Advice Needed on Alternative Immunization Schedule

Updated on June 08, 2009
J.C. asks from Santa Rosa, CA
24 answers

Hi moms,
I am having a lot of trouble deciding what to do about my daughters immunizations. She reacted quite severely to her first set at 3 months,(inconsolable crying for 2-3 days...and nights, along with very pale face that just scared me) and I have not taken her to get any more since then. Her Ped recommends doing them one at a time, one every few weeks, and I guess that is what we will do, but I was wondering if any of you have had experiences with immunizations that you can share, or advice on how I can make it a better experience for her. ( I gave her Tylenol and tried cool and warm cloths as well as baths and just carrying her around)
Anyway, any advice or encouragement would be great because I am really scared to get the next round.
Thanks

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A.K.

answers from San Francisco on

I don't think I could put it any better than Helen D did. I just wanted to add that I pre-treat with Tylenol and it has worked well for us.

Edit: I just wanted to add to what Kelly V said. Some doctor's offices have ELMA cream to numb the skin. It isn't normally used for vaccines but you can request it. It's mostly used for IV injections or blood draws b/c they use larger needles.

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J.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi!
You could put a heating pad on where she gets the shots to help loosen up the muscles and some pain medicine. That always helped son. :)
-J.

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A.S.

answers from San Francisco on

I'm a bit of a heretic when it comes to the 'sacred cow' of vaccinations, but I would wait until she was 5 and going to school. I didn't vaccinate my last 3 children until they were 5 - because I instinctively knew that the vaccination schedule for babies was ridiculous and possibly harmful. My oldest child also had a bad reaction to vaccines - and I wasn't going to mess around with that. Unless you are traveling out of the country, or live in an area with known outbreak of disease, let the burden of immunity be carried with the adults and older children - not young babies.
There is a risk of disease if you do not vaccinate - but there is also a risk of neurological damage if you do. I did the research and found the risk of neurological damage to be much more likely than the risk of disease. It is your call - and pay attention to your intuition - you are your child's best advocate.

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S.L.

answers from Fresno on

If your child has had a reaction the likelihood that she will have another is quite significant. Her immune system has been sensitized and is quite reactive.

First off they are not required. California has exemptions for religious, personal beliefs and medical. I have chosen personal belief. My children are not immunized. They are so much healthier then their classmates. My 13 year old son has only missed 1 day of school in 8 years due to illness.

The blood brain barrier (protects things from getting into the brain that shouldn't) isn't in place till 18 months so if there is mercury it could go into the brain. Also the gall bladder doesn't produce bile until about the same time. This also helps pull metals out. Vaccinations do not provide lifelong immunity so at some point your child isn't protected even if they work. Vaccinations put the toxins directly into the blood stream and bypass the safeguards our body has for processing toxins. When things go in our mouth or through our skin or are inhaled they are processed by the body before they are allowed into the blood stream. A vaccination bypasses those safeguards. There are many good sites to learn about your rights. If you have any questions I'd be more then happy to talk with you about it.

I have never had any trouble with my children getting in school or doing things because they aren't vaccinated.

Here is a list of what is in the DPT vaccine. This is only one of over 81 doses they get of vaccine by the age of 6

Cultured diphtheria bacterium, pertussis (whooping cough) organism and Tetanus Toxin.

>From modified Cohen-Wheeler broth

Sodium chloride

Sodium Hydroxide (also known as lye, caustic soda, soda lye.) Is corrosive and is an Eye, skin and respiratory irritant. Can burn eyes, skin and internal organs. Can cause lung and tissue damage, blindness and can be fatal if swallowed. Found in oven cleaners, tub and tile cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners and drain openers.

Formaldehyde: A neurotoxin and carcinogen (effects the nervous system and known to cause cancer.) May cause insomnia, coughing, headaches, nausea, nosebleeds, and skin rashes. Commonly known to embalm corpses. It has been said that there is no safe level of formaldehyde to be ingested into the body.

Hydrochloric acid: CAN DISTROY TISSUE UPON DIRECT CONTACT! Found in aluminum cleaners and rust removers.

Aluminum: toxic, cancerous.

Thimerosal: mercury derivative (contain mercury.) Extremely dangerous preservative. Made from a combination of Ethylene Glycol (AKA antifreeze!!!) and ethanol, thiosalicylic acid, sodium hydroxide and ethyl mercuric chloride. These chemicals are nerotoxic, dangerous, fatal and easily cause brain and liver damages. causes cancer.

Phosphates: suffocates all forms of aquatic life. Found in laundry and dishwasher detergent and cleaners.

Our government wants your child to receive 5 injections of this.

