APRIL/MAY 2009
Creating Community Prosperity
Crystal Arnold
Re-Localizing Capital
Jeff Golden
How Unlimited Interest Rates
Destroyed the Economy
Amy Goodman interviews
Thomas Geoghegan
Honoring the Duh-Design Principles
Shaktari Belew
Stimulating Local Agriculture
Jody Woodruf
Fresh Food From Small Spaces
R.J. Ruppenthal
Small Farm Renaissance
Chuck Burr
Where Are the Seed Growers?
Don Tipping
Try it On Everything!
The Healing Power of EFT
DVD Review by Jill V. Mangino
A Naturopathic Perspective
on Vaccination Choices
Michael H. Shuman
Safety and Protection
Peter Moore
Cosmic Calendar
Salina Rain
A Naturopathic Perspective on Vaccination Choices
By Dr. Bonnie Nedrow, ND and Dr. Kate Naumes, ND
As naturopathic family doctors we frequently field questions regarding the risks and the benefits of vaccines during pediatric visits. People want to know if vaccines are effective for preventing disease in the people who could be harmed by these diseases, mainly young children. They want to know how likely it is that their child will get sick from a vaccine preventable disease. Parents are concerned about risks they have heard associated with vaccines and want to know what would be the comparative risk of choosing not to vaccinate. Most parents want straight forward answers and black and white data so that they can make an informed choice. Many parents don’t know what to do and are unable to make a decision, postponing vaccinations due to a lack of information and/or an underlying fear. To further complicate issues are two fundamental questions: Does natural immunity to childhood diseases confer additional benefits over immunity provided through inoculation? And by non-specifically enhancing our children’s immunity, will they fare better if they contract these illnesses?
In addition to addressing the questions above, parents, doctors and community health workers must consider the herd verses the individual child’s benefits and risks of vaccination. The CDC estimates that by vaccinating 95% of our children we can provide “herd immunity.” This means that a few individuals may contract the disease but that an epidemic will be avoided. Because Ashland has roughly 30% of kindergarteners refusing some or all inoculations, we as a community do not have effective herd immunity as defined by the CDC. Our risk of an epidemic of illnesses such as pertussis or the measles is compounded by the fact that we are a vacation destination, bringing people from all over the world to visit. In addition we have many residents who engage in foreign travel, and these adults can be carriers of disease which will not impact them but which could be passed to our children.
Despite the fears surrounding childhood infectious disease, we embrace the naturopathic belief in the healing power of nature and have confidence that our vitality will support us through most infectious disease encounters. We encourage you to take the following actions to enhance your children’s immunity: Eat phytonutrient rich organic vegetables and fruits; avoid refined foods and high sugar diets; breastfeed your children; drink plenty of clean water; get outside daily and exercise in whatever weather your environment provides; go to bed early; wash hands frequently; cover a cough with your arm; stay home when you are sick; keep your daily schedule simple; and laugh and play a lot. In addition, when you and your kids are sick, use appropriate herbal formulas and supplements such as vitamin A, vitamin C and zinc. See your doctor when you suspect ear or lung infections, or when an infection lasts longer than a week as you may need more support. Don’t suppress all fevers with Tylenol or other NSAIDS as the fever is a sign of the immune system fighting the infection. Finally, love your children and provide abundant TLC.
We believe that vaccinations are a personal choice which each family must make based on their assessment of benefit and risk to both the individual and their community. What does the data tell us? When we analyze the raw data on the effectiveness of vaccines at preventing specific illnesses, the success of inoculations at decreasing a particular illness is undeniable. For example, selective and general immunization to Rubella in Sweden appears to have eliminated congenital rubella syndrome in that country, a devastating disease to a baby developing in a mother’s womb.
One of the shortfalls which is not often discussed when looking at efficacy is how long immunity lasts. The chickenpox vaccine (varicella) is a good example. Studies indicate that levels of protective efficacy fall from 97 to 84 percent at eight years after immunization, and that the rate of breakthrough varicella increases with time since vaccination. Children who have gotten sick from most childhood infections receive lifelong immunity, while vaccinated children are often at risk for the disease later in life when immunity has worn off.
We have a growing epidemic of Hepatitis B in this country. Most new cases are in young adults who have become sexually active and among IV drug users. In the United States the vaccine is recommended for all newborns. If the mother of a newborn child does not have hepatitis B, does it make sense to inoculate her baby with this particular vaccine? For parents who chose not to vaccinate their babies with Hepatitis B, it makes community and personal sense to revisit this issue in the pre-teen years. We need to take responsibility for sex and drug education at that time and consider whether our children would benefit from this vaccine as young adults.
