I would like to greatly thank Christiana Dillingham for her insightful response [“Vaccine Concerns Worth a Hearing,” March 1, Xpress] to the extremely one-sided article in the wellness issue “Community Immunity: Vaccinations Prevent Disease and Build Herd Immunity,” [Jan. 25, Xpress] which greatly fails to present all aspects of this very important issue. Her information just begins to scratch the surface of what has been covered up by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and government for many years, starting with the toxic ingredients she mentions, such as aluminum as well as ethyl mercury (thimerosal, a preservative).
The “authorities” claimed that thimerosal was removed from childhood vaccines in 1999. The truth is the American Academy of Pediatrics and the United States Public Health Service called for removal in 1999. However, by 2003, manufacturers such as Eli Lilly had begun to lower the amounts, but the increasing numbers of vaccines with thimerosal being administered to young children outweighed the amount that was decreased. So many of the immunizations still contain 25 micrograms of mercury. Also, mercury and aluminum act synergistically to actually increase the potential toxicity.
For more information, I would strongly suggest anyone interested, check out another movie, Trace Amounts, and the 10-part documentary series that aired from Jan. 10-19, 2017, called Vaccines Revealed, narrated by Dr. Patrick Gentempo. There were interviews with many scientists, researchers, doctors, and attorneys (such as Robert Kennedy Jr. as mentioned by Christiana). … There were many other studies presented dating back as far as 1948. This documentary can still be found on YouTube in various pieces last I checked. I actually downloaded the entire series.
Christiana is also accurate about the multibillion-dollar vaccine industry. Expanding further on that, the CDC functions as a for-profit, taking taxpayer money to buy vaccines, distribute them and then get reimbursed. So if vaccine sales go down, the CDC loses money. Even worse, embedded in the wonderful Homeland Security bill, Eli Lilly was cleared and documents destroyed of all cases/lawsuits that have been filed regarding thimerosal.
It is way more than a coincidence that the rate of many neurological disorders in our children has increased dramatically since 1989, including autism, tics, sleep disorders, ADHD/ADD, speech and language issues, and other “unspecified developmental delays.” The numbers are staggering! For example, the autism rate has increased from 1:10,000 to 1:68! If that doesn’t blow anyone’s mind, I don’t know what will.
Anyone who is about to have a baby or has young children needs to research this information. I am just very grateful that I had sufficient information back in 1989 when my son was a baby and obtained a religious exemption so he was never immunized, until recently when a tetanus vaccine was required after an injury. At the risk of throwing out the baby with the bathwater, I would not say that all vaccines are evil, as they could be potentially lifesaving, properly researched and administered.
What is seriously needed is careful examination of the safety of what we inject and focus on lifestyle changes that would minimize the need and include homeopathic remedies, for example, that are available for all the childhood diseases that we baby boomers lived through. …
I have been a nurse for 40 years and have witnessed some of the admitted adverse outcomes of vaccines from Intellectual Developmental Disorder (previously known as mental retardation) to SIDS (also denied by most mainstream “authorities.”) It’s sad that our freedom of speech is becoming more limited by a deceptive government. For reasons to protect my current employment, I regret not being able to sign my name to this letter so I must remain
— An anonymous nurse
Asheville area
Editor’s note: In the interest of furthering discussion on the issue, Xpress agreed to withhold the writer’s name, since this person fears negative job repercussions if identified.
Just curious… As a nurse, how many cases of the following have you treated? Smallpox, Polio, Malaria, Measles, Rubella, Tuberculosis, Cholera, Meningococcal Disease, Diphtheria, Mumps, Tetanus, Pertussis, Typhoid Fever? If the answer is, “few or none,” I was just curious why you think that is the case, given that not very long ago these were diseases that killed millions. Ahhh… for the good ol’ days, when Asheville’s biggest growth industry was the operation of tuberculosis sanatoriums.
And just FYI, “doctor” Patrick Gentempo is a chiropractor, and from what little of substance one can glean from his numerous self-promoting websites, seems to mostly operate as a Tony Robbins styled hustler. Out of the scads of self-promoting web pages, good luck finding his actual medical credentials.
A bit hostile but it needed a direct response. Good work, Spare Change. Prepare for incoming………
SpareChange, you are aware that tuberculosis hasn’t been controlled in the US by a vaccine, correct? Nor malaria. Nor cholera. And not typhoid fever, either.
I think you need to reconsider your post.
If your only point is that a few of the several diseases I mentioned either have not been prevalent in the US, or have been successfully treated in the US without the use of, or prior to the development of vaccines for those conditions — then point made. Wealth, development, clean water, moderate climate, and access to modern health care all confer advantages. But having established that, lets hope that the anti-vax hysteria does not get in the way of the development and use vaccines for those same conditions you specify which can save millions of lives, not only in the US, but globally. When it comes to issues like health care, the spread of disease and the use of vaccines, I don’t believe we should presume that the only lives which are important are those of people living in the US, nor do I think microbes have learned to respect national borders. Maybe if nothing else we can agree that spinal manipulations from anti-vax “authorities,” like the one cited by the author of the letter, have never saved a single life from any of these diseases.
“Xpress agreed to withhold the writer’s name, since this person fears negative job repercussions if identified.”
I was having a (social) conversation with a doctor the other day about why lots of nurses seem to gravitate towards whackadoodle opinions about medical science. They know enough to be dangerous in their appeals to professional authority, and not enough to know their limitations.
What’s the editorial value in “furthering discussion on the issue” here other than clickbait? Wakefield was a fraud. The most significant indicator for autistic spectrum disorder and other cognitive/mental issues is having an older father. Homeopathy is sugar pills. Perhaps the Mx could interview some older polio survivors and further the discussion of what we’re missing in a world without iron lungs? Find some Boomers who lost siblings to diphtheria? Or go full woo and find some controversialists who don’t believe in germ theory and instead perform exorcisms on people with measles.
