Childhood Vaccinations – Necessary or Overkill?

What irony. and It seems we have people who promote homeopathy, yet reject vaccination. But, in my opinion, vaccination fits the definition of homeopathy, and it may be the only homeopathy-like method that actually works.Vaccination is a means of getting the body's natural defenses to work for you. It seems to me that those who favor natural approaches to medicine ought to be strong supporters of vaccination.

---

Just say no to McCain 2008; he abandoned principle when he caved on habeus corpus

The evidence supporting vaccination is incontrovertible.Sure, the natural immunity that derives from actually getting the disease might be even more effective than the induced immunity from vaccination. Perhaps vaccination is not important for mild diseases. Maybe the chicken pox party was a better idea. But for diseases that possibly can have serious complications, vaccinations are to be valued.I had measles as a child. Fortunately, there was no permanent damage. But it is a risky disease. I also had chicken pox, and that was a much milder disease even though I had an unusually severe case of it. There was a time when people would try to have their children get infected with chicken pox and German measles (rubella), because of the immunity that conferred. But I don't recall people ever suggesting deliberate infection with measles - the disease is too risky for that.I grew up at a time when polio was a concern. At that time, it was called "infantile paralysis." Many suffered. The Salk polio vaccine stopped the epidemic in its tracks. I'm not sure how anyone could deny the value of such vaccination.

I disagree with this way of looking at it.What your analysis ignores, is that the reason there is no factual risk of exposure to contagion is that most of your neighbors have vaccinated their children. The low risk of exposure is a benefit you receive from the society. Don't you have an implied obligation to contribute your share of providing this benefit by vaccinating your children? For tetanus, your assessment might be correct. For mumps the risk might not be too bad either, as it is not very infectious. However, there have been recent outbreaks of mumps at several midwestern universities, so even the widespread use of vaccination may not be a complete protection.Measles and chicken pox are more highly infectious. If it were not for the widespread use of vaccination by your neighbors it would be difficult to avoid infection. And measles is a dangerous enough disease that you would want protection.

---

Just say no to McCain 2008; he abandoned principle when he caved on habeus corpus

I'm not sure what you mean by "improved testing." Keep in mind that some of these diseases are highly contagious before there are any noticable symptoms. Are you proposing daily blood tests for everybody, so you can get an early warning before the symptoms show?As for containment, sure I agree with that. At present, mass vaccination is our most effective method of containment. Since you are arguing for containment as an alternative to mass vaccination, it is up to you to suggest an alternative containment method.

---

Just say no to McCain 2008; he abandoned principle when he caved on habeus corpus

That was probably a reaction to the smallpox vaccination. That's the worst one I have ever had. They don't routinely vaccinate against smallpox anymore, now that the virus has been eliminated in the wild.

---

Just say no to McCain 2008; he abandoned principle when he caved on habeus corpus

Every unvaccinated child is a potential carrier of measles. How often will you test them? That's too late. And I don't just mean too late for that person. By the time a child has symptoms of measles, he/she has already spread the disease to quite a few others. When in high school, my daughter attended the Interlochen music camp during the summer. One year, chicken pox spread. As soon as somebody came down with chicken pox, they were taken to the infirmary and isolated from the rest of the campers. That didn't prevent my daughter from coming down with chicken pox at the last week of the camp.Quarantine won't work for fast spreading diseases like chicken pox and measles, unless you also do a preventative quarantine of all of the likely contacts.

---

Just say no to McCain 2008; he abandoned principle when he caved on habeus corpus

For those who missed the allusion, here are a couple of links:
Mary Mallon - Wikipedia
Leper colony - Wikipedia

---

Just say no to McCain 2008; he abandoned principle when he caved on habeus corpus

I don't know if there are quick tests for measles. If a test takes a couple of days, that would be too slow.Suppose we instituted a regime of testing and quarantine such as you suggest. But let's assume that those with documented vaccination certificates are exempt from the testing and quarantine. I expect the result would be that there would be less controversy over vaccination. People would happily have their children vaccinated to avoid the more intrusive testing and potential quarantine.

---

Just say no to McCain 2008; he abandoned principle when he caved on habeus corpus

I'm not sure how you avoid processed foods. Just about everything goes through some sort of processing.I'll just add a note on personal experience.Since childhood, it has been my view that nature generally knows what it is doing. So I have tended to minimize medical intervention, except when really needed. I keep antibiotic use to the infrequent occasions when they really are needed (a strep throat, for example).I have never seen a problem with vaccinations. I don't understand why you would be worried by them. Vaccination is the way we give our immune systems the information they need to protect us from pathogens that are likely to be a problem. It seems to me that vaccination is much closer to a natural method, than is getting the disease and then taking drugs.Okay so, after all that, I am now a pill popper. I'm currently at 4 pills per day. It turns out that as you get older, what nature wants to do is help you into the grave. I have run-away hypertension that could not be controlled with diet and exercise alone. And I have an overactive digestive system. Without the pills I would probably be deaf (due to tinnitus caused by high blood pressure), I would be under a high risk of stroke and perhaps also be heading toward congestive heart failure. And I would have problems with the corrosive effects of gastro esophagal reflux possibly increasing the risk of throat cancer.

---

Just say no to McCain 2008; he abandoned principle when he caved on habeus corpus

Wow!That link shows graphs, purportedly from Australia. What is it about Australia that you think fits with "do not focus highly on western medicine?" Moreover, that web page is clearly designed to push an agenda (and anti-vaccine agenda). It does not mention the effects of antibiotics, which became available at the time deaths were decreasing. The antibiotics are likely the major factor in the decline of scarlet fever. As I recall, there was a brief increase in typhoid during the 50s, due to contaminated copra, but I can't see any sign of that in the graph. Mixing typhoid and scarlet fever with polio and diphtheria on the same graph would only be done if it is intended to mislead. And that web page is from the same web site as another page that you admit "might be a bit over the top."Just because you are an evangelical Christian, it doesn't follow that you have to be foolishly gullible and fall for all of the bogus medical advice that is being peddled on Christian radio.Sigh!

---

Just say no to McCain 2008; he abandoned principle when he caved on habeus corpus

Just because the "diet supplement" industry doesn't tell you about side effects for the remedies they are pushing, it doesn't follow that there are no side effects. I'm all for using nature to do the healing where possible. But why would you need to consult a naturopath? And what's natural about taking some obscure herb that is not part of a natural human diet? It seems to me that you are still using a drug. All you have done is chosen to use one drug instead of another. And the chances are that the so-called "natural" remedy is ineffective (apart from the placebo effect). I don't know where you get your ideas about alternative medicine. I do know that when I tune into a Christian radio station in this area, the program is as likely to be peddling phony remedies as it is to be giving a religious message. And most of what I hear being peddled is phony.Now let's return this thread to vaccinations.

---

Just say no to McCain 2008; he abandoned principle when he caved on habeus corpus

Here is an alternative explanation that is being offered. To be fair to Buzsaw's source, this is more recent that the source web page so the author of that page might well have been unaware of the research going on.

---

Just say no to McCain 2008; he abandoned principle when he caved on habeus corpus