4. Do not give Tylenol after your child is vaccinated. This one will likely stir some of you up, as it is common practice for healthcare providers to suggest giving your child anti-fever agents such as Tylenol should the child develop a fever after vaccination. The reasons behind not giving Tylenol are somewhat complex biochemically, but I will simply them for this post. Please note that at this time this is only a theory, albeit shared by many, and has not been approved as a recommendation in common pediatric healthcare guidelines. Glutathione is found in almost every cell of the body, most especially in the liver. It is required to detoxify the body of many chemical substances, including (for this blog's sake) but not limited to Tylenol's toxic metabolites (NAPQI for the chemistry buffs) and vaccine adjuvents such as Thimerosal and aluminum. When we take Tylenol, it is estimated that 75% or more of the Glutathione of the liver is used up in ridding the body of its metabolite, leaving little or none left to work on the other components of the vaccine that would ideally be cleared from the body properly before causing significant harm. Some studies have shown that children with autism and/or other conditions have generally lower concentrations of Glutathione (again, wont get into details) than otherwise healthy children, leaving them even more at risk for this phenomenon.
The reason this may seem foreign to parents (and even us healthcare providers) may be because we are used to seeing fevers in our children as a sign that something is wrong and want to treat them immediately to provide comfort. Fever is the body's innate response to infection - if you think about it, a vaccine has in essence "infected" your child with a sub-clinical form of a virus, purposefully, in order to promote immunity from that virus. So a fever is a normal response to a vaccine. But generally, a fever initself is not dangerous in a typical child. The amount of temperature required to hurt the human brain is over 107.6 F (42 C). Fever due to infection very rarely goes over 106.2 (41.3 C), and fever due to vaccines is usually significantly lower. Patients with seizure disorders or a history of febrile seizures may be at increased risk of a recurring seizure with a fever, and may be the only exception to this concept. Treating a fever after a vaccination is seen as a comfort measure. Tylenol is not the only option here, and in my opinion its potential damaging effects to the detoxification system of the body and the liver (in this scenario) is not worth the risk. Fever can be reduced by a bath with lukewarm water. Avoid using cold water or ice, as this can constrict the child's blood vessels and reduce his/her ability to remove excess heat from the body. You can also treat the symptoms of the fever, such as chills (the body's natural reaction to a fever coming down), by providing the child with warm blankets or comfort measures as needed.
Sources:
Thimerosal neurotoxicity is associated with glutathione depletion: protection with glutathione precursors James SJ et al. Neurotoxicology. 2005 Jan;26(1):1-8.
Fever Plus Mitochondrial Disease Could Be Risk Factors for Autistic Regression John Shoffner, MD, Lauren Hyams, PhD... and Keith Hyland, PhD1. Journal of Child Neurology 000(00) 1-6 2009.
http://www.ds-health.com/fever.htm
5. Consider extremely carefully whether or not you want your newborn infant vaccinated immediately after birth. I refrain from saying "do not" vaccinate your newborn infant, only because there are specific subsets of the population for which this practice may be more beneficial than is refraining. However, please note that these subsets are small and I will define them for you here. The Hep B vaccine is commonly given on the day of birth or the day after birth in the US. The reason for this practice is to prevent Hepatitis B in populations who are most at risk, which also tend to be the populations that tend to receive pediatric medical care at sub-optimal levels. Basically, it was implemented because almost all newborns are born in the hospital and we as professionals can "get them early" by giving the vaccine then and not having to hunt them down later on. Hepatitis B is a serious infection, and can be life-threatening for a baby. However, only certain populations are truly at risk. These include health care professionals who may be exposed to Hep B in patients, men who have sex with men, those having sex with or living with an infected person, workers in correctional facilities or group homes, patients with kidney disease, and travelers to Asia, Africa, South America, the Pacific Islands, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East where Hep B is more common. The populations listed above are certainly at higher risk for Hep B, but any lay person can see that there are very few newborns in this country who fit into any of those above categories. If a baby's mother is infected, or if anyone living at the home is, then by all means give the vaccine at birth. Otherwise, I would recommend postponing this for as long as possible for a few reasons. #1 - In 99% of babies its not necessary, due to my above statements. Therefore, why inject something into your child that is not necessary and may carry additional risks? #2 - You (and the doctors) don't know your baby yet. There could be underlying medical, neurological, or immunological conditions which may predispose your infant to an adverse reaction to the vaccine, so why take the chance if the risk of the contracting the infection is so low? And #3 - Hep B has multiple adjuvents (more than many other vaccines) and requires a healthy immune system, good bacteria growth in the gut (which a newborn baby has not yet developed), and proper detoxification systems in the body (again, dont know yet) to clear from the body. Unless you or your baby fit any of the above risk factors for Hepatitis B infection, I would recommend waiting until at least 18 months of age to consider the Hep B vaccine, if at all. At the very least, wait until your first well-baby visit to talk to your provider.
