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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 346 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
265 of 282 found the following review helpful:
 Gives parents the info to make their own decisions Nov 07, 2007
By Sue Stuever Battel
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.
82 of 94 found the following review helpful:
This book is AWESOME! Oct 25, 2007
By Dan Casselman
"dan and rachel"
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".
108 of 131 found the following review helpful:
 Provides good research, but I don't agree with all his conclusions Nov 30, 2007
By Tenna Merchent
I really liked this book. It is written by a mainstream, famous medical doctor. He's the darling of La Leche League, has written several books, and been on TV. He provides a lot of good research as to why we don't need to follow the traditional vaccine schedule.
Chapter 1-A note to fellow physicians
He says "we receive little information on vaccines, other than that they are safe and effective..." He also says that a number of pediatricians have dismissed families who won't vaccinate, and that goes against what the American Academy of Pediatricians says a doctor should do. Instead, continued refusal to vaccinate after adequate discussion should be respected, and doctors should avoid dismissing patients from their practice simply because they don't vaccinate.
I don't like the order he uses to discuss each vaccine. If I were doing it, I would have gone in the order the vaccines are given. I have no idea how he chose his order. But chapter 2 is about the HIB.
Chapter 2-haemophilus influenzae type B and the HIB vaccine
Haemophilus influenzae type B is a bacterium that normally remains in the nose, ears or throat and only causes cold symptoms. Only rarely does it invade further into the body, but it can on occasion and has been know to cause serious illness such as meningitis, blood infections, bone infections and pneumonia. There are only about 25 serious cases a year today, although in the `80s there were about 200,000 cases per year. Of the serious cases there is about a 5% fatality rate and in 25% of the cases there is residual brain damage. A serious infection is rare beyond age 3. It is treated with intravenous antibiotics.
In vaccine trials more babies who received the vaccine caught a serious infection than the unvaccinated.
Dr. Sears also points out that a breastfed baby that does not go to day care is at particularly low risk of contracting this illness.
He says on page 11 that to be get protection from a vaccine, for instance in the case of travel, you need to have it 3 months prior to the event.
Some versions of the HIB have aluminum as high as 1500 micrograms. He discusses aluminum in great detail later. He points out on page 195 that a toxic dose of aluminum for a newborn can be as low as 10 to 20 micrograms.
Unfortunately, even given all this information, he still recommends this particular vaccine, which I disagree with.
This is just a synopsis of 2 chapters, there are 17 others, most of them with loads of good information. There are several vaccines that he does not think are necessary and he provides detailed insight into why. I do recommend you read this book, but don't just blindly follow his advice. Look at the facts yourself before you decide if the risk is worth it.
If you are interested in the vaccine debate, I also recommend Vaccines: What CDC Documents and Science Reveal. It is an excellent DVD created by a mainstream ER doctor who stumbled across the vaccine debate, and became obsessed with it. I like it because there are some people who simply won't take the time to read a book on vaccines, but they will watch a DVD. Hopefully, you will do both.
172 of 211 found the following review helpful:
 Frustrating.... Nov 25, 2007
By J. Miller
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.
29 of 33 found the following review helpful:
 A very middle of the road view May 14, 2008
By C. Lewis
I am a holistic health practitioner specializing in children's care. I like to provide reference books for parents who are looking at taking back control of their family's health by learning about alternatives to the Western medical model. A lot of parents have concerns about vaccinations these days, and since I fully support the Attachment Parenting model that Dr. Sears espouses, I was looking forward to the views presented in this book on childhood vaccinations. What I found in this book was a very middle of the road and cautionary view on limiting vaccinations. Dr. Sears simply restates the information found on the vaccine packages, inserts, and governmental information already out there. While he does state his personal opinions as to how effective or dangerous these vaccinations are, most of his opinions are still in favor of the recommended vaccination schedule of the CDC. There was very little information included in the book from independent researchers on the efficacy and dangers of vaccines. However, he does include some good information, such as an ingredient list of each vaccine, vaccination schedules, sides effects, and travel considerations. This book took the tone of a doctor trying to not stir the waters within his own profession, but also trying to be compassionate to the concerns of his patients. Overall, it came out feeling a little flat. I would recommend The Vaccine Guide by Randall Neustaedter OMD in addition to this book if people are looking for more information from the holistic side of the fence.
See all 346 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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The
Importance Of Lighting In Interior Design
by Jessica Ackerman
Everyone knows how important
paint color, furniture choices and artwork are to
interior design. One aspect of design that is often
overlooked, however, is lighting. Lighting not only
affects the brightness of the room, but it can also
change the way a paint color looks, cast shadows in ways
that make the room seem smaller and have an impact on
the presentation of art work.
There is no light like
natural light. If you are buying, building or
remodeling, opt for as much natural light as possible.
Oversized windows and skylights are two ways to get the
most natural light. Of course, not everyone is in the
position to be able to do that, so you'll have to work
with what you have.
How much natural light do
you get in your room? If the room in question faces
north, you won't get as much natural sunlight as you
would in a southern facing room. Rooms that face south
get bright, natural light throughout the day. Rooms that
face east will only have good natural light in the
morning hours and western facing rooms will have the
most light during the afternoon.
Once you are familiar
with how much natural light is in each room, you'll be
able to make informed choices about what additional
lighting may be necessary. Keep in mind that rooms with
little or no natural light will need artificial lighting
- even during the day - in order to look their best.
Here are some types of lighting to consider.
1. Accent Lighting
Accent lighting is
perfect when you want to showcase a piece of art or a
special piece of furniture or other item. Since light
draws the eye, it will bring attention to the features
in your room that you wish to highlight.
2. Hanging Light Features
Chandeliers and smaller
hanging lamps can be beautiful as well as functional. A
trip to the local home improvement store will quickly
show you how overwhelming the choices can be. You'll
want to select lighting that blends in with your
existing dÃÂécor. For example, a crystal chandelier in a
country themed dining room probably isn't the best
option. If you don't choose carefully, your lighting may
stick out like a sore thumb and become more of an
eyesore than a lovely accent.
3. Recessed Lighting
Recessed lighting is a
good choice for a room that needs extra light throughout
the day. Because the lighting won't interfere with the
existing decor, it can work in almost any room. It
provides abundant light without taking up a lot of space
or interfering with other aspects of the room.
4. Lamps
Using lamps are a way to
add not only additional lighting, but also punches of
color. If possible, see how much light the lamp gives
off before leaving the store. Many lamps serve as
decoration more than as a light source and give off very
little light. If you love the lamp, but it doesn't give
off quite enough light, consider changing the shade
which will usually solve the problem.
When decorating your
home, remember how important lighting is, and give it
the same thought and attention you give to the other
details of decorating your home.
About the Author
Jessica Ackerman is the
featured author at Wall DÃÂécor and Home Accents. Shop today
for great deals on
metal wall sculpture ,
home
accents and more unique wall dÃÂécor products.
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