Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism
And Other Things We Shouldn't Still Be Talking About in 2025...
Let’s settle something right away: Vaccines do not cause autism. This isn’t a debate. It’s not an open question. It’s a scientifically closed case—-like gravity, or evolution, or the fact that drinking bleach is a bad idea. And yet, somehow, in the year 2025, we still have to say it out loud.
The lie that vaccines cause autism was born from a now-debunked and retracted 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield. He studied just 12 kids, used shoddy data, and had a massive financial conflict of interest. He was later stripped of his medical license. His research? Labeled an “elaborate fraud” by The BMJ.
But fear is sticky. Once the idea was out there, that a needle might “steal” your child, it spread like a virus. A particularly stubborn, evidence-resistant virus.
The Real Science: Big Numbers, Real Answers
In contrast to Wakefield’s laughable sample size, real scientists did the work. A 2019 Danish study of over 650,000 children found no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Not even in kids already considered high-risk.
A 2014 meta-analysis looked at 1.25 million children across ten studies and found the same result: no association between vaccines and autism. Not with MMR. Not with thimerosal. Not with “too many shots too soon.”
Meanwhile, genetics account for roughly 80% of autism risk, according to a massive 2017 study published in JAMA.
So, where does this vaccine fear keep coming from?
Chiropractors, Naturopaths, and RFK Jr. – The Unholy Trinity of Health Misinformation
Let’s talk about scope of practice.
There are plenty of ethical chiropractors and naturopaths out there, but too many have veered way off course. It’s one thing to specialize in low back pain or suggest herbal tea for stress. It’s another thing entirely to hand out vaccine exemptions, deny germ theory, or claim that a spinal adjustment can prevent whooping cough.
Spoiler: It can’t.
According to the American Chiropractic Association’s own guidelines, immunization counseling is outside the scope of chiropractic care. Yet vaccine misinformation is still prevalent in some circles of the profession.
Same goes for naturopaths who rail against vaccines while selling overpriced “immune-boosting” protocols made of unregulated supplements and hope. It’s hard to ignore that many of these providers also profit from the very fear they stoke.
The Business of Fear: Monetizing Misinformation
If you’re wondering why people with no infectious disease training are shouting about vaccines, fluoride, and seed oils, look at the money.
Selling fear is profitable.
Anxious about toxins? Here’s a $200 detox kit. Scared of autism? Try our “natural vaccine alternative.” Worried about fluoride? Here’s a $12 bottle of fluoride-free toothpaste and a $40 water filter.
These aren’t harmless wellness fads. They actively undermine trust in science and open the door to preventable disease outbreaks. Like the measles resurgence we saw across the U.S. and Europe after vaccine rates dropped.
RFK Jr.: Misinformation with a Microphone
And then there’s Robert F. Kennedy Jr…a lawyer with no medical training, who’s positioned himself as the face of “health freedom.” He’s claimed that Wi-Fi causes cancer, vaccines are part of a global cover-up, and COVID mandates are the new Holocaust. (Yes, he really said that.)
His Children’s Health Defense organization regularly spreads anti-vaccine propaganda and cherry-picks data to support conspiracy narratives. Despite being widely condemned by the scientific and medical community, his influence keeps growing.
Fluoride: Another Manufactured Panic
If you’ve ever heard that fluoride is a “neurotoxin” or that it calcifies your pineal gland, congratulations. You’ve been exposed to the wellness-industrial complex. But here’s the truth:
Community water fluoridation is one of the most effective public health measures ever implemented. It reduces dental cavities in children and adults by 25%, according to the CDC.
The fluoride fear-mongering often references cherry-picked studies or poorly controlled data from areas with extremely high natural fluoride levels, not typical U.S. tap water. And once again, the solution just happens to be… a product.
The Bottom Line
Vaccines don’t cause autism. Chiropractors shouldn’t be giving vaccine advice. RFK Jr. is not a scientist. Fluoride is not poison. And your health isn’t something to be sold back to you in the form of overpriced powders and fear-fueled podcast ads.
What we’re seeing isn’t just misinformation. It’s strategic monetization of fear. And it’s endangering public health.
In closing…
Vaccines are safe. Autism is primarily genetic. No large study has ever shown a link between vaccines and autism.
Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 paper was fraudulent. He lost his license. His study was retracted.
Misinformation is a business model. From anti-vax influencers to alt-health providers selling unproven treatments, there’s always money to be made in fear.
Stick with real experts. Your pediatrician knows more about vaccines than your wellness influencer or your cousin’s chiropractor.
Science matters. And so does calling out the grifters who distort it.