Another controversial, but important, topic. A few things to consider before vaccinating your child:

* One in every 67 American children suffers from an Autism Spectrum Disorder (http://www.vaproject.org/yazbak/1-in-150-is-really-1-in-67-20071005.htm), according to data from IDEA.org (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, https://www.ideadata.org/index.html). Given that autism did not exist at all prior to 1930 (http://www.upi.com/Consumer_Health_Daily/Reports/2007/04/26/the_age_of_autism_ground_zero/3669/), one must conclude that factors other than (or in addition to) genetics are at work.

* Vaccinations frequently cause adverse reactions, from high fever and screaming to complete collapse to paralysis (Guillain-Barre Syndrome). For a disease like chicken pox, which everyone in my generation (I'm 29) experienced unscathed (with rare exceptions), risking side effects as severe as paralysis is a poor decision. Ditto for HPV (human papilloma virus)--since there are no vaccines to prevent syphilis, gonorrhea, or pregnancy, vaccinating our daughters against one STD (and risking their health) is a foolish (and useless) thing to do. Better to teach them responsible behavior (avoiding premarital sex, or using physical protection like condoms) than to pretend that we can vaccinate them against every potential consequence of promiscuity.

* You have the right to refuse vaccinations. Public schools are not allowed to refuse your child an education, and every state allows parents to file a medical objection and/or a religious objection. Catholics should take particular note that the hepatitis B and chicken pox vaccines were developed using aborted fetal tissue (http://www.cogforlife.org/vaticanresponse.htm); even though Roman Catholicism does not forbid vaccination, Catholics who follow their conscience and object to abortion can religiously object to hepatitis B and chicken pox vaccinations for their children.

More information on all vaccines is available online from the National Vaccine Information Center. Don't just swallow the government's (and Big Pharma's) easy catchphrase of "start on time; stay on schedule." Do the research for yourself and make an informed decision. You will never forgive yourself if your blind obedience to Big Pharma leaves your child autistic, paralyzed, or otherwise harmed.

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National Vaccine Information Center
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is a national, non-profit  organization dedicated to preventing vaccine injuries and deaths through public education and defending the right to informed consent to vaccination.

The myth of SIDS... This is a very controversial topic, but it's an important one. Years ago, Western governments were alarmed by the incidence of young (two- to four-month-old babies) dying, seemingly without cause. They concluded that children who slept on their stomachs would accidentally suffocate themselves, and countries including the US initiated "Back to Sleep" programs, coercing parents into putting their children to sleep on their backs. The result is that babies today crawl later (or not at all), and for no good reason. The real causes of SIDS deaths have little to do with healthy babies accidentally suffocating themselves. One major cause is off-gassing from toxic mattresses, described on www.criblife2000.com (and below):

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CribLife2000 on SIDS: Eliminating SIDS by preventing SIDS
This site offers new research, articles, and practical information to aid parents in creating a safer and healthier sleeping environment for their babies. Antimony and arsenic are present in almost all commercially manufactured mattresses made in the United States from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In 1994 antimony, in high levels, was found in more than 50% of tissue samples examined from babies who had been victims of Sudden Unexplained Deaths (S.U.D.I.).  Now it appears that both antimony and arsenic are also present in a large percentage of children with pervasive developmental disorders (P.D.D.), such as autism.  This is a major cause for concern, because physicians simply cannot provide reasonable answers to the questions being raised by the parents of these victims.  This site describes a logical source of antimony and arsenic-mattresses. It also explains the mechanism for the conversion of these toxic elements into their gas forms by the activity of mildew. Although. there is no peer reviewed scientific proof that antimony has killed babies or might be a cause of autism there is no logical reason why this element  should be appearing in high concentrations in  tissue and hair samples taken from victims.  Parents are urged to ask their children's doctors for the answer if they are not satisfied with the answers provided here. If the doctor says not to worry about antimony, remind that doctor that antimony is similar to lead.  If the same doctor doesn't appear to be worried by high arsenic levels please consider the historical fact that the mildew generated gas of arsenic caused an epidemic of  infants deaths in 1891-92.  It might also be reasonable to ask why major baby mattress stores in England now have signs stating "our mattresses contain no arsenic or antimony.

