Vaccination is NOT Immunization
Editors, Alternatives Medicine Digest (AlternativesMedicine.com)

We’ve always been told that vaccines are safe, effective and necessary. We hear how modern civilization has been saved from the ravages of infectious disease by the invention of miraculous vaccines. We hear how important it is for children to get their shots so they’ll be safe from disease. And we all agree: Children have a right to be protected from harm. But there’s a huge body of information that indicates that vaccinations are dangerous.

There are just too many unanswered questions. Do vaccines put infants at risk of sudden death? Do vaccines really give our children immunity to disease? Are all vaccines really necessary? Are our children unhealthy as a result of vaccination? Are the climbing rates of infectious and degenerative diseases among adult Americans partly attributable to the effects of vaccination?

We’re programmed to think of immunization and vaccination as synonyms. That’s no accident. It cost plenty to make us think they’re the same. The word “immunization” instead of “vaccination” is now pervasive in both medical and mainstream literature, creating a semantic reality that cannot be supported by evidence. There is a big difference between the two. Immunization means to make someone immune to something. Vaccination, by contrast, according to Dorland’s Medical Dictionary, just means to inject “a suspension of attenuated or killed microorganisms...administered for prevention...or treatment of infectious disease.”

Vaccination does not guarantee immunity. Natural immunity happens only after one recovers from the actual disease. During the disease, the microorganism usually has to pass through many of the body’s natural immune defense systems—in the nose, throat, lungs, digestive tract and lymph tissue—before it reaches the bloodstream. As it does, the microorganism triggers many biological events that are essential in building true natural immunity. When a child gets a new disease, he may feel sick for several days, but, in the vast majority of cases, he will recover.

The first vaccines by Pasteur and Koch, and also most modern ones, were and are made up of experimental proteins from rotting, diseased samples of animal tissue (cows, sheep, monkeys and horses) carrying some “weakened” infectious agent. Others are toxic by-products of microorganisms that are neutralized by formaldehyde and aluminum. Most vaccines have components called adjuvants, or helpers. These include human blood and formaldehyde, a carcinogenic liquid, used for embalming. Mercury is used as an adjuvant; it is added in the form of thimerosal, a preservative. It can cause nerve damage, autoimmune disorders and cancer. Another adjuvant, aluminum, is a proven neurotoxin, positively associated with a number of disorders. Do we really get immunity from these concoctions?

The thinking behind vaccination is that if the person gets a “minor” case of the disease under the “controlled” conditions of vaccination, he will produce his own antibodies to the disease agent, and this will confer immunity because his immune system will remember what the “bad bug” looks like. The next time the bug shows up, immune defense cells will be ready to kill it. But there is no general agreement that this truly happens as a result of vaccination.
Unproven assumptions

Researchers like Alan Phillips, author of Dispelling Vaccination Myths, say that “natural immunity is a complex phenomenon involving many organs and systems; it cannot be fully replicated by the artificial stimulation of antibody production.” Vaccination by direct injection is based on the unproven assumption that the mere artificial stimulation of antibodies by the sudden presence of a foreign agent in the bloodstream confers immunity. It doesn’t.

If the body is allowed to figure out how to fight the disease on its own, without the added confusion and burden of vaccines and drugs, the body can develop natural immunity and will not be susceptible to the same disease in the future. It now has a memory of how to fight the disease.

Artificial immunity from vaccination is often temporary. This helps explain why some individuals still develop the disease they were vaccinated against. This also is the reason for booster shots. Artificial immunity from vaccination has created the modern phenomenon of atypical forms of the original disease appearing during adulthood.

The process of creating a vaccine involves making a disease agent gradually weaker and weaker, disguising it until it is below the threshold of making your body become ill when the vaccine is injected into your blood. That means your immune system does not get triggered normally. By allowing the inoculation of an attenuated (half-killed) virus or bacteria into the body, we have done something nature would never permit.

We have violated the sanctity of the bloodstream. We have tricked the immune system into not mounting an all-out response to a foreign agent. If the vaccine’s microorganisms were not attenuated, all the powers of the natural immune system would join together to attack the invader. Harvard Medical School’s Richard Moskowitz, M.D., explains that the way vaccines are evolved is to make them weaker, just to the point where they don’t produce any immediate inflammatory response. He believes that, in this form, the altered virus or bacteria can penetrate deeper into our tissues than would naturally be possible. They can remain latent for a short time or for years.

Then when something triggers them into action, they can manifest themselves in virtually any place or system of the body, causing major dysfunction, degenerative disease, or even death. There is no convincing scientific evidence that mass inoculation can be credited with eliminating any infectious disease. If vaccinations were responsible for the disappearance of these diseases in the U.S., why did these diseases disappear simultaneously in Europe, where mass vaccinations did not take place?

