1. Back to the Beginning
Have you ever wondered where vaccinations began? I did when I was thinking about it one day, and contemplating the logic of the concept of intentionally putting something into your body that you are hoping to avoid contracting. And since I was pretty much couch-ridden with morning sickness at the time, I had nothing better to do than look it up! The story that I unraveled about the first vaccination (against smallpox) was disturbing to me. The nutshell version is about a doctor, Edward Jenner, who decided to act on local superstition and experiment with the concept of inoculation. He used the pus from the sores of cowpox to inoculate people for smallpox, the only connection being the use of 'pox' in both names. Though inoculation was not a brand new idea, the upper classes had been doing it for quite some time after it was made popular by royalty. The problem was, however, that it wasn't working.
After grave consideration and more than a few protestations of horror, the Royal children and Lady Mary’s daughter were inoculated. Just as royalty and the famous set the fashion today so they did in the 1700s and the idea of inoculation spread among the upper classes. Then two people died: a young servant in a Lord’s household and the small son of the Earl of Sutherland. The church deplored the intervention in God’s will, physicians deplored the influence of “ignorant women” and the public deplored the spread of the disease.
Inoculation was not, of course, a cure or preventative for smallpox as it usually induced an active case of the disease. Unfortunately, there are no records of how many people were inoculated, how many developed smallpox as a result, or how many did not. The trouble was that inoculated people were fully contagious during their brief illness so that they could, and did, start epidemics. Dr. Lettsom, writing in 1806, tells us that whereas smallpox deaths for 42 years before inoculation were 72 per thousand, there were 89 per thousand in the 42 years after its introduction. Furthermore, conscientious physicians could see the connection between inoculation and the increased incidence of worse diseases than smallpox, such as syphilis, tuberculosis and erysipelas.However, it appears that Jenner's version of vaccination didn't work as well as he promoted it. After claiming that anyone who was inoculated with cowpox was virtually invincible, he had to look for a new idea when he was informed of his vaccinated patients who were indeed contracting smallpox. And so, through a bizarre rationalization, he concluded that pus of infected horse's heels (called 'grease') was where cowpox came from, that it logically followed that it could also be used for smallpox inoculations. Needing to promote his vaccinations, Jenner petitioned the House of Commons for money. Parliament eventually granted his request, and thus began vaccination campaigns. As the popularity of inoculation grew, it also became apparent that the vaccinated were still contracting smallpox.
When the vaccinated caught the disease and died, they had to come up with another explanation. Re-naming the disease did the trick “” they didn’t die of smallpox, they died of the re-named disease: spurious cowpox
Despite increasing evidence that vaccination with cowpox pus did not prevent smallpox, the practice continued. Physicians, for the first time, attended the healthy; 100% of their catchment areas could now be treated instead of the 10% who had contracted smallpox. As Dr. Hadwen so aptly remarked in 1896, “What Jenner discovered, though hardly original in its general principle, was that it pays far better to scare 100% of the fools in the world “” the vast majority “” into buying vaccine than it does to treat the small minority who really get smallpox and who cannot afford to pay anything. It was indeed a very great discovery “” worth thousands of millions. That is why this kind of blackmail is still kept going." Over a century later his words still ring true.To keep this post from taking all day to read, I'll conclude this section by saying that illness and death did continue to occur, even increase, as vaccinations grew in popularity. The deaths of those who had been inoculated were commonly recorded as having died from a re-named disease. I have read quite a bit about the origins of immunizations, but THIS ARTICLE seems to be the most thorough in its presentation, and covers all the different aspects. It is the piece that I quoted, and I would highly recommend taking the time to read the whole thing - it's so interesting!! Well...I thought it was, anyway. lol
2. God Already Thought of That
The idea of creating immunity to diseases seems like it would be a good one - except that God already thought of it and provided us with the necessary means for our bodies to naturally build immunity. In fact, our bodies are designed for protecting themselves through a function called the immune system. Handy! The Lord designed us with a way for our bodies to fight off infections and diseases. Every day our systems are bombarded with countless germs and yuckiness that we aren't even aware, as our immune systems ward them off to keep us healthy. When a child or adult gets a disease naturally, the virus or bacteria travels through the nose or mouth into the lungs and into the circulatory and lymphatic systems, providing antibody and cellular protection. In contrast, when concentrated pathogenic microorganisms are injected directly into the body, they bypass the natural defense system and disease sets in. This challenges the immune system, and immunity is often short-lived. THIS article discusses the difference between natural immunity and vaccinated immunity.
