To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate
A new law in Maryland is forcing parents to vaccinate their children with mercury containing vaccines, at gunpoint! They will be faced with up to ten days in jail and fined $50 for each day the child is not vaccinated (Adams). Is this really a country that forces us, with firearms no less, to inject toxic chemicals into our children, when the benefits are not clear or well-studied? Vaccines, when inspected closely, produce many side-effects along with the “benefits,” painting a different picture of less-safe outcomes than the image portrayed by doctors and the media. Although, throughout our history there have been many times where doctors have mislead the public in health fare issues. How about when they told us that smoking was not bad for your health, it was even safe to do while pregnant.
The vaccination is shown by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and Center for Disease Control (CDC) as a vital instrument in preventing influenza and other disease break-outs. They allege that vaccinations prevent the spread of infectious diseases by injecting a weakened form of the disease germ, which prompts body to create antibodies. This enables the body to ward off the actual disease when it attacks. The CDC states on their webpage that if we were ever to stop vaccinating, diseases that are almost unknown would stage a comeback and children would die. Could this be considered a scare tactic? Is this a dramatization or is there truth and studies behind this statement?
Mediation of the subject is wide-spread and most Americans today think they are taking important steps towards the prevention by getting these vaccinations, even though most know little to nothing about the side-effects, content and actual efficacy rates. Scheibner states in her dissertation on the adverse effects of adjuvants in vaccines that “The conclusions which follow the study of relevant medical and immunological literature dealing with vaccines and the adjuvants used in vaccines is that the absolute safety of these substances can never be guaranteed” (2).
The influenza vaccine policy serves to reduce the mortality of this disease and targets people over the age of 65. Simonsen states in his 2007 study of the influenza vaccine and the elderly that, “Few trials have included elderly people, the age-group that accounts for three-quarters of all influenza-related deaths. Recent excess mortality studies were unable to confirm a decline in influenza-related mortality since 1980, even as vaccination coverage increased from 15% to 65%” (658). How strange that the vaccination rate has more than quadrupled, yet the mortality rate has not shown a significant decline with it.
Most Americans would think twice before getting this vaccine, or any for that matter, if they knew the truth. That they are dangerous and contain toxic chemical materials that can cause disastrous side-effects such as: ethylene glycol (antifreeze), phenol (disinfectant or dye), formaldehyde (a known cancer causing agent used for preservation), aluminum (thought to be a cause of Alzheimer’s, seizures and cancer), thimerosol (mercury disinfectant and/or preservative), neomycin and streptomycin (antibiotics that have been known to cause allergic reactions) (Alston 2). Epidemiologist Tom Jefferson states that a large gap exists between policies promoting annual influenza vaccinations for most children and adults and supporting scientific data (914).
The side-effects of these vaccines can many times be more hazardous than the infection of the actual disease that the vaccine was designed to prevent. Ironic, is it not? Some of the more serious side-effects of the flu vaccine include paralysis, infection of the nerve root and cramps (Hasselberger 1). An increased risk for Guillain-Barre syndrome (a disorder in which the immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system) after the influenza vaccination in adults was reported by David N. Juurlink an MD and PhD along with colleagues, in a population based study in 2006 (2217). And the list goes on; other vaccines have been associated with multiple neurological disorders such as: encephalopathies, epilepsy, convulsions, hyperactivity (ADD, LD), autism, mental retardation, depression, anxiety, central nervous system disorders, nerve deafness, blindness and SIDS (Mercola 1).
In Andrew Weil’s book, Health and Healing, he describes how scientific medicine has taken credit for many advances in health through the utilization of vaccines. When, in fact, incidence of infectious diseases were already on the decline because of better sanitation methods, advances in sewage disposal systems, and effective measures in distribution of food and water. These facts have been kept from the American public and we should begin to question why. Who does it benefit to keep producing mass quantities of vaccines? Why is it marketed so heavily? Could money be a motivating factor? Or is the health and well-being of the larger population really in their hearts when they decide to mass market dangerous preventative methods.
Information on the negative aspects of vaccines is greatly obscured. Almost nothing of this sort is published openly in American medical journals. The long-term studies being done on vaccine efficiency, such as the one done by Tom Jefferson (which was done over a 30 year period), are done in European countries, not in the US. Our government has a policy that urges large segments of the population, including babies from 6-23 months, to be vaccinated yearly, even though its safety in young children has not been adequately studied in large populations (Hambidge, et al. 1). By the time a child reaches 6 months of age, it will have been injected with 49 different vaccines; by 18 months the number increases to 69 and at the ripe old age of 6 the number has catapulted to at least 80 (Koren 4).
So why do people get vaccinated? The media and doctors surely play a huge role in this, selling the vaccination as health and prevention in a syringe. But we must take in account that people want guaranteed safety and are scared of the unknown. Especially when the unknown is an infectious disease that threatens their health and safety and the vaccine is sold as an easy, quick, “harm-less” preventative measure. Scare tactics are used against the public and they are now even threatening people with jail time when choosing not to vaccinate their children.
Vaccination is the easy way out; much easier than taking care of oneself, eating a healthy diet, drinking lots of water and getting adequate exercise. People are supposed to believe the doctors, they are our health guardians and the media conditions us to believe what they want us to. Add to that how it has become increasingly effortless to come upon vaccines and you get a hugely over vaccinated and increasingly sick population, such as the one we find ourselves here in the US. Stations are popping up everywhere to vaccinate, from Safeway to mobile homes that can park anywhere, all the way to the newest method, drive-thru vaccines. How much easier could it get?
Here are some easy, proven preventative measures that you can take to ensure that you do not get sick this flu season: wash your hands, drink lots of water, get adequate rest, eat a wholesome diet rich in nutrients, daily sun exposure, regular chiropractic adjustments, exercise and lower your stress level. If you know someone who has the flu avoid contact with them and if you do contract the disease, stay at home until you are well.
Now, some of you may be thinking, “Spinal adjustments? What does that have to do with preventing the flu?” Chiropractic adjustments definitely have a beneficial effect on the immune system. Since your nervous system controls all bodily functions, including the immune system, correcting interference on your nervous system which is caused by vertebral subluxations can positively affect immune function and response. A vertebral subluxation is a spinal misalignment which causes abnormalities in the central nervous system, which runs through your spine. Your spinal column was designed to protect your central nervous system, as your skull does your brain, but when you introduce trauma, toxins and stress of everyday life, the spine can shift out of alignment, causing subluxation.
What country are we living in? Home of the free, land of the brave; is this not going against our civil rights? People should have the right to get vaccinated, if they choose to do so, but they should also have the right not to. This choice should be made public and recognized. Both sides of the story should be told to parents before they vaccinate their children and adults who choose to vaccinate themselves. The pros and cons of these substances should be publicized in order for people to make educated decisions. They should not be scared or pressured into making rash decisions by the media, schools, doctors, or even judges and the police. This is an important decision and research should be done beforehand to really evaluate whether it is beneficial in the given circumstance.
Written by: Julia Pinkerton
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