Undeserved credit

Medical statistician Michael Alderson, author of several classic research texts, has shown how infectious diseases had sharply declined before mass vaccination ever came upon the scene. Many researchers feel from looking at the data that infectious diseases would have largely disappeared without any vaccines, due to improvements in sanitation and hygiene before mass inoculations took place.


Australian medical researcher Viera Scheibner, Ph.D., summarized her investigation of some 30,000 pages of medical literature on vaccination in “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome,” a 1999 letter to Congress: “Immunizations, including those practiced on babies, not only did not prevent any infectious diseases, they caused more suffering and more deaths than has any other human activity in the entire history of medical intervention. It will be decades before the mopping-up after the disasters caused by childhood vaccination will be completed. All vaccinations should cease forthwith, and all victims of their side effects should be appropriately compensated.”

We Didn’t Need to be Rescued This table show how dieseases have on their own during this century. The numbers indicate the approximate year that mass vaccinations were introduced. Year

The chart below shows when mass vaccinations for these deseases were introdued in the U.S. Disease Year Mass Vaccinations Began:

Comparing these dates to the mortality rates above, it it obvious that diphtheria, pertussis, influenza, etc., were on their way out long before their respective vaccines were introduced on a mass scale. Jane Orient, M.D., Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, agrees: “Public policy regarding vaccines is fundamentally flawed...permeated by conflicts of interest. It is based on poor scientific studies that are too small, too short and too limited.”

Dozens of other legitimate researchers and doctors have come to the same conclusion. Alan Phillips adds that the data on vaccines shouldn’t really be that much of a secret: “Hundreds of published medical studies document vaccine failure and adverse effects; several dozen books have been written expounding on these and related information condemning vaccines. Yet amazingly most pediatricians and parents are completely unaware of these findings.”

As of December, 2000, 40 vaccinations are currently mandated for children in the American Pediatric Association’s immunization (i.e., vaccination) schedule. The word “mandated” doesn’t mean the same thing as mandatory, but for all intents and purposes, it might as well. Vaccination is so accepted, is seen as so necessary by most people, that they don’t even question it. If they do, the consequences can be ostracism or worse.

Unless parents sign exemption forms, children must be vaccinated before they can get into school. This is the law, and legislation is controlled by lobbying. The second most powerful lobby in Washington is the pharmaceutical industry. We have to ask, then, what is behind the vaccination schedule: proven health benefits for our children or corporate profits?

Since 1986, the U.S. government has paid $1.2 billion to parents of vaccine-injured and -killed children.

Pharmaceutical companies are inventing new vaccines every year, all with the hope of their being included in the mandated vaccination schedule. It’s very big money. And there are more vaccines on the back burner. Yet there are never long-term safety studies before vaccines get approved for mass use. There are also never any follow-up studies about long-term effectiveness of vaccines. This is why vaccines are always being altered and replaced—they cause negative side effects. That is why, since 1986, the U.S. Federal Government’s National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP) has paid out over $1.2 billion in taxpayer dollars to parents of vaccine-injured and -killed children. We and our children are “lab rats.”


Vaccines and our children’s declining health
Before mass vaccination programs, the term Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) didn’t exist. Now at least 10,000 American babies mysteriously die each year with the catch-all SIDS diagnosis. Meanwhile, the declining health of our children is becoming obvious. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the figures for asthma incidence since 1980 have gone from 6.7 million to 17.3 million cases. Most of the increase is in children. More than 5,000 die each year from asthma attacks. The overall health of American children is pathetic: Asthma, allergies, autoimmune disease and the very infectious diseases for which they were vaccinated—all are on the rise.

Over 15 years ago, the late Robert Mendelsohn, M.D., Professor of Medicine at University of Illinois Medical School, wrote, “There is a growing suspicion that immunization against relatively harmless childhood diseases may be responsible for the dramatic increase in autoimmune diseases since mass inoculations were introduced.” These include certain cancers, leukemia, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease, lupus and the motor neuron disease, Guillain-Barré syndrome. Some of the most frequent complications of vaccinations “gone wrong” seem to be diseases of the central nervous system.

It’s easy to understand why, in the case of children. Their nervous systems are in the process of forming, and nerve tissue is sensitive to minute changes in its biological environment. The insulation around the nerves—the myelin—is not complete yet. The presence in the blood of a diseased vaccine protein, plus the toxins mercury, aluminum and formaldehyde, can trigger processes that contribute to abnormal nerve growth.

Harris Coulter, Ph.D., has chronicled a skyrocketing incidence of post-vaccination neurological disorders, including hyperactivity, learning disabilities, mental retardation, encephalitis and Guillain-Barré syndrome. These statistics are missing in the pediatric profession. Adverse reactions usually don’t get reported and are routinely met with denial: There are many documented examples and case histories of mothers given the brush-off when reporting a vaccine reaction to their pediatricians. Perhaps the reason is basic economics: Vaccinations are the bread and butter of pediatricians.

