Covid is again weighing heavily on me–after months of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! I’m sure many of you are feeling similar anxiety about what this means for the coming school year. I will be doing all the prevention measures we already know to work: Running my air filter. Taking elderberry syrup. Sanitizing my hands. Wearing a mask in crowded places.
That said, I am convinced that the long-term solution here is mass vaccination. This opinion probably surprises many of you. While I’ve never considered myself an anti-vaxxer, I was raised by two of them;), I and spaced out my owns kids’ immunizations (basically per the Dr. Sears alternative selective schedule). I’ve defended anti-vaxxers in the past, when I said the following about my basic stance:
Here is my reasoning behind being strongly in favor of Covid vaccinations. Everything written here still holds true–what’s changed since it was written is that all of the interviewees, myself included, have received two vaccine doses. The baby boomers experienced no side effects, and Daylon and I both felt fluish for a day or so after our Moderna shots.
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Many of you have asked what I plan to do about my kids (Felix is turning 12 in September). This may be another unpopular opinion, but I am not particularly worried about my children contracting Covid. We take many other risks that have a greater chance of resulting in serious harm, statistically speaking. I will, however, get both of my sons the Covid vaccine when they become eligible in order to:
I don’t love the idea of my kids getting this shot. But given all the options, vaccination is the one about which I feel most comfortable. Here’s a post I found useful during my decision-making process.
I’ve been disappointed to see so many other bloggers in the natural parenting space staying quiet about the vaccine. I assume either they are not getting the shot but are unwilling to admit it, or they are afraid that coming out in favor of the vaccine will cost them followers. And cost them it will; every time I write about this topic I get hundreds of angry emails and people canceling their orders from our store. One of you even snail-mailed me about nine pages of QAnon literature, which I admit I couldn’t get the whole way through.
In general, though, I like receiving your comments–I read every single one of them and am always open to the possibility that I’ll learn something or adjust my position. I’ve watched the Christiane Northrop videos, and I’ve read what Dr. Mercola says on this topic. So far, none of it has changed my mind or made me worry that the Covid vaccines are likely to be dangerous. But please do continue to send along the information that you’re finding convincing. (And if you’re not finding the conspiracy theories convincing, please go get the vaccine!). Also, this is not a sponsorte
P.S. Some responses to an email I sent on this same topic that I feel are worth sharing:
I love what you do with your products and your information. We need more. But instead of relying on man made medicine, we should be held accountable for how we live. What we eat, drink, breathe. Be more responsible and stop blaming others for your own self-induced sickness.
You are a good person, but unfortunately a misinformed person! Please do not subject your sweet children to the “shot” which is NO VACCINE! Unlike any other vaccine in history, this Covid 19 shot is a man-made, bio-weapon from China intended to kill and depopulate the World, a mastermind of China and the corrupt World leaders who want World Control!
Luckily nobody in my family is imunnocompromised and we are all able to get the vaccine. But I’m one of the people for whom the measles vaccine as a child does not take. I’ve had it multiple times and it doesn’t stick. I don’t develop the antibodies. So living in WB Brooklyn while doing IVF in 2018/2019, during the measles outbreak, was TERRIFYING. Babies die of measles. They don’t get sick. They just die. So I am counting on everyone else to get vaccinated and know that they too may also get the vaccine and not be immune but have no idea.
I was so nervous to watch your first video about your thoughts on covid vaccines, because I didn’t want to have to walk away from you! I actually tend toward avoiding vaccines in general (our daughter isn’t vaccinated), but it is clear to me that this is a circumstance where the risk/reward calculation shifts. And as someone who is hesitant about vaccines, I think we should be applauding the development of mRNA vaccines, since they don’t have adjuvants or preservatives! This seems like a move in the right direction!
I am not a conspiracy theorist and I’m not even a Republican. When I became pregnant with my first child, I planned follow a delayed schedule and was a huge fan of Dr. Sears (still am!). But the more I read, from sources I worked hard to make sure were legitimate, the more paralyzed I became with indecision and confusion. At this point, I’m more scared of a rare, but totally possible, severe reaction from a vaccine than I am of the diseases themselves. I believe that vaccines are generally safe and effective. But I am just terrified of being one of the mothers who’s child has a bad reaction. I’m scared of polio, too! I guess I just feel like I cannot bring myself to vaccinate, and so I do nothing. I realize that doing nothing is making a choice. But if feels safer to me. So that’s where I am right now.
