I agree with you first point about herd immunity having benefited my family. But, there are downsides to this as well. The chicken pox vaccine is a scam. And, because there are so many suckers out there, herd immunity has kicked in, and my children are not likely to get chicken pox naturally. Herd immunity also increases the risk that I will get shingles because there isn’t natural chicken pox floating around any more. Of course, the CDC (a.k.a., the drug companies) says I should just get the shingles vaccine. Well, I don’t want the shingles vaccine. I don’t want to take a drug that is unnecessary for me and does have potential deadly side effects.
My wife a not a quack, but I’m guessing you are a liberal-NeoCon/Trotskyite. You write about evidence, but all you need to do is read the vaccine literature. The drug companies admit, in writing, that their product might kill you. I can’t understand how otherwise intelligent people overlook this fact. Also, the “safety” research is bogus...
So you don’t like alternative medicine. Well, how is it that my children have NEVER used an antibiotic (except for scraps on knees, etc.)? It is because when they are sick, we do not reach for a drug first, we try natural methods. Do you know that children do not need or benefit from fever suppressants. There is no science, at all, that indicates suppressing a fever is healthy. It’s not just vaccines, but Americans are trying to buy health from snake oil salesmen (and the CDC gives them their stamp of approval).
I don’t claim that all vaccines are bad...I just think parents should choose which ones to give their kids, the government should not pick sides, and the research should be scientific.
Death comes to us all...we can’t change that, but we can change how we live. For my family, I prefer freedom over slavery.
So you admit that you and your children personally benefit by others getting vaccinated? You admit that your children are getting a free ride from those who are vaccinated? Interesting.
My wife a not a quack, but I’m guessing you are a liberal-NeoCon/Trotskyite.
Nice deflection there but if your wife advocates for homeopathic cures, yes, she is a quack. Homeopathy is a scam and it is totally worthless.
Fad Friday: Debunking homeopathy
You won't believe what happens when Science Babe swallows 50 homeopathic sleeping pills.
Do you know that children do not need or benefit from fever suppressants. There is no science, at all, that indicates suppressing a fever is healthy.
I will agree with you to some extent on this. Children often develop fevers and not all childhood fevers are a reason for concern. However, a very high and persistent fever lasting for four days or more, one that does not go down with fever suppressants and along with confusion, severer listlessness, the inability to drink or keep down fluids or foods, could be a sign of a very serious condition and cause for concern and a reason to consult a “real” doctor - something that the parents in the article didn’t do until it was too late:
We worry most about fevers in very young children – especially infants less than 3 months old – because their immune systems are still developing. This leaves them at risk for severe infections. In preschool age children and beyond, we pediatricians generally don’t worry much about fevers unless they last for four days or more, and cause symptoms such as significant listless/irritability, a bad sore throat, worsening coughing or pain with urination.
In infants less than 2 months of age, a fever is any temperature over 100.4º F. It’s also a concern if your newborn’s temperature is less than 96 F. For an abnormal temperature in your newborn, call your doctor or go to the urgent care clinic or emergency room — your newborn needs to be seen right away.
In babies and children older than 3 months, a fever is a temperature greater than 101.5º F. Call your doctor if your child’s temperature reaches 102.2º F or higher.
Most fevers go away in a couple of days. Call your doctor if the fever lasts four days or more. Call the doctor right away if your feverish child has vomiting or diarrhea, earache, severe abdominal pain, headache, stiff neck, sore throat, trouble breathing, pain when urinating, swollen joints, other localized pain and a purplish/dark rash that does not fade when you press on it. Also call the doctor if your child is listless or refuses to drink fluids.
Should I give my child medicine to lower her fever?
Fever-reducing medicines are not needed for low-grade fevers (99º to 101º F) unless your child seems uncomfortable or is not drinking well. Once children’s fevers rise above 101.5º F, they generally feel miserable, and fever-reducing medicines will help them feel better. Children may be more likely to drink fluids properly after they have had fever-reducing medicines.
When to Worry About a Fever Interestingly in the case that is the subject of this thread, the child was suffering from meningitis. One of the signs of meningitis is a persistent high fever along with other symptoms that should have been cause for alarm, in addition to a persistent high fever.
http://www.webmd.com/children/vaccines/meningitis-symptoms-warning-signs
This child suffered from, at least for two weeks or more of what was likely obvious symptoms of something well beyond a common cold or flu. But this child’s parents, instead of taking him to a doctor, decided to treat him with olive leaf extract, whey protein, water with maple syrup, and juice with frozen berries and then when his condition got much worse, with apple cider vinegar, horseradish root, hot peppers, onion, garlic, and ginger root, until he finally stopped breathing. OK. When your kid stops breathing after having being sick for several weeks and he’s not responding to the “natural” remedies, call 9-11 and have him airlifted to a hospital and the real doctors and medications and hope for the best.
Herd immunity also increases the risk that I will get shingles because there isn’t natural chicken pox floating around any more.
No you are wrong. You can’t get shingles unless you’ve previously had chicken pox. If you’ve never had chicken pox, you will not ever develop shingles later in life.