When people ask my opinion on vaccines I feel like I always ramble. There are just so many reasons not to vaccinate! So I thought I would take some time and actually write out my response. I hope in doing so, people will become more aware of the problems associated with vaccination. Here goes…

First of all I think that vaccination is all about CHOICE. If, after reading this article and doing your own research, you still decide to vaccinate, then I respect that. But I, for one, am tired of people pretending there is nothing to be concerned about. And I am tired of doctors practically forcing them upon our children. Next time your doctor downplays your concerns about vaccination, look him or her right in the eyes and say, “We would not have a national vaccine compensation program if vaccines did not pose any risks.” Yes, the U.S. government has established a national vaccine compensation program for those who are killed or permanently disabled by vaccines.

So why are vaccines risky? First of all, the ingredients are controversial, to say the least. Including things like aluminum, mercury, gelatin, formaldehyde, fetal cells, soy oil, peanut oil, cow serum and/or cow tissue extract, monkey kidney cells, chicken eggs, antibiotics, MSG, 2-phenoxy-ethanol as well as some form of the virus or bacteria for which the vaccine is intended. There are other preservatives I did not list, but you get the point. I don’t blame people for being weary about injecting these things into their bloodstream. I’ll discuss some of these ingredients in greater detail below.

Mercury: Everyone knows mercury is toxic. Supposedly, thimerosal (mercury) has been taken out of childhood vaccines. But it is still in the flu vaccine and pregnant women and babies are told to get the flu vaccine. Also, there may still be trace amounts of mercury in other vaccines. I have had doctors tell me that the mercury/autism link has been disproven. However, I challenge anyone who knows an autistic person to research mercury poisoning. Autism symptoms are surprisingly similar to mercury poisoning. I find that interesting. Also, I have actually read some of these CDC funded studies that “disprove” the mercury/autism link. Many of these studies have methodological errors, so the theory actually has not been disproven. For more info about why these studies are flawed click here.

An issue that is rarely discussed in studies that supposedly debunk the mercury/autism link is that, for years, doctors that study autism have proposed that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder differ on their ability to detoxify thimerosal and not necessarily their exposure to it. In other words, someone genetically predisposed to autism develops autism because their body cannot excrete mercury, and therefore it builds up in the body. If child A and child B are both exposed to the same amount of mercury, but child B’s body does not excrete (detoxify from) mercury, then child B is the one who may develop autism. Therefore, studies that simply compare varying levels of exposure may not be sufficient when studying autism.

Also, it’s very important to keep in mind that mercury is not proposed as being the only thing that can cause autism. Mercury is just one substance linked to autism. And autism isn’t the only thing linked to mercury- a simple search on the Internet will show you that mercury is extremely toxic to the body and can cause many problems (central nervous system problems, gastrointestinal problems, immune system problems, etc). Mercury is toxic. It’s that simple. And how much one’s body can handle differs from person to person.

Aluminum: Aluminum is also toxic. And aluminum is in most vaccines! The more vaccines you get (and the closer they are together) the higher the exposure to aluminum. It is a fact that both aluminum and mercury are neurotoxins. The FDA is willing to admit this when it is from other sources (i.e. IVs, or fish) but say they are not toxic in a vaccine? I don’t buy that. And just like mercury, what is a safe level of aluminum for one person may not be safe for another person. Therefore, there should not be a one size fits all approach for vaccination! You must also understand that just because a vaccine no longer contains mercury, it does not mean that the vaccine is now safe. Aluminum is another metal found in vaccines, but is often overlooked because of the hype surrounding mercury. I encourage you to research all of the neurological problems aluminum has been linked to. Aluminum may actually be worse than mercury!

Monkey Kidney Cells:  Guess what? Kidney cells from monkeys were used to make the polio vaccine. Around 1960 it was revealed that these monkey cells were infected with the SV40 cancer virus! And yes, vaccines are still created using animal tissues. Not just from monkeys but from other animals as well including cows and chickens. In March 2010 the FDA announced that the Rotavirus vaccine was contaminated with a pig virus! As you can see the problem with using animal tissue is that there is a risk of infections being passed from the animal to the vaccine. Animal tissues are used because viruses cannot reproduce on their own. They require a living host in which to grow. Aside from contamination, we simply do not know what effect injecting animal tissue into our bloodstream might have on our human DNA.

Fetal Cells: Vaccine inserts refer to these aborted fetal cells as “diploid cells.”  Aside from the abortion issue, using fetal cells pose the same risks as using animal cells in the sense that they can be contaminated. You also need to understand that the introduction of human DNA into vaccines has also been correlated with the rise in autism.