   Crib Life 2000, will continue to recommend any safe products, which have been specifically designed to isolate and protect a baby from PVC, chemical compounds containing antimony, arsenic, and phosphorus, as well as mildew. Although the fact remains that SIDS/Suffocation continues to be the most common cause of death in infants less than one year of age, SIDS will not be the focus. The premise of Criblife 2000 will be simple-babies do not deserve to be placed on objects for sleep or play that are made from PVC.  The mission of Criblife 2000 will be to protect babies from chemicals and mildew.  The goal will be the elimination of these chemicals from all baby products.

   Information on the reason protection is important and how to order a protective cover is also included on this site. Scientific studies from New Zealand and England, which have identified the danger, are summarized in subsequent pages. These studies when viewed as a whole strongly suggest that unexplained infant deaths and neurological disabilities can be caused by an accidental poisoning. 

    Barry Richardson, a chemist and material preservation expert from England, who has published more than 250 scientific papers, demonstrated in 1989 that fungal organisms commonly referred to as mold or mildew can produce a toxic gas from antimony. A compound of antimony was placed in baby mattress PVC as a fire retardant in the 1950's. Based on his careful investigations and alarming findings,  Richardson warned that PVC mattresses containing antimony as well as phosphorus and arsenic should be considered dangerous, because fungal activity had the ability to convert these three elements into potentially toxic gases.  He also advised parents that by turning a baby on his or her back the risk of exposure would be decreased.  His next recommendation was for parents to isolate their  babies from exposure to PVC and mildew by the use of a thick polyethylene cover. He also encouraged mattress manufacturers to remove these chemical compounds from baby mattresses..

  This web site will, hopefully, bring together the available evidence in support of the "toxic gas explanation" for unexplained baby deaths and provide the reason high levels of antimony and arsenic are being found in hair samples from children with learning and behavioral disabilities. This evidence may help to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that  parents, daycare workers and other designated caregivers, who have become suspects, are innocent of murder.

   The Crib Life 2000 Foundation is being established as a not for profit in order to pursue this explanation and provide all babies with a safe place to sleep.

Here's some information on a class that changed my life. When we found out that we were expecting a baby, my husband and I researched childbirth preparation options, and decided to take the 12-week Bradley course. The vast majority of couples who take the Bradley course do not use pain medication during labor--that's what drew us to the class. We figured that I had stopped consuming alcohol and caffeine for the baby's health, and it would be pretty hypocritical (not to mention potentially harmful) to give the baby a massive dose of ropivicaine and fentanyl. (By the way, according to this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fentanyl) Wikipedia entry, fentanyl is 80 times as potent as morphine... food for thought for any women considering the pros and cons of natural childbirth. (Dr. Lennart Righard's ground-breaking video, available here http://www.cascadedopplers.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=7409, shows the difference in ability to self-attach and breastfeed, between a baby who had an unmedicated birth and a baby who had a typically medicated birth with epidural anesthesia. It's no longer available for view on YouTube, but it's worth checking out if you need convincing as to the effects of maternal epidural anesthesia on a baby.)

The other attractive feature of the Bradley course is that it trains husbands (or partners) to be advocates for their spouses/partners during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Given the way doctors and maternity ward staff typically treat pregnant women, the opportunity to have my husband as my advocate was too important to pass up.  

The Bradley course lived up to its excellent reputation. Our instructor covered everything from good nutrition to exercise to pain relief techniques to newborn care. The course also helped my husband and me to ask my OB/GYN the right questions--which helped us to realize that she (and our initial hospital) were wrong for us and our birth. I had decided that I wanted an unmedicated birth, and my OB/GYN told me to "keep an open mind"--never asking me my reasons for my decision, or recognizing that I'm an intelligent, well-educated woman who's willing to undergo a little bit of suffering in order to provide the best start for my family. She might as well have told me to "keep an open mind" about my marriage vows. The hospital was no better. The head nurse of the maternity ward, who led the tour that my husband and I took, told the pregnant women on the tour that we'd have to "surrender [our] underwear" when we checked into the hospital. I knew I'd have to take my underwear off to give birth, but I couldn't understand why it had to be so dramatic. Would I get my underwear back?

