Chiropractic Elk Grove

Vaccines have become a hot topic these days. Supporters of vaccines claim that there are no definitive links between vaccines and autism and emphasize that vaccines save lives. Many others believe that vaccines are responsible for the rise of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) as well as other health issues such as allergies, asthma and auto-immune disorders.

There has been much research investigating the ingredients and preservatives used in vaccines. As you will see below, many of them are dangerous and should be avoided in my opinion. But the real issue with vaccines is that they stimulate the wrong immune response in the body.

Pediatrician Jay Gordon believes that vaccines do more harm than good. “I think the children who receive no vaccines at all are statistically safe. I think that the later you give vaccines and the more slowly you give vaccines, the safer you are.”

Former director of the National Institutes of Health Dr. Bernadine Healy told a CBS news correspondent that the government needs to investigate why some children developed autistic symptoms after being vaccinated. She says that it is biologically possible that vaccines could trigger autism.

In 2002 research definitively linked the use of thimerosal in vaccines (a mercury-based preservative) to autism and it was removed from most vaccines. But autism rates continue to climb: today 1 in 150 American children are diagnosed with ASDs every year.

In 2007 the federal government awarded money to Hannah Poling, a child whose parents claimed developed autism from having been vaccinated but the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) still maintains that vaccines do not cause autism.

Unvaccinated People

Many parents have made headlines when they refuse to vaccinate their children and are often blamed for outbreaks of disease by the CDC.  But a recent mumps outbreak that struck over 1,000 people in New Jersey and New York tells a different story.

A New Jersey health official told a CNN reporter that 77% of the cases occurred in vaccinated people. Natural News editor Mike Adams points out that even though the CDC claims the mumps vaccine is 76 to 95% effective, there has never been a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to provide the scientific basis to back up this claim.

This makes me wonder: If you get a vaccine in order to protect yourself from a particular disease, why are you worried about being exposed to that disease through an unvaccinated person?

Adams has also posted a $10,000 reward for anyone that can find a single scientific study that proves the effectiveness and safety of the H1N1 vaccine. Due to his own exhaustive search, he’s positive that he’ll never have to pay out.

Aluminum

Dr. David Ayoub is a specialist on components used in vaccines. Thimerosal isn’t the only thing to worry about he says: use of aluminum may prove to be even more toxic than thimerosal was.

Ayoub became interested in the use of aluminum in vaccines and its effects after hearing about the high levels of aluminum found in autistic children and those with ADHD. A nutritionist showed Dr. Ayoub toxicity studies in a school in which 90% of the children developed ADHD in a single year. Their toxicity profiles showed massive amounts of aluminum.

Aluminum is used as an adjuvant in vaccines: it boosts your immune response to the antigen, the infecting agent. Scientists are still unclear about how adjuvants work but they use them so that they can use fewer antigens and cut costs.

Dr. Ayoub discovered that the FDA guidelines of aluminum content in vaccines was based on its effectiveness as an adjuvant and does not take safety into account.

Aluminum is used in hepatitis vaccines, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccines, Hib vaccines, Gardasil and pneumonia vaccines.

One of the highest concentrations of aluminum is found in Pediatrix, says Dr. Ayoub. This combination vaccine given to children contains 450 mcg more aluminum than what’s normally used in vaccines. Children also get multiple vaccines at once, compounding the problem. According to Dr. Ayoub, children today receive 13 more aluminum-containing vaccine injections than kids did in the 70’s and 80’s and the dosage in each has more than doubled.

Blaylock bemoans the fact that today, children receive 23 or more vaccinations before the age of 2 and 36 or more by the time they enter school and that the CDC urges parents to get their child a flu shot every year. The majority of flu shots in the US still contain a full dose of Thimerosal, says Blaylock.

He points out that CDC and other agencies often reassure people about the safety of vaccinations even though the same agencies once claimed that cigarette smoking didn’t cause lung cancer, mercury was not only safe but it raised IQ, and that Thimerosal was safe even though no study had been conducted on its safety.

