10 Things I Wish the Mainstream Media Would Get Right About Parents Who Don't Vaccinate

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If you are a parent who doesn't follow the recommended vaccine schedule, you have probably read the same articles I have (I don't mean the PubMed journals, which of course you have read.  I mean the ones in parenting magazines or newspapers).  You know the ones.  It is almost enough to make you suspect that they are all quoting from a really old article--circa 2004, perhaps?--because they all make these same 10 mistakes. 

1. Basic info/terminology. Virus vs bacteria. Antigen vs adjuvant.  Live virus.  When you talk about the pertussis virus or removing thimerosol from the MMR it is hard to take you seriously.

2. The autism angle.  Autism is a big concern for some parents.  I get that.  But contrary to popular opinion, it isn't the only or even primary concern of many parents.  Auto-immune issues in general, fetal tissue in vaccines and other things influence many of us as much or more than a fear of autism.

3. Herd immunity.  There is always the suggestion that non-vaxers are the ones who put others at risk by derailing herd immunity.  The truth is that herd immunity is largely a myth.  How many adults do you know that are fully up to date on all boosters?  Um, yeah.  Furthermore, not all diseases or vaccines are created equal (some are not even designed to prevent transmission, let alone the varying rates of efficacy) and while herd immunity might be plausible for a few, it isn't for most.   All the non-vaxers that I know are fully aware of this--one reason why we study MMWRs, and educate ourselves on the symptoms and treatment options for many VPDs.  We certainly don't rely on herd immunity in most cases. 

4. Remembering how bad the diseases are.  We are told with ineffable condescension that vaccines are a victim of their own success. If we could only remember a few decades ago...  Aside from the fact that hygiene, improved medical care, nutrition and other things are at least as responsible for declining rates of mortality, the perception has changed significantly. Nobody was scared I would die when I got chicken pox.  Even measles was not considered to be a big deal in most cases (and there is mounting evidence that we are trading a week of illness there for chronic allergies, asthma and other diseases).  Some diseases are very serious, but so are the vaccine reactions. 

5. Equality of diseases and vaccines.  All diseases and vaccines are not created equal.  My four month old is not at risk for Hep B or tetanus.  Pertussis scares me.  Mumps?  Not really.  The fact that my children are exclusively breastfed for a year, and continue to breastfeed after that affects my decision on Hib. I could go on and on.  The risks vary according to age, family history, geography and many other things.  Similarly, some vaccines are more reactive than others.  Some are very effective, others are not.

6. The obsession with thimerosol.   This still gets trotted out every time along with experts patiently explaining that thimerosol was removed from most vaccines years ago.  While it was more removed from some than others, thimerosol isn't the over-riding concern for most of us.  Aluminum, which is present in very dangerous amounts, concerns  me more.  There is a whole cocktail of nasty stuff in most vaccines (varies according to brand and type).

7.  Fear of antigen overload.  The same person talking about thimerosol sweetly pats us on the head as s/he explains that worries over too many vaccines at once are unfounded because the antigens are so weak. After all, we are exposed to far more bacteria or viruses at any given time than the ones injected in a vaccine.  Well, yeah. The problem is all the adjuvants.  The antigens are too weak to provoke an immune response on their own, so they are made into a threat with adjuvants like aluminum and other toxic substances.  Forget about the antigens.  Explain how levels that greatly exceed the FDA limits for toxic adjuvants aren't a problem.

8.  Environmental exposure.  You are exposed to these toxins in the environment, anyway.  Yes, we are, and while that isn't a good thing there, either, in most cases, our bodies' natural defense systems help excrete them.  Being injected into your muscle tissue bypasses a lot of that, and when you are talking about babies whose blood-brain barrier isn't developed, that is concerning.

9. Vaccine side effects are redness and soreness at the injection site and a fever.  In rare cases, anaphylaxis may result.  True. The implication is that fever isn't a big deal, and anaphylaxis is so rare that we shouldn't worry.  Fine. What about the other side effects?  Read the safety inserts, please.  There are many serious side effects, including respiratory illness, arthritis, paralysis, an assortment of auto-immune disorders, and more.

10.  Concerns about vaccines are based solely on the anecdotes of so and so who posted a story on vaccinesRthedevil.com.  Most of us started questioning because of reactions we saw in our own children.  But we didn't stop there. We spend countless hours poring over medical journals, researching the diseases, ingredients, the immune system, etc., learning all we can.  Some are immunologists, neuroscientists and other medical professionals. We are educated and informed about vaccines.  Talk to us. And if you are going to write about us, learn a little more first.

My Parenting Bookshelf--the Vaccine Books

When my daughter was first born, I was much more tractable and trusting of mainstream medical practices than I am now.  I didn't question too much.  My research was limited to the mainstream parenting magazines, and they all said that the worst thing that could happen from vaccination was fever, and perhaps temporary redness and soreness at the injection site.  The wackadoos who claimed otherwise were tin-foil-hat freaks who were relying on everyone else's herd immunity because of nonsensical fears that the thimerosol in the MMR would make their kids autistic.  (Note: the MMR has never contained thimerosol, but that is typical of the misinformation in these types of articles.)  In other words, pretty much the same thing they say now.

Our ped at that time delayed the Hep B vaccine until after 1 month, but otherwise she was fully vaccinated according to the CDC.  When our son was born, though, I felt really uneasy.  We waited until he was 2 months to do any vaccines, but then he got the full recommendations.  He also got a fever over 103, and cried for hours.  At his 4 month appointment, I told the ped, hoping that she would tell us not to go ahead.  She said that anything over 104 was her cut off.  Every instinct inside me shrieked against it, but like a good little girl I went ahead.  And I believe it is only the grace of God that I didn't lose my son.

