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The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child (Sears Parenting Library)
 
 
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The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child (Sears Parenting Library) (Paperback)

~ Robert Sears (Author)
Key Phrases: standard side effects, unvaccinated kids, vaccine solution, United States, Sanofi Pasteur, Recommended Vaccine Schedule Birth Hep (more...)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (265 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sears, coauthor of several books in the Sears Parenting series, addresses one of today's most controversial and worrisome questions. Sears' goal is "to give you a balanced look at pros and cons of vaccination so that you can make an educated decision." Sears does not advocate for or rail against vaccination, stating it doesn't have to be an all or nothing decision-there are choices. The first 12 chapters discuss each vaccination in the childhood series, providing explanation of the relative disease, how the vaccine is made and points to assess a child's at-risk level when considering if the vaccine is necessary. Sears does offer guidance for those who are indecisive, offering his opinion based on clinical experience and 13 years of research taken from product inserts, pediatric reference books, articles and databases. Additional chapters illuminate more controversial aspects of the debate, such as how vaccine safety is researched and what the findings are, side effects and how to minimize them, common myths and questions. As always, Sears' tone puts readers at ease as he clearly explains medical terms and elucidates debates.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

An exhaustively researched guidebook. (Newsday )

It's the most evenhanded and thorough look at baby immunizations we've yet seen. (Babytalk )
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (October 22, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0316017507
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316017503
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (265 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #700 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #1 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Basic Sciences > Immunology
    #8 in  Books > Parenting & Families > Parenting > Babies & Toddlers > Infants
    #10 in  Books > Parenting & Families > Family Health

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More About the Author

Robert Sears MD
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Robert Sears MD Page
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
standard side effects, unvaccinated kids, vaccine solution, combo vaccines, vaccine critics, vaccine ingredients, cow serum, vaccine schedule, vaccine side effects, percent fatality rate, vaccine reaction, important vaccine, injected vaccine, rotavirus vaccine
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Sanofi Pasteur, Recommended Vaccine Schedule Birth Hep, Third World, Vaccine American Academy of Pediatrics, South America, The Lancet, Cochrane Collaboration, Product Insert
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child (Sears Parenting Library)
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Customer Reviews

265 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (265 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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183 of 193 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Gives parents the info to make their own decisions, November 6, 2007
As soon as I heard Dr. Bob Sears would be releasing a book to help parents make vaccine decisions, I pre-ordered it and waited two months for it to be published and arrive on my doorstep.

The Vaccine Book was well worth the wait. Finally, I was able to read detailed information about each vaccine choice available for my children. Dr. Sears thoroughly investigates all the options and lays them on the table for parents to decide. I worried that this approach might be a little wishy washy and leave me with more questions than answers, but he manages to get everything out there.

I've read plenty of pro-vax and no-vax literature. Most is either staunchly against any immunizations or suggests that parents should ask no questions and just do what the nice doctor says. There are even a few things written somewhere in between, in which the authors present their recommendations. It's hard to find something that presents all the facts so parents can make educated decisions. This book did it for me.

The Vaccine Book is very readable. Dr. Sears writes in language a layperson like me can easily understand. His conversational style makes it feel like he's sitting and talking to me. He's even a little funny at times. I especially enjoy his use of Star Trek wisdom (p. 220).

He goes through each of the 12 standard vaccine choices and answers the same questions for each vaccine-preventable disease: Is it common? Is it serious? Is it treatable? When is the vaccine given? How is the vaccine made? What ingredients are in the final solution? (Including "Are any of these ingredients controversial?") What are the side effects? Should you give your baby this vaccine? (Includes reasons to get it, reasons some people choose not to, travel considerations, and options to consider when getting it.) He ends each chapter with "The way I see it" summarizing key factors, yet he does not send a message that parents must do it one way or another. He covers special vaccines for travel and combination vaccines that reduce the number of shots given. There's a chapter for parents who decide to delay or decline vaccinations and one called "What Should I Do Now?" He offers Dr. Bob's Alternative Vaccine Schedule near the end of the book. It ends with 20 pages of additional resources in which he summarizes journal articles.

