vaccines

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KyleB
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vaccines

Post by KyleB » Mon Mar 12, 2012 12:53 am

I don't know if this topic really belongs on this board at all, but I would really like to hear some opinions on this.

Preventive vaccination of children: thoughts? I am seeking opinions here since there is a strong homeschool/etc. presence on this board and in Steve's teaching.

And Steve, in raising your own kids if I may ask, was this an issue for you?

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steve
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Re: vaccines

Post by steve » Mon Mar 12, 2012 9:02 am

We got very few vaccines for our children, because it was controversial even back then (in the 80s and 90s) when we were raising our children. We did not have a family doctor, and were never under pressure to vaccinate the children. On occasions when we opted to get a particular vaccine (which was not very often), we went to the county for the shots. I don't remember which vaccinations we got and which we did not. I know we got them polio vaccinations, but opted for the "dead virus" vaccine, instead of the "live virus" vaccine—because people can get polio from the latter.

thrombomodulin
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Re: vaccines

Post by thrombomodulin » Mon Mar 12, 2012 7:38 pm

I'm glad you posted on this topic. When our daughter was born several years ago, a number of our friends advised us against following the CDC recommended vaccination schedule. Their rationale included concerns about autism, thimerosal content, and one of our friends had even experienced vaccine injury with their child. There may have been other concerns (at this point in time I can't remember).

We had chosen to omit some vaccines and follow others on a more delayed schedule. However, this topic has become an issue for us in the past month because we received an ultimatum from our pediatrician stating we would no longer be accepted as customers unless we were willing to begin follow the CDC vaccine schedule completely exactly - after "catching up". Apparently this is becoming common (link, link).

I have only just started to try to learn more on the issue. I would be interested in exchanging any insights or information you may find about this topic. Here are a few links that you may be helpful:

Anti-Vaccination Links:
http://vactruth.com/
http://www.nvic.org/ - Multiple positive recommendations.
http://vaccines.mercola.com/
http://vactruth.com/2009/07/21/dr-andre ... -vaccines/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiV45l4SBC4 (The title is about flouride, but here Dr. Blaylock also says some very interesting things about vaccines)
I've also been advised to read "anything" from Mary Tocco
There may be information at http://www.naturalnews.com.

Pro-Vaccination links:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines
http://TheLancet.com

The trouble I am finding, of course, is that discerning this on a purely technical basis is extremely time consuming and difficult. I do not have a medical background, there is far from unanimous agreement on the topic, and the volume of literature on the subject is enormous. The technical issues are complicated further by the unique details of individual situations (e.g. Pertussis is apparently worst and most common in children 1-2 yrs. old, so if you child is less than two years old, there might be a statistical reason to make a different choice about the vaccination than if your child is more than two years old).

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KyleB
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Re: vaccines

Post by KyleB » Tue Mar 13, 2012 2:03 am

thrombomodulin wrote:The trouble I am finding, of course, is that discerning this on a purely technical basis is extremely time consuming and difficult. I do not have a medical background, there is far from unanimous agreement on the topic, and the volume of literature on the subject is enormous.
The statement above states exactly my feelings on the technical side as well. I have followed Mercola's posts for several years (who references nvic.org frequently) as well as the Weston A. Price Foundation.

I guess my question for both of you would be where does this issue fall in relation to "do not worry about tomorrow/be anxious for nothing"? We have done very few vaccines, fewer for our younger daughter than our older, and we have stopped doing any for a while now. For quite a few months I found myself to have peace (as Phil 4:7 goes on to say), but for some reason the issue has raised itself in my mind again (I have a 4 y.o and 2 y.o., with a baby due in May).

Without reference to the technical side of this issue, where do you see the line between negligence and trusting in God? I'm not a "faith healing" type in the sense that I wouldn't shun a doctor if treatment were needed, but I also don't put a lot of faith in the medical profession as a whole. I trust that God can keep my girls healthy if that is in His will whether or not they get vaccines. And they could also get a serious illness if that is in His will even if they did get all their vaccines. I'm just looking for guidance on what is His will in this. Of course it is always safe to trust God, but what does He want me to do in my responsibilities toward my family?

Thank you both for the input that you have already provided.
-Kyle

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steve
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Re: vaccines

Post by steve » Tue Mar 13, 2012 10:35 am

When it comes to the question of faith in God Vs. presumption, I think the latter exists when we take unnecessary risks without God's sanction, and then expect Him to rescue us from the consequences. If this definition is accepted, then the application to immunizations would seem to be, "Does the avoidance of vaccines constitute taking an unnecessary risk?"

In most cases, I do not think there are looming health risks to avoiding vaccines—though there may be in some cases, where a particular disease is spreading through a population. The greater risk might be the interference of the government in your parenting rights, if they learn that you are avoiding vaccinating your children, and some social worker thinks that this constitutes neglect on your part.

Trusting God means following your conscience before Him, and leaving the consequences in His hands. If your research leads you to believe that immunizing your children is taking a greater risk than not doing so, then do not give them the vaccines, and trust God with the outcome. If, on the other hand, your convictions lie on the other side, then follow them.

There is no research that I have seen that guarantees bad health consequences will result either from getting immunized or from not doing so. There appears to be a measure of risk with either decision. It is a hard decision to make, but questioning the advice of the medical establishment is not necessarily presumption on your part. The Bible never mandates that Christians should trust physicians. Some of them are trustworthy, and some may not be.

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jeremiah
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Re: vaccines

Post by jeremiah » Tue Mar 13, 2012 10:58 am

hey kyle,

you seem to be perfectly level headed about this in your attitude towards it. and i would perfectly agree with your statement about not shunning medical attention if necessary. i would like to offer a caution regarding the seeming conundrum in your mind. whether we choose to vaccinate our children or choose to focus on natural measures that build a strong immune system, neither are full proof. both require our constant attention to the well being of our little ones on the other side of the decision. as well as a constant decision to trust that our Father will see us through whatever may come. i guess i'm really offering a reminder, if i may assume to read between your lines correctly, you seem to already know this. basically, i think it's a mistake to frame this as a question of: do i trust God and not vaccinate, or do i vaccinate? i don't think this is a fork in the road where we choose one of two paths, but rather it's only one road in which we have a responsibility to look after the well being of our families, and vaccinations are optional stops along that one road.

grace and peace is with us...
Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

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KyleB
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Re: vaccines

Post by KyleB » Tue Mar 13, 2012 8:50 pm

Thank you everybody, these are helpful thoughts.

thrombomodulin
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Re: vaccines

Post by thrombomodulin » Tue Mar 13, 2012 10:39 pm

It is somewhat interesting that you mentioned Weston A. Price. My wife was able to overcome a medical problem, that conventional doctors had for many years been unable to assist with, by following a diet derived from this model and nutritional supplements. I'm reluctant to draw any conclusions from this, however, since success in one medical area does not have any necessary correspondence with success in advice about vaccinations.

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jeremiah
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Re: vaccines

Post by jeremiah » Wed Mar 14, 2012 10:15 am

by the way, i didn't mention, perhaps it could be an encouragement. my wife and i have two healthy little girls. our oldest is nearly 3, and our baby is almost 1. our oldest has had a couple colds, besides these, they have thankfully never been sick. neither of them have ever received any vaccinations. and saving some unforeseen circumstance, they probably never will. unless of course they decide to when they're older.
grace and peace...
Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

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Perry
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Re: vaccines

Post by Perry » Wed Mar 14, 2012 2:52 pm

FWIW my wife just had her 41st birthday. She's healthy and strong and fit as a fiddle. She never had a vaccination in her life.

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