Just a Little Prick

Ok.  Really?  Are you serious? 

I know that vaccinations are a controversial issue.  But there is currently enough research to cast more than a shadow of doubt on their effectiveness and safety in today’s America.  In America 20 and 30 years ago, vaccines were needed, healthy, the right choice.  They were the choice that most of our parents made, “thank goodness for vaccines!”  But today… not so much.

It’s been said that it takes a good 20 years for medical research to catch up.  We now know that there are risks associated with the once beloved vaccines we so routinely inject our children with.  More and more parents are becoming informed and making decisions on their own.  It is no longer “doctor knows best” as many doctors are too busy, whether by choice or not, to make truly informed decisions for our families.  And with drug companies lining Doc’s pockets, it’s hard to know who’s best interest your doctor has in mind anyway. (Note that I love my doctor and I trust his judgement… but I always verify what he says and explore the options… you should too!).

If only the health care industry would wake up and get informed too!

As ”Crunchy-Cons” (have you all heard this term?) Rick and I are choosing not to vaccinate Henry.  IF Henry is ever enrolled in a school, we will be signing the religious & philosophical reasons form that allows us not to vaccinate.  Thankfully we live in a state which allows this.  Some states don’t. 

But Saturday, I realized it’s not just schools and old fashioned relatives we’ll have to defend our choices to.  Rick and I applied for a new health insurance policy, and were accepted, but the company denied Henry because he is not “up to date on his immunizations.”  Should we decide to get him caught up, he will of course gladly be accepted.  So our choice here:  no insurance (with their company), or expose our son to health risks we are not willing to take.  Great. 

I’m so sick of the drug companies’ power in America.  I’m sick of the way our society has been brainwashed into thinking they just need a shot or a pill and all of their problems will be solved.  I’m sick of people/industry/media pressuring people into (or out of) decisions that don’t align with their family’s values.  I’m sick of getting the flu vaccine pushed on us (talk about a shot in the dark!).  I’m sick of people blindly trusting their doctor.  When will we wake up?  When will I have to stop fighting tooth and nail to live simply and naturally without medical interventions?  Why should I have to fight for things that are not only healthy, but FAR less expensive than the traditional medical model we’ve all followed for the last 30 years? 

My friend Genny blogged about this recently too: Controversy

Of course, I politely told RMHP where they could stick their coverage for Rick and I (forgive me here, I’m fired up, and no I didn’t use that phrase on the phone).  I will keep looking for a plan that at the very least has a rider that we can sign saying, if Henry ever contracted a disease that we did not vaccinate for, they would not cover it.  Which also makes me laugh… the statistics on kids who contract the diseases they were vaccinated against alone are alarming enough to make me never touch a vaccine!

In the meantime, here’s a little recommended reading for anyone interested (note that although I’ve included two interesting articles featuring Ron Paul, I’m not necessarily endorsing him, or even sure who or what party I’m voting for this November): 
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/10/31/flu.hm.flu.shot/
http://thinktwice.com/
http://www.vaccinerights.com/vaccinerefusalforms.html
http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/display.cfm?ID=20001118213614
http://www.planetc1.com/cgi-bin/n/v.cgi?c=1&id=1202334997
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/02/15/flu.season.ap/index.html#cnnSTCText
http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul66.html