Vaccine Detox Guide
- Natalie Wescott
- Jan 21
- 10 min read
Deciding whether or not to vaccinate your child is a deeply personal decision, and for many families it is not a simple or quick one. It should involve careful reflection, weighing potential risks and benefits, and taking the time to review data, studies, and differing perspectives. No parent should simply do what the loudest voice is telling them to do. It is every parent's responsibility to move slowly, ask hard questions, and conduct their own independent research before choosing a path they believe is best for their child.
I am not anti-vaccine. I am anti–lack of informed consent. I am against forcing decisions and shaming mothers for choices that do not align with someone else’s beliefs or politics.
After months of research, I personally chose not to vaccinate my children, but I do not expect every parent to come to that same conclusion. If a parent takes the time to understand the risks, benefits, and research and still chooses to vaccinate, I respect that. There are also times when vaccines are forced to attend daycare, school, or simply personal pressures. My goal is simply to support informed, thoughtful decision-making and to help parents make the best choice for their own child.
I do want to share one of my favorite non-biased resources on the subject of vaccines. The website www.justtheinserts.com breaks down the vaccine inserts provided by the manufacturer into easy-to-understand language and an easy-to-read format. This is an awesome way to have access to ingredients, side effects, complications, and data surrounding the vaccine. They also provide information on other pharmaceuticals as well!
More sources for vaccine research are included at the end of the guide!
If you decide to vaccinate your child, please research delaying the schedule or spreading out the doses. This helps the immune system to not be as overwhelmed by multiple vaccines at once. A typical 6-month-old receives 5 vaccines at their well-visit (DTaP, polio, Hib, pneumococcal, Hep B), even more if adding seasonal vaccines!
Before a Vaccine...
Many providers recognize that children should not be vaccinated if they have an active fever, but I want to take that a step farther. The immune system should be in OPTIMAL condition before vaccinating. If your child has been ill AT ALL recently, avoid vaccinating until your child is completely healthy. Consider symptoms such as respiratory illness, colds, vomiting/diarrhea, seasonal allergies, and recent antibiotic use before vaccinations.
If you have a baby that you are actively introducing new foods to, avoid introduction to foods that are common allergens right before and the week after vaccination.
Vaccine Detox
Detoxing after a vaccine is something that conventional medicine does not recognize as necessary because encouraging detox would allude that there is something toxic in them. Well, anyone who has looked at the ingredients in a vaccine knows that the ingredients are not great.
So, let's talk about some strategies you can use to support your child's body before and after a vaccine.
What is a Detox?
There are two steps to a proper detox. The first is to open detox pathways and the second is removing stored toxins. The first step should start to occur before the vaccine and the second occurs after the vaccine.
Open Detox Pathways: Step 1
Our body has the ability to detox itself. The purpose of performing a "detox" should be to enhance the body's natural ability, not override it. The first step of detox, clearing elimination pathways, is the most important and is safe for babies, children, and pregnant/nursing moms.
Primary elimination occurs through:
The liver, through metabolic processing
The kidneys, by urine
The gastrointestinal tract, by stool
The skin, through sweat
The lymphatic system, which relies on hydration and movement
When these systems are well supported, the body has more resilience and flexibility in responding to immune challenges. When they are sluggish or overloaded, recovery can feel harder.
The Liver:
The liver is the largest internal organ in the body and is the main organ involved in detoxification. It has the ability to recognize toxic material and convert it into material to be safely excreted.
Over time, or if there is a high load of toxins, the liver can become sluggish in its function. By proper support of the liver, we can help to encourage effective detoxification!
How to Support the Liver:
Reduce everyday toxic exposures where possible. In modern life, these exposures are widespread and often unavoidable. They can come from household cleaning products, fragrances and personal care items, food sources, medications, and even drinking water. While eliminating all exposures is unrealistic, simple swaps to nontoxic products in our most used areas of life can significantly lower the toxin burden on the liver.
Foods for Liver Support: broccoli, garlic, mushrooms, beets, lemon
Herbs for Liver Support: Milk thistle seed, dandelion root, peppermint, turmeric
Liver Love: A tincture that I take daily for liver support. Code Natalie10off for 10% off
Safe ages 1+. Peppermint can sometimes cause a decrease in milk supply if breastfeeding.
Castor Oil Packs:
Place castor oil on a cotton cloth and hold over the right upper abdomen where the liver is. You can use a castor oil pack that easily wraps around the body for hands free use. Cover with a heating pad to make it more effective! While use is generally not recommended in infants, it can be used for short time periods on children.
