Month: April 2014

The Importance of Informed “Choice” ~ If, When & Which Vaccinations to Choose

My little sister asked me to do a written interview for an English project she was assigned.  I was excited about her topic of choice to say the least!  I agreed to be interviewed and asked her to send over the questions.

This is one of the controversial topics that we rarely engage in.  Our reservation does not come from lack of confidence or information regarding our choices, it is primarily a product of the sensitivity created around the conversation.

I was verbally attacked by a day-care owner in 2012.  I always thought there may be a day when someone expressed their displeasure in our family’s choice to not vaccinate, but I felt I was prepared with facts, figures, science, etc to respectfully defend my choice.  Well…..let’s just say when someone accuses you of being an “irresponsible and selfish parent” it is hard to breathe, much less think straight.

This experience led me to a firm stance in the realm of respect.  I firmly practice respect of others AND their choices, even when we disagree.  Because of this stance, I choose to make our personal choices as a family available to friends and patients that I feel will practice the same.  I have no desire to debate which stance is the RIGHT stance, I simply want the ones I love to practice Informed Decision making.

Informed Decision
A decision by a patient about a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure, based on choice, which requires the decision to be voluntary and that the patient has the capacity for choice, which rests on 3 elements:
• Possession of a set of values and goals
• Ability to understand information and communicate decisions
• Ability to reason and deliberate
Peace is a byproduct of making Informed Decisions about choices we have to make as parents.  There are so many things in life that we lose sleep over.  There are risks and consequences around every turn.  There is no greater responsibility we have in flesh than to nurture and care for our children.  My efforts are to encourage families to research, think, pray and have conversations about these decisions; it is not to criticize one choice or another.  If there were to be a consequence of your choice, could you move forward, knowing that you did everything to make the best decision.
Here is my interview with Shelby:

What all vaccinations have you avoided giving Mattie and why?

To-date, Mattie has not received any of the suggested vaccinations. After many years of studying the human body, immune & nervous systems, germ and immune theories, as well as countless research over the topic we have an ever-growing confidence in the body’s natural ability to fight foreign invaders. A few reasons we have made this conscious decision follow:

  • The vaccination schedule is aggressive, growing more aggressive each year (compare current schedule to 10, 20, 30 years ago)
  • The risk vs the benefit is strongly considered for all decisions, especially vaccinations
  • Vaccinations are suggested to increase your immune system, but are highly recommended for the immune compromised (young, old, pregnant, etc). Immune compromised individuals are discouraged from environments where they can be exposed to germs. The vaccine is a direct exposure. For a developing immune system and/or an overwhelmed immune system, vaccinations can cause an imbalance in immune response and/or function.
  • The method of transmission bypasses oral mucousa, which is the “natural” first line of defense for the immune system. This causes an unnatural cascade of immune response (IgA vs IgG), creating an inefficient reaction to the germ, possibly creating an inefficient memory of the invader – defeating the purpose of vaccinations
  • There are numerous toxins, synthetic and otherwise, that are used to manufacture and preserve the transport and delivery of the serum. This is one of my most significant reasons for opting out of most vaccines. Again, the benefit does not outweigh the risk
  • God made us awesome 🙂 No really….He did! When we allow our bodies to do what they were designed to do & supplement them with tools that help them to do it, magic happens….we are healthy! It sounds naive to some, but we have an undying faith that when we ACTIVELY pursue thoughts and actions that are congruent with healing and well-being, you undoubtedly reap health and well-being. It is indeed an active process because of the easy access to processed, dead, lifeless food; toxins at every turn; high paced, high stressed lifestyles; social consequences to natural options such as breastfeeding, cloth diapering, essential oils, herbs, no-poo, diy, etc; not to mention the guilt and shame that others (not actively pursuing health) deflect on people acting in health!! This is a lot of the personal and controversial section of the vaccine topic…..obviously!

What do you do/give to Mattie to help her against these diseases since she doesn’t have vaccinations?

  • We ensure routine chiropractic care, about every 4-8 weeks unless a symptom of imbalance arises
  • We keep what goes IN her body as clean as possible as well as teach her the importance of good decisions when making intake choices
  • We supplement her dietary intake with omega fatty acids, multivitamin, immune specific support (glandular), probiotic, and others as needed
  • We use therapeutic grade essential oils as a “protection” against daily exposure to germs & toxins
  • We facilitate lots of SLEEP. Sleep is obviously necessary to heal everything, especially toxic burdens from the environment around us. We make it a priority and ensure that she gets adequate sleep daily, even when it means we have to hold her or lay down with her
  • We give her emotional support and nurturing. Emotional health is such a huge influence in healing and health; we always keep hers a priority
  • I would also just add our faith in her ability to BE HEALTHY! Some focus on the fear of “what if”, instead we focus on the “why not.” Why can’t she be healthy and normal? Why can’t she have a superstar immune system?

Are there any sources of information (articles, websites) about this that you would recommend?

Facebook is a great source, not because of credibility, but because a lot of credible people know that it is a valuable resource to get their message out:

  • Dr. Tenpenny on Vaccines
  • The Vaccine Machine
  • Dr. Bob Sears

A few links:

A few books/DVDs