Don't Retract Pack

Vaccines & Vaccinations

We frequently receive letters from parents wishing to research vaccines and vaccinations prior to their next child's birth. Locally, we hold meetings to discuss the topic, and occasionally review books and research in a community setting. These are the books parents have told us are the most helpful in their decision making process. They are some of the most research based and not extremist or 'radical' either for or against vaccinations. Collectively, they simply present a good base of the literature and facts surrounding natural immunization, vaccination, the vaccines we have as options today, and the diseases currently present in our world.

The book we started researching vaccines and vaccination 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 CDC schedule of vaccinations is too much, too soon, too risky - and often unnecessary or better off without.


Vaccine Safety Manual: For Concerned Families and Health Professionals is an excellent *very expansive* book. It should be noted that there are 73 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 are able to 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.


We also recommend and enjoy the book, How to raise a healthy child in spite of your doctor. Although the title is enough to scare off some, it is written by world-renowned pediatrician, Robert Mendelsohn. He truly 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 here 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 for making an overall choice in vaccination selection.


One final good book on the topic is Take Charge of your Child's Health by another renowned physician with a specialty in children's health (and father of 11 children himself): Dr. George Wootan. His book has one chapter on vaccinations divided into brief descriptions of each vaccine, the disease, the history, the effectiveness, the possible side effects, and statistics. There are about 80 studies cited (with full citations in the back) from which parents can do further research if they choose.

[This book also has an exceptional chapter on breastfeeding and baby feeding & nutrition, as well as several other aspects of baby health.]

Two additional books we've not yet reviewed but have heard good things about from other peaceful parenting readers and trusted sources include:





*For natural means of boosting immunity, check out some of the resources on the Breastfeeding Books page.


Vaccine Book Collection found here on Amazon.

8 comments:

  1. Thank you for this!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dr. Mendelsohns book is the one I am sure to lend or gift to every new parent!! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ive read 3 of these books and nothing comes closer to a vaccine awareness book than "Evidence of Harm" by David Kirby. I highly recommend it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Two books that I found helpful that are not on your list are:

    "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations" by Stephanie Cave & Deborah Mitchell is a good resource. I have bought numerous used copies from Amazon for super cheap to give to people who have asked me about my decision to no longer vaccinate after my first daughter's reaction at four months.

    AND... See More

    Dr. Sherri Tenpenny's book "Saying No to Vaccines"
    http://www.sayingnotovaccines.com/
    It has over 350+ references.

    Also, her DVD, "Vaccines: The Risks, The Benefits, The Choices" is great too. I got a used copy off ebay for half price.

    ReplyDelete
  5. In Australia we are blessed by a very studious homoeopathy expert who has well researched homoepathic immunisation ; from his website: (www.homstudy.net)
    "Isaac is a world authority on homoeoprophylaxis - the use of homoeopathic medicines for specific infectious disease prevention, and has undertaken the world's largest long-term study of parents using such a program. In 2004 he completed a PhD research program at the GSIM, Swinburne University , Melbourne , studying homoeoprophylaxis. This is the first time a mainstream Australian University has accepted such a topic for orthodox research. " Well worth looking into for a gentler immunisation, from a mum who has experienced it with her own child.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Another one I would add to this list is Aviva Jill Romm's Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide. She provides history and research on both the vaccines and the diseases they are supposed to protect against and provides info on naturally strengthening and supporting the immune system. It really helped to make sound decisions regarding each vaccine/illness pair on an individual basis.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think you really should include the book "What your doctor may not tell you about children's vaccinations" by Dr. Stephanie Cave. This book cites the pro's and con's based on the research for each vaccination. It also sites the research behind not vaccinating your child with more than one vaccine in a visit to the pediatrician. Why, you ask? Because there is no research data on the safety of vaccinating a child with more than one vaccine in one visit to the pediatrician. I hope this helps. It really is one of the best books out there on this topic for making your own decision as a parent based on the research.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would really love more information on this topic!! I choose to selectively vaccinate and its so hard being bullied by doctors and the community. I've had parents stop being friends with us because they claim my child will get sick first... its a problem.

    ReplyDelete