Autism, Immunizations, and Anecdotes
Autism and its discontents are back in the news (were they ever out?) in three new areas:
- A celebrity (Jenny McCarthy) has written a book about her experiences with her 5 year old autistic child.
- More data is coming out from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) showing NO association of vaccines and thimerosal with autism.
- A federal court in Washington, D.C. is going to rule if the autism diagnosed in a 12-year-old girl was caused by a measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine administered when she was an infant.
I've written extensively about this before, so you likely know where I stand: I do believe autism is on the rise and, since our genes haven't changed, there may well be environmental triggers. While we don't know what these are, we do know what they are NOT: immunizations and thimerosal.
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Here are my thoughts about this latest trifecta.1. First, a disclaimer: I haven't read Ms. McCarthy's book, so I'm speaking in general about the positives and the limits of one person's story. I've read some wonderful books by parents of an autistic child. They have taught me a lot about the feelings they went through in the process, how the medical system let them down at critical times, and what they found to be supportive. These stories are often moving and especially validating and instructive for other parents who are just beginning to go through the process.
But I have a caution: One person's story is just that: one person's story. In autism (as in all of life) every child is is different, as is every family. Yes, some parents chose to devote a lot of time to their child's treatment, but others - for all the right reasons - do not. There is no one right way to respond or feel, and I worry that parents who are different than the authors often feel guilty if they don't share the writers' perspective and feelings.
Second, one person's story is "anecdotal," meaning that you can't draw scientifically valid conclusions from it. Sure one child may have seemed to respond to one treatment, but that doesn't mean that another will. It takes looking at many kids and seeing how they responded to know if a treatment is really helpful. People write about successes but not the multiple failures with the same treatment. Since we have no cure for autism, I can't tell you how many parents I know who have tried the latest "cure" - based on one person's story - and the have been even more disappointed (not to mention shorter on cash) than they were before.
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2. I well remember one comment to my previous blog on this: "You are never gonna make me believe that vaccinations aren't the main cause of autism! My son was fine until he received his MMR vaccination." Sure, if your child showed developmental deterioration shortly after getting the MMR vaccine, you too would believe one caused the other. But, again, it's anecdotal information.The human brain is brilliantly programmed to connect events that occur together in time. If you heard a roar and then saw a saber--tooth tiger, it was reasonable to assume the tiger caused the roar and to take appropriate precautions thereafter. It works great most of the time. But it also leads to superstitions, which most of us have (In Little League, I hit my one and only home run after spitting on my dry hands for the first time. Every time thereafter, I disgustingly spat on my hands. Of course I never hit a home run again and thus had to become a pediatrician instead of a major league baseball player, but when playing baseball my hands were never short on spit).
It's reasonable to wonder if the MMR causes autism. It's actually a very plausible theory. The only problem with it is that it's wrong. We know that because when you look at hundreds of thousands of kids who have received the vaccine and you do not find an association, you realize that the anecdotal cases are coincidences, pure and simple. When the rate of autism did not diminish after thimerosal was taken out of almost all immunizations, what should you conclude?
Yet, like the responder to my blog, many people refuse to believe careful studies, relying instead on their own superstitions or on conspiracy theories or on the advice of others who can't be bothered with scientific data (who essentially and irresponsibly say, "Don't bother me with the facts, I know what I know.").
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3. If ever there was a sign that we Americans have been "lawyered" beyond all reason, having a court decide this issue could be exhibit #1. (Remember these are the selfsame geniuses who decided that silicone breast implants caused a world of trouble and awarded huge dollars to women as a result. When the scientific data later refuted these claims, I doubt the money was returned.) What next for our legal system? Perhaps. when there is professional disagreement, your local judge should decide which anticonvulsant medication would best help your child's seizures.* * * *
Here's our dilemma in the field of autism. We don't really know what causes it, nor what is the best treatment for it, nor do we have a cure. I don't like it (and am quite hopeful that all the new research will elevate this current state-of-the-art) but them's the facts. Responsible professionals at least admit it and do not succumb to anecdotal claims nor ask the courts to decide scientific issues. You shouldn't either.Related Topics: Technorati Tags: autism, measles mumps and rubella vaccine, MMR vaccine, Jenny McCarthy, thimerosal, health and wellness
37 Comments:
Thank you SO much for this.
