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How Safe is Vaccination? The stakes are high — your child’s health and the health of all the world’s children. From many groups, we increasingly hear some unsettling, even frightening assertions: Vaccines contain toxic compounds like mercury (recently removed in most, though trace amounts still remain), phenol, acetone, alum, and formaldehyde. They damage the delicate immune system of the newborn, leading to a host of problems like autism and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The rationale behind their use is based on inconclusive science and questionable epidemiology. The push for more vaccinations is excessively driven by commercial interests in the medical field and concern with minimizing sick leave for parents rather than holding children’s long term health in the highest regard. Some suggest that vaccinations should be considered individually, rather than adopting a blanket stance. Others, such as Richard Moskowitz, M.D., having devoted years of their lives to studying this issue, have deep reservations toward this technology in general. On the other side, groups such as the American Pediatrics Association and the Centers for Disease Control adamantly maintain that if you do not vaccinate your child, he or she will be at risk for dangerous, even life-threatening, disease. They further assert that even if an unvaccinated child does not contract pertussis, polio, or measles, it will be because most people in the United States are immunized. In other words, they assert that the "herd immunity effect" makes it possible for some individuals to skip the vaccination process, taking advantage of the social conscience and personal sacrifices of other families. And there are many middle views: for example, choosing to selectively vaccinate your child or waiting until your infant is at least six months old to begin. Some of the more controversial vaccinations are:
Immunization is a process of conferring immunity. Public health authorities, by using this term, imply that injecting antigens and other material (a vaccine) via a hypodermic needle directly into the deepest layer of the body’ s immune system — the blood stream — accomplishes this goal. However, the scientific literature does not unmistakably bear out this assumption, and an injection of antigens via a hypodermic needle is more accurately termed vaccination. The degree of immunity one obtains from a vaccine is a controversial topic clouded by conflicting data and different theories regarding the need for repeated booster shots. On the other hand, acquiring diseases naturally in childhood almost always confers lifelong immunity, which in the case of females, is then available for the next generation of infants via the maternal antibodies in breast milk. There is great concern by some that by attempting to circumvent the normal process of gaining immunity naturally through childhood illness, over time we are weakening the genetic viability of our immune system as a species. It is both possible and appropriate to take charge of this decision and conduct your own investigation into the pros and cons of vaccination. As the average person attempts to unpack these diverse claims in an understandable way, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by medical terminology and a sea of statistics whipped up in a typhoon of competing claims. This article can only present the briefest of summaries on such a complex topic. For parents and others wishing to take full responsibility for this decision, I refer you to the accompanying list of resources. In addition to making your own investigation, I do suggest that you discuss this issue with your primary health care provider. As a lay person, it may be difficult to find a pediatrician who has actually examined the research in depth. Given the time constraints of health care in the era of managed care, it is quite possible they have just accepted the general recommendations. If you make a decision that your pediatrician or nurse practitioner seems reluctant to support, you may be better off finding another practitioner who can support you. During an emergency, you and your child will need it. If you choose not to vaccinate, you will be acting in a manner that is inconsistent with general societal standards. You need to be firm in your convictions and prepared to explain them to others, demonstrating the knowledge and thoughtfulness that motivated your decision. Be knowledgeable of the risks of various childhood diseases and options for treatment (e.g. acupuncture and homeopathy). If you choose to vaccinate, learn how best to prepare your child, how to detect adverse reactions and what to do when they occur. Ask to see the vial containing the vaccine to insure there is no obvious mistake before the shot is given. Record the batch number and manufacturer of each vaccine, and be ready to contact the national Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (see sidebar). The following contraindications to vaccination are often mentioned: a history of convulsions, twitching, insomnia, teething, family history of epilepsy, weak immune system with recurrent coughs and colds, child has already had the disease, hyperactivity. If an allergy to egg is present, one should check whether the particular vaccine is made from egg protein. Assuming that a busy medical doctor