Vaccinations and Immune Malfunction

Although it is unpleasant to think about, it is necessary to point out that there are now serious trends of increasing health problems among American children. Allergic diseases such as eczema and asthma are on the rise in both frequency and severity. For example, surveys have shown a 46% increase nationwide in deaths from asthma between 1977 and 1991. Common ear, sinus, throat, and bronchial infections are occurring on a scale unknown in earlier generations. Young parents have commented to me that, among their friends and acquaintances, a majority of children are on antibiotics frequently or, sometimes, continually. It was not like this 20 or even 30 years ago.

With each passing year there are increasing cases of the crippling of the immune systems of children. Surveys among elementary school teachers confirm this trend. Among young adults the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, now recognized to be an immunologic disorder, is widespread, affecting millions. Autoimmune diseases, those in which the immune system attacks the body's own cells and tissues, are also increasing. As yet no one knows the full answer for these unfortunate health trends; but there is now a great deal of evidence that current childhood vaccine programs may be one of the underlying causes.

Basic Concerns about Current Childhood Vaccines:

Multiple vaccines during early infancy: Current vaccine programs call for many vaccines during the first 6 months of life. It is taken for granted that an infant's immune system has an unlimited capacity to respond to these vaccines, but this is not true. The newborn comes into the world with a highly immature and undeveloped immune system. It does not ordinarily become fully developed until about 12 years of age. The process it takes to become mature and strong requires a series of natural infectious challenges. According to standard pediatric texts these are spaced over time, approximately an average of once every 6 weeks, most of which occur without illness.

In contrast, the vaccines are different from this natural spacing of challenges, because they are given right in a row in a very short period of time. Also all vaccines, except one that is given orally, are injected directly by needles into the system. This is disturbing because they are bypassing the mucosal immune system (the Secretory IgA system) of the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems.

These systems can act as a cushion for many infections. Therefore, it is hard to believe that the challenge of receiving these vaccines would not overstimulate and use up the capacity of the infant's immune system--which would leave it more vulnerable to other infections. As observed by Coulter Harris, it is more than coincidence that a series of infections often occurs after these vaccines.

Viral vaccines have also been shown to depress cellular immunity, which serves as the body's first line of defense against infections. In 1984 a little noted letter was published in the New England Journal of Medicine that reported a significant though temporary drop in T-helper lymphocytes in 11 healthy adults given routine tetanus vaccinations.

To explain: The T-helper lymphocytes are a class of white blood cells. They help to govern the immune system. It is a fact and a concern that drops in T-helper lymphocytes are characteristic of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). And in 4 of the 11 people to receive the tetanus vaccine, the T-helper lymphocytes dropped to levels that are seen in active AIDS patients. This was the effect in healthy adults.

One must wonder what the effects of multiple vaccines given to infants must be on various parameters of the immune system, but as far as I am aware this has not been tested.

Live virus vaccines incubated in animal tissues: Live virus vaccines require incubation in animal tissues. The oral polio vaccine is incubated in monkey kidneys, and the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) in chick embryo. Viruses are made up of purely genetic material. They are prone to the process of "jumping genes" which means the viruses may incorporate genetic material from the animal tissues in which they are incubated. As a result, they can introduce this material into the child receiving the vaccine. In theory, this could set the stage for later immune disorders including autoimmune diseases.

Live virus vaccines subject to viral contamination: It is justified to be concerned about the oral polio vaccine - incubated in monkey kidneys. African monkeys are now known to carry simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIV's). And it is now generally accepted that some mutation of one of the varieties of SIV's was the original source of the AIDS epidemic. In 1985 a SIV was discovered very similar to the AIDS virus. Because the earliest known case of AIDS was around the time and location of the polio vaccine programs in Africa-- the question is whether the polio vaccine, (possibly contaminated with the SIV), could have been the original source for AIDS.

Articles have appeared reviewing this matter and calling for further research investigation. Although polio vaccines are now screened for the AIDS virus, the question is more than academic. New SIV's continue to be discovered, so there still exists the possibility of viral contamination. The Salk polio vaccine, which is given by injection, consists of killed polio virus and therefore is free of the danger of live virus contamination.