Good Post!
Filled with facts, logic and common sense.
I just read in a book called "The Gluten Connection" by Shari Lieberman, PhD, CNS, FACN with Linda Segall that there may be a Gluten connection here if you remove all glute from your diet. It is possible to have a Gluten sensitivity that if you go Gluten free, your symtoms may disappear. This is not tradional medicine per say but MD'S have put their patients on Gluten Free and Casien Free diets and check back to see how they feel. Many times the symtoms have relieved the problem and the patients have gone on to re-adjust or ger well. It is worth the reading and then you decide if this may be for you or child.
I've been following the blog comments on Dr. Moser's blog about this subject. What really bothers me is that people keep insisting that doctors are in a conspiracy with the drug manufacturers to get kids vaccinated. There a lot of people who think that doctors get kickbacks from the drug companies.
Thanks for a well informed and factual blog. I have a daughter with a very mild form of autism. She will go off into her own little world for short periods of time. Luckily, she comes back and is highly functional. She did not showing any signs of this until 2 years after she had her MMR. I never once thought it was brought on by the vaccines.
Thanks for your comments. As another pediatrician dealing with this difficult subject many times a day, it is nice to know that our colleagues are also sharing the same information with their patients!
As the neighbor of an autistic boy, I am wondering if it is normal for the child to be left outside screaming and yelling for hours at a time while he swings on the swingset.
Does anyone know if there are any documented cases of autism in non-vaccinated children? noone ever asks this, and can't find any info on it. thanks
Yes, there are plenty of documented cases of autism in non-documented children. Autism has been around since before vaccines. Here is a link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism#History
Thank you for no information at all doctor. As a parent of a child with Autism, you gave me no helpful information from your comments. If one gets sick, a doctor usually gives a pateint options and information. It is not false that when Autism was diagnosed, not by my son's pediatrician, but by a psychologist, I was left with a world of confusions, questions, and support groups. None of which focused on the medical or biomedical resources and options available. That is what parents need. We want to know what is available, not an instant defense for the vaccinations for which we now have more questions than answers (I have done some research as well). For once, I would like the medical community to tell me what they do know (not much) instead of what they don't. Parents are not usually given information on biomedical options. Read the book, Doctor, then give me some information worth reading. It might be worth taking the time out of my research to read it. I'm trying to reach my son, so please help or just get out of the way.
Anon 1:59 pm - I am the sister and guardian of an autistic man who is now 47 years old.
I understand where you are.
Growing up, our family life revolved around autism, my brother's and the children of our friends. Our family socialized only with other families with autism because, quite frankly 'normal' families could not understand my brother's behaviors, some of which were very disgusting and unhygenic.
What you neeed to understand, Anon 1:59, is that autism is a spectrum, there are probably as many different causes and cures/treatments as there are manifestations. Otherwise, how can you compare my brother's level of autism (he is nonverbal and was not toilet trained until he was 45) with someone diagnosed autistic who is attending college independently?
I know it is frustrating for you as a parent, who wants a doctor to say "Here is the diagnosis, here is the treatment (magic pill), go forth and cure your child." But that's not going to happen for a long time, if at all.
Be very wary of treatments not backed by scientific research. You could make your child's life miserable or jeopardize his/her health. My mother subjected my brother to all kinds of subjective treatments: megavitamin, aversive behavorial, dietary restrictions in the hopes of a cure or even improvement. The only result was to make my brother more unhappy and his behavior worse.
