For Those Not Vaccinating...

I don't vaccinate my kids against Hep B and I never will. My mother, and more recently, my aunt had severe reactions to it. They both experienced long term (several weeks) flu-like symptoms and pseudo paralysis in their extremities. From the research I've done, the vaccination doesn't last past the teenage years, which to me, would be the most important time to have it, as most kids become sexually active then. My kids are not in day care, they're not sexually active, and they're not intravenous drug users, so, I don't feel they're at risk for contracting Hep B. The possible reaction just isn't worth the "benefits" to me. It hasn't been easy with doctors..we were asked to leave one practice because of my refusing the vaccination. Overall, I think vaccinating has gotten quite out of hand. A lot of it seems unnecessary to me.

One of ours became one of those 'rare but happens' and is a Vax injured child. We tried one more time under careful med supervision and it made things even worse. I wasn't willing to attempt it with the younger sibling on boosters and one my dd didn't truly need for reasons I am not comfortable stating here.
Let me also say I was premed before I got too till to finish. I am also chronically ill (18 dx so far-not fun) and have spent years doing research and advocating for myself, my family and others. We had consults with ped and a neuro etc. I also did a ton of research on what can or will be done if the vax preventable disease popped up. There is a good book out about it by Dr. Stephanie Cave.
I also kept lot numbers-if you do vax you have the right to have these and INSIST on them. When a Senator years ago filed a lawsuit for his grandson we found out that there were some things very wrong with two of the ones our child had received. Because we insisted and kept the lot numbers.
With my first I was a young mother. My first had what I know now is a not good reaction. I *knew* it wasn't then but I was dismissed because I was 'only 19, you are young and overprotective. You are a first time mother and you just don't understand how these things work" Actually I did. I had also helped raised two children not mine before I ever had mine.
Also when you research, don't just use the net. A lot of drs will dismiss you if they think you are just freaking out over what you read on the net. Talk to pro vaxers as well as non. Check out VAERS.
Also some non vaxers do so for religious reasons due to some of the contents.
If you go the non vaxing route be aware you will have to be vigilant. You often hear that non vaxed children are a threat to vaxed children. It is actually the other way around (plus if someone is of the conviction they work 100% why would they be worried for their vax child-not being ugly this is just something I never understood)
Some vaxes have live viruses/bacteria/cultures etc. Just like you have to keep vaxed kids away from certain patients-cancer, RA etc after they get them it is good to keep your non vaxed child away for that time period too.
My gma died of RA complications. My mom and her dad had to stay away from her after their flu shots just as an example.
HTH
I am sure many will flame me for this, but they haven't lived through what we have and I hope no one ever has to. I hope though that this information helps you.

I selectively vaccinate and space them out. We prioritize the diseases that are frequently fatal and difficult to treat (like tetanus).

If my child has a vaccine reaction I want to know exactly what it was to, so I can continue the other vaccines as appropriate. Some vaccines I skip entirely.

I believe our understanding of the immune system is incomplete and the long-term risks of messing with the immune system are significant (and unknown). We evolved alongside our diseases and that relationship is far more complex than is commonly understood.

I believe vaccines should be reserved for the most serious diseases (like smallpox), and selectively used for people at highest risk from other diseases. For diseases that are usually mild (like chickenpox), I'd rather study how to reduce the risks (single exposure, avoid Tylenol) and trust my kids' immune systems.

Thanks for asking!

The fact that many of my doctor and well educated friends do not, and a book called the sanctity of human blood, the doctor's website is www.thedoctorwithin.com . The book just backed up what I already knew and was leaning toward, that natural immunity is superior, that the likelihood of catching the diseases is low, that most of the dieases are treatable with modern medicine.

We will do tetanus, and our kids are adjusted regularly by the chiropractor. They and the other non-vaxed kids I know are the healthiest I know and recover super quickly when they do get sick! Even our pediatrician agreed, when they had h1n1 and were directly exposed to whooping cough and got just a fever and were better a day later!

I had my kids vaccinated and didnt think twice about it...until I met my now husband. His daughter was fine until she had a shot at 18 months and had an IMMEDIATE reaction to it which left her with permanent brain damage. She is 15 now, diagnosed as moderate retarded, mentally she is about 5-7. So I thought I would not finish my kids vaccinations. So, while hubby and I are still dating, I take my dtr to the doc for a normal appt. She CONVINCES me to get her next shot, I tried to say no, but she wouldn't hear it and I wasn't going to have a fit about it and say no (I have NO problem doing that now). So my daughter gets the shot...I don't tell hubby because I know how he feels about it. So the kids go to bed that night and about 2 hours later my daughter comes out of her room looking all spacy and acting weird, I jump up and walk her back to her room and put her to bed. My husband is like, whats wrong with her????? I'm like, I dunno...but I wasn't about to tell him about the shot, especially after this! Well, my daughter did this every single night for several weeks, maybe even a couple months. I don't think its a coincedence that it started the SAME DAY she got the shot. She was about 7 at the time, she's now 11 and that was the last shot she ever got. My son is 8 and I waive all of his as well. I finally did tell hubby about what I did and he understood and basically it just inforced why he feels so strongly about it. So that's my story! Oh, and I do have to say that my daughter has had perfect attendance from Kindergarden to her last month in 4th grade, my kids are rarely sick and have not even thrown up since they were babies!!! :o)

We also did Tetatnus but choose to not do the others. I would rather my children catch the disease and form a natural immunity towards it rather than be filled with vaccines which are not proven to be safe 100%. Some kids react to them and some don't, but you don't know if your kid is going to react negatively until they get one! We live in a country where kids can get treated for diseases. If you breastfeed kids are most always carry your immunities so you don't need to worry about vaxing your baby...your do that for them. In India girls and boys are dying from the Gardisil vaccine, there are now studies showing how the flu shot increases the chances of getting alzheimers when you get older...its just not worth it!

