AskDrSears - The Vaccine Book: Larry King Asks

Larry King Asks

Friday, March 7, 2008

Larry King Asks, “What Should Parents Do Now?” Dr. Bob Has the Answer.

Last night Larry King interviewed the parents of a nine-year-old child who developed symptoms of autism shortly after receiving nine vaccines at her 19-month checkup. This family was the first ever to win a court case against the government that claimed vaccines triggered autistic-like symptoms in a child. The government conceded the case before it even went to trial, awarding the family a considerable sum of money under the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

Larry King also invited Neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta and two other pediatricians to discuss this issue and try to allay parent’s fears. Mr. King asked his guests, “What should parents who are worried about vaccines and autism do now? Should they go in for their regularly scheduled vaccines?” The consensus among the doctors was yes (although one doctor did voice some concerns over the issue) and that there is no conclusive evidence that vaccines cause autism. They suggested parents talk to their doctor and continue with vaccines as scheduled.

But Larry didn’t quite seem convinced in light of recent events, and vowed to continue the discussion at a later date. Mr. King seemed to be searching for more answers to offer worried parents.

Well, my Alternative Vaccine Schedule is the answer Larry King is looking for. The three main worries that connect vaccines with autism involve mercury, the measles component of the MMR vaccine, and vaccine chemical overload when too many shots are given at once. My vaccine approach circumvents all three worries and allows parents to fully vaccinate their children in the safest manner possible. Keep in mind that science hasn’t proven that any of these worries are even warranted. Yet, every parent with a young baby is concerned nonetheless. So here’s how my vaccine schedule addresses these issues:

First, mercury has been taken out of all vaccines as of 2002, except for some brands of the flu shot. As long as a parent knows to make sure their baby gets a mercury-free flu shot, this particular toxic metal isn’t a risk anymore.

Second, the measles component of the MMR vaccine can be delayed until age 3 years or later. Next to the mercury worry, this live virus vaccine (given at age 1) has come under the most fire. Because autism seems to occur or become most apparent between age 1 and 3 years, my vaccine schedule doesn’t give the measles vaccine until AFTER that age. Once a baby’s neurological system has matured for a few years, and normal language and social development are in place by age three, autism would be extremely unlikely to then be triggered by a measles vaccine given at that later age.

Third, many parents worry about overloading a baby’s little system with so many vaccine chemicals and germ ingredients in the large groups of vaccines given at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. Why not spread those vaccines out? Give 2 shots at a time instead of the recommended 6. Spread the shots out over several years instead of bunching them all together in the first 18 months. Give the most important vaccines first, and follow up with the less critical ones later on. My Alternative Vaccine Schedule does just that.

The child in this particular court case unfortunately had all of these three elements against her. In the interview with Larry King, the parents stated their daughter got 9 vaccines all at once at her 19-month checkup. The mother began to explain how they had skipped vaccines at 12 months (but she didn’t get to finish her statement), and so had to catch up with more shots at 19 months. If she got 9 vaccines at that age, this means that she received the MMR, DTaP, Polio, HIB, and probably Chickenpox vaccines all at one time. Normally these would be spaced out and given in 1 or 2 dose groups at 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months. But this child got 6 months worth of vaccines all at once. Plus, there was a significant amount of mercury in these vaccines back then.

The child was later found to have a mitochondrial disorder (which could make a child more susceptible to vaccine injury), BUT it isn’t actually known if this disorder was already there, or was part of the metabolic and neurological damage the child allegedly suffered after the vaccines.

Bottom line – parents who have huge worries over this issue can choose not to vaccinate while their babies are young, as long as they understand the risks of diseases and take steps to minimize that risk. But some of these diseases can be fatal, and vaccines ARE an important step in disease prevention, as the parents of this child clearly stated in their interview. Parents who choose to vaccinate CAN do so in a safe and logical manner that minimizes the risks of reactions. I encourage all vaccinating families to discuss my Alternative Vaccine Schedule with their doctor.

Labels: Vaccines and Autism

26 Comments:

At March 7, 2008 11:31 AM , amanda said...

I agree with you that spacing out vaccines and combining them in ways that limit the amount of chemicals is the way to go. But how do we convince our state governments to loosen the reigns on vaccine requirements? In order for my son to begin daycare at 6 months of age, he's expected to have already had 3 DTaPs, 3 Polios, 3 HIbs & at least 2 HepBs plus the suggestion of 3 rotas and 3 pcvs. Maybe you should go on Larry King!
At March 7, 2008 12:32 PM , Anonymous said...

Thank you Dr. Bob for this statement. CLM
At March 7, 2008 7:12 PM , Sandra said...

