Just read a rebuttal of the Dr Sears Alternate Vaccine Schedule
Cheekers2010
member
"The Problem with Dr Bob's Alternate Vaccine Schedule" from Pediatrics (www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/123/1/e164) if anyone is interested.
FWIW I am following Dr. Sears alternate schedule but I like to keep an open mind and decided to read the article. I was extremely unimpressed. I don't know if they were trying to dumb things down or what but the article nitpicked and seemed aimed at people that are choosing not to vaccinate at all. I am totally pro vaccination and believe we need herd immunity. I think most people doing the alternate schedule are. I just want to space things out a little. Strangely I find that many people have no idea what the alternate schedule is and assume that I am anti-vaccination. I wish people would understand what they are critiquing before they judge or at least ask me questions before judging. Anyway the authors of the article seem to be coming from this place of ignorance. However, the article did have some valid points. For instance it definitely is a commitment to go in once a month rather than every other month, but if I'm willing to make that commitment than that's my choice. I do see that some people might make the choice and then not make it in every month.
A friend of mine gave me the article because she was considering the alternate schedule and her ped flipped his lid and gave her the article. She didn't even read it but gave it to me. Now I don't know what to say to her. I'd like to say that the article seems poorly written and ignorant but I don't want to offend.
Note: I do realize that I have a definite bias here and it no doubt is affecting how I read the article. Just found this an interesting exercise.
Re: Just read a rebuttal of the Dr Sears Alternate Vaccine Schedule
It definitely seems like they are addressing people who don't vaccinate ever - and specifically chose quotes to support that. It's really odd - you're still giving your child all the vaccines, just over a wider time frame.
Very odd - I wonder if they actually read the whole book or just the parts they wanted to...
Yes-my thoughts exactly!
I've seen this linked on the Bump a lot too, and I had a similar reaction to what you said. A lot of the focus is on not vaccinating, which is so completely different from doing a modified schedule.
Also, the author still focuses a lot on more population-wide concerns, like keeping vaccination rates high by cramming more vaccines into each visit so parents don't have to go to the pedi as often. That makes sense from a public health perspective, but I think we should have a right to tailor our children's health care to meet their needs. I don't mind bringing my kid to the pedi more often if it means spacing out vax, so if he has a reaction we know what it's to.