174 The Vaccine-Autism Controversy [16 July 2012]

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride devotes a chapter of her book “Gut and Psychology Syndrome” to the vaccine-autism controversy. I’ve been avoiding this topic for some time, but I like her balanced approach.

Autism is one of the neurological conditions (including allergies, asthma, eczema, ADD, ADHD, etc.) common in children with a compromised immune system. A child’s reaction to a vaccination depends on his or her immune health: with a healthy immune system the reaction should be normal; with a seriously compromised system it could trigger one of these conditions; with a moderately compromised system it could further weaken their immune system setting them up for some other trigger to “break the camel’s back”. On the other hand Dr. Campbell-McBride reports seeing many severely immune compromised children, who have not been vaccinated, develop one or more of these conditions. This range of reactions, I believe, explains why the connection between vaccination and autism remains controversial.

Dr. Campbell-McBride does not advocate abandoning vaccinations altogether – she recognizes that they have saved millions of children’s lives – but believes that with more and more children born with compromised immune systems, the ideal of vaccinating everyone could now be doing more harm than good. Instead she proposes a comprehensive immunological screening program – through a questionnaire and testing – to discover which children have compromised immune systems and are therefore at greater risk of severe reactions. Those most at risk* should not be vaccinated. Those with healthy parents and no particular health problems but showing some immune system abnormalities should wait until the tests improve. Only healthy infants with healthy parents and who show normal immune development should proceed with vaccinations. Even then Dr Campbell-McBride recommends single vaccines only, spaced 6 weeks apart, to reduce adverse effects.

See Dr. Campbell-McBride's website www.gapsdiet.com for more details. In the Resources tab to access articles on autism and vaccines.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.
________________

* Dr. Campbell-McBride recommends no vaccinations for infants:
• with eczema, asthma, digestive problems or any other disorder which would indicate compromised gut flora and immunity;
• born to a mother with fibromyalgia, digestive problems, asthma, eczema, severe allergies, autoimmune disorders or neurological problems;
• or having older siblings with autism, severe eczema, asthma, allergies, ADHD, epilepsy or insulin dependant diabetes.
At a later age these children can be retested and, when they show no immune deficiencies, can be vaccinated using single vaccines spaced 6 weeks apart.