The theme of my thoughts can be summed up by Mark Twain...
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." I'm finding myself in the minority more often these days and it's a strange phenomenon. To feel like if you choose to speak your mind you have to thoroughly defend yourself and even if you do have a strong defense you may still risk being mocked and written off as crazy. Often the best solution is to just keep your thoughts to yourself. Yet this isn't my style... I always put all my thoughts out there for people to consider so I hate having to keep quiet for fear of judgment.
So here is my blog about my minority ideas... it may ruffle some tail feathers so if you want yours to stay unruffled, don't read. I'm very non confrontational so this is scary to me.
The purpose of this blog is not necessarily to get you to join me in my thoughts but to possibly get you to open your mind to the idea that maybe the majority isn't always right. How many times in history has the discoverer of a new great idea been written off and black balled for his idea which is contrary to current beliefs only to be proved right in the future?
It all started with natural birth. I was shocked at how unacceptable it was to people that I didn't get an epidural with Kaylee. It was then that I realized that if you were going to do something against the majority you better be prepared to defend yourself so I wrote my research paper on the topic.
I am not an epidural hater. I am aware that plenty of women get them and have minimal side effects. it is the ignorance with which some people get them that I hate. I wish people would understand their side effects then decide if it's best for them. Of course I, like anyone else, like the idea of easier childbirth. I'm just not willing to take on the risk of a potential land slide towards c section and other problems, but if someone knowing the risks decides it's still worth it then that is fine.
A girl in one of my classes last semester actually started going off on how some women actually believe that natural birth is best and that she thinks that epidurals are god's gift to women... that got me fired up. Bringing god into the equation as if he accidentally made us wrong so he had to later give us drugs to make up for it! I attempted to politely inform her that what she said was ignorant... ok so I just yelled the word ignorance from across the room LOL. The teacher then gave me the floor to further speak. (It was a discussion based class in which we were allowed to present opposing ideologies. I'm usually more respectful than that.)
The next topic is one I mentioned only briefly in the past. This is the one where the claws come out for most people. Vaccinations... Trust me I know the other side because I've been on it. Ryan was once adamant about how enraging it was for parents to leave their children un vaccinated. We were totally in the camp that believed that the only reason people left their kids un vaccinated was because of that doctor who linked it to autism and we did all the research on why he was "wrong" . Kaylee received her shots in the hospital like every other kid and also received some of her well baby shots too.
However being the open minded person that I am I decided one day that it was time to know the other side so that I could be sure I was making a well informed decision. I started with one video that really just said there is no real research on the safety and efficacy of vaccines. Since that day I have read many articles on the topic and have been very surprised by my findings. Let me share some of the compelling things I have found.
I know what you are thinking... Stacey, vaccines are the reason horrible diseases are gone! Now consider this...
As we humans began to have access to better nutrition and also started to have better hygiene diseases began to die out on their own. Similar graphs exist for all major diseases.
This particular graph was part of a very interesting article which if you are interested can be read here
What I have found most interesting is the fact that it's not just a bunch of fanatical celebrities who are fighting against vaccines, it is doctors who have seen too many patients have problems directly following the administration of vaccines. The things they are taught in medical school stop adding up and some doctors start asking questions.
There is so much more depth involving money, real risks, vaccinated children being the ones catching diseases in all these recent outbreaks and more but I'll leave you with the small amount of information I've already presented.
I know what you are thinking... Stacey, vaccines are the reason horrible diseases are gone! Now consider this...
As we humans began to have access to better nutrition and also started to have better hygiene diseases began to die out on their own. Similar graphs exist for all major diseases.
This particular graph was part of a very interesting article which if you are interested can be read here
What I have found most interesting is the fact that it's not just a bunch of fanatical celebrities who are fighting against vaccines, it is doctors who have seen too many patients have problems directly following the administration of vaccines. The things they are taught in medical school stop adding up and some doctors start asking questions.
