Dr. Sears Alternative Vaccine Schedule
We’ve gotten letters! It’s been a rough couple of months over here at this rational mom’s house, but things are going a little more smoothly now that we’ve sleep trained the babe. I actually have evenings to myself now–it’s a stunning expanse of time. So I’m getting around to posts I’ve been wanting to do for a while.
First, wow, check it out. An email from someone who like, thinks we know what we’re doing!
I am a fellow rational mom and as a member of a local moms group, I have encountered a crazy amount of woo. Recently there was a discussion about vaccines and autism on our message board. I expected to see references to Jenny McCarthy, but instead the moms were referencing Dr. Sears. I had never even heard about him in this whole vaccine debate. I guess he encourages parents to delay the MMR or get the vaccines in three separate components. I responded to the post, but couldn’t say anything about Dr. Sears because I haven’t read anything about his stance. It may be a good post to discuss Dr. Sears and his specific opinions and dissect them.
One of my new favorite blogs is Mainstream Parenting Resources, and Estherar just posted about this very question. Turns out Dr. Paul Offit, vaccine expert and author of Autsim’s False Prophets, wrote an article for Pediatrics this month called The Problem With Dr. Bob’s Vaccine Schedule.
If you can’t stomach all the science in Dr. Offit’s paper, Estherar does a pretty good job of dissecting Dr. Bob’s claims and finding them lacking. She has written a two-part series starting here; Sears’ issues with separating the MMR vaccine is here.
molly Said,
January 13, 2009 @ 7:07 am
oh man, when my son came home my dear friend gave me a copy of Sears’ book. The book was later seen flying across the room into a wall. Investigations into the cause of this incident were inconclusive
Julie Said,
January 13, 2009 @ 11:02 am
I hear you! Sears and his dad, Dr. Bill Sears, really both drive me a bit nuts. I must post on this. Estherar is really on it over at Mainstream Parenting Resources!
Estherar Said,
January 13, 2009 @ 12:22 pm
Thanks for the link, Julie. If you don’t mind, I’d like to clarify that my look into the question of aluminum in vaccines (which is Sears’ main shtick) is a two-part series starting here; Sears’ issues with separating the MMR vaccine is here.
Julie Said,
January 13, 2009 @ 3:08 pm
Thanks for the clarification. I’m going to put that in the post as well. Somebody explain to me how to do a “pingback.” I meant to put that on your blog, Estherar.
Jodi Said,
January 13, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Great article on Offit in today’s NYTimes. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/health/13auti.html?em
The man can’t even promote his book in bookstores because of death threats and angry parents.
WonderingWilla Said,
January 14, 2009 @ 3:18 am
“The man can’t even promote his book in bookstores because of death threats and angry parents.”
and, yet, Jenny McCarthy gets to run around spouting her baloney with nary a nasty glare.
Lanie Said,
February 7, 2009 @ 9:11 pm
You ladies are what I call SHEEPLE. You follow the majority, and question nothing. You probably think our government is fine and dandy too. Pitiful. Ignorance is bliss.
Erin Said,
March 1, 2009 @ 7:53 am
So, I just found this blog today. I’ve got an 11wk old along with a 3.5yr old and 2yr old. Now that the babe is sleeping like a normal person, it’s a bit less crazy here. I can relate to the joys of that acheivement Julie!
My 2yr old is autistic (he’s on the high functioning end of the spectrum…so far) and you will be hard pressed to get me to say “the vaccines did it”! I just don’t believe that! Maybe it was a factor, I don’t know, but I know that they didn’t *cause* this! If getting vaccinated caused autism, why isn’t my 3.5yr old autistic? Why isn’t my 10yr old nephew and 7yr old neice autistic? My only answer to that is that, vaccines don’t cause autism by themselves! I say by themselves, because, I have no concrete proof either way that they have anything to do with it at all.
When I had my oldest child, I started a vax’ing schedule I feel comfortable with. My kids get their vaccines, as I believe that a big part of treating things like:Pertussis, Measels, Mumps, Rubella, Tetnus, et al. is by prevention. Vaccines prevent. If my son is mildly autistic (not a fatal illness) because I chose to vaccinate him against measles, mumps and rubella (potentially fatal illnesses), then I’m more than happy to deal with raising an autistic child! I figure that (not to be insensitive to anyone who’s lost a child) is a lot easier to do/cope with, than having a dead child.
