Western Children Have Higher Rates of Subclinical Celiac Disease

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Celiac disease autoimmunity (CDA) - that is, the presence of antibodies against transglutaminase type 2 (TG2A) but no symptoms of the disease - is more common in Western than in non-Western populations, with ethnic differences already obvious in children, according to researchers in the Netherlands.

Using data from the Generation R Study, a prospective multi-ethnic population-based cohort study from early pregnancy onward, the researchers found higher TG2A seroprevalence at age 6 in Western children (Dutch, European, Indonesian, American, Oceanian) that in non-Western children (Turkish, Moroccan, Cape Verdean, Antillean, Surinamese).

Western ethnicity included Dutch, European, American Western (including North American), Asian Western (including Indonesian and Japanese) and Oceanian. Non-Western ethnicity included Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese, Antillean, Cape Verdean, African, Asian non-Western (all Asian counties except Indonesia and Japan) and American non-Western (including South American and Central American).

In email to Reuters Health, Henriette A. Moll, a member of the Generation R Study Group at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, said, "Environmental factors play a role in celiac disease. Socioeconomic position, daycare attendance and CMV seropositivity partially explain these differences. The insights that we have obtained with our study may serve as targets for primary and secondary prevention strategies to avoid celiac disease autoimmunity."

As reported online January 4 in Archives of Disease in Childhood, the researchers used data from 4,442 children born between 2002 and 2006, two-thirds of whom were Western. The median age was six years. The Western children were slightly younger and had a slightly lower body mass index. The Western mothers were more highly educated and had a higher family household income than the non-Western mothers. Western children also had a slightly higher birth weight, were less often breastfed and more frequently introduced to gluten before six months of age.

Overall, 60 children (1.4%) were TG2A positive, including 31 who were strongly positive (i.e., TG2A levels at least 70 U/mL). "Western ethnicity was positively associated with TG2A positivity (adjusted odds ratio 1.94; 95% CI 1.02 to 3.70)," the authors reported. "The association was mainly driven by the children who were TG2A strong positive (aOR Western ethnicity 6.85)."

Also, they found, CMV seropositivity was inversely related to strong TG2A positivity (OR 0.32). Together, they report, these factors explained up to 47% of the ethnic differences in TG2A positivity between Western and non-Western children.

Dr. Mark R. Corkins, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics and Division Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, told Reuters Health by telephone, "The CMV relation to celiac disease noted by the researchers is very interesting and is not widely known. I was surprised how strong the correlation was."

The research team summarized the significance of their findings as follows: "Nearly 50% of the ethnic differences in TG2A positivity between Western and non-Western children can be explained by socioeconomic position and lifestyle-related factors. High socioeconomic position and the absence of CMV infection in Western children are associated with increased risk of CD autoimmunity. Variation in socioeconomic position was considered to be the most important explaining factor, followed by CMV infection."

"These factors may serve as targets for primary and secondary prevention strategies" for celiac disease autoimmunity," they conclude.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2ik8se1

Arch Dis Child 2017.

Blood sugar issues and pregnancy...

In women with poorly controlled Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) or women without T2D, but have poorly regulated blood sugar based on HbA1c levels, pregnancy raises health concerns as hyperglycemia (uncontrolled blood glucose) increases the risk of birth defects and maternal complications.

In women without pre-existing type 2 diabetes (T2D), elevated HbA1c in the first trimester predicted a 3-fold increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as macrosomia, a new prospective study found.1

HbA1c ≥ 6.5% is one of the diagnostic criteria of T2D. In women with poorly controlled T2D, pregnancy raises health concerns as hyperglycemia (uncontrolled blood glucose) increases the risk of birth defects and maternal complications.2 But what about mothers-to-be who do not have T2D (HbA1c < 6.5)? Researchers from the Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition at Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Spain) collected HbA1c data early on from a multi-ethnic cohort consisting of 1228 non-diabetic women, and evaluated their pregnancy outcomes.

They found that an early pregnancy HbA1c of 5.9-6.4% was linked to a 3-fold increased risk of macrosomia (newborns with birth weight ≥ 4,000 grams, or 8 pounds and 13 ounces) and a tendency towards pre-eclampsia, compared with those with HbA1c < 5.9%. It did not matter whether or not these women developed gestational diabetes later in pregnancy.

