• A balanced, comprehensive guide to routine childhood vaccinations that offers parents the information they need to make the right choices for their child. • Fairly examines the pros and cons of this highly charged issue. Deciding whether or when to vaccinate a child is one of the most important--and most difficult--health-care decisions a parent will ever make. The recent increase in the number of vaccinations recommended and the concurrent controversies about whether vaccinations are safe or even effective have left many parents confused and concerned. Midwife, herbalist, and mother of four, Aviva Jill Romm sifts through the spate of current research on vaccine safety and efficacy and offers a sensible, balanced discussion of the pros and cons of each routine childhood vaccination. She presents the full spectrum of options available to parents: full vaccination on a standardized or individualized schedule, selective vaccination, or no vaccinations at all. Negotiating daycare and school requirements, dealing with other parents, and traveling with an unvaccinated child are covered in detail. The book also suggests ways to strengthen children's immune systems and maintain optimal health and offers herbal and homeopathic remedies for childhood ailments. Emphasizing that no single approach is appropriate for every child, the author guides parents as they make the choices that are right for their child.
Committed to finding natural ways to care for their children, many parents seek techniques that do not require the invasive procedures and medications often associated with Western medicine. In Naturally Healthy Babies and Children midwife and herbalist Aviva Romm offers a comprehensive handbook that addresses the common health issues of children, from newborns to preadolescents. Aviva's whole-child approach integrates herbal remedies, nutrition, hygiene, and alternative health techniques with supportive, informed parenting. From anemia to whooping cough, each entry includes herbal, dietary, and general recommendations, including tips on when to pursue professional medical care. Naturally Healthy Babies and Children is indispensable reading for families seeking safe, effective ways to practice healing techniques at home.
An accessible and reassuring guide to childhood health and immunity from a pediatrician who’s both knowledgeable about the latest scientific research and respectful of a family’s risk factors, health history, and concerns In The Vaccine-Friendly Plan, Paul Thomas, M.D., presents his proven approach to building immunity: a new protocol that limits a child’s exposure to aluminum, mercury, and other neurotoxins while building overall good health. Based on the results from his pediatric practice of more than eleven thousand children, as well as data from other credible and scientifically minded medical doctors, Dr. Paul’s vaccine-friendly protocol gives readers • recommendations for a healthy pregnancy and childbirth • vital information about what to expect at every well child visit from birth through adolescence • a slower, evidence-based vaccine schedule that calls for only one aluminum-containing shot at a time • important questions to ask about your child’s first few weeks, first years, and beyond • advice about how to talk to health care providers when you have concerns • the risks associated with opting out of vaccinations • a practical approach to common illnesses throughout the school years • simple tips and tricks for healthy eating and toxin-free living at any age The Vaccine-Friendly Plan presents a new standard for pediatric care, giving parents peace of mind in raising happy, healthy children. Praise for The Vaccine-Friendly Plan “Finally, a book about vaccines that respects parents! If you choose only one book to read on the topic, read The Vaccine-Friendly Plan. This impeccably researched, well-balanced book puts you in the driver’s seat and empowers you to make conscientious vaccine decisions for your family.”—Peggy O’Mara, editor and publisher, Mothering Magazine “Sure to appeal to readers of all kinds as a friendly, no-nonsense book that cuts through the rhetoric surrounding vaccines. It offers validation to those who avoid some or all, while offering those who do want to vaccinate help on how to do so safely. This is a great book for anyone with children in their lives.”—Natural Mother “A valuable, science-supported guide to optimizing your child’s health while you navigate through complex choices in a toxic, challenging world.”—Martha Herbert, M.D., Ph.D., Harvard Medical School “An impressively researched guide, this important book is essential reading for parents. With clear and practical advice for shielding children from harmful toxins, it will compel us all to think differently about how to protect health.”—Jay Gordon, M.D., FAAP “Rather than a one-size-fits-all vaccine strategy, the authors suggest thoughtful, individualized decisions based on research and collaboration between parents and clinicians—a plan to optimize a child’s immune system and minimize any risks.”—Elizabeth Mumper, M.D., founder and CEO, The Rimland Center for Integrative Pediatrics “This well-written and thought-provoking book will encourage parents to think through decisions—such as food choices and the timing of vaccines—that affect the well-being of their children. In a world where children’s immune systems are increasingly challenged, this is a timely addition to the literature.”—Harriet Lerner, Ph.D., bestselling author of The Dance of Anger and The Mother Dance
In this practical guide to vaccination of infants for parents, the authors cover such topics as vaccine ingredients, how vaccines work, what can happen when populations don't vaccinate their children, and the controversies surrounding supposed links to autism, allergies, and asthma.
