With everything I've had going on personally over the last year, it has been a while since I've gotten really fired up about a health issue, but the recent suppression of health information on many online platforms is extremely troubling to me, and is worth taking an hour or two out of my busy schedule to share with you.
I'm sure by now you are probably aware of the uproar over the recent measles outbreaks in the U.S.. Until this topic came to the forefront of mainstream media coverage, so-called "anti-vaxers" (who have been around for decades) weren't much more than a joke occasionally mentioned on late-night TV, or pointed out as a "lesson" in medical drama shows. Now, vaccinations (or lack of them) have become a hotly debated topic seemingly overnight.
I'm sure by now you are probably aware of the uproar over the recent measles outbreaks in the U.S.. Until this topic came to the forefront of mainstream media coverage, so-called "anti-vaxers" (who have been around for decades) weren't much more than a joke occasionally mentioned on late-night TV, or pointed out as a "lesson" in medical drama shows. Now, vaccinations (or lack of them) have become a hotly debated topic seemingly overnight.
First of all, let me first make it clear that I am NOT anti-vaccine.
However, nor am I 100% on the bandwagon that everyone born today needs to have every single vaccine they can come up with (hundreds more are in development right now, by the way - many of them for common and mild - or almost unheard of - diseases).
I am also not of the opinion that every vaccine is as "safe" as the mainstream medical establishment would have you believe. It is hard for me to take their word for it after the thousands of adverse vaccine reactions that are reported each year (according to the CDC, approximately 30,000 adverse vaccine reaction reports are filed annually, with 10-15% classified as serious - or resulting in permanent disability, hospitalization, life-threatening illnesses or death, and the Vaccine Injury Compensation Fund has paid out nearly $4 Billion in damages since 1989).
How "safe" does that sound?
I also have a personal connection to the topic via the horrible experience of one of my sisters' best friends who vaccinated her daughter per the recommended dosage and schedule with the MMR vaccine. The (previously seemingly normal and healthy) infant developed a high fever and screamed for 24 hours straight following the vaccine, and then exhibited symptoms of lethargy and delayed development that continue to this day (she is now 5 years old, and lags far behind other children of her age in both language and social skills, as I can personally attest, having just seen her again recently).
As a recent article I read pointed out, nearly every anti-vaxxer out there was pro-vaccine - until they, or someone close to them, had a terrible experience like this with a vaccine.
Unfortunately, those who haven't yet had this type of experience tend to instantly dismiss it with a wave of the hand and the statement, "all the medical experts says vaccines are completely safe."
This assertion of safety is no comfort at all to the thousands of families who have experienced it for themselves, and have essentially no legal recourse, since current law prohibits drug companies from being prosecuted for harm (or even death) caused by government-mandated vaccines as stated in the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2011:
However, nor am I 100% on the bandwagon that everyone born today needs to have every single vaccine they can come up with (hundreds more are in development right now, by the way - many of them for common and mild - or almost unheard of - diseases).
I am also not of the opinion that every vaccine is as "safe" as the mainstream medical establishment would have you believe. It is hard for me to take their word for it after the thousands of adverse vaccine reactions that are reported each year (according to the CDC, approximately 30,000 adverse vaccine reaction reports are filed annually, with 10-15% classified as serious - or resulting in permanent disability, hospitalization, life-threatening illnesses or death, and the Vaccine Injury Compensation Fund has paid out nearly $4 Billion in damages since 1989).
How "safe" does that sound?
I also have a personal connection to the topic via the horrible experience of one of my sisters' best friends who vaccinated her daughter per the recommended dosage and schedule with the MMR vaccine. The (previously seemingly normal and healthy) infant developed a high fever and screamed for 24 hours straight following the vaccine, and then exhibited symptoms of lethargy and delayed development that continue to this day (she is now 5 years old, and lags far behind other children of her age in both language and social skills, as I can personally attest, having just seen her again recently).
As a recent article I read pointed out, nearly every anti-vaxxer out there was pro-vaccine - until they, or someone close to them, had a terrible experience like this with a vaccine.
