Vaccination Update

I received a huge shock yesterday. Without going into too much detail, I just want my fellow momma bloggers to be more diligent and think about the vaccinations they are giving their child.

First of all, I am pro vaccines. My children get most of them, but not all. My personal philosophy is that if it will simply inconvenience me such as Rotovirus or flu, I skip it. However, Polio, Tetnus, others, ... I get them. I just do it with consultation from my pediatrician. (She does believe I'm crazy and would rather just give my kids all of them and all at once. But, we have a good respectful relationship together and we have a nice compromise.) I only give my kids two at a time and no less than a month apart. My pedi gets to choose the order I receive them. I do pay more co-pays. I do risk common infection and the inconvenience of multiple visits. However, yesterday I am affirmed in my decision.

I am currently working with a mom who has had a very bad experience with a recent vaccine. Her son does have other issues, so I'm not saying anyone reading the blog is at risk. My view is that Autism and other diagnosis are caused by a "perfect storm". If you do not have a genetic predisposition, you are not at risk. If, however, you do, it is important to consider this viewpoint. A perfect storm is when a child has a genetic issue and then the body encounters an environmental assult. Much like peanut butter is fine for most, but deadly for a few. It was once thought that the mercury containing perservative called Thimerisol was responsible for this assult in many kids. So, it was brought under attention in 1999, found inconclusive and yet pretty much banned in the US around 2003. This mom was researching her records and found that a pediatric practice in Cedar Park that hasn't been open more than ten years... GAVE HER SON A VACCINE MANUFACTURED OVER 13 YEARS AGO. Yup, it had Thimerisol. Our guess is that it came from a discount manufacturer. It couldn't have been on their shelves that long.

Now, hear me. Thimerisol was cleared by the FDA testing, etc. However, it is still receiving a lot of speculations, etc. I won't begin a debate on this on my blog. But I will give you my personal opinion as a professional with vast experience with Autism that I would avoid it at all costs. I was literally SHOCKED that it was being administerd in my back yard. Especially since one of the major arguments against it's harm is that Autism continues to rise even though the Thimerisol was removed so long ago.

So, Mommas, do what you want with this post. However, I want to strongly encourage you to do your own research before you give your kids more than a couple vaccines at a time. I also encourage you to throw off the fear of the white coat and question what types of vaccines your child is getting. You should have every right to know when and where it was made. And please, pray for little "guy". He's really having a hard time right now.