Disclaimer for Shirley's Wellness Cafe

Shaken Baby Syndrome or Vaccine-Induced Encephalitis?

A growing number of medical doctors and scientists are questioning the validity of an initial diagnosis of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) due to the fact that many emerging diseases and neurological disorders can mimic the signs and symptoms listed in the accepted definition of SBS.


Contact Shirley for Assistance

Shaken Baby Syndrome or Medical
Mis-Diagnosis?

truth Harold E Buttram, M.D. - "Among the many adversities and difficulties facing the American family today, there is a relatively new and growing hazard in which a parent or caretaker may be falsely accused of murdering or injuring an infant by the shaken baby syndrome, when the true cause of death of injury arises from other sources. Very tragically, child abuse does occur and deserves appropriate punishment. However, it is equally tragic when a family, already grieving from the death of their infant, finds a father or mother unjustly accused, convicted, and imprisoned for murder of the infant, a murder of which he or she is innocent."

Flawed Convictions "Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) commonly describes a combination of subdural hematoma, retinal hemorrhage, and diffuse axonal injury (DAI) as the triad of diagnostic criteria. In some, the presence of rib or other fractures is also taken as a sign of abuse. The basic issue to be reviewed here is whether or not in some instances in which a father, family member, or caretaker has been accused of causing the death of an infant or child from the SBS, the true cause of death was a catastrophic vaccine reaction. Few published studies on vaccine effects include before-and-after studies of immune parameters or brain function studies such as electroencephalograms, or long-term safety monitoring. Inadequate consideration has been given to the additive or synergistic adverse effects of multiple simultaneous vaccines, although in the case of toxic chemicals, two compounds together may be 10 times more toxic than either separately, or 3 compounds 100 times more toxic."

"I know of an attorney, an anesthesiologist, a Mormon mother, an Amish mother, and others accused and/or imprisoned (many believe falsely) on charges of injuring or murdering an infant by SBS. It could happen to anyone regardless of race, sex, educational, financial, or social status. It has happened and is happening to more than a few. Child abuse laws have given rise to many accusations of "Shaken Baby Syndrome," which has become a popular diagnosis to explain infant deaths, and even for living infants who are brought to an emergency room following a fall."

Much is made of the finding of pinpoint petechial hemorrhages in the retina at the back of the eye, but the existence and extent of such hemorrhages are dependent on the capillary strength or fragility, the strength or weakness of the smallest blood vessels, which can be affected by many different conditions. In fact, an infant can die with extensive retinal hemorrhages, a blood clot under the capsule of the brain, extensive bruises, broken bones and sores that will not heal, due to Barlow's disease, without having been subjected to anything but the tenderest of loving care."

Shaken Baby Syndrome Or Vaccine Induced Encephalitis - Are Parents Being 
Falsely Accused?In a story published in Australia, Lorraine Harris was convicted of killing her baby, and then had her second child taken away from her after birth because of the false conviction. She served 17 months of her sentence before being paroled, and then fought to clear her name.

She was "successful" in clearing her name, but lost everything. Her second son was adopted out and she has had no contact with him.

Dr. Waney Squier, a world renowned neuropathologist, has become one of the world’s most outspoken critics on the lack of science behind SBS. She has sacrificed her career to tell the world the truth, and to stand for those wrongly accused. She testified in both her conviction, and in her acquittal

Page Divider Viera Scheibner, PhD

Many infants who suffer the so-called 'shaken baby syndrome' may be victims of undiagnosed vaccine damage

Telegram

A great number of babies now die within days or within two to four weeks of birth after hepatitis B vaccination, as documented by the records of the VAERS [Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System] in the USA.) So, the baby stops progressing, starts deteriorating, and usually develops signs of respiratory tract infection. Then comes the second and third injections, and tragedy strikes: the child may cry intensely and inconsolably, may stop feeding properly, vomit, have difficulty swallowing, become irritable, stop sleeping, and may develop convulsions with accelerating progressive deterioration of its condition and mainly its brain function.

Murder by Injection This deterioration may be fast, or may slowly inch in until the parents notice that something is very wrong with their child and then rush it to the doctor or hospital. Interestingly, they are invariably asked when the baby was immunized. On learning that the baby was indeed "immunized", the parents may be reassured that its symptoms will all clear up. They are sent home with the advice, "Give your baby Panadol". If they persist in considering the baby's reaction serious, they may be labelled as anxious parents or trouble-makers. So the parents go home, and the child remains in a serious condition or dies.

Until recently, the vaccine death would have just been labelled "sudden infant death", particularly if the symptoms and pathological findings were minimal. However, nowadays, with an alarmingly increasing frequency, the parents (or at least one of them, usually the father) may be accused of shaking the baby to death.

Dr Viera Scheibner, PhD Published an article Shaken Baby Syndrome Diagnosis On Shaky Ground in the "Journal of Australasian College of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine", Vol. 20 No. 2; August 2001 - An epidemic of accusations against parents and baby sitters of Shaken Baby Syndrome is sweeping the developed world. The United States and the United Kingdom are in the forefront of such questionable practice. Brain (mainly subdural, less often subarachnoid) and retinal haemorrhages, retinal detachments, and rib and other bone 'fractures' are considered pathognomic. However, the reality of these injuries is very different and well documented: the vast majority occur after the administration of childhood vaccines and a minority of cases are due to documented birth injuries and pre-eclamptic and eclamptic states of the mothers.