The best you can do for your child is to let him/her know how much you love them and keep them happy and well stimulated with new activities.
ps, my brother was not vaccinated
Pine Baroness - You are correct about the many different manifestations of autism. My daughter has autism but we did not know that until she was 10. Up until that time, her father thought she could control what she was doing and would get mad at her whenever she did what we called "her excited thing". Basically her eyes would cross, she would chew on her knuckles and make strange noises. While she was in this state, she had no idea where she was. I finally convinced my husband that it was something she couldn't control and we took her to a neurologist. He suggested it was either a tick or a mild form of autism. She still does it, but she is also very able to function and is a straight A student in high school. If you saw her, you would never guess she has a disability.
I believe this is genetic. My sister-in-law just had a baby and she is also showing signs of having the same thing. She started showing these signs before any of her vaccanations and she isn't old enough yet for her MMR.
Thank you for the great information and for being such a caring person.
200 people graduate from medical school... what do you call the person who graduated #200? Doctor
I agree with you Dr. I mean we're talking about the same court systems that awarded money to a man who sued the homeowner of a house he robbed because he was injured in her house. It doesn't make any sense to trust their judgement on a medical case. Thanks for this information.
The problem I have with this whole thing is it seems many doctors want us to believe they know what is right for every child every time, without really taking a look at the individual child.
I am not saying vaccinations are the root of all evil, but our world has changed dramatically through the years. They types of foods we eat, the level of activities we have, the chemicals we are exposed to, etc... I dare any doctor to say with absolute certainty that science REALLY knows what all of this is doing to our bodies. As most scientists will acknowledge... our bodies adapt quite well. However, how does this adaptation affect things like autism, or neurological disorders, or our reactions to new substances.
Back when I was a kid, we were given a total of about 12 vaccinations. Now, children, before the age of two we expect our children to recieve upwards of 30+ vaccinations! And, the blood brain barrier isn't even complete before the age of two. These little people are sensitive. Much more sensitive to their environment, foods, and substances then adults just do to the fact the yare SMALLER people! This is the same principle that says a 120lb woman will get intoxicated much more quickly then a 200lb woman even though they consume the same amount of alcohol.
I am wondering when the medical community will step up and say 'we DO NOT know everything'... and acknowledge that vaccinations may not be 100% safe in such large doses. No one can really tell me why SO many vaccinations are required SO early.
My child does not attend day care. She does not have any siblings and no close living young relatives. She is not exposed to the things that kids in day care are exposed to. I believe she does not need the vaccinations on the 'recommended' schedule.
Why is teh medical community so eager to manipulate absolutely everything about children. They even want to manipulate how a child comes into the world. If a baby isn't born within a certain period of time, even without signs of distress, then the mom is whisked off to surgery. I have heard countless incidents where doctors push their patients to be induced at 38 or 39 weeks... most of the time for convenience sake. It's quite disturbing to me. 'First do no harm' ... how is this doing no harm?
I'm tired of the medical profession completely disregarding the children who have had reactions to vaccinations. I'm tired of hearing that 'fevers and febrile seisures are a normal reaction' to vaccinations. If they are SAFE WHY should a child have any reaction at all! And certainly we can not say a seizure of any type is NORMAL behavior.
Again, I'm not saying vaccinations are the root of all evil. They have played an important role in our health history. However, I think also if we look at the history of disease we will find many of the diseases we vaccinate for were already on the DECLINE when the vaccination was introduced.
I am a proponent of parents doing the research and making an educated decision FOR THEIR CHILD. However, it seems anytime a parent wants to do something different then what their doctor says they should do...then all of a sudden they are bad parents sentencing their children to some sort of disease ridden life of torment. Why can't the medical community take a cooperative approach with parents... work together to determine what is right for each child. Each situation, each child is unique. WHY does the medical community keep treating them like identical robots.
