Time for Change

Ya know, I've been thinking about this ol' blog of mine. How I only get around to posting about two times a month; how I'd rather spend time on Pinterest. How I have always written with readers in mind, and tried not to bore anyone or come off as a whiner or a bragger. But last night I sat down with Kalia and showed her pictures of the first two years of her life- from my Blurb Blog books that I published in January. She was delighted to see it! And I realized how precious these books are, and how they are really the only type of record or jounal I am keeping. I don't want to forget all the sweet moments of my long and sometimes hard days. I want my journal to keep on. So I am going to be focusing on that- I guess we can call it a New Years resolution, but I want to start it now. I am going to start blogging shorter and more frequent posts, and I am going to be writing for myself and my family. Anyone who is still stopping by to read is welcome to keep visiting! But it won't be geared as much toward updating others about my family, as it will be for my own record.

Just thought I'd let ya know!

Annie Turns 3!

November 6, 2011
Well, Annaliese Sadie Bigler turned 3 on November 6th. We had a little family party and dinner, and she had a great time. I got a Rapunzel cake from the bakery (had a free coupon) and Annie got some new barbies, a cute sleeping bag, and her favorite gift of all, green hand soap in a frog-shaped pump. That girl loves playing with soap and water. Also, the Bottle Fairy came and took her bottles to give them to other babies who actually need them. (Don't judge!) We had our reasons for letting her keep the bottle til now (at bed) and 3 was the perfect time to be done with them. She transitioned pretty easily, and loves her new tea seat that the bottle fairy left.

A few things to remember about Annie at age 3:
She still cannot have any dairy, but she loves her almond milk.
She gets a crazy bum/lower back rash from eggs and peanut butter, so avoiding those too.
She is my most emotional child, and feels thing intensely, much like her mother.
She can throw some major fits, and when she gets super mad, you can almost see the steam coming out of her ears. She clenches her fists and squeezes until her whole body shakes.
She also can be the sweetest, most polite little thing, which is what side we see more often.
She has a tiny little voice, and she LOVES to sing, and she's great at it.
She likes to play with her doll house more than Kalia did, and is more of an independent player.
She LOVES makeup and having her nails painted.
She still prefers to take an afternoon nap, although most days I will make her stay awake so that she'll go to bed early with Kalia.
She loves to sing Taylor Swift songs, and "If I Die Young" by the Band Perry. She knows almost all the words.

7 Months old

This post is 2 weeks old, but oh well!

*Just cut her bottom two teeth

*After a 6 week hiatus, is biting my nipples again. Punk.
*Has had a stomachache for about a week (I've been too lax on the diet + Halloween candy)
*Has rotten-egg-stinky-toots when this happens
*Crawls at lightning speed
*Can pick up tiny little things
*Let go of the couch and stood alone for about 20 seconds
*Likes to play in Kalia and Annie's room the most (always fun stuff on the floor)
*Is waking up more than usual at night
*Mommy is tired
*Is going to get moved into her own suite next week
*The suite = a storage closet
*Will have to go through night-time sleep training, finally
*Takes 3 good naps every day
*Still has a clogged tear duct (drain) so her left eye usually looks teary
*Favorite Activity = Crawling to the toy piano, standing up and banging on it
*Will not sit still at church anymore (of course)
*Babbles away- so cute.
*Only poops once every 4 or 5 days (so strange! it's soft too!)
*Barely any baby food in her diet still
*Said "Chick or Treat" for Halloween
*Didn't like to take (professional) family pictures (due to aforementioned stomachache)
*Enjoyed her first "Smarties" to keep her from crying. (it worked)
*Snuggles up to her little square pink blanket as she falls asleep
*Sucks on 2 fingers too

Vaccine Follow up

Well friends, I really appreciate your thought-provoking comments and questions. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for being kind, even when your views differed from mine. Those thoughts and comments and questions have pushed me to research further. It's been interesting to say the least.

Before I get in to some of the things I learned/found, let me tell you the main theme that I've discovered here:

TALKING ABOUT VACCINES IS SIMILAR TO TALKING ABOUT RELIGION. THOSE WHO FEEL THE STRONGEST ABOUT IT ARE THE ONES WHO WILL NEVER BUDGE. These two sides will, in effect, "bible bash" with each other, determined to prove themselves right-- each side backing themselves up with pages of scientific research and studies.

So both sides claim that the "other" studies are false and manipulated. Both sides claim that the other is lying. Unfortunately, there is no "Book of Mormon" to clear up the matter- in this case, it is simply a matter of each person/parent deciding who they believe the most- and then to follow their recommendations.

So---as you probably can probably tell, I have chosen to believe in the studies that I cited in my previous post. And I will continue to share a few more in this one, although I recognize that they will not change some of your minds. And that's okay. I mostly share them for the people who didn't know this kind of research even existed-- who didn't know that even though the media is telling you that "there is no proof that vaccines cause autism", there is actually a lot of proof that vaccines do DAMAGE.

We should also clarify the difference between "causation" and "correlation." You need to recognize that we know that there is not yet undeniable proof that vaccines CAUSE ANYTHING. Because as you and I both know, many people seem to be vaccinated without ANY side effects that we are aware of. Therefore, I believe that we will most likely never see a statement that vaccines CAUSE certain things, because you need a very high percentage of reactions (more reactions than non-reactions) to make that claim. An good example of causation is ACCUTANE. If you go on the acne medication called Accutane (which I did in college...it worked like a charm...) then you had to be on TWO forms of birth control (or if you live in Utah, the doctors will take your word that abstinence is your form of BC), but anyway, they knew that Accutane DEFINITELY CAUSES birth defects, if you are pregnant. They were very careful about making me take pregnancy tests before letting me start taking it, and I was CONSTANTLY warned about birth defects. The difference here is that Accutane is optional, whereas these days, vaccines are (practically) not.

Now- there are thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands or parents out there, who will emphatically say, THIS VACCINE HARMED MY CHILD, THIS VACCINE CAUSED BRAIN DAMAGE TO MY CHILD...etc. They can't prove anything- it is their opinion, and their word against anyone else's. Now, as a mother, I can say that I know things about my children that nobody else knows. I know when their behavior is just the tiniest bit "off." I know when they are starting to get sick, I know when Ella has the tiniest bit of tummy distress. You, as a mother, can agree with me. Mothers especially are very in tune with their children. So I think it is downright ridiculous for people to just disregard the thousands of mothers who say they saw small (or incredibly obvious) regression of their child, after the time of a vaccine. I have only brought up one case, because I know the mother personally- but these stories are out there. I, for one, cannot ignore them. Others can dismiss them, because they believe that it was a very rare instance, and will probably never happen to their child. But these stories are becoming more and more common, and soon I don't think people will be able to ignore them anymore. Along with all these stories of vaccines hurting children, we have also heard stories where unvaccinated children have gotten deathly ill, or even died from the disease. And so I guess what it really comes down to is this: You are taking a risk either way. You might believe that your child is more in danger of getting the disease, then having a reaction to a vaccine. Again, that is your choice and nobody should give you a hard time for it.

It is a gamble either way. You roll the dice- either take a chance that the vaccines will harm you, or a chance that the diseases will kill you.

We have decided to take the risk of our children getting the diseases. After looking at the statistics on mortality rates, I realized that while some of these diseases are serious, it is only a very, very small number of people who end up dying from them. And the one who contracts them, and then recovers from them, emerges with a VERY strong immune system, and lifelong protection from ever contracting it again. A mother who has had measles (and developed immunity to it) even passes on that antibody to her future children (for the first year of their life). So I don't fear the disease, in fact, I don't like the scare tactics they use to try to get people to believe that their child is as good as dead if they contract measles or polio. It's just not true. I believe that my child has a statistically higher chance of vaccine damage than they do of death or permanent damage as a result of measles, polio, small pox, hepatitis, pertussis, etc. etc.

I know the risk I am taking, and this is the one I feel better about.

NOW- having said all that, let's talk about some of the great points you guys brought up. (Thank you for bringing some of these things up, I have never even thought about some of these things, to be honest.) So I will share some of my thoughts and answers.

