The participants:
Fran - uninformed debate host
Reni -smart enough to be a doctor
Troy - almost IS a doctor (of immunology even)
Julie - is not a blog but is a walking data base
Isa - asthmatic person who's not crazy enough to not vaccinate against German Measles
Amanda - eats granola and vaccinates
Deanna - prefers a shot over the flu
Camey - amazed at how interesting my blog is
Angie - had the last word
The debate:
- we all agreed that more transparency and information in regards to vaccines, side-effect, safety, research, whatever is needed
- we all agreed that communication and information between doctors and patients/parents needs to be much better than it is
- we all agreed that more research needs to be done in regards to long-term effects both of having had a virus as well has having been vaccinated
- we all agreed that there can be serious side-effects to vaccines
- it appears that the risks of a serious side-effect from a vaccine are far smaller statistically than the serious risks of contracting a vaccine-preventable disease
- it was brought up that auto-immune diseases are dramatically on the rise, and the numbers of people with auto-immune disease seem to be far higher than any numbers from vaccine related side-effects or disease numbers
- it was also brought up that vaccines could over-stimulate the immune system and lead to these auto-immune diseases. We had not a lot of discussion on this and were not able to successfully discredit this notion or to clearly prove it correct. It's an idea everyone needs to research on their own
- we were informed that vaccines go through three stages of research and testing before they hit 'the market'. You can also report adverse reactions to VAERS
- The flu vaccine is not a crap shot
- Fran had nothing good to say, but think she made a decent case that probably a lot (if not most) serious adverse reactions to vaccines go unreported. She feels this needs to be improved dramatically!!!
- The overall sentiment seemed to be though that the expert information of the CDC is the best scientific data we have (even if not perfect) and we'd all be better of following their advise than just trying to make sense of complex data with our own limited brains
- We also discussed the consequences on the overall population when too many people choose to not vaccinate (herd immunity breaks up and outbreaks will be on the rise). There was a question on how ethical it is to not vaccinate, and putting the population as a whole at greater risk because of that.
- I recommend that you ponder these things, and your own ethical behavior while eating a bowl of granola.
Addendum
If anyone is interested in vaccination schedules and general stats for vaccines in Europe, here's a link: http://www.euvac.net/graphics/euvac/background.html
Also, here is a list of the states that do allow for philosophical exemption from vaccines. All other states only allow medical and religious exemptions.
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Idaho
Louisiana
Maine
Minnesota
New Mexico
North Dakota
Ohia
Oklahoma
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Washington
Wisconsin
Supposedly, a lot of these states have also had increased numbers of vaccine-preventable diseases. Research it for yourself though.
Posts
12 comments:
Okay, The "smart enough to be a doctor" sounds really obnoxious and arrogant. I probably am obnoxious and arrogant some of the time...but not usually. I need to edit my posts a bit more before publishing.
haha...I thought it was funny. The summary was also supposed to be funny, so I hope you don't mind what I picked. Plus, you ARE smart enough to be a doctor. The only time you should hold back is when we're all playing Puerto Rico and you're spelling out every possible move and its consequence before you move or when you're engaged and your fiance seems to be less smart than you. :) hehehehe...Anyway, it's all supposed to be in good fun. I loved your contributions, and I like your confidence!
Bahaha... the asthmatic person not crazy enought to not vacciante against German measles.... I'm happy I made my point! ;)
That was hilarious, Fran! Very clever.
I see that I am destined to go down in history as the person who called the flu vaccine a "crap shot." That is so not what I said. I said "crap shoot," which apparently it isn't either, but that means something completely different than a shot filled with crap.
But yes, the flu vaccine is not a crap shot. We would all do well to remember that. :)
OK, I can't stop laughing. You have a gift, Fran.
Hah! You keep cleaning supplies in the dishwasher. lol!
Thanks for summing it up. It was so daunting to catch up with the vaccine debate, so I didn't even try. The summary was a nice follow-up. I especially liked the "ponder this while eating a bowl of granola" closing statement.
Henry
Enlighten me on the linguistic differences of a crap shot and a crap shoot. I just double checked. You indeed spoke of the flu vaccines as a crap shoot. I guess, I didn't even register the difference, and just made a mental note of flu vaccine = crap shot.
Well, you weren't the first to say that I called the flu vaccine a crap shot. Someone else did it, too; I can't remember who it was.
I said "crap shoot" because I was referring to the gambling game of craps, meaning that you aren't always guaranteed immunity to this season's flu virus. Troy spoke up, though, and said that your chances are much greater than 50/50, so it isn't a very apt metaphor.
A crap shot would be a shot filled with crap, which the very thought of makes a giggle a little.
It's amazing how much difference a letter makes.
Ahhh...now I see. Well, I know there is one vaccine I'd always say no to, and it would definitely be one filled with crap. :)
Yes, indeed. I want everyone to know that I am not so pro-vax as to advocate a crap shot. I really believe that should be left to the parents' discretion. :)
In your vaccine debate did you address the issue of alternate schedules? (Besides the one the US promotes)
I agree with Henry's sentiment, Thanks for summing it up. :) I wanted to know what was said, but I never have enough time to read all that I want when I sit down to blog, and that one was especially daunting. :)
We touched on it briefly, but not in detail. There's an 'alternative schedule' that Dr. Sears offers. But, if you want more ideas on alternative schedules, I suggest you go to that link for European vaccine stuff and look at the schedules for the different European countries. They are actually quite different, and made me realize that while it may be important to vaccinate, it's questionable that the US schedule is the one true schedule to follow. Unless we want to suggest that the European 'experts' don't know what they are doing.
Post a Comment