Would you like to spend your evenings pulling out your hair? Do you have a sadistic streak? Have you ever considered Chinese water torture as a pastime? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then researching both sides of the vaccine debate may be just the thing for you. Talk about a contentious and heated pile of articles, opinions, research papers, and media segments. And honestly, I get overwhelmed by the topic, too. But to help us all navigate this ever-changing field in our medical system, I do have some ideas and questions.

Acknowledge the Good

There is always something we can learn from an opposing point of view, and there is often good present on both sides. Vaccines, by their nature, impact the immune system. One side views this as beneficial and the other as harmful.

The pro-vaccine side claims vaccines can and have led to great progress, especially in areas where the standard of living is low. Vaccines can offer an excellent preventative against diseases that have no safe or effective treatment. Herd immunity, a founding principle of how vaccines work, is even supposed to protect those who cannot be vaccinated.

The anti-vaccine side claims that natural immunity is superior and that many diseases were in remission before mass vaccinations. They also question the safety of certain ingredients present in vaccines. Further, the anti-vaccine side lifts up a holistic traditional diet and other natural remedies as aides to the immune system. They believe the healthier the individual, the less likely an illness will have lasting impacts. So why not combine the ideas and tailor an approach based on the individual needs of you and your family?

Questions to Consider:

• How dangerous is this disease? Am I comfortable with my child catching this disease? Will I be able to live with myself if my child has a worst-case scenario of this disease?
• What steps am I willing to take to prevent disease if I decide to not vaccinate?
• Are there effective treatments for this disease that are safe and well-documented? What are the recovery rates of the treatment and the disease? Are there any permanent effects of this treatment?
• What are the documented risks of this vaccine? How common are side effects? Would I be able to live with myself if my child suffered from side effects or even vaccine injury?

Keep the Conversation Going

The foundation of the scientific method is questions. Without questions, we have no science. Conversations should be happening around the vaccine debate. Asking questions is not a penalty!

Instead of shutting down a parent’s concern or a friend’s point of view, we need to come armed with facts and a humble attitude. If a medical professional belittles us for asking questions about a vaccine or any medical procedure, we should find a new one (remember your medical team works for you, and you deserve to be treated with respect and kindness). Anyone who shuts down the conversation is not worth the time and energy. We should let opposing viewpoints stand or fall on their own merit. There is no need to silence the opposing view.

Questions to Consider:

• What questions can I ask my doctor?
• Is my primary care physician willing to work with me even if he does not agree with me?

Who Is the Enemy?

Looking for an enemy in the vaccine debate is largely unhelpful. There will always be people in power who misuse funds and science to bring about a particular outcome. Their influence is largely out of our control.

What should be of greater concern is the separation between family and friends over personal medical decisions. This often includes manipulation, a lack of medical privacy, and a lack of informed consent.

Medical privacy is the right of every individual in this country, and we should all want informed consent for any medical procedure. Expecting others to acquiesce to our medical decisions because we are scared is prideful and selfish. With medical freedom comes the risk of others arriving at different conclusions than us, and that’s okay. (I would like to caveat that this does not include immoral and unethical procedures.)

Individual health should not be sacrificed on the altar of the “greater good.” Every life is sacred, and health care should be based on unique individual needs.

Questions to Consider:

• Am I feeling pressured by anyone to receive or refuse this vaccine? Do they have the authority to do so?
• What can I do to make a clear-headed decision that’s best for me?

Broaden Your Sources

Research is a great starting place but can still be embattled. Using a search engine may give you biased results because of censorship. Instead, rely on recently published books or head directly to PubMed for published research studies. Look for other perspectives, such as ones from epidemiologists. Listen to doctors who are actively treating patients. Evaluating statistical data is extremely important in the research process, so look for people with expertise in this area. (A journalist from Fox or CNN does not count.)

Remember to research with the clear idea that most people writing about vaccines believe it is a black-and-white issue. Both sides use fear, worst-case scenarios, and faulty science to manipulate people into believing their side. We need to have a discerning eye.

Another avenue to explore is the history of vaccine rollouts and the reasons for the creation of a particular vaccine. History has a habit of repeating itself, so it behooves us to look back at previous successes and failures. Try to research when you are not stressed or overly tired—it is easy to get frustrated and burnt out.

Questions to Consider:

• What information do I have, and what would help me feel confident in my decision?
• What were the reasons for the creation of this vaccine? What is its history?

Nothing Is Without Risk

Your concerns are valid no matter which side you lean toward. Each disease and each vaccine come with risks, but that’s life. Risk factors change, so there needs to be continuous re-evaluating. New vaccines are frequently introduced, formulas are changed, virus mutations happen, and new reactions are reported. Vaccine injury is also underreported. Each vaccine is unique and will need to be researched on its own, as should each disease.

Unfortunately, large pharmaceutical companies have little liability in the case of vaccine injury, which further adds complexity to the vaccine debate and puts the burden of ensuring safety on patients.

Questions to Consider:

• What are my or my child’s risk factors? (This could include location, age, previous illness, allergic reactions to medications, mold exposure, genetics, travel plans, etc.)
• How long has this vaccine been in use? What assurances of safety are there?
• What are the ingredients? Am I comfortable with my child receiving these? Are these ingredients congruent with my morals and ethics?

Going Forward Without Fear

Now, that really wasn’t so bad. I hope these ideas and questions will help in the discernment of what works best for you and your family. All in all, whether or not to vaccinate must be decided on an individual basis. We shouldn’t let hype or fear mongering sway us in either direction. Neither option is purely evil or perfect.

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This article is provided for educational and informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice.

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