Peanut Oil: This one is very interesting to talk about as most people have no idea that peanut oil can be found in vaccines. Most people do not understand the connection between vaccines and peanut allergies. You need to understand how vaccines work. The body treats the vaccine as an invader and tries to combat it. So, it makes sense that whatever is in the vaccine can be labeled by the body as an “intruder.” If the intruder is a food (i.e. egg, soy, peanut, wheat germ), it makes sense that the vaccine can cause food allergies. Food allergies are now an epidemic! And they have increased with increased vaccination. This is a serious issue. We are told not to give our babies cow’s milk, or nuts, or wheat, as it may cause allergies. But no one says anything about how vaccines may cause allergies. As a side note, if you have concerns about GMOs (genetically modified organisms) you need to know that vaccine ingredients include GMOs. For example, soy oil can also be found in vaccines and nearly all non-organic soy is genetically modified.

Antibiotics:  I admit this is one ingredient, in relation to vaccines, that I have not studied as much as others. The risks associated with the other ingredients are enough for me! But in general, what you need to know is that because we have over used antibiotics, we are now seeing drug resistant micro-organisms, or superbugs. When you are given antibiotics, or when you use antibacterial agents for cleaning, you are wiping out the bad bacteria as well as the good bacteria. What survives are the superbugs, and these can quickly overtake the good guys. Also, these superbugs mutate in response to an antibiotic, meaning, eventually they will be resistant to that antibiotic. Antibiotics should only be used when absolutely necessary! Lot’s of bacteria are found in the human gut. When antibiotics are overused, the delicate balance in the gut is disturbed, causing all kinds of health problems. Researchers have found that people with digestive problems, autoimmune disorders, and (especially) people with autism have a “leaky gut” which has been linked to exposure to mercury as well as the overgrowth of harmful bacteria in the intestines.

2-phenoxyethanol: This is a chemical used in vaccines as a preservative. Wikipedia says it is “less toxic” than other chemicals. If you further research this chemical you will find out that it is harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. It may cause reproductive defects. You can find this fact sheet online.

Formaldehyde:  This is a widely used chemical. It’s used as an antibacterial agent, a preservative, and used to produce a wide range of materials for industrial purposes and can be found in furniture, dyes, and plastics. It is also found in many products used every day around the house such as medicines, cosmetics, and fabric softeners. In vaccines, it is used to inactivate viruses and detoxify bacterial toxins. The Environmental Protection Agency and National Toxicity Program have classified it as a carcinogen. Formaldehyde is another substance where there is no debate about how toxic it is; but vaccine proponents say that the amount in vaccines is too small to worry about. Come to think of it, that’s what they say about all of the toxic ingredients…

The Virus/Bacteria: A vaccine contains a small amount of a weak or dead virus or bacteria. For example, the pneumococcal vaccine is a vaccine against Streptococcus Pneumoniae. Therefore, the vaccine contains various strains of this bacteria. Most people think that to be vaccinated is equal to being injected with a small amount of the virus or bacteria so that your body will create antibodies; and in the future if the body is exposed to that same virus or bacteria, the body will use the antibodies to fight it off. However, it is not that simple. We tend to get more than one vaccine at the same time or a bunch within a short time frame. We don’t really know what happens when we inject multiple viruses or bacteria into the body at once. Also, vaccines have not been proven to lead to immunity from the disease. For a very interesting article on the efficacy of vaccines click here. While we are on this topic let me impart a word of wisdom: the human body already possesses the ability to fight off infection naturally… without vaccines. The catch is that we have to take care of our bodies and make sure we are receiving proper nutrition and avoiding toxic substances.  

Other thoughts and considerations:

The vaccine schedule: It has been increased dramatically since the 1980s. In the 1980s children received 10 shots of 3 different vaccines. According to the most up to date info from the CDC, today, by age 6, children in America receive about 28 shots, covering 15 different diseases (not including the flu vaccine). Having worked with children for a long time, I must add that children seem to be getting sicker, not healthier. Allergies have increased. Autism has increased. Other neurological disorders have increased. Behavior disorders have increased. Childhood cancers have increased. I’m not saying that vaccines are the only culprit, but almost every child receives them, and that makes vaccines a major factor to be studied.

