Why My Daughter Will NOT get the Gardasil vaccine!

May 20, 2008

Along with ALL the other shots, now we are suppose to give our 11-year-olds one for HPV?!

At my daughter’s 11-year-old physical, the doctor told me that she would not even begin menstruating for another year or two.

So a few sentences later, the doctor tells me we need to vaccinate her for HPV, hepatitis, and tetanus.

Huh? We aren’t anywhere near menstruating, we aren’t alone with boys, but we need to protect her immediately from a sexually transmitted disease?!

Well lucky for me I’m a www.mercola.com newsletter subscriber – so I was informed. When the doctor asked why i didn’t want to vaccinate her – I launched into all that I’d read about the vaccine.

Such as:

  • There are more than 100 types of human papillomaviruses (HPVs). Of them, only 10-30 can cause cervical cancer.
  • These are very common viruses, and an estimated 25 million Americans have HPV infections. However, this is NOT cause for alarm because, as even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states: “In 90% of cases, your body’s immune system clears the HPV infection naturally within two years.”

This is true whether the infection is the type that can cause warts or cancer.

Some Scary Facts About Gardasil

The long-term effects of using this vaccine on young girls is unknown, and in the short-term, many girls have already begun to suffer. Common side effects include:

  • Pain, swelling, itching and redness at the injection site
  • Fever
  • Nausea
  • Dizziness
  • Vomiting
  • Fainting

Severe allergic reactions, including difficulty breathing, have also been reported, as has:

  • Swollen glands
  • Guillain-Barre syndrome
  • Headaches
  • Joint pain
  • Aching muscles
  • Unusual tiredness and weakness

This is just some of the information from one of Dr. Mercola’s newsletters. To read the full article and many others click here.

Gardasil, which during the first year of its use has resulted in more than 3,500 adverse events, more than any vaccine in history. Gardasil contains a whopping 675 micrograms of toxic aluminum, and one of the scientists who developed it, Diane M. Harper, warned that the vaccine had never been tested on young girls before it was released for widespread use by them.

This is on top of the fact that she had adverse reactions to vaccines in the past – which I believe was a major cause of her diagnosis at 7-years-old of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Gratefully, we were able to reverse it naturally with homeopathy, nutrition, etc.

You can read the story about this in the book “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Health,” available at GreenLifesaver.net. (Dr Mercola also contributed a chapter!)

After hearing that I had made an informed decision, the doctor told me that i would need to sign a waiver. Which i read out loud and laughed. It basically made me sign that “I was putting my child’s life at risk by not getting her vaccinated” How about that – I don’t see doctors signing waivers before they inject children saying, “I guarantee that this will save this child’s life and not cause any adverse reactions.”

So, instead of injecting her with a potentially debilitating concoction, I chose to sit down with her and talk. I showed her pictures of HPV warts on genitalia via the internet, what cervical cancer is and the repercussions of having it, spoke with her about protecting herself, and most importantly on why it is better to wait – hopefully a long time!

I like Dr. Mercola’s tag – to be ONE LESS GETTING the Gardasil Vaccine.

To Your Health!

GreenLifeSaver.net

Entry Filed under: Proof in the Pudding. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

42 Comments Add your own

  • 1. bchboy1  |  May 20, 2008 at 7:32 pm

    Your blog is quickly becoming a great info source! Keep it up!

    Reply
  • 2. DR  |  May 20, 2008 at 8:18 pm

    What did your doctor have to say?

    Reply
  • 3. apwood  |  May 20, 2008 at 8:22 pm

    Thanks for asking – i meant to put that in – maybe i’ll go back and add it. After hearing that I had researched it and made an informed decision, she said ok and told me i had to sign a waiver – which i did.

    Reply
  • 4. kandylini  |  May 22, 2008 at 6:35 pm

    “What did your doctor have to say?”

    My doctor says to avoid vaccines. It takes work to find doctors who are pro-health and anti-vaccine, but it’s worth the effort.

    Reply
  • 5. apwood  |  May 22, 2008 at 7:00 pm

    Well that doctor didn’t really give me her opinion, she just went through the motions asking “why don’t you want them?” After hearing me she just said “sign this waiver.” No comments either way. I just take her there for physicals for school and such that insurance covers, for ongoing things I take her to a homeopathic MD, who is anti-vaccine. It is a shame that it is so much effort to find doctors who are out there to heal not make a buck. But you are right, it is worth it! Thanks for dropping in! Amy

    Reply
  • 6. Laura  |  May 23, 2008 at 2:32 am

    Mercola is full of mis-information. It only sounds good when you don’t know how far off from true science his speculations are.

