Starting in the mid-1800s, there was a steady drop in deaths from all infectious diseases, decreasing to relatively minor levels by the early 1900s. The history of that transformation involves famine, poverty, filth, lost cures, eugenicist doctrine, individual freedoms versus state might, protests and arrests over vaccine refusal, and much more. But the authors shows that vaccines, antibiotics, and other medical interventions are not responsible for the increase in lifespan and the decline in mortality from infectious diseases.
Public health officials state that vaccines are safe and effective, but the truth is far more complicated. Vaccination is a serious medical intervention that always carries the potential to injure and cause death as well as to prevent disease. Coercive vaccination policies deprive people of free and informed consent—the hallmark of ethical medicine. Americans are increasingly concerned about vaccine safety and the right to make individual, informed choices together with their healthcare practitioners. Vaccine Epidemic focuses on the searing debate surrounding individual and parental vaccination choice in the United States. Habakus, Holland, and Rosenberg edit and introduce a diverse array of interrelated topics concerning the explosive vaccine controversy, including the ethics of vaccination mandates, corrupting conflicts of interest in the national vaccine program, and personal narratives of parents, children, and soldiers who have suffered vaccine injury. Newly updated with additional chapters focusing on institutional scientific misconduct, mandates for healthcare workers, concerns about HPV vaccine development, and the story behind the Supreme Court’s recent vaccine decision, Vaccine Epidemic remains the essential handbook for the vaccination choice movement and required reading for all people contemplating vaccination for themselves and their children.
Vaccines save millions of lives every year, and one man, Maurice Hilleman, was responsible for nine of the big fourteen. Paul Offit recounts his story and the story of vaccines Maurice Hilleman discovered nine vaccines that practically every child gets, rendering formerly dread diseases—including often devastating ones such as mumps and rubella—practically forgotten. Paul A. Offit, a vaccine researcher himself, befriended Hilleman and, during the great man’s last months, interviewed him extensively about his life and career. Offit makes an eloquent and compelling case for Hilleman’s importance, arguing that, like Jonas Salk, his name should be known to everyone. But Vaccinated is also enriched and enlivened by a look at vaccines in the context of modern medical science and history, ranging across the globe and throughout time to take in a fascinating cast of hundreds, providing a vital contribution to the continuing debate over the value of vaccines.
From the celebrated author of Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich explores how we are killing ourselves to live longer, not better. A razor-sharp polemic which offers an entirely new understanding of our bodies, ourselves, and our place in the universe, Natural Causes describes how we over-prepare and worry way too much about what is inevitable. One by one, Ehrenreich topples the shibboleths that guide our attempts to live a long, healthy life -- from the importance of preventive medical screenings to the concepts of wellness and mindfulness, from dietary fads to fitness culture. But Natural Causes goes deeper -- into the fundamental unreliability of our bodies and even our "mind-bodies," to use the fashionable term. Starting with the mysterious and seldom-acknowledged tendency of our own immune cells to promote deadly cancers, Ehrenreich looks into the cellular basis of aging, and shows how little control we actually have over it. We tend to believe we have agency over our bodies, our minds, and even over the manner of our deaths. But the latest science shows that the microscopic subunits of our bodies make their own "decisions," and not always in our favor. We may buy expensive anti-aging products or cosmetic surgery, get preventive screenings and eat more kale, or throw ourselves into meditation and spirituality. But all these things offer only the illusion of control. How to live well, even joyously, while accepting our mortality -- that is the vitally important philosophical challenge of this book. Drawing on varied sources, from personal experience and sociological trends to pop culture and current scientific literature, Natural Causes examines the ways in which we obsess over death, our bodies, and our health. Both funny and caustic, Ehrenreich then tackles the seemingly unsolvable problem of how we might better prepare ourselves for the end -- while still reveling in the lives that remain to us.