Both aluminum and mercury accumulate in the brain—not the blood, says Blaylock, so blood tests of mercury levels don’t mean much when they’re done by vaccine manufacturers. Mercury found in the brain has a half-life of 20 years.

Aluminum is toxic and impairs the body’s ability to rid itself of mercury. It also impairs glutathione synthesis, the compound that detoxifies the body and aids vital biological processes.

Vaccines & Immune Response

Without going into too much detail, our bodies have a TH1 immune response and a TH2 immune response. Vaccines stimulate the TH2 response in the body. This is more like an “emergency immune response.”

By having an immune system that is trained to respond with a TH2 response (which is inflammatory in nature), you then weaken your TH1 response (which is responsible for fighting viruses, parasites and cancer cells).

So in essence, it’s like we are trading childhood diseases like chicken pox for cancer and autoimmune diseases.

Retired neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock has reviewed the research on autism and vaccinations. He says that the most compelling work has found that repeatedly stimulating the immune system primes immune cells in the central nervous system. Subsequent vaccinations then cause intense reaction in these cells and inflammatory responses in the central nervous system. This affects the development of neuronal pathways in a growing child’s brain and can even lead to degeneration of existing brain structure.

Blaylock, and scientists who followed, have found that brain inflammation and immune cell reactivity exist in autistic people of all ages and that immune-stimulating substances such as the aluminum and mercury used in vaccines can promote these occurrences.

When we get an infection naturally, he says, our immune system quickly shuts down after the threat is taken care of to minimize damage to healthy tissue. When vaccinations are used, the immune reaction doesn’t shut down. That high-pitched crying from infants after vaccinations? Blaylock calls it the “encephaltitic cry:” it’s due to brain inflammation.

Vaccines & Auto-Immune Disorders

Autoimmune diseases such as asthma, eczema and type 1 diabetes rated have doubled over the past 30 years, says Blaylock, and coincide with the increasing use of vaccinations.

Children are born with highly reactive immune systems that slowly develop into a less reactive form as adults. The immune system is geared to learn about what infections are out there, develop specific antibodies and reactions to those threats and then settle down. When children stay in this reactive state too long, they’re more likely to develop auto-immune disorders.

Vaccines enhance reactivity and this reactivity persists for an abnormally long time. Autistic children are known to have reactive cell dominance.

Certain vaccines work by suppressing the immune system. When given along with other vaccines, children are more susceptible to infection and disease and more likely to suffer severe damage as a result of contracting them.

Live Viruses

Live viruses, like those in the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) suppress the immune system for up to 6 months.

Vaccines only cover a few specific strains of any virus and research has found that vaccinations can cause a shift in strain dominance, so that the vaccine becomes less and less effective. This has occurred with vaccines for meningitis and pneumonia, says Blaylock.

Autopsy studies of the elderly have found that live measles viruses can be found in 45% of elderly bodies and 20% of their brains. The live viruses used in vaccines take up permanent residence, it seems, and mutate wildly.

Some studies have found that as many as 60% of vaccines are contaminated with bacterial or viral fragments. It is fragments such as these that are linked to the brain-damaging immune responses that occur in HIV, herpes, measles and Lyme disease.

When agencies point out that vaccines have greatly lowered death rates due to common diseases, Blaylock points out that death rate by these diseases fell by over 90% before mass vaccinations began. Neil Z. Miller, author of Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective points out that sanitation practices implemented at this time are the true cause of falling rates of disease.

Sources

PBS (2008)

Natural News (2010)

Dr. Mercola (2010)

Medical Veritas (2008)

1. The truth is we need to focus on building our immune systems through lifestyle with diet and exercise. There is no magic pill or shot that can truly give us health.
2. Education is key, but make sure that education is not fully supported by a trillion dollar drug industry.
3. A couple great books I recommend are Vaccines: Are They Safe and Effective? by Neil Z. Miller and Changing the Course of Autism by Bryan Jepson.
4. Boost your immune system naturally by eating a diet high in raw vegetables and other real foods, staying active and supplementing with whole food based nutritional supplements when needed.