Dear Doctor, I have worked my entire career of 30 years in pharmaceutical R&D and manufacturing. I love the industry and know that I have served my fellow humans by my work. My own family members have benefited from drugs that I helped to get on the market. I am very pro pharmaceutical and I am equally anti-"John Edwards" ambulance chasing lawyer. I am a father of an autistic child. We have no proof, but have very strong subjective evidence that the developmental problems were triggered by vaccines. The number of autistic children is way too high and getting worse. As an analytical thinking scientist, I and a lot of other non-emotionally driven thinkers believe that anecdotal evidence is evidence that warrants consideration. You too as an doctor, are supposed to be a scientist, I quote your very non-scientific words here now against your article. " When the rate of autism did not diminish after thimerosal was taken out of almost all immunizations, what should you conclude?" Seems to me that the word that trips you up here doc is "almost". This is not a game of horseshoes. Almost does not count. If however, all thimerosal was removed from vacinnes, then we could make such a conclusion.
After reading this article & the Comments, I went back to your previous article on the thimerosal controversy, Dr. Parker, and I must say I'm not convinced by your argument. There's too much of this story left out. For example, thimerosal was NOT removed from vaccines in 1999. The major impulse to eliminate it was in 2001 (after the huge increase in the v. schedule in the 1990s, very possibly responsible for the huge increase in ASD dx in the same time period), and even then it was on a voluntary basis. Various commentators have reported that they have seen thimerosal-containing vaccines in their GP offices even up to 2004. So its removal was not cut & dried. Plus the ASD definition has been changed/expanded, so we're comparing apples & oranges. Plus the flu vaccine was added to the v. schedule during this time - of which ab. 90% contains thimerosal - so that has also confounded the situation. Not to mention how that thimerosal will go into the foetus... & then some more as a baby getting the scheduled flu vaccine....
No, thimerosal alone is not the whole answer to ASD. (How about the MBP contaminating the MMR shot, thus causing the child's immune system to attack its own myelin in the inflammatory response to the vaccine, in addition to the leaky gut associated with the measles virus component, thus allowing peptides through into the bloodstream & thence on into the weakened (blood-brain barrier) brain?) But this whole scenario is an appalling one; not scientific in nature so much as political. If the medical profession/public health authorities hadn't decided that 'the benefits of vaccines far outweigh the risks' before massively increasing the vaccine schedule in the 90s & putting that assumption to a dangerous test, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in now.
A full-blown investigation is in order. And let the chips fall where they may.
Dear Dr. Parker,
In two months I will graduate from medical school. Thank you for sharing the TRUTH of this matter. We must get your word out to the main stream media outlets. Recently I have become outraged by the media's sensationalized negativity and false claims about immunizations and autism told by various family members (and their attorneys). The fact of the matter is that science always tells the truth. The public should realize that immunizations are, after all, for the greater good! They save lives and prevent morbidity on a grand scale! The negative press must come to an end. It won't be long until the public loses faith in the system and refuses to take immunizations. If this were to occur, we will no doubt see rampant and widespread disease again in the US (when all of this could have been prevented with immunizations).
This is in response to the parent who is concerned we, as physicians, treat children as a horde instead of individually. I am the mother of 3 children and a pediatrician. My children have been vaccinated every step of the way. The reason I do believe in the vaccinations is that, after working in Africa, and seeing multiple children die from diseases that are vaccinated in the US, I find it hard to argue that the risks of the vaccines outweight the benefits. As an example, polio is running roughshod in Iraq right now, leaving whole families of children unable to walk permanently. The reason we do not see this in the US is because almost every child is vaccinated here. It's called the herd theory. If the vast majority of people are vaccinated against something, it is unlikely that the disease will be able to get a toehold in that population. Therefore leaving almost everyone safe from the disease. Now that people are coming here from all over the world, areas that are not vaccinated against many fatal or disabling diseases, if your child is not vaccinated, they can get that disease.
