I’ve been debating posting about it this week, because it’s a weighty and polarising topic.
As a pharmacist I am required to support public health measures. Vaccination is one public health measure. When we consider public health and prevention of disease over history, our most effective measures have been sanitation and raising the general health through lifestyle. There’s a reason that integrative medicine and holistic practitioners like naturopaths focus on lifestyle factors: if you live in a cold, mouldy house, do not exercise and eat only processed foods you are at risk of many diseases, including our infectious communicable diseases that are on the vaccine schedules.
In New Zealand we also are legally bound to provide informed consent- which includes sufficient information about pros and cons of any medicine, vaccine or health procedure, and as the consumer you have the right to decline without any coercion.
I work with individuals and families to discuss vaccines (both those on the schedule and travel vaccines), the diseases they are supposed to protect from, and options- both for prevention- vaccination, nothing (lifestyle), homeoprophylaxis- and for treatment if you did contract that disease despite your efforts to prevent this.
The reality is that it is an individual decision and this looks different for different people. It is my job to support you where you are, not directing you to make a decision, but giving you information for you to make that informed choice. If vaccination is your choice there are supplements and homeopathic remedies that can also be used to support the body.
If you’re struggling with this decision, or you would like more information about anything related to vaccination, please send me an email and we can book a consultation so you can be confident in your choices.