I vax a bit differently than some moms. They get their vaccinations as scheduled, but I choose not to have them get more than two shots per visit. Yes, I’m one of those parents that it bothers me to see them get stuck with needles more than it bothers them to actually *get* stuck with needles. So, I’m willing to pay 2 co-pays on vaxing visits to see less needles go in my children. I don’t feel guilty for getting them vaccinated as recommended anymore than I feel guilty for the fact that I enjoy sending my 3.5 and 2yr old to preschool so I can have some time with just me and my baby! I’m even known to put the baby down for a nap not long after the kids are dropped off, so that I can spend some time with my kitty in my lap and my dogs at my feet! lol
Oh, and don’t even get my started on Jenny McCarthy! I’m sure she loves her son (all of us here love our kids…right?), but seriously, why should I have to change the way I parent my children/teach my children/feed my children/give medical care to my children because she is spouting her crud that any kind of modern medicine is what causes autism, a certain diet fixes it (I believe that just like wiht any other chronic illness some foods/not ingesting certain things can make a difference…I’ve yet to see that happen with my son though), and that we need laws that make vaccines “green” because otherwise they aren’t safe for our kids to take, but our kids need vaccines to prevent Polio, Tetnus, Diptheria, Hib, etc. but they shouldn’t have the vaccines right now because getting a non-green vaccine for your child will make them autistic.
I’d like to ask her, if the MMR causes autism, why isn’t everyone who’s gotten the MMR autistic? Why aren’t the grown ups who got it when it had Thermasil in it autistic? If you believe the vaccine theory, then all kids who get vax’d should be autistic, especially if the vaccine contains Thermasil!!
Katie Said,
March 21, 2009 @ 11:34 am
Okay, then, consider this. Perhaps there is a long list of post-industrial era toxins in our environment, food, water, medication, vaccines, etc. that contribute to a host of disorders, including autism, but also Parkinson’s and others. Perhaps this effect is not seen in everyone, but can be seen in those with an unfortunate genetic vulnerability combined with an unfortunate combination of exposures to toxins. For some with autism, the final straw may be the MMR vaccine, for others, something else, or no specific trigger at all. If current research proves nothing else, it proves it’s complicated. To oversimplify is foolish. We do need green vaccines. And we need a green world to live in. We have to protect our babies and question the doctors and drug companies we are blindly trusting to take care of them. But that is only the beginning. We have to change the way we are living.
Julie Said,
March 21, 2009 @ 10:20 pm
Yep, you said it Katie, to oversimplify IS foolish, and your comment is foolishly oversimplified.
Shay Said,
May 1, 2009 @ 9:32 am
I understand both sides – only because I’ve recently had my first baby boy and he’s all the joy in my life at this time. I took him for his first set of shots, but like Erin, I requested only two shots at a time. That way, if he does have a reaction they can narrow down the cause. I don’t want my son having to deal with 4-5 shots at a time. That’s just aweful! So we do 1 to 2 shots per visit. He’s 3 months old now and we’ll schedule his next appt next month.
Joni Said,
May 25, 2009 @ 6:43 pm
Autism aside, what about the HepB vaccine? Reactions can be severe and the vaccine is for a disease that a baby is just unlikely to get. Why shouldn’t we question?
Christel Said,
June 12, 2009 @ 6:48 am
Personally, I love The Vaccine Book written by Dr. Sears. Ultimately, parents are in charge of their child’s medical care. After hearing all the media hype about vaccinations, I read The Vaccine Book. Now instead of not vaccinating my child I will probably follow Dr. Sears alternative schedule. Ultimately, isn’t it better for concerned parents to delay vaccinations than to not get them at all? Also, The Vaccine Book gives information on the various manufacturers of the vaccines so you can request which one you want used on your child. I believe the book is a blessing and I’m very grateful I’ve found Dr. Sears!
Julie Said,
June 12, 2009 @ 2:05 pm
Thanks for writing, Christel. This is an older post, so I don’t know if comments will continue to accumulate. But I did want to say that at first I believed, as you do, that delayed vaccinations were better than no vaccinations. And it logically followed, for me, that Sears was doing something of a public service by acting as an intermediary between the big world of medicine and frightened parents.
A more cynical view might be that he panders to frightened parents to sell his book. But it is difficult to believe, when you hear the man speak, that he is so calculating. He seems like an awfully nice guy. Still, he does sell a lot of those books.
I think the truth is somewhere in between. Sears’s latest info on his site says that even he has given the MMR his blessing. Yet he still says that it might be better to split up the shot if possible. There’s no logical reason to do it, but he says hey, better be safe. But safe from what? I think there’s really an element to him (as nice as he seems) that just wants to be this guru to parents, and keeping a little fear in the equation helps his self appointed position, because then he can constantly provide updates and advice.
Amanda Said,
August 18, 2009 @ 5:51 am
I think a lot of what this issue boils down to is allowing the parents to decide what is best for their child and not the goverment. I am on the fence myself about vaccines. My sister in law is the administrator at a local preschool and at that school alone, thre have been 5 cases of children developing various forms of autism (some severe, some mild) within 1 month of getting the MMR.
http://www.thinktwice.com does have a lot of good information – scientifically based – regardng vaccines, how they are made, and tons of other resources. They are advocates for allowing parents to decide…not bureaucrats.
After doing a ton of research myself, I am not quite convinced that it was the vaccines that have reduced illnesses in our society (at the same time, better hygine practices were also being encouraged, along with better sanitation and nutrition). So it is difficult to tell really just how much the vaccines alone helped.
