I wanted to pull this Health Tip from the archives of the 1,600 (give or take a few) on file since I started this back in 1994. I had written it in response to the vociferous anti-vaccination community which I knew had been funding completely false research, spreading really dangerous misinformation, and causing untoward damage to the health of children. It was really rather disgusting how they were all living healthy adults because their own parents had the common sense to vaccinate them as children but now they were willing to risk the lives of their own kids.
Back then, March 2019, one real anti-vaxxer was Robert Kennedy, Jr., who founded the anti vaccine group, Children’s Health Defense, and made over 100 speaking appearances, linking vaccines to autism. The other was Joseph Mercola, D.O. of mercola.com, with a net worth of $100 million from supplement sales, whom generously funded anti vaccine research. Mercola has one million subscribers and 14 million visitors monthly.
And then, nine months later, in January 2020, COVID arrives in the U.S. Hard to believe it was five years ago last month. By the end of 2023, there are 103,000,000 cases of COVID in the U.S., and by the end of 2023, 1,130,000 Americans will have lost their lives.
Although COVID vaccine was developed very quickly (“Operation Warp Speed”), Mercola and Kennedy are voted #1 and #2 “COVID Claptrap Superspreaders” by McGill University Office for Science and Society.
The number of unnecessary deaths caused by “warning people away from COVID vaccines” has been estimated at 50,000, mainly white, Southern Republicans. Mercola became even more wealthy with an assortment of COVID “cures” now sold worldwide. Planning for the future, he even has a book, “The Great Bird Flu Hoax”.
Robert Kennedy, Jr.’s net worth pales at a paltry $15 million when compared to Mercola, but he is our new Secretary of Health and Human Services. Since President Trump just laid off 10% of the CDC (Center of Disease Control) and the same of the NIH (National Institute of Health), it’s sort of a perfect storm: fewer scientists just at the time of first reported human cases of bird flu and the anti vax Kennedy in charge of everything.
Now, back to what I wrote preCOVID, in defense of vaccinations. I have edited it down a bit.
Immunizing Your Kids
At least once a week someone asks my opinion on mandatory immunization, I suppose because WholeHealth Chicago is so widely known as an alternative medical center. Most often, the inquirer is pregnant and she’s read something about the (totally disproven) link between the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine and autism.
Another question is whether vaccines contain mercury, in the form of the preservative thiomersol, followed by queries about a possible link between mercury and autism. I tell my patients that while there’s been no thiomersol in childhood vaccines since 1999, there has been a steady rise in the diagnosis of “autism” throughout the 21st century.
This actually has nothing at all to do with vaccines but rather pediatricians, child psychiatrists and psychologists being better educated in autism as a wide spectrum of symptoms. And, more recently, that the “spectrum”, once considered male predominant, is now close to 50:50, women being skilled at camouflaging their ASD symptoms better than men.
Now considered the single most damaging public health hoax of the 20th century, responsible for tens of thousands of deaths worldwide, was that of former physician Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 article published in the British journal Lancet linking MMR vaccine to autism. He was actually a gastroenterologist and had created a new disease which he called “autistic enterocolitis”, and planned to make millions from a diagnostic test kit. Unbeknownst to the Lancet editors, Wakefield had been receiving funding from anti-vaccine groups. And because this idea was such a hot topic, Wakefield received a tsunami of media attention that resonates to this day in the form of doubts from the pregnant patient sitting across from me in my office.
Post-Wakefield Infection Rates Skyrocket
After Wakefield, childhood immunization rates fell around the world and infection rates of the three potentially fatal childhood illnesses rose dramatically. Once Wakefield was investigated, his data was proven to have been manipulated and false. Later, his medical license was taken from him, and he’s no longer allowed to practice.
