Natural food better than vaccinations?

ninerbuff

I do believe there are natural dietary cures to many sicknesses, as well as them being largely preventable via diet and lifestyle- not all, but some. I don't believe we can compare our current times to anything "before"- we have many more environmental stresses (pollution, dietary, and otherwise) but we also have advanced as far as environmental protections (housing, food availabilty, sanitary conditions). Are we comparing to the grassland days? Early 1900s? I don't think there is a way to. I research vaccines all the time, I research medical articles all the time. I try to read on both sides. From what I've read I personally don't trust Pharmaceutical companies ingredients- I believe these may cause the seizures my friends baby has. I also don't trust mainstream media to go against a major corporate sponsor to report what may actually be happening- can't blame them, $$$ talks right? I most likely will not vaccinate, i will definitely not vaccinate with the current 20 shots before 2 plan- that's more than anyone could handle! I am perfectly aware that should I ever have kids, I will probably have to homeschool or do another type program. I don't want my kids going to school as I believe there may be a chance that some strains of viruses will become the dreaded "super bug" for lack of a better term and in general I believe enclosing people in too small of a space with a sedentary lifestyle and circulated air is neither a good teaching environment nor healthy. Also as a former school teacher, I don't believe that anyone at a school has the right to force a vaccination for admission, nor is this the best use of BILLIONS of dollars. Our country has long since stood behind our rights to education, our rights to control our bodies, our right to raise our children as we feel fit. Are we going to let vaccination become the new "segregation?" Listen to how some of you are speaking- kinda sounds like it right? Overall I believe that the power that made our body, heals our body. Call it science/nature, call it God... I don't care. We heal from within when our bodies and minds are right. You all take care of yourselves and love those babies (vaccinated or not!)!

Good point of view. I would still say that our bodies can't fight off everything especially children or mortality rates for children who contract measles, mumps, whooping cough, etc. would be non existent. They are existent and that's why it is in our best interest to be sure we do what we can to limit any spreading or children being exposed.

Dkenny74

So this morning while driving my wife to the airport, I was listening to a topic on vaccinations and how some people who are adamant that vaccinations have cause more issues with illness (like Autism) and that natural foods can cure such diseases as whooping cough. One female stated that vaccinations are nothing more than a way for the Pharmacy companies to make big money. And her stance was that if vaccinations would be banned that we would have cured diseases by eating natural foods.
Now while I will agree that GREAT nutrition can help with boosting the immune system, I will emphatically disagree that the approach that eating natural foods will protect any child from diseases like measles, mumps, whooping cough, etc.

Thoughts?

I agree with you. The anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists are loonies and I pray to god that none of their kids will be in the same class with mine once I have any. Sorry for the strong words but I feel strongly about public health. Now, I don't believe in silly flu vaccines for normally healthy young people. But the basics, like mumps, measles, typhoid, etc - necessary, especially with the high rate of international travel these days.

Several children in California have died from pertussis (whooping cough) who where to young to get vaccinated this year. They should have been protected by heard immunity. In the county with the second highest rate in the state, Marin. It is trendy to skip vaccinations. If my child where to get ill and die because of others stupidity, I would have more than strong words.

servilia

So this morning while driving my wife to the airport, I was listening to a topic on vaccinations and how some people who are adamant that vaccinations have cause more issues with illness (like Autism) and that natural foods can cure such diseases as whooping cough. One female stated that vaccinations are nothing more than a way for the Pharmacy companies to make big money. And her stance was that if vaccinations would be banned that we would have cured diseases by eating natural foods.
Now while I will agree that GREAT nutrition can help with boosting the immune system, I will emphatically disagree that the approach that eating natural foods will protect any child from diseases like measles, mumps, whooping cough, etc.

Thoughts?

I agree with you. The anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists are loonies and I pray to god that none of their kids will be in the same class with mine once I have any. Sorry for the strong words but I feel strongly about public health. Now, I don't believe in silly flu vaccines for normally healthy young people. But the basics, like mumps, measles, typhoid, etc - necessary, especially with the high rate of international travel these days.

Several children in California have died from pertussis (whooping cough) who where to young to get vaccinated this year. They should have been protected by heard immunity. In the county with the second highest rate in the state, Marin. It is trendy to skip vaccinations. If my child where to get ill and die because of others stupidity, I would have more than strong words.

Wow. My point exactly. There is no logical or rational reason why children in the developed world should be dying from these diseases.

