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SIDS, Infant Livers, and the Brainstem: How Vaccine Excipients and Upper Cervical Subluxation May Converge in SIDS

Originally published: 2025-06-12

Overview: Vaccine Safety, Infant Metabolism, and a Troubling Blind Spot

A new study by Goldman and Cheng (International Journal of Medical Sciences, 2025) sheds light on a biological vulnerability long overlooked in public health: the underdeveloped state of liver enzymes in infants—and the role these enzymes play in metabolizing vaccine excipients. The paper highlights how inflammation, genetic polymorphisms, and developmental immaturity in cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes may increase the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs).

As Nicolas Hulscher, MPH, summarized in commentary on the study:

“Vaccines may trigger sudden infant death syndrome via brainstem failure.”

Hulscher outlines a mechanism in which impaired detoxification leads to inflammation and neurological disruption, ultimately affecting breathing control during sleep. Goldman and Cheng’s work provides a detailed scientific foundation for this concern.

Immature Liver Enzymes and Genetic Risk

The foundation of the hypothesis is the well-documented immaturity of CYP450 enzyme systems in newborns:

“CYP450 enzyme activity is typically at 30–60% of adult levels at birth…with maturation occurring gradually over the first few years of life.”

Preterm infants are at even greater risk:

“Certain term infants generally have a broader range of normal to ultrarapid metabolism. Some preterm infants…may express functional CYP3A5, influencing their metabolizer status.”

Hulscher emphasizes this immaturity as the starting point of the risk cascade.

Vaccine Excipients and Metabolic Bottlenecks

Vaccines contain excipients such as:

These are not metabolized in the same way as traditional drugs, yet the study notes:

“Although vaccine excipients are present at reduced or trace levels per dose, cumulative exposure from multiple vaccines administered in early infancy could exceed safe thresholds in infants with CYP450 polymorphisms.”

The authors call for additional toxicological research, particularly regarding formaldehyde and Polysorbate 80, which they describe as requiring:

“Continued pharmacokinetic and toxicological research…to assess their impact on CYP450 enzymes, metabolic pathways, neurodevelopment, and long-term safety.”

Inflammation Further Suppresses Detoxification

Vaccines are designed to stimulate an immune response—but this immune activation comes with the production of cytokines, which the study shows can suppress detox enzymes:

“Cytokine-mediated CYP450 suppression may alter drug metabolism… Given infants’ immature metabolic pathways, repeated exposures could have cumulative effects.”

This leads to what Hulscher calls “a compounding of toxic and inflammatory burden”—a concept echoed in the paper’s warning that:

“Aluminum-induced immune responses can lead to cytokine release, which has been shown to downregulate certain CYP450 enzymes like CYP3A4 and CYP2C19.”

Brainstem and Serotonin Disruption

Perhaps the most alarming finding is the potential link to fatal respiratory failure in sleep, known as SIDS. The study notes:

“The most consistent neurochemical abnormality in SIDS cases…involves the medullary 5-HT (serotonin) system, implicated in approximately 70% of cases.”

The authors suggest that prolonged exposure to cytokines and other byproducts—due to impaired metabolism—could:

“Exacerbate disruptions in the 5-HT system, potentially impairing respiratory and autonomic regulation in vulnerable infants.”

Hulscher frames it bluntly: Brainstem control of breathing fails, and the infant never wakes up.

Temporal Clustering of SIDS After Vaccination

The authors analyzed SIDS reports in the VAERS database and found a striking pattern:

“Approximately 75% of [SIDS] reports occurred within the first week, with a peak on day two.”

This challenges the idea that post-vaccine deaths are random or coincidental:

“If these deaths were simply coincidental, we would expect a more uniform daily distribution of reports.”

Hulscher reiterates this:

“SIDS deaths peak on Day 2 post-vaccine. This timing is not random.”

Beyond SIDS: Long-Term Neurodevelopmental Risks

Goldman and Cheng cite a large Medicaid-based study showing significantly higher rates of neurodevelopmental disorders in vaccinated versus unvaccinated preterm children:

“Vaccinated preterms exhibited significantly elevated odds of ASD (OR 3.14)… learning disorders (OR 9.84)… encephalopathy (OR 7.12) relative to unvaccinated preterms.”

They link these risks to both genetic variability and enzymatic immaturity, noting:

“Polymorphisms in CYP3A4, CYP2C19, and CYP1A2 could impair detoxification of environmental toxicants…both implicated in neurodevelopmental delays.”

The Call for Personalized Vaccine Schedules

Rather than abandon vaccination altogether, the authors advocate for pharmacogenetic screening and individualized immunization:

“Pharmacogenetic screening could offer a more personalized approach to immunization… Integrating pharmacogenomics into vaccine risk assessment could pave the way for a precision-based immunization strategy.”

Hulscher agrees: standardized schedules should not be blindly applied to infants with known metabolic vulnerabilities.

Chiropractic Insight: The Upper Cervical Spine, Brainstem Function, and SIDS

Long before metabolic studies began identifying inflammation-induced brainstem dysfunction as a possible cause of SIDS, chiropractors have raised concerns about mechanical interference in the upper cervical spine—particularly at the atlanto-occipital and atlanto-axial joints. These regions house the medulla oblongata and lower brainstem, which regulate autonomic functions such as breathing and heart rate.

Chiropractic case reports and clinical studies have documented how vertebral subluxations in the upper cervical spine may impact neurological function, especially in neonates and infants. Observed improvements in infants receiving upper cervical adjustments have included:

In the context of SIDS, chiropractors theorize that subluxation-related mechanical tension or misalignment at the craniocervical junction may interfere with brainstem signaling involved in respiratory control—possibly compounding the metabolic and inflammatory stresses highlighted in the Goldman and Cheng study.

From this perspective, chiropractic care offers a structural complement to the biochemical and genetic considerations already under investigation.

Chiropractic Clinical Application: Assessment and Care

For chiropractors, this reinforces the importance of:

Chiropractors are uniquely trained to detect and correct subluxations that may interfere with brainstem function and autonomic balance. While this does not replace medical evaluation, it provides a valuable, safe, and often underutilized approach to improving neurological resilience in infants—especially during the high-risk first year of life.

“When you consider that both mechanical and metabolic factors may converge on the brainstem, the chiropractic role becomes not just complementary—but essential.”

-Matthew McCoy DC, MPH

Conclusion: Biology First, Not Bureaucracy

The Goldman-Cheng study—and the growing commentary surrounding it—suggests a fundamental reframing of infant vaccine safety is needed. Biology, not bureaucracy, must guide policy. If some infants are biologically unable to clear certain substances due to genetic or developmental factors, one-size-fits-all schedules are not just outdated—they're dangerous.

“Current vaccination schedules…do not fully account for individual variability in metabolism.”
— Goldman & Cheng, 2025

To protect the most vulnerable, personalized medicine must begin at birth—and chiropractic evaluations of the upper cervical spine may offer one more way to support safe, healthy neurological development during that critical window.

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