Wakefield produced, directed, and stars in, “VAXXED: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe”, a pseudo-documentary laden with scary misinformation. “Vaxxed” was recently yanked from Tribeca Film Festival by festival director Robert DeNiro (father of an autistic child) because “we do not believe it contributes to the discussion”. The film’s sequels, “VAXXED II: The People’s Truth” was produced (you guessed it) by Robert Kennedy, Jr. and “VAXXED III: Authorized to Kill” released last September, partially funded by Kennedy.
Among other things, the film erroneously accuses Blue Cross of giving doctors financial kickbacks for immunizing kids.
In actual fact, the alleged kickbacks are simply a standard reimbursement for the cost of the vaccines themselves.
Persistent Opposition and Immunization’s Global Reach
The very vocal opponents to childhood immunization persist in their endeavors on websites and in chat rooms around the world. Interestingly, organized opposition to vaccination began with the very first smallpox shots in 1798 and in one way or another has never let up. When you read the history of anti-vaccine movements, the tenor is much less about safety and much more about government control. The phrases used by the opposition are similar to those employed against water fluoridation, designated smoking areas, and mandatory seat belt use.
Keep in mind that except for seriously underdeveloped countries, mandatory immunization requirements exist worldwide. This is not an American thing. The government health departments of various countries may have slightly different immunization schedules, but virtually all developed countries will not let a child attend school if he or she arrives without immunization documents.
In fact, in every country where immunization was suspended (such as occurred after the MMR hoax) there was a documented rise in infection and death. Here in the U.S. the 2014 Disneyland measles outbreak triggered a sixfold rise in measles. It began with a single unimmunized tourist walking through the crowds. The virus quickly spread around the country, exclusively infecting those who had not been immunized.
One issue I have with opponents of immunization is they’re too young to remember the physical and psychological devastation these illnesses once caused:
– Mumps could leave a child permanently deaf or sterile.
– Although apparently a mild viral infection, a pregnant women catching German measles (rubella) might give birth to a blind or brain-damaged child.
– Diphtheria and measles could kill, and did.
– Polio was the terror of my own childhood. A kid could be fine on Monday, catch polio that afternoon, and be crippled for life a few days later.
Herd Immunity and Illinois Law
Understand that not only is your child protected by these immunizations, but with everyone immunized the disease itself can disappear altogether. There is virtually no smallpox anymore. Polio is almost gone as well. The term for this is “herd immunity”, which is the protection of an un-immunized person because everyone else is immune. And while herd immunity is highly useful in protecting anyone with a compromised immune system, parents choosing not to immunize their children are relying on everyone else’s children to protect their own. There seems something solipsistic about this.
Here in Illinois (and in California), the otherwise egregiously incompetent state legislature passed some of the most stringent mandatory immunization rules in the country, making it very difficult for an anti-vaxx parent to avoid the system. Formerly, the most common way people got around immunization was to get a religious exemption from their physician, and a quick note could do it. Now parents are required to complete a more complex form that must be signed by both parents and physician. Parents need to state a reason for the exemption for each individual vaccine.
In addition, before the form is completed parents also need to sign a statement verifying that they have been informed of the dangers of each illness their child is no longer protected from, that they have an understanding of herd immunity (i.e., they’re relying on other responsible parents to protect their child), and that the child might be denied admission to school (even with the religious exemption).
What anti-vax parents are often surprised to hear is, “I hope you’re prepared to home-school your child.”
Pediatric Docs Oppose Non-medical Exemptions
In 2016, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics said, “We believe there should be no religious or personal exemptions.”
In fact, finding a physician to sign an exemption form may be quite difficult. Because (just like parents) pediatricians want what’s best for the children they care for, getting a doctor’s signature on a form that renders a child vulnerable to illness may be well-nigh impossible. As a doctor, I would not want to be held responsible for a measles outbreak because I’d signed an exemption for a child who carried the virus into his classroom.
Yes, there are still some anti-vaxx physicians out there, and yes, if you go online you probably can find one, but are you really willing to place your child at risk because of your politics?