I'd like to know how expats could manage the delay in vaccines. What advice can you give to expats who have to travel to another country to get immunizations? We live in China, but generally do all of our immunizations in Hong Kong or Bangkok as we travel once or twice a year. Also, do you have any suggestions on re vaccinating adopted children? Their health forms say they were immunized, but how can we trust if the vaccine was authentic?
At March 11, 2008 12:26 PM , Anonymous said...

Is it even possible to separate out the measles component of the MMR to delay until 3 years (and if so, is this easily available)??
At March 11, 2008 1:11 PM , Anonymous said...

you can split the three but it costs more and comes in groups of 10. If you found 9 other families you could approach your pedi
At March 11, 2008 8:43 PM , Anonymous said...

I've called many pediatric offices in my city (a big one!) and only one stated that they routinely give separate MMR vaccines. It would cost me $600 to get those vaccines separately for my daughter... Almost all pediatric offices refuse to see you kid unless you're "up to vaccination schedule", and MMR is supposed to be given at age 18 months. I asked our pediatrician to wait till 2y.o. but that's the most I could get! So, I do not know if I'll be able to see the pediatrician in case my daughter is sick unless I do the MMR at her 2year check up... Have no idea what to do...
At March 11, 2008 9:11 PM , Amy said...

I like the idea of slowing down the rate at which we give our kids these much-needed vaccines and will be discussing it with the doctor. I did ask one of the nurses about getting the vaccines "fresh" meaning without preservatives and her answer was that it could take up to 2 years to get it. YIKES!
At March 12, 2008 6:23 AM , Lynn said...

Call the county health department about separate vaccines for M,M, and R. Ours gives them, and they are free.
At March 12, 2008 12:41 PM , Jewels said...

PLEASE parents, delay and separate the vaccines. My son, who is 17 months old, had the MMR vaccine, and my pediatrician assured us he would be fine. One day after the vaccine, in the morning, he was completely unresponsive -- staring with his arm and leg jerking for about 3 minutes -- this is described as a moderate reaction to the measles vaccine. My son came out of it and seemed himself -- about an hour later in the ER his temperature spiked to 105.8. The pediatric neurologist tested him out and he seems completely himself but as one completely heartsick mom, I would never want another parent to live through this. If your pediatrician won't separate them out and delay, then find someone who will.
At March 12, 2008 8:25 PM , Anonymous said...

I have done a lot of research on vaccines since my son came into the world. We live in Canada so the requirement for vaccination is not as stringent as in the US (or other countries i'm not sure) . In Canada a parent has to give 'informed' consent to having their child vaccinated. Dr's can't force you to do something to your child that you feel could cause more harm than good. I took the 'informed' very seriously and read a number of research books and spoke with our pediatrician and Naturopath.

The only vaccine that is proven to be 100% effective is Tetanus which comes in the DTaPP. Pertussis or whopping cough is the least effective with about a 23% success rate. DTaPP (Diptheria, Tetanus, Polio, Pertussis) is the only vaccine my child has received.

I live in an area where many mothers opt out of vaccinating their children so our children are more likely to contract different viruses and get a proper immunity.

My child has recently contracted Rubella (the R in MMR) or German measles and it really wasn't that bad.

If you have a healthy well nourished child their likelyhood of having an extreme case is quite low.

I believe mother have been fear mongered into vaccinating their children. the reason your doctors have the vaccination schedule they do is because with 'healthy baby' visits, they have ACCESS to your children for the first 2 years. After that it falls to your willingness to bring them in.

The reason there is no real research out there is because we have handed the pharmaceutical companies the owness to do the research....why would they try to disprove the effectiveness or find the detrimental effects of such a lucrative product that has a corner on the market of 6Billion people. And the fact that it is quite hard to find a proper control group when everyone is required to vaccinate their children.

There is a lot of information out there. Sift through it, find the most current, and decide for your children. It is your responsiblity to know.
At March 13, 2008 5:22 PM , Anonymous said...

Thank you Dr. Bob, the voice of reason. I can now sleep tonight!
At March 14, 2008 10:01 AM , Jay Gordon said...

Thanks Bob. One small correction. As you know, most tetanus and "dt" vaccines still contain mercury. (There's also a known trace amount of mercury left in many vaccines but far, far less than there used to be.)

As attorneys say, "Bad cases make bad laws." This is an incredibly bad case of a doctor foolish enough to give all these vaccines at once and parents unquestioning and accepting the vaccines. Yes, an alternative vaccine schedule is one very good answer. In my opinion, this schedule could also include either no vaccines for selected children or very few vaccines. Your extraordinary article in "Mothering" about aluminum highlights a strong case for giving fewer (or no) shots at all.

Thanks for your great book!

