I am thrilled to have a different reason to report why we homeschool other than teachers preying on the innocence of children (although the news on that front has not diminished, unfortunately).
Just a few months ago, a reputable British newspaper reported that US scientists had confirmed an autism link to the MMR vaccine. (I note that I heard nothing about it in the American press.) Apparently the alarm has grown so great, that the New York Times was deployed today to quell the rumors. Which is it? Do I trust the info in the New York Times, or the Telegraph?
The autism – vaccine link is not a new development. A few years ago Dr. Blaylock published a well- documented report on the links between mandatory vaccinations and neurological damage, including autism (report available by subscription only, but well worth the cost — much less than one visit to the doctor to give the children the latest vaccines). But the CDC claims the link simply does not exist (Broken link, active August 12, 2006). Which is it? Do I trust the info in Dr. Blaylock’s report, or the CDC?
Considering the credibility of the New York Times, and the huge amount of money the medical establishment makes on mandatory vaccinations for every child in the country, compared to the compelling evidence presented by both the Telegraph and Dr. Blaylock, I would say I have to come down on the side of no vaccinations for my kids.
That is a scary thing. I saw on the news last week, the statistics of autism and it was startling. The numbers were so high, I even commented to my husband.
In one of the reports I linked to above, the cases of autism used to be one in 10,000. Now it is one in 150. Something has to be causing a spike like that; that is not the result of nature taking its course.
So… wouldn’t this mean that if vaccines cause autism, that all (or at least most) vaccinated kids would be autistic? I mean, it’s certainly possible that they have something to do with it, but so might 1000 other things in our culture– pesticides, microwaves, genetic engineering in foods, hormones….
Jen (whose 5 kids are all vaccinated and none are autistic)
I think it means there is a link, not a direct cause and effect. Dr. Blaylock explains the mechanism very well in his report. It has to do with genetics … some children are better able to recover from the immune system stimulus which a vaccination delivers, than other children. In some children, the particular immune system stimulus which a vaccination delivers may cause neurological damage.
There is a theory floating around out there, that a possible cause of Gulf War Syndrome, which some soldiers came down with who had served in the first Gulf War, was due to the fact that they had to get so many vaccinations in such a short time. It was immune system overstimulus. Not every soldier got Gulf War Syndrome, but genetics again: some were better able to recover. I wish I could find that link, but I haven’t been able to. Maybe someone will post it in the comments.