Some of Chicago’s top-notch pediatric practices simply will not accept any child whose parents refuse vaccination. They won’t sign the exemption form because they don’t want a possibly infectious (and potentially dangerous) child in the waiting room with babies who have not yet completed their vaccination programs.
Yes, “autism” sounds scary, but most mildly autistic people have developed so many compensatory social skills they are completely unaware of their diagnosis. Always remember the vaccine-autism link was a hoax. Yes, the needle coming at your infant’s behind looks in your eyes like a tenpenny nail. Yes, your daughter will wail when stuck.
But when all the kids come to your house for your daughter’s birthday looking so wild and healthy, you’ll know that none of them is at home in an iron lung (polio), dealing with deafness (mumps), covered with a nasty rash (measles), or choking for breath (diphtheria).
And, if you’re up for it, you can read the many responses to this Health Tip that were written back in 2019. Remember, as you read this and the responses, COVID will be six months down the road. Kennedy at the time of writing was an anti-VAX nutcase; five years ahead he’s the Secretary of Health. Mercola at the time made millions, now makes even more. We are setting the stage of unpreparedness for another pandemic. Life on the edge.
Be well,
David Edelberg, MD
I can’t believe Dr. Edelberg posted such nonsense. The DTP series of jabs put me in an encephalitis coma as a two year old. I had a 105 degree fever for two weeks and a neurosurgeon had to open both sides of my skull to relieve brain inflammation. As a teenager I experience grand mal seizures because of that episode. This vaccine push by Big Pharma has gone way too far. All drug commercials need to be removed from TV and radio, just like cigarette ads years ago. And kids today are to receive up to 70 to 80 jabs by the time they turn 18?!? Ridiculous! What is so wrong experiencing measles, mumps, and chicken pox? I am very surprised with you, doctor, pushing these jabs on us. Vaccines to nothing by compromise your God-given immunity, which is perfect when you are born.
Brian
Good Question – How much money do you make off of vaccines in 2024? I have heard pediatricians say they cannot stay in business without the money coming in from vaccines. How much money do you get from the supplements?
Between those two sources of revenue, can you stay in business?
I am sure you want to share about the measles outbreak recently in the state of Maine was the same strain as the MMR vaccine.
Can you also describe the measles magic and how measles is diagnosed? The difference is diagnosing it if they are vaccinated vs. not vaccinated, please include why the difference. (If they were vaccinated, it is a clinical diagnosis. If they were not vaccinated, it is a laboratory diagnosis… kinda makes sense why there are more diagnosis among unvaccinated)
What are the symptoms? high fever, cough, runny nose and a rash all over the body? Sounds like hand, foot, mouth disease to me.
I am sure you will also share how nutrition plays a big role in how the body reacts to measles. Please include why data is difficult to find when trying to find the mortality rate in the U.S. for 2023, but you can easily find estimates globally that include places with lower nutrition levels.
Teddy
And even Dr. Gupta on CNN, mocking Ivermectin, a drug listed on the World Health Organizarions as an essential medicine for humans for probably decades. Ivermectin, a safety profile unmatched and even won a Noble Prize. This drug was mocked by either the CDC or the FDA during Covid. Yet you have faith in the CDC/Big pharma/FDA? Wake up. You have only stuck your toe in the arena of alternative medicine. You have stayed safe by not allowing yourself to take a deep look at all the corrupted science. As a medical professional, I was taught to analyze the studies and know what to look for and that many of the studies should be thrown out. The fact that they unblinded the Covid Pfizer studies after only 4 months tells us they were not looking for good science. They were looking to make a huge profit off our backs and they did.
Jb
Dr. Edelberg, and how much have you made off your pharmacy on site and all your recommendations for supplements? Do you see a conflict of interest there? How much over the past 20 years have you profited on that in house pharmacy you have?