Interactions of the immune and nervous systems: If the vaccines children receive can alter the immune system, it is likely that sometimes they may disturb the brain and nervous system. Hugh H. Fudenberg, M.D., is considered by many to be one of the leading immunologists of our times, and has pointed out that there is a uniquely close association between the brain and nervous system. There are many cell receptors common to both systems.

If vaccines injure the immune system, then it reasonable to assume that the injuries could affect the brain and nervous system-because of the close interaction. This can result in various forms of neurobehavioral problems.

Interference with natural processes: In earlier times measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles) were called minor childhood diseases. In the vast majority of instances, children passed through these illnesses without serious complications. Could it be that these minor childhood diseases were friends in disguise? Were they naturally forcing the immune system through struggle and exercise to become strong and better able to defend the body? At least one authority thinks so:

In Great Britain there has been a sharp increase in Crohn's disease, a potentially serious intestinal disorder, among children of East Indian origin who had been raised in Britain and therefore had been immunized with the MMR vaccine. In contrast, Crohn's disease remains very rare in India, where vaccines are not widely administered. Dr. John Walker-Smith of St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London, a specialist in intestinal diseases of children, offered the following idea: "It is possible that the decline of many childhood infections might allow children in the West to grow up without the vigorous development of their immune systems that such infections would ordinarily promote. One wonders whether that stimulation of the immune system, particularly in early childhood, may be advantageous in later life."

It is true that there were occasional serious complications from these diseases. For instance, measles in former times was complicated by encephalitis in 1 out of every 1,000 or 2,000 cases, sometimes leading to blindness, deafness, or death. If we take a position against the MMR vaccine, does this mean we accept these occasional complications? By no means! We can guard against these complications through good nutrition and a clean environment. In third world countries high doses of vitamin A over short periods of time have been found to be protective with marked reduction of complications. In addition, there may be other answers.

A rational position about the MMR vaccine would be this: if it is found to cause more serious diseases than it is preventing, and there are many reasons for believing this is the case, then other answers should be sought.

The Pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine, surrounded by controversy: In a recent medical report it was stated that, throughout the world, pertussis remains a major cause of death among infants with an estimated 600,000 deaths annually. Because of a fear of a return of pertussis epidemics, the pertussis vaccine is one of the most strongly supported measures by public health services in the U.S.A.--BUT it is also one of the most controversial.

The history of the pertussis vaccine in Sweden is one that is seldom publicized. It gives an entirely different point of view from that of the U.S. Public Health Service. Sweden banned the pertussis vaccine in 1979, and yet Sweden now has the second lowest infant mortality rate in the world, while the U.S.A. ranks a very poor 20th. The course of events leading to the 1979 ban are briefly summarized in the following:

During the 1970's in Sweden, despite general pertussis immunization, pertussis returned after more than 10 years of absence. Surveys showed that 84% of children with pertussis had been fully vaccinated against the disease. Concluding that the pertussis vaccine was ineffective, it was banned in 1979. The result was the number of cases of the disease gradually increased, but deaths remained rare. One authority concluded that the disease is now much milder than in earlier times--and that would explain the very low death rate.

To agree with this outlook, a report in 1984 stated that the pertussis death rate was generally currently very low in industrialized countries. There was also no difference in the severity or number of cases of pertussis between countries with high, low and zero immunization rates.

Earlier it was stated that the pertussis vaccine has been the most controversial among childhood vaccines. Here are some of the reasons:

 In a survey recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association it was reported that children receiving the pertussis vaccine were 6 times more likely to develop asthma than those not receiving the vaccine.

 In 1975 Japan raised the age of pertussis vaccination to 2 years of age, rather than giving it during infancy as in the U.S.A. Since then, there has been a decline in sudden infant death syndrome (cot deaths) and spinal meningitis among infants. In spite of the lack of pertussis vaccine for infants, Japan is credited with the lowest infant mortality in the world.

 In the Journal of Infectious Diseases in 1992 there was a report of the DPT vaccine (diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus) provoking a significantly higher incidence of paralytic poliomyelitis during a polio epidemic in the country of Oman. Although the wild polio virus does not exist in the U.S.A. at this time, this report does suggest that the DPT vaccine can and often does lower the resistance of the vaccinated person, opening the way for other diseases. In this country- -the effect may be the increasing cases of common respiratory infections, asthma and other forms of allergies, and neurobehavioral disorders.

