Before I was pregnant my views on vaccines were lackadaisical. As a child, my parents immunized me and I succumbed to the medical theory because I did not know otherwise. I figured it was par for the course to get immunized, expect to feel feverish and sick for a while and then get over everything and be immune!
However, the minute I held my child and watched him develop and grow, my view on the entire world changed. I questioned everything! Were vaccines really safe and the response “normal”? What about an alternative approach? How could I protect him? I spent hours upon hours using my research skills from grad school to dig up any research I could find on the topic- both pro and anti vaccine and found personally, that the risks of vaccination, in my mind, outweighed the benefits.
I had heard lectures in Chiropractic school about the theory of the body’s ability to heal itself and that germs don’t kill, it is the body’s inability to respond to them properly due to interference of the nervous system that causes symptoms and illness. I totally believe this and felt that since this was the case, why was it necessary to inject a potentially deadly or neurotoxic potion into the body? With just one adjustment, the immune system can be increased by 200-400% (1)!
Think about it, if the nervous system tells the immune system how to function, and you remove any nerve interference by way of adjustment, the immune system gets the message on how to heal itself and can fight off whatever comes it’s way. Especially if the body brings the virus through its several lines of defense- the skin, the mucosa of the nasal passages, the acidity in the stomach as well as the beneficial microorganisms that line the intestines, mouth and upper respiratory tract. No matter how the body is exposed to an infection the immune system will be able to take care of the body if it is given the chance to be optimally functioning. In children the immune system is not mature until about the age of seven years old (2). That is why natural immunity stemming from the mother’s body passed on to the baby in utero through the placenta is key as is any added immunity given through breast milk (2,3). Passive immunity, acquired as mentioned above, is wonderful but unfortunately short lived. Active immunity, on the other hand, is long lasting and is acquired through exposure of the various microorganisms we encounter day to day (2,3). Whether or not you develop symptoms of a particular organism depends on your body’s ability to handle what it has been exposed to.
Deciding to vaccinate is such a personal decision, but whatever your conclusion/choice, why not give yourself, and especially your infants and children, the chance to have their bodies work optimally and fight off infection more efficiently through chiropractic care?
To learn more about how chiropractic can boost the immune system, or to get additional information on vaccines as well as alternative solutions/schedules on immunization, please feel free to talk to Dr. Stephanie or myself at Crossroads Chiropractic and we would be happy to help you explore your options.
Dr. Denise Ingrando
(2)http://www.whatreallyworks.co.uk/start/kidszone.asp?article_ID=559
(3)http://www.answers.com/topic/immune-system-development
(1)http://www.caryleadsgroup.com/article/Chiropractic_and_the_Immune_System#fn3 (and articles that follow)
Korr IM: “Andrew Taylor Still memorial lecture: Research and Practice a century later.” J Am Osteopathy Assoc 1974 73:362.
Murray DR, Irwin M, Reardon CA, et al. “Sympathetic and immune interactions during dynamic exercise. Mediation via a beta 2 adrenergic-dependent mechanism.” Circulation 1992 86(1): 203
Pero R. “Medical Researcher Excited By CBSRF Project Results.” The Chiropractic Journal, August 1989; 32.
Brennan P, Graham M, Triano J, Hondras M. “Enhanced phagocytic cell respiratory bursts induced by spinal manipulation: Potential Role of Substance P.” J Manip Physiolog Ther 1991; (14)7:399-400.
Selano JL, Hightower BC, Pfleger B, Feeley-Collins K, Grostic JD. “The Effects of Specific Upper Cervical Adjustments on the CD4 Counts of HIV Positive Patients.” The Chiro Research Journal; 3(1); 1994.
Felton DL, Felton SY, Belonged DL, et al. “Noradrenergic sympathetic neural interactions with the immune system: structure and function.” Immunol Rev. 1987 Dec;100:225-60.