vaccine debate.

the recent outbreak of measles in nearby hennepin county sparked my interest in the vaccine debate.


quick read about the outbreak


working in the intensive care nursery i see the harmful effects microorganisms can have on little bodies thus i'm interested in ways to minimize and eradicate such bugs. 
i have informed hundreds of parents about the hepatitis B vaccine and given hundreds of little right legs shots.
health is my career but also my passion.
so i read and read and read.
i truly wanted to be 100% convinced of the safety of the vaccines and i made it to 98%.


however i was convinced the risk of not vaccinating it far too hazardous and the research linking autism with vaccine administration is simply absent.


the danger of the diseases that vaccines protect against well that research IS conclusive.


Andrew Wakefield started this scare with a study published in 1998 that linked the MMR vaccine and autism. This study has been found to be fraud. Wakefield was stripped of his medical license in England and doesn't have one in the United States.
fraudulent study link.


Ironically I found an article that Wakefield spoke at a Somali community meeting in Minneapolis in December 2010. this is ironic because the Somali community is where the measles outbreak in hennepin county has started. he is simply reckless.
link to Somali and Wakefield meeting


I checked out the CDCs stance on vaccines and didn't find anything too impressive and nothing worth posting.


I also looked at Jenny McCarty's website generationrescue.org after reading this from the fraudulent study link, "Wakefield now lives in the US where he enjoys a vocal following including celebrity supporters like Jenny McCarthy" 
The website is packed with recommendations and even links to research. The research seems to be articles about the increased rates of autism (duh). 
Then I read ...
Hepatitis B triple series vaccine and developmental disability in US children aged 1-9 years Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry, September 2008, Carolyn Gallagher and Melody Goodman.
My first thought was woah!  Then I read it. 
The study found  evidence of an association between thimerosal-containing Hepatitis B vaccines and developmental disabilities (more about this mercrey perservitive here)
But wait!! not only is this preservative no longer used in the hepatitis b vaccine but a larger study conducted by Parker et al (that i came across as it was a reference in the Gallagher study) reviewed several studies on the same topic and found "Epidemiologic studies that support a link demonstrated significant design flaws that invalidate their conclusions" (Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines and Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A Critical Review of Published Original Data PEDIATRICS Vol. 114 No. 3 September 2004)


I got heated when I read this statement on the website: Vaccines have real documented risks and the U.S. Government knows this. Completely ignoring the much greater risk of NOT vaccinating. Let us not forget vaccines eradicated Smallpox in the 1950s and Polio from the US in 1994 (diseases that historically killed millions) Public health comes with risk. but risks worth taking as more lives are saved this way. think 1918 influenza pandemic. microorganisms are scary. real scary. and the U.S. Government knows that.

Overall I found the website misleading and a rampant of discombobulated numbers. With recommendations lacking research such as delaying vaccine administration which increases the susceptible period for chance of infection. a period where immune systems are not fully developed and have almost no defense against microorganisms; unless the babe is blessed with the passive immunity of the immunoglobilins from breast milk but even that won't stop the harmful effects of hepatitis B if contracted. 
wait to vaccinate->increase time period to contract deadly diseases. simple.
The website does quote physician's whom are on the anti vaccine band wagon. Physicians also are posted in tanning salons promoting skin cancer. Beside the point it is not one person or ten people we should examine but large valid research studies.


A few more reads to examine on your own because I'm out of breath...

The Austim-Vaccine debate: Why won't it go away  


Theoretical aspects of autism: Causes—A review. Journal of Immunotoxicology , 2011; 8(1): 68–79

I may be out of breath but I will still chant "nana nana boo boo,  catch me if you can" to all those mean microorganism that I am protected against thanks to vaccinations :)

gas-x revolution.

after filling up my tank for nearly $4 a gallon, I listened to this story about high gas prices on my favorite radio station while driving....

i then went home and listened to it again on the website. and then i went on amazon and almost bought the book $20 Per Gallon: How the Inevitable Rise in the Price of Gasoline Will Change Our Lives for the Better but then i realized my a.d.h.d. would for sure win and i'd never read it.

i know little about oil, barrels, and business. my knowledge really doesn't go beyond economics 101. less supply more demand. higher prices. that i get but don't ask me any more. i rather study the human body.  however i enjoy staying informed and make an effort to educate myself.

turns out high gas prices has a positive side despite my current annoyance of spending my starbucks money on a gallon of gas. and even though we hate changing our lifestyle. we can. americans drove 100 billion less miles in 2008 than they did in 2007. but it goes past just driving less. and that's what's exciting. it could be revolutionary!! and if i were a gambler i would bet on it. high gas prices have enormous negative effects on people but the reality is $6/gallon is not far away. no matter how much we complain.

here are a list of a few positive views of pricey gasoline...

1) America's obesity rates fall!!  and not from starvation. but because they are moving their bodies with their own energy and not gasoline (unless of course one is dancing while listening to la gasolina.) who needs health care reform when people are healthier.  i guess that's a bit extreme but whats not to love about happy healthy people!

2) car accident death rates fall. woah. because people drive slower to increase fuel economy and less people die.

3) we BREATHE cleaner air. now that's refreshing.

I wasn't sure if these next 2 were positive or not so just a few bonus facts..

*Mass transit will spread. High speed trains will become the mode of transportation (this has already somewhat spread in other parts of the world but turns out america is a bit behind.) The airplane graveyards will overflow and gone will be the days of "Oxygen will be flowing to the mask even if the bag does not inflate. Please make sure to secure your own mask before assisting others."

*Wal-Mart will go bankrupt at $14 per gallon and manufacturing jobs will return to the U.S. (go target!)

click here to learn more about this inevitable change

we will conserve. use less "stuff." value our "stuff" more. i never liked living in a disposable society.

i've decided once the march melt starts. i'm ridding my bike to work. my waistline could use it.

i also just searched for train tickets to see this face. ..

because how can i resist the urge to squeeze those cheeks. 

I'm excited to exercise more, breathe fewer toxins, eat better food, and make a smaller impact on our earth. Bring on high gas prices :)

simmer down.

something wrong? fix it.

not so fast.

I lack any of my own mini-me's but I'm a nurse (and more importantly an auntie) so this article on over-treating fevers sparked my attention....

a fever is our bodies way of fighting an infection; a normal healthy response. fever reducing medicines are for comfort. not for a cure and do not kill any unwanted bugs or have any effect on cold symptoms.

our bodies are truly miraculous without taking pills for every deviation from the norm.  a fever is our bodies own sanitation system like a high temp dish washing cycle. well kinda.

check out the article here.