Vaccinations and Austism?

Question

Did anyone watch Oprah yesterday? I managed to catch half of it after work. They (Jenny McCarthy and Holly Robinson Peete) were discussing vaccinations and the link to Autism (although the medical board says there is no clear link). I'm almost scared to give my son his next round of vaccinations, but then realize that I had my vaccinations as a child and am fine. The name of the chemical began with a "T".

It's so scary since Autism is on the rise....how did you know you were making the right decision to vaccinate or not to vaccinate your child?

Oh, I don't believe everything on Oprah. I do have a college degree and I know to talk to the doctors about everything...I was simply asking what other mothers did.

Mal, you're right...there are so many other factors concerning our environment and the way technology has advanced. Also, these medical advances are allowing us to diagnose more and more diseases, so it's rather difficult to pin point it to one thing only.

Answer 1

It certainly is a frightening issue. The truth is they don't know why there is a rise in the autism rates. Something is going on and I think we all need to press for research and answers. I have looked online for a comprehensive study with 2 groups of children that have and have not been vaccinated. I have not been able to locate any such study. This doesn't seem like rocket science. If anyone knows of such a study I would be interested in the link. I've researched and found information that most of the diseases that we vaccinate for were already on the decline naturally. It's all very confusing. I have four kids and have vaccinated them all. The oldest, who got all of his vaccines on time was always sick when he was little. Constant ear infections and such. With my second child, I vaccinated but not at the recommended times. She was a much healthier child. I did the same with numbers 3 and 4 but waited even longer. They have been incredibly healthy. What I did was trust my instinct. I think all mothers should. As the years have gone by, more and more negative information has come out on vaccinations. I'm not sure what I would do at this moment if I had an infant to vaccinate. I do think its great that people are talking about it. Maybe there will be more answers by the time my children start their own families. All mothers (and fathers) need to push harder for answers to this hard question.

Answer 2

Yes, it is very frightening that autism is so prevalent these days. Right now, I am going on the advice of science, the CDC, and my doctors. But, it is still so scary because so many mothers of children with autism are convinced that vaccines caused their child's disability. There has been no proven link between the MMR shot and autism. Many, many studies have been done on this and there was a group of parents of children w/autism that recently went to court over the MMR shot/autism link and did not win.

However, like Jenny McCarthy stated, she saw a lot of signs of autism in her son before he was diagnosed. I wonder how many parents also see signs when their children were infants, but just did not have the knowledge that there could possibly be something wrong. It is hard to pinpoint issues when children are still babies and that is why many go undiagnosed until at least the age of 2. Again, since many children are diagnosed right after the time they receive vaccinations, it makes it seem like there is a link, but it could also be that the timing is merely a coincidence.

Definitely all very thought provoking and interesting. Great question!

Answer 3

You received nothing like what your child receives today. Every year they add more and more vaccines to the schedules and every year autism rates go up. Why risk it? I'd much rather fight the measles then autism.

You can always vaccinate later in life.. but you can't take it out once you do. Wait. Wait and wait some more.. there is no harm in waiting. It's totally your right as a parent. There is no law that can "make" you vaccinate.

Do your research. Your child deserves it.

edited to add: a previous poster was wrong. the MMR has NEVER contained Thimerasol. It's just usually the last shot (at 18 months) in a series of assaults on a little body and immune system that has been poked every couple of months it's entire life. Wait people. You are just going along with a schedule that is most convenient for your doctor and the pharmaceutical industry - it is not good for your child. 1 in 4 children today have a learning disorder. It's not just autism you have to worry about.

Answer 4

Vaccinations have been changed and improved since we were children. Now they are getting Hepititis B vaccines before they are one year old! They combine vaccinations so that less shots have to be given.

I saw Oprah and it is important to point out that Jenny McCarthy never said not to vaccinate. She stressed the lack of research and studies on the link between autism and vaccines. The CDC is starting to look into the connection (if there is one) between therminol (I believe that is the name) and autism. The chemical is what the culture is in and is not the actual vaccine.

My wife and I discussed this in depth afterwards. Jenny is right in thinking that something needs to be changed. At 15 months certain vaccines are given and the same amount of chemical is injected whether the 15 month old weighs 18 pounds or 25 pounds. Holly Peete pointed out that her less weighing twin became autistic even though both twins recieved the same vaccinations. Maybe lighter kids should get less chemical and this overdose is causing more autism. We dont know because the CDC has been slow in performing tests.

Again, Jenny did not say dont vaccinate. You should vaccinate because the benefits outweigh the risks. We have vaccinated both of our children and plan on vaccinating our third.

Could there be other causes of autism? Sure, but the studies havent been done. Autism is on the rise, but so is older mothers, premarital sex, use of the Pill and Depro shots, use of microwave ovens and microwaved food, fast food eating, more food additives, use of cell phones and computers, etc. There could be any number of things (or combination of things) that cause autism. Like Jenny said, how bad does it have to get before people start researching and trying to find a link. It used to be 1 out of 1000 children have autism, now it is 1 out of 94 boys get it.

Answer 5

As parents, we MUST make decisions every day that can affect our children's future. Do as much research as you can. You will find a ton of info on the web in favor of, as well as against vaccinations. I have 3 children, and with all of them, I required their vaccines to be split up. No more than 2 at a time were ever given, and I made sure none of them had even the slightest cold or fever. With my son, I was especially careful, not allowing more than 1 shot at a time. No one knows 100% for sure if vaccines "cause" autism, but I do believe there is a genetic as well as environmental cause. I have read studies that suggest children who watch TV at a very young age (under 2) can have their brains altered by the constant flickering of the TV screen. Who knows??? You just have to do what you feel is best for your child. Make sure your child eats as healthy as possible and takes a good daily vitamin so that his immune system is the best it can be!