When most people think of cooking oils, what immediately comes to mind is vegetable or canola oil. These oils are found in abundance in the grocery stores because they are cheap to produce–due in part to the government subsidization of corn crops. But these oils, along with oils like soybean, cottonseed and safflower, are highly processed and rancid. I can’t encourage you strongly enough to remove them from your diet!

Processing Oils

Processed oils are extracted by high heat and pressure and the use of solvents. The fats in these oils are exposed to light and air, which oxidizes the fat (turns them rancid). The oil is then boiled to remove most of the solvent. The high heat and pressure destroy antioxidants and alter the chemical nature of the fat, creating dangerous free radicals. BHA and BHT, dangerous preservatives, are then often added to the oil to extend the shelf life.

Hydrogenization is similar to homogenization: it is the use of agitation and pressure to create creaminess in foods and prevent separation. It involves the addition of a hydrogen atom.

During hydrogenation, oils are turned into solid form for ease of use. Extracted oils are mixed with metal particles and treated with high-heat and pressure along with hydrogen gas. Emulsifiers are added to the mixture which is then steam-cleaned to remove rancid odors. It is then bleached and artificial dyes and flavorings are added.

Trans fats are found in partially hydrogenated fats and oils. They are dangerous because they are incorporated into the body’s cell membranes and interfere with normal cell metabolism and other chemical reactions.

Hydrogenated fats have been linked to:

• Artherosclerosis
• Birth defects
• Bone and tendon problems
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Digestive disorders
• Heart disease
• Immune system impairment
• Increased cholesterol levels
• Learning disabilities
• Liver problems
• Low birth weights
• Obesity
• Reduced growth
• Sexual dysfunction
• Skin reactions
• Sterility
• Vision reduction

Better Oils to Consume

Much better options for cooking are grapeseed oil or unrefined coconut oil. These oils are far less processed and also have a higher heat threshold.

Many people will cook with olive oil, but this is still not your best option due to the lower heat threshold it has. Use olive oil in your salad dressings or other dishes that aren’t exposed to heat.

Animal fats and tropical oils, such as coconut oil, are forms of saturated fats. It has long been believed that saturated fats were behind high cholesterol levels and heart disease. In fact, research does not support this claim. Unsaturated fat makes up 74% of the fat that is found in clogged arteries, and more than half of that is polyunsaturated fat.

Many long-living cultures ingest large amounts of saturated fats which also contain many disease-fighting nutrients and phytonutrients. Mother’s breast milk is also high in saturated fats, which babies need for the development of their brain and nervous system.

Cold-pressed, minimally processed and unrefined plant oils are much safer choices than hydrogenated oils. After reading about the processing of oils, can you agree that those oils aren’t even real foods?

Sources

Weston A. Price Foundation (1999)

Action Steps

1. Remove the vegetable and canola oils from your kitchen cabinets. Replace them with grapeseed or coconut oil for cooking.
2. Read ingredient labels on any packaged foods. Avoid anything made with partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils.
3. Make your own salad dressing using cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil and vinegar.

Have
you ever wondered how fast food joints can afford to sell a double
cheeseburger for a dollar? It all boils down to the practice of
industrial farming. 

Industrial farming provides us with cheap but dangerous animal
meats and products. The farming methods used on these factory farms do
more than denature the animal products themselves. They:

• result in herbicide and pesticide pollution of our air, ground water and soil 
• disrupt the food chain 
• limit biodiversity of animal species 
• increase antibiotic resistance, contributing to the development of superbugs

Most of the beef, chicken and pork in our supermarkets come
from industrial farms. The livestock are treated with hormones to make
birth more efficient and productive. They’re manipulated to produce
growth hormones that help them grow bigger at a faster rate. Or they
are implanted with steroids that do the same thing. The animals are
packed in battery cages or feedlots so crowded they cannot even turn
around. They are inoculated with antibiotics to fend off disease in
order to keep them alive just long enough to slaughter. 

90% of American calves are treated with hormonal growth
promoters. Every dollar spent on hormone implants increases returns for
the manufacturers by $5 to $10 dollars. 

