The road to parenthood is paved with misinformation, especially when it comes to vaccinating our kids.
When I was growing up pretty much everyone was vaccinated without question, probably because our parents lived in an era when diseases like polio and whooping cough regularly killed and maimed their peers. They vaccinated their families because they understood the consequences of getting sick: friends and family kept alive on iron lungs or returning to school with their legs in braces, or never returning to school at all.
Yet many of my peers are now questioning whether or not to vaccinate, and the 'facts' supporting their choice as well as the 'facts' released by our government and health care professionals are equally as confusing.
On one hand, we know that vaccines have been effective in completely eradicating diseases like smallpox, and significantly lowering incidences of illnesses like diphtheria and polio.
This is a good thing.
On the other hand, diseases like whooping cough are making a resurgence despite aggressive vaccination campaigns. Vaccinations also contain some unusual ingredients that don't sound particularly immune-boosting:
http://www.generationrescue.org/resources/vaccination/vaccine-ingredients-and-side-effects/
Aluminium? Fetal Bovine Serum? Formaldehyde? You seriously want me to inject this shit into my 2 month old baby?!
This is not good!
The FDA and CDC of course have an answer to everything:
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/ucm187810.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/about/faqs.html
Fetal Bovine Serum, for example, is used because in the manufacture of viral vaccines, the virus must be grown in cells. These cells need a source of nutrition, which in some instances is little baby cow.
I guess it's no worse than eating a steak... for those who eat steak.
(I don't)
And to confuse the issue further, we now have the INTERNET with all its opinion blogs and pseudo-science hippy health propaganda. Take the link between vaccinations and autism for example. There are literally shit-tons of websites warning parents that vaccinating their kids increases the onset of autism. Some celebreties have even gone public claiming they will not vaccinate their kids precisely because of this perceived risk.
Gee thanks internet! How are people supposed to know what will protect their kids and what will harm them if you keep masturbating your lies all over our computers?
When I was growing up pretty much everyone was vaccinated without question, probably because our parents lived in an era when diseases like polio and whooping cough regularly killed and maimed their peers. They vaccinated their families because they understood the consequences of getting sick: friends and family kept alive on iron lungs or returning to school with their legs in braces, or never returning to school at all.
Yet many of my peers are now questioning whether or not to vaccinate, and the 'facts' supporting their choice as well as the 'facts' released by our government and health care professionals are equally as confusing.
On one hand, we know that vaccines have been effective in completely eradicating diseases like smallpox, and significantly lowering incidences of illnesses like diphtheria and polio.
This is a good thing.
On the other hand, diseases like whooping cough are making a resurgence despite aggressive vaccination campaigns. Vaccinations also contain some unusual ingredients that don't sound particularly immune-boosting:
http://www.generationrescue.org/resources/vaccination/vaccine-ingredients-and-side-effects/
Aluminium? Fetal Bovine Serum? Formaldehyde? You seriously want me to inject this shit into my 2 month old baby?!
This is not good!
The FDA and CDC of course have an answer to everything:
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/ucm187810.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/about/faqs.html
Fetal Bovine Serum, for example, is used because in the manufacture of viral vaccines, the virus must be grown in cells. These cells need a source of nutrition, which in some instances is little baby cow.
I guess it's no worse than eating a steak... for those who eat steak.
(I don't)
And to confuse the issue further, we now have the INTERNET with all its opinion blogs and pseudo-science hippy health propaganda. Take the link between vaccinations and autism for example. There are literally shit-tons of websites warning parents that vaccinating their kids increases the onset of autism. Some celebreties have even gone public claiming they will not vaccinate their kids precisely because of this perceived risk.
Gee thanks internet! How are people supposed to know what will protect their kids and what will harm them if you keep masturbating your lies all over our computers?
The link between autism and vaccinations is bullshit and this quack doctor who made the claim lost his license to practice because he was a meathead.
The bottom line is that if you want to believe that the pharmas are paying off the government to mass vaccinate the population not to control nasty diseases but to make money, and that vaccines pose a risk to our children, you could very well be right. In fact, I think you probably are.
BUT, and this is a big but-- many vaccines work most of the time.
I don't know this because I'm a doctor, or because I've scoured the library for statistics. I know this because I've talked to my older peers and relatives about the diseases their generation suffered, and I've talked to good friends who have worked oversees and seen first hand how vaccination programs have helped to ease a tremendous amount of unnecessary suffering in developing countries.
More to the point, who do you know who's ever had Whooping Cough? Polio? Rubella? How about autism for that matter?!
EXACTLY.
There's naturally going to be a risk when we start messing with nature, but the chances of vaccines harming kids are negligible compared to the harm these diseases will cause if enough people stop vaccinating.
For example, if I don’t eat a corn chip at my local taqueria because I have doubts about the lack of research on GMOs, I’m not going to put my dining companions at risk by passing on the nachos. But if I decide not to vaccinate my kid, I make him a potential carrier. He may be able to fight off measles, mumps, rubella, and other illnesses — but what if he spreads a disease to somebody who, for whatever reason, isn’t so lucky?
I took Jonah in last week and he got his full round of 2 month jabs. It was the least fun thing I've ever done, and the poor little dude wasn't himself for 3-4 days but he's fine now and so am I.
I respect that parents have the right to do what they please when in comes to their kids, but for the sake of my child, please take the smaller risk and vaccinate yours.
And if you're thinking of not doing it, watch this video and then tell me you still think it's a bad idea:
Huzzah!
The bottom line is that if you want to believe that the pharmas are paying off the government to mass vaccinate the population not to control nasty diseases but to make money, and that vaccines pose a risk to our children, you could very well be right. In fact, I think you probably are.
BUT, and this is a big but-- many vaccines work most of the time.
I don't know this because I'm a doctor, or because I've scoured the library for statistics. I know this because I've talked to my older peers and relatives about the diseases their generation suffered, and I've talked to good friends who have worked oversees and seen first hand how vaccination programs have helped to ease a tremendous amount of unnecessary suffering in developing countries.
More to the point, who do you know who's ever had Whooping Cough? Polio? Rubella? How about autism for that matter?!
EXACTLY.
There's naturally going to be a risk when we start messing with nature, but the chances of vaccines harming kids are negligible compared to the harm these diseases will cause if enough people stop vaccinating.
For example, if I don’t eat a corn chip at my local taqueria because I have doubts about the lack of research on GMOs, I’m not going to put my dining companions at risk by passing on the nachos. But if I decide not to vaccinate my kid, I make him a potential carrier. He may be able to fight off measles, mumps, rubella, and other illnesses — but what if he spreads a disease to somebody who, for whatever reason, isn’t so lucky?
I took Jonah in last week and he got his full round of 2 month jabs. It was the least fun thing I've ever done, and the poor little dude wasn't himself for 3-4 days but he's fine now and so am I.
I respect that parents have the right to do what they please when in comes to their kids, but for the sake of my child, please take the smaller risk and vaccinate yours.
And if you're thinking of not doing it, watch this video and then tell me you still think it's a bad idea:
Huzzah!
I applaud your use of 'meathead'.
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