By Darrel Crain, D.C.
Editor’s commentary: In March of 2007 Dr. Darrel Crain had an article published in a biweekly column of a local San Diego newspaper regarding the Human Papilloma Virus vaccine. With the author’s permission, a copy of that article appeared on Planet Chiropractic later that month. Apparently, a local San Diego orthodontist was not happy with the contents of the article that appeared in the San Diego newspaper. The orthodontist suggested Dr. Crain be deleted from writing for the newspaper because he is too critical of medicine.
A response from Dr. Crain (which will unlikely be published in the Alpine Sun) can be viewed below.
(If you follow any of the links below it is suggested that you save the content for off-line viewing as source information may soon be deleted or moved.)
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Dr. Cynthia Jackson (My Turn, The Alpine Sun, April 5, 2007) writes that information in my column on the Human Papilloma Virus vaccine (Good Health Naturally, The Alpine Sun, March 1, 2007) is “biased,” “irresponsible” and “misleading.” I get the distinct impression she doesn’t agree with my views on this topic.
Nevertheless, I stand by the accuracy and fairness of my remarks. I offer the following information and sources in response to her charges.
I defer to the American Cancer Society for an assessment of the risk of cervical cancer: “Cervix cancer is rare in this country today because most women get Pap tests that find it early or before it starts. Almost all women who have had sex will have HPV at some time, but very few women will get cervix cancer… Most people will never know they have HPV. The infection usually doesn’t last very long because your body is able to fight the infection. If the HPV doesn’t go away, the virus may cause cervix cells to change and become precancer cells. Precancer cells are not cancer. Most cells with early precancer changes return to normal on their own.”
It bears repeating that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advises the public that the only risk of cervical cancer is not getting a regular Pap smear.
Dr. Jackson insinuates that I made up the story linking higher education and financial status to lower vaccine compliance. I refer her to the February 2007 issue of the American Journal of Public Health for the large study published there entitled, “Children’s Immunization Status Worsens as Mothers’ Income, Education Rise.”
Dr. Jackson tells us that the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is a biased and therefore unreliable source for information about the alarming rate of adverse reactions to the HPV vaccine compared to reactions to other vaccines. This is apparently because NVIC was founded by parents of vaccine-damaged children.
Established in 1985, NVIC reports on data collected by the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. News services around the world publish information and analysis prepared by NVIC. The credentials of its founder and director, Barbara Loe Fisher, include serving on the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, being appointed to the Institute of Medicine Vaccine Safety Forum and serving as the consumer voting member on the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee from 1999-2003.
Dr. Jackson reminds us that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, yet she makes the unsupported claim that condoms provide no protection against HPV transmission. The only research I am aware of that has asked this question was published in the June 2006 New England Journal of Medicine. The authors of the study concluded that condoms prevent transmission of HPV an impressive 70 percent of the time.
Dr. Jackson seems to feel I am judging our medical system too harshly. Let’s see, we have the second worst infant mortality rate in the developed world. Our kids are more vaccinated and medicated that any children on the planet, yet diabetes, asthma, autism, food allergies and autoimmune diseases are getting worse every year. This is not a medical system with a “good track record,” in my view this is a medical system that has fallen over on the track and needs resuscitation.
According to my research, the experimental HPV vaccine has never prevented a single case of cervical cancer and we have to wait about thirty years before any data will be available to support the claim that it can even do so. In the end though, people do not make decisions based on verifiable facts, rather they decide based on their feelings and beliefs.
Which brings us to one thing Dr. Jackson and I do agree on, parents must have the right to exempt their child from vaccination based on personal beliefs and values.
Sources and Links
CNN: U.S. has second worst newborn death rate in modern world, report says
American Cancer Society: American Cancer Society Guideline for the Early Detection of Cervical Neoplasia and Cancer
National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC): National Vaccine Information Center
Holistic Pediatric Association: http://www.hpakids.org/holistic-health/articles/141/1/Vaccinations:-A-Parent&%2339%3Bs-Right-to-Choose — Vaccinations: A Parent’s Right to Choose
Dr. Darrel Crain practices chiropractic in San Diego, California.
planetc1.com-news @ 7:22 pm | Article ID: 1176787365
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