Life is going smoothly. Everyone is back into the routine of school post-Christmas and New Year’s. UNTIL you turn on the news or pick up a newspaper…the Disneyland Measles Outbreak! The news is all over the chat boards too. So much fear and concern.
Reports on TV news continue to polarize parents into one of two groups, pro and anti-vaccination. What happens to those who simply want a choice to vaccinate and reassurance of vaccine safety? (Be sure to read the product manufacture insert for MMR)
Home Alone was my kids favorite movie in the 1990’s, about the same time that ‘good mom’s vaccinated’ their kids. And I did vaccinate my kids. The promise of vaccines was lifelong immunity.
Except that life-long immunity was not true then and not true now. My thirty-something year olds are now as susceptible to measles as when they were young.
What Happened?
How does science explain the failure of vaccines to confer lifelong immunity or herd immunity? Read this article by Dr. Suzanne Humphries, MD (Nephrology). And check out a check out a children’s book, Melanie’s Marvelous Measles, by Dr. Tetyana Obukhanych, PhD Immunology. The review is at the end of the article by Dr. Suzanne Humphries.
Back to the News…Life Gets Bumpy
With the backlash from family and friends getting more intense, you move from quiet confidence in your choice to be a vaccine free family into parental panic and guilt. As a vaccine-free parent you start to wonder…did I make the best decision for my kids? Would I know if my child actually had measles? How would I know? Can I still refuse the MMR vaccine? If I do, what are the consequences in an outbreak? Do I have to quarantine my child?
Doing the Cram-Google
Then the overwhelm takes over and you try to cram-Google everything you can about measles, vaccination risks and benefits in an attempt to gain some of that confidence you once had…before the measles outbreak, before the media blitz and before well meaning friends and family give you grief about your vaccine free choice.
Fear, panic and guilt can so quickly destroy your confidence. What is the remedy? Information! Information while you are calm, collected and in the company of like-minded parents. Information that helps you be even in the midst of this latest outbreak of measles (and the outbreaks will continue to happen in the vaccinated and vaccine free).
You can get access to free information in the free Measles Essentials class, where you can sample the 14-week Empowered Parents Course: Facing the Fear of Infectious Illnesses, while learning some measles basics.
In the 14-week e-course you will get even more information on measles. So, if you are considering taking the course but maybe want a taste of what is involved, sign up here.
We’ve made this sample class easy for you to access – just click here to login to the class and get the information you need. My hope is to give you a taste of the upcoming 14-week course, The Empowered Parent and just as importantly, to share some basics about measles.
If you have friends or family that might benefit from accessing either the free class or signing up for the 14-week course, please feel free to forward the information to them with my thanks.
Here’s something we will cover in Measles Essentials…
Benefits of Measles?
Yes…there are some benefits to having measles in childhood. Join us and find out how measles are important in chronic disease.
There’s so much to learn about measles…and all the other infectious illnesses too! The Measels Essentials course is designed so that you can skip the cram-google!
Yours in health and healing,
Donna