#1: How do you find a doctor who will support you if you want to do an alternative vaccine schedule? I learned this lesson the hard way. Right after we moved here, I got a referral from a friend, she just mentioned that she LOVED her pediatrician! He was nearby, so I took Annie there for a 12 month check-up, then I informed the doctor that we would not be getting shots. To make a long story short, he RIPPED into me, told me every scary story he could think of about unvaccinated kids, made me feel like the WORST mother alive for putting Annie at risk of that, and I left his office crying, and I NEVER WENT back to him. It was a horrible experience. He was soooooo rude to me. So then I got serious, and I used google, searching through mommy-type forums of people near my community. (Other ways are to call pediatricians one by one, and ask the front desk if the doctor allows alternative schedules. Or you can try to find out if people in your neighborhood or ward are pro/or anti-vax, and get referrals from other mother's who prefer the alternative schedule, or no-schedule for that matter. My experience was very unique. I found a forum of some mom's who were discussing the topic, took one of the doctors suggested and found our my insurance covered her. A few weeks later I was trying to recall her name so I could make an appointment. The name in my head was a Dr. Pearl Browne. I called her up and made an appointment, and have been with her ever since. The FUNNY thing is that was not even CLOSE to the name that was suggested on the forum, and I totally ended up at this doctor by coincidence. She is a lovely, African American doctor from Africa, with a heavy accent and a mostly shaved head. And at the first appointment, she told me that while she doesn't agree with my choice, she absolutely believes in a mother's right to make health decisions for her children. And she never once mentioned a word about it again. Her nurses always bring me in an exemption form to sign. And now I am really excited because she just added the new doctor who rather than being neutral, actually showed some support for my decision.

#2 Do you still take your girls to well check-ups? Yes- I do regularly, I like to know if they are growing properly and I also like to have the labwork done to screen for lead and such. My kids just never get shots, and we always sign the form mentioned above.

#3 What about the possibility of plastic and other toxic material being tied closely to Autism? Great point. I haven't read that book, or looked into that aspect, but but I am going to now! Sounds very interesting Like I mentioned earlier, we really can't talk about anything CAUSING it, but I think that those types of things could definitely CONTRIBUTE to it happening. It might be things like chemicals in cleaning supplies, maybe while a mother is pregnant, or the toxins in plastic leeching through to the baby. I think it makes a lot of sense that a lot of the problems we are seeing these days (not just Autism, but the increase of other things like ADHD, cancer, and infertility, etc) could be related to a BUILD UP of all kinds of toxic things (+ plus the simple genetic factor that seems to be passed on) and then once you hit the point of TOO MUCH, the brain just hits the point of damage, and sometimes can't recover from it. I think that the toxins in vaccines are just pushing our little babies brains to the point of TOO MUCH...really soon...really young. Especially when we, as pregnant mothers, accidentally expose our fetus' to things, without any idea that we're doing it. I don't know...there is so many things that could be causing the problems of today...but in general, it seems like the healthier we live, the more natural...the less processed/chemical...the better. But, as I mentioned before- the stories of parents seeing their children damaged at some point following a vaccine-- it just seems silly to keep calling it a coincidence.

#4 What about the LDS Church's stance on Vaccination? (I am paraphrasing Jamie W. who pointed out that the church donates $$$ to assist international countries with vaccinations, such as measles, and also, to adopt a baby through LDS Social Services, the baby has to be up to date on vaccines.) Another great question! Totally made me stop and think! In addition to those questions, you should also know that in order to serve as a missionary in a foreign country, for the LDS church, you have to get the recommended vaccinations. (**It should also be noted that missionaries are given the option to OPT OUT of these vaccines, as long as they know that they will get a STATE-SIDE mission call, should they not get the vaccines. You should also know that a missionary is supposed to be up-to-date on their vaccines before they even turn in their papers.)

Hmm..where to start. The church, wisely, does not take a stand on controversial issues like this. They seem to leave it up to the individual families as to the personal health decisions they make. By giving missionaries the opportunity to decline any vaccines, they are respecting the agency of the individual. I like that. I think it sends a message that it is okay to choose not to vaccinate. I also think the following:
A- I believe that it is safer to vaccinate an adult than a child, or to vaccinate after the important brain-forming years of infancy.
B- I think there is a much higher risk of catching these diseases in foreign and 3rd world countries than there is in the United States.
C- I know that health care is much better here than any of the 3rd world countries, and that someone who could easily survive measles or polio here in the US, could just as easily die from it when they aren't getting good nutrition, clean water, and helpful medications. In fact, I found this quote:
"A site called Measles Initiative says that (7), "Measles is a leading killer of children in many developing countries for several reasons. Children are already compromised with poor living conditions, they are infected at very young ages when their immune systems are not strong, malnutrition is rampant in many homes, and many families do not have access to medical care to treat measles and its complications. Measles, itself, does not kill children. Instead, complications from measles attack the child's already weak immune system. Measles attacks the body, inside and out. It is similar to HIV in the sense that when it knocks down the immune system, the child becomes susceptible to the myriad of diseases that fester in poor living conditions."
D- I do think that vaccination can do a lot of good. I think they save lives. I think that in some places in the world, it probably is better to take the risk of brain damage and other complications, in order to try to get a population healthier. I think some vaccines do work as they are supposed to. I am not saying they are evil. (otherwise, why would the church be donating millions of dollars to help these countries get the vaccines?), especially in countries with a low standard of living. What I AM saying is that these same populations are not being overloaded with 36 different vaccines in 18 months (with only 8-25 lbs of body weight to assimilate the drug and preservatives.) Those people also are probably not as exposed to the same chemicals and toxins that we are exposed to in our food and water supply. Things are just different here than they are there. I just don't think that the vaccines are effective enough or needed enough, or that they are doing ENOUGH good for me and MY FAMILY, here in the United States of America.

I asked Samuel what he thought about the Missionary Program and LDS Family Services requiring the vaccines. He thought it made sense, because for ANY church or organization to run a missionary or adoption program, they will have to receive approval from government organizations. I haven't looked into it (if someone else has, let me know) but I am fairly certain that they are just following the requirements given them from the whomever it is that they have to answer to. Our missionaries are recognized throughout the world, and the program has to be run perfectly if we are going to keep trying to take the Gospel to every nation of the world, or if we are going to assist thousands of well-deserved parents in adopting a precious child. I am curious with the adoption issue, which I haven't researched- perhaps there is an "opt out" exemption as well? I actually called LDS Family Services, and they gave me the phone number of the man in charge: David McConkie, General Sunday School President. (wow!) He was out of town so I left him a message. (He didn't call me back. Oh well, I guess he had bigger things to worry about.) It was funny because the first person at LDS services, who answered the phone, said that she (personally) agreed with me, that too many vaccines might be harmful, and that she was hopeful that the church would provide some sort of exemption (in the future.) She explained that a newborn baby is placed in a home, and then a worker comes to the home 3 times in the next 6 months or so to follow up and see how it's going. (And at this point, they ask to see the baby's shot record to see if the immunizations are up to date.)

I think that as this issue gets bigger and parents become more aware of it, the church may make provide an opt-out option, if they don't already. But if they don't, and I were trying to adopt a child this way, I would just go ahead and just have my child immunized, and hope for the best. Although I will be honest and say that I know of parents who will fake immunization records. I'm not saying I condone it. I just know it's been done. But let's also remember the 12th article of faith that says, "We believe in ...obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law." So that is what I think about the church's position on it. Until the prophet comes out and tells us to vaccinate (or not vaccinate for that matter), then I think it's up to the individual.

#5 Will your kids still be able to go to kindergarten if they don't have their shots?
Yes, as of today (hopefully this won't change), parents have the right to sign exemption forms for their children, and they can still be admitted to school. You can sign a medical exemption form, if you know that your child has a medical allergy to something in the immunizations (for example, did you know that egg preservatives are used in the flu shot? People who are allergic to eggs should never get a flu shot- they are way more likely to have bad reactions to it.) or you can claim religious reasons (which is what I will be doing) BUT YOU CANNOT CLAIM BOTH. I don't know if people will try to take away the freedoms we have to claim a religious exemption, that will be a sad day. That will be day we watch a lot of other freedoms stripped away too.

#6 What about Dr. Andrew Wakefield and his "discredited" study?
I saved this one for last, because there is a TON of info on it. I spent hours looking into it. If you want the shortened version, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post, and read the "Myths" and the answers, given by Dr. Wakefield himself, in his book, Callous Disregard.
(I know some people won't believe him, but after reading his book and hearing his side of the story, there's no doubt in my mind that he's telling the truth.)