This time was worse than the previous reaction, which is typical for vaccine reactions.  By the next day, his fever was 104, but what concerned me was his breathing.  He was pale, grunting with each breath and looked so worried.  I recognized the expression on his face from my worst asthma attacks.  He was concentrating so hard on breathing that he couldn't nurse or do anything else.  Carlos had our only car, and was in class with no cell-phone.  I called my parents and the ped, and prayed as hard as I ever have in my life.  By the time my parents arrived, his breathing was much better.  Within a couple of hours, his fever was gone.  Even so, his smile became lop-sided for months, and I always wondered if it was connected to the shots.  It was the last time any of our children were vaccinated.

I had needed a wake-up call, and I got one.  I began researching all the stuff I had put off before because it seemed so daunting.

I started talking to other moms who didn't vaccinate.  I hung out in forums, reading everything I could, and of course, I got some books.  The problem with books is that vaccines are an ever-moving target.  There are always new additions, and there have been some changes in the vaccines (although not as many as you might think).  Because of this, I will add a few links at the end.

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations by Stephanie Cave, M.D.  This book is from 2001, and therefore dated.  It focuses a lot on thimerosol and autism.  I would still recommend it, though, for the excellent look at vaccines and autoimmune issues.  We have a significant family history of asthma, allergies and other things that made this section even more relevant for us.  It is still worth reading.

Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide by Aviva Jill Romm.  Also from 2001, and not by an M.D.  However, it is very well documented and researched.  It provides an overview of vaccine history and a wealth of other information, including natural treatments for the diseases and for the vaccines.  After reading it, I still wasn't exactly sure if the author was for or against vaccines.  I appreciated that kind of balance.

Just a Little Prick by Hilary Butler.  This one was a little more challenging to read.  For one thing, it is huge--496 pages.  And frankly the writing style has a lot of personal touches that can make you wish for a good editor to go in and streamline things a bit.  It isn't written by a medical professional, and it makes no pretense of being unbiased.  However, I consider it a must-read.  It is from 2006 and very thorough.  The footnotes alone are an incredibly valuable resource.  If you really want to access all the medical studies, peer-reviewed publications, history and more, if you are concerned about serotype replacement and the impact of nutrition, you can't afford not to read this.

Take Charge of Your Child's Health by George Wootan, M.D.  He is our doctor's brother, so that of course piqued my interest.  He devotes an entire chapter to vaccinations and includes an overview of the diseases and vaccines,and includes treatments and complications of both.  It is from 2000, though, and again, dated.  Slightly off topic, but I am so grateful for my Dr. Wootan's practice.  Instead of being hassled about not vaccinating our children, the nurses and Dr. have expressed their relief that we are educating ourselves.


How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor by Robert Mendelsohn, M.D.  Dr. Mendelsohn's credentials are extremely impressive.  This book is from 1984--an antique, almost, in terms of vaccines, but still worthy of reading.  It is also interesting to see how the perspective on childhood diseases has changed.  Just how deadly is chicken pox for an otherwise healthy child?

The Vaccine Book by Bob Sears, M.D.  This one is the most current (2008, with updates on the Ask Dr Sears site).  It is excellently done, very balanced and the section on aluminum is extremely important for everyone to read.  This is great for middle of the road parents who still believe in the need for vaccines, but are concerned about the huge increase in the number of vaccines and the one-size-fits-all approach of the CDC.

Now for the websites.  There are extremists on both ends of the vaccine debate.  There are hysterical zealots like Dr. Paul Offit whom I consider nothing better than a snake-oil salesman out to terrify parents into vaccinating so that he can make more money (he is a vaccine patent-holder who also works on the advisory board for the CDC.  Conflict of interest, anyone?)  There are also misinformed and naive parents who occasionally post on websites (although in my experience, the forum members are pretty good at policing themselves, and the better educated and informed posters will usually correct blatant misinformation, which is more than can be said of most pro-vaccine articles).  Anyway, you should definitely do your own info and verify any information that you read, regardless of whether it is for or against vaccines.  There are way too many to list, and the sites are constantly changing, but these are a couple of places to start:

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/  Yeah, the CDC.  It is blatantly pro-vaccine (and employs people like Offit), but still offers a huge amount of information.  They were actually the ones to convince us to stop vaccinating!

http://www.nvic.org/

http://www.insidevaccines.com/ This one is one of my favorite sources.  Well-respected sources, but against vaccination.  They break down the diseases and vaccines individually. 

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/  Guggie Daly has been working on a lot of vaccine posts lately that are full of information and links to start you on your research.  This is a great starting point, and rather than retyping all the links, I'll just send you here.  You will find the vaccine safety inserts, info from the companies themselves and a ton of other resources.

http://www.gentlechristianmothers.com/community/forumdisplay.php?f=465 The vaccine forum for Gentle Christian Mothers.  Lots of stickies and links here, too!

http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/list/47  MDC vaccine forum.  Tons of resources for those who want an alternative view of vaccines.

Unlike the CDC, I don't believe that one size fits all when it comes to vaccines.  All vaccines are not equal, some diseases are more dangerous and more prevalent than others, and each family has its own risk/benefit ratio to consider.  It is a big topic, and it can be overwhelming, I know.  But I firmly believe that we have the responsibility as parents to research and not go along with any choice blindly, but to know what the risks and benefits are for our individual children.