Vaccination misinformation

I was quite surprised to receive the July edition on PARENTS magazine. One of the feature articles is entitled "The Worried Mom's Guide to Baby Vaccines." Vaccinations are such a hot topic right now so I was pleased to see that PARENTS took on this controversial subject, if not a little curious.

The article was written by Nancy Gottesman. Well, Nancy, you screwed it up. You fell for the trick that most 6th graders use when writing their first research paper--find facts that support your theory and throw the rest to the wind. In a mere page and a half, Nancy presents only one side of the issue and makes broad generalizations such as quoting Dr. Michael Orenstein regarding the strength of an infant's immune system: "However, the truth is that infants can respond to multiple vaccines..." Really? I don't think that has been proven yet. She then lists each of the shots with a brief description of each ignoring the potential side effects and the lack of safety data on shots such as PCV (Prevnar).

The next article is entitled "Hot Topic: Vaccines and Autism" by Ari Brown, MD. Dr. Brown also belittles the entire process by citing reports that support his view and completely discounts any opinions to the contrary. Dr. Brown, I know a few families whose lives were changed radically after their child received a round of vaccinations....

My son--who is now three--reacted to one of his vaccinations. Nothing major, just huge hives for 2 weeks whenever he ate eggs. The worrisome part is that the reaction was treated with a cavalier attitude and as merely routine. No one really seemed concerned that they had NO IDEA which vaccine may have caused the reaction. Thank goodness it was nothing more serious because that incident further eroded any faith I have in the medical system.

Don't get me wrong. We need doctors. But doctors are people, too, and often get caught up in their medical textbooks. It's rare to find a Dr. that actually LISTENS to you. I think my sister has found one but I've never found one myself...

The vaccination controversy is of serious concern to me. I have found a happy medium through Dr. Stephanie Cave, MD, in her book "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccines." The book is excellent and very informative. She provides excellent advice but allows the reader to make their own decisions.

Yes, my five month old daughter will receive her vaccinations but it will be on an extended schedule. Despite PARENTS magazine's incredibly biased view of the controversy, I believe that there is overwhelming evidence that no one really knows the truth and that's all the evidence that I need.