I’m curious why the anonymous author chose to immunize her son after an injury against tetanus (it isn’t “required” as stated) and didn’t choose to use a homeopathic prophylactic. If what the author describes is true, the risk of being poisoned by the toxins in that one vaccine is far greater than the risk of contracting tetanus.
Oh, read up before you write. Tetanus shots have been used for a very long time, with very little adverse effects. Most people are brainwashed into favoring Big Pharma, and throw their kids under the bus to satisfy it. Sad that it’s a taboo to speak against the drug industry. Case in point…the nurse who had to remain anonymous for fear of loss of her job! That’s freedom? Dear Anonymous: thank you for your intelligent, well expressed letter. You are a rare breed nowadays! The place where you work should value you, rather than revile you. Stay strong.
You say “Tetanus shots have been used for a very long time, with very little adverse effects.” Well so have Smallpox, Polio, Measles, Rubella, Diphtheria, and Mumps vaccines. When one picks and chooses their “facts” to meet their needs of the day, well, you’ve made my point better than I did. Thanks.
“Most people are brainwashed into favoring Big Pharma, and throw their kids under the bus to satisfy it. ”
Big pharma makes much, much more profit off of treating diseases. Vaccines make little in the way of money for them.
As was pointed out in the comment section for another anti-science letter here at MX, big pharma can make a lot more money off of iron lungs then it can polio vaccines.
Vaccines have become a victim of their own success. Because so many of the diseases they are designed to prevent have become so rare people think they vaccines are unnecessary. It’s a pity that the anti-science brigade isn’t limited to the flat earth right.
Reposting from my comment on Christiana Dillingham’s letter:
Hi Christiana and all–
First, thank you Christiana for voicing your concern. Though I am not a parent, I care deeply about the health of our nation’s children. For myself, I can’t imagine making any medical decision without first understanding the possible risks and rewards involved. I completely appreciate that parents want to do the same. As a molecular biologist, I try extra hard to learn about the biology of any malady I may find myself facing, as well as the remedy. I applaud your efforts to educate yourself, and to encourage others to do so.
When it comes to vaccines, I’ve learned one thing: the immune system is profoundly, profoundly complicated.
For example, there are many compounds that, in low doses, prime our immune response, and these are often included in vaccines. Compounds that boost the immune system are called “adjuvants.” Aluminum is a great example of an adjuvant, which is why it is included in vaccines. With aluminum, less of the actual vaccine is needed. It’s like a coach in the corner of a boxing match, priming your body for fighting off the potential source of infection (which, in the case of vaccines, is inert).
There are indeed lots of shocking things in vaccines, but I was surprised to learn that “toxic” might not be the right word for them. I always thought that something was either “toxic” or “non-toxic,” but when I joined a toxicology lab I learned that in fact “toxic” is a threshold, not a category. So something cannot be inherently “toxic” or “non-toixc”, instead, it’s all about the dose. Believe it or not, where I used to work, salt (as in table salt) was considered toxic, because if you feed enough of it to rats they’ll die. So we had to take extra precautions when throwing out salt (special labeled bins with the word “toxic” etc.) Water can also be toxic. Every year people in hot dry states like Arizona die from water poisoning.
Many of the adjuvants in vaccines can be toxic at high doses, but in low doses they are safe and even helpful, just like water or salt.
I fully appreciate how scary it would be to consider giving my child something that I was worried might harm them. It’s terrifying! But did you know that many diseases have been liked to the onset of neurological conditions? We know for a fact that many diseases we vaccinate against can have a major damaging effect on the nervous system. Just try googling any of the following to get an idea of how bad it could be: “measles nervous system”, “mumps nervous system”, or “rubella nervous system” (including “progressive rubella panencephalitis,” which may even impact your children’s children). All of these viruses can cause major life-altering or fatal neurological conditions.
For example, SSPE is caused by measles, and the first symptoms include personality changes, mood swings and depression. These will develop over time into muscle spasms, which will escalate into writhing and rigidity. Eventually the person will have trouble breathing, and their heart will have trouble beating. Finally, they will fall into a coma. SSPE is always fatal. And all this will start *years* after they seemingly “recovers” from the initial measles infection (see this site for more info: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001419.htm). The only way to protect your child from SSPE is to get them vaccinated.
For me, as both a scientist and a citizen, I see vaccination as the safest option given the alternatives. Again though, I value your skepticism (skepticism is the foundation of good science!) and willingness to ask questions and seek out answers. I wish you all the best.
Thank you for that elevated, thoughtful and fact-based contribution to the discussion.
“In the interest of furthering discussion on the issue, …”
So shall we look forward to MX giving coverage via anonymous letters to “further the discussion” on whether or not the earth is round or flat, or whether cigarettes cause cancer?
As a nurse practitioner this is disgraceful. This nurse obviously doesn’t remember any of the basic chemistry she was taught and definitely has no understanding of that knowledge. Talking about thimersol proves thisnooint as she doesn’t understand ethyl vs methyl chemicals.
The levels of jenicals in vaccines are trivial to what is found in food, breastmilk, or synthesized by the body naturally.
She needs to find a new career or stick to evidence based practice.
Polio has been eradicated in the USA.
Smallpox has been eradicated in the USA.
The Plague has been eradicated in the USA.
Do I really need to go on?
Do you really want these things brought back?
It is poor policy to publish a letter from an anonymous source. This RN should come forward with her “Alternative Facts” and defend her ideas in a public forum. If there are job repercussions, it is because 1. She is wrong and 2. She is using very poor sources for her observations. Trace Amounts is a joke. Vaccines are safe and have saved MILLIONS of lives.