Are there any pediatricians in the Portland/Vancouver area who are understanding of a parents decision to delay vaccinations? I have been very happy with my pediatrician - we've been seeing him for about a year. He has not pushed me to vaccinate. I never told him that I was delaying, but I have always had an excuse as to why it hasn't been a good time to vaccinate. My daughter is now 2 and I brought her in for her exam and wanted to start immunizations - a little at a time. Boy, was I surprised when he started talking down to me about my decision to delay, to only do a couple of shots at a time, etc. I was warned by a friend of mine who has an Autistic son that this would probably happen. There was definitely a part of me that wanted to give in and just have them all done, but my bit of discomfort now is better than the possibility of Autism for the rest of my child's life.
HI J.,
We have seen Barry Davis at Northwest Primary Care in Clackamas. It is about a 20 min drive from SE PDX. He was very respectful and didn't make a big deal at all about us not/delaying vaccinations. His children were all born at home and he seems to have an open mind. He was recommended to me by several people.
Good luck.
H.
I am in the same boat as you. I just recently began researching the vax issue very thoroughly and am looking at switching to naturopathic care in the near future for my family. I have heard many wonderful things about the ND's at this clinic http://www.naturalchildbirthclinic.com
Here are some really helpful links another mamasource mom sent me about vaccinations. Good luck!
S.
www.hazelaid.com
All natural, organic, handmade hazelwood necklaces for the relief of eczema, acid reflux, & teething pain for babies and their families.
The best thing I watched was a DVD by Dr. Sherri Tenpenny called "Vaccines: The risks, the benefits, the choices." It was a couple of hours, but walked through each vaccine and gave a ton of helpful info.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=70188352404511075...=
*A User-Friendly Vaccination Schedule by Donald W. Miller, Jr., MD
http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller15.html
Communicating your point on not Vaxing
http://www.avn.org.au/action_communicate.html
Sherri Tenpenny - Vaccinations and The Right to Refuse
http://www.newswithviews.com/Tenpenny/sherri1.htm
Sherri Tenpenny - Vaccines Why Fear Sells
http://www.newswithviews.com/Tenpenny/sherri16.htm
Should I Vaccinate My Child
http://www.kindredmedia.com.au/info/should_i_vaccinate_my...
Why parents question vaccination http://www.avn.org.au/vaccs_10reasons.html
*Autism*
http://www.ageofautism.com/
http://www.generationrescue.org/
http://www.fightingautism.org/index.php
*Diseases and statistics
*
Cases and Death of VPD 1950-2005 http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines
/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/G/cases&deaths.pdf
CDC Pink Book http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/default.htm
Notifiable Diseases-Deaths in Selected Cities Weekly Information
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwR/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5705md.htm#fig1
Morbidity and Mortality Reports http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/summary.html
CDC Health Marketing Tip Sheets for TV Writers and Producers
http://www.cdc.gov/healthmarketing/entertainment_educatio...
*Yahoo Groups*
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Slowandnovaxmoms/
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Vaccinations/
*
Package inserts and Ingredients*
Glossary of Vaccines http://www.informedchoice.info/
Informed Choice - Vaccine Ingredients
I haven't read the replies yet, just wanted you to know that
my almost 8 year old hasn't had any and has been doing great.
I knew before she was born that it was the best route for her
given the history of my family and our sensitive nervous systems and i am so glad i did. i know that she would not have done will with them. as i is, her system has high level of mercury, we think from tuna and maybe even from the leaching of my filings during breast feeding. i will send a research link later to back up what i am saying. good for you to research and ask if it is correct for you child. for some it is, especially if parents are in fear about disease.