But here's a little more to the story if you weren't aware of the controversy that has surrounded him:

Dr. Wakefield was looking into the possible link of those commonly experienced gut disorders in children under five years old as a precursor to their autism related behavior. That link to MMRs was actually made by the parents of those 12 participating children. They were doing fine until they received MMR vaccinations, and the parents reported this to Dr. Wakefield's team. Dr. Wakefield included the parents' reports in the case study findings.

Including parents' observations in case study reports is highly appropriate. Dr. Wakefield's only conclusion was the measles/gut disorder connection to autistic behavior possibilities merited further study.

#1 He was later accused of making up these children's symptoms (which is ridiculous, since someone had already studied and documented most of the same children, so that didn't hold up)

#2 He was accused of not following the proper "ethical standards" for collecting blood samples from healthy children (he used the children of his friends, and had them sign parental consent forms. Apparently he was supposed to get approval from some ethics board first, which he says he was not aware of at the time. Whether or not that's true, I don't know, but THAT is why they stripped him of his medical license.)

#3 The medical journal that published his study later retracted it because of the utter CHAOS that broke out as a result (the UK saw a huge reduction in people getting the MMR shortly after the media started telling people that he'd found a link to autism- again- this is not what he claimed, but it was enough to scare people.

#4 He was later accused of having a financial interest in the outcome, as the parents in the study were also trying to form a lawsuit.

Well, people, my opinion in a nutshell is this: His study IS ONLY ONE STUDY. TRUE OR FALSE, ONE STUDY DOESN'T MAKE OR BREAK ANYTHING. It's the accumulation of MANY studies that has changed my mind about vaccines, and on top of that, literally THOUSANDS of stories from parents who saw their kids have very serious side effects after vaccines. All that evidence is enough for me to conclude that there is a problem with the current system as it stands today. So-- even if this study was a total fraud, it wouldn't make me want to vaccinate.

I did a lot of research to get past what the media wants to say or believe about Dr. Wakefield and his study. I read parts of his book. I watched a long interview on youtube. And I can say that I am impressed with him as a person, and I believe him, and I trust him. He makes a good point when he urges us to look at what happens to ANY doctor who does a study and gets results that hurt that vaccine industry. In his words, it's just a "witch hunt," and that any doctor who dares put his name on a study like that has probably "been fired, denied research grants, their articles are rejected by the more “prestigious” science journals, and they are no longer invited to speak at national meetings. The atmosphere of fear is pervasive — all generated by the pharmaceutical giants and the media."

It seems that there are powerful people who won't want people hearing about these studies. And that bothers me. If they're trying to hide information from me, well, it just makes them look more guilty.

So first of all, people like to say that. Dr. Wakefield's results cannot be replicated. That's false. Not only have plenty of other studies found similar things, some of them were found BEFORE Wakefield's paper ever came out. Here's a few of those:

According to a Mike Adams article, fourteen months before Dr. Wakefield's paper was published, two other researchers discovered the same problems of gut disorders and autistic behavior in seven children. Their 1996 presentation was called "Entero-colitis and Disintegrative Disorder Following MMR - A Review of the First Seven Cases." Those seven cases became part of the final twelve cases in Dr. Wakefield's 1998 Lancet paper. This and other facts disprove accusations that Wakefield fabricated the twelve reports.

A more recent Wake Forest University study determined that 70 of 82 autistic children they studied had measles virus in their guts. Interestingly, the measles virus strain they discovered was not a wild virus -- it was the same strain used in MMR vaccines.

A Russian born U.K. pediatrician, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, has not only established the connection of gastrointestinal tract disorders among the very young to autistic and other behavioral problems, she cures them with proper diet and supplementation. She learned how the hard way, by curing her own autistic son.

Dr. McBride coined the acronym GAPS for her book Gut and Psychology Syndrome. She describes the dietary solutions to her explanations of how the gut and the brain are connected. This relationship has been known by traditional Chinese medicine for centuries.

In a recent U.S. lecture, she mentioned that her colleagues were afraid to mention Dr. Wakefield due of the witch-hunt conspired against him earlier. But she acknowledges his research efforts as accurate contributions to her practice.

The U.K. government refuses to compensate cases of encephalitis (brain disease) due to vaccine injury. This could be part of the reason there was such an uproar over his study.

So why was the study discredited, and why was he taken before the GMC (General Medical council) and what "fabrication" did he admit to? Well, go ahead and read the article. It had nothing to do with fabricating the STUDY or whether or not Autism was linked to the MMR; He was being ripped apart for something he said at a meeting with Autistic parents, where he joked around about taking blood sample from children at a birthday party. And as this news article says, it is clear that "Wakefield makes stuff up." So he MUST have fabricated those results that NOBODY can replicate, right? That's a silly argument. In his defense, Wakefield said his work has been "grossly distorted" and that he was the target of "a ruthless, pragmatic attempt to crush any attempt to investigate valid vaccine safety concerns."

The General Medical Council hearings had nothing to do with falsifying evidence, but rather that there was some misappropriation of funds for non-personal gain and that some of the children who underwent programs of investigations (re: Lancet report) for research purposes had not received Ethics Committee approval.

The truth is that the case against the present vaccine schedule is very powerful and built on the findings of some of the most prestigious researchers in the world. The problem is the media and academia are so controlled by the pharmaceutical giants that the general public has no idea that this research even exists.

By destroying reputations and stopping further research, pharmaceutical-controlled vaccine proponents hope to have a national law mandating all people receive every vaccine recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is under the absolute control of the vaccine manufacturers.

In conclusion:
I found something on a blog that I think sums up the issues perfectly; I hope everyone will at least take the time to read what she wrote, as it's a fair assessment of what's going on these days.

taken from http://outrunning-autism.blogspot.com/2010/07/callous-disregard-book.html

Just yesterday I received my copy of Andrew Wakefield’s Callous Disregard. I stayed up late and woke up early in order to read it as quickly as I could. I succeeded, and I’m so glad I did. I feel great relief knowing more of the details and having some misconceptions cleared up. Even I, who followed the case and the studies fairly closely, was misinformed about some of the details—important ones! I let the media fill in some of the blanks, which turned out to be completely inaccurate. I fear many have done the same, and it would be a shame to let it (the media) be taken at face value. It would be a huge disservice and ingratitude to a man—an unselfish man; a Saint; a hero to medicine, research and our children; a man by the name of Dr. Andrew Wakefield, to not hear what he has to say.

Like many, I have been bombarded with conflicting messages about the MMR, vaccines in general, mercury and autism. I have been frustrated with the media and the doctors I’ve encountered who have been hostile and fully dismissive of any connection to any of the aforementioned in the causation of autism. My own daughter suffers from Asperger’s and Crohn’s disease, though she was never vaccinated. Therefore, I personally don’t have a blame-axe to grind with the vaccine manufacturers, but I do have personal knowledge of how bowel issues affect and intensify my daughter’s behaviors--autistic behaviors--and how these behaviors have improved immensely as I’ve healed her bowel issues. Basic biochemistry can illustrate how the constituents in vaccines can lead to bowel issues, like those which Dr. Wakefield discovered in 12 children.

The beef I have with the vaccine manufacturers (and doctors in general) is the lack of safety studies, lack of informed consent, and lack of education. When questioning doctors on vaccinations and autism, I am quickly told vaccines no longer contain thimerosal and therefore there is no need for concern. When I ask what preservative has replaced thimerosal, I am repeatedly told “I don’t know”. Six different doctors with whom I have spoken didn’t know what preservative replaced thimerosal and/or what its neurological or physical effects might be on a child. It was clear these doctors were also unaware that thimerosal is not the only ingredient or constituent in vaccines that has been implicated as a concern and possible causative factor in autism; it’s but one of many.

Dr. Andrew Wakefield is a doctor who made a discovery, one that would have been much easier to hide -- which is what many doctors in his position might do. If we don’t do everything we can to support these doctors who bravely and ethically dissent from orthodoxy, we are going to be in big trouble. If we don’t at least take the time, regardless of our position on the argument, to hear the position of the other side, we are cowards. We have chosen the path of least resistance, the path of popularity, and the path that has gotten us to where we are today: 1 in 110 children with autism, regulatory agencies corrupted and supported by the very establishments they are to regulate, doctors being trained by the pharmaceutical companies to sell drugs and not health, relying on the drug companies that profit from the administration of drugs to study their safety, and researchers afraid to question anything controversial for fear of being ruined. We have to take a step back and question the logic here…a big step back.