Realize your true potential, dissolve the ego limitations, learn how to master your emotions, and awaken your inner genius with this groundbreaking self-development book from renowned psychiatrist, clinician, and spiritual teacher, David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. How does one traverse the spiritual landscape to move beyond suffering to experience the peace and love of God, to transcend illusion and realize the state of enlightenment? In this collection of inspiring passages from Dr. David R. Hawkins’s work, you’ll learn the illusory nature of the personal self (identification of the ego/mind) and the direct pathways to transcend the ego/mind’s trappings. “I consider myself a student of David Hawkins and return to his books and work time and time again. His wisdom deeply resonates with my lived experiences; he is often able to beautifully articulate what I cannot put into words.” – Vex King This pocket edition is designed especially for today’s spiritual student on the go, to inspire contemplation and reflection during a break at work, while hiking in the woods, during a quiet coffee-shop moment, on an airplane, with a partner—in whatever environment one finds oneself. Dissolving the Ego, Realizing the Self is a reliable companion on your quest toward higher truth. Dr. David Hawkins takes you on an enlightening journey of understanding the intricate workings of the mind and ego, culminating in a groundbreaking explanation of consciousness. You’ll learn how to: · Master your emotions with practical strategies and insights. · Attract positivity and abundance in your life. · Harness your personal power without resorting to force. · Heal the mind and soul for a healthier, happier existence. This motivational book seamlessly merges spirituality, psychology, and business principles, making it an essential read for anyone interested in philosophy, human behavior, leadership, and success. Experience a paradigm shift in your journey towards self-realization by immersing yourself in the wisdom of Dr. David Hawkins. Allow your consciousness to soar as you step towards a more enlightened and fulfilling life.
The CDC’s bloated vaccine schedule has doubled since 1988, after the federal government gave pharmaceutical companies immunity from lawsuits. Autism and other childhood disorders like asthma, ADHD, juvenile diabetes and digestive ailments have skyrocketed. And parents are understandably nervous, desperate for objective guidance that takes those concerns seriously. Vaccines 2.0 looks at the lengthy roster of today’s recommended injections, the documented risks that accompany them, and helps parents choose a schedule based on unbiased, uncensored, unconflicted science. From whether to get a flu shot during pregnancy--and how to avoid dangerous mercury if you do--to the Hep B shot within hours of birth, to the controversial Gardasil vaccine for preteens, Vaccines 2.0/i> provides the tools to decide for yourself. The three sections cover: Why should you care? What should you know? What can you do? The exclusive Risk-Reward Assessment assigns a numerical score to each of the 14 recommended vaccines. Also included is information on learning to spot, report and treat side effects; talking to your doctor and finding a sympathetic one if you can't, and comparing alternative schedules if you decide to delay or skip shots. When it comes to your child, it's your choice. Vaccines 2.0 will give you the information you need to choose wisely.
Every week, tens of thousands of children across America are injected with the DPT (diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus) vaccine. The law requires it, and most children will get four DPT shots before they are two years old. But what if one of the components of the vaccine was not safe? What if it caused not only pain, swelling, screaming, and high fever, but also shock, convulsions, brain damage, and even death? And, to make matters worse, what if there were a safer alternative but parents didn't know about it? Wouldn't the government require the drug manufacturers to produce the safer vaccine to protect the lives of the children who might otherwise suffer the shot's crippling side effects? The answer is, unfortunately, no. A Shot in the Dark is a chilling account of just how dangerous the whole-cell pertussis vaccine (the "P" part of the DPT shot) has proven to be. It provides accurate research into the history of the vaccine's development and usage. It exposes the roles played by the FDA and drug companies. It tells the tragic stories of the young victims of the vaccine. This book is also a guide for rightfully concerned parents who are looking for answers to important questions. What are the warning signs to look for to tell if your child is likely to be sensitive to the vaccine? What should parents ask their doctors about the vaccine and their child's medical profile? What is being done, here and in other countries, to combat this frightening situation? What can parents do now to help? A Shot in the Dark is a responsible, eye-opening look at a potential problem that every parent of every young child living in this country must face. Armed with the facts in this important book, parents will be able to make informed decisions about their real medical options. Book jacket.
