral decision making regarding what they can inject into a citizen’s body?

    Truly nightmarish.

    You should be ashamed of your self for propagating this trash.

    • yes, it is so tragic to see how easily folks have been fooled into dismissing mountains of evidence that show vaccine are causing grave harm..

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