The researchers believed that first-trimester HbA1c with a cutoff point of 5.9% can help identify women at high risk for poorer pregnancy outcomes, and HbA1c is a valuable additional tool in appraising glycemic status during pregnancy.

The study results were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (December 2016).

Why is this clinically important?

Fetal development during the first trimester is critical, as this is the period when all of the major organ systems are forming and the fetus is most vulnerable to damage from substances including high blood glucose.

The American Diabetes Association states that excellent glycemic control in the first trimester continued throughout pregnancy is associated with the lowest frequency of maternal, fetal, and neonatal complications. Thus, glycemic control through dietary modification should begin 2-3 months before getting pregnant. Women should test for HbA1c as part of the family planning and the first prenatal visit.

For women without pre-existing diabetes, it is preferable to maintain HbA1c < 5.9% prior and during the first trimester.

References

1. Mane, L, et al., Role of first trimester HbA1c as a predictor of adverse obstetric outcomes in a multi-ethnic cohort. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2016: p. jc20162581.
2. Correa, A, et al., Diabetes mellitus and birth defects. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 2008. 199(3): p. 237 e1-9.

Xenoestrogens and Estrogen Dominance

Xenoestrogens – What are they? How to avoid them.

–By Amy LaRue ND

Many of us don’t think twice about the makeup we wear each day or the plastic container we use to pack our lunch. We know organic food is supposed to be better for us, but sometimes we just don’t want to pay the extra money. Unfortunately, all of the above may be altering the way our body naturally functions because they all contain endocrine disruptors called, xenoestrogens.

Endocrine disruptors are a category of chemicals that alter the normal function of hormones.  Normally, our endocrine system releases hormones that signal different tissues telling them what to do. When chemicals from the outside get into our bodies, they have the ability to mimic our natural hormones; blocking or binding hormone receptors. This is particularly detrimental to hormone sensitive organs like the uterus and the breast, the immune and neurological systems, as well as human development.

Xenoestrogens are a sub-category of the endocrine disruptor group that specifically have estrogen-like effects. Estrogen is a natural hormone in humans that is important for bone growth, blood clotting and reproduction in men and women. The body regulates the amount needed through intricate biochemical pathways. When xenoestrogens enter the body they increase the total amount of estrogen resulting in a phenomenon called, estrogen dominance. Xenoestrogens are not biodegradable so, they are stored in our fat cells. Build up of xenoestrogens have been indicated in many conditions including:  breast, prostate and testicular cancer, obesity, infertility, endometriosis, early onset puberty, miscarriages and diabetes.

Below is a list of some of the sources of xenoestrogens, but it is by no means exhaustive.   We are constantly exposed to these substances in the world we live in. Examples of everyday items that may include xenoestrogens are: fruits and vegetables sprayed with pesticides, plastic water bottles and Tupperware, nail polish, makeup, birth control and on and on.

Here are some of the chemicals that are xenoestrogens:

• Skincare:
  • 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) (sunscreen lotions)
  • Parabens (methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben and butylparaben commonly used as a preservative)
  • Benzophenone (sunscreen lotions)

• Industrial products and Plastics: 
  • Bisphenol A (monomer for polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resin; antioxidant in plasticizers)
  • Phthalates (plasticizers)
  • DEHP (plasticizer for PVC)
  • Polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (flame retardants used in plastics, foams, building materials, electronics, furnishings, motor vehicles).
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

• Food: 
  • Erythrosine / FD&C Red No. 3
  • Phenosulfothiazine (a red dye)
  • Butylated hydroxyanisole / BHA (food preservative)

• Building supplies:
  • Pentachlorophenol (general biocide and wood preservative)
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls / PCBs (in electrical oils, lubricants, adhesives, paints)

• Insecticides: 
  • Atrazine (weed killer)
  • DDT (insecticide, banned)
  • Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (one of the breakdown products of DDT)
  • Dieldrin (insecticide)
  • Endosulfan (insecticide)
  • Heptachlor (insecticide)
  • Lindane / hexachlorocyclohexane (insecticide, used to treat lice and scabies)
  • Methoxychlor (insecticide)
  • Fenthion
  • Nonylphenol and derivatives (industrial surfactants; emulsifiers for emulsion polymerization; laboratory detergents; pesticides)
  • Other: 
    • Propyl gallate

• Chlorine and chlorine by-products
• Ethinylestradiol (combined oral contraceptive pill)
• Metalloestrogens (a class of inorganic xenoestrogens)
• Alkylphenol (surfactant used in cleaning detergents

So what can you do to avoid these common chemicals? 