HannahPastoor

I did not read all the posts but here is my take on vaccinations -

I have not got them since I was 17 (2 and a half years)....I had to get about 5 because my parents were adopting and I lived at home. (it was required)...About 30 minutes after getting them I passed out. Badly. I had passed out before, but not this bad. I stopped breathing, threw up (while out) and basically had a seizure like reaction. For the next three months I was extremely dizzy. I could barely walk without holding onto something. I pretty much sat on the couch or laid in bed for that time....I still get dizzy from time to time, where I had never/rarely had before. I never had depression or anxiety before I got them. Now I suffer every. single. day. I get sick more easily and my colds last longer.

I will never get another vaccination if I can help it. My children will only get the ones that I think are most important and ONLY after I do a ton of research about them.

Also - My best friend when I was a kid was perfectly fine/normal until she was about 5. She went in to get shots and the doctor said she was behind and that it would be safe for her to get them all at the same time. Her mom trusted the doctor and got them. Shortly after she started noticing changes. Eventually she was diagnosed as autistic....Everyone believes it was either the shots or the amount of shots that caused it...

ETA - Before you freak out - I plan on homeschooling my children so YOURS will be "safe". Also, if my (mature only) children ever decide the want them they can go ahead and get them.

servilia

Anna it's unfortunate you had that reaction. It was most likely due to negligence of the doctor in giving you too many at once and not a result of having a vaccine fullstop. You should look into finding a lawyer and get some restitution. Same goes for your best friend.
However, arguing against vaccines in general because of stupid doctors is like saying cars should be banned because there are some stupid drivers. Again I'm sorry about what happened in your case.

ninerbuff

Cases like that are good argumentation for being anti vaccination, but IMO it's never always going to be perfect. Sorry for your experience.

Dkenny74

People having kids today where not alive to witness the effects of polio on our population. If they where, there is no way they would go without vaccines. I fear what it will take to snap people out of this foolishness. If there ever is a major outbreak because our populations herd immunity is diminished by the anti vaccine crowd. Things will get pretty contentious between the vaccinated and non-vaccinated.

melholden10

I do believe there are natural dietary cures to many sicknesses, as well as them being largely preventable via diet and lifestyle- not all, but some. I don't believe we can compare our current times to anything "before"- we have many more environmental stresses (pollution, dietary, and otherwise) but we also have advanced as far as environmental protections (housing, food availabilty, sanitary conditions). Are we comparing to the grassland days? Early 1900s? I don't think there is a way to. I research vaccines all the time, I research medical articles all the time. I try to read on both sides. From what I've read I personally don't trust Pharmaceutical companies ingredients- I believe these may cause the seizures my friends baby has. I also don't trust mainstream media to go against a major corporate sponsor to report what may actually be happening- can't blame them, $$$ talks right? I most likely will not vaccinate, i will definitely not vaccinate with the current 20 shots before 2 plan- that's more than anyone could handle! I am perfectly aware that should I ever have kids, I will probably have to homeschool or do another type program. I don't want my kids going to school as I believe there may be a chance that some strains of viruses will become the dreaded "super bug" for lack of a better term and in general I believe enclosing people in too small of a space with a sedentary lifestyle and circulated air is neither a good teaching environment nor healthy. Also as a former school teacher, I don't believe that anyone at a school has the right to force a vaccination for admission, nor is this the best use of BILLIONS of dollars. Our country has long since stood behind our rights to education, our rights to control our bodies, our right to raise our children as we feel fit. Are we going to let vaccination become the new "segregation?" Listen to how some of you are speaking- kinda sounds like it right? Overall I believe that the power that made our body, heals our body. Call it science/nature, call it God... I don't care. We heal from within when our bodies and minds are right. You all take care of yourselves and love those babies (vaccinated or not!)!

you realise vaccines don't create superbugs. With bacteria like MRSA it was created through over and improper use of antibiotics.

MJStory

I was brought up in an era when there essentially were no vaccines. Little was known about "childhood diseases", which adults got, as well as children.

MJStory

I was brought up in an era when there essentially were no vaccines. Little was known about "childhood diseases", which adults got, as well as children. Both of my older siblings got mumps while my mom was pregnant with twins; my mom blamed their being stillborn on her having an active case of mumps near delivery. An emergency Caesarian was necessary to keep my mom alive because one twin was transverse (crosswise, instead of head first). [Mumps doesn't cross the protective placenta, therefore it didn't cause my older twin brother & sister to die.] It was rH incompatability that caused their deaths, and several other pregnancies that followed: all 5 of us born alive out of my mom's 13 pregnancies are rH negative. Now, there's a shot that an rH neg. mother can receive after having an rH positive child as a protection from losing following PGs. They didn't know those things until 1966.

