Vaccines....Friend or Foe? Part 2

As christian parents we question many things that the world does morally, we not only question but we go against the majority and do what is best for our kids. We should also be asking questions about everyday life stuff. Remember that Vaccinations are a billion dollar industry and so they will be pushed and pushed and more will be created, so we must ask questions and understand each one.

Most of what I have written is just my own thoughts, I don't feel like I could accurately compile a lot of research because so much of it is a bunch of different opinions, but I can recommend some resources I have found helpful. The best book on vaccines as a whole that I have found is called "The Vaccine Book" by Dr. Sears. This book is very thorough and covers each vaccine preventable illness, its cause, whether or not its curable, the ingredients in the vaccine, the side effect profile, and his opinion on how important it is for your child. Dr. Sears is definitely pro vaccine, but he does give an alternate schedule for parents who want to limit some of the shots or spread them out a little. You can also check out his website askdrsears.com.

I also read a very thought provoking article as well by another doctor who makes the case for waiting to vaccinate until age two. Even if you disagree with waiting that long, the information is still very helpful.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller15.html

If you are interested to know the vaccines that I choose for my kids and why here is the list:

1) HIB- This vaccine has been around for a long time, and although it is not very prevalent in the states anymore, if your child were to catch it, it can be serious. There is also a very low side effect profile on this vaccine so it is not very probable of any short or long term effects.

2) Polio- Although this disease is basically eradicated from our country getting your child vaccinated can assure it stays gone. This vaccine has also been around for a long time and so we can see there has not been a consistent problem with it.

3) DTaP- This vaccine is a combination of Tetanus, Pertussis, and Diphtheria. This vaccine answers yes to both my questions so I choose to get it.

4) Hepatitis A- This is one I am still deciding on and will probably get when my kids are older.

5) MMR- This one I would like to see separated into 3 separate shots again as an option. Each part of this vaccine is made of the live virus, so I am not really a fan of giving three live virus vaccines at once. It used to be that you could get them separated but they stopped making them that way and I hope they will do it again.

All the other vaccines I don't do because either they are to new for me to feel comfortable with, or the disease is easily treated at home so I don't see the purpose.

The only other one to mention is Hepatitis B. I feel as if this vaccine is used to prevent something that is usually caused by promiscuity, or using needles for drugs. There are some people who need it, for instance if you are in the medical profession or if you go overseas where there is a chance you could have to be treated at a hospital with less than high standards in cleanliness. In most other cases I feel like we are just vaccinating sin. I also worry about this vaccine being given to most infants at birth and the reasons behind this. When reading why we started administering this at birth I found that the argument for the people who were pushing it was that adults who were promiscuous or homosexuals would most likely not get this when they were older so we might as well vaccinate all babies to protect them from sexual disease. Never mind that they are bringing the disease on themselves by living lives contrary to the Bible and engaging in a sinful lifestyle. So, most of the time I think it is pointless to give a vaccine which was not even tested for infants, to all babies at birth when the majority of people who it helps are those who are bringing it on themselves. This may seem harsh, but if there are no consequences for our sins how will we learn?

I think I have rambled long enough on this topic, I could probably go on and on but I will spare you.

Please know this is all just my OPINION and I am by no means an expert in any way. I just thought it would be good to write it all down and just present my ideas and findings. I am not in any way saying that if you don't vaccinate this way you are wrong or a bad parent, this is just simply one way of doing it!