Brought to you by
Mary Shomon Your
Thyroid Guide
Should Thyroid Patients Get a Smallpox Vaccination?
Back to the
Smallpox Information Center
With the news the smallpox vaccinations for healthcare workers and
members of the military were already beginning, I had to wonder if I at
some point would need to consider being vaccinated.
I asked my own physician, who told me that she was telling her patients
that she is totally opposed to smallpox vaccinations except for those
who are directly exposed to the virus. She said she even though she was
in the healthcare profession, she was also not in favor of getting
vaccinated herself unless smallpox were confirmed in our area or she
were directly exposed.
But many readers have been contacting me to ask questions regarding the
smallpox vaccination. Is it safe for thyroid patients? Is it only a
concern for people taking immunosuppressant drugs, or should everyone
with autoimmune diseases be concerned? Should you only be vaccinated if
you are exposed to smallpox?
I posed the question regarding thyroid patients to Richard Shames, MD,
author of Thyroid Power, and a specialist in immune conditions and
hormone balance. Here is his response.
Dear Mary:
Thank you for offering me the chance to tell your readers my views on
the possibility of vaccinating the American populace against smallpox.
Basically I believe this is a very bad idea which runs counter to the
mainstream of medical thought in this country. In particular, it may
be a very bad idea for thyroid sufferers.
The vaccine uses an attenuated live virus, which means a certain
amount of risk of morbidity and mortality. It is generally thought to
make most sense to quarantine the person who gets the illness and
vaccinate those who were in immediate contact with the person. In
other words, the vaccine should be used only in case of an outbreak,
and along with accepted medical procedures of isolation and
quarantine.
In particular, thyroid sufferers have an immune problem that is likely
to be made worse by injectible vaccinations. A person with high or low
thyroid has an immune system that is TH2 predominant (T-Helper Cell
Type 2). All vaccinations given by injection further stimulate this
particular out-of-balance situation and thus have the potential of
making the autoimmune response and the resultant thyroid situation
worse.
For instance, in the Gulf War, soldiers received multiple vaccinations
in a short space of time, which switched their immune systems from TH1
predominate to TH2 predominant. These individuals are now much more
susceptible to viral infection and possibly further immune aberration
due to toxic chemical exposures.
We certainly wouldn't want large numbers of people having to add a
type of Gulf War Syndrome on top of their thyroid problems.
It's not just thyroid sufferers who should be extremely cautious of
vaccinations. Almost any autoimmune sufferers would be in the same
boat. People with dysfunctional immune systems might best be quite
wary of the advice to be immunized.
In fact, Mary, I totally agree with your personal physician who says
she is not advising smallpox vaccinations for anyone—only if there
were direct exposure. In addition, I am further discouraging any one
with thyroid or other autoimmune problems to submit themselves to this
very questionable policy.
Best wishes to you and your readers in the New Year!
Richard Shames, MD
Dr. Richard Shames has practiced for over 30 years, written and
lectured widely on thyroid, immune system, and hormonal health issues,
and is considered an expert in the field. In addition to co-authoring a
popular book,
Thyroid Power, with his wife Karilee Shames, RN, PhD, he is a
regular contributor to my thyroid websites, and provides a service
offering thyroid coaching education sessions to consumers nationwide by
telephone. For more information regarding telephone coaching, call 866
468-4979, or see the website,
www.Thyroidpower.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SMALLPOX
Visit the
Smallpox Information Center