Shaken Baby Syndrome Medicolegal Issues

by Harold E. Buttram, MD

Medicolegal Issues As reviewed in an the amicus brief prepared for SBS cases by Toni Blake (personal communication, 2000), the following beliefs have become prevalent in courts dealing with the SBS: 1) Shaking alone in an otherwise healthy child can cause a subdural hematoma; 2) non-traumatic new bleeding in an existing subdural hematoma will always cause only minor symptoms; 3) a child suffering from an ultimately fatal brain injury will not experience any lucid interval; 4) short-distance falls by children are never fatal; and, 5) retinal hemorrhage occurs only in shaken babies. There is, however, a body of literature that casts doubt on the validity of these assumptions:

In the early 1970s, Guthkelch(6) and Caffey(3) offered concepts in the etiology of the shaken baby syndrome that have become widely accepted. This syndrome was presented in the context of a battered child with multiple injuries resulting from multi-directional forces. It was postulated that the weak neck muscles and the relatively large head size of an infant made him particularly susceptible to subdural injuries caused by shaking.(7) It should be noted that there was no experimental model to prove or disprove their theory, and no disinterested witness in their reports to confirm the shaking. In spite of this, the theory gradually became accepted as fact. However, several years later Duhaime et al developed a model in an attempt to demonstrate infant susceptibility to shaking. This team of scientists was unable to generate the force required to cause death or serious brain injury unless the head was impacted against a solid surface.(8,9) The authors of those studies concluded that severe head injuries commonly diagnosed as shaking injuries require impact to occur and that shaking alone in an otherwise normal baby is unlikely to cause the SBS.

The statement that rebleeding from a subdural hematoma requires new trauma is of doubtful validity. It has been demonstrated that the neomembrane surrounding an organizing subdural hematoma may itself bleed, and that expansion of a subacute/chronic subdural hemorrhage may cause new bridging veins to rupture, and that an acute clot may predispose to new bleeding.(10,11) New bleeding in an established subdural hematoma may occur spontaneously and without new trauma.(12) In the cited example, the child was in a hospital under the care of a physician.

Shaken Baby Syndrome Or Vaccine Induced Encephalitis - 
Are Parents Being Falsely Accused?Regarding belief #3, at least some children have lucid intervals prior to the development of symptoms, including those who die.(13,14) Ribas and Jane state that it is particularly important to emphasize that both contusions and intracerebral hematomas can cause neurologic deterioration after a lucid interval.(15)

Regarding belief #4, isolated reports of fatal falls and biomechanical analysis using experimental animals and adult human volunteers indicate the potential for serious head injury or death from as little as a two-foot fall.(7,16-19)

Finally, as to the assumption that retinal hemorrhages are always caused by nonaccidental head trauma, there is a report of 20 children resuscitated following events other than trauma, such as near-drowning, asthma, sudden infant death syndrome, and other causes, in which two children were found to have retinal hemorrhages.(20) In addition to this, retinal hemorrhages have been attributed to a vast array of causes, including MMR and DTP vaccines.(21)

It is noteworthy that vaccines such as pertussis are used to induce allergic encephalomyelitis in laboratory animals.(22) This is characterized by brain swelling and hemorrhaging similar to that caused by mechanical injuries.(23)

Misdiagnosing a vaccine injury as the SBS has resulted in imprisonments. Testifying in a case in which a father was accused of causing brain injury to his child, San Diego pediatric neurologist Thomas Schweller stated: "There is a tendency in some medical arenas to discount completely the history provided by the family if you find a subdural hematoma." He cautioned against assertions of 100 percent certainty, and stated that even a three-foot fall could cause a fracture.(24)

Page Divider
Abrupt-Onset Apnea An Unresolved Issue in Shaken Baby Syndrome
Harold E Buttram, MD and Alan R Yurko

Based on personal experiences of the authors in reviewing many cases diagnosed as shaken baby syndrome (SBS), there has been a common pattern of unexpected and sudden onset of apnea with respiratory collapse (cessation of breathing) in a time-related fashion following routine childhood immunizations. For the most part these collapses have occurred during the first 6 or 7 months of life Home base business opportunity during the time period of routine 2, 4, and 6-month immunizations. It is the purpose of this article to review existing medical evidence and literature indicating that it is both possible and plausible that there is a direct causal relation between immunizations and the abrupt onset of apnea seen in many SBS cases.

Part of this evidence comes from disclosures from ongoing US Congressional hearings on issues of vaccine safety sponsored by the Congressional Committee for Government Reform, which have revealed fundamental deficiencies in scientific infrastructure and safety testing of vaccines; and that as a result of these deficiencies many adverse vaccine reactions are taking place unrecognized. Part comes from scientific publications by primary researchers in the field of biomechanics indicating that shaking alone cannot generate sufficient force to cause brain damage or brain hemorrhages in infants, and that some of the fundamental doctrines of shaken baby syndrome are based on assumptions not supported by scientific evidence. Part comes from limited but specific medical literature indicating vaccines as a potential cause of apnea. Based on these different lines of evidence, it is both possible and plausible that many SBS cases are being misdiagnosed.

