With the recent outbreak of measles and the extreme response by the media and other political organizations many parents are feeling the need to consider vaccinating their children or investigate other options. Since vaccinations are such a controversial subject, many parents are concerned about exposing their children to them unless they are clearly safe and effective. I will share with you some information about vaccines that may help you make a truly informed decision to or not to vaccinate. Exemption options are available in all but 2 states in the U.S. at this time, but that could be changing so people need to be educated and exercise their right to support or resist mandatory vaccination.
Do vaccines decrease the incidence of infectious disease?
People have historically been convinced that vaccines have significantly decreased the incidence of infectious diseases since the introduction of vaccines in the early l900’s. However, when Michael Alderson reviewed the international mortality statistics they showed these infections were indeed already resolving themselves by about 90% by the time the vaccines were introduced. There were clearly other factors that caused mortality to decline such as improved hygiene, sanitation, nutrition, labor laws, electricity, chlorination, refrigeration, pasteurization. Measles in particular contributed to 70 deaths/100,000 in 1838 and dropped to 5-10 deaths/100,000 in 1938. By 1963, almost no one died from measles. During this year, the whole of New England had only five deaths (Maine: 1, New Hampshire: 0, Vermont: 3, Massachusetts: 0, Rhode Island: 1, Connecticut: 0) that were attributed to measles. [1] Deaths from asthma were actually 56 times greater than from measles during that year. So the death rate had declined by almost 100% before the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1968. According to some sources there have been zero deaths from measles in the US in the past 10 years; others claim measles currently has a 1 in 1000 death rate.
Are vaccines effective?
Dr. Sherri Tenpenny helps people understand that when a claim is made saying “vaccines are effective”, it simply means it effectively created an “antibody” for a specific disease, but not that it has proven to prevent the person from contracting that disease. Indeed, it is commonly claimed that receiving two doses of the MMR vaccine is “99 percent effective in preventing measles,” [2] despite a voluminous body of contradictory evidence from epidemiology and clinical experience. Measles outbreaks have consistently occurred in highly immunization compliant populations.
This erroneous thinking has led the public, media and government alike to attribute the origin of measles outbreaks, such as the one recently reported at Disney, to the non-vaccinated, even though 18% of the measles cases occurred in those who had been vaccinated against it – hardly the vaccine’s claimed “99% effective.” The vaccine’s obvious fallibility is also indicated by the fact that the CDC now requires two doses.
Not only does the MMR vaccine fail to consistently confer immunity, but those who have been “immunized” with two doses of MMR vaccine can still transmit the infection to others – the phenomena no-one is willing to report on in the rush to blame minimally- or non-vaccinated for the outbreak. So it appears that the herd immunity our government is so adamantly promoting can’t protect us, only our immune systems can.
During an epidemic [of measles] in 1949 vitamin C was used prophylactically and all those who received as much as 1000 mg. every six hours, by vein or muscle, were protected from the virus. Given by mouth, 1000 mg. in fruit juice every two hours was not protective unless it was given around the clock. It was further found that 1000 mg. by mouth, four to six times each day, would modify the attack; with the appearance of Koplik’s spots and fever, if the administration was increased to 12 doses each 24 hours, all signs and symptoms would disappear in 48 hours. [3]
Combined analyses published in 1993 showed that massive doses of vitamin A given to patients hospitalized with measles were associated with an approximately 60% reduction in the risk of death overall, and with an approximate 90% reduction among infants… administration of vitamin A to children who developed pneumonia before or during hospital stay reduced mortality by about 70% compared with control children. [4]
Nutrition and other factors have a big impact on measles, so why aren’t we talking about them at all? Because the emphasis is always on a single, highly lucrative medical procedure – vaccination.
How do vaccines work?
The basic theory behind vaccination is that a vaccine is injected into the body and will trigger the immune system to produce antibodies in the blood stream without the individual getting the disease. Vaccination engages only one part of your immune system which is called the TH2 side of immune system which has been associated with the development of autoimmune diseases. Natural immunity is developed when you have had a natural infection from a community acquired bacterial or viral infection – it engages both sides of immune system TH2 and TH1- self immunity which is defined by the difference of know who you are and where your environment stops and those 2 types of the immune system go through this nice dance when you have a real infection and you have fever, cytokines and activation of white blood cells. That is where life time immunity comes from and when you are re-exposed to that virus your immune system recognizes it and says – I don’t need to process that again.