Ohio State University researchers found that one of the hormones
used to treat beef can increase tumor growth in human breast cancer
cells at levels 30 times lower than what the FDA says is safe. 

The European Union has banned the use of implants in beef and
refuses to import American beef that is so treated even though trade
sanctions have been levied against them for this action. They based
their decision on more than a dozen studies that suggest implants may cause birth defects and disrupt normal sexual development. 

The FDA does not require hormone use to be listed on labels either.

You Are What You Eat, What They Ate

If you are what you eat, then it stands to reason that you are also what your food has eaten. 

Grain is used to feed livestock because it is easily obtainable, often subsidized and is a concentrated form of energy. But cows were not created to eat grains!
They were created to eat grass. High-grain diets also lack the fiber
that livestock need, creating acidosis. Animal scientist Jim Hayes
explains that “a high grain diet blows out their livers.” 

That’s why livestock are fed antibiotics in their feed.
Antibiotics are also used because it has been found that they can
increase the digestion and utilization of feed. 

The antibiotics used on livestock are identical or just about
identical to the antibiotics used to treat humans. This antibiotic
overload increases chances that genetic mutations will produce resistant strains of bacteria and viruses against which medications will be useless. 

Livestock are routinely fed “byproduct feed stuff” to stretch
feed and lower costs. This can be chewing gum, heat-treated garbage or
other junk food. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2007
that junk food feed increases as corn feed prices rise. One farmer
feeds his cattle a feed mixture that is 17% stale candy and 3% “party
mix,” says WSJ, and another feeds his cattle a 100% byproduct diet: French fries, tater tots and potato peels. 

Some byproduct feedstuffs include vegetable tops and peelings.
Many others contain additional sources of protein such as pet food,
ground-up laying hens (“spent hen meal”) and urea. 

Farms are not required to tell you what they feed their animals.

Grass-Fed vs. Grain-Fed

Grazing animals are meant to eat grass (and plenty of
accidental protein in the form of insects). The lack of fiber in their
diets not only affects the health of the animal: it lowers the
nutritional content of the meat for human consumers.

Healthy fats and antioxidants are lower in grain-fed
livestock. Calves lose omega-3 fatty acids as soon as they start eating
grain, and the cancer-fighting conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)
dissipates in animals that don’t graze. 

Grain-fed animals have lower levels of calcium, magnesium and potassium, lower levels of beta-carotene and vitamins C and E.

These un-natural practices aren’t kept for cows alone. They happen with poultry as well. 

Genetic engineering in animals is used for more than increased
growth rates. Research is underway to produce featherless chickens with
grossly enlarged breasts and thighs. They’re never meant to walk—just
fatten up.  

The FDA defines “natural” on a label as meat that is minimally
processed. That definition has been stretched in ingenious ways. Tyson,
for example, tried injecting chicken eggs with antibiotics and said
they weren’t violating definitions of “raised without antibiotics”
because the birds hadn’t been born yet.  

Organic regulation is in real flux as corporate lobbying
pressures government regulators to allow flexibility in many aspects
and raise costs in others to shut out small, local organic farmers.  

“Pasture-raised” doesn’t always mean livestock has grass to
eat and “access to the outdoors” can mean only a small doorway in one
side of a densely-packed barn. “Organic” chicken is routinely fed
“organic corn feed.”

The American Grass-fed seal is one of the best assurances of
quality meat, but nothing is as good as buying local where farmers are
directly accountable and farming practices are generally sustainable.

Sources

Mother Earth News (2008)

Wall Street Journal (May 21, 2007)

United States Department of Agriculture (2009)

Washington Post (2008)

1. Remove factory farmed meats from your diet. Replace them with
   healthy, natural protein sources like grass-fed beef, free-range
   poultry, cage-free eggs, wild-caught salmon or organic beans, nuts or seeds. 
2. Check out websites like www.eatwild.com to find local sources of grass-fed meat near you. 

Related Articles

The Dangers of Farmed Fish

The World’s Longest Living Cultures