Dear Pharmacist,

My friend and I are arguing about giving our daughters the Gardasil

vaccine to prevent cervical cancer that you is transmitted from

unprotected sex. I say “no” and she says “yes.” Settle this: Would

you give it to your daughter?  F.E., Gainesville, Florida

ANSWER: No, I wouldn’t. Gardasil – released in 2006 – is a series

of three vaccinations aimed at women, ages 9-26, to reduce the

risk of developing cervical cancer later in life from HPV (human

papilloma virus) transmitted during sex.

I’ve noticed a massive (and pushy) campaign to mandate

injections for little girls in middle school, ages 11-12. These drugs

were not tested well in little girls, hence, our daughters will become

the long-term study group in this human experiment! Even though

millions of women have done fine with Gardasil, there are some

reports of hospitalizations from adverse drug reactions and a few

deaths being investigated. According to the makers (www.gardasil.

com):

“Gardasil may not fully protect everyone and does not  prevent all types of cervical cancer...”

Let me tell you exactly what this means. Gardasil reduces incidence

of infection from HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. Type 6 and 11 only

cause genital warts (annoying, but not fatal); whereas, the 16 and

18 strains of HPV are the strains linked to precancerous cervical

cells. In my opinion, if Gardasil addresses only four strains of HPV,

and there are dozens of other strains, why shoot the medical dart?

Merck will tell you to shoot it because those who develop cancer are

usually infected with HPV.

But not everyone with HPV develops cancer; it’s an unusual

event from a common infection. While Gardasil may be 100 percent

effective at eradicating the majority of cervical cancers from type

16 and 18 strains, do the benefits outweigh the risks? People with

allergies to yeast could experience even more side effects.

Gardasil contains “histadine” which turns into “histamine” and

while rare, it could cause allergic reactions or fainting in sensitive

people. This has happened.

Gardasil also contains aluminum – a metal that may be

involved in disorders like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s), Parkinson’s and

Alzheimer’s. If that’s true, what will the fallout be in years to come

if we inject our daughters now?

HPV could go undetected for years, and vaccinating a

woman who’s already infected could fuel the development of

cervical dysplasia and cancer. The vaccination doesn’t guarantee

that you won’t get cancer either because other factors come into

play. For example, smoking (or having sex with a smoker) increases

your risk. So does a deficiency in folic acid or vitamin C. Eating

poorly will increase your risk of developing any cancer. A healthy

immune system will help you deal more efficiently with any virus

or bacteria that you encounter. According to www.cervicaldysplasia.

com, “women with normal immune system function can be cured of

cervical dysplasia.”  It’s important to get routine pap smears because

early detection saves lives.