Guidelines to minimize your personal exposure to xenoestrogens:

Food

• Avoid all pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
• Choose organic, locally-grown and in-season foods.
• Peel non-organic fruits and vegetables.
• Buy hormone-free meats and dairy products to avoid hormones and pesticides.

Plastics

• Reduce the use of plastics whenever possible.
• Do not microwave food in plastic containers.
• Avoid the use of plastic wrap to cover food for storing or microwaving.
• Use glass or ceramics whenever possible to store food.
• Do not leave plastic containers, especially your drinking water, in the sun.
• If a plastic water container has heated up significantly, throw it away.
• Don’t refill plastic water bottles.
• Avoid freezing water in plastic bottles to drink later.

Household Products

• Use chemical free, biodegradable laundry and household cleaning products.
• Choose chlorine-free products and unbleached paper products (i.e. tampons, menstrual pads, toilet paper, paper towel, coffee filters).
• Use a chlorine filter on shower heads and filter drinking water

Health and Beauty Products

• Avoid creams and cosmetics that have toxic chemicals and estrogenic ingredients such as parabens and stearalkonium chloride.
• Minimize your exposure to nail polish and nail polish removers.
• Use naturally based fragrances, such as essential oils.
• Use chemical free soaps and toothpastes.
• Read the labels on condoms and diaphragm gels.

At the Office

• Be aware of noxious gas such as from copiers and printers, carpets, fiberboards, and at the gas pump.

To learn more about ingredients and xenoestrogens check out the following websites:

References;

1. Cheryl S. Watson, Yow-Jiun Jeng, Jutatip Guptarak. Endocrine disruption via estrogen receptors that participate in nongenomic signaling pathways. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Volume 127, Issues 1–2, October 2011, Pages 44-50, ISSN 0960-0760, 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2011.01.015. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960076011000288)
2. Sam De Coster, Nicolas van Larebeke. Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals:  Associated Disorders and Mechanisms of Action. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, Published online 2012 September 6. Doi: 10.1155/2012/713696.
3. Xenoestrogens and How to Minimize Your Exposure.  Accessed October 15, 2012.
4. http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics.jsp.

What Are the Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance?
Plus 7 Holistic Ways to Decrease Estrogen Dominance

Posted by Christiane Northrup, M.D.


The conventional medical mindset is that menopause is an estrogen deficiency disease resulting from ovarian failure. Women have been led to believe that at the slightest symptoms, they should run out and get estrogen replacement. While estrogen levels will decrease during menopause, the truth is, estrogen levels do not fall appreciably until after a woman’s last period. In fact, far more women suffer from the effects of “estrogen dominance” during the transition — that is, they have too much estrogen relative to progesterone. And some women can suffer from the symptoms of estrogen dominance for 10 to 15 years, beginning as early as age 35.

Estrogen Dominance Symptoms

The symptoms listed below, as well as many others, often arise when estrogen overstimulates both the brain and body. All of these symptoms are exacerbated by stress of all kinds. Many women in their thirties and early forties find that they experience moderate to severe symptoms of estrogen dominance as they approach perimenopause.

• Decreased sex drive

• Irregular or otherwise abnormal menstrual periods

• Bloating (water retention)

• Breast swelling and tenderness

• Fibrocystic breasts

• Headaches (especially premenstrually)

• Mood swings (most often irritability and depression)

• Weight and/or fat gain (particularly around the abdomen and hips)

• Cold hands and feet (a symptom of thyroid dysfunction)

• Hair loss

• Thyroid dysfunction

• Sluggish metabolism

• Foggy thinking, memory loss

• Fatigue

• Trouble sleeping/insomnia

• PMS

Estrogen dominance has also been linked to allergies, autoimmune disorders, breast cancer, uterine cancer, infertility, ovarian cysts, and increased blood clotting, and is also associated with acceleration of the aging process.

What Causes Estrogen Dominance

When a woman’s menstrual cycle is normal, estrogen is the dominant hormone for the first two weeks leading up to ovulation. Estrogen is balanced by progesterone during the last two weeks.

