I have received several emails inquiring as to what our family has decided in regards to vaccines. As we prayerfully evaluated which route would be the best for our family, we found the following resources to be extremely helpful. I do not desire to raise a debate, nor am I any sort of doctor, but rather my desire is to share some interesting resources. It is important for each of us to make an informed decision!
The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child by Dr. Sears is a very informative and balanced approach on all the different types of vaccines. The Vaccine Book is divided into 19 chapters. The first 12 chapters are each devoted to a different vaccine. Within each vaccine chapter, Dr. Sears discusses:
- What the disease is
- When the vaccine is given
- How the vaccine is made
- What ingredients are in the vaccine
- What are the side effects of the vaccine
- Should you give your baby the vaccine (including both reasons for and against, as well as travel considerations)
- The way Dr. Sears sees it
According to Dr. Sears, the main concern currently is the addition of aluminum to certain vaccines. Mercury was removed since 2002 with the exception of the flu shot and trace amounts in a few vaccines, but aluminum and other chemicals (including formaldehyde) remain…
“With aluminum, just as with mercury, if you give a baby too much all at once, it’s toxic to the brain, and we know that’s a fact. The worry is that no one has ever determined what a safe level of aluminum is for human infants. A lot of research shows 99 percent of the aluminum you swallow passes right out of your body through the digestive system. But when it’s injected, it goes straight into the body.
Now that six out of the 12 vaccines we use for babies have aluminum and we give as many as four of those all in same day, we need to stop and study how much actually is safe for babies. Until we know that, parents can vaccinate with my schedule, which only allows one aluminum-containing vaccine at each visit instead of getting all four at once. ” (Dr. Sears’ schedule is found in the back of his book)
Strongly encourage you to check this resource out! I am currently working my way through it and it has provided a valuable introduction to vaccinations while helping us make an informed decision in regards to each one.
My husband and I have decided we would like to take our time in introducing vaccinations and then on a selective vaccination schedule. We consider them important before taking any overseas mission trips in the future with our children. We have not vaccinated Karis at all as of yet, and feel more at peace with this current status especially after reading Dr. Sears share how breastfeeding your children and avoiding day cares/nurseries is the safest way to avoid these diseases:
“If your baby is breastfeeding, his chance of catching any of these illnesses is greatly reduced. [He encourages breastfeeding for the first two years, if possible, for this reason.] Breast milk has antibodies that coat the lining of the nose, lungs, and intestines, so most germs that get inhaled or swallowed are killed…Placing a young baby in a group day-care setting significantly increases a baby’s risk of encountering diseases…An unvaccinated baby in day care is very likely to catch at least one of these infections during his first few years.” (page 20)
Check out Dr. Sears’ website/blog for the most current information. He also includes a helpful list of doctors/pediatricians who are more tolerant to adjusting the vaccination schedule.
The Link Between Autism & Vaccinations – an informative video that really revealed the current information on vaccinations and their possible connections with autism. (HT to Katie for the link!)
Definitely some things to ponder…
What resources have you found helpful in your decision making process in regards to vaccinations?
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A GREAT book is The Sanctity of Human Blood by Tim O’Shea.
Very informative.
I haven’t read through all of the comments, but I’m curious to know how others feel about vaccines that use human diploid cells. I did not know anything about this until recently and I’m wondering why more Christian organizations are not speaking up about this. I understand that they are not aborting more babies for the sake of these vaccines, but the fact remains that several of the major vaccines are cultured off of these fetal cells. Some have stated that it’s just God making good out of evil, but that just doesn’t sit right with me. Child sacrifice is child sacrifice no matter how you look at it. Am I just not seeing this clearly…is this an issue that anyone else has faced?
I’m expecting my fourth child and would like to do things differently this time around. I want to honor God with my decisions and not make decisions based on the fears that our culture tries to perpetuate.
Hi Andrea, I have found the website cogforlife.org to be very helpful about this very issue. They have a lengthy article about the ethical issues that helped me to solidify my personal convictions. Also, there is a great chart of ethically acceptable vaccine alternatives.
Learning about the fact that aborted fetus cells were/are cultured and continuously used in so many vaccines is one of the major reasons that I have not let any of my kids have vaccines since 2004. Also, I feel there are too many other unknowns about the other substances in vaccines. My last 2 children have received no vaccines. My first 2 recieved some before 2004. I noticed my unvaccinated children are calmer, more attentive, and are less likely to get sick. Yes, I do realize that could be influenced by a number of factors, but I strongly suspect vaccines are part of the reason. I feel the best defense is a healthy diet to build a strong immune system. As Elise mentioned, cogforlife.org is a very helpful site.
This was new to me until a couple months ago…Time to research some more.
I heard somewhere…should check my sources, that Dr. Sears did not vaccinate his children.
He made it very clear on his website http://www.askdrsears.com that he is in favor of the traditional vaccine schedule but very supportive of parents who want to explore their alternatives and make their own decisions.
Hi,
I have a daughter who is 19 months old, she hasn’t received any vaccinations yet. We want to travel at some point within the next year or 2 to some different countries for missions, does anyone have any suggestions about the best immunizations to give her and a good schedule of when to give what?
Also, does any one know of a good natural way to keep away mosquitoes…and prevent malaria?
Thanks
I would consider focusing on the immunizations that will be required by law for you and your daughter to travel (country specific). I have also heard from a friend and a doctor that you can get the pure vaccine with no additives or preservatives. You’d have to do some research, but I thought one could get it straight from the pharmaceutical company.
Hi Lindsay. I am not immunizing Guy at all; unless there is an outbreak of a specific disease at least. I couldn’t find sufficient cause; my conscience won’t let me do it.
I read The Vaccine Book and appreciated his approach. I also read How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor (http://www.amazon.com/Raise-Healthy-Child-Spite-Doctor/dp/0345342763/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242439298&sr=8-14) by Dr Mendelsohn
It’s a little outdated (the copy from my library was at least) but it was quite eye opening as far as immunizations. I’ve also heard (have yet to do hard research on) that they are adding human diploid cells from aborted human fetal tissue in some vaccines as animal by products. ( http://www.informedchoice.info/cocktail.html )
Good topic to bring up!