Reading The Vaccine Book left me confident I could make the right vaccination decisions for each of my children.

And a big plus for me: He recognizes breastfeeding as a way to reduce disease risk. On his list of eight ways to boost your child's immune system, "breastfeed" is No. 1.

The web site www.thevaccinebook.com promises online updates to the book as vaccines and data change. There's also a forum, blog and other resources.
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64 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is AWESOME!, October 25, 2007
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I got this book in the mail yesterday and have already finished it. It's great! For each disease, Dr. Sears lists the following questions: What is this disease? Is it common? Is it serious? Is it treatable? When is the vaccine given? How is it made? What ingredients are in the final solution? Are any of these ingredients controversial? What are the side effects? He then lists the reasons to get the vaccine, the reasons NOT to get the vaccine, travel considerations and his own opinion. These are exactly the questions that I wanted answered.

I would say that Dr. Sears is pro-vaccination, but also for a selective/separated vaccination schedule. He provides such a schedule in his book. He also discusses the controversies surrounding some of the ingredients in the vaccines, namely aluminum and human/animal tissues. This section will make any parent pause and question whether they really want these things injected into their child. He drew his information from the medical literature (or lack thereof in some cases). He provides a detailed "Resource" section at the end of the book so that you can pull all of his journal article, if you so choose.

Overall, this book was informative and well-balanced. Dr Sears does not go into great depth with each vaccine, which makes the book light reading, especially for a book on vaccinations. If you would like a more in-depth analysis, I would recommend Aviva Jill Romm's book "Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parents Guide".
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121 of 146 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Frustrating...., November 25, 2007
By J. Miller (Northern VA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This book is well written, well organized, and useful to a degree. Unfortunately all the well organized information comes from the product literature by the pharmaceutical companies and rather depth-lacking governmental data.

If you want regurgitated information in an easy to understand format, this is your book.

I was hoping for more discussion about the more controversial issues, but in the end he generally goes with "conventional wisdom". He often states that there is no research to support some of the concerns parents have, but I believe this lack of research is the root of much concern. His delayed schedule still requires 11 vaccinations before 1 year and most are multiple vaccines per visit at one month intervals.

I will keep looking for a resource that balances up-to-date research with a healthy level of skepticism. Wish me luck.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book
This was a very good book. I liked how it gave you a list of what is in the vaccinations they give. I also like how they are none bias. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Natalia Bossini-smith

5.0 out of 5 stars I Can Breathe A Sigh of Relief
I put off buying this book for quite some time. I knew there was so much free information on the internet, I thought I could just read that information to make an informed... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lindsey

2.0 out of 5 stars Not good enough...
First, I was frustrated that he tried so hard to be buddy-buddy with parents. I don't need a friend, I need a doctor. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Bethany

5.0 out of 5 stars Shows both sides so you can make a truly informed decision.
I constantly refer back to this book all the time. I'm glad I have this in my parenting library. It is well worth it. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Leggy Chick

5.0 out of 5 stars informative and helpful
I was, of course, nervous about my sons upcoming first round of shots. I bought this book not to decide whether or not to vaccinate, but because I had heard it offered a delayed... Read more
Published 3 months ago by S. Gabriel

5.0 out of 5 stars needed help
the most non biased book i could find from a trusted source. i dont know what i would have done without it
Published 3 months ago by G. Malisos

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative but yet still easy to read and understand
I recently purchased (2) books on vaccines. I tried to pick a "Pro" and "Con" book to try and understand both sides of the debate. Read more
Published 3 months ago by A Mazing

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have!
Wonderful book! Finally someone actually has done some research on this topic. He gives us the info and let's us make a decision. Read more
Published 3 months ago by mom of 7

5.0 out of 5 stars The Vaccine Book
This book was wonderfully informational. My husband and I were quite uncertain about which vaccines we should give our new baby girl. Read more
Published 4 months ago by New Mama

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for every parent.
Even if you decide to follow the standard vaccination schedule, this is a great book (remember that this book does not tell you what to do, but it gives you the info you need on... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Miss Mary

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THIS is THE vaccine book to read! 2 October 2007
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