    Reply
  • 7. apwood  |  May 23, 2008 at 1:08 pm

    Hi Laura, so are you saying that Gardasil is good for girls? I’m always willing to read and learn about science although I’m not sure what you refer to as ‘true’ science. Do you have a site or information that you think i should read that states otherwise?

    Reply
  • 8. DR  |  May 23, 2008 at 2:02 pm

    Dr. Mercola, like any othe ohysician, can only present his opinion. Why assume that Mercola is misinformed and not Amy’s doctor.

    They both have access to the same product information provided by the manufacturer. However, I am willing to bet that Amy’s doc did not spend time researching the efficacy of the product or the side effects.

    Most doctors are too busy to put in the hours necessary to properly evaluate the drug manufacturer’s claims.

    As it stands, the scientific community is NOT sold on Gardasil.

    They question the effectiveness of a single vaccine (Gardasil) that targets 4 of the ESTIMATED 15 types of cervical cancer causing HPV viruses

    See this study – http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2303.2007.00499_7.x

    Merck created Gardasil to turn a profit. That is why they are in business. There is nothing wrong with that. To that end, they have to promote their product in the best possible light.

    Our job as consumers involves questioning the claims of the manufacturer. If you are relying on your doctor to do this for you, I think that you are fooling yourself.

    Reply
  • 9. kandylini  |  May 23, 2008 at 10:15 pm

    “Our job as consumers involves questioning the claims of the manufacturer. If you are relying on your doctor to do this for you, I think that you are fooling yourself.”

    That’s the problem—lots of people DO rely on their doctors, who mostly say that vaccines are “perfectly” safe.

    I’m reading Hillary Butler’s book, “Just a Little Prick,” about vaccines. It is an amazing resource for vaccine information (much of it from the CDC and medical studies).

    Reply
  • 10. Ruby  |  May 24, 2008 at 6:08 pm

    Good for you. We need more informed parents in this world!

    Reply
  • 11. apwood  |  May 24, 2008 at 9:43 pm

    Thank you! Just trying to help spread the word….

    Reply
  • 12. Jennifer  |  June 17, 2008 at 11:49 pm

    I had to vaccine and none of that happened.. you might want to reconsider letting your daughter get this i work at an oncology gynecology dr office and i see so many girls that are young with cancer caused by hpv, you will be surprised what you daughter is doing you dont know her every little movement at every waking time. so be smart and if she wants to get it let her. But you as the mother should stop being so selfish and allow your girl to get this vaccine. Its not to hurt her its to help her girls are different these days then they were back in your day. thanks… have a nice day.

    Reply
  • 13. apwood  |  June 22, 2008 at 3:09 pm

    Jennifer, I am glad for you that you did not suffer any adverse reactions. As for me being selfish, I have dedicated my life to my daughter and her health, as she has suffered from an auto-immune disease – JRA. The natural approaches I implemented have given her back her health, which were and are expensive and time consuming, so selfish would not be a description anyone who knows me would use to describe my mothering skills. From what I’ve read, vaccines are not recommended for anyone with a compromised immune system. If you have any statistics, websites, or fact-based information detailing that the information I cited is incorrect – I welcome that much more… have a nice day as well.

    Reply
  • [...] out “greenlifesaver.net” as well, she also has a lot to say on the [...]

    Reply
  • 15. wamfitandwell  |  June 24, 2008 at 10:09 pm

    Great Post! I also get Dr Mercola’s newsletter and was just writing my own post when I came across yours while doing some research. Thank goodness some of us are able to know the truth when we see it!
    It’s up to us to spread the word, so well done!

    Annie
    http://worpress.com/wamfitandwell/

    Reply
  • 16. apwood  |  June 24, 2008 at 10:14 pm

    Hi Annie, thanks for stopping by and for the vote of confidence. I’ll check yours out! It seems these days it really is up to us to find the truth through all of the big money hype. Thank goodness for Mercola! Alll my best!

    Reply
  • 17. Ashleigh  |  July 14, 2008 at 5:57 pm

    i think that you should have gotten your daughters opinion too it is HER BODY,even though she is only eleven , but i do think you did the right thing i am anti vaccin , half of child epelepsy is cause by vaccines that arent checked are are live bactiria i have seen 2 deaths (freinds) because of vaccines and im only eleven ,i get the vaccines i need and thats it i dont get the flu shot because there are a million flu viruses out there and they always guess….but i think it was smart of you to do what you did :)

    Reply
  • 18. apwood  |  July 14, 2008 at 6:53 pm

    Thank you for your insight Ashleigh. I agree and I did get my daughter’s opinion. She has read a lot of the information out there both for and against vaccines and she chooses not to receive anymore. Thanks for stopping in and taking the time to comment. Amy

    Reply
  • 19. AT  |  August 7, 2008 at 4:03 pm

    Good for you. People should not blindly accept a Doctors orders. The drug companies figure they will make so many billions now that they can afford the lawsuits later on. Real smart giving vaccines to a population that ave not even been tested on.