Natural immunity in children can play a constructive role in the maturation of that person’s immune system. Ideally both ways can provide the individual with immunity to that infectious disease so if that individual comes in contact with that disease later in life, he/she will respond faster and more efficiently to the second exposure.
Another key factor to consider is that measles vaccine does not create lifelong immunity, whereas natural infection with measles does. The only way to remain immune with artificial immunity via vaccines is to be vaccinated several times during a lifetime. We have not yet seen how the vaccine will play out over several generations of exclusively vaccinated people.
What are vaccines made of and are they safe?
Vaccines may consist of some combination of these different substances according to the Physician Desk Reference:
Attenuated organisms (viruses or bacteria); toxoids; killed organisms; filler and additives – aluminum(a known neurotoxin) has now replaced mercury(thimerosol). The FDA considers safe exposure <5mcg/kg/d, yet also states “accumulation of aluminum in tissues may even occur from exposure to less than 4 mcg/kg/d.
So your average 12 pound two month old should receive less than 27 mcg/d and your average 25 pound one year old should receive less than 57 mcg.
Aluminum content in DTaP – 330 mcg; Hep A & B – 250 mcg; HIB – 330 mcg; Pc 13 (pneumococcal) – 125 mcg – you do the math.
Vaccines are manufactured by being grown in various cultures or media, which consist of lung cells of aborted human fetuses, kidneys of African green monkeys, human blood and cells of monkey, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, calves, and chickens.
So there are many reasons to be concerned about the safety of the measles vaccine even if serious vaccine reactions are estimated to be quite rare. Unfortunately, many possible reactions are not recognized by the physician who administered the vaccine and therefore do not get recorded as such. One source indicated 100 measles vaccine deaths have been recognized, not to mention the MMRV combination vaccine can cause febrile seizures in 1 in 1,250 children.
What are some alternatives?
Many individuals feel that maintaining a healthy immune system can be a viable option to the significant number of vaccines recommended by the CDC. An option some parents have considered is to follow an alternative vaccine schedule that begins later, spreads out the vaccines, takes into account the child’s risk of exposure and possibly checks the child’s natural titer. This reduction of exposure would allow the immune system to handle the vaccines more successfully.
If parents decide to give their children vaccines, it is critical that you do not give Tylenol around the time of the vaccination. There are therapies that may prevent a vaccine reaction such as homeopathic remedies before and after the vaccination to break down any toxins and help the kidneys, liver and gastrointestinal tract eliminate the toxins.
Some parents may feel more comfortable giving their children a homeopathic immunization protocol that has been used in South America and Europe and more recently in the U.S. It has been suggested that high potency remedies stimulate the energetic immune response and this must lead to a maturing of the response in an analogous way that infection with simple diseases can help to mature the physical immune response.
Ultimately you are going to have to decide which path to embrace for the well being of your child. Look into the various options, be informed, and feel confident that you are making the best choice for you and your child.
1. Vital Statistics of the United States 1963, Vol. II—Mortality, Part A, pp. 1–18, 1–19, 1–21.
2. T L Gustafson, A W Lievens, P A Brunell, R G Moellenberg, C M Buttery, L M Sehulster. Measles outbreak in a fully immunized secondary-school population. N Engl J Med. 1987 Mar 26 ;316(13):771-4. PMID: 3821823
3. Fred R. Klenner, MD, “The Treatment of Poliomyelitis and Other Virus Diseases with Vitamin C,” Southern Medicine & Surgery, July 1949.
4. Wafaie W. Fawzi, MD; Thomas C. Chalmers, MD; M. Guillermo Herrera, MD; and Frederick Mosteller, PhD, “Vitamin A Supplementation and Child Mortality: A Meta-Analysis,” Journal of the American Medical Association, February 17, 1993, p. 901.
