Ad Info
Google
 WWW  Mommy Chats
 

Mothering Magazine Sponsored Chat with Randall Neustaedter OMD - Dr. Randall Neustaedter has practiced holistic medicine for more than thirty years in the San Francisco Bay area, specializing in child health care. He is a licensed acupuncturist and Doctor of Oriental Medicine, as well as education diretor of the Holistic Pediatric association www.hpakids.org, author of Child Health Guide and The Vaccine Guide, and father of five children. Visit his website, www.cure-guide.com to register for a free newsletter with pediatric updates.
Chat topic: "Back to school issues: pressure to vaccinate, exposure to illnesses, plans for the academic year."

**Please note--this was a short chat because the doctor wasn't at the chat until halfway into the time (schedule confusion).

www.mothering.com
8/16/06

32 mamas  & 1 dad in attendance

All Mothering Sponsored chats with Dr. Neustaedter:


                 

Books by Dr. Neustaedter:

12:45:39 RandallNeustaedter  I am so sorry guys. I did not put this on my schedule. 
12:45:44 RandallNeustaedter  But here I am. 
12:45:46 Webmama_Tina  :) 
12:45:55 Webmama_Tina  no worries, us mamas understand, right mamas? 
12:46:04 pchacon  I have only baby today, and can stay awhile. 
12:46:08 mamacatsbaby  Absolutely! 
12:46:12 healthymomof3  Sure do! :) 
12:46:15 mom0810  Of course! 
12:46:17 taina22  yes 
12:46:47 eksrunningmama  I've done that before, for sure! 
12:47:07 Webmama_Tina  okey dokey....lets get rolling...let me know, dr, how late you can stay til so i know where to cut things off 
12:47:13 RandallNeustaedter  Ok thanks, let's get to work. 
12:47:18 Webmama_Tina  we have 13min left in the time frame, but can go a little later if you can 
12:47:33 RandallNeustaedter  Let's go until 11:15 
12:47:45 Webmama_Tina  ok you're also on pacific time, right? 
12:48:01 Webmama_Tina  cuz that would be 28min from now for me 
12:48:10 Webmama_Tina  that would be good :) 
12:48:11 RandallNeustaedter  Yes that should give us a half hour 
12:48:16 Webmama_Tina  right ok gotcha 
12:48:21 Webmama_Tina  ok mamas...throw out those question marks 
12:48:42 Webmama_Tina  who's gonna get their question mark posted first.... :) 
12:48:54 mom0810  ? 
12:48:57 Webmama_Tina  ok 
12:49:00 Webmama_Tina  mom0810 you're up! 
12:49:44 mom0810  We have an 8 month old baby and have not vaxed as of yet.  Which, if any, vaccines do you think are relevant at this age?  I am still nursing 90%, some solids started. 
12:50:26 RandallNeustaedter  i do not recommend that any babies get vaccines until at least 12 months 
12:50:38 Webmama_Tina  Here's teh topic for today, by the way: Join Dr. Neustaedter in a casual chat on Back to school issues: pressure to vaccinate, exposure to illnesses, plans for the academic year."" 
12:50:53 RandallNeustaedter  The risks to their nervous and immune systems are just too high. 
12:50:56 pchacon  ? 
12:51:09 mom0810  Great, that is kind of what I had planned.  At that age, which would you start?  We have discussed Hib and DTap as the only ones we would consider. 
12:51:43 Webmama_Tina  current chatter:  mom0810    -- upcoming chatters:  pchacon 
12:52:02 RandallNeustaedter  Breastfeeding is clearly preventive for Hib, so that decision may include your plans for daycare and nursing. 
12:52:38 healthymomof3  ? 
12:52:41 RandallNeustaedter  I suggest that everyone read my book The Vaccine Guide before making decisions about vaccinating of course. 
12:53:14 RandallNeustaedter  Then you will have all the info you need about those 3 diseases and vaccines to make a decision. 
12:53:19 mom0810  No plans for daycare, so I probably will not do Hib at all.  Thanks for confirming what I already felt to be true.  :)  I have read your book and it helped SO much in our choice to delay.  Thank you. 
12:53:35 RandallNeustaedter  great 
12:53:37 RandallNeustaedter  next 
12:53:49 pchacon  I just ordered 2 of your books. Is there a rule of thumb regarding vaxes? Or, is each one evaluated separately regarding risk of disease, risk of vaccine. 
12:53:55 pchacon  Are the risk ratios different for each vaccine? 
12:53:58 Webmama_Tina  pchacon your'e up 
12:54:01 Webmama_Tina  oh you are 
12:54:02 Webmama_Tina  lol 
12:54:15 Webmama_Tina  current chatter: pchacon -- upcoming chatters:  healthymomof3 
12:54:29 megan-nedlife  ? 
12:54:58 RandallNeustaedter  There are some issues that impact all vaccines such as immune function and additives in vaccines. Other issues involve the specific diseases, their dangers, likelihood, complications, and the toxicity of the vaccine. 
12:55:42 RandallNeustaedter  I think it is important to understand the global issues, and then look at each vaccine. 
12:55:43 Webmama_Tina  http://mommychats.com/mothering/randallneustaedter6.htm  for links to the dr's books...i put them at the top of every transcript to his chats :) 