Most disease-causing organisms enter your body through the mucous membranes of your nose, mouth, pulmonary system or your digestive tract – NOT through an injection.
These mucous membranes have their own immune system, called the IgA immune system. It is a different system from the one activated when a vaccine is injected into your body. Your IgA immune system is your body's first line of defense. Its job is to fight off invading organisms at their entry points, reducing or even eliminating the need for activation of your body's immune system.
However, when a virus is injected into your body in a vaccine, and especially when combined with an immune adjuvant, your IgA immune system is bypassed and your body's immune system kicks into high gear in response to the vaccination. Adjuvants can trigger unwanted immune responses, as they can cause your immune system to overreact to the introduction of the organism you're being vaccinated against.It then goes on to say that naturally acquired immunity is often permanent, and you are protected for life.
According to Barbara Loe Fisher, president and co-founder of the National Vaccine Information Center:
"Vaccines are supposed to fool your body's immune system into producing antibodies to resist viral and bacterial infection in the same way that actually having the disease usually produces immunity to future infection.We choose to believe that Lord's method for immunity is the perfect blend of safety and efficacy, when our bodies are healthy and receiving the nutrition that they require, and the questionable success and origin of man-made immunity just don't seem worth the risk.
But vaccines atypically introduce into the human body lab altered live viruses and killed bacteria along with chemicals, metals, drugs and other additives such as formaldehyde, aluminum, mercury, monosodium glutamate, sodium phosphate, phenoxyethanol, gelatin, sulfites, yeast protein, antibiotics as well as unknown amounts of RNA and DNA from animal and human cell tissue cultures.
Whereas natural recovery from many infectious diseases usually stimulates lifetime immunity, vaccines only provide temporary protection and most vaccines require "booster" doses to extend vaccine-induced artificial immunity.
The fact that manmade vaccines cannot replicate the body's natural experience with the disease is one of the key points of contention between those who insist that mankind cannot live without mass use of multiple vaccines and those who believe that mankind's biological integrity will be severely compromised by their continued use."
So, is it really better to protect children against all infectious diseases early in life through inferior temporary immunity from vaccines? Wouldn't it be better for the majority of healthy children to experience certain contagious infections in childhood, especially if they are usually mild like chicken pox, and allow them to get more robust, longer lasting immunity?
Another important question, from a vaccine policy standpoint, is whether or not vaccine complications ultimately cause more chronic illness and death than the infectious diseases do. Unfortunately, such investigations have not been done, but again, there is growing evidence that too much vaccination is leading to a deterioration in health in growing numbers of children and adults, who were otherwise healthy prior to receiving one or many different vaccines.
3. Dangerous Content
At the core of all of these different points lies the issue of what are in the vaccinations. The argument is often made that vaccinations contain dead viruses and that they can't actually harm you. First, we found that some vaccinations indeed are made with dead viruses, and some are not. Interestingly, I found that even the vaccinations that contain dead viruses can not guarantee that a living microorganism did not survive the process and indeed be present in the vaccine. But aside from that, the rest of the ingredients seem to be a list of toxins and poisons. I know I would not willfully ingest any of it, and I can not justify to myself how it would be a good idea to inject those harmful substances directly into my innocent child's bloodstream. I came across this list from the CDC of all of the ingredients of the current vaccinations. Give it a look! Yikes! I find it incredible that there are warning labels on the containers of products containing formaldehyde, such as wood glue and laundry detergent for example, and yet we are being fed the story that vaccinations containing it are not only safe, but beneficial to our health! Heaven help me, I just can't find the logic in that. And that is just one of the many toxic ingredients on that list. Some of the things that I have read asserted that while they may contain these harmful ingredients, that the amounts were safe levels. I would love to think that that is true. However, I am convinced of the opposite, mostly because of what I found when researching whether or not there was a link between immunizations and disease. But that's my next point, so let's move on...
4. Link to Autism, Cancer and Other Diseases
Contrary to what we are commonly told, there is an increasing link between vaccinations and diseases - such as autoimmune diseases, neurological damage, cancer, diabetes and more. The Autism Society reports some frightening STATISTICS on their website. It is the fastest growing disability, to a point it appears to an epidemic all it's own. As of now, 1 in 88 children have Autism. And cancer - why is cancer continuing to be on the rise? Could the number of cancer cases not be considered epidemic? I do not see a healthier society due to vaccinations. I see entirely new epidemics that have been created, or at least encouraged to grow, as our society has been coerced into believing that immunizations will not only save lives, but that they actually brought an end to illnesses that were already severely declining as society learned more about sanitation. I realize that this post is getting ridiculously long, so I'll just give you some of the material that I have and you can read them on your own, or use them as a jumping off point. Here are a few of the articles that I had saved on my computer that discuss the different links. Granted, they are just the tip of the iceberg, but at least you get an idea!
