LET’S TALK ABOUT VAX…

David Coppi - 16 Sep 14

Let’s talk about the V word. Not vaginas, everyone knows they’re weird and confusing. The other V word that sparks as much debate for it as it does against. The V word that has parents fighting until the bitter end, spouting fact and counter-fact in a seemingly endless argument.

What does chicken embryonic fluid, mouse serum protein and monkey kidney cells all have in common, aside from sounding like delicious pizza toppings? They’re all found in common vaccines that are routinely administered to children. Those parents who are pro-vax will tell you that these are necessary ingredients to assist with the transport and uptake of the vaccine, whereas the anti-vax parents are horrified that such grisly components are being pumped into their children, along with aluminium, formaldehyde and monosodium glutamate.

Professionally I am a chiropractor assisting people with their health needs using only my bare hands, not drugs. As such, I’m in a position where I know a great deal about the body and the various systems within it. Though chiropractic is a drugless profession, I am well educated in pharmaceuticals and their effects on the body. It seems that a majority of people I have spoken to assume that I am against vaccination, considering what I do for a living. The truth is, I am neither fully for it or fully against it. Am I sitting on the fence? Maybe, but let me explain.

As a new father, my wife and I had long discussions about whether or not to have our brand new daughter vaccinated. We were both vaccinated as children and no harm came to us and the majority or people who have been vaccinated are in the same position. We did decide to vaccinate our daughter as we believed that the benefits outweighed the risk. Would she have been OK for the rest of her life if we had chosen not to get her vaccinated? Yes, probably. The pro-vax brigade seem to forget that humans have an immune system that is designed to fight pathogens that enter the body. I believe the majority of people who have not been vaccinated will lead very healthy lives.

The pro-vax army will cry that the unvaccinated can still be carrying a disease and may spread it to the vulnerable or immune-compromised. Possibly, but everyone has a choice in this world and choosing to not immunise is certainly a right. Was I happy that my brand new baby daughter was pumped full of a chemical cocktail, including a small portion of the disease she was being immunised against? No, I wasn’t, but I understood the reason why and that the risk was probably outweighed by the benefit.

As a chiropractor I was in a position to adjust my daughter an hour before her vaccination to ensure that her immune system and nervous system was functioning at it’s very best to be able to deal with what was entering her body. My wife and I made sure she wasn’t irritable or sick before and we monitored her very closely afterwards. As I imagined she was perfectly fine following the jabs, as are most children who receive them. There are rare occurrences where children will suffer side effects and in very tragic situations, some children have died following vaccination. Thankfully this happens very seldom.

Whether or not you choose to vaccinate your child is ultimately about what you feel comfortable with. Education and risk assessment is the key. Parents shouldn’t blindly follow the herd and simply do what everyone else is doing. Your child’s health is more important than that and they deserve parents who are thoughtful enough to arm themselves with quality knowledge in order to make the right decision for their child.

As controversial as this statement may be, vaccination isn’t for everyone and as a parent of a vaccinated child, I’m OK with that. Parents should be free to choose what they do and don’t put into their children’s bodies. Personally I feel that the pro-vaxxers should lay off the parents who don’t vaccinate and consider the science behind their decision not to whereas the anti-vaxxers should quietly go about their business, content with their own choice not to vaccinate.

This argument will continue to divide people. I still firmly sit on the fence of this issue but I do tend to lean slightly towards the side of vaccination simply because I understand how the process works, I understand that there is a risk, albeit a small one, and personally I feel that this was the right choice for my daughter.

Photo: The Age

David Coppi

David Coppi is an author, chiropractor, bonsai enthusiast and punk-rock loving father to ten month old Cherry. He lives in Adelaide, South Australia. His book 'Think Act Grow: Success Principles for Young People and Parents' is available now through Amazon.

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