"Predisposition" theory - what do you think?

[capagrl]

I had a "shower thought" yesterday morning regarding the idea that some kids are genetically predisposed to experiencing issues when vaccinated. Whether this has already been discussed here or not, I couldn't readily find it, so I thought I'd share and see what you super smart mamas think about this.

Okay, so the rise in autism is being blamed on better diagnoses, right? Yet many of us could not name a single autistic person in our lives (except Dustin Hoffman in Rainman) until maybe within the past 5-15 years. I was born in 1974 and I never knew a single person with a severe nut allergy until the 2000's (and I became a mama in 1994). I also never met or even heard of anyone being autistic until around the same time. Perhaps it was the maturity of the internet, perhaps it was simply my own maturity in meeting other people, but I find it strange that attending 8 different schools in 2 different states and 3 different towns while growing up, I never knew or heard of anyone afflicted with these things. NOR do I recall any "weird" kids who would today be diagnosed as autistic.

Assuming I'm not alone in this, I started thinking about something I read on an Amazon forum re: vaccinations. The poster stated that vaccinating our population has weakened us as a whole because disease was a naturally occurring event and we are weaker for not having it naturally than by being vax'd against it. (I'm paraphrasing, please forgive me). This led to my "Aha!" moment in the shower....

Perhaps the disposition in some kids stems directly from the vaccinated status of the child's mother & father (and perhaps grandparents as well). If the rise in ill effects is from a pre-disposition, than why is it only on the rise NOW after the vaccines have been pushed SO hard for SO many years? What if the vaccinations themselves are altering our genetic code to the point that when a long family history of getting vaccinated merges with another long family history of getting vaccinated, the result is a child whose system rejects the vaccination and creates the brain damage and systemic response?

Okay, what do you guys think? Has this been talked about already? Is there a book covering this? I'm interested to see what you guys have to say!

[ASusan]

Originally Posted by capagrl

Perhaps the disposition in some kids stems directly from the vaccinated status of the child's mother & father (and perhaps grandparents as well). If the rise in ill effects is from a pre-disposition, than why is it only on the rise NOW after the vaccines have been pushed SO hard for SO many years? What if the vaccinations themselves are altering our genetic code to the point that when a long family history of getting vaccinated merges with another long family history of getting vaccinated, the result is a child whose system rejects the vaccination and creates the brain damage and systemic response?

Okay, what do you guys think? Has this been talked about already? Is there a book covering this? I'm interested to see what you guys have to say!

An entirely plausible theory. It is possible to pass down teratogenic effects from mother to child to grandchild. For example, the grandchildren of women who took DES during pregnancy (in the 60s) have higher risks of some reproductive cancers.

This effect is called a "sleeper effect" in teratology.

And women who had measles as children pass on greater immunity to measles (via breastmilk) than do women who were (merely) vaccinated for measles.

[Super Glue Mommy]

I think thats a plausible theory as well. I think vaccinations make use weaker "as a whole" in the long run.

[Mrsboyko]

I personally know of at least 2 people from my small (40 people graduating class) elementary/ middle school who would have been DX as autistic. I am 26 now, so this was in the 90's. And there were also 3 more labeled as ADD (no ADHD back then). That is 5 out of 40 kids that were either medicated or should have had special assistance. Oh, and there was 1 girl with DS, but that really isn't what we are talking about here.

[Ruthla]

I also wonder how many autistic individuals are being mainstreamed today vs in the 70s and earlier. The whole "Rainman" movie emphasizes that point- the autistic child was in an institution his whole life and his younger brother didn't even know he existed! Today, an autistic child would likely be living with his parents but attending a special school, and if he DID need residential care, there would be regular family visits.

So, autism is less "hidden" today. I know that's not the only factor- from my understanding, there really are more autism cases today than there were 30 years ago. Besides the change in vaccine schedules (I probably got about 6 vaccines before age 2, not the 20 or so recomended today), there's the rise in formula feeding, obstetrical interference in childbirth, environmental pollution, chemical additives in food and personal care products, fear of sunshine/lack of vitamin D, GMO foods, etc. etc. Vaccines may or may not be a significant factor in the increased ASD rates, but they're certainly not the ONLY factor!

[just_lily]

I strongly believe that the rise in allergies, autism, ADHD, asthma, childhood cancer, etc. etc. HAS to be environmental. It just doesn't make sense otherwise. There can't be a genetic epidemic, that just doesn't make sense.

If it was really genetics, if anything the human race as a whole should be getting stronger. With the ease of international travel and growing acceptance of multicultural relationships previously homogenous gene pools are getting all mixed up. By conventional wisdom that should make us healthier, not more sickly.

I really believe we are doing something to our kids, and that vaccines play a role in that.

[Sileree]

It is really scary how bad things have gotten for kids.

When I was in elementary school and I went to the nurse's office at lunch because I didn't feel good there was no line of kids waiting for medications, and I have read 16% of kids in schools do need them each day. In third grade my teacher gave us peanuts for treats if we did well on homework or whatever, so I assume not a single kid was deathly allergic or it wouldn't have been allowed. This would have been 1994-5. My cousin, who was born in 1998, is not even allowed to bring a peanut butter sandwhich to school.

[xmasbaby7]

Originally Posted by just_lily

I strongly believe that the rise in allergies, autism, ADHD, asthma, childhood cancer, etc. etc. HAS to be environmental. It just doesn't make sense otherwise. There can't be a genetic epidemic, that just doesn't make sense.

If it was really genetics, if anything the human race as a whole should be getting stronger. With the ease of international travel and growing acceptance of multicultural relationships previously homogenous gene pools are getting all mixed up. By conventional wisdom that should make us healthier, not more sickly.