What kind of money are we talking about here? In 1998, the worldwide market for pediatric vaccines was $1.8 billion. But a lot more is involved than just the vaccine sales. Vaccines are the very foundation of the “well baby” programs and therefore the livelihood of the entire pediatric industry.

Unbelievably, not until recently was there a centralized U.S. record-keeping agency to which physicians could report vaccine reactions. It wasn’t until 1991 that the Vaccine Adverse Effect Reporting System (VAERS) was set up by the FDA and the CDC. Some 33,000 reactions were reported between 1992 and 1996. Before then, it’s anybody’s guess how many reactions and deaths there were, because no agency was keeping track.

The FDA estimates that doctors still only report a small fraction of these adverse reactions—less than 10%. In 1998 the National Vaccine Information Center did a survey of New York pediatric offices and found out that “only one doctor in 40 reports a death or an injury following vaccination.” Yet this information has not been acted upon by either the FDA or the CDC, even with documented reports of death and neurological damage to infants.

Many of the adverse reactions to vaccination probably haven’t even shown up yet. After all, someone may not get a disease as a result of a vaccine that contained atypical forms of a disease agent or other contaminants until years after vaccination. And for many vaccines, a 48-hour limit has been arbitrarily set for reporting a reaction. This means that if a baby dies 50 hours after a shot, that death is not reported as an adverse reaction.

Chances are you won’t hear any information about vaccines from a pediatrician during a “well baby” visit. After all, an M.D. could be committing career suicide by taking a stand against vaccination. But it’s hard not to be angry at doctors and hospitals who so willingly and unquestioningly accept the products of drug companies, and thereby happily share in the billions of dollars being made off vaccines. It makes one wonder: If those in power were faced with a choice between the health of our children and a $30 billion industry, would they choose health over dollars? And if those involved in the vaccine industry had done the studies and discovered that, beyond all doubt, vaccinations are not only ineffective but are instead the cause of much disease and death, would anyone tell us?

Someone may not get a disease as a result of a vaccine containing an atypical disease agent or contaminant until years after they are vaccinated.

Clarence Darrow, the famous early 20th century lawyer, voiced an oft-quoted objection to mandatory vaccination that’s still relevant today. He asked, if vaccinations really work, those vaccinated will be immune to the disease, right? So what does it matter if some people choose to go unvaccinated? What do the vaccinated have to worry about? Aren’t they protected? Shouldn’t people have the choice whether or not to have their children vaccinated—a choice based on full disclosure of risks and benefits? A lot of medical doctors today know enough to withhold vaccines from their own children, even though they continue to administer them to patients. Others just take the position that “we don’t really know enough not to vaccinate people.” This is an intellectually impotent position. If a doctor is going to stick a needle into a child’s arm and inject something into the bloodstream, they should be certain that they have a thorough knowledge of all the short-term and long-term consequences.


A lot of medical doctors today know enough to withhold vaccines from their own children, even though they administer them to patients.

Before a parent lets a doctor do such a thing, they need to be equally well-informed. The CDC’s statistics on adverse reactions show that vaccinations carry significant risk. A parent needs to say to the pediatrician, “Before you inject my child, can you prove to me that vaccines are safe and necessary?”

Contact:
Tim O’Shea is a chiropractor and clinical nutritionist in San Jose, California. His articles have appeared in holistic periodicals throughout the world. His two current books are The Sanctity of Human Blood, from which this article was excerpted, and Conventional Medicine vs. Holistic. His website is www.thedoctorwithin.com, at which a complete reference list for this article may be found.


Recommended Reading:
Immunization: The Reality Behind the Myth, by Walene James. Paperback
(2nd ed.; 1995) Bergin & Garvey. Info: www.whale.to/vaccines/james1.html

The Doctor’s Guide to Protecting Your Health Before, During and After International Travel by W. Robert Lange, M.D., M.P.H. Paperback (1997) Pilot Books

How to Raise a Healthy Child . . . In Spite of Your Doctor, by Robert S. Mendelsohn, M.D. Paperback (1990) Ballantine Books

The Case Against Immunizations, by Richard Moskowitz, M.D. Reprints of lectures on vaccinations given by Dr. Moskowitz available for $3.00. Write to 173 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown, MA 02172.

The Vaccine Guide: Making an Informed Choice, by Randall Neustaedter, O.M.D. Paperback (2nd ed.; 1996) North Atlantic Books

Vaccination: The Issue of Our Times, by Peggy O’Mara (Editor). Paperback (1997) Mothering Magazine. Info: www.mothering.com

Vaccines: What Every Parent Should Know, by Paul A. Offit, M.D., and Louis M. Bell, M.D. Paperback (2nd ed.; 1999) Hungry Minds, Inc.