The Vaccine Book

Vaccines can be a good thing. They obviously have reduced many harmful illnesses in our country. But when I started taking Tanner to his baby check-ups, I had a lot of questions and concerns. Needless to say, vaccines have become a great point of “discussion” in our household.

Now, don’t get me wrong! I am not anti-vaccine at all!! And just for the record--No, I don’t believe that vaccines cause Autism. And No- I'm not afraid to puncture my kid with a needle. In fact, Tanner hardly gives a whimper when he's gotten his shots. He's made of steel! 

I just really wanted to know WHAT was in the vaccines, HOW they work in the body, WHICH vaccines are the most necessary, and what long-term RISKS, if any, does my child have for each type of vaccine. I wasn’t getting specific answers from the AAP and CDC websites or my pediatrician. And all the anti-vaccine websites were hugely biased too.So I decided to be prayerful about this. I felt a strong conviction to only give Tanner one certain vaccine until I learned more. Later, Jeremy found The Vaccine Book by Robert W. Sears, MD, FAAP. This was a real answer to prayer!

I highly recommend this book to any parent that wants to be more educated about their child’s health. It gives all sides of the argument for every vaccine and goes into detail about all the research out there. The book also tells you exactly WHAT is in each vaccine, HOW it works in the body and what OPTIONS exist when taking the vaccines.  

Here’s a few REALLY INTERESTING things that I learned from the book:

·       Nearly every vaccine has more than one brand. This is great news because it means that you can ask your doctor for a brand that contains less of the yucky stuff (i.e. aluminum, formaldehyde, MSG). For example, some brands have tons of aluminum and other brands for the same vaccine have none! 

·      Many vaccines are made by harvesting the virus in human fetal lung cells, monkey kidney cells, and/or chicken embryos. I had no idea! I’m not really convinced this is a bad thing, it’s just very interesting to know the process! I also learned that this is why some people decline vaccines based on religious reasons; people feel it conflicts with beliefs regarding cloning, abortion, and consuming animals.  

·      Some vaccines work better under certain circumstances. For example, the MMR is recommended 12-18 months of age, and it’s usually given at the 12 month check-up. But the statistics show that the vaccine works better when taken closer to 18 months. 

·      Booster shots for Polio, MMR, DTaP and Chickenpox are given at 5 years of age. But you can ask your doctor for a blood test beforehand to see if your child already has enough immunity to these diseases. If so, the booster is unnecessary!! Most pediatricians don’t even mention this option because it takes more time and they would rather have everyone just take the boosters. I was grateful to learn that I have yet another option before giving my child more shots!

·      There are many options with taking vaccines. You don’t have to give your child all 4, 5, or sometimes 6 vaccinations in one check-up just because the AAP schedule recommends it. You can take a slower schedule that will still get your child all the vaccines recommended, but allow the body to properly gain immunity to one virus/illness at a time. This was incredibly important to me!

The last point in the list above is the main reason why I have a hard time with vaccines. I think it’s very silly how doctors barely bat an eye at the rigorous vaccine schedule, hardly concerned with how it exposes babies to multiple illnesses at once, sometimes exposing 4 live viruses at one time (which no human being naturally encounters at once), not to mention all the unnatural gunk inside each vaccine which scientists have yet to sufficiently prove is safe. But then when it comes to giving our children wholesome food, doctors will stress over how many natural fruits or vegetables we introduce into the baby’s diet, saying that we should separate each food by 7-10 days. Does anyone else see the irony in this!?!

That is why I was so happy to find The Vaccine Book. It confirmed many of my concerns and helped me calm down about others. In fact, some vaccines that I didn't want to give Tanner I now feel much more comfortable giving him. Now I can go to Tanner’s vaccine appointments knowing that I am better educated about what I am giving (or not giving) my child.