It sure is a touchy subject. I just posted my own question in regards to this. I no longer vaccinate. I signed the vaccination exempt form for my daughter since she will be attending school this fall. I found I never researched. Sometimes we do what everyone else does and we dont even know why. After much research I found that many of the vaccines are filled with toxins. I can get further detail into if you'd like. But I started thinking why would I put that into my children? I believe after all I looked up that there are no significant risks if my child does not get vaccinated versus getting vaccinated. I feel that I have been led to believe a lie. That is why it is so important to educate yourself and it looks like you are. By the way I have a nephew and a few friends who have children with autism and Aspergers and they all believe that vaccines played a role in it. I wish you well. Have a good one!

I selectively vaccinate. My oldest had 2 bad reactions to the m,m,r, vaccine. I will never administer this vaccine again. not EVER.

People will always think vaccines are safe as long as their children and no children they know have been affected.

People will always think vaccines are dangerous when their children and children they know are adversely affected by them.

Knowing that these spectrums exist why cant we meet in the middle with an open mind, read ALL literature and implore the powers that be to find a solution that make both ends happy and stop trying to debunk theories and discredit doctors in order to avoid lawsuits?

i know thats a run-on and sentence AND a tall order. But its our children we are talking about!

Great question!

I have three kids. My oldest two are (partially) vaccinated. My oldest was diagnosed with autism, and we began him on a vaccine clearing protocol. Since then, we've seen quite a change in him. That protocol was pretty much the only therapy he's been in aside from some speech, so we know that the changes are coming from the protocol.

Our youngest is very much like her older brother, and I'm almost positive she would react the same way. I do not want to take that chance.

In addition, I've done a lot of research to substantiate my thoughts that the kids are getting too many vaccines too early. If you can, find a vaccine chart from about 1978 and compare that to the recommended vaccine chart now. It is rather shocking.

I will revisit the idea of vaccinating my youngest when she is older, but first I want to know who she is so I will better be able to advocate for her if I see any changes.

We've chosen not to vaccinate because although they say it's "safe" now, I still have my doubts. I have read so many bad things about the flu shot for instance. When I was pregnant with my first, the docs talked me into (in my first trimester) and not only did I get sick within just a couple of days (I never get sick) but my son has a lot of issues. Can I blame them definitely on the flu shot? No, of course not. But I do wonder if it had anything to do with it. Especially since the other times I've broken down and let someone talk me into getting my family flu shots, we're all sick within a couple of days. We're such a busy family that has to plan around walking everywhere (and always very healthy too) that we don't have time to be sick so it's frustrating when people say you're doing the right thing to protect you, your family, and everyone around you and then we get sick anyway.

I do know a woman that doesn't do vaccs simply because her oldest had one of the rare severe reactions to one when she was a toddler. It actually reads in her medical records now not to vaccinate.

Also, I wonder if my youngest had had a slight reaction to a set that she had. I had decided when she was very small to no longer vaccinate (she had her first set). When she was four I had her father take her for her check-up and he came home proud to tell me that he'd let them give her four shots! Not only was that totally against what I wanted but I had always had it drummed into my head by my RN grandmother that you never give more than 2 at a time because if there is a reaction, you you'll have an easier time of knowing what might have caused it. My husband really likes the idea of vaccinations but even he has begun to question it since then because we all have noticed a huge personality change in her. Can we blame it definitely on the shots? Again, no, but it really does make one wonder.

We delay and selectively vaccinate. The ones we have chosen to decline (for now) are ones for diseases our child is not exposed to, like rotovirus and Hep B. The ones we have chosen to postpone until a later date are for diseases that aren't a big concern for our kids right now, like chicken pox, or vaccines that have a dicier safety profile, like MMR.

We delayed, spaced out vaccinations and just did the basics: MMR, DTp, Polio. This was per our doctor's recommendation and what he did with his kids. He thought there were too many new vaccines that were not necessary for everyone. I did get my oldest daughter the chicken pox vaccine when she turned 13. About a month later, our 3 younger kids came down with chicken pox. Now they have lifetime immunity and my daughter was disappointed that she doesn't.

According to a neurodevelopmental pediatrician we saw last year, there is no harm is spreading out or delaying vaccines. She said that they are important and children should be immunized, just there is no rush to do so. There are lots of heavy metals in them that are thought to be safe for the general population but may not be for some more sensitive individuals. They just announced today that cellphones increase your chances of getting brain cancer and up until now it was dismisses as a myth. I think we don't know a lot about what is "safe" and until then I think its best to err or the side of caution and spread of immunizations.

My kids and I are allergic to them.