I'm not a granola eating, Birkenstock wearing, commune living hippie.....

So. As per my title, I promise you I am NOT a granola eating, Birkenstock wearing, commune living hippie. However, there is nothing wrong with granola (except for those of us on WW), Birkenstocks are OK, and I am sorry, but commune living is weird. I heart hippies though-my bestie is one! (Love you LG! :D)



I have been wanting to blog about this for awhile. I've been putting it off because there is SOOO much I want to share, and it's a controversial topic among mommies. Some of you've probably already figured out what I want to discuss.

VACCINATIONS.

I know! Ugh-so much hype-give me a break, etc, etc, etc. But, I want to share and maybe learn some new things too. One of my SAHM friends (Mindy) turned me on to the subject and a fab book. The Vaccine Book by Dr. Bob Sears. I borrowed her copy, and over the course of 3 days with an infant, read the entire thing. I couldn't put it down. A book about VACCINATIONS. I know, right?

Now, before I "begin," let me tell you, I knew a little about mercury (thimerasal) in vaccinations, possibly causing neurological defects such as autism. That was it. And I was sure enough about to jack my kid up with every shot needed so she didn't get sick and have health issues. Now, I have a slightly different viewpoint-one I would like to share, and hopefully get feedback from you readers.

The Vaccine Book breaks down the 12 vaccinations that infants/children receive. Each chapter breaks it down by:
-what is the disease
- is it common
-is it serious
-is it treatable
-how is the vaccine made
-ingredients in the vaccine
-controversial ingredients
-side effects
-reasons for and reasons against
-what the author thinks

Now, the things I was most curious about were the things in red above. How were the shots being made, and what was going into them. Can I just say, ewww! I think I may throw up a little in my mouth every time I receive a shot from now on! And, as my daughter's advocate in health care, I DAMN SURE will make certain that she is only receiving the MOST NECESSARY and SAFEST vaccinations that I can get for her.

Let me give you an excerpt regarding how the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccination is made and what is in it. "I could not determine where the measles and mumps viruses originally came from, but they probably came from infected individuals many decades ago. The rubella virus was originally taken from an infected aborted fetus in the 1960s. The measles and mumps are nourished for years in a culture of chicken embryo cells. The rubella virus is nourished in a culture of human lung cells." Insert me-!!! WTF!!! It goes on to describe scientific processes of viral growth, including the use of cow fetus serum. The viruses are ALIVE but weakened, so they won't (usually) cause an infection when injected. How reassuring.

Now, as for ingredients:
-The three viruses
-Saline solution, sugar, gelatin
-Human albumin (blood proteins)
-Residual cow fetus serum
-Neomycin (an antibiotic)
-Traces of chick embryo proteins
-"Other buffer and media ingredients" details are not listed in the product insert

The controversial ingredients are the human albumin, cow fetus serum, and chick embryo proteins. I agree-that is NASTY!
However, many of the vaccinations have things like this in them. And they are "safer" and "more necessary." It's just the old saying, "What you didn't know....."

So, another thing I learned about was the addition of aluminum to vaccinations to make them work better. Aluminum is normally harmless-it's in food, water, air, and soil. But, when ingested in large quantities, such as some vaccinations, it can be toxic. Now, this brings me to my next point. The shot schedule is ridic! Five shots at 2, 4, and 6 months old, and most of them are LOADED with aluminum. What can end up happening is aluminum toxicity in infants, due to the high amounts of aluminum in shots. There are many MAJOR medical issues that can occur when aluminum reaches toxic levels.

At 2 months of age, infants are supposed to receive: HIB, Pc, DTaP, Rotavirus, and polio vaccinations. If you gave your child all of these shots at once (!), they could receive up to 925 micrograms of aluminum at one time. Theoretically, [for a tiny newborn, this toxic dose would be close to 10 to 20 micrograms,and for an adult ti would be about 350 micrograms.] This is referring to accumulated aluminum. So it's not like if you give them all the shots, it's insta-death. Can you imagine though? Gah, that is a lot of just ONE chemical in your baby!

So, enough soapbox. My plan is to set up an alternate vaccination schedule, with the help of this book. Also, I am going to opt out of several injections, namely polio, MMR, and at this time, the flu shot (that is one NASTY shot!). I don't feel that it's necessary at this time for my child to get polio, MMR, and flu shots. Polio is practically eradicated from our country, and isn't a danger unless you are traveling outside of the US. MMR is a very mild disease, and poses more of a danger to pregnant women. Also, this is one of the most controversial vaccinations-supposedly causing neurological defects in some children. When Emma goes to school, she can have the vaccinations that I chose to delay. I do not feel that it's necessary for any child under the age of 1 year to be filled with all of these chemicals. With that said, I also want to point out that breastfed babies (Emma) and babies that are not in "daycare" (Emma will go to an in home with 5 others, so it's not public daycare) are much less likely to develop many of the childhood illnesses.

Emma will be going to the doctor next weeek for her two month vaccinations. She will be getting the HIB and the DTaP vaccinations. We will go back at three months for the Pc and Rotavirus shots. I will not be giving her the polio vaccination. We will continue with this alternate schedule until at least one year of age.

So readers, if you are still reading (:D) what are your thoughts, comments, concerns, etc? Am I being a freak? (not that I care). Love ya-kthxbi. :D

And sweet readers, thank you soooo much for the kind comments on my ailment filled post Thursday. I appreciate it AND you!

I hope the rest of your weekend is fab! War Eagle!