Apparently the courts did not side with this doctors opinion.(Vaccine settlement complex, may not be first story)
I don’t believe the medical community has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that these materials do not cause or assist in the development of this disorder. We should error on the side of caution and not give into the CDC and drug companies insistence on such aggressive schedule and dosage. In Europe immunizations are administered much differently and therefore safely than here in the US where the problem seems to be
.
Everyone reading this blog. Please read the book Evidence of Harm. Their is a lot more information on the dangers of vaccines then you are led to believe. The book is a New York Time Bestseller and completely factual. It is unbiased in the sence you draw your own conclusion. However, when you read the whole truth, not just what the CDC and your pediatrician tells you it is possible that some of you may change your mind. My daughter sees one of the top experts on the issue in the world. He says with out a doubt vaccines do contribute to autism in certain children. Not every child is born with an immune system capable of eliminating the toxic preservitives in the vaccine or the stress that it puts on a young developing immune system. The blood brain barrier hasn't even developed yet. Or did you not learn that in medical school. I'm not anti vaccine. I just believe it's too much too soon. I am so tired of doctors such as yourself defending the medical community and implying that parents who believe that vaccines contributed to their childs autism are not educated enough on the facts. This is rubbish! Autism is not even heard of in the Amish community. Why? Well to start they don't vaccinate their children.
Two questions I would like to see answers to:
1. What is the percentage of children with autism who have never received vaccinations?
2. Why is the US one of the only countries in the world to vaccinate children under the age of two?
I wonder if there could be a link between autism and ultrasounds? When you consider the fact that the past 15 years many ultrasounds are given to pregnant woman..done as a general test to check progress of the baby, and to determine baby's sex. I know ultrasounds are said to be safe, but I really feel the timing of the increase in autism coincides with the increase in ultrasounds given during pregnancy.
I am a Physician Assistant and a mother of two. My patients as well as myself have many concerns and questions regarding autism. One source of help I have found is the book Healing the New Childhood Epidemics, by Kenneth Bock, M.D. It shows good data regarding Austism, vaccinations, and proper diets. Dr. Bock still feels that vaccines are neccesary but to spread them out over a longer course of time. He has some great success stories that are on all different levels.
In 2005, a total 411 total cases of Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Diptheria, Pertusis, Tetnus and Polio with NO deaths (CDC)? We vaccinate thousands a day to prevent WHAT? Read the CDC's information! Look at the preservatives in the shots and lookup what they are doing to people. I'm not surprises this has ocurred! I have studied for many years, pulling over 800 studies. From the New England Journal of Medicine to the Lancel and the BMJ. I was luck and told off the possible risk factor and looked up the current vaccination levels (%) of population) and then the total number of cases of each disease. Then I researched the preservatives, not good, most are known carcinogens. I chose to forego the vaccine process and have a wonderfully healthy 14 year old daughter. BTW, she has NEVER had OTC or prescribed medications. As far as my opinion, as I stated earlier in 2005 there were a total of 411 cases which can be safely treated. I think the risk of some sort of Neuro-related disability is higher by getting vaccinated then taking your chances with a treatable disease.
I'll tell you what -- let Darwin decide. Let's compare the survival rates of children who are vaccinated and those who aren't. Natural selection should, in few generations, determine which side of the issue was correct.
Regarding autism in the non-vaccinated poulation:
Our daughter was recently diagnosed with autism and we have never vaccinated her. That being said I personally feel like the mainstream medical society is largely irresponsible by claiming that vaccines do no harm. I am not a medical doctor but after countless hours of research I am convinced that there is more to this story than the industry is willing to let on to. Cross reference the ingredients in childhood vaccinations to the allowable amounts on a Poison Control Website and many ingredient amounts are far greater than the allowable safe limits. I am not anti-vaccine but I am pro-research and informed consent. For me the cons far outweighed the pros and I shudder to think what my child might be like had I have chosen to vaccinate. Right now she speaks in full sentences, has great self-help skills and many strengths. She also has many weaknesses and in my heart I feel like had I have vaccinated I would likely have the "stereotyped" autistic child who has no speech. People need to take responsibility for their own decisions in life and must do their due diligence before vaccinating.