A fascinating account of the world's most famous disease-polio- told as you have never heard it before. Epidemics of paralysis began to rage in the early 1900s, seemingly out of nowhere. Doctors, parents, and health officials were at a loss to explain why this formerly unheard of disease began paralyzing so many children-usually starting in their legs, sometimes moving up through their abdomen and arms. For an unfortunate few, it could paralyze the muscles that allowed them to breathe. Why did this disease start to become such a horrible problem during the late 1800s? Why did it affect children more often than adults? Why was it originally called teething paralysis by mothers and their doctors? Why were animals so often paralyzed during the early epidemics when it was later discovered most animals could not become infected? The Moth in the Iron Lung is a fascinating biography of this horrible paralytic disease, where it came from, and why it disappeared in the 1950s. If you've never explored the polio story beyond the tales of crippled children and iron lungs, this book will be sure to surprise.
A Firsthand Account from a CDC Insider on the Link between Vaccines and Autism Vaccine Whistleblower is a gripping account of four legally recorded phone conversations between Dr. Brian Hooker, a scientist investigating autism and vaccine research, and Dr. William Thompson, a senior scientist in the vaccine safety division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Thompson, who is still employed at the CDC under protection of the federal Whistleblower Protection Act, discloses a pattern of data manipulation, fraud, and corruption at the highest levels of the CDC, the federal agency in charge of protecting the health of Americans. Thompson states, “Senior people just do completely unethical, vile things and no one holds them accountable.” This book nullifies the government’s claims that “vaccines are safe and effective,” and reveals that the government rigged research to cover up the link between vaccines and autism. Scientific truth and the health of American children have been compromised to protect the vaccine program and the pharmaceutical industry. The financial cost of the CDC’s corruption is staggering. The human cost is incalculable. Vaccine Whistleblower provides context to the implications of Thompson’s revelations and directs the reader to political action.
Previous civilizations have collapsed due to ecological disasters, and we now stand on the brink of a series of global environmental cataclysms that humans have never before experienced. A victim of our own brilliantly reckless ingenuity, we have made a Faustian bargain, trading the modern, yet destructive, technological present for a shattered and dying world filled the toxic remnants of that resourceful hubris. Oceans are inundated with plastics, while they are simultaneously being depleted of the once thought inexhaustible aquatic life. The beauty and the extraordinary life of coral reefs are being replaced with little more than ocean rubble. Seas are warming, acidifying, and are losing life-giving oxygen. Toxins are filling the air, water, and soil. Species are being exterminated across the planet. Rainforests are being leveled, turning the land into a wasteland. Glaciers are melting and rapidly vanishing. The disturbing truth is that for centuries humans have been altering the environment of the only home they have known, making it less capable of supporting terrestrial life. This de-terraforming has accelerated at a breakneck pace as technology, globalism, and populations have exploded. Greed and rabid consumerism drive a relentless global machine that churns through the planet's limited resources at an unsustainable pace while enslaving millions to provide products to the more fortunate of the world. In 1947 the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists created the Doomsday Clock, which symbolizes the likelihood of a civilization-ending human-created global catastrophe. In that year, the clock was set to seven minutes to midnight, and while that forecast has fluctuated over the years, it has never strayed far from the fateful midnight hour. We are now on a trajectory that is almost certain to end with the clock reaching that fatal apocalyptic hour collapsing human civilization and much of the life on the planet along with it. A great deal of environmental destruction has occurred, and more damage is inevitable as the momentum of previous human actions exacts its appalling toll. Yet, while many calamities are unavoidable, there is still a glimmer of hope that we can still mitigate the damage and start to slow and turn back the clock from arriving at that prophetic moment. If we have the will to do so, we can still build an amazing and sustainable future.
