Have you, or someone you know, succumbed to Merck's advertisements, and become "One Less"? Has your daughter's pediatrician bullied you into agreeing to have her vaccinated with Gardasil, with the promise that it will prevent her from getting cervical cancer? If so, were you told of the myriad of side effects (including death and permanent disability) or given the "big picture" statistics about the vaccine? Have you heard that the CDC has recently recommended that this vaccination program be expanded to include boys, even though they have no cervix and it may only save a few homosexual males from anal cancer sometime in the future? Modern medicine, BigPharma, government policymakers, and the media are ignoring the facts about this dangerous vaccine, so the statistics need to be brought to light.
Research today tells us that it is likely that cervical cancer, as well as some oral and anal cancers, are induced by infections with Human Papilloma Virus, or HPV. Does that mean we are 100% positive this is true? No, it is simply our best theory to date. We may find out in the future that this theory was just that, and had no basis in true fact; we simply lacked the scientific knowledge to make a better assumption. Until we can prove definitively that HPV is the only cause of cervical cancer, we must admit we are working on theories and assumptions, and act accordingly, not blindly making treatment or prevention recommendations without careful study and long term follow up. Unfortunately, modern medicine thinks otherwise.
HPV is not just one virus. It is a family that includes over 100 viruses, of which only two, HPV-16 and HPV-18, are included in the Gardasil vaccine. There are other HPV strains that probably induce cervical cancer. We know 30% of cervical cancer victims have neither HPV-16 nor HPV-18, but we don't know what it was that caused the cancer. It may be other strains of HPV, or something besides HPV altogether. This group of viruses, which also causes genital warts, is contracted strictly through skin to skin contact; most commonly vaginal, oral, or anal sex. While rates of infection are lower with condom use, any time skin to skin contact is the method of transmission, by definition, we enter the realm of "no such thing as safe sex" (see Lenthen Your Life #2). Research has shown us that over 90% of HPV infections are dispatched by the immune system within two years, leaving only a small number that could possibly go on to induce cancers. Of those that remain, it seems to take 10-15, and maybe as many as 20, years for that induction to occur, and cervical cancer to appear.
While you wouldn't know it by the scare tactics used by Merck, the government, and most doctors, cervical cancer in the US is fairly uncommon. According to the National Cancer Institute, it is estimated that in 2011, less than 13,000 women will be diagnosed with the condition, and just over 4000 will die. I realize 4000 deaths is still a big deal, but when looking at the overall picture, it isn't really. When we compare cancer diagnoses with deaths, a 3.25:1 ratio is pretty good. Compared to cancers like pancreatic, lung, or liver, whose ratios are closer to 1.5:1 or even 1.1:1, we do a pretty good job of treating this cancer. More often than not, those that are lost are not getting regular PAP smears, which is the screening test used for this cancer. Women getting regular PAPs have a much higher rate of survival than those that don't. Of those that do develop cervical cancer, less than 15% will be under 34 years of age, and less than 20% will be over the age of 65. That leaves the vast majority (65%+) of cervical cancer diagnoses going to women between the ages of 35 and 65. The median age at diagnoses is currently 48. This lends credence to the concept that it takes a long time for HPV to be around before it induces cancer, but starts putting holes in the theory of Gardasil protection.
If we look at the median age of 48, and take the longest latent stage of 20 years, we have an infection of the average woman with cervical cancer happening when she's 28. Most likely, the infection was closer to when she was 35, based on the more conservative (and more widely accepted) latent period. It makes sense, then, to vaccinate girls when they are 11-13, then, since they will have immunity from this infection later on, right? Not so fast. What Merck isn't making widely known is that Gardasil, even after 3 doses at a cost of more than $360, will more than likely only last for five years. While they are looking into a "booster" shot, if released, it may be nothing more than another dose of the original vaccine, at another $120+. If it doesn't last beyond the teenage years, why are we being bullied into vaccinating millions of adolescent girls? Call me cynical, but I don't think you're going to get the average 25 year old woman to take a vaccine voluntarily for something she may develop twenty years on down the road. I believe medicine and the government know that they can convince parents to do just about anything if they scare them with a properly executed marketing plan.
Looking closer at the statistics, just how many, then, will Gardasil potentially save? Taking the consensus numbers, infections that occur before the age of 20 will possibly be prevented, putting those saved in the under 35 age group. That means we could potentially prevent about 1800 cases of cervical cancer per year, and reduce deaths by 205 per year. That's assuming only HPV-16 and HPV-18 cause the cancer (which we know only account for 70%) and they wouldn't have fought any of them off by themselves (of which over 90% are). The math gives us a 0.68% chance that a girl born today will develop cervical cancer in her lifetime. With vaccination, the risk is reduced to 0.48%, meaning we have to vaccinate 210 girls to save one from getting cancer (not dying, just developing). That gives us a vaccination cost of about $75,000 per one cancer prevented, assuming lifelong protection (which is doesn't), and not including the doctors' fees associated with the services (that brings it to about $210,000). Since we do a pretty good job in the US at early detection and treatment of this cancer, our current treatment cost ranges from $4,000 to $45,000 per case.
The statistics on Gardasil make little sense for a widespread vaccination program, but what makes even less is when we look at what it is doing to our precious teenage girls. While some media outlets have talked a little about the risks associated with the vaccine, few, if any, have given specific numbers. Reported side effects of the vaccine include Bell's Palsy (facial paralysis), Guillan Barre Syndrome (autoimmune condition attacking your nerves), seizures, blood clotting disorders, cardiac dysfunction (including cardiac arrest), miscarriages and fetal abnormalities, cervical dysplasia and cancers (yes, it increases the other 30%) and even death. In its 4 1/2 years since its release in June of 2006, there were almost 13,000 adverse reactions directly attributed to Gardasil, including 8,600 emergency room visits, 2,000 hospitalizations, and 90 deaths (2006-2010, 2011 statistics not yet available). If Gardasil holds true to the norm of only 10% of adverse reactions from medications and vaccinations being reported, this is a terrible cost our daughters are paying, all so Merck can make billions of dollars a year selling a vaccine that is marginally effective, at best. And now, the CDC wants us to expose our boys to the same risks, for even less potential benefit.
Gardasil is another example of government and medicine putting BigPharma's bottom line above the best interest of the people. I can't understand how, in the face of the real statistics, doctors can continue to recommend this vaccine. Cervical cancer prevention is simple: annual PAP smears, correct HPV education, and improving our immune system's defense. While the annual PAP smears are still being recommended, it is unfortunate that mainstream America isn't being given correct information to have a frank discussion with their kids about sex (again, see Lenthen Your Life #2). Arming yourself with medical statistics that doctors cannot refute is the only way to avoid the dogmatic bullying happening in pediatricians' offices today. Don't trust anyone, even me, with your health; seek the truth and take responsibility for yourself and your family.
Look for future blogs that will give more information and insights into improving your health with natural health care. You can also visit my website, like me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.
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