A local chiropractor is again hosting an event that includes speakers with histories of questioning the safety of vaccines.
The Vermont Natural Health Expo kicks off Friday at The Lodge at Spruce Peak in Stowe, and will include presenters who will offer talks on the many ways to improve your health without taking medication.
“We have solutions. They exist,” said Dr. Bradley Rauch, a chiropractor in Stowe and the organizer of the event. “I don’t believe they exist within the current realm of mainstream health care.”
In 2017, Rauch hosted an event in Stowe that drew criticism and protesters because it included speakers who questioned the efficacy and safety of vaccination. Two years later, some of those speakers are returning, and will be joined by others who share that view.
The event comes as the United States in the midst of its largest measles outbreak since 1994. This year, as of May 3, there had been 764 confirmed cases in 23 states. While most patients fully recover, some face blindness, brain damage and even death.
While there hasn’t been a case of measles in Vermont this year, there have been cases in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York.
“This is not an anti-vaccination event,” Rauch said. “This is about being well.”
Indeed, the event offers speakers who are expected to discuss good nutrition, yoga, medication and mindfulness. However, the event will feature no fewer than five people whose assertions about vaccination run contrary to the conclusions and guidance offered by the World Health Organization and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the interest of not spreading misinformation, the Stowe Reporter has decided not to repeat the claims made by the speakers. However, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control offer an abundance of studies showing that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks.
Rauch said he doubts the conclusions reached by the scientific establishment.
“When the CDC says the science is settled, the science is never settled,” Rauch said. “Science is investigation, and what we thought was true 30 years ago, we’re finding was wrong.”
Among the most high-profile speakers scheduled is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose prior activism included co-founding the environmental group Waterkeeper Alliance. In recent years, Kennedy has set his sights on vaccination.
Whether the speakers will address vaccines is anyone’s guess. Rauch said that, while he chose the speakers, he didn’t set any parameters for what they can discuss and has not reviewed their presentations.
“I’m not going to stifle free speech,” he said.
The expo is May 10 and 11 at the Lodge at Spruce Peak, and registration is listed at $197 at uhpseminars.com.