will rule these out could prove to be a fatal oversight. I was too young to ever see an iron lung — an artificial breathing machine that assisted individuals paralyzed by polio. Smallpox has been eliminated from the world. Though some dispute even these "victories" of modern medicine, most agree that scientific knowledge has undeniably made great leaps forward, helping greatly to alleviate suffering on the planet. However, it is not a system of knowledge free from error, and biases in research are an ever-present concern. Vaccines are a seven billion dollar a year industry. Too often, it seems, the corporate money behind today’s research at best leads to a loss of objectivity. At worst, it perpetuates suffering by manufacturing misinformation and relegates viable alternatives to the fringe. Furthermore, scientific research has never been able to accurately account for a very elusive variable, the human mind. Leaving aside this major shortcoming, do epidemiological statistics account for variances such as genetics, nutrition, environmental toxins, or other lifestyle factors? Such statistics are mainly gathered through voluntary case reporting of physicians, which are widely thought to grossly under-represent the actual incidence of adverse responses to vaccination, besides giving little information on individual differences. Children and people are viewed as the same from a western "disease" point of view, and, so the standard reasoning goes, the drugs created to fight bacteria and viruses should also be uniform. But do scientific discoveries and advances in medicine remain consistent over time? Our unexamined cultural tendency is to see phenomena as existing in a solid, objective, and permanent manner. Chinese medicine does not deny the existence of viruses, but places health in a much wider context which includes variables such as genetics, lifestyle, nutrition, environmental influences, emotions, etc. Why do some children get sick even when they have been immunized for a particular disease? And why are other children perfectly healthy without immunizations? These variances do not fit with our western reductionist tendencies, which tend to place people and diseases into neat little categories instead of grappling with their infinite diversity. Science depends upon controls — hence the importance of controlled studies with double-blind design to minimize the potential biases of participants and researchers. Such rigorous research is both expensive and faces difficult challenges in revealing the complex and constantly changing dynamics of living organisms. Within these limitations, good studies are possible. The problem is that so far government and industry have not shown much resolve in funding them. Diseases happen, and in childhood the toll they take can seem tragic. Common sense tells me that we need to protect newborns — vaccinated or not. Minimizing exposure of your infant to possible diseases is important — for example: on public transportation, and in other public spaces, during outbreaks, and in crowded hospital waiting rooms. Is Pasteur’s germ theory valid? As an acupuncturist without extensive training in infectious disease and virology, I cannot answer this question. Eastern medicine utilizes a different paradigm and has worked well for thousands of years for a vast sector of humanity. Good medicine today uses all knowledge traditions as appropriate for the predisposition of the individual, respecting the unique contexts and historical frameworks of the medicine and the cultural predispositions of individuals. We are fortunate to live in a country that recognizes and upholds the value of such diversity and openness in today’s health care. Do vaccinations do what they are purported to do — confer immunity? People in the pro-vaccination camp, namely public health officials and medical doctors, answer almost unanimously, yes, though there does seem to be growing dissent. Some doctors suspect that the net effect of vaccination may be an immunized population protected from acute and virulent infection, but prone to chronic low level infection. In short, the immune system may be compromised in the long term. The growth in a long list of health disorders which have exploded mainly since the mass vaccination era — autism, AIDS, ADD (attention deficit disorder), diabetes, fibromyalgia, and Gulf War Syndrome, to name a few — highlights this concern. This question simply has not been answered with any degree of certainty, and it seems likely that many factors may be involved — for example, environmental toxins in air, soil, water, and food, and increasing levels of mental stress in modern life. Jordan Van Voast is a licensed acupuncturist practicing on Capitol Hill in Seattle. He has training in the Acutonics system of sound healing and can be reached at (206) 322-9363 or via his website: <www.mandalaacupuncture.com>. "Vaccination, the Issue of our Times" by P. O’Mara, ed. (Mothering Magazine, 1997) Natural Medicine for Children by Dr. Julian Scott (William Morrow & Co) Websites: Integrity in Science: Mothering Magazine: National Vaccine Information Center: Seattle King County Public Health Department: Vaccine Information Awareness: Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System: Washington State Department of Health: Worldwide listing for acupuncturists with
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