6. Don't make the same mistake twice. If your child has had any adverse reaction to a vaccine in the past, delay further vaccination until this is investigated fully. Vaccine reactions are rare when compared to the general population, but when your child is affected adversely this is a sign that something is not right. There are many things to consider, such as allergies to vaccine ingredients, underlying conditions, and the strength of the immune system of your child before another vaccine should be administered. Do your homework for your child's sake. And please, for other children's sake, report your adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) here.
7. Do not give vaccines when your child is on antibiotics. This one should make sense to you if you've read the previous posts. If your child is on antibiotics, there was or still is an underlying bacterial infection which is still being treated - meaning your child may be immunocompromised to a degree and vaccination should be postponed. Also, antibiotics kill much of the normal gut bacteria each of us needs for a plethora of important bodily functions, including properly responding to vaccines and detoxifying the body. Give your child's body a chance to replenish itself before vaccinating after antibiotics. Administering probiotics after a course of antibiotics is a great way to ensure this happens.
8. Know the laws and your rights. Each state has different laws regarding "required" vaccines (Note: they are typically only required for school attendance, and not required at certain ages or schedules - thats up to you) and criteria for legally refusing vaccinations. Some of these reasons include religious reasons, preexisting medical conditions, or philosophical reasons. A list of states and their allowable reasons can be found here. Vaccine schedules are meant to be a guideline for optimal protection against preventable diseases, but in my opinion should not be identical for every child. To compare, in 1983 there were 9-11 required vaccines for school attendance. Today there are 36. View the specific differences here.
9. Prepare your child for a vaccine. Consider giving high doses of Vitamin C (3,000-5,000 mg per day) on the day before, of, and after vaccination. If you are not comfortable with higher doses, at least be sure your child gets the RDA (recommended daily allowance) of this antioxidant for his/her age for these surrounding days. If your child's diet has not been adequate for the days preceding a vaccine, consider postponing until this improves. In his book Every Second Child (1981), Archie Kalokerinos, an Australian physician, tells us that the death rate among the Aborigine children he was assigned to help was an astounding 50%! His investigation showed these deaths to be associated with vaccinations. He also found the children's diets to be severely deficient in vitamin C. By merely administering vitamin C supplements (100 mg per month of age), he dropped the death rate to nearly zero.
10. Check titers before vaccinating. Blood titers can tell you if you have developed immunity to a disease or not, and should be checked before re-vaccinating with the same agent (usually called a "booster" shot). If your child is already sufficiently immune to a disease, why vaccinate again?
The information I've presented here may be somewhat overwhelming. I encourage each of you to do your own investigation regarding my recommendations, and speak with your healthcare provider regarding any concerns or questions you may have. Remember, every provider has his/her own opinion, which may or may not correspond with your own. What's important is to establish a relationship where both parties are being respected and listened to, and all factors are considered before any decisions are made regarding our children's health.
Some parents have chosen to run with these notions in the wrong direction and have decided not to vaccinate their children against any diseases. While this proves non-harmful for some, if this concept becomes a widespread practice we will be in serious danger of many erradicated or almost-erradicated childhood illnesses rearing their faces once again. I urge you to create your own vaccine schedule for your children based on their own individual needs and histories, with the ultimate goal of keeping them safe and free from harm.
Follow those who seek the truth,
but run from those
who claim to have found it.
No comments:
Post a Comment