If there is a tragedy second to that of the children who suffer with autism, it is the war that some parents are waging against other parents of children with this disorder for their differing ideologies. It is the refusal to come together, as a united front, to find common ground, respect, and compassion for one another. It is the hateful spewing of insults and dismissing of intelligence and credibility because we seek answers from different sources. Imagine the power we parents would have-- the support, the network, the movement-- if we’d agree to find common ground and work together to do what we all want to do most: to help our children and the children who are yet to come. There is no harm in looking into genetic factors, nor is there harm in greening our vaccines. There is no harm in researching drugs, nor is there harm in looking at biochemical components. Someone should be working on each of these things, it needn’t be opposing forces.

With Dr. Wakefield's permission, excerpts from the book:

Myths:

The Lancet paper was funded by the Legal Aid Board (LAB)

False - Not one penny of LAB money was spent on the Lancet paper. A LAB grant was provided for a separate viral detection study. The latter study, completed in 1999, does disclose the source of funding. The Lancet paper had been submitted for publication before the LAB grant was even available to be spent.

My involvement as a medical expert was kept secret

False - at least 1 year before publication, I informed my senior coauthors, the head of the department, the dean of the medical school, and the CEO of the hospital. This fact was also reported in the national press 15 months prior to publication.

Children were "sourced" by lawyers to sue vaccine manufacturers

False - Children were referred, evaluated, and investigated on the basis of their clinical symptoms alone, following a referral from the child's physician.

Children were litigants

False - at the time of their referral to the Royal Free, the time material to their inclusion in The Lancet paper, none of the children were litigants.

I had an undisclosed conflict of interest

False - The Lancet's disclosure policy at that time was followed to the letter. Documentary evidence confirms that the editorial staff of The Lancet was fully aware that I was working as an expert on MMR litigation well in advance of the paper's publication.

Did not have ethics committee (EC) approval

False - The research element of the paper that required such an approval detailed systematic analysis of children's intestinal biopsies, was covered by the necessary EC approval.

I "fixed" data and misreported clinical findings

False - There is absolutely no basis in fact for this claim and it has been exposed as false.

Findings have not been independently replicated

False - The key findings of lymphoid nodular hyperplasia (LNH) and colitis in ASD children have been independently confirmed in five different countries.

Has been retracted by most of the authors

False - 11 of 13 authors issued a retraction of the interpretation that MMR is a possible trigger for syndrome described. This remains a possibility and a possibility cannot be retracted.

The work is discredited

False - Those attempting to discredit the work have relied on the myths above. The findings described in the paper are novel and important.

OKAY FRIENDS! That's all for now! Looking forward to any more questions or comments. Thanks again to everyone who was kind in their comments, or kind enough to not leave one, if they wanted to really tell me off. I hope this helps.

Never Any Time

I have been working on a "vaccine follow up" post forEVER and now I am just putting it off like a research paper- because it feels like one! ;) Mostly it's the time I've been taking looking into the Andrew Wakefield issue. And I'm still waiting for a call back from LDS Family Services...but anyway, I'll have that up soon. Thanks again for everyones comments and questions on that post.

Quick update on things here:

*Ella is 6.5 months old now. Barely on any solids (I'm scared of what reactions she'll have). She has tried smashed up bananas, pears, and potatos. The texture of the potatos was weird for her (too thick?) and she kept coughing and gagging.

Weight: 17 lbs 13 oz
Height: I know the nurse got this wrong so I didn't even write it down.

She is crawling EVERYWHERE, trying to climb up things, putting EVERYTHING in her mouth, (had an allergic reaction to something she found on the floor, poor thing, cried for 24 hours) and oh yeah, pulling to a stand like it's nobody's business. I am NOT LOVING this standing thing because she has concluded that she never needs to nap again. We've had some long sleep-deprived days. She looks like she is going to try to walk early too. Kalia set the record at 7.5 months...let's see how old Ella will be. (please excuse me while I go cry my eyes out. This is all happening too fast.)*She eats in about 5-7 minutes, tops. SHE WILL NOT HOLD STILL TO NURSE. (This has been a problem for the last 4 months.) She always has a leg kicking, an arm moving, and she tries to escape and crawl and stand, rather than eat. If she didn't have such chubby thighs, I would think she was calorie deprived.

*We finally got everyone together for her blessing! I was so happy that my parents and sister could come down from St. George. We took them to the Children's Museum. Such a cool place. We had a wonderful weekend, and Ella was big enough to wear a dress meant for a 2 year old. Come on, how cute is that? My mom crocheted the headband before she came and then whipped up that bow in like, 60 seconds. It was the perfect touch. Thanks Mom!Yes, I love Samuel with his scruff.

*It was over 100 degrees here today, so the girls went swimming. The water is too cold for me, but still barely warm enough for them. But we've had some 80 degree days too, and I am in HEAVEN.

*I caved in and got a Kohls charge card. Big mistake. They give so many extra discounts. Totally sucking me in. Then I realize what I've done and return (most of) it.

*Speaking of getting sucked in, I am about ready to sign up for Pinterest.

*Oh, back to the Kohls issue- we are getting some good family pictures taken in 2 weeks, and I want to wear a shirt that photographs well...so I'll probably put some pics up and get some opinions. I've been trying to find the right top at my favorite store.

*My abs really need some work. So do my buns. I've lost a lot of muscle. My hip joint is still not healed all the way and occasionally hurts when I sit too much, or use it too much. (what a conundrum). It might be time to push through it and get back in shape. My Jillian DVD's await.

*I am still on my diet, but eating all fruits and veggies. Still no milk or egg products, and trying to avoid gluten and corn too. My weight loss stopped, I am 7 lbs below my high school weight, and I can't lie, I love that my face is skinny. I wish it could stay like this forever. But I know it won't.

*I don't know what's come over me lately, but I am SUPER into Halloween this year! Feeling crafty and everything (that's a first). I'm just loving the Fall weather (at least it cools off at night) and the decorations. Fun pictures coming soon.

And just for fun, comparison pics of the girls at this age:

Kalia


Annie
Ella
Right now I think she's looking a little more like Kalia than Annie...

An Informed Decision

"The damage caused by vaccine exposure is massive. It's bigger than asbestos, bigger than tobacco, bigger than anything you've ever seen." -Mark Blaxill, VP of Safe Minds

Yeah, so...why beat around the bush. Vaccines. Let's discuss.

A part of me has been dreading this post. One, it's going to take a long time to write this up (update: going on a week)- it's sort of like a mini research project. And two, I know that some of you are not going to like my views on the subject, and as I've learned, this topic can raise some pretty strong feelings. And guess what, I DO care what people think about me. I DON'T like to feel like people don't respect me. So I understand what I'm putting on the line here. It's worth it to me, because I am trusting that whether or not you agree or disagree, you can at least give me some kudos for spending the time to look into it. And really that's all I ask. Let's just look a little deeper into it, then you can take it with a grain of salt-- but this is an important decision, and at least let me assist you somewhat in guaranteeing that that decision is an informed one. Informed as in...you're getting ALL the information, not just partial bits and pieces of the truth

So GET COMFORTABLE, I know this is kind of overwhelming, this much information at once. Skim over it and read the things in bold if you want...either way, I promise you it will be worth your time. If you still think this is a bunch of bogus after you're done reading, that's fine-- but I don't know how you can come to that conclusion after learning the things that I've learned. And one more disclaimer..., I really REALLY don't like confrontation or debate. So it's hard for me to open my mouth on this subject. And if you don't agree with my opinion, that is OKAY, but I respect you enough not to attack your personal mothering decisions, and I hope you'll do the same for me. It's been a little bit painful to have people personally rip you apart for standing up for what you believe is right (for your child)- I won't lie, it hurts. The last time someone did it, a perfect stranger, it made my hands tremble. It was upsetting. But I feel better prepared with REAL SCIENCE to back me up. And my hope is that some of you will be more understanding about why people like me, choose not to follow the "suggested vaccine schedule." And I hope that some of you will take the time to look into exactly what is in the vaccines we are giving our children, and read the studies about how effective they are (not). I KNOW THAT I AM IN THE MINORITY HERE. (although the numbers of people who are supportive of this are growing every day. It doesn't take long to see what's really going on here.) I know that the majority of you will not agree with what I have to say. You might even decide you don't want your kids to play with my kids, since they are no longer vaccinated, and as people LOVE to point out, my kids are now a huge risk to your kids. (I think that's a little silly, but I respect your right to make decisions that you believe are best for your children.) I don't want you to feel like you have to defend yourself or your choices. But I DO feel the need to defend my choices, because the problem with this issue is that people are not fully informed or educated on what is going on with the vaccine industry right now. MY POINT IS: NO HATERS, OK? Be nice in your comments. (if you can't tell, I've had enough bad experiences with people basically ridiculing me for this-- so I'm a bit sensitive about sharing this with my friends.)