Juvenile Diabetes
Neurological Damage
Vaccinations and Autism
Contaminated Vaccine
A Page with Many Articles on the Topic
3 Truths About Vaccines and Cancer
5. Monetary Incentive
The decision to avoid vaccinations is not a popular one, indeed it is highly criticized, and not one that we took lightly. But there were just certain thoughts that we found very compelling - such as the question "what do the doctors who oppose vaccinations have to gain? ...and what do the doctors who promote them have to gain?" hmmm. Neither Bryce nor I think that all doctors who believe in vaccinating are out to harm everyone or are only in it for the money. I know that many many well-intentioned individuals have been taught that immunizations are in the best interest of their patients, however certainly there are those who recognize the benefit. Also, there is the sickening reality that as more and more vaccinations are created, more poor-health consequences arise, resulting in the need for more research and vaccines - which coincidentally means more money for the federal health agencies. ...When the sordid significance of that sentence finally sinks in, the conclusion you come to is disturbing, isn't it?! The National Vaccination Information Center writes:
NVIC Calls For Government Funding of Independent Researchers - Although more than $1 billion dollars is appropriated by Congress to federal health agencies every year to develop, purchase and promote the mass use of vaccines by American children, none of that money is used to fund independent vaccine researchers to investigate vaccine-associated health problems like diabetes. In fact, reputable researchers outside of government like Dr. Classen, who want to do vaccine adverse event research, are not given government grants to do that kind of research.
The National Vaccine Information Center maintains that there is an inherent conflict of interest in allowing the same health officials in federal agencies responsible for researching, developing, regulating, making national policy for and promoting vaccines to also be in control of monitoring vaccine reactions and evaluating health problems associated with vaccines. There is a similar conflict of interest in relying solely on scientific data supplied by drug companies, who make and sell vaccines for a profit, to license vaccines safe for use by the public without corroborating independent scientific data about the vaccine's safety.
"Health officials in federal agencies have no accountability to anyone when it comes to setting priorities for how our tax dollars are used when it comes to vaccine research," said NVIC president and co-founder Barbara Loe Fisher. "They can choose to do whatever they want to do with the money they get from Congress. And they choose to ignore the mounting evidence that vaccines are playing a role in the current epidemic of chronic disease, such as diabetes, in our society. Instead, our tax money is used to create more vaccines to add to the mandatory vaccination schedule for our children. There have never been and there are no plans to fund large independent studies to back-up the scientific validity of the government's current vaccine policies and independently confirm they are safe."Again, that is not to say that all doctors are evil money-grabbers. But the monetary benefits of promoting vaccinations have certainly had an impact on the mindset of Western Medicine.
6. Links and Conclusion
There are many things I wish I had the time or space to add to this list, but I think there is enough in this post for now. lol Perhaps I should do a part 2 later with our other reasons! Such as how parents are being in essence backed into a corner and either forced to vaccinate or given grief for their choice to not. It is truly frightening how we are forced to justify a decision that should be solely left to parents as the government attempts to usurp parental authority over what goes into our children. ...ok, I'll save this soapbox for another day, I promise. lol In the meantime here are some more links that you might find interesting to look through. All of the links I have provided in this post impacted our decision to keep Josiah (and ourselves, actually) vaccination-free. If our immune systems are running strongly and doing what they are designed to do through proper health and nutrition, then there should be no reason that our bodies can not build immunity the way the Lord intended. Also, lately we have begun learning about the amazing benefits of using essential oils to aid whatever ailments arise. It is truly incredible the way that the Lord has made provision in His creation for whatever needs we have. :) I would highly recommend checking into them- you won't regret it!
There are a couple of websites that I came across during all of my research that I found to be the most helpful and informative. The first one has a plethora of articles written by medical doctors on every imaginable aspect of immunizations. I'm also including a few more random articles that you might find interesting. Here are the links:
International Medical Council on Vaccination
ThinkTwice Global Vaccine Institute
One Mom's Story
Vaccines Did Not Save Us
IMR and Vaccines
IMR regressed against Vaccinations
We realize that this is a very touchy subject to discuss, and a very personal decision to make, so we hope that you were not offended or defensive while reading this post. There is so much information out there that defends both sides, and in the end it comes down to choosing which side you are going to believe. Hopefully you can now see our reasoning in the decision we made.
~Ally (and Bryce)