Best,

Jay
At March 14, 2008 1:26 PM , Anonymous said...

Rubella wasn't "that bad" to your child but had your child passed it on to a pregnant woman, there is a very good chance her unborn baby would have died or been born with multiple incurable illnesses. The vaccination exists so the community as a whole can protect pregnant women and their fetuses, not children and adults. Because you are right, Rubella typically does not cause complications in people who have already been born.
At March 14, 2008 2:04 PM , Elizabeth F. said...

Dr. Bob I have a question. I recently attended one of your sessions at the LLL conference in NC, and I have read your Vaccine Book. My Hubby and I have decided to Selectively Vax. I have just recently heard through 2 different mothers that our Peds office now has the policy that they will not treat patients who do not vax or extended vax, etc... nothing but the typical vax schedule even for already existing patients. I have my son's 5 yr. check up in 2 weeks and I want to go in prepared. I thought I read somewhere in one of the Sears' newsletters that the AAP statement was that Dr's should not deny medical care to non-vaxxing patients. But, I can't seem to find this anywhere now. Is that a true AAP Statement that you have seen as well? And can doctor's legally refuse treatment to existing patients based on whether they are vaxxing/non-vaxxing? I've heard that the Board of that office made the decision and the Doctors are losing patients. I don't know that they care, but I love our Pediatrician on all other accounts and she is AP and Breastfeeding friendly. I hate to lose a Dr. that I love due to this policy. How can they make a policy like this in light of all of the controversy surrounding vaccines right now? Not even working with patients on an Extended schedule is ridiculous. Any thoughts? Can I fight this and maintain a good Dr./patient relatioship?
At March 14, 2008 2:24 PM , Anonymous said...

I was very concerned about vaccinations until I read Dr. Bob's book. It was great because it wasn't biased, just facts. Fortunately, I believe, Colorado is one of the states that allow you to opt-out of vaccination for public schools. We took Dr. Bob's advice and our daughter received DTAP and HIB at two months and Pc at three months. She will get the follow ups spaced out in the same manner even though it requires a monthly shot instead of every other month, and we have chosen not to get any additional vaccines unless she needs them later for international travel. She never experienced any reaction to the vaccines, not even mild fever or fussiness, which I take as a good sign that her body was able to handle the minimized vaccines well, rather than bombarding her with the 6 recommended at 2 mos. I still worry a bit about vaccination but not nearly as much as I would if she were receiving them all. If our pediatrician had refused care or tried to push us to include additional vaccines, we would have switched immediately. The bottom line is that this is our daughter and we are ultimately responsible for her well being not the doctor. There are plenty of good doctos who are willing to listen to parents and accept their decisions.
At March 15, 2008 8:10 AM , dr. bob sears said...

Elizabeth - the policy is in the Red Book of Infectious Diseases, near the beginning where it discusses vaccines. Most Peds have this book, but I don't think parents can buy it. You can check on AAP.org, but I don't know if it's there.
Your Ped doesn't have to follow the policy anyway. He can do whatever he wants. So, I don't know a great way around this.

Hey Jay - good to hear from you. Ya, the older plain tetanus and DT in large bottles still have the full mercury dose, but the single dose vials only have a trace.
At March 16, 2008 11:09 PM , Anonymous said...

Dr. Bob, In reference to Elizabeth's question: I am an RN and I believe there is a mandate that no medical professional can abandon a patient. Legally, an MD must continue to provide care to a patient until another satisfactory caregiver is found. A patient or legal guardian of the patient also has a right to refuse treatment according to the Patient Bill of Rights and any Physician who refuses to allow a patient to make informed decisions is violating not only the Bill of Rights law but the Dr./Patient relationship. No Physician should strong-arm or threaten a patient into receiving treatment he/she does not want. My daughter recently had this same problem with her newborn's Pediatrician. She has since found a Holistic Pediatrician who will allow her to make her own decisions about her son's vaccine schedule after fulling discussing the pros and cons of the issues. Good luck, Elizabeth.
At March 25, 2008 12:42 PM , Anonymous said...

To those who asked; you can get the single doses of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccinations from Hopewell Pharmacy in New Jersey. My doc called the prescription in to them and they sent it directly to me. Shipping was expensive but a single dose of each was available to me for my child when I wanted it.
At March 25, 2008 1:53 PM , Anonymous said...

First of all, I think Dr. Bob's statement is excellent. He speaks clearly and factually.