Now. Just to be clear. I DO believe that vaccines were intended to be helpful to us, and that in theory they are (WERE) a blessing to the world. Especially in foreign countries, etc. But what happened is that the vaccine manufactures (and others involved) got GREEDY- they saw BIG dollar signs and it turned into one huge money-making operating, and the health of our children is no longer their priority. In fact, they knowingly produce and manufacture things that will cause damage. THEY EVEN KNOW HOW TO MAKE VACCINES SAFER FOR US, BUT THEY (AS OF NOW) REFUSE TO DO IT. BECAUSE IT WILL TAKE AWAY A LOT OF THEIR PROFITS. Here's just one example. A recent investigation by Money Magazine reported that:

"For decades, American pharmaceutical companies have known how to produce the safer DPT vaccine but decided not to bring it to market because it would increase production costs and lower the drug’s 50% or higher profit margins."

But you and I really can make a difference- I've chosen to refuse these vaccines until they manufactures can give me better, safer, options. Let me share a bit of my backstory that brought me to this point. First let me tell you of my most recent experience in trying to share my point of view.

About 2 weeks ago, a friend/acquaintance from high school posted a link on his facebook page last week, kind of ripping on someone who claimed the HPV vaccine caused lifelong damage to her daughter. Since I don't know him that well, and certainly don't know his family or most of his friends, I decided to speak up and share my opinion.

I WAS BASICALLY EATEN ALIVE by his friends for voicing my opinion. What bothered me the MOST was that the main guy (not my friend from high school--his cousin or something) who was doing all the ridiculing/attacking absolutely REFUSED to even look into the studies I was suggesting. I'll quote him: "I'm not impressed by your 1000 "studies" either, nor do I have the time or inclination to research bogus claims when there's a clear and reliable scientific consensus in favor of vaccination."

You know what that attitude reminds me of? People on my mission- we'd ask them to simply read the Book of Mormon, and pray about it, and find out if it was true. Find out what's in there before you go bashing our religion! People LOVED to bash our beliefs and they LOVED to tell US what we believed- and they were always so far off, it was laughable. It was frustrating that these "bashers" would never actually listen to us teach, or read the book... because they were so sure that they "already knew" what we believe- or else they thought we were brainwashed, or whatever- I used to think to myself, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE by gathering more information? Nothing- you only stand to gain from the education, and then you can say you honestly looked at all sides, and came to your own conclusion. I believe that a lot of people are too afraid to really look into my religion, because they are afraid of what they'll find- afraid that it might turn out to be true. So, on that note, I wish people wouldn't be so afraid to look into this subject. I wish they wouldn't be so quick to just blindly believe what they read in Parenting Magazine or on that pamphlet in their doctors office.

Ok, so back to the facebook thing. I had shared with everyone that before they be to quick to attack me, to please just research the other side of the argument, and to take a look at this book called Vaccine Safety Manual for Concerned Parents and Health Practitioners. It is a book written by Neil Miller, a medical research journalist by profession. It is 560 pages long and cites over 1000 studies that have been done all over the world, not just the U.S., over the years. Most of these studies have been published in peer-reviewed medical journals. (Meaning they were definitely done properly and were reviewed by other medical professionals before being published.) The things he found from all these studies, well, they are jaw-dropping. You can hardly believe it-- it is extremely compelling evidence to show that our current vaccines ARE NOT SAFE TO BE GIVING TO OUR CHILDREN, and are not working as well as we are being led to believe- thus, the risk is NOT outweighing the benefit. I cannot accept the recommended schedule that is being pushed on us today. Now before you get all huffy and say, "My doctor knows best, and he says they're safe!" Well, just hear me out, and take a look at this research. Take it to your doctor if you want, but just take a look and decide for yourself.

I didn't always feel this way. I was raised in a family that believed in vaccines, and all my siblings got their shots, and now they give their own kids the shots as well. I was a FIRM believer in them when Kalia was born...but to be honest, I knew almost NOTHING about them, except they were supposed to help my baby not get diseases. And she was my whole world, and I would do anything to keep her safe, so there was no room for argument on the matter.

My husband was raised in a family that is much more into homeopathic and natural medicine. He tried to very kindly hint that he didn't think the vaccines were the right way to go. But he didn't push it. I almost laughed at him, and even remember saying to myself, "Ha- yeah right, I am the one who takes her to all her appointments, so he can't stop me from vaccinating her!" He kept mentioning it though, as she got the Hep B shot at birth, and then the 2 month, and 4 month shots. At that time, I got sick of him bringing it up, more specifically, he wanted to talk about how the rate of autism is sky rocketing, correlating with the increase of vaccines throughout the years. So, I set out to prove him wrong. I am a master researcher, especially online. I can find almost ANYTHING out there. I knew that the simplest way to debunk his autism theory would be to find a study or even a simple observation about autistic children who were NOT vaccinated. That way I could say, "See, non-vaccinated kids get autism too."

The weirdest thing happened. I couldn't find ANYTHING OF THE KIND. I researched for hours, wondering why on earth I couldn't find info on non-vaccinated autistic kids. In fact, the real kick in the pants was that I found a published study that found that Amish people (the ones who still drive horse and buggy's instead of cars, and don't use electricity or modern technology, etc)- well, they also don't vaccinate their children. And guess what- there are no autistic kids among them! (actually, I believe that there exactly two autistic children among them at the time, and both had been adopted and most likely vaccinated before the adoption.)

(Later, I found out that they are not the only population who has these results. An organization called Homefirst Health Services, an alternative medical facility where babies are often delivered at home and are rarely vaccinated, shared that after caring for 30-35,000 children, they did not have any autistic children among them. In addition, there is "virtually no cases of childhood asthma, in contrast to the overall Blue Cross rate of childhood asthma, which is about 10%." (p.238)

Sidenote: If you are worried about autism, you probably should be. The rates have increased to an average of 1 out of 150 children (mostly boys) are getting autism these days. In Utah, the rate is even higher- it's about 1 out of 77 children. (!!!!!) The rate doubled from 2002-2008, and has increased TWENTY-FOLD in the last twenty years.

This is where I finally took a step back and said, "Could I actually be wrong about this?"
It was a stunning moment. I decided to keep searching. A lot of the research seemed to say that while autism IS something that is because of genetics, it seems like there was some kind of TRIGGER that was setting off that gene. And that could be anything from the preservatives like aluminum, mercury, or in the vaccines, or maybe the viruses themselves- but I knew that something was not right, and I needed more time to research it. Conveniently, we moved from Hawaii to Las Vegas and lost our health insurance (Samuel was self-employed) so that made my decision to hold off on vaccines even easier- because I quit taking Kalia to the doctor unless she was really sick.

I kept researching. I had no idea that the vaccine schedule today was attempting to put TRIPLE the amount of vaccines/drugs/shots into my baby than was ever injected in me. THREE TIMES AS MANY? Yeah...that's weird, I thought. Why would my baby need so many more shots when most of these diseases were already disappearing on their own? Why can't she just get chicken pox, instead of getting inoculated against it? I had chicken pox as a little girl, I have a lovely scar on my forehead to prove it. But it was no big deal! Why so many vaccines??? Anyway, I started to put some pieces together.

And I admitted to my dear husband that, gulp, I just might have been wrong after all. (Hey, I don't like to admit it, but it is what it is.) He was gracious in accepting my confession, and asked me to keep sharing the things that I continued to find.

By the time Annie was born, which was only about 8 months after this, we signed a waiver at the hospital to make sure she didn't get the Hepatitis B shot.

