RE: Tox-Blog #8: Aluminum. Toxicity, risks, and the consequences for food and vaccine safety.
I think part of our disagreement originates from our different cultural background. I am from Austria, Europe. And I can only really speak for our medical system. Kickbacks for doctors are actually illegal here. I'm sure they are happening anyway, to some extent, but they are much less common than in the US. Also, our prescription drugs and vaccines are WAY cheaper than in the US, where your governments of both sides of the isle, in collaboration with some big companies, really fucked up the medical system.
Also, you americans really do vaccinate a lot more than we are. For example, the flu vaccine is quite uncommon in Austria, and is almost exclusively given to adults. Also, I frankly think it is not necessary to vaccinate something as harmless as chickenpocks. But then there are lots of diseases where vaccines clearly improve the life quality of humanity.
Even as I admittedly might sound patronizing and even annoyed when speaking/writing to vaccination sceptics, this is more a consequence of extremely unpleasent debates of the past that feeling morally exulted. I made the experience that reason and scientific arguments are not helpful, at least when debating with the extreme kind. For me, a takeaway message of your feedback is to stay calm and dry like a buddhist monk, even if I'm broiling inside, when adressing vaccine science.
I do, however, not draw my conclusions from media, governments etc. I really read up and interpreted the science behind vaccines myself - which I am luckily capable of due to my extensive scientific education (PhD biochemistry). And from what I saw there, vaccines are in general safe and useful, even as minor problems might exist here and there.
Most of the arguments of the anti-vaxxing movements have been thoroughly debunked already, and it's frustrating for us scientists when people clutch to their falsified believes rather than listening to reason. Sadly, there's also a huge "detox-industry" profiting from science denialism, and it contiues to fuel it via pro-conspiracy-web pages/blogs and radio shows.
In reality, when something is wrong with a medical treatment, it's scientists, and not conspirationalists, that will find the error. We constantly review old conclisions with state-of-the-art methods.
I think we can agree that we should continue to make vaccines even better and safer.
Well, I came in a little hot. For now now I'm headed to the nearest watering hole! as @tfcoates would say, "cheers mates!"