Unfortunately, the proper level of informed consent is not always given to parents, who are often pressured
into vaccinations by health care workers who fail to tell them their legal rights. It is therefore
imperative that parents inform themselves. The purpose of this website is to start that process by making
you aware of subjects and information you may not have been told anywhere else, and to give you a number of
resources for further investigation.
Sanitation, Hygiene and Nutrition
To better understand why vaccinations came to be, it is helpful to
review a little of the medical history in Europe and North America during the period of the Industrial
Revolution, starting roughly in the 1700s. The Black Death, now known as the Bubonic Plague,
had wiped out one-third of the population of Europe in two periods of epidemics. The Black Plague
was wreaking its havoc prior to the invention of the microscope so knowledge of the infectious nature
of some diseases was unknown. No one knew why one person in a house would suddenly drop dead of the
Plague while others in the same house were spared. The nature of the disease seemed very fickle and
random, so many people were afraid.
Even as a few clear thinking people began to piece together the puzzle of micro-organisms, infection,
and sanitation, fear of these disease was still paramount. Most of the conventional medical profession
of the day looked down on the notion that invisible organisms could make people sick, and as a result
it took more than a hundred years for even simple concepts such as doctors washing their hands between
seeing patients to become standard policy. The greatest cause of death between the 1600s and 1800s
was a variety of infectious illnesses. Only as sanitation and hygiene principals became widespread,
such as sewage systems, clean water supplies, not allowing trash to accumulate, burning the clothes
of people stricken with the plague or other illness, did the incidence and mortality rates begin
to decline. A better understanding of nutrition in the role of preventing illnesses also played a
crucial role in this same time frame. Better methods of preserving food, simply not eating spoiled
food, and a general knowledge of eating a balanced diet all played a role.
Natural Immunity
The human species and our ancestors have existed on this planet for about
a million years, possibly longer. For virtually all of that time we did not have anti-biotics,
vaccinations, nor any of the other modern medical "advances" that are now deemed necessary to be
healthy. During all this time of our history, if we did not have the basic ability to defend ourselves
against simple infections,our species could not have survived. The serious epidemics and infectious
illnesses which prompted the move to develope vaccinations were caused by poor sanition and nutrition,
in other words, by living in un-natural manners. It was a return to clean natural living and hygiene
which were the most significant factors for the erradication of these illnesses and not the introduction
of un-natural vaccines.
Natural Immune System Development.
To better understand how are immune systems protected us for all those millenia, lets take a closer
look at the natural process of birth and development. When a mother is pregnant, the placental barrier
keeps most things from leaving the blood supply of the mother and entering the separate, independent
blood supply of the fetus. This includes most immunoglobulins, the immune "flags" produced by our
white blood cells to identify pathogens to the rest of our immune system. When the infant is born
many organs are not fully developed nor fully functioning. Growth from birth to puberty involves not
only increasing the size of our organs, bones and tissues, but also some organs need to finish developing.
Whereas most muscles and bones are present at birth and only need to increase in size, our immune system,
especially the Thymus gland, does not have the ability to fully function at birth. The thymus gland is
responsible for "training" our white blood cells how to perform the crucial function of identifying
our own cells (Self) from the cells of a harmful invader (Non-Self). It is certain types of our
white blood cells which produce the immunoglobulins which are a vital part of our immune system.
The thymus for most people is not fully developed until sometime around the age of somewhere between
3-7 years. Hence,
giving vaccinations, which are intended to provoke an immune response from our white cells, prior
to that time will be largely ineffective for many people.
In the natural immune process, infants obtain all there immunoglobulins via mother's milk. This is
one of many reasons why breastfeeding is so important (There are many nutritional reasons as well
all emotional bonding reasons to support breastfeeding rather than formula feeding of infants).
The immunoglobulins obtained from the mother will persist in the infants blood for 6-12 months beyond
the time of weaning. So, if the infant immune system won't be fully developed until age 3 at the earliest
breastfeeding for at least 2 years is crucial for the normal, safe development of the child.
