Kristen Bell: "I didn't think I was going to vaccinate my children."

But she realised that would have been her worst decision ever.

Kristen Bell, 34, has two children with husband Dax Shepard, but they were never sure whether vaccinating Lincoln and Delta was the right choice for their family.

In a brilliant essay written for the Huffington Post, Kristen debunks all of the mysteries and half-truths that are spread about vaccinations – and how she came to accept them as the only truth.

Read more: Kristen Bell has recorded a new Frozen song.

Many anti-vaxxers are worried about preservatives and chemicals placed inside vaccines. Kristen was too. So she explains why they are present in such tiny amounts.

You may have heard that vaccines contain mercury. This was a major red flag for me. It turns out that ‘mercury’ is one of those buzzwords that frighten people (myself) without the right information, but shouldn’t in this case. It turns out it’s just a harmless preservative called thimerosal (which doesn’t sound very harmless, I agree), and it is included in very few vaccines still on the market. Thimerosal doesn’t contain the dangerous kind of mercury, and it’s only got a tiny amount that is easy for the body to process and dispose of. There’s less mercury in a vaccine than in a tuna sandwich.

And what about the pesky pharmaceutical companies? Are they ribbing us of all the $$$ during the process of vaccinating?

If that were true, believe me, I would be flipping cop cars in the streets with super-powered mum rage. But it’s quite the contrary. Many paediatricians don’t make money on vaccines at all. In fact, some have to refer patients elsewhere because the costs are too high.

But I don’t trust big pharma. Are they marketing vaccines like they’re marketing Viagra? Well, if it was more of a moneymaker for them, I’m sure they would. Turns out, the pharmaceutical industry makes peanuts on vaccines — they’re only between 2 and 3 percent of the global market. The bottom line is, drug companies make more money when we all stay sicker. Vaccination actually keeps people from needing more of their products.

Kristen also addresses mythical connection between autism and vaccinations.

Some side effects are so rare that it is impossible to tell if they are actually side effects of vaccines, or just coincidences. Interestingly, autism doesn’t fall into that category. Autism occurs frequently enough that it can be studied, and it has been — extensively. During my search for information I have found that the overwhelming majority of medical scientists agree that there is absolutely no causal link between autism and vaccination. I know this can be a big one for many, though, so here are a few more articles to read if you are concerned about autism and vaccines.

It takes a lot of courage to speak publicly about the fact you were wrong. Which is exactly what Ms. Bell suggests in her essay. She needed all the facts, and upon finding them, knew that vaccinations were not only safe, but necessary.

As to the benefits of vaccinations, it has been proven; they work. That’s enough for me to climb up on a soap box, make some ugly cardboard sign in my garage, and let other mothers know that it’s safe, important, and bigger than emotion: It’s the truth.

You can read the full article here.