Dr. Dan Sisco, ND
he's a naturopathic family doctor on NE 33 and Broadway (The Alameda Clinic)
I finally found a doctor who will listen, and he respects (for real, not just verbally) a range of choices about vaccinations ... as a questioning and knowledgable parent, I love him
he doesn't bill insurance
for a naturopath, he is more likely to rely on allopathic things like antibiotics (and vaccinations) than I was expecting, but that was useful as I transitioned out of the allopathic mindset ... and it really meant that when I chose "not" whatever-I-had-been-doing, it was really my choice for my family, and not because he was pulling some authority trip
best of luck
God bless :)
My triplets were born 7/12/08, the NICU wanted to give them all the HepB shot prior to leaving. We have one home with us now and declined the vax as we will for the other two when they come home. I can't believe they would want to give any baby a HepB vax if the family wasn't infected much less preemies....crazy!! I took my daughter to her first Ped appt Monday and really liked her Doc. I in no uncertain terms made it clear that my decision to delay vax was not negotiable and that I did not want to be harassed about it at every visit. The Doc seemed to be ok with this and asked me to bring the schedule I want to follow to our next visit. The clinic is East Portland Ped. Clinic and the Doctor we see is Dr. Sequeira...they are open 7 days a week and only closed on Christmas Day. Seems good so far...here is a link to their site http://www.eastportlandpeds.com/
Hi J.,
Good job holding your ground. My niece had a seisure after her shots. Which made me second guess vaccinations. My four year old daughter was only vaccinated up to 9 months when I stopped giving her shots. I will probably slowly introduce shots when she is five. I am like you and think why give your children five shots when they are young with low immune systems. But I will tell you I had to call my pediatrician to ask if she accepted children who say "NO" to shots for now. Thankfully she does. She does tell me the benefits everytime we come in but very gentle. She says she pushes patients away if she demands it. My sister on the other hand, was told by the doctor that he could no longer be her doctor if she was going to say NO to shots. She took her four children and found another doctor who would support her decision. You may not find a supportive doctor, I would just look for a doctor who will accept your decision.
Most people don't have the information about shots and don't have the strength to stand up for their children's health. Great Job! Good luck!
My doctor is Dr. Megan Baker with the Vancouver Clinic.
Hi J.,
I feel the need to say this...There is NO SCIENTIFIC PROOF that Autism is caused by immunizations. If you go to the website http://www.askquestions.org/details.php?id=6083&gclid...
They talk about all the different studies there have been to try and prove a link and they can't find one. "The Center for Disease Control has examined all existing studies that suggest a causal relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism, and concluded that these studies have significant weaknesses and are far outweighed by epidemiologic studies that show no link...".
Many people have believed that it was the mercury in the shots that caused the autism, but they took it out and autism numbers have continued to increase. It really scares me how many children are not getting immunized and all of the diseases that were almost eradicated are all coming back. My daughter has been and will continue to be immunized on schedule.
PS I have a step-son with Aspbergers (high-functioning autism) and a nephew with Autism. There are plenty of studies that prove there is a genetic link...people don't want to believe it's "their genes" and instead look to blame something else.
Dr Paul Thomas, if you are in Beaverton, is an excellent Doctor and VERY educated on shots and never pushed any on us. We moved to Vancouver and now go to Creekside Medical and see Dr. Jill Speaker and we have delayed shots with our kids there and she supports us.
Dr. Monique Pritchard of Sellwood Medical Clinic is very understanding and supportive of parents' choices. We have done a modified delayed schedule.
Best of luck!
We see Dr. Frank DiGregorio at Providence on NE Hoyt in Portland and he has been very willing to go along with our decision to do delayed and spaced out vaccinations. I think he appreciated the fact that we had thought about our decision and were informed.
I have felt a bit pressured to more shots at a time from his staff, but I was able to stand my ground. :)
His practice is called Oregon Pediatrics. We've also seen another doctor in the office, Dr. Ell, and she has been great too. They also have an office in Clackamas.
Good luck!
--D.
The doctors at the Children's Clinic in Tualatin are very respectful. Doctor Sarah Cannon is mine.
Someone else mentioned Dr. Paul Thomas and I will give more information. You can see his website at http://www.integrativepediatricsonline.com/. This will show you the Dr. Sears Selective schedule that he recommends rather than the APA schedule. He will work with you on any schedule you like. We have seen him for over 9 years and recently followed him to his new, independent practice. He is located a mile from St. V's. Since he is a traditional MD, he will bill most insurances.
Jennifer Reid in Gresham is a great naturopath that specializes in children. She doesn't bill insurance though. She is the first person in the medical profession that supported my decision not to vaccinate!
Families *adore* Monique Pritchard, then there is also Chrissie Ott
http://www.nanopracticepdx.com/
And another fella I've heard of is Dr. Joel (can't remember his last name, but he goes by Dr. Joel)
http://www.drjoelsclinic.com/faqs.html
We also love the Natural Childbirth and Family Clinic, Dr. Jen Gibbons especially! Of course she is an ND so not all insurances cover visits with her. They were equipped to vaccinate my daughter with inoculations we chose to go ahead . with. Kudos for you for being a mama who wants to make informed choices=)
J., Evergreen Pediatrics in Vancouver has been great. We see Sharon Bucher. http://evergreenpediatric.com/index.htm
In Portland, we saw Bruce Birk at Pediatrics Associates of the NW. He was very helpful in educating us and listening to our concerns and helping us decide on an alternate schedule.
Good luck!
