Originally Posted By TiggerPooh1973 I have been reading a lot on childhood vaccinations as Jaden's first set are coming up next week at his 2 month appointment. I am concerned about the possible connection between autism and vaccines. I was wondering if anyone here has any thoughts on this, I know we have quite a few parents here. It's not that I do not want him vaccinated, I do think it is important to vaccinate. It's that I am considering delaying vaccination until he is older and his body is better able to handle it. Has anyone used a different schedule to vaccinate then the one that is recommended now? Here are some articles I have read in anyone is interested. Basically I am concerned with the amount (6 at two months) of vaccines that he would be given at one time as well as the additives that are also in the vaccine. <a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller15.html" target="_blank">http://www.lewrockwell.com/mil ler/miller15.html</a> <a href="http://www.westonaprice.org/children/autism.html" target="_blank">http://www.westonaprice.org/ch ildren/autism.html</a> <a href="http://www.know-vaccines.org/autism.html" target="_blank">http://www.know-vaccines.org/a utism.html</a>
Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x <a href="http://www.cureautismnow.org/site/c.bhLOK2PILuF/b.1311643/k.98D1/FAQs_About_Autism.htm" target="_blank">http://www.cureautismnow.org/s ite/c.bhLOK2PILuF/b.1311643/k.98D1/FAQs_About_Autism.htm</a> What causes autism? * At this time, scientists do not know exactly what causes autism. Because no two people with autism are alike, autism is likely to be the result of many causes. * A number of research studies indicate a genetic link as the underlying cause. Researchers are also examining possible neurological, infectious, metabolic, environmental and immunologic factors. Is autism genetic? * There is strong evidence of a genetic component in autism. In identical twins, the chance of a twin developing autism if the other twin is autistic is as high as 60%. The chance of a sibling or a fraternal twin developing autism is 10-20% higher than in the general population. * Cure Autism Now created the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE). AGRE is a DNA bank of more than 647 families who have more than one child with autism. Another link: <a href="http://specialchildren.about.com/od/autismandvaccines/i/vaccines.htm" target="_blank">http://specialchildren.about.c om/od/autismandvaccines/i/vaccines.htm</a> On the scond page, there are links to both sides of the controversy. Since the debate of vaccines cause autism, the culprit vaccines have since been modified so they do not contain live viruses and/or mercury. The best thing you can do is to talk to your pediatrician. See what his view of the debate is. More than likely, since he's a doctor, he'll be for the vaccinations. The bottom line is that 99% of children are vaccinated, but 1 in 150 are diagnosed with autism. Look at the odds. Do the benefits outweigh the risks? FTR, both of my girls have been vaccinated at every stage. The only adverse effect is the low-grade fever. But some children are vaccinated and shortly after, diagnosed with autism. The problem with that statistic is that children are being vaccinated so many times before they are age 5, and are being diagnosed with autism between the ages of a year and 5 years. I see potential for coincidence. It's really up to you to decide. However, if you choose not to vaccinate, be prepared to stand by your decision any time it comes up (putting Jaden in day care, preschool, and kindergarten for instance). Every time you will need proof of vaccination. Your doctor will need to be willing to write you a letter stating why your child hasn't been vaccinated. I hope I didn't bore you with a lot of statistics and mumbo jumbo. It can be confusing but the debate is ambiguous.
Originally Posted By sherrytodd I had my son vaccinated at all the recomended times. I really believe that the increases in cases of autism is not due to vaccinations, but instead due to a better understanding of the condition and the better ability to recognize it to correctly diagnose it. I think that autism has been just as prevelant in society as it is today, it just went undiagnosed. One of my son's best friends has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrom which is a form of autism which up until recently was not even recognized in the medical community. I have discussed this with my sister who is a nurse practitioner. I feel that the risks of not vaccinating outweigh the unconfirmed risk of developing autism.
Originally Posted By Lady Starlight I have a fried whos son was diagnosed with Autism and they belived it was due to vaccines.. long story short,my friend and his wife found people to help and it was indeed the vaccines that caused them due to Mercury. They put a salve on him to draw out the toxins and it has slowy helped. There is a huge differance between when thier son was diagnosed up to today. Vaccines in thier case was the culprit.
Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x And due to the increased knowledge of the effects of mercury, the vaccines no longer have mercury in them.
Originally Posted By DlandJB Talk to your pediatrician. There was a report out just this week suggesting a possible link between autism and environmental pesticides. I am not convinced though that vacines are necessarily the culprit. My kids were vaccinated and I believe it is the greater good to do so.
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains Mercury was what they considered the problem with vaccines in the past. They aren't suppose to use the vaccines with mercury any longer - I think I read recently they stopped producing mercury in the vaccines around 1999. My nephew is highly functional and only has slight case of Autism he was born in 1997. I would check where and when the vaccines were made and go with your gut feeling on it. The dr should be able to tell you if you are exposing your son to Mercury or not.
Originally Posted By Lady Starlight I Agree with having your children vaccinated..its more risky not to have them vaccinated. Both my children are vaccinated and neither one of them have had any problems.. I agree with the Mercury and Pesticides theory as well. There are sooo many chemicals we use in all things today that we are just now seeing signs of trouble from.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy Just one thought on this topic -- vaccinations provide more benefit to society as a whole than to any single person. You might consider delaying a vaccinations for a number of reasons, but what if your child has the bad fortune of contracting an illness that would have been covered by the vaccine -- and the bad fortune multiplies itself by having the illness mutate into a new form that resists current medication or vaccinations? The harm to society under those circumstances is far greater than the risks posed to your child. We vaccinate children to prevent the spread and proliferation of diseases -- every person who is not vaccinated becomes a potential breeding ground to new diseases and transmission paths. Viruses are living things, they will adapt to their environment and mutate into a form that will survive. Through vaccinations, we provide a mechnism to stunt the growth of viruses early enough that these mutations do not occur frequently enough to pose a risk to the health of our society.
