Quick controversial post

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I know I have mentioned lots about vaccines, but anyone who knows me knows that I do not like to be ignorant and I like to share what I learn. My friend, Holly, gave me this website because her friend goes to this doctor (Jenny McCarthey's son who has autism goes to this doctor). He is a major advocate of staggering vaccines. Vaccines are a very touchy subject and something that lots of medical and government agencies are afraid to mention because they are afraid that if parents find out about harmful things in vaccines then they will no longer get them and the problems from that could be really huge. I do not support just not getting any vaccines! That's a little scary. However, even scarier is that fact that the government and CDC and even your doctor sometimes tell half truths (i am trying to be nice, usually it ends up being a blatant lie) and make very important decisions for you by doing so. I think vaccines are very important......however, I also do not support doing something just because that is what we do. It makes me crazy when people say "the CDC wouldn't approve them if they weren't okay", or "my doctor said there are no risks." Welcome to a world of researching things for yourself because you never know how honest professionals are being with you. This article, though probably a little biased (there is not one unbiased article on this subject, so you gotta go with your gut), can atleast make you realize that just because "professionals" say that something is okay, doesn't mean that is the whole truth. This kind of thing really interests me more politically than anything. I find it very interesting that certain professional and government institutions think it is ethical to withhold information because "it is for our own good." Thanks guys, but love and logic parenting says that I am old enough to have the whole information and make the decision on my own. In fact, it says that my 16 month old can (granted this topic is a little mature for a one year old, but you get my drift). So, CDC and government, if you are reading my blog :), then please share the facts, and get all the harmful stuff out of vaccines before pumping it into our babies. I understand tons of kids do fine with them, but who is to say that some adult onset diseases couldn't be triggered by vaccines. (MS? There is research toying with the idea). Anyway, this is basically just to let me vent, so there ya go. My last vaccine post, I promise. http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/news/deadly.asp. http://www.drjaygordon.com/

Comments

Kit said…
Dana-I HEART you. Thank you for sharing. I gave Roscoe one dose of immunizations under some MD pressure and then I went a running and haven't been back to the Dr. since. That's right, I am a nurse and my little boy hasn't seen the doctor since he was 4 months old...gasp! I just didn't want to be talked into anything. Lexi got almost all her shots, because I really felt okay about it, but Roscoe has been different for me. I just don't feel good about it until he is older. I too have gotten in some HEATED discussions about this, so now I just avoid the topic. I could not agree with you more. I see medical people tell half truths all the time just to make "the job" run smoother. Honestly, It is scary. I am really curious to know what you do with Mason... Thanks for posting and I will read this article.
March 19, 2009 at 10:34 PM
Peach said…
Glad you posted this. I'll have to go to that link before Luke's 2 month appt.
March 20, 2009 at 2:31 PM
Anonymous said…
I would be very cautious resting my opinion on an article that was posted in Rolling Stone magazine, and I would be very cautious making the medical profession the bad guys. Anything that makes someone appear completely devious and manipulative cannot be a good source for facts. Things are not perfect, but there are many more reliable sources to seek information, and there is much more to be known about this issue.
March 20, 2009 at 8:09 PM
Anonymous said…
Unfortunately this topic has become come what of a controversy. Keep in mind that Jenny is not a doctor, she is a mom, but sometimes when people want a diagnosis and to blame someone all the sudden things seem to "fit". She is a celebrity that is leading many parents into deep waters without any sort of safety precautions to help them but the information from this doctor. It is making it more difficult for those of us that are trying to care realistically for our autistic children. You might be surprised at the grief that is given out to parents that have autistic children and aren't jumping onto her bandwagon. Government and doctors are easy scape-goats for all of this. It doesn’t mean that they are to blame. No one is asking parents to go into this blindly. It is your child do the research. Make sure that your research if coming from credible sources. If in doubt research the doctors doing the studies. When the studies mention previous studies-take a look at those also.

I agree with your other anonymous poster about the credibility factor in the information she is spearheading. It leaves something to be desired. It is fine to spread out vaccinations, just make sure that you get them. It is great to not just settle on the first pediatrician that you visit. You should really read a lot of the studies out there on autism, the autism spectrum, vaccinations, the increase in illness in the last 5-7 years (your choice is affecting those around you- really it is), and what the actual percentages are for all of these. Read studies done in other countries. Though their medical guidelines may be different they tend to disclose the parameters of the study. It might shock after reading them that the gov and docs aren’t really all that bad and that there really isn’t a big cover up going on.