Ok, time out. I am not going to do this with every vaccine I mentioned, but lets just talk for a minute about the Hep B shot. Do you know how you contract Hepatitis B? Through body fluids- blood, saliva, and semen, and also by sharing needles with an infected person. Or an infected mother can pass it to her baby at birth. 50% of people get it by being sexually active. PRETTY SURE my baby isn't going to get it. But JUST IN SOME WEIRD case that she was injected with a dirty needle, the statistics show that most patients who do get it do not require hospitalization, and 95% of them recover completely. "True carriers of the virus represent less than one-tenth of one percent of the population...In 2005, there were only FIVE cases of hepatitis B in children under 5 years of age in the United States." So if it's so rare, and relatively not that harmful, WHY are they insisting on giving it to every newborn that is born? Allow me to quote from the book: "Because a vaccination strategy limited to high-risk individuals has failed" (the high-risk individuals being the druggies and the sexually promiscuous folks) and since children are "accessible," they are now compelled to receive the three-shot series beginning at birth." In other words, because high-risk groups are difficult to reach or have rejected this vaccines, authorities are targeting babies- even though babies are not likely to contract this disease. They are being subjected to all of the risks of this vaccine without the expected benefit."" ) p. 312

Well, what are the risks of the shot? Man, I can't even sum it all up, for one because there are almost 40 pages of studies and personal testimony of the damage that one vaccine has done- everything from sensory impairments, blood disorders, arthritis, autoimmune and neurological disorders, diabetes, skin disorders, and liver and kidney damage, but here's a quick study you can take a peek at from 2009, showing that the Hep B vaccine triples the risk of autism in infant boys.

And so you take that risk, give your baby this vaccine, hoping to get an "expected benefit" and guess what- it's not even very effective in what it's supposed to do. "Follow-up studies found that just 5 to 9 years later, approximately half of all vaccinated people fail to maintain protective antibody levels." (p. 311).

Well, just with that small bit of information, I decided that Annie definitely did not need the Hep B vaccine. And looking back, I'm even MORE grateful that I didn't give it to her, because she has all those food allergies and sensitivities, and frankly is scares me to think of how her body would react to the crazy stuff in vaccines (more on that in a second.)

So as an alternative to the regular vaccine schedule, I found an "alternate vaccine schedule" by a certain Dr. Don Miller, that suggested you wait until the child is 2 years old before administering any vaccines, (because their immune systems are stronger, and they have a little more body weight to distribute the drugs and preservatives) and then after that, to make sure the shots are separated (no combined shots like DTaP or MMR- those are like 3 shots combined into one) and that you don't do any vaccines that inject a live virus. He suggested you do these shots:

a. Pertussis (acellular, not whole cell)

b. Diphtheria

c. Tetanus

d. Polio (the Salk vaccine, cultured in human cells)

(Translation: That's the DTap shot, separated, plus polio.) "The top four would be the pertussis (acelluar — aP — not whole cell), diphtheria (D), and tetanus (T) vaccines — given separately (not together, as is usually the case); and the Salk polio vaccine, with an inactivated (dead) virus, one that is cultured in human cells, not monkey kidney cells. Perhaps it should only contain these four vaccines.

So that was my plan. Wait until the girls were at least two years old, and then do those shots, every six months. There's just one little problem. If you want the shots separated, they come containing mercury/thimersol (in case you didn't know, there IS a correlation between mercury/thimersol and autism, and so we've been told that the CDC removed all the mercury from our vaccines. Apparently that's not quite the truth.) So that same doctor, actually said this in an update to his suggested schedule. "it will be impossible, unfortunately, to follow the ‘user friendly’ vaccination schedule as written... the risk of the combined DPT vaccine, even after age two, outweighs its benefits, so it is better to do without these shots.” (See this webpage if you want more information on this schedule or the reasons why he suggests it.)

I didn't know this info until recently- Since Kalia is 4 and Annie is almost 3, I decided it was time to start the alternative schedule. I found the book by Neil Miller, and checked it out to decide which vaccine to give them first...but after finding out what I did...I absolutely could not feel good about giving them any of them-- and my delayed schedule has turned into a "no vaccine" schedule. At least for now. I had originally planned to give them both the Pertussis vaccine.

I had heard about the Pertussis breaking out in Utah and California, and my brother and sister-in-law actually caught it and got really sick! (their little girl, who was vaccinated, did not catch it. The vaccine worked as it was supposed to.) Pertussis is scary because there is no specific treatment for it, and antibiotics have little effect on it. and it makes you feel pretty horrible. So after I checked out the book, I skipped straight to the chapter on the Pertussis vaccine. And I was sick to my stomach at what I learned. I decided there was no way I could give my kids the vaccine. Here's a few reasons why:

*Pertussis is rarely fatal, although doctors will use some scare tactics to try to scare you into getting the vaccine. (Having said that, it is most dangerous to those under 6 months of age.)

*The US never studied it's safety on children. "They injected the vaccine into the bellies of young mice to see if they would die. If the mice lived and gained weight, the vaccine was considered safe and was approved by the FDA." They also relied on a study done by Great Britain, who wasn't even testing for safety, they were testing for EFFICACY. 42 of these children had convulsions within 28 days of the vaccine, AND they used babies 6-18 months old- yet somehow the FDA decides that means it's safe to give to little 2 month old baby who weighs 10 lbs the SAME DOSE that you would give a 50 lb child going into preschool.

*One study found that 1 in 600 children had neurological problems after the vaccine, and another study found that 1 in 200 who received the full series of the shots suffered severe reactions like shock-collapse or convulsions. (These results show much higher incidences of complications than your doctor or the FDA will ever tell you.)

*A published study in 1994 showed that children with asthma were FIVE TIMES more likely to have received the Pertussis vaccine. a 1997 study found that 20% of the subjects given the vaccine went on to develop asthma, and NONE of the subjects in the control group did.

*Let's talk SIDS- one of the things Mommies fear the most-
In Japan from 1970 to 1974 there were 37 documented deaths following the pertussis vaccinations. Doctors boycotted the vaccine and in 1975 Japan authorities raised the age of vaccination from two months to two years. As a result, babies stopped dying unexpectedly, and the Japanese infant mortality rate improved from 17th place to best in the world.

*In 1987 the American Journal of Public Health published a study that found "the SIDS mortality rate in the period zero to three days following DPT to be 7.3 times that in the period beginning 30 days after immunization." and a 1993 study reported that babies die at a rate 8 times greater than normal within 3 days of the shot.
*An Australian study studied breathing patterns before and after the administration of the Pertussis vaccine, and found that the vaccine "caused an inordinate increase in episodes where breathing either nearly ceased or stopped completely."

Here's a real kicker: "In another study of children who dies of SIDS, Dr. William Torch found that two-thirds had been vaccinated with pertussis prior to death.

Soooooo....nobody is claiming that the Pertussis vaccine CAUSES SIDS, but it sure as heck looks like it CONTRIBUTED MAJORLY to it. SO SCARY!

*The book also shows all these other side effects which are common with vaccines: Developmental disabilities, neurological problems, and even some side effects that surprised me: Higher incidences of violent crimes and drug abuse when they were older. There are plenty of studies on all of those, but I won't waste time summarizing them.

Then I went on to read about how effective the vaccine is- and if it was worth taking those risks or not. First of all, the trends show that Pertussis was already majorly on the decline when the vaccine was introduced. After that, it kept declining at the exact same rate as it had before they started giving it (p. 138).

*Two Swedish studies found the vaccine to be 54 and 64 percent effective, respectively.

*A 2006 Canadian study suggests that the vaccine might not protect young children.

*a 2007 published study found that five years after adolescents received the booster shot (their 5th dose by 11-13 years of age) their pertussis antibody levels were actually LOWER that they were before vaccination. In fact, they were undetectable in 28 percent of the subjects.)

*In 1986 there was a breakout of pertussis (over 1000 cases) in Kansas, and "90 percent of the patients were adequately vaccinated" and yet somehow they still caught it.

*In a 1993 outbreak, 82% of younger children stricken with the disease had received multiple doses of the vaccine.

*In a Canadian outbreak that same year, 62% of the people who contracted Pertussis had been adequately vaccinated against it.

*In a US outbreak in 1996, 97% of children were up to date on their vaccines, and yet 74% of the children who caught it had had 3-5 doses of the vaccine.

*In Israel, for the 3 years after they introduced the vaccine (2003-2005), Pertussis actually increased among their people.

So you see, Pertussis outbreaks often occur in highly vaccinated popoulations, and the majority of the people who catch it ARE THE VACCINATED ONES! (craziness. I was stunned.)

