WHAT YOUR DOCTOR MAY NOT TELL YOU ABOUT (TM): CHILDREN'S VACCINATIONS (What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About...(Paperback))

This book was incredibly helpful in reading through the various vaccines. Even though it is about 10 years old now, the information is still timely for the most part. My husband and I don't have kids yet and haven't quite settled on which vaccines our kids will and won't get, but they will be few. I thought Dr. Cave's explanations were concise and ordered, and easy to follow. I believe this is a book I can keep on my shelf as a reference, and I would readily lend it out to friends. If you are reading this review, then you are likely at least taking a second look at vaccines. Please read the book and do your research before letting your child one receive more shot. Also, do NOT default to your doctor. Hear what your Dr. has to say and get a second opinion on your own. There are too many doctors who have their hands tied by insurance and the CDC that they will not truly speak their mind about vaccines or even TELL you that you DO have the right to refuse vaccines for your child. If you let your child get shots, you MUST be informed. Read this book to become informed. __________________ UPDATE 4 years (and 2 kids) later: We are a non vaccinating family, and plan to remain that way! As a follow-up to my initial review, I'd still recommend this book if you are JUST starting to reconsider the current vaccination schedule. If you have already read a good bit and made some decisions, this book *might not* add very much and will not get into some of the deeper issues of why someone may choose another route. The book had value for me to get me started on the overwhelming subject of vaccines. For example, we do not vaccinate partially because I am not overly concerned about the illnesses my children could get that are otherwise vaccinated against. This book aided in teaching me about those illnesses and as a result, realizing the diseases/illnesses my children would be potentially exposed to are not death threats (read: I wouldn't want my children to get polio but it's extremely unlikely they would ever be exposed to it with where we live today (ie not Africa); diphtheria used to be a deadly disease (about 20% death rate) but with today's sanitation, it is non existent per the CDC. Etc etc.). On the other hand, another facet to our decision dealt with the idea of the benefit of childhood illnesses and exercising the immune system before adulthood to be more resilient IN adulthood, and leaving the body as God designed it. That, of course, is a personal perspective on health so I wouldn't expect that to come out in an informational book. I'd say the opinions are on the fence more than a book totally for or totally against vaccines - which is good. You need some matter-of-fact information and you as a parent need to discern the right choice for your family. If you're uneasy about vaccines as they are given today and want to start investigating the subject, reading this book is a great place to start.

I purchased numerous books on this subject. This was one of my top go to books. The way it is written in detail and the info it offers is very helpful in trying to decide on what if any vaccines to do. I have referred back to this numerous times and have loaned it out to family and friends to help them make an educated decision and not blindly follow the masses. Very happy that I bought this and wish I had the money to purchase more and just leave these all over the doctors office and public places. People should be aware what they are pumping into their baby's little body. There are 16 chapters and they are as follows with a brief description of what the chapter includes: 1. The story of Vaccines This chapter talks about what a vaccine is, and explains the 2 types of immunity. 1 being natural immunity and the 2nd. being from a vaccine. It talks about live/dead viruses in vaccines and discusses diseases that vaccines helped to reduce from society. 2. How safe are vaccines? Talks about the ingredients in vaccines, suchas chemicals like aluminum, benzethonium chloride, formaldehyde (which by the way is a known carcinogen) and it talks about multiple doses given in one visit 3. Mercury in Vaccines, Shots of danger? It goes into depth about mercury and thimerosal and the known side effects on the nervous system 4. The autism debate It talks about what autism is, issues with ADD and/or ADHD and gives case studies of children that were effected by mercury from vaccines 5. WHen the body attacks itself, autoimmune disorders It talks about diabetes, asthma, GI disorders being on the rise with possible connections to over doses of vaccines and case studies The following 7 chapters go into detail about the disease, the vaccine, case studies, effectiveness of vaccines on these diseases 6. Hepatitis B Vaccine 7. DTP/DTap 8. Hib (Haemophilus Influenzae) Type B Vaccine 9. Polio 10. MMR 11. Varicella (chicken pox) 12. Other vaccines (this chapter talks about Hep A, Flu, Lyme, and a few for world travelers) The following 4 chapters discuss pretty much the title of the chapter. 13. Vaccines of the future, sooner than you think? 14. Parents, the law, and Insurance companies 15. What you can do to ensure your child's safety 16. The Vaccine Adverse events reporting system I truly loved this book. It is full of documented case evidence, uses science backed data, and it written in a way that you do not need to be a medical guru to understand what the risks, dangers, and/or benefits are. I reference this book often and the family and friends that I've loaned it to thought it was very educational and helpful.

