Vaccines.
Where to begin? This is a subject I have become extremely passionate about in the last year. It is scary putting this out there. It is scary being the black sheep. It is scary to say anything that contradicts popular belief and what the public has deemed as "truth". As a soon to be occupational therapist, I worry about my future career. I worry that I will not get a job, or be fired from my job, simply for having a difference in opinion.
Point blank: I believe vaccines can in some cases, be worth the potential risks. I also believe that vaccines are not as safe and effective as we are led to believe. I believe the science on vaccines is NOT settled and there is NOT enough research on them. I know that the "safety" studies about vaccines are not up to par with what I have always been taught about good research, and that when it comes to vaccines, everything about good research is thrown out the window. I know that when it comes to vaccines, there is not true informed consent. I believe that it is every adult person's right to refuse vaccines for themselves, or their children. I know that the vaccine issue is not as black and white as the media/government wants us to think. I know that not all vaccines are the same, and as such we must look at the vaccines and diseases on an individual basis. I believe in medical freedom.
A Little About Me.
As long as I can remember, I have always loved science. In fourth grade, we had to write our favorite subjects on a giant poster board on the wall. I would have picked art, because I also loved art and as a child I had wanted to be an artist, but that apparently wasn't considered a "subject" (because it had to be an "academic" subject). So I wrote science. I think I was the only one who wrote science. Lots of people said reading, language arts, or math. There were a few social studies. In elementary school, I remember my dad would read to me before I went to bed. Sometimes we read the Princess Diaries. Other times, we read science magazines. I don't recall what the name of the science magazine we had a subscription to, but each magazine had a different theme. I specifically remember one about vision and how the eyes work. I also specifically remember one about ecology. From a young age, I looked forward to science class and I read science magazines with my dad before bed. But I actually hadn't considered a career in science until high school. I fell in love with biology, and later human anatomy and psychology, which led me to study neuroscience in college. Now, I have almost completed my Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy, and plan to OT as my dream career!
Science.
Studying neuroscience was a great decision and I would never go back and pick a different major. The interesting thing about learning science is that, the more I learned about science, the less I trusted it. The more I learned about doing research, the less trusting of it I became. Why? Because our human understanding of science and research is imperfect. The funny thing is, many people in our world today consider science the "end all, be all". They consider it the "gold standard", the "truth". "The science is settled", they say. However, thinking deeply about the concept of science and research, I realize that a lot of it is just our best guess. People think science/research is "proof". The majority of science and research is biased. People find what they are looking for. It is easy for scientific studies to confirm what we expect -- or what we want to happen. This isn't true for all research or all science. But it happens time and time again, that humans think they have science down, and something new comes along that shatters their previous notions.
True scientists question everything. They question their own preconceived notions. They never stop questioning.True scientists remain open minded to all the possibilities. I believe the opposite is happening in our culture/religion of science today. Too many scientists say "well, that's impossible". Then the impossible happens. Too many scientists refuse to acknowledge things that go against their expectations. Too many scientists say "the science is settled". Saying the "science is settled" closes the doors to new discoveries.
Scientists and researchers are not perfect. I love science, and I believe in science. But I do not believe that scientists are right about everything. I do not believe that scientists and researchers should be put upon a golden pedestal and worshiped. The more I learn and know, the more I realize there is so much that we do not know. That a lot of science is trial and error, and just our best guess.
Science is not settled. It has never been. The more I have learned about science and research, the more I have learned that this is true. I'm grateful for my education and learning that has helped me to open my eyes and see things differently.
This blog.
In subsequent blog posts, some of the information I will be discussing/talking about is:
-my journey into researching vaccines
-the various vaccines available, the diseases, and some history
-herd immunity theory vs. actuality, vaccine shedding, & protecting the immunocompromised
-Andrew Wakefield and the vaccines cause autism ordeal
-vaccine science & studies
-Disease outbreaks in highly vaccinated communities
-VAERS (vaccine adverse event reporting system)
-National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, Vaccine Compensation Program, and how vaccine manufactures have no liability for vaccine injury
-Importance of informed consent and medical freedom, mandatory vaccination
-Censoring our world of content that questions vaccines, while praising fake news and propaganda that promotes the vaccine agenda, and how the news is very biased toward vaccines
-vaccine exemptions (religious, philosophical aka moral, medical)
-Blood titers tests that show antibodies to diseases vs. getting vaccinated
-updates on vaccine bills
-Many other topics related to vaccines and medical freedom
I will include links/references whenever possible, many of which are legitimate government websites and scientific studies. Some of the information will be my own logical thought processes.
I hope you will try to remain open minded with the vaccine discussion. I hope you will see that the issue is a lot more complex than the news & doctors make it out to be. I hope you will be compassionate to those who choose not to vaccinate, for *whatever* reason. My biggest hope is that you will be more understanding. It would be great if you decided to advocate yourself for medical freedom and for correcting any misinformation you hear about vaccines, but that would exceed my hopes and expectations. Mainly just try to see another perspective and be understanding of others' choices, even if you don't agree.
I hope you know that many people who question vaccines, or even disagree with vaccines, are educated people. People have put hours and hours into research. They weigh the pros and cons heavily. Many are "ex-vaxxers". They did vaccinate, and they regretted it. It is not ignorant to question vaccines. It is not ignorant to refuse vaccines. And it is not anti-science.
