Vaccines & Vaccinations

There was a discussion today on a friend's Facebook wall on this topic... In case there are others who'd like to look into the topic more in-depth, these are notes on the 4 books that we found most helpful in the decision making process. Happy reading. :)

The book we started researching vax with is Dr. Sears' "The Vaccine Book" simply because Dr. Sears is such a well-known/well-trusted pediatrician. It is a quick, easy read, and although a LOT of research is left out, it is meant to be a starting point for parents to make decisions from. He does not say "do" or "don't" on anything. Although he is pro-vax, he is also very much ALTERNATIVE vax - meaning, he (and the other Sears pediatricians) believe that the current APA schedule of vaccinations is too much, too soon, too risky - and often unnecessary or better off without.
http://www.amazon.com/Vaccine-Book-Decision-Parenting-Library/dp/0316017507/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240536178&sr=1-1

"Vaccine Safety Manual: For Concerned Families and Health Professionals" is an excellent *very expansive* book. It should be noted that there are 73 pages - SEVENTY-THREE PAGES - of referenced peer-reviewed medical research studies/empirical journal articles (about 4,015 total studies from renowned sources like the "British Medical Journal" "Pediatrics" "American Journal of Health" "American Journal of Medicine" "Journal of Clinical Virology" "Epidemiology and Infection" "Lancet" "Medical Microbiology and Immunology" "Journal of Immunology" "International Journal of Cancer" "European Journal of Cancer" "American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology" "Canadian Journal of Health" "Medical Journal of Australia" ... you get the picture). Parents and health professionals can go check out the data for themselves if they so choose. Very well documented book. The author, interestingly enough, is a medical researcher and a MENSA member, so he is probably not the dullest knife in the drawer. http://www.amazon.com/Vaccine-Safety-Concerned-Families-Practitioners/dp/1881217353/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240536124&sr=8-1

I also recommend and really like the book, "How to raise a healthy child in spite of your doctor." Although I am sure the title is enough to scare off a lot of parents, it is written by world-renowned pediatrician, Robert Mendelsohn. He really knows his line of work better than anyone and spent his entire life researching, reviewing the research, and working directly with babies/children and the young adults they grew into. There is not as much documentation as in "Vaccine Safety Manual" and Mendelsohn's book is a bit dated, but it is still a good one to add to the list. http://www.amazon.com/Raise-Healthy-Child-Spite-Doctor/dp/0345342763/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240536673&sr=1-1

One final good book on the topic is "Take Charge of your Child's Health" by another renowned physician (family practice) with a specialty in children's health (and father of 11 children himself) Dr. George Wootan. His book has 1 chapter on vaccinations divided into brief descriptions of each vaccine, the disease, the history, the effectiveness, the possible side effects, and the rates of it all. There are about 80 studies cited (with full citations in the back) from which parents can do further research if they choose. http://www.amazon.com/Take-Charge-Your-Childs-Health/dp/156924653X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240537418&sr=1-1