Originally Posted By MomofPrincess Everyone has good points. I know that my mother (born in 1921), who had me very late in life, said that a lot of people today don't understand what a lifesaver vaccinations are. (We take them for granted, in other words.) She had many of her classmates die as a result of vaccinations not yet being available back in the 1920's and '30's. I think the benefits far outweigh the risks.
Originally Posted By nevadarebel I had my oldest 2 kids vaccinated on the schedule with no problems but then when my youngest was born, he had some health issues that delayed him getting his shots and as a result of it, it actually caused him to contract things that he would not have if he had been able to get the shots which resulted in him being more sick than if he would have if he was able to get the vaccinces. Like people said before, the awareness is higher now so that peditricians are more in tune with seeing the symptoms early on. There are debates on both sides so I would suggest talking to your dr. at the appointment. You can always make another one if you choose to wait on the shots. Also, most places have an autism outreach program that you could call and get information or search the net for things. My daughter is a mentor for a 9 year old with autism and the program she is associated with is FEAT. Autism Solutions is another outreach program and they both had a lot of great information.
Originally Posted By LVBelle Wow, it's nice to hear pro-vaccination people on this board! It seems like my parenting board is filled with parents who don't and who feel the need to proudly announce that they don't....but that's a whole other story... We have done all of Jake's shots on time and he really has not had a problem with them. Many of them are now combined so the little ones don't have to get poked quite so many times!
Originally Posted By Lil Mermaid I'm pro but i've seen the worse case senario recently. My friend works at a daycare center and one of the kids recently got measles and then his Dad got measles. Kids with measles is bad, but his dad is in his late 40's and apparently it was life threatening....
Originally Posted By LuLu It's nearly impossible to get good advice on this issue. Of course if you ask a host of parents, most won't have any problems, as only a small percentage of kids will have a reaction to vaccines. Is mercury the only harmful substance in vaccines tho? Sadly, no. Aluminum hydroxide, MSG and phenoxyethanol (used to make antifreeze) are also in vaccines. As I posted in another thread, childhood diseases had been nearly eradicated when vaccines came on the scene. The drug companies love you to think the vaccines caused the decline, but they were NOT responsible. It's a tough decision, but I'm anti-vaccine myself. There's really no evidence that they provide more good than harm. TP, I wish you a lot of luck with this tough decision.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << As I posted in another thread, childhood diseases had been nearly eradicated when vaccines came on the scene. The drug companies love you to think the vaccines caused the decline, but they were NOT responsible. It's a tough decision, but I'm anti-vaccine myself. There's really no evidence that they provide more good than harm. >> This is a perfect example of someone not understanding the purpose of vaccines. It's not about YOU getting a disease -- it's about spreading diseases to the rest of society or harboring diseases as they mutate into new strains. We don't vaccinate people because we are particularly concerned about an individual coming down with a dreaded illness, but because we are concerned about how that illness can impact society as a whole. We also don't immunize against diseases that are largely known to be eradicated -- e.g. smallpox. Immunizations are typically recommended for those diseases that are known to have active strains in the region of the world where you live or travel. If immunizations were all about the drug companies maximizing revenue, we'd see a push to immunize everyone for everything -- which isn't how it works now.
Originally Posted By Lil Mermaid Man...all this stuff I've never thought of...good things we are not planning on kids for quite sometime. I am so wrapped up right now, when I saw the topic header I thought it was about Dog Vaccinations... ...the other night Drew and I were exhausted after chasing this dog all night...we both looked at each other and just said "We are NOT ready for kids..."
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP I have a good friend who has a daughter with fairly severe autism. (Her 7yr old daughter can walk, but can not communicate in any meaningful way with anyone who doesn't know her REALLY well. No language skills.) I asked her about the autism/vacination thing. My friend says that although it wasn't diagnosed till her daughter was 3 or so looking back there were lots of signs that she was developing differently than her siblings. In her mind it was clear that it was a pre-existing issue. She always encourages all the mothers in our group to get their vaccinations.
Originally Posted By DlandJB I don't know about other states/territories, but in Virginia you could not enroll your kids in school without proof of immunization.
Originally Posted By TiggerPooh1973 Like I said originally, it's not that I am thinking of NOT having him vaccinated. I am just wondering if maybe it is safer to wait until he is a little older before bombarding his immature immune system with all of these vaccines. It's a tough issue with a lot of good points on either side I believe. I think the evidence that there is a link between mercury and autism is a strong one, from what I have read. And like LuLu said, there are other potentially harmful things in the vaccines other than just the mercury. Also the amount of vaccines that kids are given before the age of two has increased significantly over the past 15 years. Maybe giving so many combined vaccines at once is a bad idea? I still haven't made up my mind on possibly using an alternate schedule for vaccinating. We are lucky, our pediatrician is my husband's brother. So I trust his opinion......but he is a doctor and I do think that them being taught that vaccines are safe plays a part in their opinion. Doctors IMO are going to stand by the "vaccines are perfectly safe" line of thought and want to stick with the reccomended schedule. We'll see what he says though.