I am not confident about supporting your business. How is it that you seem to know so much about natural and toxin-free products but know absolutely nothing about vaccines, their side effects, and the science with this Covid virus???? For the record, pediatricians are paid to encourage vaccines and deny side effects.
I was VERY slow to vaccinate my children. They only really caught up on the schedule when they were about 8 or 9 and there are still a few I will pass on (HPV….the kids can decide that later) I don’t see anyway to end this pandemic unless we are all vaccinated. That was not an easy decision to come to, I have done a lot of research and really…it is necessary.
Thank you for this brave post. As a former anti-vaxxer, your emails helped change my mind about the COVID vaccines.
I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for being a voice in favor of science in the natural parenting world. So many parents think that the two are mutually exclusive, when they are most definitely not.
Your poor kids. A coronavirus is a common cold. This is not FDA approved. Your kids chance of dying or spreading this common cold are basically zero. I am officially unfollowing your thread. I feel so sorry for your children that you as a parent are not educated enough about vaccines especially pertaining to common colds.
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Maia,
I am more proud than ever to follow you. I’m a cardiovascular Perfusionist in a natural world. I believe in science, my entire profession is based on the same scientific methods that are being utilized for understanding the treatment and vaccination process of COVID-19. I learned science in textbooks not blogs, through other people, etc. Everything has risks, but we have to look at the big picture and weigh out the risks and rewards. I have a toddler who has a heart condition and I’m going to give birth this week and when I’m faced with the decision I will to vaccinate them. I’ll do it for my neighbor, but also for their future health. Thank you!
Thanks so much for sharing your story--and for the kind words. Congrats on your growing family!
This will never get put up or stay up...but you are basically poisoning your children. What could you be thinking? Check VAERS site which is only getting 1% reporting and even at that over 14,000 deaths withing 48-72 hrs of the vax you are not getting all the information. The vax also gives a pos HIV when tested. They say it is a false pos. I worked for the AIDS office. I don't believe that. I an NO antivaxxer. I was vaxed as were all my siblings and my children. But THIS is not a vax. It is a chemical cocktail. The vax does not keep you from getting covid, it does not prevent you from spreading it, it does not keep you from having a hard case if you should contract it and it can cause your death. It is not worth it. I wish you would stop encouraging others to make this heartbreaking choice. There is evidence it sterilizes as well. It has gone through NO human trials because the animals all died in the trials. I will be waiting to be kicked off the page for an alternate view. T Wilso, BSW
Please note that you've not been kicked off:). I genuinely welcome all views here.
Although I should note that much of what you've said above is factually incorrect. None of the vaccines being used cause a false positive HIV test (that was one in Australia that was scrapped because of that glitch). And certainly while you can get and spread covid if vaxxed, you are much less likely to do so, and much much less likely to die.
Hi Maia,
I am pro-choice on vaccines, and my kids had all their childhood immunizations/ vaccines. In regards to the covid vaccines, did you know that per the CDC, FDA, and the package inserts (including the letter submitted to the FDA for Pfizer vaccine approval; see FDA and CDC websites) that the vaccines do not stop the recipient from getting and spreading
the virus to others. It also states that there is a risk of myocarditis (more prevalent in boys) and blood clots. As you navigate through these difficult times, please remember you can always vaccinate, but never UNvaccinate.
Best regards ,
Patty
As someone who has always been skeptical of "natural" labels and remedies, your thoughtful approach to this pandemic actually makes me MORE open to the natural methods and products you promote. I'm comforted knowing you really do look at all sides of an issue when making your recommendations and don't just write off modern/conventional medicine and science.
Thank you! It is a challenging time for sure and we look to natural food and products to keep ourselves healthy but we must also be cognizant of all the scientific and medical progress and knowledge that is available to us.
Thank you Anono. We strive to stay clear of the ideological version of research. There are many reasons to be cautious about many products but just because something is new does not disqualify it from being Good Stuff.