The Kidneys:
The job of the kidneys is to make urine by filtering waste and extra fluid from the blood. It also helps with the body's balance of electrolytes and salt.
Proper hydration with clean filtered water and electrolytes is the most important way that we can support the kidneys. Most children do not need additional kidney support besides proper hydration through breastmilk or water.
If a child has chronic UTIs (urinary tract infections), cranberry juice can be used to prevent future infection (it does not heal active infection).
The Gastrointestinal System (the gut)
The intestines (bowel) is a major elimination pathway for toxins and food through stool (poop). Many children (and adults) deal with chronic constipation which allows toxins to sit in the GI tract for longer which can cause re-absorption back into the body. The goal should be at least 1 poop per day (many people poop up to 3 times a day).
Signs of constipation:
Hard stools that hurt to pass
Stools that are small and look like little rocks
Less than 3 stools a week
Having to strain to poop
Not being able to fully empty
One way to test the transit time of your stool (how long it takes from eating to passing stool) is the beet test! Beets naturally turn stool pink or red. You should ideally see a change in color 12-24 hours after eating the beets. Any longer may indicate that you are constipated and have a long transit time. If you see pink in your stool before 12 hours, it could indicate that stool is passing through too quickly, not allowing you to fully absorb the needed nutrients.
How to support the bowel:
Probiotics: the gut is naturally full of good and beneficial bacteria that help to break down food among other things. Probiotics can be found in foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi.
Prebiotics: prebiotics are what is used to feed and support the good bacteria in the gut. Food sources include onion, garlic, leafy greens, dandelion roots, bananas, asparagus, seaweed, carrots, and many other fruits and vegetables.
Supplements I like:
Magnesium: important for healthy bowel habits by softening stool and helping become more regular
Epsom Salt bath: put a half cup in a warm bath for absorption. Can help promote a bowel movement
Magnesium Lotion: Code Natalie10off for 10% off
Rub a pea-sized amount on a fatty area of the body (stomach, thighs). Safe for all ages
Magnesium Spray: code NMN10 for 10% off
Spray on the bottom of feet before bed
Castor Oil: a few drops of castor oil in the bellybutton or as a castor oil pack over the abdomen can help promote a bowel movement.
Gut health oil: Natalie10off for 10% off
"Can help to eliminate candida, parasites, and other stomach issues like bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, and more. It’s also a prebiotic, which encourages the growth of good bacteria in your gut to support better wellness."
Start by taking a smaller dose than what the bottle says. For children, start with 1 drop and slowly work your way up drop by drop. For adults, start with 3 drops and slowly increase. If you feel an increase in GI symptoms or abdominal pain, lower dose.
The Skin
The skin releases toxins through sweat. This can be achieved through saunas, warm baths, or just active play outside for children.
Adding Epsom salt to a warm bath enhances detox through the skin
The Lymphatic System
The lymphatic system is a key part of the body’s detox and immune support, responsible for collecting excess fluid, cellular waste, pathogens, and toxins from the tissues and moving them toward lymph nodes for filtering. Because the lymphatic system has no pump of its own, it depends on movement, breathing, and hydration to keep things flowing efficiently. When lymph becomes sluggish, waste can build up and contribute to inflammation and immune stress.
How to support the lymphatic system:
Proper hydration: Aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day
Rebounding: Jumping on a trampoline or even just jumping in place helps lymph to circulate through the body allowing for proper detox.
Lymph massage and opening: Tap or massage on the main lymph nodes throughout the body.
Removing Toxins: Step 2
**Do not start this step until the detox pathways are open! (Step 1)
I am personally not a fan of heavy detoxes that cause Herx reactions or products that claim to completely clear everything bad out of the body (ahem zeolite). I rather approach detox with a gentle approach by supporting the body in its natural detox pathways.
General detox:
Epsom Salt baths are one of the easiest ways to provide a gentle and safe detox without harsh detox symptoms. For babies, keep the baths to around 10-15 mins. Too long in an Epsom salt bath can dehydrate so make sure to provide plenty of water/breastmilk to drink.