Comments on other statements above:
1. Sure, you can wait to vaccinate your child until you travel out of the US. But what about all of the unvaccinated people who are coming here on a daily basis? Some of these people arrive with serious contagious diseases (stories show up in the news frequently). World travel is becoming more and more common. Think about what you are exposing your child to...
2. Vaccinations are, in fact, to protect children as well as pregnant women and fetuses. I think the decision not to vaccinate is based on the idea that these diseases are not very common in the U.S. They aren't common precisely because of vaccinations.
3. Finally, I'm glad that one parent's child had a mild case of rubella. The majority of children would probably live through any of the diseases for which vaccinations are administered. But what if your child is one of the ones who doesn't? Or is permanently crippled by polio? Good nutrition is great for the body, but it cannot stop all negative effects of all diseases.

This case was extreme: 19 vaccinations at one time! I'm completely in favor of vaccinations and would never have done this to my child. Please get good information and facts before making the decision not to vaccinate.
At March 25, 2008 7:00 PM , Anonymous said...

Dr. Bob... Where can i find your alternative vaccine schedule you spoke of in your newsletter? Thank you for all of your great info.
At March 30, 2008 2:32 PM , dr. bob sears said...

Anon. The schedule is in the book.
At April 1, 2008 12:23 PM , Anonymous said...

Dr. Bob is just capitalizing on parental fears. Show us the evidence for your schedule. The odds of our children getting these terrible infections are low, because most people vaccinate. But as more parents hold vaccines- these infections will return.
At April 5, 2008 12:26 PM , Anonymous said...

the red book is available on amazon for $100.
At April 7, 2008 3:24 PM , Anonymous said...

Dear Dr. Sears,
God bless you and your willingness to lend your wisdom to such an important issue. My question revolves around an MMR booster for women. When I had my first child in Aug. 2005 I was told that I was borderline no longer immune and that I needed a booster before I left the hospital after my son was born. I chose not to do that, only because it didn't feel right in my gut, since I knew I was going to breastfeed. Fast forward to this past Feb. and I finally decided to get the booster. Now I am reading about studies that show it isn't necessary and that even if we wait the 3 months before trying to conceive another child, that it could be dangerous and up the chances of that child to become Autistic. What are your thoughts and the push for so many women to get this booster post-partum? Also, what about women like me who are now afraid to get pregnant after getting this booster? Thank you so very much! -Worried about future child
At April 16, 2008 10:18 AM , lisael said...

I think its great to offer an alternative vaccine schedule but the amount of Ped's that will follow it are rare. Also, some of the vaccines still being used today for babies are made with mercury. Its not put in as a preservative and is only in trace amounts, but its still in there. This might not be a problem for most children, but I believe it is for some. My 2 oldest children were vaccinated before 1990 and had no more than 10 vaccines before kindergarden. They were spaced out much better also. There was more mercury in each dose than there is today, but take 1 shot then and take 4 or more today..you are probably getting close to the same amount. Aluminum makes mercury even more damaging. My 2 year old son was a baby model at ages 6/m to 14/m. He loved people, could follow directions and was asked to come back by Gap twice because he was so easy to work with for his age. He wasn't even the cutest baby : ) Now my son wont look at a camera (or people in the eye)or follow directions ( because he no longer understands what they are )He wont enter a room with strangers in it. He lost over 60 words and is totally non-verbal. He cried or should I say screamed all day after his one year and first MMR vaccinations. He was fine at the visit but soon after we got home he seemed to be in pain. The Dr told me dont worry give him tylenol. I called back four times with the same response. They said it didn't qualify as a reaction. Well from that point on we slowly watched our son disapear into a world of his own. Hand flapping, toe walking, lost words. He is on the autism spectrum, but he was NOT born autistic. The hardest part was he didn't respond anymore to his name or look at us in the eyes. No more hugs and kisses. I love my son dearly, more than anything in the world, but having this happen is like living a constant nightmare. I would give ANYTHING to have my son back. I just want parents to know I had no issues with vaccines before this happened to us. I saw first hand that its true, vaccines can hurt some children. I am not one of those people looking for reasons and just choosing vaccines as the cause because its so easy to claim. We saw it happen with our own eyes. Please just take your time and if your Dr wont at least spread out the vaccines, find one that will. Put the extra time in. Its nothing compared to losing what we have lost
At May 13, 2008 10:11 AM , Anonymous said...

My heart grieves for you! I just want to share what helped our son when he was showing signs of autism at age 2 1/2. Our chiro/naturopath put him on dietary restrictions (no refined sugars, flour, starches), added high doses of DHA, but the biggest thing that resulted in a huge improvement was the Eyelight therapy (eyelights.com) . Sounds strange, but I was willing to try nearly anything. All I can tell you is that a few months later there was a drastic improvement in his social skills, eye contact, sound sensitivity, and frustration threshold. Maybe you can find a naturopath with experience with this therapy nearby. It did wonders for our son.

anne