SBS Case Documentations

The case of baby Lucas
Lisa Mullenax and her husband Alejandro Mendez were accused of killing their three-and-a-half-month-old Baby Lucas by blunt force trauma to the head (Shaken Baby Syndrome). The baby suffered from cardiac arrest and apnea on August 27, 2002 and his father immediately sought the assistance of a neighbor who contacted the Medical Emergency Service (MES) asking for help. The MES resuscitated the baby, treated him with epinephrine, and transported him to the Centre Community Hospital. Lucas stayed about one hour in this hospital, and then he was airlifted to the Geisinger Medical Center. Lucas was pronounced brain dead after six days following his arrival to the Geisinger Medical Center. In the hospitals, several physicians examined Baby Lucas and no evidence of traumatic injuries to the head was observed. In addition, Lucas's head region was examined by CT scans on August 27th and no bone fracture was found. Lisa and Alejandro were accused of killing their Baby Lucas based only on the autopsy findings of an old-healed rib fracture and bleeding in the retina of the eyes, brain, and the subdural space.

Analysis of Causes that Led to Subdural Bleeding and Rib Fractures in the Case of Baby Patrick Gorman.

Patrick and his twin sister, Peyton, were born 5 weeks premature. He suffered from acute abdominal and nonspecific symptoms at the age of 2 months. CT scans, X-ray, and eye exams revealed that he had subdural and subretinal bleeding and seven rib fractures in various stages of healing. He also had severe anemia, thrombocytosis, low blood creatinine levels, hyperglycemia, and elevated neutrophills and monocyte counts. The treating physicians alleged that Patrick's health problems resulted from shaking [shaken baby syndrome (SBS)] and child abuse.

Patrick's parents were accused of causing Patrick's injuries. My investigation revealed that Patrick's acute symptoms resulted from acetaminophen intoxication. Patrick was treated with Tylenol/cold and he received about 200 mg of acetaminophen per day (64 mg/kg) and 3200 mg per 16 days. He was also treated with Zantac® (ranitidine) and Zantac® potentiates the hepatotoxicity of acetaminophen. The subdural and subretinal bleeding was caused by vitamin K deficiency, intoxication with acetaminophen, and severe anemia. The healed rib fractures occurred due to vitamin K and protein deficiencies and chronic coughing. It seems that the treating physicians alleged that Patrick's health problems resulted from abuse, without considering the clinical data that lead to different causes, or performing differential diagnosis in this case.

The case of Baby Robert

Brian Herlihy was convicted of causing the death of Baby Robert, an infant in his care, by violently shaking the child. None of the physicians who testified as experts for the state reviewed the baby's prenatal and postnatal medical records to learn about his pre-existing health problems, his treatment with corticosteroid, or his adverse reactions to vaccines. some of these physicians were aware that Baby Robert suffered from chronic health conditions such as a chronic subdural bleed, brain atrophy, and sinus and ear infections. However, they did not make any attempt to investigate the links between the baby's chronic illnesses and his respiratory arrest on the morning of August 2, 2000. The evidence also shows that Brian was convicted and imprisoned due to sloppy and incomplete medical investigations.

April 2009 - The Twins - Michael and Elizabeth Bruce's twins were born eight weeks prematurely and fought hard to live. Later, baby Cameron died. Then Dalton was taken by the state. As happens over and over again, the state looks to the mother instead of repeated contraindicated medical interventions as the cause.

Triplets suffered from adverse reactions to vaccines and their parents were falsely accused of injuring them
The triplets were vaccinated with DTaP, IPV, Hib, and PCV vaccines at the age of 61 days in Imaan's case and 75 days in Parneet and Sukhsaihaj's case. At 15 days following vaccination, Parneet suffered from apnea, metabolic acidosis, seizures, infections, intracranial and retinal bleeding, and a skull fracture.

Sukhsaihaj developed respiratory tract and eye infections, severe anemia, bleeding, and skull fracture. Imaan had severe anemia and a skull fracture. It was alleged that the babies' injuries were caused by blunt trauma to the head. The parents were accused of causing the triplet's injuries. The clinical data described in this report reveal that the triplet's health problems were caused by vaccines. The severity of their injuries correlates with their hemoglobin levels at the time of vaccination.

The subcutaneous and the intracranial bleeding resulted from protein and vitamin K deficiencies and infections. Severe anemia, vitamin K deficiency, and systemic infections are the likely causes of Parneet's retinal bleeding. The skull fractures resulted from protein and vitamin K deficiencies. The severity of the fractures correlates with the severity of the protein and vitamin K deficiencies, the degree of the infection, and the level of the intracranial pressure.

September 16, 2004 - Analysis of causes that led to bleeding, cardiac arrest, and death in the case of baby Nadine
Ezbjörn Hahne was accused and convicted of killing his 40 day old daughter, Nadine, by shaking force (Shaking Baby Syndrome). Nadine suffered from cardiac arrest and died on September 16, 2004. The examination of her body and organs at autopsy and bone x-ray revealed no evidence of injuries caused by trauma. Ezbjörn was accused and convicted of killing Nadine based on the finding of old and new intracranial bleeding during autopsy.