Smallpox immunization was the only one available to us when I was school age (was available since late 1800s and used cowpox scratches on an upper arm). In 3rd grade, I was participant in a double blind study for the first Salk Polio vaccine (injectible only); one of my friends was in the group that got the placebo injection, and he got Polio the following summer break & came back to school wearing a brace and walking with Canadian crutches; I had been in the group that got the real stuff. Back then, all we had was good handwashing & covering your cough so as not to spread cold, or any other germs. I got my 1st real series of immunizations in 1967, when I was 20 and in Nursing School; these immunizations (measles, mumps, & rubella) are still available, but that was the 1st year they were given to anyone (another double blind study? - don't know). When I was in nursing school, there was no vaccine for pertussis (whooping cough), so each hospitalized sick child with pertussis had to be in isolation, & bedside staff & visitors had to wear protective gear.

My children & I all got chickenpox at the same time - nursing school days had taught it like it was the same level of threat as any other ''childhood diseases'', but this one is one of the few airborne germs for others to inhale (requires an airborne isolation room), such as TB. Airborne means that the organism stays suspended in the air: not like a sneeze, where droplets go into the air & drop immediately to any surface, but actually hang out in the air for hours or days!!

I've had to continue with my immunizations & TB tests as an RN all these years because of my work. But now, all of our children & grandchildren show the product of poor eating habits with over-consumption of sweets & processed foods that have chemical addatives to give them a longer shelf life, as our soil becomes depleted of minerals, generations of being exposed to multiple immunizations, etc.

No one really knows what caused the autism... it could be that it just wasn't diagnosed in previous generations; many of those weren't diagnosed and they died because of ignorance - there were no treatments or diagnoses in those days; many people of aberrant psyche of any kind were put into institutions as late as the early 1960s, where they were mistreated & died; many of these could have been autistic instead of a known psychiatric diagnosis of the time. Now, everyone really has the right to live life as he/she wishes, so autistics live a life that allows them to marry & reproduce; the traits of autism might be a recessive gene (or combinationof genes?), so skips generations or is different in presenting symptoms from Grandma's or Grandpa's symptoms. THINK ABOUT IT!!

Pebble321

This is always going to be a controversial topic. I know that some people (children and adults) have a bad reaction to vaccines.
But I also know that some people (children and adults) die from diseases that would be prevented by vaccinations.
And I've worked with children who have very severe disabilities which came about from catching "common childhood diseases" like mumps or measles.
Given these factors, I'm in favour of vaccines unless you have a specific reason (not just scaremongering) to avoid them.
I'm all for healthy "natural" food but I don't think it is enough on it's own to stop diseases like polio, TB, measles, chicken pox etc.

cocolo89

ook... 1st of all, vaccines don't prevent common colds. Vaccinated/ un-vaccinated kid get colds, it has nothing to do with the fact that they are vaccinated. I read all of your comments thoroughly, and I am very sad to hear your infant had a terrible reaction to the HepB shot. That's a though thing to go through.But i was required to give my infant daughter the hepb vaccination within 24hrs of birth due to the fact that i contracted hepB at birth and was not given the shot, so now i have to live with it for the rest of my life. I need to do my job as a mother and make sure that none of my kids get the virus. She is now 15months old and recently we did tests on her to make sure she didn't get the virus, and behold, she is hepB free ) I am personally a firm believer in vaccines and will make sure to give my child all the vaccinations she needs. I did opt out of the chicken pox one because i feel it's better for her to get the actual virus and I am holding off on the MMR until she is 24months due to personal reasons. Other than that, she is up-to-date with everything else and is healthy as can be. She was breast-fed til 11months, has never had a fever, ear-infection and rarely gets sick. BEfore getting vaccines, i make sure i do my research and everytime i do my research, the good always out-weighs the bad. I have had ALL my vaccines (twice, because my mom lost our records and we had to re-take them all) so i know that my child will be completely safe from all preventable illnesses via vaccine in our house-hold. It's other people I have to worry about. The funny thing is, when we immigrated from Europe, we were required to get all vaccines before we entered the country. and it's funny to see that the people who were born here have the option to opt out. Just something to think about....

mrsmccullen07

Again I do apologize for the run on sentences and I do not understand why anyone would think I would come online to lie about my grades received in school.

I think I am going to back away from this thread I stand my ground for my children but I do not have to defend myself to a bunch of strangers I was just giving my thoughts and experiences in the hopes it would be beneficial to someone.