I wish you good luck in your journey through parenthood.
March 21, 2009 at 11:49 AM
Holly said…
Dear Dana- thanks for posting this. I actually don't believe in vaccines at all now that I've dug deeper and deeper into this issue. Dr. Gordon says that measles are the best thing that can happen to a child's immune system. I'm no doctor, but I've educated myself on the diseases that have vaccines and know that my child has a better chance at fighting illness with a healthy immune system because she hasn't been vaxed than with the compromised one she could possibly have because of all the crap in vaccines. Mercury is just a buzz word that catches parent's attention. What about fetal bovine serum? Aluminum (a known carcinogen)? Vaccines are chock full of CRAP. It might protect against one thing, but it opens the door to MANY other problems. And we'll never get good research on the subject because those funding the research are also the manufactures. I just read an article that said one man's share of the Rotateq vaccine was $55 Million. Hello. And I am so sick of people saying that mothers can't possibly know enough to link a vaccine with an autistic child. Please. One minute they are fine and the next they aren't? I PERSONALLY know two families who had screaming children for hours after shots and then were NEVER the same afterwards. It's no coincidence people.
March 21, 2009 at 1:19 PM
Dana said…
Everyone will NEVER agree on this issue, but my goal is to open up the topic for debate in your own mind because I think it is crazy to just do what everyone else is doing and not do what is best for you. Another example is birth control. I am not even going to touch this at all, but I decided what was best for me even though my doc and alot of people told me it was crazy and thought I was all weird and stuff. Well, thank heavens because come to find out I have Factor IV Leiden and that increases my chance of blood clot a ton, and WAYYY more if I was ever on birth control. Thank heavens we can pray, find out what is best for our families and then go with it. Too bad we have to put up with people saying that we are hurting their kids and that it is crazy when that is what we have found is right for us. I believe that God cares about all of the little things too and I have felt led to all of this info and feel good about what I personally am doing. Some kids start off with very healthy immune systems and can probably handle immunizations just fine, but we don't know which kids those are, so I will do what I feel is right for us and hope that everyone else will do the same, whether that means vaccinating or not. And I will be honest, I understand everyone biases research, but I would be careful resting my opinion on the CDC info as well because if you haven't learned yet that just because the larger majority says something is okay, doesn't make it right or true no matter how bad we want it. I respect opinions on both sides, but hope parents will do their research from the books and use their mind and heart a little too. Thanks everyone for your comments, one sided debates are never as beneficial.
March 22, 2009 at 11:30 AM
Dana said…
PS-There can be more than one right answer on this.
March 22, 2009 at 11:35 AM
Anonymous said…
It is appreciated that you have opened this up for thought (debate), just next time maybe you should provide unbiased article links or one for each side of the debate. To all those that feel there are no studies done without a pharm company backing it up...PLEASE do your research on that. There are studies conducted out there where people are really trying to find out what is best for our children and they aren’t looking to just make a buck. They are called independent studies. It would be a horrible way for me to live thinking that my gov and docs were always trying to put one past me at every turn. Thank goodness they aren’t.

We live in a dangerous time when people feel that they are able to self diagnose because they have the internet. This is making the doctor's job that much harder and patient’s compliance much lower, resulting in a mess for the medical profession (not to mention that they –the doctors – are then blamed for it).

Lots of the information out there is not for the layman (non- medical professional), and is not understood or taken in the correct capacity. This is not to say that we as parents are not able to read many studies, but it is to say that without the adequate amount of education and knowledge surrounding the studies, we the parents, are unable to fully comprehend the conclusions reached through their processes.
Also keep in mind just because it is on the internet doesn't mean that it is true and correct.

Again thank you everyone for your thoughts.
March 22, 2009 at 6:47 PM
The Mattesons said…
Dana, you are awesome. All I have to say is...To each their own,plain and simple. I have had all three of my kids vaccinated and they have been fine and plan do to so with the twins. But with every choice in life, it is what you feel is right. Take all the information you can get, talk to all the doctors you can and pray about it.

P.S. I hate when people leave anonymous comments and don't say who they are. Whether they be good or bad, I hate not knowing who wrote them!
March 23, 2009 at 12:46 AM
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