A 12 year old boy that attends school with my friends' children is in the hospital right now with Covid vaccine induced myocarditis. The doctor working with his parents admitted to the mother that not only was the vaccine the cause, but that in the past three months her son is one of 25 other children between 12 and 18 who have been hospitalized with myocarditis that he is convinced was caused by the vaccine. The severity of the myocarditis has varied. He stated emphatically that the CDC is underreporting this harmful side effect. Just something to keep in mind. I know this is anecdotal, but I felt like it was worth sharing especially as Covid is such a low risk to children.
I’m a cardiovascular Perfusionist and one of my responsibilities is running the ECMO (extra corporeal membrane oxygenation) machine in the ICU. This machine is the last resort (when the ventilator is no longer working and doing more damage to the lungs). Currently their are pediatric patients that are on ECMO. Who have COVID-19. You have to also realize that ECMO has many negative side effects like brain bleed due to the heparin you have to be on in order not to clot off the machine. But if we don’t place the child on ECMO they will die. That is also very real. It’s not a story of a friend that has a friend who vaccinated their child that had myocarditis. It’s many children in the Icu that hopefully we will be able to save and some heartbreakingly we won’t. That is the world I see. It’s sad. And it’s not one it’s many. I hope this gives light and another perspective.
Good choice! What I like most about Pfizer is the 3 billion in criminal and civil fines they’ve received in the last few years for fraudulent marketing of unapproved health care products (see “Pfizer rap sheet”).
How brilliant is the organization that is able to intentionally cause so much harm to so many people and get away with it, by sharing their profit with regulators?
With zero long term clinical trial results and no comprehensive animal studies, Pharma must sit at the right hand of the creator herself, to bamboozle a sincere intelligent parent to use her platform to recommend their filth for kids.
Since you’re all about transparency and having an open dialogue about the topic (LOL) why don’t you go ahead and share your number? You know, the number written on the check you were given from whatever PR firm on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry paid you to do this post. You don’t go from obsessing about every ingredient in a green mattress to promoting an experimental injection with hardly any safety data without getting a large financial incentive. And don’t even try to deny it. Anyone with any sense can see you’ve been heavily incentivized to take this stance. It’s honestly disgusting. And that, Maia, is how evil operates.
I am amazed by all these kind people's hateful words. It's always interesting how so many natural folk jump right to huffing and puffing the minute someone says to trust the science. The internet really doesn't help much but honestly this isn't the first go round in our history that people have protested common sense and decency. Personally, I'm a vet, I've already been told that I will have umpteen dozen vaccines and the only one that sucked was the anthrax vaccine. Really 7 of those was enough. I have had the Moderna shot after a little research and giving birth. It wasn't horrible, and I feel better knowing that it is unlikely I could pass it to my little boy. Now factually speaking I've seen some amazing things mentioned on the comments "the vaccine causes a pos(false pos) hiv test" wow... "14000 dead 48-72 hrs after vaccine" hilarious.... "35-48 children with myocarditis" pretty unbelievable honestly. What I have seen is the strongest healthiest man I know be destroyed by Covid19 and have his military career ended. He was a mover, ran 5 miles a day and loved to hike. My brother, a very solid human but he believed monsters that said the vaccine was worse than the virus and he suffered the consequences. He's 37 and probably won't make it to 60. Misinformation is the biggest killer here...not a vaccine that has been studied and developed over the course of 20 plus years. Oh yeah right people don't read much, but this "not a vaccine" for covid everyone is raving about has actually been in the works for a while. I am related thru marriage to one of the main scientific contributors....he's a nice guy and throws a good wedding. I talked to him about the vaccine before I got it, was nice enough to tell me it was his life's work, and that no it wasn't for covud19 in the beginning but the much more dangerous sars-cov-1. Ah yes not quite a common cold but other coronaviruses like the one that caused what they called Russian flu(pandemic in the 1800s) is now a pretty common little cold. Let's hope that is how this coronavirus goes too. I'm disappointed. Mainly in the blind selfishness of my fellow man, I truly though we were collectively smarter. Thank you for being crunchie and getting vaccinated...I'm the same way
I love everything you say:). Thanks for reading...and for writing!