Well, that was ENOUGH FOR ME! More than enough, actually. I decided not to vaccinate my kids with the Pertussis vaccine. Way too much risk, without much of a benefit. And the scary part is that "according to Dr. David Kessler, former director of the FDA, 'only about one percent of serious adverse drug reactions are reported.'" (p. 25) So...the risks with all vaccines are probably much, much higher than even these numbers represent.

I have only read a small fraction of the book, but every single vaccine has similar information- studies, side effects, efficacy information....from what I can tell, it's the same story being told over and over and over. I will save us all the time and try not to be redundant and summarize every single vaccine. (you're welcome)- although I am more than happy to look up specific statistics for any of you, if you want more info on a specific vaccine that you had in mind. I intend to read the entire book, no matter how long it takes. I just want as much information as possible.
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We, as parents, need to understand that VACCINES ARE DRUGS. "Each one contains a blend of chemicals, pathogens, and other foreign matter. Today, children...are injected with 36 vaccine-drugs before he or she is 1 1/2 years old! These babies are not ingesting the drugs (like we do...traveling through our stomachs), but are being injected directly into their tiny bloodstreams. When did YOU last take eight drugs all at the same time? Would you be more surprised if you DID or DID NOT have a serious reaction?

The United States is the most vaccinated country in the world, yet it has one of the worst infant mortality rates of industrialized nations. In fact, as new vaccines are added to the recommended vaccine schedule, the infant mortality rate worsens.

Let me share what exactly is in that vaccine that they are injecting into your baby:
VERO (monkey) cells -- potentially containing the SV40 virus incriminated in several different cancers, including leukemia.

Bovine extract, bovine casein and calf (bovine) sera -- It is common knowledge that bovine blood products can be contaminated with viruses, and bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is the one most often contaminating fetal bovine serum.[7]

Formaldehyde -- a chemical that has caused cancer in laboratory animals and may cause cancer in humans. There is no known threshold level below which cancer risk does not exist. The World Health Organization recommends that exposure should not exceed 0.05 ppm (parts per million).[8]

Glutaraldehyde -- a toxic chemical that is used for cold sterilization of medical and dental equipment. There is no Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends that exposure to glutaraldehyde be under 0.2 ppm.[9] (TOM: reference)

2-Phenoxyethanol -- the chemical name for antifreeze, the vaccine contains 2.5 mg of this compound.

Thimerosal -- this mercury compound is used in the production of Energix, the hepatitis B fraction of the vaccine. It is used during the initial manufacturing process and then removed by a process using cystiene. However, up to 12.5ng (nanograms) remain.

The vaccine also contains these substances: neomycin, polymyxin B, polysorbate 80 and less than five percent yeast protein. The instructions on the package insert caution to "shake well before administering" and describe the vaccine as a "turbid white suspension" consisting of the many particles in the solution.

Is this something that you would want to have injected into your arm? Into your baby's arm? Don't bet on it. The long-term studies on combination vaccines will most likely prove that the biological warfare coming through a needle is just that: war -- on the immune system.

Have you ever thought that maybe vaccines could actually be detrimental to our immune system? I had never thought of that, until I read this:
"The viruses that cause measles, mumps, and chickenpox have infected countless generations of humans, akin to a rite of passage for each member of our species. Contracting these diseases strengthens both parts of the adaptive immune system (Th1 and Th2 ). Mothers who have had measles, mumps, and chickenpox transfer antibodies against them to their babies in utero, which protect them during the first year of life from contracting these infections."
also...
(On the need for booster shots): "With natural immunity, which is acquired by being exposed to the actual disease, protection is not meager and temporary, but rather complete and lifelong. This is not true with vaccines. Isn't it odd that the vaccine industry's answer to an ineffective vaccine is to compel more of it!" (p. 29)

With rare exception, a well-nourished child who contracts measles will recover smoothly from the infection. Fifty years ago almost all children in the U.S. had measles. And after contracting this disease, one has life-long immunity to it. The protection provided by vaccination is temporary.

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Another thing to be aware of is that more often than not, the vaccines are contaminated. Often, one batch of vaccine will not cause too many problems, but another batch will cause major side effects and even death- and who knows which batch YOUR child is getting? "Studies have shown that 60 percent of vaccines examined contained one or more contaminating organisms." And when they say contamination, they mean viruses that aren't supposed to be there.
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As I mentioned before, we are told that vaccines are much more effective than they really are. When the HPV vaccine came out, we were actually told that it was 100% effective, leading us to believe that anyone who got the Gardasil vaccine would have no chance of having cervical cancer. However, the vaccine is only "100 percent effective" against two strains of HPV, and there are actually numerous different ones. In fact, in the pre-licensure studies, 361 women who received at least one shot of Gardasil went on to develop precancerous lesions within three years.

This is not just a problem with the HPV vaccine. The pneumococcal vaccine (prevnar) is only designed to protect against SEVEN of the NINETY different strains that can cause pneumococcal disease. Not only that, but the seven strains that the vaccine prevents are just being replaced by are more dangerous and resistant to treatment. (p. 28)

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Another argument I hear a lot (because a lot of good people, pediatricians included), believe in Herd Immunity. "One of the grand lies of the vaccine program is the concept of "herd immunity." It is based on the idea that if a certain percentage of the population is immunized against an infectious disease, epidemics can be prevented. The exact percentage changes, mainly, in my opinion, to suit the vaccine manufacturers. In the beginning it was 68 percent, but now some are calling for 95 to 100 percent immunization to reach these goals. We are constantly told, and many doctors believe, that herd immunity has prevented epidemics from occurring in modern America. Unfortunately, there is very little evidence of this for a number of reasons. .....vaccines for most Americans declined to non-protective levels within 5 to 10 years of the vaccines. This means that for the vast majority of Americans, as well as others in the developed world, herd immunity doesn't exist and hasn't for over 60 years." Also, a lot of people are getting pretty upset with people like me, claiming that us 'unvaccinated folks' are causing these outbreaks of epidemics. Well, it turns out we're not. The outbreaks that you see are following their normal patterns. OUTBREAKS happen, regardless of how well a population is vaccinated (as shown above, the vaccinated don't have that great of protection anyway). "The belief in herd immunity leads to many delusions. One of them is that when the number of immune people in a community drops below a certain point, it will make the next epidemic come sooner. In 1976 in Britain the vaccination rate for whooping cough dropped from 76% to 42%, because there had been publicity of bad side effects from the vaccine. The medicrats expected that the drop in the vaccination rate would make the next whooping cough epidemic come sooner, as well as expecting it to be worse. The whooping cough bacteria paid no attention to human theories, and the disease followed the usual timing of its natural cycle of virulence. Medicrats expressed surprise that the epidemic did not come sooner. There were also fewer cases and fewer deaths during this epidemic. The much lower vaccination rate of 42% made no difference to the long term decline of whooping cough, which had been happening for a hundred years.

One more quote on herd immunity: ""The reason vaccinations are promoted with such intensity is to prevent people from realizing that vaccines do not protect and also in the event of an outbreak or an epidemic the vaccinated are as much at risk of becoming infected as the unvaccinated. The truth can be kept hidden if people's vaccination status remains unknown and if everyone is vaccinated, making a comparison with unvaccinated people impossible. This is also the real reason for the relentless push to vaccinate as many children as possible."-- Dr Buchwald (The Decline of Tuberculosis despite "Protective" Vaccination by Dr. Gerhard Buchwald M.D. p101)
If you have chosen to vaccinate based on the idea that immunity, but would like more studies and statistics on the subject, click HERE.

I want to mention one more thing before I end. I know it's a little hard (at first) to believe that our government is lying to us about this. I mean, these vaccine organizations sound SO GOOD and HELPFUL! The CDC? (Center for Disease Control) and the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) should be on our side, right? As well as our family pediatrican, whom we love?? Right? Well--let me enlighten you just a little about why they might have some ulterior motives.

Forgive me, but I feel that a scripture from the Doctrine and Covenants summarizes it perfectly (this is in Section 89, verse 4- right as the Word of Wisdom is given.)

4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of ^aevils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of ^bconspiring men in the last days, I have ^cwarned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—
I will tell you why you're not getting the truth:

Evils...designs...in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days. The world is consumed with it's lust for power and money.