There is so much more depth involving money, real risks, vaccinated children being the ones catching diseases in all these recent outbreaks and more but I'll leave you with the small amount of information I've already presented.
The last thing that I've been thinking about a lot lately is not so much something I've researched or feel strongly about, but just something I found rather interesting that I'd love to have others know about. This is a documentary I recently watched about a guy who has found a more successful cancer treatment who is being fought by the FDA because pharmaceutical companies don't want to lose their money on chemo and radiation. Now I know that documentaries are pretty one sided and this feels like a real conspiracy theory if I just explain it to you but they do a pretty good job of showing you real documentation of all the things they are presenting. This is a full length movie so you must have some free time to watch it, but it can be viewed for free and today is the last day to do so. In 12 days it has had 466,000 views. Enjoy.
Burzynski: Cancer Is Serious Business from BurzynskiMovie on Vimeo.
6 comments:
My thing with vaccinations is that they give too many now. I don't want my kid to get whopping cough or measles and they are still around, so I vaccinate. But then there's this other huge list of diseases they vaccinate for that I don't even know what are. Comparing my old vaccination card to Peter's is crazy.
And with the epidural. I didn't need one. I went in with an open head to everything, but labor was not painful. Exhaushting, but I think I have more pain when I stub my toe.
Stacey, please post more things like this. Your thoughts are SO interesting to me. They really make me think. We're part of the natural child birth, cloth diapering (maybe), potentially no-vaccination, camp. We're just gathering our research right now, but even mentioning the idea of declining to vaccinate our kids has been met with all sorts of raised eyebrows and judgmental comments. I know it will only get worse when the kids actually come, so I'll be keeping up on your blog for encouragement! :)
I honestly don't know why you feel so alone in your fight for good causes. MOST women I know are talking about the same things. I too wanted natural child-birth and believe in it, as well as the other subjects you've brought up. Don't be afraid to speak your mind. Because you just may find out that more people than you thought, share similar values. For the majority these ideas are new, but for many gals in our age group, it is not. And that makes me happy. I love that we live in a digital and internet era and that we can dive in and get info. esp. concerning health issues, etc. Its great that we can choose to educate ourselves, to help make changes and to be better advocates for our own families. Sorry I'm rambling. I hope my comments don't bother you. Just know I care. And I'm glad we are family. I think you are a wonderful mother. And I always admire your courage to stand up and say whats on your mind. :)
I disagree with everything you said. But, I respect your right to say it. Don't apologize for your views!
When people asked me why I didn't want an epidural (especially since you know, my dad gives them to people daily....) all I could say was that when I thought about it I got a sick feeling in my stomach and felt with everything inside of me that I should not do it. I totally understand your feeling alone. I have really mixed feelings since my dad, my brother, and my brother in law are all doctors. I struggle to know what camp is right and what's safe. In the long run, though, I feel so grateful for the influence of the spirit. And really, who can argue with you when all you say is, "its just what I felt was the right thing to do." :)
I've paused many times to consider the risks associated with vaccinating my children. I've heard compelling information from both "camps" and to be honest I am still not 100% convinced in either direction. I hear something from one side and think it sounds solid and accurate and then I hear something from the other side that makes sense too. I think that is the beauty but also the problem with having so much information at our fingertips. There is always going to be plenty of it to sift through and try to make sense of.
For me, it came down to making the best decision I could with the information I had and felt comfortable with, consulting doctors that I truly trusted and listening to my mother's instinct. I vaccinate, but I do it knowing there are risks on either side. I just tried to go with what I felt had less risk for my family. Bottom line, whatever way you go, be educated, take responsibility as a parent and accept the consequences if the wrong choice is made.
As for everything else, I say, "To each it's own". We all have different backgrounds, personalities and opinons, that is what makes life interesting. What works for one, may not for another and that is ok. I may not want to go through natural childbirth myself, but I can definitely respect and learn from those that do.
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