After my infant daughter had an immediate physical reaction and a prolonged, 4-week neurological reaction to her routine 4-month vaccinations, I began searching for information about vaccines and safety that would help me determine the best, safest course of action with future vaccines. Searching the internet yielded an enormous amount of information - some of which is very alarmist and frightening and some of which is overly scientific and hard for a non-scientific parent to understand. It is very difficult to find information that is easy to understand, balanced presenting both the pros and the cons, and is comprehensive, facts-based and well-researched. This book is by far the most comprehensive and most useful information contained in a single cover that I have found. An added benefit is that the information is presented in such a way that it is a very compelling read - I read the 1st 100 pages within 3 hours after my amazon box arrived - while tending to a busy, crawling infant! Who Can Benefit from this Book? I believe that this book is a must read for all parents. Given that vaccinations are mandated by law it is very important for parents to understand as much as they can about vaccines. Parents have a responsibility to themselves, their children and our shared community to be informed on these matters. The subject of vaccines and their safety is much too complex for any pediatrician to adequately address with each individual parent that they serve. The most time I've spent with my pediatrician in a single visit is about 15-20 minutes max. The pros, cons, history of vaccines, past study findings, current research, etc., cannot be covered in such a short amount of time. As someone who is a proponent of vaccination programs and who believes strongly in doing what is best for the greater good in terms of public health, I found that the general statement from the medical staff at my pediatrician's office, that vaccines are safe and reactions are very rare, was not sufficient for me. I needed to know more, and thanks to this book now I do. If you are a parent, even if your children have already been vaccinated, you will benefit from the knowledge gained by reading this book.

I read "What Your Doctor May Not Tell..." in a flurry of anxiety in the weeks leading up to the first scheduled vaccination. The book is meticulously researched and well organized. Each vaccine has its own chapter that details the disease and the history of the particular vaccine. In addition, each chapter has a summary of existing research on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. There are also moving vignettes that describe childrens' adverse reactions to vaccines and speculation on the connection of chronic syndromes such as autism to a particular vaccine. Finally, the author provides her opinions and insights regarding the usefulness and safety of each vaccine. What makes this book somewhat problematic is that real dangers (older versions of vaccines and rare adverse reactions to vaccines) are mixed in with speculative dangers. The author connects the upsetting stories of autism-revealed with speculation on the dangers of vaccines. The combination is powerful and scary -- but not actually informative. In the end, I felt manipulated both by the book and by our pediatrician's description of the symptoms of whooping cough. Its hard to make decisions about your child's well being. This book helps you become informed regarding vaccines and the diseases they (hopefully) prevent. Unfortunately, you may have to work a bit harder than necessary to separate fact from speculation.

4 months ago my son had a scheduled vaccination with his pediatrician. He had contracted covid at 5 months of age and had a very low immune system following. So at 16 months of age we were really behind on getting his vaccinations up to date. His dr suggested giving him multiples of 3 at a time to catch him up since he was so far behind. He received D-tap / Hep B & Influenza all in one visit... following his shot I noticed he began spacing out.. for weeks he would stare into space and his personality began to change... his immune system went down drastically and had multiple colds in the weeks following. I knew very little about vaccines and really wish I would have done my research prior to him getting them... everyone seems to pressure first time parents on getting your child vaccinated without telling you all the risks and side affects to some of these vaccines. This book speaks in layman's terms ... very easy to comprehend ... it lays it all out for you the pros and cons and equips the reader with the appropriate information to make a sound decision for their child.

