Vaccines: A Momsey Perspective.

The vaccine debate looms large in our lives. Once upon a time, vaccines were a very important part of my early life, then our sons'. There was no questioning their viability or the resulting inoculation schedule. Vaccines were given to protect children against the ravages of childhood diseases. No discussion! (Were these vaccines created differently, perhaps better, back then?) They were a predictable, necessary part of the health picture. Today, however, the internet has painted a different picture, showcasing vaccine's darker side, in some cases, and their purported health benefits. Now we ask ourselves, “What do we do?" "How many vaccines are necessary today?" "Where are we headed with this never-ending chemical soup?"

We have entered a period in our history where the word vaccine conjures up fear and apprehension, on a grand scale, unheard of, back 'in my day'. I hesitate. It is problematic. (A routine test to check for rubella antibodies was done before I had children - to protect the fetus. A vaccine would have been given had the results been negative.)  Where parents of previous generations followed the rules of inoculation 'law', without question, today's parents are less likely to do so, without verifiable proof. Who can blame them? We are now being inundated with all manner of vaccines, to be given for all manner of disease - real or imagined. Some of these diseases are risk factors, to some populations, less so, to others, depending upon the climate in which the organisms are likely to originate and thrive. ... Vaccines are reminders that the scourges of disease are with us everywhere we go. It is buyer beware!

We now have the annual flu vaccine, to eliminate this egregious illness that makes itself known, annually. Then, there is the springtime flu vaccine, I have heard, being touted as another 'supplement' we should also consider, earlier in the year. Would that be two shots annually, in perpetuity? Newer flu vaccines are being produced to address the current year of flu strains that have yet to hit us. Yet time and time again, I have heard on the radio, that relic of a bygone era, that the current shot being given is not necessarily 'compatible' with the newest flu strains under scrutiny. Mutations of previous strains can interfere with new flu strains rendering current vaccines totally ineffective in protecting us. Sometimes, last year's flu shot has decreased the efficacy of this year's shot. And on and on! What do we do? How do we keep up? Then we have the Gardasil and Hepatitis A, B vaccines to protect us, potentially, from 'other' formidable diseases that may result from careless behaviours. A pre-pubescent vaccine for 9 year olds? Now what? What has happened to get us here? 

“Get your flu shot here”, the sign reads as I enter the parking lot of our local grocery store. With an on-site pharmacy located inside the store, it is now easier to get the 'flu shot' rather than bothering the doctor for it. Problematic? Maybe. We are being reminded that flu shots are readily available at certain locations, as though being programmed, like those citizens, in the sci-fi thriller, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”. Should all things that are good for us or not so good for us be that easily available, at all times? As I listened to the background noise of the commercial, the headline startled me, “Fast-tracking human trials to get vaccines to market,"...... Are we, perhaps, those humans to which the headline refers! Are we slowly becoming unwitting guinea pigs to a host of vaccines whose efficacies are still unproven?

Aluminum has been implicated in the degenerative brain disease known as Alzheimers, one of the worst health scourges on earth. Yet this metal is found in many vaccines, (and in some processed food, too) along with other metals. Does this have long-term neurological health implications?... Is autism one result?  Is healthy eating being dismissed as a way of strengthening our immunity? Is vitamin D a viable option for strengthening our immune system? It is one nutrient that is often overlooked in weight loss, bone strength and now building a strong immune system. Being nourished and out in the sun for 15 minutes per day - where vitamin D is created on our skin - helps fortify the body's defenses in its fight against illness. Proper hygiene helps, too. Are we circumventing the foods that impact our health in favour of vaccines? Are vaccines slowly becoming a substitute for the job our antibodies should be doing? ... Even veterinary medicine is changing. Its yearly rabies shot has now been replaced with a rabies vaccine, given once every three years. ... Yay! Inoculating our pets was always a concern to me but their diseases are real in the dog world they inhabit. I am thrilled the rabies vaccine schedule has been modified for them.

What part does the ingestion of 'questionable' foods - pre-packaged, processed, canned or frozen – contribute to our body's inability to stem the tide of illness and disease? Is our body's defense system - this co-ordinated team of microscopic soldiers called antibodies - doing its assigned job, adequately? Antibodies used to fight off the flu we used to get, once upon a time! A disease that is here, virulent and kills quickly requires a 'nothing to lose mentality', understandably. We take whatever medicine is available- orally, topically or intravenously. But how does fast-tracking human trials for vaccine development help restore and build confidence in a society already suspicious of the motives of government and companies that make these human and animal vaccines? 

Previous generations simply followed the prevailing wisdom, at the time. We were compliant citizens, back then. Now, we are becoming an insufferable group, inquiring until the truth be known. It is “Buyer beware.” The truth is out there!