And away we go... I'm just gonna dive right into this one. Vaccines. Please bear with me.
First, let me say that I know the internet is not always a reliable source for information. I know there is a lot of misinformation out there. But, the internet IS where the BPA awareness began and now doctors are recommending parents stop using bottles that contain it and Babies R Us is allowing parents to return BPA containing bottles. All of this after initial guffaws in regards to raised concerns. Plus, how many things historically have we been lead to believe are safe when really they are poisoning us? Lead paint, thalidomide, BPA. And that leads me to...
Vaccines. I'm not sitting on any side of the fence YET. Linus has to-date received all of his recommended vaccines. The funny thing is, my husband and I refused all but the required vaccines for our cat after she had a reaction. Why wouldn't we at least stop and ponder the risks to our son?
My biggest complaint in jumping into this issue is that doctors don't want to discuss it with you. If you bring it up, they label you a crazy and brush off your concerns. I know, I've tried. Of course, the topic was introduced by husband, "YOU get to ask this one..." in such a way that they already knew we were weak.
I am seeking answers. Help. I want educated sources. I want information from trusted persons who know. So, anyone know a pediatrician, scientist, etc. who would be willing to sit down and have an actual discussion with me? I need information. Always a rules follower, this is not a decision I want to have made for me anymore. I want to decide. Then, if there are negative repercussions, I can honestly say that I made the best decision I could with the information that was available at the time.
Is anyone else having these concerns? Can anyone point me towards some resources?
(I do know, I'm about to receive a ton of photocopied pages full of information from my father-in-law. He's a doctor so I'll definitely read them. I'm ready, Richard. )
Friday, May 30, 2008
Oh No She Di'nt
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6 comments:
No real vaccine knowledge from me, but I LOVE the new look - especially Linus and the speech bubble thing! Awesome!
I guess I generally don't believe the vaccinations = autism hype at all, because all the data I've seen is correlational. And we all know that correlation does not necessarily imply causation. Hooray!
For the record, my concern for the kitties vaccination was wholly cheapass based. I didn't want to pay for any vaccinations that they didn't need as indoor cats.
I've mocked Abby pretty mercilessly when it comes to vaccinations for Linus, and I have a predisposition to trust doctors, misplaced or not.
That said, I know I probably shouldn't dismiss the concerns out of hand (see: BPA), but Abby's right about trying to figure out where to turn for solid information. The internets say a lot of things that are alarming, most of which have the equivalent validity of campfire stories about hookman.
Let me say this Adrian: Dad had a discussion with Judy Kliewer at the clinic about vaccinations and autism Your dad could not believe what came out of her mouth. I guess they had quite an "mild disagreement". She had friends that swore vacc led to all kind of bad things. Dad says their are no medical studies that prove one leads to the other. Only that some vaccinations seem to have been given around the time that some of these problems normally become noticeable. No medical proof. Most parents with children with problems always want something or someone to blame -- isn't that the way of life these days. but we have eliminated so many diseases with vaccines that if we stop giving them we will start having these epidemics again. Be wise. Just gramma's thoughts. gramma B
Richard says he will respond but want s to do some research for you (in other words some written research) It may take him awhile so don't despair he will talk to you. gramma B again
I agree with Gramma B. I can't point you in the direction of a research article, because there aren't any studies that effectively show a causal relationship of vaccinations to autism. Symptoms of autism tend to present at around the same time of typically scheduled vaccines. I almost balked at the chicken pox vaccine, because--to me--chicken pox seemed like a fairly harmless illness of childhood that we have all easily overcome. But my pediatrican indicated that basically the goal is to irradicate chicken pox altogether, since it poses a life-threatening risk to the elderly and immune-suppressed. So, in essence, it is more of a social responsibility than an individual preventative. Since the risk is minor (possible development of chicken pox), I felt fine about going ahead with it. Blah, blah, blah--I know you weren't looking for opinions, as there are too many of those anyway. In the end, I felt it was a risk vs. benefit issue, in which all evidence indicates that the benefits, individually and socially, outweigh the risk.
The Sears Vaccine Book is pretty great. I read it even though we are fully vaccinating on schedule (except for the hep-b at birth).
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