Dont want to immunise, but.....(Micheal??)

[sunshine_sieben]

I strongly agree to the point raised about antibiotic overuse. My in-laws are like that. They have a runny nose and run to the doctor straight away to get antibiotics. Oh, and once their symptoms are gone, they stop, without finishing the course of the treatment. I feel like slapping them for it. This is how antibiotic resistant strains of diseases are being bred. I think in 2008, my FIL took antibiotics on 5 occasions. I just don't get it. I think I have had to take them 2-3 times in my entire life.

I am so glad we have antibiotics. But they are serious drugs and should be reserved for treating serious conditions. And they should come not only with clear instructions from the prescribing doctor, but also with an explanation why the course has to be finished.

In general I think our society overuses pharmaceuticals. I mean, how many people reach for a panadol the minute the slightest headache starts. When maybe having a glass of water (without the tablet) would have cleared the headache, too. So many headaches are just a symptom of dehydration.

And I also agree with the point about our kids growing up in environments that are too sterile. My kids are not at a risk of that however. My in-laws think I should still only give DD (almost 2) boiled water to drink. Hey, she sticks a whole handful of sand into her mouth at the playground, but at least her water is sterile . (My dad always says that ingesting 1/2kg of dirt per year is good for you - just not all at once - oh, and he's a doctor)

My DD is growing up in a non-sterile (or just plain grubby) household, she's selectively vaxed, I don't let her drink fluoridated water, I hardly ever reach for things like baby panadol, I used teething gel only once. She eats regular table foods, never baby food. She plays in the dirt and regularly with children who have a cold.
BUT, she hardly gets sick. She had runny poos a few times. But never full blown diarrhoea. She had bronchitis once when we flew from the Aussie summer into the German winter. And everybody around her was pretty sick. She seemed to handle it better than most of the adults. And once she had an episode of repeated vomiting that lasted for about 4 hours, and she's had a runny nose a few times. But that's it.
I think BFing had a lot to do with her strong immune system. But there is quite obviously a lot more to it. The problem is that nobody really knows. Not even the experts really know how the immune system works. It is all based on a little knowledghe and a lot of theory. And this is what scares me. Doctors tell us that vaccination is the ideal way to go. When really, they don't know that for sure.

I discussed each and every immunisation in detail with my father. I feel like I can trust him cause he has a similar attitude to things as I do. He never told me, what to do. Instead he gave me more info on the individual vaccines and the diseases they are meant to immunise against. Based on that, and research I had done on my own, I made up my mind. This is what every doctor should do, IMO. Rather than just repeating what the pharma companies have told them. the problem is that msot doctors don't have the time and motivation to keep up with the latest research on everything they might get asked about.

Sasa