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This is Why We Don't Get the Flu Shot...

Looking for The Lactivist? She's retired. But you CAN still find Jen blogging. These days, she's runs A Flexible Life. Join her for life, recipes, projects and the occasional rant.

Monday, May 07, 2007

No flu shots here in the Laycock household. (Neither of our kids are fully vaxed and what vaxes we do give, are somewhat delayed and spread out.)

Anyway, this isn't the REAL reason, but it's a nice parody of why. ;)

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  1. Anonymous Anonymous | 2:53 PM |  

    Haha...I needed a laugh after the New Bedford video. I can think of a few other things big pharma makes that I'd like to see the full list of ingrediants on.

  2. Blogger K | 3:29 PM |  

    Yawn. Please tell me you have not bought into the incredible piles of anti-vax crapola out there in the "natural living" community?! You are far toooo smart for that.

  3. Blogger Jennifer Laycock | 3:35 PM |  

    LOL, come on K, that's a funny video.

    We actually don't do the flu shot because I don't see a need to.

    As for vaxes, we skip several that I don't feel are needed or have been tested enough (no chicken pox, no Hep B until at least school age, no gardasil, no Rotovirus, etc...) and do all the ones that protect against life-threatening illness (Polio, MMR, bacterial meningitis, etc...)

    I'd also note that there's a difference between "anti-vax crap" and legitimate concerns about the quality, safety of some vaxes. (and when I say that, the huge push for Gardasil comes to mind.)

    As with everyone else, I don't follow any "party line." I read and then I make the decision that I think work best for us.

  4. Anonymous Anonymous | 6:19 PM |  

    Very funny video- Though I personally have chosen not to vax my kids for most of the recommended illnesses, I completely support every parent making the choice for their children as they see fit.
    The one thing that hit home the most from this video was how most people really don't know what's inside vaccines at all. It's ridiculous that the contents of something injected into our kids is never even discussed. Now a lot of people do research and make educated decisions about vaccination- be it for or against- But most people don't even ever think to question something that is recomended and a lot of the time are tricked into believing that you "must" vaccinate your children because it is against the law not too.

    One major aspect that blows my mind is the fact that vax are made from embryos and aborted fetuses and no one seems to ever hear about that. Now I'm not trying to exagerate and be over dramatic and saying that babies are aborted for every vaccine all the time- But at some point babies that had been aborted were used to make the rubella and chicken pox vaccines. Even if it's just 1 or 2 babies- anyone who has a strong ethical and/or moral belief against abortion has the right to know that this is where the vax came from. Just as any person who is a vegan has the right to know that the flu shot comes from chicken embryos- All you hear the doctors say before a shot is "are you allergic to eggs?" - no real explination.
    Now this is just one of my issues w/ vax- though I have many- and I know that a lot of people have strong convictions on the other side of the issue and I'm completely aware of the risks of not vaccinating.
    My main concern is that most of the country just blindly accepts vaccinations as safe and reliable- w/o knowing what's in them. I still think that most people would choose to vaccinate if they were given the information- b/c I know many people that do their research and question the safety and reliability and they decide that they think that immunization is the best choice for their family. Whether or not people choose to vax- everyone has the right to know what is in vaccines- and as of now that doesn't seem to be the case.

  5. Blogger Crunchy Domestic Goddess | 7:40 PM |  

    that was pretty darn funny. thx for sharing it. :)

    we are in the delayed/selective vaxing camp ourselves. i support a parent's right to choose what's best for them and their family. i just wish more people questioned vaxes and learned more about them rather than vaxing with blind faith.

  6. Anonymous Anonymous | 5:08 AM |  

    Funny! I sent this to my mom. Maybe she won't "tsk, tsk" me anymore for not getting my kids flu shots. I do get them most other vaccines (try to wait until they've been out for a while without problems). I actually broke down and got my first flu shot last year, because I had been seriously ill and in the hospital for a week with pneumonia (second time I've had it in 5 years). But I don't understand the logic of routinely giving flu shots to healthy children and adults.

    Jennifer R.

  7. Anonymous Anonymous | 6:39 AM |  

    That was hilarious! We don't generally give our kids flu shots either. When I was growing up, I don't recall ever getting a flu shot (and both of my parents are doctors!).

    I was 'coaxed' into getting one when I was pregnant with my second child...which I think was the time when there was a huge shortage and everyone was afraid of getting sick. And one time my daughter had one before she was 6 months old I think.

    Both of our kids have had all of their other 'suggested' shots including Hep A because we travel to Mexico sometimes. However, we were told by our pedi that the clinic we go to does not dispense shots with mercury given the controversy surrounding mercury and autism.

    I sometimes think by giving shots for illnesses that generally don't result in death or serious harm to the general population, we are forcing those viruses and bacteria to find other ways to fulfill their purposes in life...making it a never ending battle.

    What is really worrisome is that somewhere someone still has the smallpox virus in a lab and the world quit giving smallpox shots sometime in the 70s and in the US before that. Since I was born in another country I had a small pox vax but many of my friends here in the US don't.

  8. Blogger lulubelle | 7:45 AM |  

    Hey Jennifer, love seeing Canadian content on your blog :)
    We have not vaxed for the flu shot, mostly because I personally feel it's a bit of a crap shoot...the vaccine is created 6 months ahead of flu season based on a prediction, an educated guess basically, of what kind of flu will be hitting that year. In the past I had it because I worked in Early Childhood Education so it was important for me to take any precaution I could. Now my husband has just graduated and is now a Registered Nurse, putting our family into a high risk category, which means we will be looking into vaxing myself and our kids (my husband is required to have the flu shot or he won't be able to work on the floor, puts the patients at risk).
    Knowing what is in the vaccines is important, for sure, and it does worry me how many people blindly follow a dr's recommendations without researching it. Look at how many new moms out there have gotten really bad breastfeeding advice from their dr that has ruined the breastfeeding relationship and enforced formula feeding! Just because they have a medical degree does not mean they know everything and when it comes right down to it YOU are the expert of your own body and of your children.

  9. Blogger Sarahbear | 7:59 AM |  

    Hehe, that's pretty clever.

  10. Blogger JudyBright | 8:03 AM |  

    Let me summarize the main points:

    1. Blind faith

    2. Things that are "free" are not really "free" if they're paid for by tax dollars.

    3. Government recommended *shudder*

    The less the government has to do with paying for and mandating how health care is distributed, the better.

  11. Anonymous Anonymous | 8:04 AM |  

    I have that one on my blog too. It is hilarious!

  12. Blogger tanya@motherwearblog | 11:17 AM |  

    Ha!

    This has nothing to do with the issue, but I have to tell you this: Once my husband came home after getting a flu shot and admitted that when he was asked if he's allergic to eggs, he got a little confused and said,

    "No. Are you going to serve us eggs afterwards?"

    Tanya

  13. Blogger Jennifer Laycock | 5:28 PM |  

    LOL

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