Vaccinations and Autoimmune Disorders

[taneil]

When getting a probiotic, ask for one that is specific for babies. Because there is a special bacteria that babies have and need that adults don't have.

Also, I have done a little research and found that Autoimmune disease such as Celiac can be triggered by vaccines. You said she started getting fussy at two months, did this coincide with any vaccines? Most doctors, would not even entertain the thought, but it could be something to think about.

[mat4mel]

Baby-jarro dophilus is formulated especially for children under 2. You can also order it online if you can't find it locally.

ITA about the link between Celiac and vaccinations. Any kind of stress to the body can trigger Celiac, and babies are routinely given several vaccines at once.

Many children with autism are on a gluten free, casein free diet. There is a lot of evidence that autism is caused by vaccines.

You can read a lot more about childhood vaccinations at mothering.com's forums. They have a whole forum dedicated to discussion of vaccinations.

Mel

[lovegrov]

I can't send you to a source but it's always been my understanding that babies this young are too little to produce the antibodies involved in celiac. It seems more likely you're looking at possible allergy here. That's not to say you shouldn't look at celiac in the future. You should.

I wouldn't even consider not getting my children vaccinated.

richard

[DLayman]

She really is too young for a celiac panel.. My understanding is that they don't concider them accurate till about two years old.. The best thing to do is to keep up with the diet changes as long as they are helping her then do it. Lord knows you need sleep.

Then when you start introducing solid foods keep a food journal.. what she eats and how it effects her.. That will be your most valuable resource at this age. With a history of Celiac disease in the family you should be cautious..

As far as symtpoms go.. sleeplessnes, irratability, gassyness, watery foul pale stools, lethargy are all symptoms to look for.

I know my two year old did not sleep till he was about 15 months old.. which coincided with the time I weaned him.. He is not diagnosed yet and I am going to be talking to the doctor later today to make a case for doing the celiac panel when he is in for his latest lovely proceedure a colonoscopy..

Keep up with the diet changes.. reintroduce things slowly.. and keep a journal.. that is your best course of action right now.

Hope this helps

Denise

[dana-g]

There was a HUGE study published this week that concluded that autism is not linked to vaccines. In fact mercury, longed-believed to be the "cause" of the connection between the two, isn't even being used as a preservative in today's vaccines.

Colic begins to show up at about 6-8 weeks of age. My very happy baby went through a similar suddenly miserable stage. You may want to investigate that, as celiac is all but unheard of in infants of this age, and you could be losing valuable time better spent finding out what's really wrong. I remember that it was heartbreaking not being able to help my baby, frustrating that nobody was getting any sleep, and disappointing that everybody had an opinion but nothing seemed to work. He ended up having classic colic and fortunately grew out of it.

If you are eating gas-producing vegetables like brocolli, green beans and the like, they may be contributing to the problem. I had to give up breastfeeding and go to Nutrimigen, a very costly infant formula that my son could tolerate well. Good luck! And trust your instincts! If you firmly believe that by going gluten-free you are helping your baby, it may be coincidence, or it may actually be helping...only you can make that call, and remember, you have that right!

[mat4mel]

It could still be Celiac. I don't know much about how accurate the testing is before age 2. If *you* noticed an improvement upon the cessation of eating gluten, then I would stick with your instincts. My 2 yr old was just diagnosed, and thinking back, she has had symptoms of Celiac for a long time.

I think the best thing to do is keep breastfeeding. Also, if there is a La Leche League group near you, that would provide great support.

As for mercury and vaccines, there is plenty of research that argues otherwise. Another good website is 909shot.com.

Mel

[taneil]

Dana,

I know this isn't the place for a vaccine discussion per se, but please know that people on both sides can make statistics say anything they want. Also, money talks, and with vaccines money is a major issue.

It takes as much faith to vaccinate your child as it does to not vaccinate. That is a personal choice. And I believe that autoimmune reactions may be triggered or increased by vaccines. This is my opinion and I do not push it on others, though I want people to be informed so that they can at least consider the pro's and con's of vaccines and make an informed decision.

[lovegrov]

I'm not going to get into a protracted vaccine discussion either, but I must take issue with the assertion that it takes just as much faith to have your child vaccinated as it does to not do it. It seems to me there's little question that the benefits far outweigh any of these suppsoed risks. Look at what vaccines have done to smallpox and polio, both of which used to be huge killers or cripplers.

richard

[mat4mel]

Once again, there is plenty of research that disputes what Richard says. I say do your own research and educute before you vaccinate, especially if you or your child suffer from an autoimmune disease like Celiac. (BTW, they stopped mass vaccination of smallpox because of how dangerous the vaccine is. Many people have been vaccine damaged, so I say what taneil said is correct-- it takes faith either way.)