 Probably the greatest source of controversy for the pertussis vaccine--is it has been implicated in causing brain damage-- resulting in various stages of autism among vaccinated children. However, in a recent report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, serious neurologic illness following the DPT vaccine was studied. It was concluded that there is no increased risk. BUT, many would question the validity of this study--it was limited to only 7 days following the vaccine. In the case of cancer we know that there may be a delay up to 40 years between the original insult and cancer onset. Slow viruses and autoimmune diseases may take long periods between the cause and onset. A study limited to 7 days cannot include these possibilities.

 In a survey of the pertussis epidemic in Cincinnati in 1993, it was found that from 74 to 82% of children with the disease had been highly immunized. Although different interpretations were given by the authors of the report, it would appear to agree with the conclusions in Sweden that the vaccine is ineffective.

Homeopathic Alternative Homeopathy is a complete system of healing, discovered 200 years ago by a German physician, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. It has its own method of diagnosing and its own special remedies. The remedies are all natural, rarely have side-effects and are not addictive. They are safe for adults, the elderly as well as for infants and children. Even pregnant women can take the remedies safely. Homeopathic remedies are very effective in acute and chronic diseases. In the U.S., homeopathy is a legally recognized method of healing.

Nosodes are homeopathic preparations made from cultures of microbes and viruses.. The nosode is prepared by serial dilution. Nosodes are administered in different two basic ways. In the case of nosodes from bacteria and viruses, the preparation carries the molecular imprint of the proteins and other constituents of the pathological agent. The working of the nosode is based on the fact that the immune system is sensitized to this molecular imprint without being exposed to the virulence of the living agent. The use of nosodes as a replacement for vaccination is based on this mechanism.

A nosode from a pathological agent, such as the measles, whooping cough (pertussis), etc., carries the molecular imprint of the agent and therefore sensitizes the immune system in such a way as to prepare the body for the defense against that same pathological agent. This is important in the case of children's diseases, where a primary infection is necessary to immunize the child, often for life, at a moment when the baby is highly vulnerable.

Whether a baby will be immunized with a vaccine or not, the administration of a nosode for each of the common children's diseases is an ideal way to start building immunity. Because of the fact that the agent is present in the nosode as an imprint and not as a virulent entity, it is a safe and gentle way to sensitize the immune system. It will protect against shock and serious consequences in the case of infection or vaccination.

If you are interested in receiving homeopathic immunizations please let our office know. We can give you additional information and the relatively inexpensive homeopathic remedies which will provide the safer vaccination alternative. We also have literature which will tell you how to place your child in the school system without being immunized.

Conclusions: All of the above discussion leads to one basic question: Does society, through the agency of government, have the right to compel parents to vaccinate their children against their (the parents) wishes? Although still a small minority, there does seem to be several parents strongly against vaccines for their children.

The argument of required vaccines believes that, if vaccines are made optional to all parents, the level of mass immunizations may fall to the point where epidemics of former times may return. On the surface this is a compelling argument. On the other hand there is the moral issue: of all human rights, the right of free choice about what happens to our bodies or the choice of parents as to what is done to the bodies of their children should be one of the most sacred and inviolable. How do we reconcile these two viewpoints?

I believe that both viewpoints, that of safety and restoration of human rights, will be best served by granting parents perfect freedom to accept or reject immunizations for their children as they see fit. There are growing numbers who believe that vaccine programs have not been adequately researched for their long-term safety. As long as parents have the option of rejecting vaccines for their children, they also have it in their power to push for technologic advances that would bring greater safety in the field. On the other hand, if current vaccination programs became universally required, a process already far advanced, the inevitable result, in my opinion, would be a scientific standstill and a maintenance of the dangers listed above.

To Obtain Pro and Con Information on Childhood Vaccinations Favoring Vaccinations: Bulletins from state or local health departments.

Unfavorable to Vaccinations: VACCINATION, 100 Years Of Orthodox Research Shows That Vaccines Represent a Medical Assault on the Immune System, by Vera Sehreibner, Ph.D., Available from New Atlantean Press, P.0. Box 9638-925, Santa Fe, NM 87504, 1993.

Vaccines, Are They Really Safe and Effective? (A Parents Guide to Childhood Shots). by Neil Z. Miller, New Atlantean Press, (see above), 1992. We have this book for sale in our office

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Last modified: August 4, 1999