My investigation of this case clearly indicates that Nadine died as a result of health problems and vitamin K deficiency that led to intracranial bleeding, edema of the brain, neurological problems, and cardiac arrest. Nadine was treated with three courses of antibiotics during her short life and had other predisposing factors for vitamin K deficiency. The evidence indicates that the intracranial bleeding occurred probably during the four weeks prior to Nadine's death. Nadine was born at 33 weeks of gestation by caesarean section.

Her mother suffered from pregnancy complications that led to the premature rupture of the fetal membranes. She also had a urinary tract infection that was treated with antibiotics for 10 days following delivery. Nadine suffered from infection, hemolytic jaundice, neurological problems, and retardation of growth. She gained only 625 g during her 40 days of life (15.6 g/day), which is about 58% below of the weight gain expected for an infant her age.

November 2000 - The case of baby Alan
There have been several papers written on the case of Baby Alan after a thorough review of the medical records by knowledgeable and competent medical doctors. This case is finally receiving the publicity it deserves. An article entitled, "Shaken Baby Syndrome or Vaccine-Induced Encephalitis? The Story of Baby Alan" by Harold E. Buttram, MD and F. Edward Yazbak, MD, was the feature story in the Nov/Dec 2000 edition of ICA Review, a journal of the International Chiropractic Association.

Alan Yurko's article, "Non-Traumatic Rib Injuries: A Logical and Statistical Conclusion in the Case of Alan Yurko," was also published in the same edition. As an article in the September 2000 Redbook magazine points out, there are over 25 cases throughout the United States of men in prison for SBS when the medical records point to an adverse reaction to a vaccination as causing the premature death of their babies. Alan Yurko is currently having his mail withheld from him in an attempt to keep him from accessing information that can help him in his case. Organized medicine is so obsessed with hiding the fact that it's vaccines are killing our children that it has resorted to convincing the courts to imprison innocent parents for this tragic trend. more

Breaking news 12/26/03: Evidentiary Hearing granted In an unusual move, Judge Lawson's office contacted Alan's attorney on 12/19 to advise him that, based upon the Appeal for Post-Conviction Relief, a hearing has been granted, but that setting the date and venue were still in process. About $50,000 is needed to cover expenses. Please donate to help the family Why Reversing This False Conviction Will Help Many People

May 2005 - Histopathological features of Eliza Jane Scovill's and Destiny Jacobo's lungs with analysis of the causes of death in both cases
James K. Ribe is a supervising pathologist for the LA County Coroner who oversaw the investigations in Eliza Jane Scovill's and Destiny Jacobo's cases. Eliza Jane suffered from cardiac arrest and died following the administration of four doses of amoxicillin (400 mg twice a day). She died in Los Angeles, California on May 16, 2005 at the age of 3.5 years. Destiny Jacobo, a 21-month-old female toddler died suddenly in December of 1995 in Los Angeles. Ribe concluded that Eliza Jane suffered from Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and died of AIDS. He listed the cause of death in Destiny's case as shaken baby syndrome with associated head trauma. Ribe also alleged that there was forcible rectal insertion causing a retrorectal contusion.

My review of the medical evidence in Eliza Jane's case clearly indicates that Eliza Jane died as a result of allergic reaction to amoxicillin and she did not die of AIDS. The histological features of her lungs show no evidence of inflammation and fibrosis. Ribe's allegation that Eliza Jane suffered from Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia is not supported by the clinical data and medical facts. Furthermore, my review of the medical evidence in Destiny's case revealed that she suffered from severe acute hemorrhagic pneumonia and septicemia. The bleeding in her case was caused by septicemia and vitamin K deficiency. It also shows that James Ribe's allegations of shaken baby syndrome and sexual abuse made in Destiny's case are not supported by medical facts.

April 1995 - The case of baby Rikki
Scott Warren Walters was charged with the murder of his four-month-old baby daughter, Rikki Lee Walters, by allegedly shaking the baby to death on 22 April 1995. Rikki Lee was born on 23 January 1995 at 41 weeks' gestation. The apgar scores (the scale, from 1 to 10, upon which a baby's physical health is judged) were 8 at one minute and improved to 9 at five minutes. She was vaccinated on 19 April 1995, 72 hours prior to her death. Vaccines given were triple antigen (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), Hibtiter (Haemophilus influenzae), hepatitis B and polio syrup. The fact that Rikki Lee had a bad reaction to vaccination was also noted by the police in the "Report of Death to the Coroner", dated 23 April 1995:
"The deceased received two-monthly injections on Wednesday 19.4.95 on her three-monthly period because she had been sick. The deceased then suffered a bad reaction to the injections; however, the mother did not return her to the doctor.

The case of baby Alexa
"My third report on the false accusation of innocent people of killing children by so called SBS is released. Below is the link for the first part and the entire report will be posted soon. Attached please find my full 86-page report on Alexa's case as a word file for your review. The medical evidence speaks for itself. There is a direct link between the MMR vaccine and the death of the child in this case. However, the physicians, the medical examiner, and the prosecutors who evaluated this case ignored the evidence. They put an innocent mother of five children in prison. People need to be involved to fix our broken medical system in the USA and Europe. These tragedies should be stopped. Our society's vital resources are wasted on unnecessary trials. Now, I am working on the fourth case with the similar story and it will be released in December. The SBS's theory is false and we have the medical evidence to prove it. " Mohammed Ali Al-Bayati, Ph.D., DABT, DABVT, Toxicologist and Pathologist.