But wait… what about Polio? This is what people always say to me when I tell them I do not believe in vaccines. I have come across many studies that show that the majority of the infectious diseases the US was faced with (diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis, measles, influenza, tuberculosis, etc.) were reduced before World War II and before there were vaccines for these diseases. The reasons for the reductions in rates are: better living conditions, clean water, improved sanitation, and improved nutrition! I highly encourage you to look into this matter. Let me also add this disturbing piece of info: many researchers believe that Polio was never eradicated. The name was simply changed. After reading up on this issue, I am also convinced that Polio’s name was changed to aseptic meningitis. Interestingly enough, Polio rates suddenly dropped to near zero around 1960 while aseptic meningitis skyrocketed. Currently, meningitis is considered a symptom of Polio, but the symptoms of meningitis and Polio are similar. I have also read that meningitis is just one of a few new names for Polio.

Research on Vaccines: At the very least, something isn’t right and we need more research; especially when it comes to long-term side effects. This may shock you but there have been no long-term multi-vaccine combination studies. There are no double-blind placebo control studies (this is the gold standard for assessing safety and efficacy- but I do admit a study like this would be difficult, and probably unethical). Studies that compare unvaccinated children with vaccinated do exist, but are not well-known. And based on what I have read (and observed in my own lifetime), in general, unvaccinated kids are healthier. But these studies are never published in “prestigious” medical journals. So basically, you don’t ever hear about these studies.

People think that just because they don’t drop dead immediately after being vaccinated that vaccines are safe. But what if some of the effects are not immediate? What if the potential side effects are serious but not necessarily deadly (i.e. allergies, autism)? This is where another extremely difficult truth comes in: It is a fact that pharmaceutical companies distribute and sell bad products. But we don’t find out about it until 30 years later when nobody cares anymore. I encourage you to research the history of all the drugs that have been recalled or reformulated because of serious side effects. Regarding bad vaccines, look up Swine Flu 1976. Look up the original DTP vaccine. Research the problems with the Polio vaccine (SV40 cancer virus in Polio vaccine; Polio vaccine causing Polio). And most recently, look up all of the deaths associated with Gardasil.

Don’t rely on your doctors. Doctors do not know everything. Remember when doctors promoted smoking? Medical doctors are not trained in nutrition. They are not trained in toxicology. They received very little information on vaccines in medical school. Your doctor has probably never researched the negative side of vaccination. He or she is simply trained to regurgitate whatever the CDC says about vaccines. I respect doctors but this is one issue where they are very misinformed. Again, doctors do not study vaccines! They rely on Big Pharma to dictate what is safe for the human body and Big Pharma mostly cares about profits… not safety.

I remember a person I worked with saying she was weary about vaccinating her children due to the autism-vaccine hype. She then proceeded to say, “But I read a research paper done by the CDC and they concluded that vaccines do not cause autism.” Although I applaud her for taking the time to read one article I must say, it is not that simple. The CDC is paying for people who work in the pharmaceutical industry to report on the safety of the vaccines that they make. Need I say more? Therefore it is important to read reports from both sides of the argument. A good starting point for someone who is overwhelmed with information and has no idea where to start is The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears. He takes a very safe “middle ground” approach, but still, the book is very informative. Then, after you read that, look into the pro vaccine arguments, and then look into the anti-vaccine arguments. It is very important to read research done by people who do not have ties to the vaccine industry.

Natural immunity versus artificial immunity: The very concept of vaccination is completely unnatural. When you vaccinate, you are completely bypassing the body’s natural route of immunity (mouth, respiratory system) and instead you are injecting dangerous substances along with the disease directly into the bloodstream. Simply speaking, the result is that the body’s natural immune processes are overridden. In the long run this actually impairs the body’s natural ability to heal itself. This is why I think multiple vaccines are especially dangerous- they impair the body’s natural defenses. Also, as I stated above, vaccines have not been proven to create immunity to infectious disease. In contrast, if you contract an infection the normal way, you will most likely have life-long immunity from that infection.

In closing, I want to remind you that all of this information is out there. I do not have the time to go into everything that I have ever read on vaccines. However, I am more than happy to post additional links if readers request them.

I would also like to add that, in general, I am into natural approaches to health. I have cured myself of many things doctors could not, just by changing my diet! Proper nutrition and avoiding chemicals is the best way to stay healthy. Medicine, in my opinion, should be used for emergencies. True health is not about avoiding every single bad bug out there. True health is about having a properly functioning immune system so that the body can identify and naturally fight off infection.

Oh, and by the way, even the veterinarian community is realizing the dangers associated with vaccination. We now have an epidemic of animals with autoimmune diseases and cancer. Even fish are vaccinated for crying out loud. The vaccination program has gotten out of hand. People and animals are getting sicker- not healthier. Vaccinations are dangerous. The truth will prevail- it always does. But I hope we don’t have to destroy everything God made, including ourselves before we learn our lesson.

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