Unfortunately, those who haven't yet had this type of experience tend to instantly dismiss it with a wave of the hand and the statement, "all the medical experts says vaccines are completely safe."
This assertion of safety is no comfort at all to the thousands of families who have experienced it for themselves, and have essentially no legal recourse, since current law prohibits drug companies from being prosecuted for harm (or even death) caused by government-mandated vaccines as stated in the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2011:
"No vaccine manufacturer shall be liable in a civil action for damages arising from a vaccine-related injury or death associated with the administration of a vaccine after October 1, 1988, if the injury or death resulted from side effects that were unavoidable even though the vaccine was properly prepared and was accompanied by proper directions and warnings."
Yes, this is an actual quote...
Now, following the measles outbreaks of 2018 and 2019 and the resulting media uproar, several states are considering removing the existing state exemptions that allow parents to request exemption from vaccination for their children due to religious or health reasons (i.e. if one of your children experienced an adverse reaction to a previous vaccine).
However, troubling as this may be to those who value religious freedom and the freedom to make choices about their own health, what I find even more disturbing is the crackdown on access to "alternative" health information. Several popular social media platforms have already blocked users from sharing information about vaccines (which I suppose is their right), but even worse, the largest search engine in the world has begun suppressing results that have to do with vaccination side effects and consequences!
As one example, if you start typing "vaccines cause..." in the Google search bar, nowhere will you see "autism" as a suggested result, even though this is one of the most searched terms about vaccines and has been for years.
AND, if you go ahead and complete the search yourself, every result that comes up is about how "safe" vaccines are. No popular forums appear, where hundreds of parents seek answers and discuss their experiences. No "alternative" health websites appear, or even any mainstream sites containing statistics and information on the numbers of adverse vaccine reactions reported every year (yes, you can find these, but it will take a bit of digging).
What you'll find instead is mostly page after page after page of assurances like "vaccines are 100% safe" (even though many vaccines undergo very little safety testing at all compared to other drugs, and are often approved in a matter of mere weeks or months, whereas other drugs may be rigorously tested for years before release to the public)...
"vaccines are safe and effective" (even though many cases of disease outbreaks occur in those who were vaccinated, and some diseases actually occur MORE frequently among vaccinated populations - i.e. shingles)...
"there is no link between vaccines & autism" (although thousands of parents would suggest otherwise based on personal experience), etc...
Any parent would naturally find all of this seemingly indubitable positive information reassuring, right?
But would you find it as reassuring if you knew that ALL results with opposing information or differing viewpoints had been purposefully suppressed?
Please keep in mind that I am NOT saying vaccines cause autism. What I am saying is that the fact that you can no longer perform your own research and review results and viewpoints from BOTH sides of the debate is a travesty!
The internet (not to mention our country??) was built on freedom, and it has provided freedom of information to so many millions of people.
What's next?
If you can't discuss (or research) vaccines anymore, what about cancer? What about high blood pressure? What about any kind of natural remedy, or non-medication-based treatment?
One my favorite reminders to our readers has always been "your health is in your own hands." My friends, the times, they are a'changing... And not for the better.
Suppressing information that differs from the (currently accepted) mainstream view is a very slippery - and very dangerous - slope. A slope that can discourage innovation, prevent discovery, and even inhibit future scientific progress. And, in a country founded on "freedom," it is untenable.
Might I remind you that hundreds of current health "truths" that we now hold to be self-evident were once unknown, or believed to be untrue, while many "health facts" that we believed to be true in the past have since been disproved?
Without the ability to research, learn, share, and discover new information, we might well still be living in the Dark Ages, relying on bloodletting as a "cure" for disease, and pooh-poohing handwashing and sanitation's impact on preventing disease. Freedom of information is essential - not just for our health, but for our very progress as a society!
So if you can no longer find unbiased health information online (or at least information from different biases) what can you do? The Truth About Cancer website shares some thoughtful tips that I encourage you to read.