As someone who had spinal meningitis at age 1.5 years and had an older brother that died of spinal meningitis at age 15 months, I have been deep in the vaccine research. Did you know that a strain of the Mumps virus put in the first combined MMR shot around 1968 was causing an increased risk of aseptic meningitis in kids? Its in the literature. They eventually changed that strain of mumps virus out of the MMR vax for a different strain, but that took decades. I also had thrombocytopenia in 3rd grade with very low blood platelets. Did you know the MMR and other shots increases your risk of getting thrombocytopenia as a side effect? It’s in the inserts. Do you read the inserts? Did you know in 1986 that the Supreme Court ruled vaccines, something along the lines of ” inherently unsafe”? Then Reagan gave all the vaccine makers blanket immunity so you could no longer sue them? Then the vaccine schedule exploded. Our kids are much more unhealthy than they were in the 1970s. Wake up. You have missed the mark on this.
Why did we go from oral Polio vaccine in rhe US back to injectable vaccine? Because the oral Polio virus was giving kids Polio. Why did NPR report about 5 or 6 years ago that Wild Type Polio had been eradicated in Africa but Vaccine Induced Polio was still present? You can look that article up. They still give oral Polio vaccine to Africa because it’s easier to disperse that way and black people don’t matter as much. ( that is what white people who go into Africa to vaccinate believe).
It’s time to wake up. Take a deep, deep dive into science that hasn’t been funded by the NIH, the CDC and Big Pharma. That kind of research is hard to find. All you have to do is look at the kids that are not vaccinated and do a study comparing vaxxed to unvaxxed. Not complicated. Big Pharma and our government know what the results of that will be. Ever been in the presence of home schooled unvaccinated kids? Healthy and brilliant.
You have probably had 1/10th of the vaccines the average kid has now. Why don’t you go get a DPT, an MMR and a Hib Vax on the same day and see how you feel . No science has been done on taking multiple vaccines in one day. It is completely irresponsible. Ask yourself why you wouldn’t want someone like RFK Jr to look at the science and for all of us to be well informed? Each vaccine needs a neurotoxin to stir up the immune system in the form of aluminum or thimerosal. What are the ramifications of all that neurotoxin crossing the blood brain barrier? It has never been studied.
You can listen to Dr. Debra Birx state that the Covid Vax was never made to prevent infection. You can hear her say that it was designed only for those that were high risk and elderly, but that they forced it upon everyone, even kids and pregnant Women. These are crimes against humanity. We are already seeing the ramifications of pilots dropping dead ( highly vaxxed) and others and cancer skyrocketing.
All the young athletes dropping dead?
JB
This post is very irresponsible of you. The only nutcase here is you not Robert Kennedy Jr.
Please do more research on Vaccines and stop trying to scare parents into vaccinating their children. Very disappointed with this clinic.
Esther
The CDC had to be taken to court to show the safety studies. They ended up admitting in court that they don’t have the safety studies required by law. Autism – You don’t know what contributes to autism. You cannot exclude vaccines. The number of vaccines increased and the rate of autism increased. I don’t think you have spoken to a mother of an autistic child that got “overnight autism” or regressive autism that happens suddenly shortly after vaccination. I have and believe it is not an accident. It has been proven in “Vaccine Court” that vaccines have caused autism.
SIDS – An overwhelming number of Sudden Infant Death happens within 7 days of vaccination.
There is no medical code for death by vaccine, even though the FDA required insert shows it happens. There is no medical code for getting autism after vaccination.
Let’s have fun with math: Both sides of the fence can provide 1,000 studies to support vaccines are safe or not safe.
Believe vaccines are safe? – You need to prove all 1,000 studies are wrong
Believe vaccines are NOT safe? – You need to prove 1 study wrong
What scenario seems more realistic? The science is out there. Go look for it.
Did you know before chicken pox parties, there were measles parties? Hmmm…sounds dangerous to me.
Did you look at the mortality rate before the vaccine and after the measles vaccine? Look up that info. The vaccine didn’t change the mortality rate. It was already gone/low before the vaccine was established.