    Reply
  • 20. AT  |  August 7, 2008 at 4:11 pm

    In reply to Jennifer. I am a Cytotechnologist who screens pap smears for a living. It is very rare for young women to have cancer caused by HPV or any other cancer for that matter. It is much more common to have the precancerous lesions such as LSIL or HSIL but very rarely will it progress to cancer. Even untreated most cases of HPV will be resolved on its own. It is even rare that it will progress to cancer in older women who never get treated. Saying that you see cancer in young women from HPV all the time simply cannot be true.

    Reply
  • 21. apwood  |  August 7, 2008 at 4:37 pm

    Thank you for stopping in and commenting. I do agree with you that the drug companies make so much that a few million in lawsuits is nothing! I think the whole vaccination craze is out of control and a detriment to our kids. Thanks for your professional input – stop in anytime!
    Amy

    Reply
  • 22. Lynn  |  August 22, 2008 at 7:19 am

    Out of curiosity, were you all this uptight about your girls and boys getting Hepatitis B vaccine in 6th grade to protect them against blood and bodily fluids (sexually transmitted)? We have given it to a couple generations of 11 year old boys and girls.
    By the way Gardasil is given to boys in Australia already.
    Vaccines are safe, it is not a new concept. I don’t understand all the objection.
    Well, I’ll be vaccinating the kids of the parents who want to protect them starting in September, and will be happy to offer it to my own daughter as well.
    In Africa, where I worked for three months this year in the health sector, they have better vaccination rates than we do in North America. The believe in vaccinating. One day the developing world will be better off than the first world, because the first world will have opted out of vaccination, and the diseases will come back.
    It looks to me like you ladies have too much time on your hands or something. Just do it.

    Reply
  • 23. bchboy1  |  August 25, 2008 at 1:56 am

    To Lynn’s response…I think these ladies should raise concern and doubt…if you do work in the health sector, you’ve seen many medications that were rushed thru…with negative results. We need the watchdogs …I won’t blindly accept a vaccine because the FDA said OK.

    Reply
  • 24. Julie Williamson  |  September 13, 2008 at 7:09 am

    My daughter had this shot yesterday and fainted and was not breathing for almost 90 seconds. Started to seize like then woke up, afterwards vomited after paramedicas were called she is ok now. The handouts mentioned nothing about these seriuos side effects or others even death i’ve read about. I’m very upset for not being more informed. Upset at myself as well and scared for any lasting effects for my daughter. She will NOT be getting the 2 later doses. I held my childs lifeless body in my arms as her lips turned blue, I almost died. I can’t get over this. I check on her every few minutes and kept her home from school. I would never let anyone get this gardasil imo…….the dangers are far too serious. Isn’t this why we have paps anyway for cerv cancer and teach safe sex practices as well. Not all young children are promiscuous. MAD

    Reply
  • 25. apwood  |  September 13, 2008 at 12:22 pm

    Hi Julie, I am so very sorry to hear about what happened to your daughter. I will pray that she recovers quickly. I understand your being scared but please don’t remain upset at yourself. As parents, we are NOT properly warned and informed of the potential dangers of vaccines. Unfortunately, we do not find out until something awful happens to our children. I felt that i should have known better when my daughter was given four vaccines at once, developed a 105 fever and they couldn’t find anything wrong with her until she developed Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. But I thought i was doing the right thing. That is why I try to spread the word. If you are worried about lingering side effects, maybe you would want to think about taking her to a homeopathic doctor (we had wonderful success at) or a naturopathic doctor so they can help her detox from the vaccine. I wish you the best Julie and a quick recovery for your daughter. Thank you for taking the time to help inform others.
    Amy

    Reply
  • 26. Julie Williamson  |  September 18, 2008 at 6:54 am

    Amy, Thank you for your kind words. My daughter is still doing fine. She has been mothering an eggshell baby for the past week for school.
    I’m going to look into detoxing for the gardasil. Watching the commercial infuriates me. I wanna grab every mother and scream from my rooftop!
    Thank you for this sounding and informational board. I have learned alot. I also hope others read and learn too. I want this scientific government laden agenda stopped.