As a woman enters perimenopause and begins to experience anovulatory cycles (that is, cycles where no ovulation occurs), estrogen can often go unopposed, causing symptoms. Skipping ovulation is, however, only one potential factor in estrogen dominance. In industrialized countries such as the United States, there can be many other causes, including:

• Excess body fat (greater than 28%)
• Too much stress, resulting in excess amounts of cortisol, insulin, and norepinephrine, which can lead to adrenal exhaustion and can also adversely affect overall hormonal balance
• A low-fiber diet with excess refined carbohydrates and deficient in nutrients and high quality fats
• Impaired immune function
• Environmental agents

7 Ways to Decrease Estrogen Dominance

Here’s what you can do to decrease estrogen dominance:

• Increase nutrients in the diet: Take a high potency multivitamin/mineral combination.

• Follow a hormone-balancing diet - Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, get adequate protein and moderate amounts of healthy fat.

• Remember to get enough fiber. Estrogen is excreted by the bowel; if stool remains in the bowel, estrogen is reabsorbed.

• Use transdermal 2% bioidentical progesterone cream: Many of the symptoms of estrogen dominance can be relieved with natural, bioidentical progesterone in a 2% cream (one-quarter teaspoon contains ~20 mg progesterone). Use one-quarter to one-half teaspoon 2% progesterone cream on skin (e.g., face, breasts, abdomen, hands) daily for two to three weeks prior to onset of period. If periods are irregular, use 2% progesterone daily, or from the full moon to the dark of the moon. (That way you’ll be teaming up with the cycle of the Earth itself — the same cycle that governs the tides and the flow of fluids on the planet.)

• Lose excess body fat and get regular exercise — especially strength training.

• Detoxify your liver: Traditional Chinese Medicine explains that menopausal symptoms are caused by blocked liver and kidney chi. This makes sense. The liver acts as a filter, helping us screen out the harmful effects of toxins from our environment and the products we put in our bodies. When the liver has to work hard to eliminate toxins such as alcohol, drugs, caffeine, or environmental agents, the liver’s capacity to cleanse the blood of estrogen is compromised.

• Decrease stress: Learn how to say no to excessive demands on your time. Remember, perimenopause is a time to reinvent yourself. This means investing time and energy in yourself, not everyone else.

See more at: <http://www.drnorthrup.com/estrogen-dominance/#sthash.Po6PkpwM.dpuf>

Obesity tied to 11 Cancers

'Strong Evidence': Obesity Tied to 11 Cancers

"Strong evidence" supports the association between obesity and 11 cancers, which mostly comprise digestive organ tumors and hormone-related malignancies in women, according to a new analysis published online February 28 in BMJ.

"Other associations could be genuine as well, but there is uncertainty about them," said lead author, Maria Kyrgiou, PhD, MSc, from the Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, United Kingdom, in an email to Medscape Medical News.

The new study is known as an "umbrella review" or a "meta-review" because it looks at previous meta-analyses and systematic reviews.

The umbrella review's conclusion — that excess body fat increases most digestive system cancers as well as endometrial and postmenopausal breast cancer — agrees with last year's report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), point out a pair of researchers in an accompanying editorial.

However, the IARC has found associations with additional cancers (such as those of the liver, thyroid, and ovary) that the current study did not, write the editorialists, Yikyung Park, ScD, and Graham Colditz, MD, DrPH, from the Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.

Nonetheless, the data are "clear," say the pair. "The unavoidable conclusion from these data is that preventing excess adult weight gain can reduce the risk of cancer."

Clinicians — especially primary care providers — "can be a powerful force to lower the burden of obesity related cancers," given their role in obesity screening and prevention, the editorialists assert.

Excess body fat is potentially the second most important modifiable cancer risk factor after smoking, they say.

 "Preventing excess adult weight gain can reduce the risk of cancer. "

Dr Yikyung Park and Dr Graham Colditz

Umbrella Review 

The new umbrella study looked at 95 meta-analyses that reported an association between excess body fat (as measured on a continuous scale) and the risk of developing or dying of cancer. Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m2.

Dr Kyrgiou explained that a "continuous measure is when the effect of the exposure on the outcome is measured as per unit change, i.e. risk of endometrial cancer per 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI."

There were seven indices of excess body fat/adiposity, including BMI, waist circumference, weight, and waist-to-hip ratio.

The international team of investigators judged that only 13% (12 of 95) of the studies identified in the umbrella review were based on strong statistical evidence (and avoided biases that may have exaggerated the effect of obesity on cancer). In other words, most studies had methodological flaws.

