Okay parents, we are re-opening the vaccinations debate. Are you ready? This time it's "shot-limited schedules." Researchers from the Oregon Health Authority say that more and more parents in Oregon are using alternative vaccination schedules that reduce the number of shots their children receive at one time. In other words, they're getting some of those shots on a delayed schedule.
This practice could be putting those children -- and their peers -- at greater risks for diseases.
And it's not just Oregon kids. I know that here in Brooklyn shot-limited schedules are very popular. Parents are trying to take back control over their kids' vaccinations. But do we really know enough to do that?
I know babies and toddlers get a LOT of shots. I was shocked every time I took my son in for a check-up. And did I ever hear it from the other parents, too. There's so much social pressure in my area to get all bossy with your pediatrician and demand a delayed schedule -- or even skipping some vaccinations altogether.
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Our pediatrician won't hear of it. She's married to a researcher who studies diseases and vaccinations all day, every day -- and she's very serious about staying on schedule.
So -- am I just totally naive here? -- I trusted our pediatrician and went along with her crazy, mega-vaccination schedule. And now my son is eight and he's fine. That's just us, of course. It doesn't prove anything about anything. But I wonder about these shot-limiting schedules. Sure, there's all kinds of information on the Internet about the dangers of too many vaccinations at once. But how do you know who to trust?
I have a lot of crunchy mom friends who question western medicine. And I listen to them politely. And then I shrug and go along with the advice of the woman with the medical degree on her wall.
Have you tried a shot-limiting schedule?
Image via Alex E. Proimos/Flickr
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Comments 125
I dont believe this article at all.. if i did vaccines i would follow Japan's schedule since they dont do them until age 2 and their Autism rates are very low, and their SIDS rate has diminished greatly! Been around unvaccinated children for years and they are all happy healthy kids.. not as sick as my family's kids who are vaccinated.
None of my children have gotten a vaccine they didn't need. If they can't die from it, they won't get the shot
To the person who wrote: " So he and the pediatrician had to legally abuse the children - the 4 year old got 10 shots that day, and the 2 year old got 6. They had to do it that way because some of the shots interact with the others, so they couldn't spread them out."
That is the biggest load of bullshit I think I've ever heard. There was absolutely NO reason for them to get all of their vaccines together, and EVERY reason not to, including the excuse you gave, that some interact with others... NEGATIVELY. I have a friend who found out his ex hadn't vaccinated their daughter, so he went and made them give her 6 shots at a time. She immediately reacted (I mean within seconds of the final shot) and ended up in the ER. She ended up a complete vegetable. Guess where the guy was? He disappeared off the face of the earth, leaving mom, who, turned out, DID know best, to have a vegetable to take care of for the rest of her life. No responsible doctor gives 10 shots at one time. And schools... all you have to do is have a doctor sign a paper saying that the child is on a delayed schedule, and the estimated date of the final shots. Either your friend is lying through his teeth, or you are.
Stacey, your fact is not a fact at all. Not even close. Vaccines jumped on the end of a rapidly declining rate of infection and claimed all the credit. The FACT is that sanitary living conditions caused the rapid decline of disease. In fact, everytime one of your beloved vaccines came out, it was immediately followed by a sharp increase in the number of cases before declining once again. There is no proof whatosever that vaccines had anything to do with the decline of disease, or that it has anything to do with the continued low rates. In fact, measles, for one, did not decline even by a percent of a percent after the vaccine came out, yet it is somehow being lauded for its role in the decline of measles? I don't think so. You'd better get your facts straight, and quit spreading lies.
To the poster who said: "UH, I've got news for you...getting the measles, mumps, and any other communicable disease has absolutely NOTHING to do with what you feed your child." You're wrong. In all severe cases of Measles, the number one factor that determined whether it was a mild or severe case was a Vitamin A deficiency.
ETA: I hit submit too soon :( Anyway, nutrition has everything to do with with a strong immune system. Much of the crap that is in our food works against the natural balance of our bodies. When our bodies are not in balance, we cannot fight off infection well. The specific nutrients that we put into our bodies determine how fast our immune system responds. Specifically, how fast dendrites can get to the lymph, and how fast the T-cells can link up with the microbe being presented by the dendrites, and how fast the T-cells can bring that same microbe to the B-cells, and how fast the B-cells can create plasma cells, and how fast those plasma cells can release their antibodies into the body. It ALL comes down to nutrition. You may still get sick, but if you have a strong immune system (which you cannot get no matter how many virus and bacterial parts you pump into your body) then you will not get nearly as sick as someone who can't even tell you what a carrot or tomato looks like.
My DD was in NICU for a fever after birth, She was vaccinated on time
. I found a book WHAT YOUR PEDITRIAN DOESN"T KNOW CAN HURT YOUR CHILD read it! It's written by Susan Markley and yes she does have medical background. It's not written to make you upset it's just straight forward facts that I know my pediatrician did give or probability even know. It's more than just vaccines that we should be concerned with.