AP Baby

"We are assured that one more generation of vaccines will eliminate whooping cough (I have never seen any such claim made, ever. Whooping cough is here to stay.), measles and mumps as threats to our children, just as polio and diphtheria have disappeared into memory. This is a reassuring and convincing argument: Risk a few cases of rare adverse effects to eliminate these serious and life-threatening diseases. But lingering doubts remain. (Page 3)"

You can just hear the sadly ominous voice of the narrator here. But hang on a second, before I get too ahead of myself, did anyone else notice the OMD after Randall Neustaedter's name? What the heck is an OMD anyways?

The answer? I am honestly not sure. I'm assuming he is some type of osteopath, but practitioners of osteopathic medicine are generally either a D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathy) or M.D's (Doctor of Medicine) (Wikipedia). I really haven't been able to find out what an O.M.D. is. Feedback is welcome! Regardless, I'm not sure why the confusion. If he is a doctor, why not just say so? If he is an osteopath, why not say that? Does O.M.D. sound more impressive somehow?

More manipulative language, and we are only up to page 4.

"What is the truth about the vaccine campaign? Isn't someone making a lot of money from these billions of shots? (Page 4)"

Wow, we are already up to the conspiracy theories.

I'll never get anywhere at this rate, so lets move on to the actual science, which surely must be there. Let's leap right into citations of the notorious, infamous Dr. Andrew Wakefield. Here we see what the bulk of this book is all about; this paragraph combines the manipulative language with some really bad, thoroughly discredited science.

"Dr. Andrew Wakefield along with 13 colleagues gained a great deal of attention and scientific criticism when they dared to publish their findings associating autism with measles vaccine exposure. Since their original work with 12 children who simultaneously developed intestinal disease and autism, Dr. Wakefield has studied over 150 children with autism and intestinal disease. A significant number of these children have elevated levels of IgG measles antibodies compared to controls, and measles-specific antigens in cells of the colon (Wakefield, 2000). (Page 46)"

I love the usage of the word "dared" here. As though Andrew Wakefield were some brave, noble explorer, on a mission of good for the universe. Not to mention the delicious irony of the anti-vax crusaders justifying themselves with a study of 150 children, when they have the nerve to criticize the CDC for studies of 10,000 children. Add a sprinkle more irony when you discover that although it is frequently the anti-vax side spouting off about conflicts of interest in studies done proving the safety and efficacy of vaccines, Andrew Wakefield was enmeshed in his very own conflict of interest scandal.

"In February of 2004, controversy resurfaced when Wakefield was accused of a conflict of interest. The London Sunday Times reported that some of the parents of the 12 children in the Lancet study were recruited via a UK attorney preparing a lawsuit against MMR manufacturers, and that the Royal Free Hospital had received £55,000 from the UK's Legal Aid Board (now the Legal Services Commission) to pay for the research. (Wikipedia)"

The trend for tiny studies continues, as on page 47 there is reference to a study of 91 children, then further on the page a study of 240 people, and one study of seven women.

Next, we move into a discussion of mercury and autism, which has been thoroughly debunked, repeatedly and at length. Initially, the symptoms of mercury poisoning are described:

"Mercury poisoning produces parallel symmptoms to those of autism, including seizures, lack of coordination, retardation, and unresponsive behaviors. (page 48)"

The actual symptoms of mercury poisoning are:

"Mercury damages the central nervous system, endocrine system, kidneys and other organs, and adversely affects the mouth, gums, and teeth. Exposure over long periods of time or heavy exposure to mercury vapor can result in brain damage and ultimately death. (Wikipedia)"

To me it seems pretty ridiculous to inaccurately describe mercury poisoning in a book meant to educate. Regardless, the autism/mercury connection has been debunked and debunked and debunked. Yet the book doesn't mention said debunking, nor the fact that the preservative thimerosal has been removed from vaccines. Even flu vaccines are available without thimerosal now.

I have more to read, and progress is likely to be fairly slow as I'm busy with my baby these days. However I'm astounded that anyone calling themselves a doctor would recommend a book like this, full of manipualation and psuedoscience but short on actual facts. I'm still waiting to get to the benefits of vaccines, part... it must be in there somewhere, right?

To be continued...