It is shortly after the immunoglobulins provided by the mother begin to wane, around age 3-5, that
most "childhood diseases" begin. This period is typically finished by puberty, around the age of 13-14.
Virtually all of the childhood diseases only reside in the human population - no other species suffers
from the mumps, for example. In nature, this type of symbiotic relationship usually only persists if
it is beneficial for both species. The period of childhood illnesses is therefore a vital part of the
"education" of our body's immune system, so that when the child becomes an adult after puberty and
enters the reproductive years, they will be able to defend themselves from illness and be able to
care for their own children.
Another major factor affecting natural immunity is nutrition. If a child's (or adult's) diet
is rich in all the Essential Nutrients (vitamins, minerals, trace elements, essential fatty acids,
and essential amino acids), and low in immune suppresive foods such as sugar and
bad fats, that individual is likely to have a strong immune system. Diets low in essential nutrients
and high in immune suppressive foods (sugar, processed foods and junk food), that individual is
likely to have a weak immune system.
Natural Infection Process.
When exposed to a possible pathogenic organism, most infection of childhood diseases takes place
through the transmission of fine droplets which get on the child's skin. The classic example is a
child with a disease in the contagious phase will sneeze on their own hands and then touch an object
such as a table or chair. Another child will also touch that surface, get the moisture on their own
hands, and possible wipe their own nose or eat some food without washing their hands.
This foreign pathogen then begins to stimulate the child's immune system at each of four levels
in order: the skin, the internal mucous membranes in the respiratory tract or GI tract, the Lymph nodes
and finally the blood. The bloodstream is considered to be the deepest and most serious level; once a
disease makes it to the blood it is considered to have become "Systemic" - and can be transmitted throughout
the body almost instantly. Furthermore, children are generally exposed to only one pathogenic
organism at a time. Those pathogens that are strong enough to make it past the body's outer defenses
and enter the bloodstream are weakened when they get there, and the body's immune defenses were fully
activated at each level.
The vaccination process, however, bypasses all the body's outer defenses of the skin, mucous membranes
and lymphatic system and injects pathogenic organisms direcly into the bloodstream. To make matters
worse, most modern vaccinations are multi-valent; that is, they consist of multiple pathogenic organisms,
which arrive in the body's bloodstream, at full strength, with NONE of the levels of the
immune system activated. These pathogens have the full run of the body until the immune system can respond,
which can be days, weeks or even longer, since these vaccinations may have taken place at such an early
age that the immune organs needed to mount the response are not fully developed! Furthermore, most of
these vaccines contain various preservatives and other contaminants, such as the poison mercury,
which can cause their own health problems.
Current Risks of Infectious Disease
In Western countries with proper nutrition, sanitation and hygiene, the risks of
serious side effects, complications or death from the childhood diseases routinely vaccinated against
is extremely low. Though the numbers vary from one illness to another, they are all on the order of
1 in 100,000 to 1 in 1 million. In third world countries with poor nutrition and sanitation, the numbers
are much worse - between 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 1,000 may experience a serious case or death. Websites
which state these lower statistics as the numbers for the risk of side effects or death among un-vaccinated
children are stating the numbers from third-world countries.
If you choose to not vaccinate your children it is important to be sure they eat a healthy diet with
all the Essential Nutrients and avoid immune suppressing food items like white sugar, candy, sweetened
breakfast cereals, sodas and french fries or other junk food cooked in bad fats. Most parents will want to
do this anyway when they learn just how un-healthy these over-processed foods really are.
Efficacy of Vaccinations
Keep in mind the the goal of widespread vaccination programs was, on the
surface, very noble - to eliminate infections diseases and the suffering and death they caused in
days gone by. As they have been implemented in modern times, however, most vaccinations fall far
short of this goal for several reasons.
First, Vaccinations do not impart permanent immunity from the diseases they vaccinate against.