Also, my own tip: Bookmark every natural health site that you rely on NOW - you may not be able to find us on Google anymore...
I suggest of course bookmarking this site! :-) As well as Mercola.com, GreenMedInfo.com, TheNNT.com, DrHyman.com, and any other healthy living sites you find valuable.
Lastly, a never more timely quote from George Orwell:
"In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
Will you join the revolution?
To your health freedom,
Rose.
Now, following the measles outbreaks of 2018 and 2019 and the resulting media uproar, several states are considering removing the existing state exemptions that allow parents to request exemption from vaccination for their children due to religious or health reasons (i.e. if one of your children experienced an adverse reaction to a previous vaccine).
However, troubling as this may be to those who value religious freedom and the freedom to make choices about their own health, what I find even more disturbing is the crackdown on access to "alternative" health information. Several popular social media platforms have already blocked users from sharing information about vaccines (which I suppose is their right), but even worse, the largest search engine in the world has begun suppressing results that have to do with vaccination side effects and consequences!
As one example, if you start typing "vaccines cause..." in the Google search bar, nowhere will you see "autism" as a suggested result, even though this is one of the most searched terms about vaccines and has been for years.
AND, if you go ahead and complete the search yourself, every result that comes up is about how "safe" vaccines are. No popular forums appear, where hundreds of parents seek answers and discuss their experiences. No "alternative" health websites appear, or even any mainstream sites containing statistics and information on the numbers of adverse vaccine reactions reported every year (yes, you can find these, but it will take a bit of digging).
What you'll find instead is mostly page after page after page of assurances like "vaccines are 100% safe" (even though many vaccines undergo very little safety testing at all compared to other drugs, and are often approved in a matter of mere weeks or months, whereas other drugs may be rigorously tested for years before release to the public)...
"vaccines are safe and effective" (even though many cases of disease outbreaks occur in those who were vaccinated, and some diseases actually occur MORE frequently among vaccinated populations - i.e. shingles)...
"there is no link between vaccines & autism" (although thousands of parents would suggest otherwise based on personal experience), etc...
Any parent would naturally find all of this seemingly indubitable positive information reassuring, right?
But would you find it as reassuring if you knew that ALL results with opposing information or differing viewpoints had been purposefully suppressed?
Please keep in mind that I am NOT saying vaccines cause autism. What I am saying is that the fact that you can no longer perform your own research and review results and viewpoints from BOTH sides of the debate is a travesty!
The internet (not to mention our country??) was built on freedom, and it has provided freedom of information to so many millions of people.
What's next?
If you can't discuss (or research) vaccines anymore, what about cancer? What about high blood pressure? What about any kind of natural remedy, or non-medication-based treatment?
One my favorite reminders to our readers has always been "your health is in your own hands." My friends, the times, they are a'changing... And not for the better.
Suppressing information that differs from the (currently accepted) mainstream view is a very slippery - and very dangerous - slope. A slope that can discourage innovation, prevent discovery, and even inhibit future scientific progress. And, in a country founded on "freedom," it is untenable.
Might I remind you that hundreds of current health "truths" that we now hold to be self-evident were once unknown, or believed to be untrue, while many "health facts" that we believed to be true in the past have since been disproved?
Without the ability to research, learn, share, and discover new information, we might well still be living in the Dark Ages, relying on bloodletting as a "cure" for disease, and pooh-poohing handwashing and sanitation's impact on preventing disease. Freedom of information is essential - not just for our health, but for our very progress as a society!
So if you can no longer find unbiased health information online (or at least information from different biases) what can you do? The Truth About Cancer website shares some thoughtful tips that I encourage you to read.
Also, my own tip: Bookmark every natural health site that you rely on NOW - you may not be able to find us on Google anymore...
I suggest of course bookmarking this site! :-) As well as Mercola.com, GreenMedInfo.com, TheNNT.com, DrHyman.com, and any other healthy living sites you find valuable.
Lastly, a never more timely quote from George Orwell:
"In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
Will you join the revolution?
To your health freedom,
Rose.
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