If you decide to vaccinate wait till your child is older and do each vaccine separately so as to not overwhelm the nervous and immune systems. Your doctor will think you are a pain but it is safer. Also do not feed your child sugar on the day of vaccination and reschedule if they are sick. Give them lots of vitamin C that day and if possible have them adjusted to boost their immune system.

Good luck with your decision

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J.J.

answers from San Francisco on

Check out "the Vaccine Book " by Dr. Sears. It gives a great understanding of all the vaccines and the schedules and the risks

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K.H.

answers from Modesto on

Ask for and read the mfg's inserts - not the info sheet they give you in the dr's office. Some vax mfg warn against continuing their shots if there's a serious reaction - which was considered 4 or more hours of inconsolable crying on the latest one I read.

If you proceed. I would definitely only do one at a time a month apart - and I wouldn't finish any series that had another severe reaction. But it's every parent's very personal decision. But be sure to get informed by the mfg and other means other than your doctor - not that your doctor doesn't have your child's best interests at heart, but in a case like this, I think it's your responsibility to treat this like needing a second opinion. Doctors are not infallible.

Also, I would read Dr Sears The Vaccine Book before continuing. It offers very good guidelines for how to do vaccines as safely as possible.

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K.F.

answers from Salinas on

Hi Jessica- Your baby had a strong reaction to the first round of shots. I would proceed very carefully. We waited a long time to start and then spread them way out. We only did the big ones feeling that the risk of a bad reaction far outweighed the chance of dying from something like chicken pox. Also consider how many people (and other kids) your baby comes into contact with) I was very secure in the fact that my kids were not coming into contact with lots of people each day. I was lucky enough to stay home with them and when they were older they went to a very small pre-school. By the time they were in Kinder they were protected. Good luck and listen to your instinct!

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L.M.

answers from Sacramento on

Hi, I am a nutritional consultant and I work with support for children in the add/hd autism spectrum.

I would encourage you to get the book..

"What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Children's Vaccinations .. by Stephanie Cave, M.D., F.A.A.F. P.

Your concern is very valid!

I would read this book before making a decision about vaccination schedules.

I also encourage you to watch:

www.sharethecause.com/live

If you would like more info.. you can contact me ..

L. Medina, EveryDay Health Concepts ###-###-####

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M.R.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi Jessica,

I am a homeopathic practitioner who regularly works with children who have had vaccine damage.

Your child is probably sensitive to vaccinations. Treat them carefully. Read the books. Decide on what vaccines can be postponed till later or may be even not done and space them all apart.

Do not take this lightly. Vaccine damage may be not so easy to repair.

Best wishes,
M..

M. Rosen, CHom
Certified Homeopath
http://www.masharosen.com
###-###-####

840 Hinckley Road, Suite 110
Burlingame, CA 94010

999 Commercial Drive, Suite 101
Palo Alto, CA 94303

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S.R.

answers from Sacramento on

This link is to generationrescue.com and it has great information on delaying, spacing out or not continuing with vaccinations. Also, supplementation if you do vaccinate. Also, you should remember to report your daughters side effect on http://vaers.hhs.gov/

http://www.generationrescue.org/vaccines.html

Good Luck and please listen to your gut.

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D.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Plus 1 for listening to Helen D.

-D.

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H.J.

answers from San Francisco on

I would get the Dr. Sears The Vaccine Book & read that. Also, there is lots of info at http://www.drsears.com . Beyond that, we did tons and tons of research & chose not to vaccinate, so I can't help much more.

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J.N.

answers from San Francisco on

I liked the Dr. Sears book on vaccines. It explains every vaccine, lists its ingredients and offers a well-researched and logical alternative schedule.
Good luck with your decision!

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C.M.

answers from Salinas on

i would visit the forums on mothering.com ...the moms on the message boards about vaccines have a lot of knowledge regarding this and can point you to some good resources. i'm sorry that happened to your baby.

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K.H.

answers from San Francisco on

I understand your concerns. I have two children of my own who have had some but not all of the vaccinations. They are school age now and it is not a problemm with the schools that they have not had them all, which surprised me. Here are some links we and others have found useful on the subject:

http://www.vaccinationdebate.com/index.htm

http://www.nmaseminars.com/index.html

http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller15.html

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R.B.

answers from Chico on

Dr. Jay Gordon (www.drjaygordon.com) has a great video on vaccines. It's the most balanced vaccine resource I've seen. I like Sears vaccine book too but this video did the best job of answering my questions in a clear and concise way. Not everyone likes Dr. Gordon because he tends to be in favor of things that are sometimes controversial (I.e. Co-sleeping, slow and judicious vaccinating). That said, his work has really helped my family in making these tough decisions. Good luck!

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K.V.

answers from San Francisco on

A friednd f mine used to put a numbing agent on her kids before vaccinating. I can't remember what it's called but she got it at the drug store. The only issue w/this is you have to know what spot on the body they're going to inject & then apply it a 1/2 hour or so before the vaccines.