Most modern studies show that a high percentage of people who were vaccinated as children have no
stored immunity by the time they reach adulthood in their late teens or early twenties. When exposed
to the diseases at this later age, they usually have a much more serious case of these illnesses, which
can be fatal more often than when the diseases are acquired naturally as children.
Second, Most epidemic-level outbreaks of the various diseases our society is vaccinating
against are taking place among fully-vaccinated children. Even in the short-term, where vaccinations
have been effective at reducing disease incidence, the immune effects are not universal and more
and more children are getting sick anyway. In other words, children are being exposed to the risks
of vaccination without the benefits of either short-term or long-term immunity. In roughly the last
30 years, for example, every case polio in the U.S. has been among previously vaccinated individuals.
Third, the risks of side effects from vaccinations now appear to be higher than the risks of
serious side effects from the naturally acquired childhood diseases. There still needs to be additional
epidemiological research done in this area, but the preliminary findings are pointing in this direction.
This will be especially true when the actual long-term side effects of an altered, hypo-functioning
or dysfunctioning immune system are included. This will include conditions such as auto-immune
diseases and cancer, all of which are now at epidemic levels in the U.S. and elsewhere where vaccinations
are widespread.
Fourth, the entire philosophy of vaccinations overlooks the crucial importance of actually
catching the various childhood diseases as part of the normal development and training of our
immune systems. Without ever being properly trained and allowed to exercise itself, we can never
be fully certain that our immune system will be able to do its job throughout our lifetimes.
Alternatives to Vaccinations
If you choose not to vaccinate your children, you may be wondering what options
you have to protect your child. The best protection is of course a healthy immune system. You may,
however, want to do more or to reduce the severity of childhood illnesses when they do occur. Basically,
the major options for a more natural approach to immunity and prevention can be summarized as follows:
Strong Nutrition and Immune System, Allow Child to Catch Diseases Naturally. If you or other children
in your family have shown strong vitality and most of your child's illnesses are short and relatively
benign, he or she is probably an excellent candidate for this option. In this case, treat the illnesses
when they arise with homeopathy, herbal medicines or other natural means which support the natural
immune process.
Treat Prophylactically with Homeopathy During Known Outbreaks of Infectious Diseases. Even as far
back as the time of Hahnemann, homeopathy has been used as a preventive measure during known epidemics
and has been shown to reduce both the incidence of diseases and the severity in people who do catch
the illness.
Treat Prophylactically with Homeopathy According to a Schedule. This in essence is similar to the
vaccination process, but without the side effects of the vaccinations. It is important to note that
homeopathic forms of the vaccines will not impart immunity as measured by blood anti-bodies.
Nevertheless, in statistics compiled by an Australian Homeopath, Isaac Golden, this process still results
in a reduction in disease incidence and severity. Golden's work needs to be replicated and expanded,
but this may be a better option if your child tends to be more sickly, or more strongly afflicted by
illnesses.
Your Legal Rights
The legal requirements of vaccinations vary from state to state. The details
listed here are only for the state of California. If you happen to live elsewhere, please refer to one
of the links below for your legal requirements.
In California there are a set of legal exemptions for vaccinations which give parents the option
to forego any or all of the childhood vaccinatons for religious or philosophical reasons. The exact text of
the exemption is as follows:
*7. PERSONAL BELIEFS EXEMPTION: If immunization is against your
religious or personal beliefs, you will be asked to sign an affidavit at the time of registration.
Your child will then be exempt from the immunization requirements.
*NOTE: If your child is exempt because of 1, 2, or 7 above, and
there is a disease outbreak, the school may be ordered by the Health Department to temporarily exclude
your child for his/her protection.
To read the full text of all the legal exemptions for vaccinations,
Click Here.
For a copy of the California school vaccination form, with the exemptions avidavit on the back,
Click Here.
The qualifying Note in the above philosophical exemption is interesting. It says if there is an
outbreak of one of the diseases vaccinated against, un-vaccinated children get to stay home,
while the vaccinated children who are part of the disease outbreak have to go to school. What makes
this interesting is that vaccinated children should be immune to the disease, but aren't.