RFK jr wants the sound science to settle the debate. That seems reasonable to me.
MAHA ‘2025
Teddy
Covid shots – scam- those people have cancer and you know it – cancer is skyrocketing now!
I don’t agree what u posted – there are many other studies that vaccine for Covid contains graphene oxide..
I’m ur patient but not anymore – thanks liberals🙄🙏
Simona
Wow. I honestly can’t believe this is your position as a holistic health doc and practice. There might be a case to be made for some of the childhood vaccines to be kept, but not all. And they just keep adding to the list. Not enough research has been done to say with confidence that any are completely safe, and if they are so safe, why the laundry list of small print warnings you must sign off on when they vaccinate your child? My nephew developed ITP (one of the small print warnings) after receiving the meningitis vaccine, not an easy disease to cope with for a 12 year old…for the rest of his life. Mercola and Kennedy have done years of research on this and have gone up against the massive big pharma machine at their own risk. I don’t honestly care how much Mercola earns on supplements. Btw don’t you also earn money from the apothecary, which I fully support!
Furthermore, the Covid vaccine was EXPERIMENTAL and is not remotely safe. I have a friend (age 40) died of turbo brain cancer, never felt well post poke and diagnosed within weeks of getting the so-called vax, died within months. Another friend’s sister (age 60) developed a neurodegenerative disease immediately following the shot and at this point has less than a year to live (maybe better because she can no longer speak clearly or walk or bathe herself). Additionally, I could site several cases of myocarditis in my own social sphere alone (this is widespread), one case of bells palsy, don’t even get me started on the strokes (friend of a friend, marathon runner, just drew the lucky ticket and has now had both a stroke and heart attack). The saddest I’ve heard in my own sphere is my friend’s perfectly healthy little girl, aged 4, who started getting nose bleeds immediately following her life-saving jab and within months developed the rarest of auto-immune conditions, which is attacking her liver. Docs have no idea what to do with that one. Most of the above started immediately following the jab. But the thing is, these shots are the gifts that keep on giving, ticking time bombs. People are being autopsied with long fibrous clots in them…hmmm. There are groups on alternative media channels dedicated to covid vaccine injuries and deaths, and trying to get the word out, but you have to go searching for them because the powers that be having been censoring them out of mainstream. Want the channels? Anyone reading this could probably come up with a list of people that have dropped dead suddenly or have suffered terrible health issues post vax – turbo cancer, myocarditis, stroke or any number of things. Some can correlate the timing directly, for others its a ticking time bomb, which helps the perpetrators hide their mid-deeds. Uh, can’t prove it!
Final thought, many many people could have been saved by treating Covid with Ivermectin/hydroxycloroquine and not mandating Remdesevir, once hospitalized. Lets talk about kick-backs for that! I have sat silent for years of this commentary. Shocked each time you haven’t softened your position. I don’t EVER post anything. Silent no more. (unless you delete my post, ha!)
Macy
Just want to thank you for this post. Hearing this from an alternative medical center physician carries weight for me – as I believe you have a balanced view. So, thank you!!
Char Slezak
Completely agree! I think what the anti-vaxxers have yet to see is the choice is not binary: to vaccinate or to not vaccinate. There is a 3rd very real scenario: get the disease. As these diseases resurge, I believe many will have eye-opening experiences that make them regret buying into the fear mongering. I was vaccinated against measles, but as a child did get mumps and suffered with the side effect of pancreatitis for many years – which is a really serious complication. These illnesses are NOT, “no big deal.” They are a very big deal. Listening to your child ‘whoop’ for weeks and struggle to breathe, fevering in bed with bloodshot eyes with the measles, or having the throat close from diptheria the way my FIL’s little sister died in a German relocation camp. I am really scared about where we are heading with all this, and grateful my granddaughters are vaccinated.
Maureen McLaughlin, LAc, MSOM