The fact is: The vaccine industry used to be made up of about 35 different manufactures. Today, there are only about 5 manufacturers, producing ALL the vaccines for the United States. Think of the MONEY they are making! Think like any business person- money is made when you are bringing in more money than you are spending. Think about how much money there is to be made by those companies, when there are millions of children, multiplied by the millions of shots being given. Let's not forget the flu shots and the swine flu shots- (again, lots of scare tactics used to motivate people to get in there and get them!) They stand to lose a fortune if anything came out that showed how dangerous these vaccines are. And interestingly enough, the CDC’s former director, Dr. Julie Gerberding—who was essentially in charge of federal government decision-making about vaccines and disease-response programs—resigned in 2010 to become president of Merck Pharmaceuticals’ vaccine division. Merck is the maker of the HPV vaccine. You see things like this EVERYWHERE The whole vaccine industry is motivated by obscene profits. They're in bed together. I can't put it any more plainly than that.

Oh there's much more on that topic-

Recently in the news, the American Academy of Pediatrics accepted a $342,000 payment from Wyeth, the maker of the pneumococcal vaccine, which is worth about 2 billion dollars a year in sales. The AAP also took $433,000 from Merck the year they endorsed the controversial HPV vaccine (which is expected to bring in billions of dollars in profits) and is currently being pushed on little girls as young as nine. Sanofi Aventis, a pharmaceutical company that makes 17 vaccines and the new 5-in-1 combo shot that was recently added to the childhood vaccination schedule, is also one of the AAP's top donors, purports CBS News.

And we absolutely cannot depend on information from the CDC. There is just too great a conflict of interest. "Asking the CDC to look into vaccine safety is like asking the fox to guard the chicken coop."--Dr Bernard Rimland. "In the past 7-10 years, the CDC has manipulated data, hidden results, purchased studies, and deceived parents, pediatricians, and politicians in a blatant act of self-preservation and pharmaceutical industry protectionism."

As I mentioned before, these organizations DO know that vaccines cause a problem, and if you REALLY want to know if that's true, spend some time browsing the documents dug up by this website:

http://www.putchildrenfirst.org/index2.html

You will find that not only do they know about all these problems, they are going to great lengths to cover it up, including creating and designing their own studies to produce the results that they want. (I could go on and on about the studies they have manufactured, produced, and even conducted on their own- then they pay doctors large amounts of money to put their name on the study and publish it as their own. Close examination of these studies of "vaccine study" finds all KINDS of problems with their research. "Lead authors of important studies are often beholden to the manufacturer in some way. They may own stock in the company or are paid by the manufacturer to travel around the country promoting their vaccines. Lead authors may receive consultation fees, grants, or other benefits from the drug maker that contravene ethical boundaries and compromise the integrity of the study....In some instances, study results may be preordained. When the vaccine-autism link became a public concern, vaccine proponents moved into high gear to produce authentic-appearing studies that contradicted genuine data. (The tobacco industry did this same thing many years ago, when the tobacco industries financed numerous bogus studies ostensibly "proving" that cigarettes didn't cause cancer.) (p. 23)

In fact, Congress established a "hazard" tax on childhood vaccines, so that when you (and your insurance) pays for your own baby's shots, a portion of that money goes into a special fund to compensate them when their children are seriously damaged or die. In the last few years, more than $1 billion was granted for thousands of injuries and deaths caused by mandated vaccines. (p.25)

The CDC has told us that there are now (I'm paraphrasing) about 16 studies that "refute" the link between vaccines and autism. Those studies are INVENTED and MANIPULATED and there are WAY more studies proving otherwise. They went crazy with a smear campaign on Dr. Wakefield, one of the original doctors who found and published the link- they basically destroyed his career for having the guts to go against the grain with his findings- and they threaten others who try to do the same. Again, refer to some of the websites I've mentioned throughout this post if you don't believe me. It is all there waiting to be found, if you'll JUST LOOK AND SEE.

Well, what about the doctors, you say? These people are SMART and have been through MEDICAL school! They should know right? They should know how to find these studies.
First of all, did you know that doctors only study the immune system, IN DEPTH, while they are in their first year of medical school? Also, pediatricans know a lot about childhood issues, but they do not know a whole lot about the brain. One neuologist (who wrote the introduction to Neil Miller's book) says that as a brain specialist, he realized that pediatricians actually know very little about the brain- he was constantly getting phone calls with questions because that is just not their area of expertise. And that's part of the problem. Vaccines cause a lot of problems for the brain, including sometime called "exotoxicity".

I believe that our doctors may still believe that the CDC and FDA and AAP are honest and are telling them the truth. They feel like with these huge organizations backing them up, they have a lot more credibility. But, as I've watched things progress throughout the years, a LOT more doctors have finally decided to do what I have done (find out for themselves if these vaccines are damaging) and many doctors are coming to the conclusion that the vaccines really ARE dangerous.

It's a tough pill to swall0w- because by admitting this, your doctor is at risk of losing patients (who don't agree) or by losing a great amount of his/her own income. Yes, even your doctor has a financial interest in vaccines, as he/she makes a large profit off of every shot given to every child. He/she could lose a great many clients over this issue, so why not play it safe and go with the mainstream theory here? So they don't want to see that money-maker taken away either. I know we love our doctors and trust them implicitly, but it seems that most pediatricians have ALSO refused to look into this subject- as one article put it, "That would be akin to the priest denying his own religion."

However, I was extremely grateful to meet the famous pediatrician Doris Rapp, who is an expert on children with allergies. She wrote a book called Is This Your Child that has been incredibly helpful and informative to me, with my kids having allergies and sensitivities, and jacked up immune systems. I personally asked her what she thought of vaccines. I will quote her exactly, "Oh, I wouldn't even vaccinate my dog right now." Also, the doctors office I attend just added a brand new doctor to their staff, who told me privately that she has read studies that show that vaccines are not very effective. So I know that doctors are starting to see the light on this subject. I believe it will just be a matter of time before this previously thought "crack pot" theory is realized to be one of substance and truth.

I know some of you might want to know what to do when your preschooler or kindergartner is "required" to produce a vaccine record, showing that their shots are up to date. Don't worry, we still have enough freedom left in this country to not have to be compelled to do something we don't believe in. Every state has waivers that you can sign, stating that for medical or religious reasons, you have decided not to vaccinate.

For me, it is a religious reason. We've considered this information and prayed about it, and this is what we feel good about, for our family, Who knows, maybe things will be different when our kids are older and bigger.

I think all of us who HAVE vaccinated our kids at one time in the past-- we need to be extremely grateful that our children have been blessed to not have any major side effects of vaccines. It is possible that they have suffered a little bit of damage that we don't know about. And I personally know two children who have suffered greatly after receiving vaccines. One of my friends has a little girl who spent a MONTH in the ICU following a regular swine flu vaccine. She regressed from being a normal 4 year old to being in an almost-vegetable state, unable to talk, feed herself, or go to the bathroom. She was life-and-death for a little while- they didn't think she was going to make it. She was miraculously saved, and was finally discharged from the hospital, and has started to recover from the brain damage that vaccine caused. So those "stories" you hear about people having serious reactions, well, they aren't just made up stories or crazy people making crazy claims. These things are happening all around us. I know doctors and other people will probably make you feel like YOU ARE A BAD MOTHER if you are not giving your children the precious, protective vaccines...but be careful believing that kind of pressure, or their scare tactics. Like I said, it seems to be heavily motivated by the money.

*The vaccine industry, who says "our vaccines are safe!" will LOSE MONEY if people stop vaccinating. On the other hand, the other side tells us that they are DANGEROUS, and I ask you to consider one more question: WHO STANDS TO LOSE (OR PROFIT) THE MOST FROM VACCINES? How much can we really believe what they are telling us? Those who are suggesting that vaccines are bad, really stand TO GAIN NOTHING from a less-vaccinated population. Maybe some of you can think of something they would gain from it, but I can't think of anything.

I have to stop. I know this is a lot to take in. Congrats if you made it all the way to the end, I hope it helps in someway, somehow. Don't be afraid of the facts, and don't be afraid to go against the grain. If you don't like the opposition you face, then do what I did at first. Find a doctor who will support you in making your own decisions, and then keep your mouth shut when the topic comes up in your circle of friends or even family (if you don't want people ripping into you.) That's the easiest way...don't make waves. That is, until you finally gather enough information (and courage) to take those people on. That's the point I am finally at today...well...almost. I'm not ready to fight with my friends over it! I'm still putting it out there for some of you to...ponder. Hope it helped someone out there.
xoxo
Heather