I was about to leave when I noticed your ‘local’ location i.e. Australia. Well, I couldn’t just leave then, could I??

For some reason, this phrase has been on my mind and it seems not entirely inappropriate here: Sausage factories produce sausages.

A metaphor perhaps for our education systems that produce people who are indoctrinated with certain belief systems, often without being aware of it.

I did a degree in Science and for many years lived and breathed its precepts. Despite the inner voice trying to tell me otherwise, I did what was recognized as the ‘right and responsible’ thing to do – have my children vaccinated and taken to the doctor when anything was awry. I also tended to look out for what was going wrong while ignoring the overwhelmingly greater number of things that were going right!!!

To question the system/s in which you are born, raised, schooled and employed often requires sheer daring-do and/or quite a bit of self-education. Fortunately, more and more people are finding one or the other and some both!

Lucy Lopezs last blog post..Bill Gates has an answer on happiness. But what is the question?

I stumbled upon your site and just felt responding was the responsible thing to do. First, and no offense to any Chiropractic-practicing individuals out there, but, you are in no way the best source when it comes to commenting on immunizations. Your education simply does not provide you with the knowledge needed to make such remarks. Clearly, there is lack of understanding when it comes to the immune system. Another thing, perhaps you have heard of herd immunity? If not, I would suggest you look it up. Herd immunity is the only thing that protects those few people who say, “I never got immunizations and I am ok.”

Also, if your going to say, “There is an increasing body of evidence showing that the side effects of vaccination are not only real, but serious. The information is there for those who choose to look for it,” then provide it as links on your posts.

Before the vaccine was invented, natural resistence did NOT take care of many serious diseases. For instance, smallpox was a serious problem before Edward Jenner. If the vaccine invented before the Europeans colonized America, the native populations would not have been devastated by diseases to which they had no immunity.

Now the smallpox virus is virtually extinct in nature, and diseases such as measles are on the decline, and WOULD be extinct if more parents vaccinated their kids so the germs would have no place to go.

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Thanks surgeon. Your comment would have more authenticity if you had supplied a name and URL. Thanks for your input.

Hi Reg. Good points. However polio was already declining before vaccines were introduced. So there is stuff on both sides. Did you watch the video? Food for thought. Basically, when any paternalistic group says we MUST do something for our own good, we owe it to ourselves to check it out and not just blindly follow. If vaccinated kids are so safe, they have nothing to fear from the unvaccinated ones. And everyone has a right to choose.

You’re right. I think the immunization thing has gone way too far. Yet governments are forcing people to get them still. :-p

I like your blog. I have herniated disks in my spine, so the interest in spine health is there for me. And I appreciate you visiting my blog and leaving your comments. It’s encouraging to me to read them!

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“If vaccinated kids are so safe, they have nothing to fear from the unvaccinated ones.”

But the unvaccinated ones have to fear each other, and not all disease is spread directly from person to person, and not all disease is confined to one community. If you have just one person in a community who is not vaccinated, they can still get the disease in question from someone outside the community, or from an an animal, or from something handled by said animal or outsider. If you have more than one person who is not vaccinated, they can of course trade diseases between each other.

As I said before, the effectiveness of vaccines is a matter of history. I’m surprised that the people in the video did not address this. The first vaccine, designed to protect against smallpox, has eradicated the disease in nature. Because it was the first, and because everybody stuck with it, the virus no longer exists in nature. Now that the smallpox virus is no more, they no longer vaccinate, because the risks outweigh finally outweigh the benefits. But again, that is ONLY because the virus is no more.

If anyone is interested, here is a counterpoint argument from MSN.

http://health.msn.com/kids-health/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100151215

Once again, thanks Reg. As we said in the article, it’s like talking religion. You have your views and we have ours. We are not academics or researchers, just expressing our opinions from our point of view. Glad to see some healthy debate.

I have 7 children, all not vaccinated. They had most of the childhood diseases and have natural immunity. That’s what disease is all about, it strengthens the immune system.
I am forever thankful that I studied long and hard and made an educated decision not to vaccinate, and my children are far healthier for it.

You’re welcome. Thanks for letting both sides on.

Reg Fifes last blog post..Nursing Home Application for TV Converter Boxes