"Parents need to demand safe vaccines that do not contain
carcinogens, neurotoxins, hormone disruptors,
endocrine disruptors, mutagens or teratogens." --Deirdre Imus

Through a new "Greening Vaccines" program, The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology is actively working with doctors, parents and legislators around the country on safer vaccinations and vaccine protocols for children.

If You Are Preparing to Immunize Your Child, Consider The Following:

1. Discuss with your doctor which vaccines are necessary for you child. After all, one size doesn't fit all.

2. Avoid immunizing when your child is sick or recently recovered from an illness.

3. Do not give your child a vaccine containing thimerosal. Insist on thimerosal-free vaccines. Those on the CDC routine immunization schedule should be thimerosal-free. Those not on the routine schedule, including the flu shot, typically contain thimerosal. If you give the flu shot, a thimerosal-free version may need to be special-ordered by your pediatrician.

4. Always ask for and review the vaccine’s package insert. Read the section on ingredients so you know what is in the vaccine and have the opportunity to ask the doctor any questions. Check for the following potentially harmful ingredients, which are called adjuvants: aluminum, antibiotics, and formaldehyde. In addition, if you are aware that your child is allergic to monosodium glutamate (MSG) or eggs, let your doctor know, and check the package insert for these ingredients. Note that all flu vaccines and the MMR vaccine contain egg protein. If you have questions, do not be intimidated from asking your doctor.

5. Only get one vaccine per visit. This may require multiple office visits, but giving one at a time (such as one vaccine per month) reduces any complications from the interaction of multiple vaccines. It will also allow you to know precisely which vaccine caused a problem if there are any adverse reactions. We still don't know the unique vulnerabilities of each individual, which may cause complications from even one vaccine, because research hasn't been done yet to identify those biological markers that would tell us if a child has a pre-existing disposition.

6. Ask the doctor to check for titers. Via a simple blood test, the doctor can check to see if your child is already immune to a specific disease via previous exposure or vaccine. If the titer shows your child is immune, further vaccination (boosters) for that specific disease may not be necessary.

For more information, visit www.dienviro.com.

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