    Julie

    Reply
  • 27. Julie Williamson  |  September 18, 2008 at 7:05 am

    I do have one question. When one faints do they stop breathing and turn blue or is it case by case or circumstances leading to it? I hear the jingle in my sleep and the lofty warnings of fainting. I always thought fainting was a mechanism of protection like shut down our bodies had. Never heard anything about not breathing included. I would have had smelling salts, atropine, etc and brought my own nurse if I had of known.
    If you are considering giving this shot to your child, which they say will be out nexy year for boys (carriers). I would seriously discuss with your child the consequences of sexual encounters. Straight facts. Wish I had known more before I subjected my daughter. We both now are very conscience of everything we do with the medicine world and all that comes with it. God Bless Everyone! Night.

    Reply
  • 28. apwood  |  September 18, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    Hi Julie, I am glad to hear your daughter is doing much better! It is my pleasure to offer info I’ve learned and a sounding board. I just saw a new commercial yesterday for Gardasil which is making me want to write another blog about it (which I would like to add your comments to if that is OK?) About the fainting and breathing – I don’t know – but I welcome any Doctors who read this if they could please help with your question. Thank you for adding your story and warning – hopefully it will help educate others. All my best to you and your daughter. Amy

    Reply
  • 29. Liz  |  October 8, 2008 at 5:03 pm

    1. Merck acknowledges that it has shown only that the vaccine lasts five years. So, if our preteen gets it, it will protect her against HPV until she is 16. Hmmmmmm…
    2. Of the more than 25,000 patients who participated in clinical trials of Gardasil, only 1,184 were preteen girls.
    3. Experts say there is no proof Gardasil will stop cervical cancer-They haven’t been studying it long enough to make that claim.

    Reply
  • 30. suzie  |  November 15, 2008 at 2:01 pm

    I havw had it and appart from having a slight sore arm after it with some aching i was fine. there was a few cases of fainting or close to fainting including me but this isbecause of it being an injection- a needle so us being young girls get worked up get youself some real relayable info as you are putting your daughters life at rixk by not having it!!!

    Reply
  • 31. apwood  |  November 18, 2008 at 9:13 pm

    Suzie, I am glad to hear that you have not yet experienced any serious side effects. There are many documented cases of girls having very serious reactions to Gardasil and other vaccines. That is real and reliable evidence. The fact that 90% of the cases of girls who do contract HPV clear up on their own with no life threatening complications is also a fact stated by the CDC themselves. I am happy for you that you haven’t suffered. The same can not be said for many girls.

    Reply
  • 32. Jessica  |  March 21, 2009 at 11:17 pm

    I have to disagree with the way that you have decided to go about things with your daughter. I am a 30 year old mother who has been dealing with cervical cancer since I was 19 years old. On April 25, 2009 I finally had to have my uterus, and cervix removed due to cervical cancer. If you have read in the news of a woman named Jade Goody she has terminal cervical cancer and only has days to live and she is 27 years old. She was unable to have a pap smear until she was 25 and by that time it was to late. Why would you want to even have your daughter go through this or even have a chance of going through what I had to, and her possibly not be able to have childern. I wish that they had this vaccine when I was growing up because I would not have had to go through what I have been through. It is a proven fact that 80% of women will get the HPV virus. Yes, some strains of the virus will clear on there own, but it is like a game of chance do you want to take that chance with your daughters life if you can prevent it. Think to yourself most of your common vaccines that children get all have side effects, and even the chance of death. So from a cervical cancer survivor please think about your daughters future, and atleast give her some kind of protection because no matter how safe you think she might be, or how much you want her to wait atleast give her protection from the chance that she might not because you never know.

    Reply
    • 33. apwood  |  March 22, 2009 at 1:05 am

      I’m very sorry to hear that you are dealing with your own health challenges. I do agree with your statement that, “most vaccines that children get all have side effects, and even the chance of death.” That is why I choose to NOT vaccinate her for this or anything else. I’ll take the odds of 90% of HPV cases clear up on their own vs. what vaccines can do considering she already suffered adverse reactions from vaccines which resulted in an auto-immune disease, JRA. I do feel that is protection. All my best to you

      Reply
  • 34. Moe Moe  |  April 13, 2009 at 2:53 pm

    It’s the big pharmacy scam! They push doctors into writing scripts and vaccinations that aren’t necessary, and can often be harmful! Big Pharma makes a big buck off of the healthcare industry, and if someone is harmed or dies it is a “casualty of business’. ALWAYS question WHY your doctor is giving you something that you feel might be harmful or unneccesarry

    Reply
  • 35. moonie  |  June 9, 2009 at 7:24 pm

    Jessica, I’m sorry for what you have and went through you yourself have said that the lady COULD NOT get a pap smear until she was 25 years old! That’s WAY too old to have a first pap!
    These shots are helpful for girls who DO NOT have any way to get a pap smear. But for us girls who have a regular visit to the gyno then I think it’s safe.

