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Original poster

vaccinations: is anyone choosing not to?

65 replies

Heathcliffscathy · 26/03/2004 10:16

due to having read up on the risks and controversy surrounding benefits in homeopathic type books...not just mmr, all vacs...if so, did you come up against lots of resistance/agressive pressure to vaccinate with people telling you you were putting your child at risk of death...

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Jimjams · 26/03/2004 10:34

Ds1 is almost fully vaccinated (had everything except MMR, but has had measles singly and is now out of date as we haven't given boosters). DS2 has had nothing. I haven't had a lot of problems to be honest. I'm training to be a homeopath, but am a research biologist by trade. I find that I've read enough of the original research to be able to argue the case scientifically. A GREAT book is The vaccine guide by randall neudstaedter. Very balanced, very good.

My GP's been great. If anyone has a go I tell them my eldest child is autistic and we believe vaccinations (well thimerosil) contributed.

At the end of the day though its no-one else's business. I don't tell many peope in real life tbh. Although having said that quite a few of my friends have unvaccinated children or partially vaccinated ones so its never really been an issue (other than when the kids had rubella).

Original poster
Heathcliffscathy · 26/03/2004 10:43

thanks so much for posting this, we have decided not to vaccinate ds (our first) and yet every day i question the decision (which on balance i do believe is the right thing to do...for us) and worry...its so good to hear from you given your background that you've made the same decision...sometimes i wish our independent midwives hadn't given us the list of websites including vaccination.co.uk which started me on all the research which lead to this decision...having said that ignorance might be easier but isn't necessarily bliss...

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Jimjams · 26/03/2004 10:50

I'm not sure the feeling of "is this the right thing" ever goes away. I do wake up in the middle of the night sometimes with a feeling of dread! However I recently discovered some interesting work on autism and metallothionein (basically autistics have dodgy metallothionein and its involved in things like metal detoxification) and I was so relieved we had decided to hold off on giving ds2 dtp.

The only decision I'm not totally comfortable with is tetanus. May give that when he's 5........

There are a few of us on here who haven't vaccinated at all- so you're not alone.....

Chandra · 26/03/2004 10:51

There is going to be a lot of pressure if you decide not to use vaccines, my homeopath told me that children can go through those illness with good care and lots of love (I just thought I couldn't believe my ears!!!) and probably in a "controlled environment" of a first world country this shouldn't represent a life or death dilema but.... what if you child decide to go for a gap year to the third world? all people I know back at my country are vaccinated but most have also gone through measles as young children, myself included..., measles is vicious in old age (even when you are vacinated) and sometimes even medical advances won't be of help. I know this is not what you would like to hear but, yes you will be getting a lot of pressure (as I will be getting soon after posting a thread about separate vaccines )

Chandra · 26/03/2004 10:54

Jimjams, the more that I know you the more respect I feel for you.

Jimjams · 26/03/2004 11:01

only pressure if you tell people chandra And only if they are die hard vaccinators- lots aren't.

Measles is a killer in the 3rd world. Except in very rare cases it isn't here. I had measles as a child. My mum had mealses complications - and is deaf in one ear as a result, but she still agrees with our decision not to vaccinate (only has to look at ds1 to understand why).

If we were to go treking round india I would give polio for example as the risk/benefot ratio would change. But to be honest I can't even go to the corner shop with ds1 at the moment so India isn't very likely

I haven't had much pressure from Joe Public but that may be because I have an autistic child so they wouldn't dare.

I'm off to look at your controversial thread now chandra

Jimjams · 26/03/2004 11:03

awwwww thanx chandra

Chandra · 26/03/2004 11:06

India? who said India? antipoda to that, tough I love their names!!!

Original poster
Heathcliffscathy · 26/03/2004 11:09

jimjams, christina head's book 'an educated decision' is v interesting re tetanus click this for her website - she argues that tetanus is only found in horse and human excrement and that complications will only develop if the wound has no oxygen in it - ie if you have deep cut from garden but wash thoroughly and allow air to get to it, tetanus will not develop...makes giving tetanus vac for glass cuts in home look as ridiculous as it is!

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Jimjams · 26/03/2004 11:13

sorry just thinking of 3rd world....

Jimjams · 26/03/2004 11:19

it's the little splinters I worry about sophable Her book is good and quite reassuring about tetanus- as is neudstaedter

kiwisbird · 26/03/2004 11:35

My dd is fully vacc until MMR - she was going to have it but got measles the very week she was booked in. I am not now having her vaccinated with MMR. I am going to get her singly vacc against rubella though.
I may well leave the next baby unvacc to the end, except for rubella.
People haven;t said anything to me, my own GP had his kids singly vaccinated overseas, that tells me all I need to know.

Original poster
Heathcliffscathy · 26/03/2004 11:59

blimey: can't believe your gp owned up to single vacs for own kids, they are usually orthodoxy touters extraordinaire...

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juniper68 · 26/03/2004 12:42

I can't imagine my GP owning up to that. My ds2 is due his 2nd MMR and hib but I 'missed' the appointment as I couldn't make my mind up. I think I'll get him singly vaccinated against Measles and mumps though when the travelling clinic comes to town.

CountessDracula · 26/03/2004 12:45

I did single measles for dd, am awaiting rubella but considering not having mumps. Not sure that the effects of mumps are sufficiently worrying to warrant vaccintion (someone correct me if I'm wrong!)

CountessDracula · 26/03/2004 12:46

Oh and I was told by an immunologist (off the record) that if he had Crohn's disease he wouldn't give his kids mmr.

Original poster
Heathcliffscathy · 26/03/2004 12:52

countessdracula: i think mumps is fine unless contracted by male in their teens or older in which case there is a tiny risk of infertility...so that would mean that you could hold off vaccinating until your child was older...i had mumps, and measles, and chicken pox...so did my sister...

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Jimjams · 26/03/2004 13:19

isn't is unfortunate than an immunologist (so presumably someone fairly sensible not prone to consipiracy theories) feels he can only talk off the record. No criticism of him- I'm sure I'd do the same with a mortgage to pay and a family to provide for.

dinny · 26/03/2004 13:47

My dd had all the early jabs, not MMR or HIB booster though. Had single measles done. I had measles when nine months old, apparently. If I'd known that before it may have made me think twice about the single measles jab. Now expecting second child and am dreading deciding what to do - don't want him/her to have those jabs at such a young age (2,3,4 months). Also don't know what to do about vit K after birth.

Jimjams · 26/03/2004 13:49

diny dtp's used to be given over the whole of the first year. That's always an aption if you are worried about them being given so close together.

dinosaur · 26/03/2004 13:50

dinny, I know what you mean - it doesn't get any easier second or even third time around, does it?

I'm going to get the book that jimjams recommends and read up a bit more before I have to start doing it (or not doing it) third time around.

suedonim · 26/03/2004 13:54

Slightly off-thread but did anyone see this report about Leo Blair ? The source for the story is somewhat suspect, of course!

Chandra · 26/03/2004 14:01

Dinny I would do the vit K at birth, it won't make any harm, and it's not a vacine. For some strange reason we decided to use vit k drops instead of the normal injection and in all the mess of having a new baby at home we forgot about them. The only time when vit k is not advised is when you are going to use formula from birth as it is supplemented with it.

Chandra · 26/03/2004 14:02

CD... what is Crohn's disease?

Original poster
Heathcliffscathy · 26/03/2004 14:04

chandra, can't remember why but i think drops are better/kinder apart from obvious of not giving a newborn an injection as a welcome to the world...there is a controversy about vit k tho isn't there...we did drops maybe the reason they don't always do it orally is cause you have to do 3 goes rather than just one injection...

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