Vaccines: Taking A Shot
by Regan Golob
This month I had an experience with vaccinations. A little one-year old girl had a severe reaction to her DPT, (Diphtheria, Pertussa, Tetanus) vaccine. In reaction to this situation, I was prompted to do some research on vaccinations.
One interesting article titled, “A Pharmacist Questions Vaccines ” appeared in the December 1994 issue of The American Chiropractor. Some alarming statistics were listed in this article. For example, within a thirty-nine month period ending in November of 1993, the F. D. A. Vaccine Adverse Reporting System collected nearly 32,000 reports of adverse reactions following vaccination, with more than 700 deaths. DPT vaccine was associated with more than 12,000 of these reports, including 471 of the related deaths. “The F. D. A. acknowledges that this voluntary reporting underestimates the actual number of reactions.” The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA) was passed in 1986, establishing the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). As of July 5, 1994, the program had paid $452.5 million for vaccine injury or death, and is back-logged with more than 2,600 claim cases–all of which will not be settled for several years.
This information doesn’t give me much faith in the medical profession’s preventative care program. I am not writing this as a for or against position — just advising that one should make an educated decision on vaccines, whether for children or for animals.
Suggested practices for before and after a vaccination:
Take the temperature of the child or animal to be vaccinated–if abnormal in any way, (elevated or below normal) do not vaccinate.
Use common sense, trust your eye–if a child or animal is not in good health, don’t stress them with a vaccination.
Apply moist Redmond Clay on the vaccination site, even if it s not swollen.
Vaccines are stressful, so do not introduce any other stressing actions the same day of the vaccination. I.E. don’t worm an animal, don’t tranquilize, don’t ship, don’t ride, etc. Other precautions would include not using multivalent vaccines such as a 4-way type.
Educate yourself about vaccinations–your pharmacist doctor, or veterinarian can give you information regarding the risks of a vaccine. Don’t do something out of fear or because everybody else does it.