Answer 6

Hey girl...we need to talk. I'm NOT vaccinating Jackson for SEVERAL reasons...one being the link to Autism. I have a lot of information for you if you'd like it. Most people on here are mainstream and will tell you it's soooooo important to get your son vaxed....really, if you researched it and made a sound decision, you'd see it's not as important as they make it out to be. Jackson hasn't had one shot since I gave birth and he's soooo healthy. He got a very tiny cold at 5 weeks old, but went away in like 3 days and he never acted like it was all that bad....PLEASE e-mail me so I can give you some good resources. And do research first before you make a decision to vax.
Despite what people say, there HAS been a link of vaccinations causing autism...but they further discredited the information because it was only from one source (which is bull crap)....if there is even a 1% chance it could cause autism there should be a full blown study. (It's in a book and YES there is proof to back that up) But, no they're too worried about over medicating our children these days.

**EDIT** That's anothing thing (of the answers I read that got) people will try and tell you you're child will die if they don't get vaccinated...that makes me SOOOOOO mad! Why don't they stress that your child can die if they DO get vaccinations...it's like playing russian roulette with your child! There's no sound proof that getting the vaccinations could not also possibly give your child the actual disease they were vaccinated against too! I beg you, please do you research! Also....go to www.cafemom.com they have anti-vax groups with hundreds of moms who don't vaccinate and you can get advice and support of them. There children ARE FINE. I'm apart of some non-vax groups as well. Look into it.

Answer 7

Opt for mercury free vaccinations--the supposed link is in the mercury. It hasn't been proven, but I'd opt for it if I had the choice. I agree with Answerer #2--sub autistic issues are being diagnosed. Just because the diagnosis of autism is on the rise, doesn't mean the instance of the disease is on the rise. It just hasn't been diagnosed in the past or the kid's been labeled as "weird." Only the severest cases were being reported.

Some people are going to give me a lot of crap for this, but part of me wonders if it has anything to do with the number of older parents getting pregnant and the number of people using fertility treatments. We're basically going against natural selection, here, so of course there will be an increased risk of kids with issues. We're also delivering babies at 22 weeks gestation that otherwise wouldn't have survived and now they are. Now, I'm not saying these kids aren't miracles, because they are. It's just that we need to be prepared for what we get. Obviously some of this happens to young couples, too, but I'm just saying, it's something to think about.

Answer 8

This has been an on going debate for awhile now. Chiropractors are totally against vaccinations. Pediatricians seem to think they are terrific. And, parents who just so happen to be physicians have started to back off of vaccinations until their children are older. When you think about it, our babies are getting "so many" injections before the age of 2!!! Then, of course, darned if you do and darned if you don't. Say you hold off and your child gets POLIO or something worse!!!
The word that began w/ a T was something like "thermosol". I believe it is a preservative that contains mercury. Google it for facts although I'm not sure if that's the correct spelling.
As for Jenny, I thought she was awesome BUT...her child has more issues than just autism. Did you see the part where she said her son had convulsions for hours? And, he had to have CPR while in route to the ER? So, there's more to his medical history than we (or she) knows. I'm not a medical expert but I didn't think either of these are related to autism???
My husband has asked me to hold off on our son's vaccines. The pediatrician says it is not necessary. Hmm...

Answer 9

I watched that show too! Scary!! The name of the chemical was called Thimerosal. My daughter is almost 6 months and I'm nervous for her next round of vaccines as well (even tho i'm aware that there is a higher incidence in boys). I'm starting to do some research about what vaccines contain mercury or Thimerosal. I found these websites so far -

http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/thi-table.htm and
http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm#t3

I asked the advice of a friend who is a general practicioner and she explained to me that it is so important to remember that some of the diseases we are protecting the children against are so severe and the reason we don't have outbreaks is because of the vaccinations. What I did so far was choose not to give the hepB (since i do not have hep and it is transmitted thru sexual intercourse and sharing needles). And I think I'm going to hold off on the MMR shots until she is ready for school. Usually it is given at 1 year (i believe). I think I'm going to wait until she's about 3 or 4 - not sure yet.
good luck to you!

Answer 10

I didn't get a chance to watch Oprah. But I do have a son that has PDD (a disorder on the Autism spectrum). I think the chemical you are referring to is Thimerasol. It is a neurotoxin that was used to preserve vaccines. It does contain mercury which is known to be poisonous! Thimerasol is no longer used. Although there is no direct correlation between vaccines and developmental disabilities (so they say), mercury poisoning does mirror symptoms of autism. Believe me, I understand your concern! I have 3 kids and after my first born was diagnosed with PDD, I chose to wait on the MMR vaccine. It is usually given between 12 and 18 months. My second son didn't get it until he was 4 years old and my 2 year old daughter still hasn't gotten it. I am not trying to imply that this saved them from any developmental disability, it was just my choice. As far as autism goes, scientists haven't been able to pinpoint the cause as of yet. My personal opinion is that it is a genetic and environmental interplay. Double check with your pediatrician that their vaccines don't contain this additive. As far as deciding not to vaccinate your child, I think the benefits far outweigh the risks. Best to you and your son!