My recipe:
1/2 cup Epsom Salt
1/4 cup Bentonite clay
1 tsp baking soda
Premade Detox baths
Earthley detox bath : Natalie10off for 10% off
Rowe Casa detox bath: NAT20 for 20% off
Sweating: sweating by a sauna, bath, or exercise is an incredible way to support detox
Heavy Metal Detox
We are exposed to many heavy metals on a daily basis, but for the purposes of this guide, we will focus on aluminum. Aluminum is a proven neurotoxin. You will often hear people compare the amount of aluminum contained in a vaccine to the aluminum contained in cheese or something similar. What we need to remember is the difference in injecting vs ingesting. When we eat something, we excrete a majority of it through stool. When we inject something, 100% of what was injected is absorbed directly into our bodies. Aluminum exposure through vaccines is incomparable to aluminum ingested through food.
Vaccines that commonly contain aluminum as an adjuvant include DTaP and Tdap, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (such as the Prevnar series), HPV vaccines, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccines, and many combination vaccines that include one or more of these components.
Herbs and foods that are beneficial in detoxing heavy metals include: cilantro, garlic, green tea, blueberries, Oregon grape root, chlorella, and spirulina.
Vaccine Detox tincture: Natalie10off for 10% off
"Astragalus, Oregon grape root, dandelion, yellow dock, marshmallow root, chlorella, and peppermint work together to support the body’s natural cleansing pathways, promoting liver, gut, and immune health."
Safe ages 1+. Caution in pregnancy. Peppermint may affect milk supply. Do not use if you have metal fillings.
Silica: can be effective for aluminum detox. It converts aluminum into aluminosilicate which can be safely excreted by the kidneys. (PMID: 10731501)
Immune Support
The goal of vaccines is to stimulate antibodies in the immune system against the antigens present in the vaccine. By supporting the immune system during this process, we can help the body to more effectively protect itself from the vaccine.
Vitamin C: enhancing white blood cell function, strengthening barrier defenses, and protecting immune cells from oxidative stress during infection.
Elderberry: limiting viral activity and supporting the body’s natural immune response
Zinc: helping immune cells function properly, supporting antiviral defense
Magnesium: regulating inflammation, supporting energy production in immune cells, and helping maintain a balanced stress response
My Protocol:
Before Vaccinating:
Ensure no recent illness
Ensure normal bowel movements
Encourage lymph movement through exercise, massage, or simple movement
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
No introductions to new allergens
After Vaccinating:
NO tylenol. Support fevers naturally
Epsom salt baths
Lymphatic massage
Movement and sweating
Limiting sugar and carbs
Allowing adequate rest
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
Use of the detox defense tincture for 2 weeks after vaccinating
Continuous immune support through foods and supplements
Tylenol/Acetaminophen Use
We know there has been a lot of talk recently about the link between acetaminophen and autism. While I do not believe that Tylenol is the sole cause of autism, I do believe it plays an important link, especially when given after a vaccine.
The problem with acetaminophen is that it depletes the body of glutathione. Glutathione is the master antioxidant of the body which is necessary for proper immune function. The combination of a vaccine which suppresses the immune system and Tylenol which further suppresses the immune system by depleting glutathione, the body is not primed to protect itself against toxins. In addition, a large amount of the population has the MTHFR gene mutation which makes detoxing even more difficult. I believe that the combination of these 3 things specifically (MTHFR mutation, vaccines, and acetaminophen) significantly raises the risk of autism in children.
Fever Support
After a vaccine, a child often will spike a fever as their immune system is stimulated against the antigen. Instead of resorting immediately to Tylenol, check out this full guide for natural supports.
For information on febrile seizures, which are possible after receiving a vaccine, please read through this guide.
Deciding to vaccinate or not is a very personal decision. All I want this guide to accomplish is to help support parents in their decision by offering a way to help protect their kids. I also encourage personal research on the subject.
Sources on Vaccines: Personal research is IMPERATIVE
This is the best starting place.
@katie.pac on Instagram
Katie is a conventionally trained PA yet views health from a natural perspective. She approaches vaccines in an objective and easy to understand manner.
This book discusses the history of vaccines and the diseases that they "protect" against. It is a very technical read but extremely illuminating.
This book was written by a pediatrician Dr. Paul Thomas and is an introduction to a delayed schedule. The author has since changed his views on vaccines, but this book can be a great starting point to asking questions and informed consent.
This is Dr. Paul Thomas's follow-up book with his new viewpoint on vaccines.
This book approaches vaccines from a scientific lens.
The Unvaccinated Child: A Treatment Guide for Parents and Caregivers
One of the scary parts of choosing not to vaccinate is to not know how to treat the illness that vaccines are claimed to protect against. This book goes through each "vaccine-preventable disease" and shows how parents can confidently support and treat their child at home.
*This is not medical advice. It is solely for education and informational purposes.
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