Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion IQ and health

My eyes, ears, and heart provide the sources of concern for outbreaks among undocumented individuals. It is interpersonal. I did not need statistical data to have human empathy and concern. Local PSAs on TV may have been of some influence in raising my awareness.

I did not mention DTP as an alternative for DTaP. Rather I stated DTaP is the alternative. You reversed it in your post. To expound upon my original sentence, in the event clarity may be needed: We now have an alternative between DTP and no vaccine: it is DTaP. We agree that DTP resulted in some claims. While you posted that DTP was not administered since 1991, I have different information indicating DTaP was administered only on request and DTP continued to be administered as the default.

I have acknowledged concern for people in their suffering... including vaccine-claimant families, undocumented immigrants upon being ill. There is no misinformation, decision, or argument in my posts. I have tried to convey an open-minded respect for individuals' varied experiences.

In summary, the OP's linked articles suggested higher IQ correlated with better health, possibly with a patient's independent personal research and advocacy having a causal relationship or being one determining factor. Meanwhile several posters have cited cases where they believe higher education may lead to more risk-taking... whether through hubris/arrogance, plethora of material of questionable value which people may encounter when researching, or relying more on personal anecdotes than peer-reviewed published research.

Health/medicine is a fascinating field with new scientific and behavioral studies and observations ongoing. What research indicates one year may be set aside at a later date. Except for hand washing... that was proven to provide health benefits over a century ago... wikipedia link- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Semmelweis

Let me just point out how terrifying it is to be here:


While also known this to be true:

Yes it is.

My rule of thumb for dealing with that is:

1. Believe in the factual reality of what you yourself observe, but don't be too quick to assign causation, no matter what you THINK is happening-- truly eliminate all possibilities before making conclusions, or don't make them at all. A question mark isn't the end of the world, usually.

2. Don't believe anything that is single-sourced. If all roads lead back to ONE source, no matter how 'expert' then it is suspect in my mind. Search out dissent and pay attention to what it says.

Honestly, I don't know what happens to someone in my shoes who hasn't got decades of relevant professional experience in order to tease apart stuff that SEEMS like it should be legitimate from that which probably isn't. That bothers me a lot, in fact, and it's why I've put so much of myself into running a support group for nearly a decade. Having a place that you can ask any question-- and dissect it openly and even a little harshly-- is essential, I've found.

^ +1