I have to admit I have not read Alicia Silverstones new book “The Kind Mama” but it seems that a lot of the kind mama advice is creating quite the shitstorm.
The first I had heard about this new book was last week on the news when the fact that she said that perhaps vaccinations were not a good idea, there is no proof but there is anecdotal evidence that vaccinations can lead to babies that are not quite the same ever again.
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The fact is that we are getting more and more vaccinations these days, I am not sure if there are too many or not but I, and Alicia Silverstone, can not possibly have the knowledge to make a claim against vaccination and the fallout of celebrity anti-vaccination stories have already led to a huge uptake in measles cases this year thanks to parents not listening to doctors and instead listening to celebrities. I
If I am looking for information on how to be a better actor I will go to Alicia Silverstone. If I want info on vaccinations I think I would go to a doctor, actually that is exactly what I did years ago when our kids were born and my doctor said yes for sure, mercury is not an issue and I should want to protect my child.
The fact is that Alicia Silverstone is not a mainsteam mom. She has a privileged lifestyle that she has earned by the work that she does and the money that this work generates. The trouble with celebrity culture is that we tend to look at these famous people as having knowledge in areas that they have never been trained in and have access to cameras and microphones, and a society that is willing to listen.
So again, I am not a doctor, I am not a mom (I am a dad!) and I am not a vegan. Alicia Silverstone is writing about a different type of raising of children that is working for her right now but is not just advocating anti-vaccination but a few other things in her book that may not really be based on valid science:
- No Tampons, the cotton may have pesticides and the fragrances may cause infertility (based on no science but her opinion)
- A vegan lifestyle will help fertitlity (based on no science but her opinion)
- There are health benefits to eating the placenta after childbirth ( (based on no science but her opinion)
- No Diapers, Alicia thinks that wearing a “toilet” as she calls it leads to confusion and stops a child from understanding when they have to go to the bathroom (Both my kids, and every other kid I have known has been potty trained successfully, even after wearing a toilet)
So when looking through the covers of the tabloids at the local Walmart or 7-11 please remember, the people on those covers are as screwed up and as knowledgeable as anyone else. They are not doctors, they are possibly parents, and they just have an opinion. Most importantly though, please don’t take medical advice from a person whose only real credentials is that they may or may not have played a doctor on TV.