In the end, after analyzing these 12 studies, the team determined that there was an association between body fat and 11 cancer sites: esophageal adenocarcinoma; multiple myeloma; and cancers of the gastric cardia, colon (in men), rectum (in men), biliary tract system, pancreas, breast (postmenopausal), endometrium (premenopausal), ovary, and kidney.

The degree of risk varied. For example, the increase in the risk of developing cancer for every 5-kg/m2increase in BMI ranged from 9% (relative risk, 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 - 1.13) for rectal cancer among men to 56% (relative risk, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.34 - 1.81) for biliary tract system cancer.

The authors determined that the other 83 studies had highly suggestive (18%), suggestive (25%), and weak (20%) evidence; also, 25% had no evidence of an association.

Prospective studies are needed to draw "firmer conclusions" about which cancers are caused by excess body fat, say the study authors.

Who exactly is at high risk is unknown, they say. If that could be discerned, individuals could be selected for "personalised primary and secondary prevention strategies," the authors write.

BMJ. Published online February 28, 2017.

Adiposity and cancer at major anatomical sites: umbrella review of the literature

BMJ 2017; 356 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j477 (Published 28 February 2017)
Cite this as: BMJ 2017;356:j477

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the strength and validity of the evidence for the association between adiposity and risk of developing or dying from cancer.

Design Umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Data sources PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and manual screening of retrieved references.

Eligibility criteria Systematic reviews or meta-analyses of observational studies that evaluated the association between indices of adiposity and risk of developing or dying from cancer.

Data synthesis Primary analysis focused on cohort studies exploring associations for continuous measures of adiposity. The evidence was graded into strong, highly suggestive, suggestive, or weak after applying criteria that included the statistical significance of the random effects summary estimate and of the largest study in a meta-analysis, the number of cancer cases, heterogeneity between studies, 95% prediction intervals, small study effects, excess significance bias, and sensitivity analysis with credibility ceilings.

Results 204 meta-analyses investigated associations between seven indices of adiposity and developing or dying from 36 primary cancers and their subtypes. Of the 95 meta-analyses that included cohort studies and used a continuous scale to measure adiposity, only 12 (13%) associations for nine cancers were supported by strong evidence. An increase in body mass index was associated with a higher risk of developing oesophageal adenocarcinoma; colon and rectal cancer in men; biliary tract system and pancreatic cancer; endometrial cancer in premenopausal women; kidney cancer; and multiple myeloma. Weight gain and waist to hip circumference ratio were associated with higher risks of postmenopausal breast cancer in women who have never used hormone replacement therapy and endometrial cancer, respectively. The increase in the risk of developing cancer for every 5 kg/m2 increase in body mass index ranged from 9% (relative risk 1.09, 95% confidence interval 1.06 to 1.13) for rectal cancer among men to 56% (1.56, 1.34 to 1.81) for biliary tract system cancer. The risk of postmenopausal breast cancer among women who have never used HRT increased by 11% for each 5 kg of weight gain in adulthood (1.11, 1.09 to 1.13), and the risk of endometrial cancer increased by 21% for each 0.1 increase in waist to hip ratio (1.21, 1.13 to 1.29). Five additional associations were supported by strong evidence when categorical measures of adiposity were included: weight gain with colorectal cancer; body mass index with gallbladder, gastric cardia, and ovarian cancer; and multiple myeloma mortality.

Conclusions Although the association of adiposity with cancer risk has been extensively studied, associations for only 11 cancers (oesophageal adenocarcinoma, multiple myeloma, and cancers of the gastric cardia, colon, rectum, biliary tract system, pancreas, breast, endometrium, ovary, and kidney) were supported by strong evidence. Other associations could be genuine, but substantial uncertainty remains. Obesity is becoming one of the biggest problems in public health; evidence on the strength of the associated risks may allow finer selection of those at higher risk of cancer, who could be targeted for personalised prevention strategies.