    Reply
  • 36. moonie  |  June 9, 2009 at 7:27 pm

    And anyways, I got my first shot in 2007 when I was 16 years old but am now 17-turning-18 and still haven’t gotten the 2 other shots AND DON’T want to. My doctor is forcing me..but ehhh to her.

    Also, why don’t we friggin’ take care of all this POLLUTION? I mean talk about cancer! There’s cancer in the AIR for christs sake..will there be a vac for that?

    Reply
  • 37. Arielle  |  June 12, 2009 at 5:36 am

    Hi, I just got the gardasil shot today. I am sixteen and didn’t want to get it but was pressured by my mother and doctor. After getting it and developing a pain in my arm I realized that I should have stuck to my beliefs and not gotten it since I had heard that the long term effects are unknown. I came home and decided to do more research online and came across many claims of long term dangers and diseases that can develop. I am not planning on getting the next two shots no matter how much my parents and doctor protest but I was wondering if you know whether or not these dangers apply to me after one shot.

    Reply
    • 38. apwood  |  June 12, 2009 at 8:46 am

      Hi Arielle, thank you for stopping by. First, I am not a doctor so anything you read on my site is my opinion based on my experience and beliefs. I do think it is wonderful that at sixteen you are wise enough to have your own opinion. Listening to your own intuition or gut feelings is a wonderful guide to deciding what is right for you and your body. By adding to that research from both perspectives, you will find what is best for you. I do not, nor do the doctors know the long term effects as gardasil has not been around for that long. From what I have learned and experienced, the body has an amazing ability to heal itself. I highly encourage you to continue listening to your gut as well as researching before choosing anything. All my best to you in finding what works for your best health and happiness.
      Sincerely, Amy

      Reply
  • 39. Elizabeth  |  September 1, 2009 at 2:13 pm

    When stating my opinion about not getting the swine flu shot, my sister-in-law, who is a medical assistant in a family practice drs office, looked at me like I had 3 heads & reminded me how vaccines save lives& urged me to get it as well as to protect my daughter with the Gardasil shot. So I researched Gardasil – the number of reported reactions to the vaccine (reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System-VAERS) includes 43 deaths, is alarming to me. I understand that not all the deaths can be 100% confirmed due to Gardasil but it definitely makes me question which route is the greater risk to my daughter. Here’s the CDC link: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaers/gardasil.htm
    The CDC also has posted important information to doctors offices (6/09) with this statement “… new information in the Warnings and Precautions section noting that individuals who faint sometimes have tonic-clonic (jerking) movements and seizure-like activity.” so it’s obviously happening enough to issue a warning. It makes me worry about the unknown long term effectsl.
    I also looked at the Gardasil site and the ingredients in the drug include toxins such as aluminum and polysorbate 80 (I’ve read it can cause infertility & other problems). Gardasil has been on the market since 2006 and is still being monitored by the FDA and CDC. I’ll pass on including my daughter as a guinea pig at this time! We all want to do what’s right for our children but to do that we need to know all the facts so we can make the right decision. The idea of Gardasil is a wonderful one – to protect our daughters from cancer? What a gift! But not if it causes other, potentially serious harm, not to mention death! I will definitely get my daughter in for regularly scheduled paps when the time is right, which I understand is a terrific way of preventing cervical cancer.
    We question and get all the options before fixing our cars – why not question the medical community? It seems to be a field that doesn’t welcome it though! I’m glad my sister-in-law is an exception to that rule. I’ve sent all this info to her and challenged her to change my thinking by sending me any info she has that outweighs the cons of this vaccine. She is putting together some things for me and I anxiously await to see what she comes up with!

    Reply
    • 40. apwood  |  September 1, 2009 at 3:18 pm

      Hi Elizabeth,
      thanks for stopping by and sharing your opinion. I completely agree with you. Especially that we should be questioning the medical community. Funny – i don’t know if you saw the post i just wrote about the swine flu vaccine?
      http://greenlifesaver.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/swine-flu-vaccine-safe-usa-vaccine-obsessed/
      Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to comment …. vaccines seem to be such a debate now in light of the plethora of new ones coming out. It is great to see people wanting to learn and take control of their families health without blind faith in doctors and government!
      All my best,
      Amy

      Reply
  • 41. Bill Bartmann  |  September 3, 2009 at 4:51 pm

    Cool site, love the info.

    Reply
    • 42. apwood  |  September 3, 2009 at 6:53 pm

      Thanks Bill! Stop in anytime…. maybe I’ll check out your book

      Reply

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