Mel

[lovegrov]

We did lots of research and my wife is a nurse -- and we decided with ease to vaccinate both of our children.

As to smallpox, they stopped vaccinating because the disease was eradicated worldwide not because of reactions (yes, there were reactions, I know that). This eradication saved untold lives (death rate for the severe form was 20-30 percent) and prevented uncounted cases of disfigurement over the years. I am NOT in favor of the proposed forced smallpox vaccination program because there simply is no evidence there is any threat. I also don't agree with vaccinations for things like chickenpox, which is hardly a severe threat except to some adults who didn't have it as children.

I know that some people react to vaccinations. I'm not saying they don't. But I know that the woman across the street who's in a chair because of polio wishes that vaccine had come along a lot earlier.

[dana-g]

I think we all have enough on our plates dealing with Celiac and I for one am not interested in trying to educate anyone about vaccinations, since it's clear there are firm opinions already formed and this really isn't the forum for it. I think we should stick with the subject at hand, if that's agreable to everyone.

[taneil]

I would like to add more to this topic now that it is under it's own topic.

First let me give a little family autoimmune history:

Maternal Grandfather: Type 1 Diabetes, Celiac Disease that was never dx

Maternal Aunt: celiac disease

Cousin: celiac disease

Cousins Children: celiac disease

Old Sister: Hastimoto's Hypothyroidism

Younger Sister: Asthma, getting tested for celiac disease

Myself: Asthma, Gluten Intolerance

As you can see Autoimmune disease runs in my family, and this is only what I know. Granted we are in a fallen world that will only continue to get worse until the Lord Jesus Christ returns...but to be informed about things is still of benefit. I do strongly believe God is soveriegn overall things, a person can do everything in there power to prevent something, but God is still in control. With that said I will proceed.

I give this information to inform, not to try to get you to necessarily agree with what is said. I desire for all who vaccinate or don't vaccinate to be aware of the risks of vaccinating and the risks of not vaccintating. And since most who read this board have at least one autoimmune problem (gluten intolerance), I feel this information is important.

I am a fully vaccinated 28 year old. I received all of my vaccines as a child and then in 2000 when I went to Tanzania Africa for a mission trip, I received some booster shots for Polio and Tetnaus and Diptheria. I also received new vaccines for Hep A, Hep B, Yellow Fever and Typhoid.

Had I known what I know now, I would only have taken the yellow fever shot, since it is required to get back into the U.S. after travelling to Africa. I do not know if these vaccines trigger the autoimmune response to Gluten or Hashimoto's hypothyroid, but it is possible. The following article from www.mercola.com has good information on what people need to know in order for vaccines to be used wisely. So please read and notice that it does not talk about not ever using vaccines, but using them wisely.

Vaccine Information

PHILIP F. INCAO, M.D. May 5, 1999

In order to use vaccinations wisely, we need to understand exactly how they work. Until recently, the

[plantime]

Regarding the chickenpox vaccine: If you choose to have your child immunized against chickenpox (varicella), your child must then receive the vaccine at regular intervals FOR THE REST OF HIS/HER LIFE. A good bout of chickenpx itself, for a CHILD, may leave a few small scars but for the most part is not going to do permanent damage. Everything I have read said that the vaccine was actually so parents would not have to miss a week or two of work to take care of their sick child.

Most people are familiar with the saying "She has the complexion of a milkmaid." What most people do not know, is that this saying originated immediately after the great smallpox epidemics in Europe. The milkmaids always had cowpox scars on their hands, but having had the cowpox, their immune systems were able to fight off the smallpox without any problems. They did not get the huge pock-mark scars that survivors of smallpox had. Hence the saying.

I take this bit of history as an example that our bodies can handle most of the big stuff, if we allow our bodies to "practice" on the little stuff. Since much of the little stuff that is essential to build this arsenal is just not there anymore, my kids have had their vaccines, but not hepatitis, chickenpox, or influenza. They will have to decide for themselves about hepatitis, have all had good cases of chickenpox, and should be able to deal with influenza without too much problem. (my immune system is slightly compromised, and I came through a bout of influenza with no problem, so my very healthy children should, too. My kids are teens, btw.)

Any way, that is my two cents about vaccines.

Oh, anyone allergic to eggs probably should not have them, because most of them are cultured in egg, and will cause a reaction.