Vaccination

The subject of vaccination is a hot one. There are differing opinions as to its effectiveness and safety. It is a source of great worry for parents of young children and a source of potential conflict for practitioners.

In such a climate, it is important that parents, and more importantly their children, do not become a battleground between differing medical systems. My attention was drawn to vaccination because of some recent research articles that I want to share with you.

A report in San Francisco this year revealed that the number of cases of autism have doubled in the past 4 years. An earlier study found that the autism rate in California had increased 237 percent between 1987 and 1998. Ron Huff, a psychologist who conducted both studies for the California Department of Developmental Services, said that these changes reflected a real increase and not changes in diagnosis.

Conventional medicine does not know what causes autism and so is somewhat baffled by these increases which are mirrored in many other countries. Researchers focus on genetic factors as well as environmental toxins. Of course, there is a perennial debate about the role of childhood vaccination in the development of autism. Despite denials by governments, medical authorities and pharmaceutical firms, the suspicion remains amongst the general public that there is such a connection.

Most holistic practitioners are aware of the effect of vaccination on mental and emotional development because they are the ones consulted by parents whose children have undergone ‘arrested development’ after vaccination. MMR vaccine is the frequently quoted factor that is linked with autism and related conditions. My personal opinion is that it is the mumps component that is the most likely to be responsible as it leads to the production of Phlegm in the body (evidenced by the swollen parotids of the actual disease). In this case, however, the vaccination leads to the presence of phlegm that obstructs the mind and causes psychological disturbances that can include symptoms such as failure to respond to stimuli, lack of eye contact, difficulty in forming relationships, speech and language disturbances. However, MMR vaccine is not the only vaccine that children receive and not the only one that affects the neurological system. Of course, if researchers are looking at environmental toxins as a possible cause of autism, vaccines, themselves are some of the most powerful toxic factors that babies and children are subjected to. Prescribed drugs such as antibiotics are others.

The concept of Phlegm in Chinese medicine is a tricky one. Phlegm can take several forms - we are all familiar with the thick fluid coughed up from the lungs. However, in Chinese medicine, this substance can appear in other places. In the Stomach, it can lead to nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, in the channels (the surface of the body) it causes lymphatic gland enlargement and goitre whilst if it affects the Mind, it leads to confusion, changes in consciousness and other mental symptoms.

Mumps itself is characterised by glandular swellings and thick coated tongue. These are all manifestations of Phlegm and as the MMR vaccination is the injection of mumps material into the blood, you would expect any Phlegm to appear at a much deeper level. Adverse effects of mumps vaccination include low grade fever, inflammation of the parotid gland, pain and swelling of the testes, weakness, numbness and tingling, nerve deafness, allergic reactions and a post-vaccination syndrome of glandular swelling, tiredness and malaise. A key effect is encephalopathy, characterised by changes in consciousness, confusion and sometimes coma. It is for these reasons that I consider that the mumps vaccination to be the main component responsible for autism-like disorders, changes in growth and development as well as psychological disturbances.

The House Government Reform Committee in the US is holding hearings into vaccine safety. Its chairman is Indiana Republican Rep. Dan Burton who has an autistic grandchild and has been prominent in investigating the deleterious effects of mercury amalgam as well as vaccines. The committee’s spokesman, Nick Mutton said, “We are taking a closer look at the science. You can't argue with the numbers and the amount of cases. It is becoming an epidemic among our children and something has to be done about that.” However, the conventional response is summed up by the statement from vaccine manufacturers, “Autism has a strong genetic component. It is inconceivable that something like a vaccine could generate the complex set of neural pathways needed for autism.”

Categorical statements such as ‘it is inconceivable’ close the door to open questioning of the problem. Essentially, the meaning is “it cannot be true, therefore it is not true”.

The latest suspicion falls upon thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used in vaccines. The question of mercury in vaccines is an important one (as indeed is the question of mercury in our teeth, but that is another story!). Mercury is extremely toxic and a new study of mercury in childhood vaccines demonstrates that the doses are in excess of the Federal Safety Guidelines in the US.

A study published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, by Mark Geier, M.D., Ph.D.and David Geier suggested that mercury preservative (thimerosal) should be banned in all vaccines. They said, “It is to be hoped that complete removal of thimerosal from all childhood vaccines will help to stem the tragic, apparently iatrogenic epidemic of autism and speech disorders that the United States is now facing.” Autism has increased more than 800 per cent in the less than 20 years since the introduction of thimerosal in vaccines. In the 1980’s there was 1 case of autism in about 2,500 children, in 1996 it was 1 in 300. The Geiers wrote, “Many in the scientific community have, initially, been highly skeptical that thimerosal, an ethylmercury preservative in childhood vaccines, could be associated with neurodevelopment disorders.” This study confirms that a two to six times increased incidence of neurodevelopment disorders followed the use of thimerosal-containing vaccines compared to thimerosal-free vaccines.

Confusion is rife, however, because so-called surveys regularly state that there is no link between MMR and autism. A new report that appeared in the UK Drugs and Therapeutic Bulletin stated that a review of all available studies revealed no convincing evidence that MMR causes autism. They do not define, ‘no convincing evidence’. The Drugs and Therapeutic Bulletin said that ‘it was extremely unlikely that all these studies missed a link and therefore much more likely that no such link exists’. I find such statements to be incredibly vague and dependent upon a lot of faith in conventional medical science and statistics. Faith is fine, blind faith is something different.

