Let's have a Conversation: Health & Vaccine Safety

I wasn't going to post about this specifically, but I think it bears repeating... There was an article posted yesterday by Sarah Dillingham that depicted in detail the situation going on in the Somali immigrant group in Minnesota--the ones who have recently been affected by a Measles outbreak. The article was so well-researched and well-written that I wanted to reiterate it here on my blog. If your only source on this subject is mainstream media, give this a look to have a well-rounded perspective on the situation. I'm going to quote some things from her post, but I highly recommend going to her site to read this in full--she has links to back up her research there: http://sarahdillingham.com/wordpress/measles-and-autism-in-minnesota-false-prophets-and-real-problems/ Excerpts from the article: "Measles and Autism in Minnesota: False Prophets and Real Problems" by Sarah Dillingham, As of this writing, 51 children and 3 adults in Minnesota have come down with me...

We’ve been hearing a lot in the news lately about Measles. Many people read these articles and believe they are unbiased depictions of the world around us. But, the truth is, the articles contain both fact and conjecture thrown together with a pinch of persuasion. Media knows most people only read the first paragraph, or so, before forming an opinion and moving on to the next thing. Hence this post's satirical title--just an example of how to gain attention and persuade the audience using fear (or humor... too soon?). But, seriously, it really isn't funny at all. It's disturbing and harmful, and creates enemies where friends once existed. That being said—I’m not going to go through and defend or explicate these articles, instead, I want to offer some peace of mind regarding measles and some helpful ways to support the immune system, if measles lurks its ugly head close to home.  “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understan...

With so many amazing health benefits, this root truly speaks for itself! Turmeric has the ability to modulate inflammation, and when you consider that most diseases are linked to chronic systemic inflammation, that's a powerful medicinal quality to possess. In the book, Alchemy of Herbs , Rosalee de la Foret explains the medicinal properties and energetics of this powerful root: "[Turmeric] supports the body's ability to address inflammation, so it's more accurate to say that turmeric modulates inflammation than to say it is "anti-inflammatory." Instead of inhibiting fatty acids like prostaglandins, and thereby blocking the beneficial aspects of inflammation, turmeric assists the body's healing abilities in numerous ways: it increases glutathione production (important for detoxification), decreases free-radical damage, and blocks specific inflammatory enzymes " (de la Foret, 178). She goes on to say that turmeric can be used in the sa...

The Immunity Education Group (non-profit) recently posted a video on how to recognize harmful vaccine reactions. It is well-worth the two and a half minute watch here: Thanks to the Immunity Education Group for this video:  http://immunityeducationgroup.org/ I think it is important to note that just because some of these reactions are considered "normal" does not equate to causing no harm. There are numerous stories of children who have suffered a range of vaccine reactions from mild to death. These cases should not be ignored in the name of the "common good." My stance will always be: where there is risk, there must be choice . Period. The federal court stated in 09-152 Bruesewitz v. Wyeth LLC (02/22/11) - Supreme Court, that vaccines are “unavoidably unsafe." With this remark they essentially determined that, yes, vaccines are unsafe--we can't help it, but they can't be improved upon, so it's ok. I find that unacceptable. If there is gre...

Origin of Vaccination, c. 1800 I recently posted about the "Pilot comparative study on the health of vaccinated and unvaccinated 6- to 12- year old U.S. children." I learned of this study at the exact time I was re-reading a few chapters from Suzanne Humphries' book:  Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines, and the Forgotten History . The chapters (6 and 7) go into the history of the Smallpox vaccine and its resistance in Leicester, England in the 1860s-1880s. To summarize: at this time, there was a great push for vaccines in England. The "1867 Vaccination Act [had] consolidated existing laws regarding vaccination and instituted a fine for parents who did not present their children for vaccination within three months of birth" (Humphries, 114). Even with this push for mass vaccination, a smallpox epidemic hit England in the early 1870s. This caused a great loss of faith in vaccinations: "It must strike the reflective observer as rather singular t...

Have you heard about the newly published study: "Pilot comparative study on the health of vaccinated and unvaccinated 6- to 12- year old U.S. children"   in the Journal of Translational Sciences?  You can see the study here in PDF format:  http://oatext.com/pdf/JTS-3-186.pdf   or here:  http://oatext.com/Pilot-comparative-study-on-the-health-of-vaccinated-and-unvaccinated-6-to-12-year-old-U.S.-children.php This is exciting! I hope many more vaccinated vs. unvaccinated studies follow in its footsteps. Celeste McGovern sums the findings up nicely in her article on the website for the Children's Medical Safety Research Institute: We’re assured vaccines are “safe and effective” even though public health officials acknowledge they sometimes have serious side-effects including death and despite the troubling fact that no long-term study of their effects on overall health has ever been conducted. Remarkably, not a single published study has ever compared va...

I recently read this article titled: Defending a parent's right to withhold vaccines when they want to  in Philly Voice. I was pleasantly surprised to find the writer (Amy Wright Glenn) was pro-vaccine--especially since mainstream media likes to portray the debate as being strictly black and white. Considering myself a nuance of gray too, I really enjoyed the openness, sincerity, and understanding she brought to the topic of informed consent and vaccine mandates. Here's an excerpt from the article: All who are pro-vaccine support the existence of medical exemptions, because some children cannot be safely vaccinated. But not all who are pro-vaccine support mandatory vaccination laws that remove religious or philosophical exemptions. Award-winning pediatrician Paul Thomas, M.D., co-author of The Vaccine-Friendly Plan and father of 10 vaccinated children, argues: “It’s up to the parents—not the government or any doctor—to ultimately decide what will work best for their child...

"Recently, the state of Pennsylvania introduced SB217, a bill that would eliminate parental and child rights to refuse vaccination. Natural Blaze reports: SB 217 amends P.L.30, No.14 known as the Public School Code of 1949 as follows: Section 1303. Immunization Required; Penalty.–* (e) Notwithstanding any rule or regulation to the contrary, a strong moral or ethical conviction similar to a religious belief may not qualify as an exemption from the immunization requirements of this section. Should the bill pass, it will take effect within just 60 days. Four senators, Democrat Daylin Leach, Democrat Lawrence D Farnese, Democrat Sharif Street and Republican Bob Mensch, joined forces to introduce the bill, which would strip Pennsylvanians of their right to say no to a vaccine that they believe will harm their child. The bill echoes the sentiments of California’s SB277." -Vicki Batts, Natural News This bill is twofold for me. First, I truly believe vaccines should be consider...