Clearing out 'old tapes' ..... Louise Hay

I love the emails I get from Louis Hay and Hay House and this is one that speaks to me often... I would like to share it with you. "Today I want to talk to you about clearing out “old tapes.” Old tapes used to run my life. Most people have about 25,000 hours of parent tapes running through them. Many of these old tapes had a lot of negative messages in them, lots of criticism and ‘shoulds.’ Now I am choosing to erase and retape new positive messages. I listen to my inner thoughts and when I catch one that makes me uncomfortable, I turn it around. I retape the old messages. You don’t have to obediently listen to the old stuff. Just retape. I know I am a capable person. I know I am worth loving. I really believe I am worthy of a wonderful life. I have a purpose being here. I have the power to change the tapes. Those old, negative messages are not the truth of my Being. Nothing is more powerful than our own inner voice. I always have the power of my mind: I claim and consciously use my power! So much comes at us every day, from work, our personal life, and the news. Once we learn to control the tapes that we listen to, we bring control, grace and balance to our lives. We believe what we hear from those we trust and who should we trust more than ourselves? So if those old tapes are telling us we are too slow, too fat, too stupid, too fearful or unqualified…of course we’re going to believe it. I know I did! “Not only do self-love and love of others go hand in hand but ultimately they are indistinguishable.” ~ M. Scott Peck So I take a close look at that inner voice and decide to retape. I say to myself, I am willing to release the need to be unworthy. I am worthy of the very best in life, and I now lovingly allow myself to accept it. I say it until it became my new definition of myself. Once we do this our whole self-worth shifts to the positive. Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens. You’ll be amazed how much better you feel. And if the old tapes sneak back, just remind yourself, “I am the only thinker in my mind. I create my own reality and everyone in it.” When you begin to recognize those old tapes you’ve been playing, and you learn to rewrite them, now begin to practice being grateful for the new you. I have noticed that the Universe loves gratitude. Appreciation and acceptance act like powerful magnets for miracles every moment of the day. When we expand our thinking and beliefs our love flows freely. Remember the last time when you were in love, what a wonderful feeling it was? It is the same with loving yourself. And you will be with you for the rest of your life, so you want to make it the best relationship that you can. Remember to tell yourself, “All is well. Everything is working out for my highest good. Out of this situation, only good will come. I am safe." " ~ Louise Hay

Informed consent

Informed consent...

Such a controversial issue when it comes to vaccines. What does informed consent mean, wikipedia defines it as...."An informed consent can be said to have been given based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, implications, and consequences of an action. Adequate informed consent is rooted in respecting a person’s dignity. To give informed consent, the individual concerned must have adequate reasoning faculties and be in possession of all relevant facts."

"A clear understanding of the facts, implications and consequences of an action"...When it comes to vaccines, the relevant facts are very often hidden from the patients and the Doctor. The CDC's whistle blower Dr. William Thomson's 2014 admission of research fraud with regard to manipulating the pivotal study showing a correlation between the MMR vaccines and the incidence of autism, is one of those cover ups and facts that were hidden from the general public. This research was known in 2004 by the CDC and the pharmaceutical industry.

There is no doubt that everyone is concerned about keeping our children safe and healthy but is our vaccine regimen doing that or is it too aggressive and harming the very children we are trying to keep safe.

There are so many pier reviewed articles that state that the current CDC schedule and certain vaccines are definitely harming the health of our children.

Another research scientist, Dr Goldman was blocked from publishing his research paper that stated that the chicken pox vaccine given to children causes shingles later in life...(around 40 or so)

The new viruses caused by vaccines are more dangerous and virulent (aggressive) than the viruses the vaccines are said to protect us from. For example, the norovirus (a result of the rotavirus vaccine) is far more dangerous than the rotavirus itself, which according to some researchers is actually  unnecessary for children in the USA.

There are also retroviruses found in the rotavirus vaccines and if you wish to know the 'downward spiral' in health caused by retroviruses, please read PLAGUE by Kent Heckenlively and Doctor Judy Mikovits

I would suggest getting informed before making the very important decisions related to vaccines and their safety and efficacy. Here are a few very informative documentaries:

Vaxxed
The truth about vaccines by Ty Bollinger
Exposing the truth about vaccines by Dr. Tenpenny (website)

Many experts in the field feel that our vaccine schedule is too aggressive and it is our duty to force change and demand further investigation regarding which vaccines are necessary, if any, and if waiting to vaccinate is a better, safer option.

For those who would like to know more about a safer vaccine schedule, I would recommend, The Vaccine Friendly Plan by Paul Thomas MD and Jennifer Margulis Ph.D

Informed consent also extends to the foods we eat and the additives added to that and if our foods are GMO or not, but that is a subject for another day.