By Shalini Kapoor, ND4 at the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM)
Modern medicine has made great strides. Vaccines have changed the face of diseases incidence and prevalence in the world. Lethal diseases like small pox have been eradicated and polio significant reduced in the 20th century. However, a vaccine seems far from an adequate cure. Let’s consider vaccines from a naturopathic perspective to address the success of vaccine history.
Naturopathic medicine looks at a person’s ‘susceptibility’ or miasm, which suggests how one copes or reacts to stressors (physical, emotional, spiritual, other) and offers insight into the resiliency of his or her immune system. 
In other words, a person is more likely to get sick if the body is over compromised or possesses poor coping mechanisms to stress. In the same vein, a miasm also determines the way a person responds to vaccines.
Most people have likely received at least one vaccine in their lifetime, where some have received as many as 15 to 20 vaccines. This surely has conferred protection to diseases; but for some, has this also come at a cost?
The CDC has stipulated a vaccine schedule starting at the birth. While it may be very relevant to certain countries in the world, remember that this schedule is a great model of public health based on the idea of herd immunity. It is important to understand that giving children vaccines before they are immunologically mature does not give them true protection and explains why multiple booster shots become necessary.
If you are a parent of a young child, or an adult who is in the health care field or if you participate in international travel, I invite you to be an informed participant in your health care. I urge you to understand the basics of immune development. With this information in hand, you can determine with your physician if a vaccine is appropriate; moreover, you can effectively assess an ideal age to vaccinate your child in order to develop a proper immune response. Make sure to evaluate your independent risks vs. benefits and make a conscious decision for your child and yourself.
Some examples to consider when it comes to vaccines:
MMR vaccine: Has three live attenuated viruses: measles, mumps and rubella. It does not have thimerosal.
Potential side effects of MMR vaccine: There are links to autism and the MMR vaccine wherein the vaccine is hypothesized to trigger a cascade of events leading to autism in genetically susceptible children. There are strong correlations in the literature between myelin basic protein antibodies and the antibody to measles. Furthermore, vaccine strain of measles RNA has been found in the intestine of autistic patients with Crohn’s disease (autistic enterocolitis).
Currently, the evidence is deemed inadequate to accept a causal relationship in the conventional medical system.
Hepatitis B vaccine: Recombinant or non recombinant hepatitis B virus vaccine derived from hepatitis B surface antigen produced in yeast cells. Contains aluminum hydroxide. Contained thimerosal prior to 2001 in the United States, although some preparations may still contain trace amounts of thimerosal.
Side effects of Hepatitis vaccine: Data from Vaccine Adverse Events reporting system (VARES) show a rate of neurological disorders following Hep B vaccine higher than any other vaccine. These disorders include both demyelinating diseases like multiple sclerosis, optic neuritis, tranverse melitis, and non demyelinating conditions like vertigo and paresthesias. Again, the evidence is deemed inadequate to accept a causal relationship in the conventional medical system.
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This blog post is inspired by the following resources:
Vermeulen, F., Monera, Kingdom bacteria and Viruses, Spectrum material Medica, Vol 1, Emryss Publishers. 2005.
Andrews, H., Zwickey, H., A Seminar entitled “A Vaccine balancing Act”, 2009.
Disclaimer: This blog makes no warranties whatsoever regarding the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, comparative or controversial nature, or usefulness of any information contained or referenced.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Such an important issue- and so much confusion!
I became a mother 2 and a half years ago, the more I read about it the more I get confused and I realise there’s just no 1 answer.
The one important thing I think should be done by ALL people is to learn about this issue as much as you can. Don’t go giving vaccines to your children without knowing a bit about it. Learn as much as you can, and then if you decide to do a vaccine or more- fine, but base your decision on some kind of knowledge and not because someone told you to do it. There are certain things one should consider with hisqhers own child, and public health officials look at the public, not at individuals.
There are side effects, not all of them are serious, not all of them are known even by doctors, and many of them are hushed and it’s just plain wrong.
Vaccines are good, but not everyone should get it at the exact same time. Some of the vaccines are given to babies because it’s easier to bring them in to get the vaccines than adults. That’s just plain wrong- and that’s something that doctors told me.
Teach yourselves and take responsilibty over your child’s health and over your own. It’s not in the hands of Complimentary medicine practitioners and not in the hands of doctors.
Make your own choice- that’s, I think, the best way to go, but you should always base your decision on knowledge.
Thank you for the post,
Yael
Thanks Yael for sharing your perspective. It is undoubtedly a confusing issue. At NCNM, Dr. Heather Zwickey is an expert on this issue and has developed a handy tool for alternative vaccine schedule which is mindful of children’s immunological developmental maturity.
Ironically, while my mother made some smart decisions about not vaccinating me excessively, when I came out to college and then graduate school in the US, I had to take an obscene number of vaccines. I have had some bad reactions to them. The good news is that homeopathy can be a fantastic way to neutralize and reverse a lot of harm.
Here’s a start of another great article by Shalini Almeida:
“Most people, today, are more aware of the ill effects of vaccination than they were 50 years ago. Public awareness of health, disease and treatment options has increased multifold with the use of the internet and the media.
Should I vaccinate or not? Is it the right time, should I wait? Are the vaccines safe? Will it really protect my child from the disease (how effective is the vaccine?) Are the risks of taking the vaccine shot greater than the risk of the disease itself? Will it confer lifelong immunity? (Does it mean booster shots are involved?) Does the state/school require me to vaccinate against a particular disease? These are some questions most parents ask of themselves when they take their little ones to get the shots. This is a tough decision that most parents need to make. Making an informed decision gives us the satisfaction of at least having tried to give our children the best of the knowledge that was available at the time….”
To read more, follow this blue rabbit to Shaini Almeida’s blog:
http://vaccinationchoices-aninformeddecision.blogspot.com/
Your “vaccine links to autism” article is based on the largely discredited work of the largely discredited Andrew Wakefield. Could you refer me to any information that’s more reliable?
Hi Rafe, Thanks for your posting. I will compile my sources and post in a few weeks. Thanks for your query and patience.
To start with Rafe, these are some sources which supported my blog posting:
1) Singh VK, Lin SX, Newell E, Nelson C (2002). “Abnormal measles-mumps-rubella antibodies and CNS autoimmunity in children with autism”. J Biomed Sci 9 (4): 359-64. PMID 12145534
2) ‘Autism. immunity and Immunotherapy’ (commentary), Vijendra K. Singh, Ph.D., The Autism Autoimmunity Project Newsletter, vol 1, no 2 (December, 1999)
2) ‘Autism, Vaccines, and Immune Reactions Institute of Medicine presentation), Vijendra K. Singh, Ph.D. (February 9, 2004)
I am curious about your critique of Wakefield’s work. Please elaborate. It might lead to more interesting discussions. Thanks again for furthering this discussion.
Very informative post. We must keep in mind that as parents, we should be equipped with knowledge in terms of taking care for our children. Giving them vitamins or vaccines is already putting them at risk of their health. We should know what’s the right thing and proper way of taking care of our children.
hay do you think vaccines are bad and please reaspond