Well, the world will always need Bubu doctors. Somebody to take care of those scrapes and runny noses. And you maybe one of them. Let's leave the advice to doctors that actually know something about the subject, and who are not in the business of treating as many kids in a day as possible so they can bill more to the insuarance companies. Total immunization is up per child since the 80's by over 300%. Autism rate then: 1 in 10,000. Now: 1 in 150... Coincidence? China never experienced the rate of autism as they do now. Why? Maybe because we send them all the vaccines that contained thimerosal. When do we say enough is enough and hold the goverment (CDC) and the vaccine makers responsible???
This issue has not been laid to rest by science, as most doctors would lead us to believe wiht their strong statements. Without a large study that compares the rates of autism in a vaccinated group to the rates in an unvaccinated group, no one can say wiht any certainty that vaccines are not playing a role in the increase in chidhood neurological diseases. That is not to say that they ARE playing role. Rather, we simply do not know. But I sure wish we would figure it out. I am all for vaccines and would love to give my kids every single one - but only IF it can be shown that they are safe.
While I can't put my finger on them at the moment, there have been studies looking at the rate of autism in vaccinated vs. unvaccinated children. The rate of autism has increased equally in both groups. Further more, these are studies that have been undertaken in several different countries, and results have been similar across nations (Sorry, the CDC and US government have no sway in those other countries). These studies have been done ad nauseum and have all come to the same conclusions. Why do we need another study to yet again prove the vaccine autism link is not there? Lets put our research into a more promising area. The more time spent chasing down dead ends (to appeal to a vocal minority) the less time is spent chasing down plausible leads for the causes and treatments/cures of this disease.
Wow, the statement there is no connection at all to immunizations and autism is bold. And interesting since the CDC just changed their tune on the ridiculous number of immunizations on their "schedule" adding the piece about consulting with your pediatrician for the "right" schedule for your child. And interesting that the CDC is also now furthering their research on the MMR vaccine with a publication due in September 2008 regarding measle found in intestinal biopsies of children with autism. And why is it that the number of shots - not actual multiple immunizations combined in these shots - but the actual number of shots have almost tripled in the last 15 years. Have you done any research on the latest "SAFE" immunization of Rotavirus? Did you know that they tried that 10 years ago and removed it from the scheduled because it was causing deaths? Hhmm, lets inject it into babies again and see if it works this time. And why is it that the perfectly safe DTP had to be made safer and is now the DTaP? Pumping delicate, developing little brains and bodies full of toxins does not protect them, it damages their immune systems and many with undetected intestinal and auto-immune disorders end up with autism. Do your homework. And why is it that my entire family survived the chickenpox, my mother survived the measles and my aunt survived the mumps without a hiccup? Why do infants need hepatitis shots, why not teach better hygiene to parents? As the mother of a brilliant 4 year old who fortunately was diagnose with lymphoid nodular hyperplasia at 6 weeks old, and family history of Crohn's and Celiac, we have steered very clear of the MMR. And we have found it very interesting that our 4 year old has been sick significantly less than her cousin and other toddlers and pre-schoolers we know who have chosen to fully immunize. The CDC and the pharmaceutical companies make far too much money off immunizations and could not financially survive the lawsuits if they admit any connection between autism and immunizations. And that, is the bottom line.
