My son is a healthly 2.5yr old. Both myself and his father...
My son is a healthly 2.5yr old. Both myself and his father were vaccinated but when it came time to decide what we wanted for him, we decided to do some intense research. Having gone to school for training as a Holistic Health Care Practitioner, I am well versed in the amount of toxins that exist in products that are marketed to us as being "ok". The evidence on either side of the arguement cannot discredit the toxins that are present in our vaccines and the seperate medical research of what each of those toxins does to the human body. We simply decided this was not something we wanted to expose our son to. That being said, we do other things to make sure his body and immune system are working the way they should. I sneak organic veggies into every meal I can and limit the amount of processed foods he's given (at least at home cause hey, we can't live in a bubble). When he gets a cold, I use the appropriate herbs, essential oils and vitamins and minerals to strenthen his system further. If he gets a fever, I monitor it but never bring it down with over-the-counter medicines (at the very least for the first day or so) and he fighs off the virus/infection very effectively. We see a ND as his primary care provider and also have open discussions with the family MD as to what diseases and illnesses are currently prevalent in our area that are deadly to a healthy child (none - covered in the government vax program).
It would be irresponsible to just "not vaccinate" your kids and ignore the fact that their developing bodies need to be supported to build strong immune systems. We are aware of the symptoms of serious illness and are very hands-on when it comes to his health. He even asks for his own vitamins if I happen to forget. Overall, my son is a happy, healthy, dirt-eating, bug-loving little boy. He meets or exceeds all "milestones" for his age group and still enjoys all the things a "normal" kid does.
Life is full of risks and choices - and we all have to live with the choices we make. What I think it comes down to (for me anyways) at the end of the day was this: If I vaccinated my son and a serious complication arose as a result, would I be able to live with myself? OR - If I don't vaccinate him and he contracts a life-threatening (or worse) illness as a result, would I be able to live with the consequences? The thing is, there are 2 guarantees in life: 1. You will die some day; and 2. Life is unpredictable. Because of those guarantees, there was only one choice for me. Not vaccinating and taking the more "natural" approach to health is our lifestyle. Injecting harmful toxins into an infant to maybe "protect" against a few of the MANY "what-ifs" in life was not a risk I was willing to take. It's truly up to the parent(s) to be comfortable with their choice - either way - as they have to live with their child and the choices they make for them.
