Should I vaccinate my child or not? Is there mercury in the vaccine? Does my child really need all those vaccines? Do vaccines cause autism? What is the risk to my child if I don’t vaccinate him? These and other questions are raised by parents faced with having to navigate the increasingly complex array of vaccines recommended for their children, starting right at birth. Many families feel coerced by their pediatricians to vaccinate their children. They feel powerless to argue against the campaign for universal vaccination for as many diseases as possible.
20 years ago children were vaccinated against 7 common childhood illnesses: Polio, Diptheria, Whooping Cough, Tetanus, Measles, Mumps and Rubella. Each one of these diseases was recognized to be likely to result in death, or significant long-term damage. In the case of rubella damage occurred in the womb if the mother became sick with rubella while pregnant. Since then more and more vaccines are constantly being added to the list of recommended vaccines. So that today a child must be vaccinated against 12 different diseases before school age. In addition to the diseases already mentioned, there are now required vaccinations against HIB and Pneumococcus, two bacteria that cause serious infections in young children; Chickenpox also know as Varicella; Hepatitis A and B; Rotavirus, a common cause of diarrhea in children; Meningococcus i.e. meningitis; HPV which is a virus that can cause abnormalities of the genital system. The last two vaccinations are recommended at adolesence. Some researchers even talk of developing vaccines against every form of illness and perhaps, giving one mega shot all at once. As it is now, most children have to received vaccine cocktails with multiple vaccines in one shot at each vaccination visit. This is ostensibly intended to reduce the cost of multiple doctor visits for vaccination, and also reduce the amount of painful injections for the child. But at what cost to the child?
As a pediatrician as well as a homeopathic physician, my policy is to give the parent the final say on which vaccinations to give to their child and when. While the state and medical associations have designed so called universal vaccination schedules that presumably apply to every child, it is important to know that these schedules vary from country to country and that they are not written in stone. I also explain to them the actual content and method of production of each vaccine; which contain live infectious agents, which do not, and again, which contain undesirable additives. Not all the vaccines are of equal importance for protecting a child’s health or of equal safety to the child’s health.
The basic idea of infecting a person with a small and weakened dose of a disease material in order to generate an immune response makes sense in general and cannot be argued with. However there are flaws in the manner in which vaccinations are carried out in order to achieve universal protection of the population while ignoring the immunological susceptibilities of the individual child. It is a known fact that in the event of an epidemic, not every child succumbs to illness and of those who succumb, only a certain number actually expire. One could say the immune systems of those who succumb or expire were already weak at the time of infection compared to the other children. In the event of mass vaccination, it can be extrapolated that those same children would be more likely to suffer vaccine damage. Unfortunately many physicians do not give enough attention to the basic state of health of the child before administering a vaccination. Secondly, no one naturally ever suffers from six unrelated diseases all at the same time. Such a person would very quickly expire. So, why do we artificially infect our children with up to six disease agents at a time and not expect them to be adversely affected, if perhaps, only in the possibility that the immune system becomes overwhelmed or confused by being attacked on so many fronts at the same time.
It is my observation after 25 years of practice that the incidence of chronic respiratory disorders and autoimmune disorders is rising and may be related to the current vaccination practices. Having said that, I still maintain that the vaccines in themselves are safe when administered judiciously. When a person becomes naturally infected with a disease there is an initial incubation phase that may last days to weeks, then an acute phase of illness, followed by a convalescent phase. It is during the convalescent phase that the body manufactures the antibodies that will now protect it against that particular disease. This period of antibody production takes about 4 to 12 weeks, with an average of 6 weeks. Bearing this in mind, it makes sense to give the body adequate time to recover from a particular vaccination before administering the next. In this context, a one-month interval cannot be seen as anything but detrimental to the overall immunologic competence of a child’s body.
Based on these arguments, I usually suggest the following guidelines to my patients:
1. It is reasonable to request a vaccination schedule that is tailored to your particular child and still get all the necessary vaccines administered before the child is of school age.
2. It is best if there is an interval of about 3 months between vaccinations.
3. Avoid giving your child vaccine cocktails containing multiple bacterial and viral agents all at once. In general, try to limit vaccinations to no more than 3 related agents, and never give two unrelated viruses at the same time, e.g. do not give Hepatitis B and Measles-Mumps-Rubella all at the same time; or Hepatitis A and B at the same time; or Chicken Pox and MMR or Hepatitis at the same time etc. The Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine is a combination of three live viruses that require the entire attention of a young child’s immune system to deal adequately with them. For this reason it is safest to be sure that the child is at least 15 months old before administering the MMR and resist pressure to give this particular vaccine at 12 months old when the immune system is not quite as sturdy as at 15 or 18 months of age. Unfortunately the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccines are no longer available as individual preparations. Separating the vaccines may mean more visits to the doctor and more actual injections, as well as increased cost. But it will reduce the likelihood of running into long-term vaccination related health problems.
4. Do not be persuaded to give a vaccination to a child who happens to be under the weather at the time, even if it is only a little sniffle. A child needs all his defenses in good working order to deal with each vaccination.
5. You can also give your child additional protection from the deleterious effects of a vaccination by giving him a constitutional homeopathic remedy chosen for your particular child based on his particular physical mental and emotional makeup. The constitutional remedy is given on the day before and the day of vaccination.
Following these guidelines has resulted over the years in an almost complete disappearance of vaccination reactions in my patient population. At this time the most frequent question I get is whether to vaccinate against the H1N1 virus. So far, those of my clients who have received the H1N1 have had only minor flu-like symptoms lasting about a day and have been fine. However I think the verdict must still be awaited concerning long-term protection and possible long-term side effects because viruses can remain dormant in the system for long periods. So, I still caution parents to avoid giving other vaccinations at the same time as the Influenza vaccine and whenver possible to give the child a constitutional remedy at the time of the vaccination.
Dr. Ikenze is certified by the American Academy of Pediatrics and is a diplomate of the British Institute of Homeopathy.
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