Jackie Fletcher, the national co-ordinator of Jabs, a UK support group for the parents of vaccine-damaged children, said: “I don't know why people keep doing new reviews of old material. They spend time looking at old studies that were not designed to look for this particular problem.”

I am reminded of a story that a medical statistician told me some years ago. She said there are important differences between medical researchers and other scientists. A scientist will ask the question, “How can I find out what happens if I do A?” A medical researcher will ask, “How do I show that B is true?”

What is the source of this confusion? It is not that the medical profession intends to harm babies and children with vaccines. It is more to do with our perception. The conventional profession looks at groups as a whole rather than the individual. Decisions about ‘risk-benefit’ ratio are based upon studies of large groups – a one size fits all approach. As Viera Schreibner points out in her seminal book, Vaccination, conventional science disregards all symptoms that occur more than 48 hours after vaccination although some trials consider symptoms appearing a couple of weeks later. There is no attempt to gather data occurring after this time.

 Therefore, a lot of information and data is lacking from conventional analyses of vaccination. This is certainly the view of Harris Coulter. His book, DPT: A Shot in the Dark, co-written with Barbara Loe Fisher, shows that parents notice many responses to vaccination but these are not asked for and certainly not recorded. His book, The Controlled Clinical Trial: An Analysis is an excellent and clear discussion of the difficulties arising from the current emphasis on such trials.

3 tips for parents contemplating vaccination

1.      Check out different sources of information – books and the Internet

2.      Educate yourself about methods of improving health. Paying attention to diet, homoeopathy and Chinese medicine are all effective methods of maximising children’s health – this is truly immunisation!

3.      Be happy! Once you make your informed decision, be assured that you have acted in your child’s best interests

 Go to top

Books:

Dispelling Vaccine Myths by Alan Phillips and Chris Beaton (Prometheus, 1999)

This is my personal favourite. It is a small booklet covering the essential issues surrounding vaccination. It is ideal to give to parents who are seeking access to wider information about vaccination and its effects.

Immunisation, The Reality Behind the Myth by W James (Bergin and Garvey, 1995)

Immunization Theory Vs Reality:  Exposure on Vaccinations by Neil Z Miller (New Atlantean Press, 1996)

Immunizations:  The People Speak! Questions, Comments and Concerns about Vaccinations by Neil Z Miller (New Atlantean Press, 1996)

Mass Immunisation - A Point in Question by Trevor Gunn (Cutting Edge Publications, 1992)

A Shot In The Dark by Harris Coulter and Barbara Loe Fisher (Avery, 1991)

Vaccination by W James and R Mendelsohn (Bergin and Garvey, 1995)

Vaccination & Immunisation by Leon Chaitow (C.W. Daniel, 1987)

Vaccination - A Medical Assault on the Immune System by Viera Schreibner, Ph.D. (V Schreibner, 1997) -  a comprehensive account of the adverse effects of vaccination. There is a wealth of research data here.

Vaccination, Social Violence and Criminality by Harris L Coulter (North Atlantic Books, 1990)

The Vaccine Guide - Making an Informed Choice by Randall Newstaeder (North Atlantic Books, 1996)

Vaccines:  Are They Really Safe and Effective? by Neil Z Miller (New Atlantean Books, 1992)

The Vaccination Bible, Edited by Lynne McTaggart (What Doctors Don’t Tell You, 2000)

Go back to vaccination tips

Go to top

Internet vaccination links:

Vaccinations – An Alternative Perspective: an excellently written article discussing the wisdom of vaccinations and the principles behind their application

A useful resource for parents of children with autism and related conditions is http://autism.about.com/.

Australia

Australian Vaccination Network

Vaccination Debate: a new site by Ian Sinclair, a naturopath with many interesting things to say about vaccination

Ireland

The Hope Project: although not specifically dealing with vaccination, there is some interesting information about MMR and autism. This project “aims to bring hope to people struggling with a disability and to their families”. Based in County Cork, Ireland.

New Zealand

Immunisation Awareness Society

Sharron Rule’s story

UK

Jabs: a support group for vaccine-damaged children

Parents for Vaccine Education UK

Vaccination: a comprehensive site written by Dr Chris Lanigan, chiropractor

Vaccination Awareness Network

What Doctors Don’t Tell You

US

Citizens for Healthcare Freedom: supports people’s rights to make an informed decision

Concerned Parents for Vaccine Safety: support group for parents

The National Vaccine Information Center: national, non-profit educational organisation aiming to educate people about vaccination. Co-founded by Barbara Loe Fisher.

Thinktwice Global Vaccine Institute: great resource of information on vaccination

Vaccine Information & Awareness

U.S State Exemptions : A quick reference guide to U.S. state exemptions.

Vaccines and Disease

Go back to vaccination tips

Go to top

 Chickenpox vaccination

The effectiveness of chickenpox vaccination has been thrown into doubt (for those who believed that it was effective) with the news of an outbreak of chickenpox in vaccinated children in a New Hampshire, USA day care centre (The New England Journal of Medicine 2002; 347:1909-1915, 1962-1963). A total of 25 children developed the disease following its appearance in a vaccinated 4 year old despite almost three quarters having received the vaccine. The recommendations for vaccination are for one shot between the ages of 1 and 12 years. Just as the measles vaccination does not protect against measles and now children are recommended to have more than one dose, we will see multiple shots for chickenpox.

Go to top