12:55:49 Webmama_Tina  links will open in a new window 
12:56:05 RandallNeustaedter  Hope that helps. 
12:56:06 pchacon  I have read some information on the toxicity of the vaccine and also the relevance of the vaccine in our society. The concept is that many of the diseases are already decreasing. 
12:56:25 Webmama_Tina  current chatter: pchacon -- upcoming chatters: healthymomof3  megan-nedlife 
12:56:33 pchacon  Then, there was only empirical evidence of dangers. I found it lacking in research and fact. 
12:56:34 2boyzmum  Webmama I am back, I want to chat about any prevention between toddler siblings and babies....I am BF 2 month old who just got first cold from big brother. 
12:56:45 Webmama_Tina  2boyzmum i'll add you tot he queue 
12:56:49 2boyzmum  thx 
12:56:52 Webmama_Tina  current chatter: pchacon -- upcoming chatters: healthymomof3  megan-nedlife   2boyzmum 
12:57:01 RandallNeustaedter  Again you need to look at each disease. Some diseases are just not present and the vaccines are really unnecessary (polio). 
12:57:02 pchacon  Are there good numbers out there about the risks of the vaccines? 
12:57:26 RandallNeustaedter  that is a very complicated question 
12:57:34 pchacon  Yeah, sorry. 
12:57:37 RandallNeustaedter  The answer is no. 
12:58:02 pchacon  Not a complicated answer :? 
12:58:05 RandallNeustaedter  We know a lot, but there are no black and white statistics, just relative dangers. 
12:58:45 pchacon  What do you think is the biggest risk in vaccinating as children are today? 
12:58:58 RandallNeustaedter  The statistics have factors such as under-reporting of reactions, killed studies conducted by drug companies, lack of funds for studying non-vaccinated children, etc. 
12:59:15 RandallNeustaedter  next 
12:59:17 Webmama_Tina  we're on a very limited time frame here mamas, lets try to keep things moving so we can get as many mamas questions answered as we can. :) 
12:59:28 Webmama_Tina  healthymomof3 
12:59:30 Webmama_Tina  you're up! 
12:59:31 healthymomof3  I am not going get my girls the MMR vaccine but should I consider the Rubella vax only for the when they are a bit older? Also, do you recommend well baby visits? 
12:59:33 pchacon  Thanks/ 
12:59:49 Webmama_Tina  current chatter: healthymomof3 -- upcoming chatters:   megan-nedlife   2boyzmum 
13:00:38 RandallNeustaedter  I think you should get their titers checked when they are considering pregnancy. Then make a decision based on the prevalence of rubella at that time. Rubella is nearly extinct now. 
13:01:18 healthymomof3  Thanks. Also, my daugher's school is okay with vaccine exemtions...should I be concerned about the TB skin test and decline that as well? 
13:01:45 RandallNeustaedter  I do recommend well baby visits to detect some things that parents may not be aware of, such as anemia, hearing or vision problems, etc., but I realize it can be very stressful if the pediatrician is badgering you about your philosophy. 
13:02:09 healthymomof3  Yes, like a battle! 
13:02:30 RandallNeustaedter  Yes TB tests do cause problems, and there will soon be an accurate blood test for TB that European countries have been using for years. 
13:02:38 RandallNeustaedter  next 
13:02:58 Webmama_Tina  megan-nedlife 
13:02:59 Webmama_Tina  you're up 
13:03:13 Webmama_Tina  current chatter: megan-nedlife -- upcoming chatters: 2boyzmum Webmama_Tina 
13:03:32 Webmama_Tina  megan? 
13:03:35 megan-nedlife  My 5 yr old is going to kindergarten this year 
13:03:38 Webmama_Tina  there ya are 
13:03:54 RandallNeustaedter  I am sorry that so many of you are battling pediatricians. We are trying to train more to practice holistic pediatrics. 
13:04:10 megan-nedlife  and she just had her titers tested for MMR, and Tetanus and Diptheria - she has immunity for MMR, and Diptheria, but not Tetanus 
13:04:28 megan-nedlife  should I vax her against tetanus or should I wait for her to get hurt? 
13:04:40 RandallNeustaedter  Has she been previously vaccinated? 
13:04:49 megan-nedlife  yes up, until she was 2 
13:05:05 megan-nedlife  her 2 yr old sister begain regressing into autism after her 12 mo shots, so I am very nervous 
13:05:39 megan-nedlife  she is due for all of those boosters at her physical for school 
13:05:52 RandallNeustaedter  Then she will respond to a tetanus booster if she gets a serious injury at any time in the future. I would wait until then if it were my child. 
13:06:06 megan-nedlife  And what about the IPV? she is due for that one as well. 
13:06:14 megan-nedlife  but we didn't check her titers for it 
13:06:40 RandallNeustaedter  Of course this decision is up to you because those antibody levels are likely to decrease over the next 5 years. 
13:07:11 RandallNeustaedter  There is no reason to give Polio to children unless they are traveling to rural west Africa or Asia.