Analysis of causes that led to the development of vitiligo in Jeanett's case
At the age of two years, Jeanette developed vitiligo within days of receiving her first MMR vaccine and the fourth injection of DTaP and IPV vaccines. Furthermore, at five years of age, she developed many more unpigmented spots on her body with acrofacial vitiligo, following receiving MMR, DTaP and IPV vaccines. Jeanette's susceptibility to developing adverse reactions to vaccine was notable a few hours after birth following receiving her first injection of the hepatitis B vaccine. Furthermore, the intensity and the frequency of her adverse reactions to vaccines were significantly increased following receiving more doses of hepatitis B, DTaP, IPV, Hib, and MMR vaccines.

Jeanette's health condition during her second year of life, when she was not given any vaccine was better than during her first year of life, when she received several vaccines. It is likely that the MMR vaccine induced the depigmentation of Jeanette's skin through local and systemic autoimmune reactions. Synergistic actions between the MMR vaccine and other vaccines given to Jeanette could be also involved in causing the depigmentation of her skin. I believe that Jeanette should not receive any vaccine in future. Vaccine probably will aggravate her present illness and trigger more illnesses. Jeanette was treated with corticosteroids ointment but the steroids did not help in stopping the depigmentation of her skin. Recommendations for clinical tests and treatment plans are presented in this report that I believe will help Jeanette's pediatrician to better monitor and treat her vitiligo. Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease.

The case of baby Jackie Ray's developmental delay and intracranial bleeding
A 3 month-old black male infant had a seizure and his mother took him to the hospital for examination. The baby was examined at the ER and no signs of trauma were identified. A CT scan exam of his head performed at 1.25 hours following his admission to the hospital (FAH) showed only a small area of bleeding in the left frontal region. A second CT head exam taken at about 40 hours FAH revealed that the baby had subdural hemorrhages and brain edema. A brain MRI exam performed at 89 hours FAH showed the baby's subdural bleeding was bilateral and at various ages.

The treating physicians alleged that vigorous shaking (Shaken Baby Syndrome) caused the baby's bleeding. The baby's father was accused of causing his son's injuries. My investigation in this case reveals that the baby received 7 vaccines at two months of age, while he was ill. He suffered from developmental delay, anemia and femoral abnormalities. His head circumference (HC) was 38.7 cm on the day of vaccination and it decreased to 37.3 cm at 32 days post vaccination. The baby's HC growth rate during the 2 months prior to vaccination was 2.8 cm/month. His rate of weight gain was also reduced by 32% following vaccination as compared to the rate prior to vaccination. Vitamin K deficiency was the likely cause of the baby's bleeding and femoral abnormalities. The allegations of Shaken Baby Syndrome and child abuse made in this case are false.

Page Divider

Shaken Baby/Impact Syndrome: Flawed Concepts and Misdiagnoses - A review of 22 cases
by Harold E Buttram, M.D. December 2000

The following article represents a review of twenty-two cases of shaken baby syndrome (SBS) accusations and/or convictions over a period of approximately three and a half years. Its primary purpose is to offer a composite of information gained from study of these cases to parents or caretakers who have been accused and/or convicted of child abuse in the form of SBS, information which may be of value in their defense. Every effort has been made to maintain simplicity and clarity in the organization of the material. Each section is designed to be complete in itself, and for this reason some portions are repetitious.

A testimonial
My name is Debra Grater, and I live in Pennsylvania with my husband and two children. I was a child care provider with a great love for children when I was accused of, and criminally prosecuted for, alleged Shaken Baby Syndrome. I am innocent and have always maintained my innocence. That is the day my life and the lives of those I loved changed forever, and this is my story.

> It was December 15, 2000, a normal babysitting day for me until approximately 3:30 p.m. when I was catapulted into the world of false allegations. I had been caring for a 4-month old boy for nine days, and on the tenth day he was taken to his pediatrician for a "well-baby" visit where he was vaccinated with the DTaP, Hibiter, Hepatitis, Polio and the Prevnar. He was dropped off at my home at approximately 10:00 a.m. by his mother. I checked on him regularly, and he seemed fine until around 3:30 p.m. when I found him unresponsive and barely breathing

I called 911 and even did mouth-to-mouth on him at one point, because he stopped breathing altogether. The hospitals he was taken to concluded his injuries were consistent with child abuse/shaken baby syndrome. I was in shock. I was viciously interrogated for three and a half hours by police and was arrested on charges of "shaken baby syndrome" (SBS). I was out on bail after being placed in an "involuntary" medical hospital for a "psychiatric evaluation."

Upon my release I began to research this so-called SBS. I found out that, many times over, adverse reactions to vaccines were being misdiagnosed as SBS, yet SBS is only a theory, never proven as a definitively understood entity. By researching the medical journals, it was clear that the experts in the field could not even agree on what SBS actually is! Even more shocking was the discovery that adverse reactions to routine vaccinations can "mimic" what is thought to be SBS. Upon further researching vaccines, I was shocked to see that tens of thousands of children are damaged and many even killed by vaccines. I had always thought vaccines were safe.

