This quote by Dr. Peter Lipson, an internist, is part of a CNN story that relates how many in the medical community are responding to doctors who advise parents not to give their children vaccines.
Lipson went on to say, “They are doing active harm,” and, as CNN reports, he has urged medical boards to pull medical licenses from those who continue to maintain vaccines are wrong for children and as a result help to spread infectious diseases like measles.
The measles outbreak is creating calls for “personal belief” exemptions to be removed in parental refusals for vaccinations normally required for children to attend to school. California politicians are calling for a new law in California to prevent further outbreaks of contagious diseases.
And as the United States is in the crucible of the argument against vaccines, the latest outbreak of measles is causing concern from a number of individuals and groups that we will see more infectious diseases, once considered eliminated by vaccines, according to news reports as indicated in the CNN article today.
Those doctors who have been in the forefront of the anti-vaccine movement are finding themselves more and more drawn into the controversy by reports from bloggers who support their views.
“Doing harm” is the thesis used by medical experts like Dr. Lipson who see the anti-vaccine movement, fueled by doctors who counter science, as of great concern not just to the health of children in the United States but to children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.
Dr. Mercola is an osteopathic physician on the Quackwatch list of doctors who are considered significantly outside the mainstream in their medical methods and recommendations. Quackwatch is a site that calls itself, “Your Guide to Quackery, Health Fraud and Intelligent Decisions.” An article lists the FDA orders that Mercola stop making fraudulent claims about his business and his products. Mercola sells health products on his website that claim health benefits not supported by scientific evidence, according to the FDA. The article also lists a number of consumer complaints against Dr. Mercola in the Chicago area, 36 of these in 2013. Guide to Quackery, Health Fraud, and Intelligent Decisions.
Scienceblogs, a site that counters what it considers the anti-science movement in medicine, tells us it is profitable to be against traditional medicine because “quackery sells. Mercola is seen as a leader in the anti-vaccine movement that counters what an article on the site says are scientific facts that validate vaccines as safe. The evidence that Mercola is particularly at the forefront of the anti-vaccine movement, the writer says, are Mercola’s contributions to the National Vaccine Information Center that publishes booklets for parents and medical professionals that counter mainstream science.
Despite the criticism of Dr. Mercola’s methods and products, some consider him a visionary, not a quack, as a Chicago magazine detailed in 2012. His business headquarters are described as sumptuous and include shelves lined with anti-Pharma material and articles that slam traditional medicine, all the while touting products sold by Dr. Mercola’s company. Some of these materials cited include: (“The 13 Amazing Health Benefits of Himalayan Crystal Salt”), the marvels of alternative therapies (“Learn How Homeopathy Cured a Boy of Autism”), and his take on medical research, from vaccines (“Your Flu Shot Contains a Dangerous Neurotoxin”) to vitamin D (“The Silver Bullet for Cancer?”).
But Quackwatch founder, Dr. Stephen Barrett, counters Dr. Mercola’s claims. “The information he’s putting out to the public is extremely misleading and potentially very dangerous. He exaggerates the risks and potential dangers of legitimate science-based medical care, and he promotes a lot of unsubstantiated ideas and sells [certain] products with claims that are misleading.”
Many people are drawn to Dr. Mercola’s idea of “taking charge of your own health.”Some of these people contend that vaccines cause autism based on research done years ago, published in Lancet, a magazine in Great Britain, and then retracted.
Since that retraction, however, there have been claims that The Centers for Disease Control retaliated against a doctor who had done research on the vaccine-autism link, and who opened the door to the possibility that certain groups, like African Americans, might have increased risks of autism from the measles vaccine. The doctor, William R. Thompson, in clarifying his position on vaccines and specifically his treatment by the CDC, said the following in an August 2014 press release sent on his attorney’s letterhead:
I want to be absolutely clear that I believe vaccines have saved and continue to save countless lives. I would never suggest that any parent avoid vaccinating children of any race. Vaccines prevent serious diseases, and the risks associated with their administration are vastly outweighed by their individual and societal benefits.
And about his treatment by the CDC, Dr. Thompson went on to declare: My colleagues and supervisors at the CDC have been entirely professional since this matter became public. In fact, I received a performance-based award after this story came out. I have experienced no pressure or retaliation and certainly was not escorted from the building, as some have stated.
Thompson also said in the same press release that he would be willing to work with other scientists in reviewing the research in question and potentially other research, on vaccines.
The CDC contends the numbers of measles cases are now over 100, as of February 2, when the statement was given by CNN.