We switched doctors and hospitals, and had a beautiful unmedicated birth on Memorial Day weekend of 2007. Our baby girl received a healthy start in life, and my pain never went above an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. (The nurses asked me every hour or so how bad my pain was, and I saved "10" for when it was unbearable, which it never was, thanks to my Bradley training and my husband's support through 29 hours of labor.)

I often think that people make poor decisions in life because they've heard an easy-to-remember catchphrase (like "get the epidural" or "keep an open mind") and never bothered to question it. The Bradley course is all about questioning your assumptions and everything you've heard, and learning how to experience one of life's most beautiful miracles, naturally. As our instructor told us, marathoners are in a great deal of pain during mile number twenty-four, but they endure the pain because of the glory that comes with the achievement of finishing a marathon. Giving your baby a healthy start in life--and experiencing a primal event in all its glory--is worth the pain.  

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The Bradley Method

Check out the tables in this article. The CDC's "1 in 150" statistic is several years old, and the actual figures are truly alarming.

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"When 1 in 150 is really 1 in 67" by Raymond W. Gallup & F. Edward Yazbak, MD, FAAP

CHICAGO - A surprising study of elderly people suggests that those who see themselves as self-disciplined, organized achievers have a lower risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease than people who are less conscientious.

A purposeful personality may somehow protect the brain, perhaps by increasing neural connections that can act as a reserve against mental decline, said study co-author Robert Wilson of Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center.

Astoundingly, the brains of some of the dutiful people in the study were examined after their deaths and were found to have lesions that would meet accepted criteria for Alzheimer’s — even though these people had shown no signs of dementia.

“This adds to our knowledge that lifestyle, personality, how we think, feel and behave are very importantly tied up with risk for this terrible illness,” Wilson said. “It may suggest new ideas for trying to delay the onset of this illness.”

Previous studies have linked social connections and stimulating activities like working puzzles with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s. The same researchers reported previously that people who experience more distress and worry about their lives are at a higher risk.

The new findings, appearing in Monday’s Archives of General Psychiatry, come from an analysis of personality tests and medical exams of 997 older Catholic priests, nuns and brothers who participated in the Religious Orders Study.

89 percent lower risk
At the start of the study, none of the participants showed signs of dementia. The average age was 75. Everyone took tests, including a standard personality test, then the researchers tracked them for 12 years, testing yearly for cognitive decline and dementia. Brain autopsies were performed on most of those who died.

During the 12 years, 176 people developed Alzheimer’s disease. Those with the highest scores for a personality trait called “conscientiousness” at the start of the study had an 89 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared to people with the lowest scores for that personality trait.

The conscientiousness scores were based on how people rated themselves, on a scale of 0 to 4, on how much they agreed with statements such as: “I work hard to accomplish my goals,” “I strive for excellence in everything I do,” “I keep my belongings clean and neat” and “I’m pretty good about pacing myself so as to get things done on time.”

When the researchers took into account a combination of risk factors, including smoking, inactivity and limited social connections, they still found that the dutiful people had a 54 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s compared to people with the lowest scores for conscientiousness.

Could lower conscientiousness merely be an early sign of Alzheimer’s? The researchers think not. At the start of the study, the less conscientious people were no more likely to have lower mental abilities or more memory problems than the most dutiful people in the study.

Renee Goodwin of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health was not involved in the new study but has done similar work that found a connection between conscientiousness and better health.

“It’s having self-discipline and energy, doing the healthy things,” Goodwin said.

Because priests and nuns are an unusual group, the findings may not apply to the general population, Goodwin said, but she noted that there was a normal range of personality types among the participants.

The research may lead to strategies for developing dutiful personality traits as a way to prevent dementia, Goodwin said.

The study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21087188/