Texas governor Rick Perry will most likely face some stiff opposition for the use of his executive order last week. He bypassed the state legislature to make Texas the first state to require school aged girls to be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted virus known as HPV (human papillomavirus). This virus is thought to cause cervical cancer in women years after being infected. HPV eventually infects over half of all sexually active people and also causes genital warts. The vaccine being promoted is called 'Gardasil' made by Merk & Co., a new vaccine that claims to block four common strains of the HPV virus. Merk says that 'Gardasil' prevents 99 percent of infections by two HPV stains that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancer and two strains that cause most genital warts. The grim statistics estimate that around 9,700 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed this year in the United States resulting in about 3,700 deaths. Starting in the fall of 2008 girls as young as 11 to 12 entering the sixth grade will be required to receive 'Gardasil' in Texas. This mandate is effective until Perry or a successor repeals it. The legislature has no authority to change it. Legislative aids and parent advocacy groups against vaccinations are looking for ways around this executive order. Their main cause for concern is in the interfering of their rights as parents to chose medical decisions for their children. Current Texas law allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing an affidavit objecting to vaccinations on religious or philosophical reasons. The success Merk & Co. has had in Texas has them using heavy lobbying tactics by continuing these bankrolling efforts to get other states to pass laws like the one in Texas. Three doses at a cost of $120.00 each for a total cost of $360.00 to inoculate for this viral infection has many doctors refusing to even stock it. They are saying problems with insurance companies reimbursing them is totally inadequate and they are fed up with rising vaccine prices. What will be the long term track record of 'Gardasil'? No one knows for sure and will not for some time to come. Apparent testing is now being done on young school girls in Texas required to get vaccinations. How long of a time span should drug manufacturers be required to have to prove benefits and safety results of new disease prevention drugs? How have track records for other disease prevention vaccinations worked out in the pros and cons? Intelligent questions such as these makes it obvious not enough time has passed to be requiring a new mandatory vaccination. Fast tracking any new drug has not been proven to be safe. In another model comparison to cancer prevention there is more positive medical evidence emerging every day that shows without a doubt that implementing diet changes works rather well if not better than drug treatments. Objective study after study has shown conclusively that a diet high in whole food nutrition is the winning key that unlocks the door of disease. Thousands of objective alternative studies done around the world have been undertaken for many years in studying the prevention of many diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke with dietary changes. Reputable whole food complete supplements and using other diet changes have produced impressive results. Despite the impressive amount of evidence emerging on the scene people continue to eat more poorly than ever. As parents we think we do not have the time or the resources to look after our, or our children's nutritional needs. There are so many distractions and demands on our time making nutrition a distant competitor to other things we consider more important. When thinking this way consider these statistics: Cancer kills more children than any other disease. In the last 20 years overweight children has increased 50%, and extremely overweight children has nearly doubled. 40 million children have abnormally high cholesterol levels. By age 12, about 70% of our children have developed the beginning stages of hardening of the arteries. It seems rather obvious that as a nation and culture we are in complete denial of our poor eating habits. We are simply not paying enough attention to good sound nutritional practices. Many are paying the price as well as our children who, if left to continue eating poorly, will live shorter lives than any generation before them. Will pharmaceutical companies be able to save us from our poor eating habits? I rather doubt it as this model is failing at an expensive and alarming rate. Evidence is coming to the forefront on the ability drugs have to harm more people than they save. If our legislatures allow the continuation of this model medical bankruptcy of this great country could be the end result. When choosing to explore nature's wisdom you may be pleasantly surprised to find out which of these two models validates truth. By knowing more you will be enabled to do more, and it is in this doing that produces the believing!
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