Where to begin? This is a subject I have become extremely passionate about in the last year. It is scary putting this out there. It is scary being the black sheep. It is scary to say anything that contradicts popular belief and what the public has deemed as "truth". As a soon to be occupational therapist, I worry about my future career. I worry that I will not get a job, or be fired from my job, simply for having a difference in opinion.
Point blank: I believe vaccines can in some cases, be worth the potential risks. I also believe that vaccines are not as safe and effective as we are led to believe. I believe the science on vaccines is NOT settled and there is NOT enough research on them. I know that the "safety" studies about vaccines are not up to par with what I have always been taught about good research, and that when it comes to vaccines, everything about good research is thrown out the window. I know that when it comes to vaccines, there is not true informed consent. I believe that it is every adult person's right to refuse vaccines for themselves, or their children. I know that the vaccine issue is not as black and white as the media/government wants us to think. I know that not all vaccines are the same, and as such we must look at the vaccines and diseases on an individual basis. I believe in medical freedom.
A Little About Me.
As long as I can remember, I have always loved science. In fourth grade, we had to write our favorite subjects on a giant poster board on the wall. I would have picked art, because I also loved art and as a child I had wanted to be an artist, but that apparently wasn't considered a "subject" (because it had to be an "academic" subject). So I wrote science. I think I was the only one who wrote science. Lots of people said reading, language arts, or math. There were a few social studies. In elementary school, I remember my dad would read to me before I went to bed. Sometimes we read the Princess Diaries. Other times, we read science magazines. I don't recall what the name of the science magazine we had a subscription to, but each magazine had a different theme. I specifically remember one about vision and how the eyes work. I also specifically remember one about ecology. From a young age, I looked forward to science class and I read science magazines with my dad before bed. But I actually hadn't considered a career in science until high school. I fell in love with biology, and later human anatomy and psychology, which led me to study neuroscience in college. Now, I have almost completed my Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy, and plan to OT as my dream career!
Science.
Studying neuroscience was a great decision and I would never go back and pick a different major. The interesting thing about learning science is that, the more I learned about science, the less I trusted it. The more I learned about doing research, the less trusting of it I became. Why? Because our human understanding of science and research is imperfect. The funny thing is, many people in our world today consider science the "end all, be all". They consider it the "gold standard", the "truth". "The science is settled", they say. However, thinking deeply about the concept of science and research, I realize that a lot of it is just our best guess. People think science/research is "proof". The majority of science and research is biased. People find what they are looking for. It is easy for scientific studies to confirm what we expect -- or what we want to happen. This isn't true for all research or all science. But it happens time and time again, that humans think they have science down, and something new comes along that shatters their previous notions.
True scientists question everything. They question their own preconceived notions. They never stop questioning.True scientists remain open minded to all the possibilities. I believe the opposite is happening in our culture/religion of science today. Too many scientists say "well, that's impossible". Then the impossible happens. Too many scientists refuse to acknowledge things that go against their expectations. Too many scientists say "the science is settled". Saying the "science is settled" closes the doors to new discoveries.
Scientists and researchers are not perfect. I love science, and I believe in science. But I do not believe that scientists are right about everything. I do not believe that scientists and researchers should be put upon a golden pedestal and worshiped. The more I learn and know, the more I realize there is so much that we do not know. That a lot of science is trial and error, and just our best guess.
Science is not settled. It has never been. The more I have learned about science and research, the more I have learned that this is true. I'm grateful for my education and learning that has helped me to open my eyes and see things differently.
This blog.
In subsequent blog posts, some of the information I will be discussing/talking about is:
-my journey into researching vaccines
-the various vaccines available, the diseases, and some history
-herd immunity theory vs. actuality, vaccine shedding, & protecting the immunocompromised
-Andrew Wakefield and the vaccines cause autism ordeal
-vaccine science & studies
-Disease outbreaks in highly vaccinated communities
-VAERS (vaccine adverse event reporting system)
-National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, Vaccine Compensation Program, and how vaccine manufactures have no liability for vaccine injury
-Importance of informed consent and medical freedom, mandatory vaccination
-Censoring our world of content that questions vaccines, while praising fake news and propaganda that promotes the vaccine agenda, and how the news is very biased toward vaccines
-vaccine exemptions (religious, philosophical aka moral, medical)
-Blood titers tests that show antibodies to diseases vs. getting vaccinated
-updates on vaccine bills
-Many other topics related to vaccines and medical freedom
I will include links/references whenever possible, many of which are legitimate government websites and scientific studies. Some of the information will be my own logical thought processes.
I hope you will try to remain open minded with the vaccine discussion. I hope you will see that the issue is a lot more complex than the news & doctors make it out to be. I hope you will be compassionate to those who choose not to vaccinate, for *whatever* reason. My biggest hope is that you will be more understanding. It would be great if you decided to advocate yourself for medical freedom and for correcting any misinformation you hear about vaccines, but that would exceed my hopes and expectations. Mainly just try to see another perspective and be understanding of others' choices, even if you don't agree.
I hope you know that many people who question vaccines, or even disagree with vaccines, are educated people. People have put hours and hours into research. They weigh the pros and cons heavily. Many are "ex-vaxxers". They did vaccinate, and they regretted it. It is not ignorant to question vaccines. It is not ignorant to refuse vaccines. And it is not anti-science.
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