Before I read this book, I thought that people who refused all vaccination were a bit on the extreme side. I wanted a book that examined ALL angles of the vaccination issue, I wanted just facts not opinions. I thought I'd at least come off picking and choosing my own vaccination option and schedule. Boy was I wrong! Not only was I wrong, I was FURIOUS! I can't believe how much information has not been disclosed and swept under the rug about vaccinations. The research that this author has done is INVALUABLE to every parent and I really believe that every parent needs to know the whole truth and then make an informed decision. This book tells you the complications of each disease (of which there is a vaccination), who does it affect and probability, the insurmountable findings and studies done (for and against), the risks associated with the vaccination, how the vaccine is made and composed of (shocking), and the medical and governmental concerns. In the end, I chose to stop vaccinating my child but it may be different for you as it has been for other readers and that's fine. That's what this book is for -- making an INFORMED decision.

I love how this book is organized. It was very informative and sheds some much-needed, honest light on the vaccine issue. As a soon-to-be mom, I wish there was more fruitful, honest discussion like this in the national conversation about vaccines. I just can't read blogs anymore because the issue has become so polarized. I find I immediately stop listening as soon as someone makes a blanket statement to the effect of "all vaccines are safe" and equally when people are so adamantly opposed to vaccines. The truth and reality is so much more complicated than that, each person's biology is so unique and each person's genetics predispose them to different types of risk. For some kids, vaccines are safe, for others they are deadly. Once we accept that a one-size-fits all approach will never work in medicine, we can start having meaningful discussion on how to best move forward. Everyone deserves the right to be safe and healthy, I think that is one point everyone can agree on. Dr. Cave does a great job of dissecting the issue and giving useful information so parents can make informed choices for their families. I couldn't recommend this book enough for parents or anyone interested in the vaccine debate. I hope there is an updated version soon :-) Its amazing how much changes in 5 years!

I've read almost every book on vaccine safety and this one is by far the best. The information is presented in an easy-to read format which is great for reference. Also, Dr. Cave is a pediatrician - many of the other books out there are written by people with no medical credentials whatsoever. Dr. Cave is not anti-vaccination in all cases, nor is she pro-vaccination. The information she presents encourages parents to be equal partners with their doctor in deciding which vaccinations to give (or not to give) their child and also provides her own recommendations on WHEN to vaccinate, which is alone worth the price of the book. Also supplied are a list of resources to get more information on filing religious exemptions and many other topics. I wish I knew about this book when my first child was born five years ago - I would have done things much differently. I think this book is a must read for all parents.

Awesome insights . It covers both the side of vaccinations . Great information

We need as parents to take time to find out and understand everything that involves our children's health...to make an intelligent decision and not just accept and take what the system tells us. There hidden agendas and believe me without going too deep just ask what are the safest options for vaccines if you still want to go that path. I discovered this book because I was searching for answers about my son and his ADD diagnosis...I am not looking guilty parts BUT I AM LOOKING TO UNDERSTAND AND TO KNOW HOW I CAN HELP MY SON!!! but discover things!!! I recommend this book BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW!!!

good counter perspective on vaccines. interesting that it pretty much matches the layout of the pro-vax book written by a provax doctor. not sure who copied who but being able to read one after the other brought both sides of the issue to the table.

Es lohnt sich Wirklich. Dieses Buch ist gut recherchiert und erschütternd. Reden sie mit dem Arzt eurer Kinder und zeigen sie ihm dieses Buch.

The first time I questioned vaccines was when I saw a group on Facebook about unvaccinated children, which made me think "why would you NOT vaccinate your child?' I started to research the subject and ended up ordering this book. Its a MUST. Its written simply and informatively, not saying DO or DO NOT, but giving you the info to make an informed choice.