I found that the ingredients in vaccines were nothing more than a witches' brew of animal blood, toxic metals, neurotoxins, viruses, bacteria, and even a pesticide! Yes, pesticide. Thimerosal, a common ingredient in many vaccines, is a registered pesticide with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Thimerosal is nearly 50% mercury, and a routine "well-baby" visit can see a child get injected with up to 62.5 micrograms (mcg) of mercury! EPA guidelines for mercury exposure are 0.1 mcg of mercury per kilogram of body weight per day. The child in my case was given over 40 times the "safe" amount in matter of minutes—directly into his bloodstream and shortly before he was dropped off at my home. In addition, this child had had an indication of possible neurological conditions, as his head was abnormally large. The Physicians' Desk Reference clearly states that any child with an underlying neurological condition SHOULD NOT BE VACCINATED.

Even healthy children can have adverse reactions to vaccines, and my son and daughter are perfect examples of that. At 6 months my son was vaccinated, then again at 9 months. He received the HepB and Varicella at 12 months and the MMR and Hib at 15 months. In March of 1997, at age 6 months, he started with episodes of vomiting and diarrhea and had poor weight gain. At 9 months he was in the 5th percentile on the weight chart, very underweight. Then in November of 1997, at almost 17 months, it was noted that he had lost 1-2 pounds since he was 9 months old and had more episodes of vomiting and diarrhea. The doctors say it was lactose intolerance and failure to thrive, but I feel now it was the vaccines that did it. Just look at the pattern. If only I knew then what I know now.

In January of 2001 my daughter was given the Polio, Prevnar and Varicella shots and then in April of 2001 she was given the MMR, Hibiter and Prevnar again. Both times she developed a high fever of 104.6 and went into hypo-tonic/hypo-responsive episodes. She would not walk, talk, eat, drink or play. She laid around like a rag doll. I voiced my concerns to the pediatricians and they said "we do not usually see that happen" and brushed it off. When I refused more shots for my children I was dismissed from their practice and told to secure medical care elsewhere. Oddly, my children are healthier now than they were when they were getting the shots.

Vaccines carry serious and sometimes fatal consequences, and people need to know this so they can truly make an informed choice. They also need to know what to do to avoid legal pitfalls in choosing what gets put into their bodies or their children's bodies. No one can force you to do anything you do not want to do.

I was left no choice but to take a plea agreement of no contest, as I could have faced up to 15 years in prison in the aforementioned case. I chose not to risk what a jury would decide, because most people (like myself at one time) believed vaccines were safe. I chose to secure that my children would grow up with their mother. So that I would not go to prison innocently, I chose to accept a "NO CONTEST" plea. I am slowly picking up the pieces and moving on. I maintain my innocence and plan to make a difference by raising awareness. The system needs help, and parents/caretakers need to be informed. In my case, I believe this child was damaged by vaccines, and so did some doctors.
Sincerely, Debbie Grater

Page Divider

Methanol - parents wrongly accused of poisoning their infants
from Dr. Al-Bayati Ph.D., D.A.B.T., D.A.B.V.T. Toxicologist and Pathologist, Toxi-Health International

"Abstract: Stryker is a 55-day-old white male infant who was found dead in his bed on September 6, 2005. Based on the finding of methanol (20 mg/dL) and formic acid (23.2 mg/dL) in a blood sample taken from his heart at the time of autopsy, his parents were accused of poisoning him with methanol. My investigation reveals that the baby died as a result of severe hyponatremia. He had a critically low serum sodium level of 114 mmol/L (normal range: 135-145 mmol/L). Moreover, the gross and microscopic examinations of the brain showed evidence of edema and hypoxia and these lesions are reported in people suffering from hyponatremia. My investigation also reveals that there is no evidence that the baby suffered from methanol poisoning. He did not show any symptom of metha-nol poisoning prior to his death. His brain, spinal cord, eyes and optic nerves, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and other tissues were examined grossly and microscopically and no lesion was observed that indicated intoxication with methanol. It is likely that the methanol and formic acid detected in Stryker's blood resulted from the contamination of the blood with formalin used to fix tissues. This fixative contains 1 to 1.5% methanol and 3 to 4% formaldehyde. The oxidation of formaldehyde to formic acid is facilitated by formal-dehyde dehydrogenase present in the red blood cells."

"This is a unique case. A family was accused of poisoning their two months old infant with methanol in 2005 and they are waiting for trial in Ontario. Their children were taken and placed with other families. My investigation reveals that the baby died as a result of metabolic and development problems and the family is innocent. Below is the link for my report on a case in Texas that I published two months ago. My findings also show that the father is innocent. Al-Bayati MA. Analysis of causes that led to subdural bleeding, skull and rib fractures, and death in the case of baby Averial Buie. Medical Veritas; Vol. 4 (2): pages 1-18, 2007"

Page Divider

Forced Drugging of Children - Parents may face jail over compulsory drug orders

In the US judges can constitutionally order controversial drugs to be given to a child over the opposition of his parents. Parents are medicating their children for fear of having them hauled away by Child Protective Services. In the UK Parents of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) will face jail under proposals in the new Mental Health Bill if they refuse to drug their children, a psychiatrist has warned.