I am not an advocate for either side, rather, I am a rational monther that thinks parent should have soveriengty in making decisions regarding their children’s health. Bravo to you, though, for creating a site that strives for a discussion group that is non-emotionally based. It is tough for us moms to not get emotional about our kids – but sometimes those emotions can cloud our thinking…gotta be clear headed about these things!
Best Regards to you.
Julie Said,
August 19, 2009 @ 4:29 pm
Amanda, I looked at that website and it is very biased on the anti-vaccine side. Here are some examples:
This is very loaded language and the paranoid assumption that my doctor and government authorities want to suppress information implies a vast conspiracy.
I glanced at their list of studies, and the widely debunked Wakefield study that started this whole mess is still on there. I suspect this list of studies is not very good and probably out of date.
Those stories are indeed heart-wrenching, but they are all over the map in terms of just what illnesses they attribute to vaccines. And none of them provide proof beyond the parents’ assumptions that the vaccines did the damage. I feel for those parents, but those stories just don’t prove that vaccines cause harm. Neither do the cases of the five children at your sister-in-law’s preschool. That kind of third hand story is very far from being substantial evidence.
Maria Said,
September 3, 2009 @ 7:35 pm
I love the Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears because it is rational, lays out the evidence, and lets you decide. A lot of the anti-vaccine “evidence” is actually very poorly done, but if you are not used to evaluating scientific studies, you would not know that. Why is Dr. Sears saying that the MMR is OK but still saying that you might want to get separate shots and space them out? He’s saying that because he has humility, frankly – something completely lacking in this vaccine debate. He knows he doesn’t know anything. Based on the available research, it looks like the MMR is OK, but given we don’t know everything and many more studies need to be conducted, it might be better to space them out and get them as separate shots. I think his willingness to admit that all the evidence is not in and that he is making best guesses based on the available research is incredibly refreshing. I found this website because my daughter just got her MMR today and I was looking for some discussion of possible side effects. I’m living in New Zealand right now where they have a major outbreak of measles because so many parents do not vaccinate their children. The worst part is that babies are dying from it because they are too young to be vaccinated, but they are catching it from older toddlers who weren’t vaccinated because their parents didn’t want them to be vaccinated. I am not religiously pro-vaccinations – I used an alternative schedule close to Dr. Sears’ – but I do think vaccines are useful and if masses of people stopped getting them, we’d see a quick resurgence of lots of serious illness that once were wiped out. What a shame that would be.
Maria Said,
September 3, 2009 @ 7:43 pm
Oh, I just went to look at Offit’s critique of the Vaccine Book and realized I had already read it. It is mostly nonsense. Anyone who has read the Vaccine Book will see that Offit has cherry picked to make Sears sound like an idiot. For those who haven’t seen the Sears response, here it is:
http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/archives/2008_12_01_archive.asp
Steph Said,
November 3, 2009 @ 7:01 pm
It’s so ridiculous when people say, “if vaccinations cause autism, then everyone who is vaccinated would be autisic.” Ummm…really? So because everyone who smokes cigarettes doesn’t have cancer, they must NOT cause it.
Julia Said,
November 17, 2009 @ 1:26 pm
What I would like to see is a comparison of the risk of getting a particular disease, the risk of serious complications (long-term permanent harm) or death from that disease, and the risk of getting serious complications from that disease’s vaccine. I find it hard to think that it is healthy to inject mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde and other dangerous chemicals and metals into our bodies or our tiny babie’s bodies either. If I could get vaccinations that just had the viral component in a dead or disabled condition, and get it with just one virus at a time, then I would probably feel a lot more comfortable with the whole thing. As it is, it is very hard to find some of the information I want to find. If my child’s chances of contracting a particular disease is 1 in 10,000 and the chance of suffering serious complications or death is 1 in 5,000 but his chances of contracting serious injury or death from a vaccination is 1 in 2,000; my question becomes why would I expose him to more potential damage from a vaccination than from the disease itself. The numbers above are not particular to any virus or vaccination, they are only a potential scenario because I am finding it hard to find this kind of information on most of the sites I have visited. Until I have this kind of information, it is pretty hard to determine which is safer.
Teenycakes Said,
March 9, 2010 @ 10:29 am
There are many options out there, not just what we do in the US. For me, this year, that has meant waiting to vaccinate my newborn so that she was not exposed so heavily to the H1N1 outbreak we had locally in the drs office.
Other than that, I look outside the US where there is less monetary incentive to do this. I will likely be following a version of the schedule as done in Denmark.
glasnost Said,
March 19, 2010 @ 4:19 pm
Well Done! I Like it!
Susan Said,
May 10, 2010 @ 3:34 pm
The decision to vaccinate or not is best left in the hands of educated parents. As a child of the 50’s, I had very high titers for mumps, measles, and chicken pox, and elected that protection for my children as long as they breast fed. My children did not go to daycare, and so did not require hep A. I like Dr. Sears’ book, I have no idea why he would make anyone crazy! He is very rational and informative.