I really believe we are doing something to our kids, and that vaccines play a role in that.

Almost every child leaves the hospital after being born with a compromised immune system from cesarean birth, formula supplementation, hep-b vaccine, or mom's IV of antibiotics.

[Panserbjorne]

This is part of the foundation in homeopathy. Yes I believe it, yes I think it exists. Certain people for a variety of reasons are far more susceptible to vaccine damage and it is certainly passed down through generations.

None of my kids were vaccinated, but I reacted to vaccines as early as 6 months with fever and seizures. I had chronic health issues and now have two kids who were diagnosed on the spectrum. I dont' think it's a coincidence at all. Especially since my family in general has issues with metal toxicity. You could even say we are predisposed.

My mother, grandfather and uncle all had leukemia which has been tied to an inability to excrete metals. I have metal toxicity and an autoimmune disease and my youngest brother is autistic. My kids have heavy metal toxicity (determined by blood and hair tests) as do my sisters kids.

I dont' think the issue is the body rejecting the vaccine as much as it is overloaded with toxins and the body reaches a point where it can no longer function properly. That is when we see things like autism.

[SunshineJ]

I think it's like childhood obesity and you can't point the finger and say "It's the soda in the schools making kids fat!" when there are SO many other contributing factors. With the rise in autism, allergies, asthma, etc. it would make sense that it were a combination of factors and I believe that while some are genetic, most are environmental. I recall reading, gosh maybe 10 yrs ago? about how children in areas with higher traffic like LA suffer more from asthma. Could vaccines contribute to these illnesses? Absolutely. But I also don't believe that every child vaccinated will suffer terrible effects from the vaccines - yet in the right circumstances of genetics, exposure to other environmental triggers, then absolutely they can compoud or cause a problem.

I remember hearing the occasional story about the "20 min allergy" when I was in middle school. Then 27 years ago when my cousin was born I saw it firsthand for the first time. He tested positive in allergies to nearly every nut, tree, grass - you name it. To this day he has a 20 min allergy to black walnuts (20 min to coma or death without treatment due to the severity of the allergy). The dr's told my aunt he wouldn't live past 12 because of them, and considered making him a "bubble boy". (He's 27 and just got out of the Marines last month - we consider him our family's miracle child!) His paternal grandmother had allergies, though they weren't food related. His birth was extremely traumatic (blue baby, heart stopped, was forcibly removed with forceps at that point, etc.) and he was never treated for that, and he was immunized on schedule. I can't say any of those caused his allergies, but combined I'm convinced they did a number on him.

Is it possible that the increase in diagnosis of autism, etc. is due to a cumulative effect. But you have to keep in mind there's a larger population now than in the 70's, autism is more readily diagnosed and acknowledged (rather than hidden away in a special school no one knows about), and the increase of environmental toxins in the past 40 years is incomprehensible (hfcs, hfcs with mercury added, plastic toys with lead paint, etc.). There's really just no way to have a specific answer as the cause of such things.

[Panserbjorne]

I'm not sure what you are saying is any different. Individuals who are predisposed will be the ones who have issues with these things. Clearly everyone is by and large exposed to some variety of crap every day but only a percent of the population suffers.

My kids have never been vaccinated, never eaten HFCS, never had fast food etc. but they still had issues because they were predisposed. There are kids that were fully vaxxed and eat junk all day long and have none. What's the difference? Mine are predisposed.

I think in the long run (and correct me if I'm wrong) it's different ways of looking at the same thing. Vaccines are a big part of the picture, but they are not the only part. I do think that their effects are more far reaching than we could even begin to understand.

[Sileree]

Originally Posted by xmasbaby7

Almost every child leaves the hospital after being born with a compromised immune system from cesarean birth, formula supplementation, hep-b vaccine, or mom's IV of antibiotics.

Good point.

[Panserbjorne]

Originally Posted by xmasbaby7

Almost every child leaves the hospital after being born with a compromised immune system from cesarean birth, formula supplementation, hep-b vaccine, or mom's IV of antibiotics.

but what about the ones who had NONE of that and still have all the issues? While what you are saying is absolutely true I think it goes beyond that. JMHO.

[xmasbaby7]

Agreed, but I think it is the one of the biggest problems that I see no one but a few parents trying to address.

And, yes, I do believe in the predisposition theory, too.

[Panserbjorne]

Ita!

[AnalogWife]

Originally Posted by xmasbaby7

Almost every child leaves the hospital after being born with a compromised immune system from cesarean birth, formula supplementation, hep-b vaccine, or mom's IV of antibiotics.

Because I didn't know any better, my DS (21 mos) had all of these, PLUS an IV of anti-bios of his own, and even though he's still young, I believe that he's predispositioned for a healthy immune system. His father and I were not "sickly children" and our parents never brought us to the doctor at the first sound of a sniffle. I grew up around all these kids whose parents took them to the doctor for every bitty thing...I think that since my mother didn't that I have more faith in our bodies, and that they can heal themselves. As a family we're predispositioned to be non-alarmist, and knock on wood we'll continue to be this way.

He is 21 months and doesn't talk much. I have no doubt that he is on the brink of an explosive vocabulary...just like I had no doubt that he would someday walk independently, and lo and behold, at 19 months he was. However, I did look it up just to see if there were other babies/parents with this issue, mainly because I'm getting impatient for him to SAY my name... Google was full of mothers frought with worry and well-meaning responders suggesting to take the children to the doctor. What's the doctor going to do?? I mean, if there's other symptoms of Autism or deafness, etc, then yeah, that might be a concern...but if you can tell that your child is fine and just not talking as much...why take him to the "all knowing American doctor??" That mindset just irritates me!