Page Divider
A. The Causal Link, Generally

According to Australian researcher Viera Schiebner, Ph.D., there has been a recent epidemic of the so-called "Shaken Baby Syndrome," (SBS) and "[m]any infants who suffer [from it] may be victims of undiagnosed vaccine damage." Dr. Schiebner finds the vaccine damage explanation more probable than the proposition that the unprecedented increase in the syndrome is due simply to an increase in the number of people who are capable or desirous of hurting or killing babies. She has provided expert reports for a number of attorneys representing defendants accused of SBS. Upon reviewing the medical records in these cases, she found that in every one, the symptoms appeared shortly after the child had received a routine immunization.

Until recently, most vaccine deaths have been labeled "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome," especially if obvious symptoms were minimal. But with alarming frequency, one parent—usually the father—is accused of shaking the baby to death. Ironically, the parent may even "confess" to shaking the baby, having done so upon finding the baby not breathing or unconscious, and hoping to revive it. According to Scheibner, some defendants in SBS cases have won in court based on experts' reports showing vaccines to be the cause of the injuries or death. But where the accused caregiver is uneducated, has a criminal record, or where a vaccine injury is accompanied by other physical injuries from another cause, the defendant's chances are remote. Regarding the SBS/vaccine connection, one U.S. social worker told Dr. Schiebner, "many foster parents are rotting in U.S. prisons. First, they are forced to vaccinate their charges, and then, when side effects or death occur, they are accused of causing them."

Medical research acknowledges the ambiguity that may exist when attempting to distinguish SIDS from child abuse. According to Dr. Scheibner, a 1993 study revealed that making the determination challenges pediatricians, family physicians, pathologists and child protection agencies. Other research suggests that there must be findings of blunt impact to the head to eliminate the possibility of spontaneous intracranial hemorrhaging from a rare vascular malformation or bleeding disorder. While there is no dispute that some parents and caregivers cause injuries through mistreatment, Schiebner makes a compelling case that vaccines should be given careful consideration in many instances. "Ever since mass vaccination of infants began, reports of serious brain, cardiovascular, metabolic and other injuries started filling pages of medical journals." In fact, pertussis vaccine has been used to induce encephalomyelitis, which is characterized by brain swelling and hemorrhaging similar to that caused by mechanical injuries, in laboratory animals.

Of course, when laboratory animals develop symptoms and die, it is not considered coincidental; but when children develop the same symptoms and die following immunization, one of three things happens: it is considered coincidental, the parents or caregiver are accused of causing the injury, or the cause of death is considered unknown and classified as SIDS. Contributing to this difficulty is the fact that as a result of "immunological intravascular complexing of particulate antigen," delayed reactions from vaccines are the norm rather than the exception; that is, most vaccine injuries and deaths fall outside of the arbitrary medical-legal guidelines set for accepting the causal link between the vaccines and the injury or death. This, combined with the above-mentioned ambiguities, makes for a rather difficult case for defendants, and to be fair, could make for a difficult determination of the truth of the matter one way or the other even for informed physicians and juries in many cases.

Many of the classic benchmarks of abuse can also result from vaccination. Retinal hemorrhages can be caused not only by shaking, but also by vaccines and by attempts at cardiopulmonary resuscitation in children, which may be applied to non-responsive children who suffer breathing distress caused by vaccines. A bulging fontanelle has been documented as being directly caused by the DPT vaccine. Thrombocytopenia, a blood clotting disorder characterized by easy bruising and bleeding and which may result in brain and other hemorrhages, is also a recognized side-effect of vaccines. Add to this the well-documented common occurrence of seizures following vaccines—which can cause injurious falls in young mobile children (and which may go unobserved by parents), and the possibility that vaccine damage may be mistaken for physical abuse becomes quite tenable.

B. - A Case Study: The Story of Baby Alan

Alan Yurko is serving a life sentence plus 10 years for shaken baby syndrome (SBS). Numerous medical doctors have reviewed his son Baby Alan's medical records and have concluded that he died of a reaction to the DTaP vaccine he was given at the age of two months. The baby's medical records also show that he suffered from multiple rib fractures on the left side of his body. This was likely from a bone disease due to a severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies and not from handling the baby too roughly since one side of body was more effected than the other. There have been several papers written on this case after a thorough review of the medical records by knowledgeable and competent medical doctors.

This case is finally receiving the publicity it deserves. An article entitled, "Shaken Baby Syndrome or Vaccine-Induced Encephalitis? The Story of Baby Alan" by Harold E. Buttram, MD and F. Edward Yazbak, MD, was the feature story in the Nov/Dec 2000 edition of ICA Review, a journal of the International Chiropractic Association. Alan Yurko's article, "Non-Traumatic Rib Injuries: A Logical and Statistical Conclusion in the Case of Alan Yurko," was also published in the same edition. As an article in the September 2000 Redbook magazine points out, there are over 25 cases throughout the United States of men in prison for SBS when the medical records point to an adverse reaction to a vaccination as causing the premature death of their babies. Alan Yurko is currently having his mail withheld from him in an attempt to keep him from accessing information that can help him in his case. Organized medicine is so obsessed with hiding the fact that it's vaccines are killing our children that it has resorted to convincing the courts to imprison innocent parents for this tragic trend.

Update Feb. 18, 2003: A pathologist has uncovered evidence that 'shaken baby' Alan Yurko was killed by medical staff who massively overdosed the infant with the drug Heparin, only hours before he died. His father by the same name is imprisoned in Florida for shaking him causing hemorrhage and death. Heparin is a blood anti-coagulant very similar to Warfarin --a poison which kills rats by internal hemorrhaging.