The CDC doesn't make any money on any drug or treatment. The Centers for Disease Control is a federal agency. I know that it is frustrating to have a child with autism but to find some vast conspiracy theory involving the CDC trying to make a buck off of sick kids is beyond reason. Sometimes there are no easy answers. Sometimes there are multiple causes for a problem. To blame vaccines without looking at the scientific evidence is to say, "I don't care what you say, I'm going to believe the earth is flat." What about all of the children with autism who have not been vaccinated? Please open your eyes. No one wants your child to be ill. Not the doctors, not the CDC, not even big bad old pharmaceutical companies. If you would stop wasting time with conspiracy theories and pushed instead for more research and better services for those children who have already been diagnosed as autistic, you would serve your child and all the children much better.
The CDC receives funds for the advancement of immunizations and preventing diseases. So, yes, all of the "researchers" and personnel compiling data are making money - it doesn't matter if those dollars are from a federal source or not - money is money and greed is greed. I would be more than happy to believe that there are MANY unvaccinated children with autism if I could find data that supported that theory, unfortunately, after extensive research efforts, I have not been able to find any statistics or data compiled that has surveyed unvaccinated children with autism. The one Danish study that was done has been scientifically proven to be flawed due to the time frame and ages they used. I am not a conspiracy theorist, but having grown up in a family supported by the pharmaceutical companies, I know it is very, VERY big business. Far too many researchers/scientists, pharmaceutical personnel, even activists would be out of jobs if the research were actually being done to recognize that not all children's systems can handle the injected toxins instead of figure out what new "disease" they can try and stave off by injecting something else into our infants. Rotavirus is the stomach flu, no recorded deaths. Yes, if you allow any person of any age to become too dehydrated, they can die. Not necessarily caused by the stomach flu. I know more than one child who got the chickenpox even though they received the vaccination. Yes , in third world countries, the measles kills children, so does hunger. Let's have the CDC and other researcher institutions figure out a way to determine whether or not a child's system can handle 27 shots of 50 plus toxins by the time they are 2 years old before we go shooting them up.
Although I am not certain vaccines are responsible for the rise in cases of autism, one is left to wonder on the impact to these delicate little ones when multiple shots are given during one peds visit; I personally am aware of up to six shots being given in mere minutes. When adults are cautioned not to combine or take different medicines in close proximity,should not at least the same precautions be applied to our little ones?
the body metabolizes thimerisol to ethlymercury. ethylmercury and methylmercury(much more toxic) are everywhere. If you ate a can of tuna your kid would get more mercury than from vaccines. obviously vaccines aren't the problem
I like that some people can't remember the research they read or the articles, whatever. If you want to prove a point you need to back it up.
Also, I don't think giving an infant a series of 4-6 shots in a matter of seconds is comparable to giving them a can of tuna. I guess that's what happens when you've never been pregnant nor had children. Because then you would have known that you can't eat tuna while you're pregnant because of the fetus and that you aren't going to be feeding tuna to an infant.
I'm not against immunizations. I just think that they should be given in a better schedule.
It has never been documented that measles, mumps and rubella have occurred naturally - not via vaccine - in any human at any time. Why then, is the CDC trying so hard to convince us that it is necessary and so safe to inject all three at one time into our developing infants? This goes for all immunizations, HIB polio and DTaP are all given in one dr. visit. How does this seem logical to anyone? My 48 year old husband and his 3 younger siblings came to the US when he was 6 - none of them were immunized, all healthy throughout childhood and adulthood.
Where are those studies you "can't remember at the moment???" I think you are mistaken. There have been some studies that have looked at the rate of autism in kids who had the MMR and those who didn't. Perhaps that is what you are thinking of. What I am talking about is a study comparing completely vaccinated kids to completely unvaccinated ones, not just looking at specific vaccines. That study has not been done anywhere and it is the only type of study that can get to the bottom of this, one way or the other.
I have asked some of this country's foremost infectious disease experts as well as develomental experts. None of them have been able to cite such studies and all have conceded that such a study has NOT been done. (they have also hastened to add that it is unlikely to ever be done for a variety of reasons, not the least of which would be possibly enangering the unvaccinated group).
Again, this doesn't mean that vaccines are to blame. It just means that no one can say for sure.
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