I do not think that vaccinations are right for everyone and if they are right for your family that is great but they are not the right choice for my family.

mrsmccullen07

My own experience: My child was exposed to another child who had the chicken pox and <<ewww> ring worm. I didn't know until it was too late and the parent admitted that the child was not vax'd. I thought, no sweat, my kid is fully vaccinated - right? Not 5 days later did she have, at first what I thought was mosquito bites... lo and behold - it was CP. Vaccinations will not "prevent", but will make the symptoms a lot less severe. A few days after that her big sister got them too but less severe than her sister. The younger one who was exposed to the chicken pox first was also exposed to right worm, and she got that on her forearms.
Now I get why you simply cannot vax your child due to his allergies. I have a friend who experienced the same. What I have a problem with is negligent parents with otherwise healthy children who don't.

I do not believe that a parent that has done research and chooses to not vaccinate is being negligent we are all allowed to do what we feel is best for our children and I do not think any parent should criticize or automatically assume a parent that doesn't do what they do is negligent. I would be willing to bet that parents that dont vaccinate have spents hours and hours researching vaccinations and most parents that do vaccinate have no clue what they are vaccinating their child with ... I am sorry but I have to believe that a parent that stays up long hours reading and researching about vaccinations has to be a loving parent and while their views are different from yours they are just as good a parent as your are !!

So you're saying that there is no such thing as a negligent parent because it makes you uncomfortable?
[/quote]

Oh I defintly believe that plenty are parents could be considered negligent however I do not believe it is right to automatically consider a non-vaccinating parent to be negligent. I personally do not vaccinate but I approach it responsibly. I am not pretending the chance for diseases does not exist and I still take my children in for well-child checkups and they are developing fine. I believe I am a wonderful mother!

mrsmccullen07

Are you up to date on your vaccinations ?
Will your child come into contact with any adult who is not up to date on vaccinations?


How would you feel as a parent if you were forced to breastfeed your child ? It has been proven over and over that breastmilk is best for babies however many parents choose to use formula. What if your insurance company made you pay more if you chose not to breastfeed ?

servilia

Cases like that are good argumentation for being anti vaccination, but IMO it's never always going to be perfect. Sorry for your experience.

I don't see how it's a good argument for being anti-vaccination. I too am sorry for her experience but in her case the problem was most likely the doctor giving too many vaccines at once. There are stupid drivers out there - is this a good argument for being anti-automobile? No.

servilia

Again I do apologize for the run on sentences and I do not understand why anyone would think I would come online to lie about my grades received in school.

I think I am going to back away from this thread I stand my ground for my children but I do not have to defend myself to a bunch of strangers I was just giving my thoughts and experiences in the hopes it would be beneficial to someone.

I do not think that vaccinations are right for everyone and if they are right for your family that is great but they are not the right choice for my family.

Except that your choices can affect the health of everyone else around including those not in your family. Do you realize that if immunity falls below a threshold in the population we can have pandemics of polio, german measles and all kinds of other goodies? ps thank you for writing more coherently.

mrsmccullen07

I do realize the risks associated with people choosing not to vaccinate. I have to worry about the safety of my children and in my case choosing to vaccinate could be worse on their health.

I am not anti-vaccine I am just pro-knowledge You need to know what you are injecting into your child and I believe that if you are personally conflicted about a vaccination then you should have the power to say "no".

I realize that noone attacked me over my choice not to vaccinate in a overly rude fashion I was mostly attacked for my sorry grammar and I plan to work on it. I am a fast thinker/talker and I tend to type in that manner and I apologize for that.

sunshineshica

I totally agree. I've never had the flu (knock on wood) and have never had a flu shot. I believe that working out or staying active helps your immune system. My brother that's in the military had to regularly get the flu shot and noticed that whenever he missed his flu shots he'd always get sick around that time but when he finally stopped getting the shots he didn't get sick. I'm not a big cough medicine person either. I do alot of home remedies...hottie totties, oj, vitamin C, cough drops or lozengers. I always feel like you get worse before you get better with cough medicine

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i just reread the some posts..now as far as my child having all his shots and vaccines for school I agree with this. Once he's out of school that's his choice. I haven't had a vaccine in I don't know how long. I think you should take care of your body and it'll take care of you.

ninerbuff

I don't see how it's a good argument for being anti-vaccination. I too am sorry for her experience but in her case the problem was most likely the doctor giving too many vaccines at once. There are stupid drivers out there - is this a good argument for being anti-automobile? No.

Let's face it, the medical industry in the US is on an in patient/out patient business. Gone are the days where your doctor did ALL your care. In fact it's not uncommon now to see 2 or 3 doctors because of their specialties now a days.
It's a valid argument. I don't agree with it, but it's still valid.