Update March 27, 2003
The Facts

Baby Alan Yurko (his father's name is also Alan) was born September 16, 1997. Labor was induced at 35 weeks due to a deficiency of amniotic fluid. The mother had many medical problems prior to and during pregnancy, including a history of colon problems, gestational diabetes, and a group B streptococcal infection during pregnancy which itself poses a high risk of infant death. She was sick and lost weight during the pregnancy, placing the fetus at great risk for nutritional deficiencies and retardation. The combination of medical concerns "placed a guarded prognosis on the baby at time of birth."

Baby Alan spent his first seven days in the hospital, with three in intensive care. During his 10-week life, baby Alan suffered from pneumonia, respiratory distress, and jaundice. In November of 1997, at about 8 weeks of age, despite significant contraindications, baby Alan was given six vaccines simultaneously: DTP, Hib, OBV, and Hepatitis B. Ten or eleven days later, he developed a high pitched scream and fever, but having been forewarned of this possibility (these are common vaccine reactions), the parents did not become overly concerned. This was accompanied by lethargy and a lack of feeding, a pattern that continued for three days. It culminated when at one point the baby stopped breathing, at a time when the father happened to be alone with the baby and his four-year-old daughter. After the father's failed attempts to resuscitate the baby, he got a neighbor to take them to the hospital where the baby was successfully resuscitated. In total, there were some 20-25 minutes of apnea before the hospital resuscitation. The baby was transferred to another hospital and put on life support. A brain scan was interpreted as showing a subdural hematoma (blood clot or swelling in the outer covering of the brain or spinal chord), one or two sites of "entraparenchymal bleeding," and pulmonary infiltrates (inflamed lungs). After 75 hours in the hospital, baby Alan was pronounced dead.

Alan Yurko was charged with aggravated child abuse and first-degree murder of his infant son, Alan; he is now serving a life sentence without possibility of parole at Washington Correctional Institution in Chipley, Florida. Mr. Yurko insists that he did not kill his son; rather, he now claims that his son died from a combination of medical mistreatment and an adverse reaction to immunizations. Doctors and scientists from 15 countries have rallied to support Alan's innocence, as have members of anti-vaccination/pro-choice groups from around the world.

The medical examiner's post-mortem findings included: minor contusions and a small bruise; swollen brain; hemorrhages on both brain hemispheres, at the base of the brain and over some areas of the spinal chord; bleeding in one eye; old healing fractures in four ribs on the back left side; and mildly hemorrhagic, inflamed, congested lungs. Based on these findings, the medical examiner concluded that the baby died of shaken baby syndrome.

Page Divider

Kaiser Permanente Secret Vaccine Experiment

In June 1990, babies in Los Angeles Kaiser Permanente Medical Center were used as human gunea pigs with a experimental measles vaccine called Edmonston Zagreb measles vaccine ( E-Z ). From 1989 to 1991, Kaiser Permanente along with the L.A. County Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), injected over 700 "mostly minority" babies with unlicensed experimental vaccines with fraudulently-obtained consent from the parents.

Kaiser Permanente secret vaccine experiment on black babies To date, it is believed that most of the families affected by this secret experiment are not aware that their child was used as a human guinea pig or, if aware, are not alerted to the long-term health risks of this particular vaccination. One of several vaccines used in the experiment, Edmonston-Zagreb, high-titer, had already achieved a notorious reputation overseas for triggering the death of numerous babies in closely controlled trials in the Third World.

In particular, use of the vaccine had been closely associated with an increased death rate among infant girls in Senegal, Guinea Bissau and Haiti before their second birthday. At least one baby in the L.A. County experiment died within this same two year window. Reports of other immune and neurological problems are associated with the Kaiser Permanente victims.

When the final story is told, this could likely be one of the most scandalous affairs in the sordid history of human experimentation to rival or exceed that of the Nazis, the Tuskegee syphilis study or the DOE radiation exposure experiments. If your child received a vaccine injection at one of three L.A. County Kaiser Permanente facilities between January 1990 and December 1991, you may be needed for a class action claim against Kaiser Permanente Foundation. The three hospitals at the center of the experiment were Kaiser East Los Angeles, Kaiser West Los Angeles (Cadillac) and Kaiser Inglewood.

You may have received one or two letters from Kaiser since this story hit the mainstream media in June 1996. It reflected that your child was enrolled in a "vaccine schedule change" program which began enrollment in 1989. Those letters did not adequately inform parents of the long-term risks from the vaccine. A class action case is being instigated within L.A. County. There are approximately 1200 families whose children were involved. The vast majority of those families know little or nothing of this experiment and of long-term consequences which could seriously impair their child’s health and welfare. If your family or that of a friend or relative was directly affected by this measles vaccine experiment please contact the Los Angeles County Coalition Against Racist Child-Experimentation (LACCARCE) P.O. Box 7683, Long Beach, Ca. 90807-0683 Hotline 310-403-2921

Download the free PDF 'Cry of the Heart' The Medical Insanity of Vaccines by Mark Sircus Ac., OMD, which reports on the personal histories and scientific evidence about vaccine issue.