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M.B.

answers from Sacramento on

I don't blame you for being nervous about continuing with her vaccinations. Especially since she seemed to have an adverse reaction. A friend (she will most likely respond to you on this site as well) turned me onto Dr. Sears' Alternative Vaccine Schedule which I am trying to do for my baby. Check out the website and look at some information on it. Good luck. http://www.askdrsears.com/default.asp

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P.C.

answers from San Francisco on

Go with your gut...here are some resources I have found useful:

National Vaccine Information Center (also suggested by someone else)
http://www.nvic.org/

Dr. Mercola has a variety of articles on vaccines, this one is on alternate vaccine schedules, I think you'll find it very helpful (there's a link to the second part of the article at the end of the page referenced here):
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/1...

The holistics moms network
http://www.holisticmoms.org/

As you probably know, vaccinations spark quite a lot of emotions. The decision for your baby girl is YOURS. It's OK to wait. Keep researching and asking questions until you know what is right for her and for you.

Good luck!

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H.D.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi, Jessica,

The book "What your Doctor may not tell you about Childrens's Vaccinations" by Stephanie Cave addresses an alternative immunization schedule. About one shot every month starting at age 2 months. Separate MMR into 3 parts, which will take 3 months.

It takes awhile, but we just finished my son's shots for Kinder (he is 5) and my daughter is up to almost current for age 2, and turns 2 in July. Kaiser will do this schedule, but just be good about going in regularly to get shots!

No adverse effects for either of my kids, thank goodness. Good luck to you.

H.

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W.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Please don't give Tylonal with Vaccines, Google it..... there has been research done that shows that that Tylonal actually can make a reaction worse in kids who are predisposed to Vaccine injury. If you are going to vaccinate, give Advil or Ibuprofin. But......

I would join a yahoo group or somehow get connected with other mom's of kids who have had bad reactions to Vaccines. If it were up to me, I would put off any more vaccines till she's past 2.5. But that's me, there is a lot of debate and questions about vaccine safety. When I hear about a scary vaccine reaction, I can't help but to think of all the stories of mom's with kids who have autism, who's babies had bad reactions to vaccine and later developed Autism. My oldest son has Autism, and although not thinking about it at the time, I didn't think about his vaccines at all, he did have some bad reactions, and I just went on vaccinating him. My other two sons are not vaccinated, and are perfectly fine. You are going to have to do what your comfortable with, but my advice, research, research, research, and find out what other parents did. Good luck!

W.

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K.A.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi Jessica,

I believe that your "mothers instinct" is right. You knew that something was wrong the last time you vaccinated your daughter. I will not vaccinate my 1 year old son. I feel that the risks of vaccinating out weigh the benefits by far. By not vaccinating, your daughters immune system will be much stronger. I don't want to lecture or go on and on about it (because I could :)) I just wanted to give you some good websites to get information from. I feel everyone should educate before you vaccinate.

Here are some great websites: National Vaccine Information Center: www.nvic.org
Another one:
http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm

When I was pregnant, I went on to YouTube and just typed "vaccines". Tons of videos came up showing video clips of children who died from vaccines. There were also news station clips showing story after story about babies and children that had died or been permenantly injured by the vaccines.

Your gut told you something...listen to it. Mothers instincts are always right! Research the side effects, then decide what schedule, if any, you want to do. If you ever need to talk about it, please do not hesitate to contact me. Take care!

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S.R.

answers from San Francisco on

Jessica,

Your doctor is giving you the right advice. Do the shots one at a time and space them out. Of all the vaccines, DTaP and MMR are the most important. The Bay Area has had several pertussis (whooping cough) outbreaks over the last few years, one of which caused a school to be closed down. There was a measles outbreak in San Diego last year. Both these diseases are serious and your toddler can die or have permanent damage.

There is some good and some really terrible advice on the web. Do you really want to get advice from Jenny McCarthy who has regular Botox shots and takes "bioindentical" hormones?

Immunizations have saved millions of lives and are the safest medicines. Studies based on millions of children have shown no association with autism. The antivaccine sites referenced below are based on bad science and small studies.

For example, breastfeeding and good nutrition will NOT protect your baby girl against polio. Polio is endemic in 6 countries now and has a long incubation period...exposure to polio now or in the future is quite possible.

Take a deep breath and look at all sources before making a decision. Your child deserves to be protected from deadly vaccine-preventable diseases.

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G.D.

answers from Modesto on

Please checkout www.generationrescue.org and check out my blog so you can read my story!!!

P.S. Willow is right NO TYLENOL...it is a bad combination... Use Motrin if you must!!!

Love, G.. :0)
http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

"I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin." ~ Jerry Newport

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