Vaccines, Flu, and a Neat Photo....

Submitted by editorkevin on 13 March 2010 - 11:11am

SIGH, I've deliberately steered clear of this topic (vaccinations) forever because I'm not a doctor or a scientist so I just don't feel I know enough to have a cogent conversation. The Amish are often paraded out as evidence of the link between childhood vaccines and autism. The argument goes that autism is allegedly more rare among the Amish who, as a group, supposedly don't vaccinate their children. This definitive statement that the Amish "don't vaccinate their children" just isn't true. That I can say with certainty. It is true that some don't, but I know first-hand plenty of Amish that do. If we've learned anything from all the stories posted on this website is that there are very few "absolutes" that apply to all Amish. Read here about the Amish and vaccines, I found this accurate based on my experience. The mounting pile of evidence points to no conclusive link between vaccines and autism. Again, though, I am not a scientist...which is why I have steered way clear of this topic. People have pointed to mercury in vaccines as being harmful and I don't like that...I also don't like petroleum being part of the plastic bottles I drink soda out of and aluminum being in the deoderant I use....so I think people who complain about chemicals everywhere are not nuts...I don't like it either...but scientifically speaking using the Amish as evidence for an autism link is tenuous.

Anyway, I'm talking about vaccines this morning because of a groundbreaking study conducted on Hutterite colonies about the impacts of flu-shots given to children. It appears that vaccinating the colony children protected the entire community from flu outbreaks. Click here and, really, the main reason for calling this topic to anyone's attention is the great photo with this that - in a single shot - shows the communal aspect of Hutterite life.

Re: Vaccines, Flu, and a Neat Photo....

Submitted by Brendalynne1 on 15 March 2010 - 5:53pm.

I was interested to hear what dr.Isadore Rosenfeld had to say about a very large study done and the subseqquent medical supreme court ruling. *No not the US Supreme Court He tends to be onthe conservative side of issues and prefers LARGE studies before being pro or con.

Re: Vaccines, Flu, and a Neat Photo....

Submitted by KJuneBug on 13 March 2010 - 12:16pm.

Many home educating families do not vaccinate, not for religious reasons, they too are more herb based. We carefully choose which vaccinations our children receive. In past years, Hubby has been the only one to recieve a flu shot free from his job, this year not even he recieved one as they didn't offer that. Home educated children tend to be more "isolated" than even the Amish children, because they are not in a classroom setting.

We have close friends who do not vaccinate, some of their children are prone to feberal seizures, (a seizure condition from rapid body temp changes) since vaccinations often cause a short term fever.

We also know families with children on the autistic spectrum, they are non-home educating families and all did vaccinate their children. Autism is such a broad term for a spectrum of behavioural issues. I know this to be true in home education, and may or may not be true within the Amish, home educating parents tend to steer clear of "labeling" children, the way the world so eagely does.

I personally don't put much weight in info found on about(dot)com. I thought the article jumped around. There are much better resources out there on the topic than this article.

The Hutterite article was hard to follow also although that is an interesting photo what a unique drying rack and what flat land.

Of all the denominations within the Anabaptist faith, I could not be Hutterite, I'm not a big crowd fan. Eating with 160 others, would stress me out!