When we analyze studies to try to understand the individual’s risk of vaccines, the data unfortunately tells us very little. There are a myriad of problems associated with vaccine data. One is that there is a low percentage of reporting of bad outcomes within the “Vaccine Adverse Effects Reporting System.” The FDA estimates that adverse reactions are underreported by both parents and healthcare workers. The second massive problem with interpretation of the data is the inability to glean true understanding of the risk of delayed damage from vaccines. Many parents, doctors and researchers have postulated an association of conditions such as learning disabilities, cancer, autoimmune disease and autism with childhood vaccination. The problem of making a choice for or against vaccines based on this correlation arises because a causative relationship is difficult, if not impossible, to establish. We have seen an increase in all of the above conditions in the past 50 years which corresponds with the advent of inoculating children at younger and younger ages. We have also seen an increase in the number of vaccines a child will receive with newer shots more recently developed for Haemophilus influenza B (1990) chicken pox (1998) pneumococcal (2001) and menningococcal (2005). There is also compelling evidence from individual case studies where parents report that following vaccination, their child was not the same and that irrevocable damage had occurred.
However, it would be rash to blame the increase of these conditions solely on the vaccination of young children. We have also seen an increase in the number of endocrine disruptive chemicals in our environment. Our food quality has greatly deteriorated, even for those who choose to eat fruits and vegetables. Due to mass antibiotic use in humans and the animals humans eat, there has been an alteration of the normal bacteria which we encounter and which lives in our gut. All of these changes have an impact on the immune system. When bacteria and viruses get out of balance in the body, developing neurological systems in young children can be harmed.
So how do vaccines impact the individual’s developing immune system? Due to herd immunity, even those who choose not to vaccinate have a greatly decreased risk of contracting specific childhood diseases. We may question if our children’s immune system would benefit from exposure to these illness. One excellent study correlated a decrease in the incidence of asthma in children who have experienced a fever of 103 degrees or greater prior to age three. What other unknown health benefits has Mother Nature provided us through immune challenge? One clear function of childhood diseases in herd immunity historically is survival of the fittest. Because we are living in an era of increased resources, we can protect children who are born with weaker immunity. When an individual is determining personal benefits, children who are at greater risk of suffering from infectious disease may significantly benefit from vaccines. These kids may also be at greater risk living in a community which is not committed to herd immunity through inoculation.
As parents, we have the opportunity to assess the vitality of our children and we should be able to decide if they would benefit from a vaccine which could protect them from an illness which their systems may not have the strength to appropriately fend off. We can also assess what risk our kids may have from other parenting choices such as what food they eat, if they are breastfed, whether to put them in daycare at a young age and how stressful their lives may be. In this way, individuals can determine what benefits their families may receive from vaccinating their children. The question of personal obligation to herd immunity is more difficult to address. We live in a country of personal choice and most of us want it to stay that way. The inherent notion of freedom of choice is fundamental to American culture and it would be sad to see a police state where vaccination of our children was publicly enforced. For people who strongly believe and rely on herd immunity, Ashland may not be the best community to live in. For families in Ashland who choose not to inoculate their kids, they should understand the increased risk of that choice in a community with low herd protection.
We recommend that we all take the time to think about what we do to protect the body from disease instead of taking our health for granted. As Naturopathic Physicians we hope patients will think about not only disease prevention, but health promotion. The vital force which is the foundation of health must be nurtured and supported regardless of our vaccine choices. As doctors in this community, we ride the fence between protecting the herd and protecting the individual. Both opponents and champions of our childhood vaccination program are up in arms, insisting that parents must or shouldn’t vaccinate. We believe that a less biased presentation of the data, such as it is, will put the power of choice in the hands of individuals whose eyes are open and minds are engaged.
We are entering an era of change in infrastructure, world power and health care. The new era will require individuals to take more responsibility for themselves and for their community. If we want to be successful at reducing health care costs and increasing the wellness of our communities, our country and our world, we need to be better informed and willing to be personally responsible for our health. We can no longer put the power of disease control in the hands of physicians and community health workers, instead we need to work with these professionals, collaborating on plans to enhance wellness which is the deeper meaning of preventative medicine. Let’s truly begin to live the age old adage which states that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Dr. Bonnie Nedrow and Dr. Kate Naumes are naturopathic physicians specializing in pediatrics and women’s health. They share a practice at Hidden Springs Wellness Center where they work in collaboration with practitioners dedicated to preventative healthcare. Contact them at Hidden Springs at (541) 488-8858 or visit their website at www.bonniend.com.
