Natural Health Newsletter

Randall Neustaedter OMD

Question of the week

Dear Dr. Neustaedter,

I have been researching the whole vaccine controversy during the last 2 months since my daughter's final vaccinations are about to take place. However, after doing much research and reading your book I do not want to have her vaccinated. During her second year she began to exhibit autistic characteristics and today she has a severe language impairment. I simply cannot vaccinate her, whether the vaccinations caused her problem or not. However, I'm having a very hard time getting exemptions. I live in Nevada and just joined the NVIC, but they told me there is not an advocate out here. I'm trying another doctor to see if they will provide me with an exemption but haven't heard back. But since I'm having to explain my reasons to not vaccinate to doctors and family members I wonder if you can help me with a few questions:

First Question: How do I respond when someone says, "Why would the government mandate vaccinations if they were not safe?" My current response has been that the pharmaceutical companies pay the lawmakers. But is that speculation or a known fact?

Dr. Neustaedter’s response:

Public health officials have a different agenda than you do as a parent. They are looking at disease statistics for an entire population. Long ago a decision was made that we should all take the risk of adverse effects of vaccines in order to reduce the incidence of disease in the population. This makes sense from a strictly financial standpoint. It would cost more to treat the disease than it does to compensate parents for the short-term adverse effects of the vaccine and to treat these bad reactions. The recent findings of an association between vaccines and chronic problems such as asthma, diabetes, and autism, however, may involve a new set of financial factors that alters this picture. Nonetheless, vaccine manufacturers and government advisers are still intent on vaccination for everyone.

As you suspect, there are close ties between vaccine companies and government. Physicians who sit on government vaccine recommendation panels also work for drug companies as researchers and paid consultants. Lobbyists for drug companies are screaming about the attacks on the reputation of vaccines by Congressman Burton, who is leading the investigation into the cover-up of vaccine damages and the conflict of interest on vaccine panels.

Second Question: How do I respond when people say, "If it weren't for the vaccinations the country would be rampant with disease". Right now I say, "Most diseases have been eradicated and back when the vaccines first started no one knew there were side effects and we had no choice". I think there may be a better response I just don't know how to word it.

Dr. Neustaedter’s response:

The incidence of most serious infectious diseases and deaths from those diseases were decreasing prior to the vaccine era. Many experts argue that sanitation and public health measures have impacted the incidence of major infectious diseases much more than vaccination. They also suggest that the decline in these diseases would probably have occurred with or without vaccines. The problem we are facing now is a tremendous rise in chronic diseases of the immune system since the vaccine era. Asthma, autism, and diabetes are all increasing at alarming rates and a great deal of research is pointing to vaccines as a primary cause of these diseases.

Third Question: How can this country dictate what we put into our children's bodies? I simply do not understand how we can live in this free country and be told to do this to our children. I keep telling myself I must be missing something here. That I'm sure I simply have to say "I would rather not have that needle in my child's body thank you"  This is not the case. My daughter is going to start special ed kindergarten in September and I have to show proof of immunizations. How do I get past this? How is this allowed to happen? What can I do about it? This is absolutely horrible and it feels like I'm living in a communist country. Do you have any suggestions on how I can get a medical exemption? I cannot believe I have to fake a religious exemption for this. Any advice or suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated!!

Dr. Neustaedter’s response:

The Supreme Court decided in 1905 that a person could be vaccinated against his or her will if their unvaccinated status posed a significant threat to the health of the population, in this case, if a smallpox epidemic was threatening the lives of citizens. Now the constitutionality of vaccination is being challenged again. Two consumer groups, Foundation for Health Choice and Citizens for Health, have filed a case in federal court challenging the right of the government to administer potentially lethal injections to children without due process. Even convicted killers are allowed a trial and appeals process before being sentenced to execution. Children who die following a vaccine injection have benefited from no legal recourse. To learn more and lend your support to this constitutional challenge of vaccination go to the website at www.foundationforhealthchoice.com