Engaging, accessible, and filled with practical communication advice, Let’s Talk Vaccines helps you educate patients on the importance of life-saving vaccines using a patient-centered and empathetic approach. Covering everything from the science of vaccine safety to the psychology of risk communication, this essential guide includes real-life examples and thoughtful, evidence-based techniques that will help patients understand vaccines and make informed decisions. Ideal for primary care providers, pediatricians, family physicians, nurse practitioners, and public health advocates, it provides an excellent framework for how to approach difficult discussions, with the goal of improving the health of each patient as well as the community at large.
The latest available information on vaccinations for children (including the meningococcal, HPV vaccinations and rotavirus), as well the most-up-to date schedules and additional information parents need to know to help them make the right decisions regarding vaccines. Regardless of where you stand on the issue of childhood vaccination, everyone agrees that the health of our children is paramount. The Parents' Concise Guide to Childhood Vaccinations, Second Edition is your complete guide to making sure your child gets the proper care at this important time in their development. Updated with the latest vaccine information including: • The inside scoop on rotavirus history • Updated insurance and payment information • New details on vaccine schedules Answers important questions about your child’s health: “Do vaccines really cause autism?” “Should I be concerned about the mercury in vaccines?” “What do I do about the shots?” For those who have chosen to vaccinate, The Parents' Concise Guide to Childhood Vaccinations, Second Edition offers both practical medical and natural remedies to avoid possible side effects. If you have chosen not to vaccinate your children, the book also includes natural medicines to strengthen your child’s immune system, along with tips on how to deal with legal exemptions, school requirements, and medical insurances. The Parents' Concise Guide to Childhood Vaccinations, Second Edition is a comprehensive and reassuring guide to help you make the right decision for your child.
A thoughtful evaluation of the vaccine debate, its history, and its consequences. Since 1990, the number of mandated vaccines has increased dramatically. Today, a fully vaccinated child will have received nearly three dozen vaccinations between birth and age six. Along with the increase in number has come a growing wave of concern among parents about the unintended side effects of vaccines. In Vaccine, Mark A. Largent explains the history of the debate and identifies issues that parents, pediatricians, politicians, and public health officials must address. Nearly 40% of American parents report that they delay or refuse a recommended vaccine for their children. Despite assurances from every mainstream scientific and medical institution, parents continue to be haunted by the question of whether vaccines cause autism. In response, health officials herald vaccines as both safe and vital to the public's health and put programs and regulations in place to encourage parents to follow the recommended vaccine schedule. For Largent, the vaccine-autism debate obscures a constellation of concerns held by many parents, including anxiety about the number of vaccines required (including some for diseases that children are unlikely ever to encounter), unhappiness about the rigorous schedule of vaccines during well-baby visits, and fear of potential side effects, some of them serious and even life-threatening. This book disentangles competing claims, opens the controversy for critical reflection, and provides recommendations for moving forward.
The Immunization Safety Review Committee was established by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to evaluate the evidence on possible causal associations between immunizations and certain adverse outcomes, and to then present conclusions and recommendations. The committee's mandate also includes assessing the broader societal significance of these immunization safety issues. While all the committee members share the view that immunization is generally beneficial, none of them has a vested interest in the specific immunization safety issues that come before the group. The committee reviews three immunization safety review topics each year, addressing each one at a time. In this fifth report in a series, the committee examines the hypothesis that exposure to polio vaccine contaminated with simian virus 40 (SV40), a virus that causes inapparent infection in some monkeys, can cause certain types of cancer.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed, and misdiagnosed, disorders in children. This guide focuses on the root causes of ADHD and offers a natural and holistic approach to combat the disorder, encouraging families to find solutions that don’t rely on psychostimulant drugs like Ritalin. Discover the many benefits of treating ADHD with a mixture of nutritional supplements, herbal medicines, and parenting techniques that foster self-esteem, creativity, self-discipline, and confidence.
With current recommendations calling for infants to receive multiple doses of vaccines during their first year of life and with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) the most frequent cause of death during the postneonatal period, it is important to respond to concerns that vaccination might play a role in sudden unexpected infant death. The committee reviewed epidemiologic evidence focusing on three outcomes: SIDS, all SUDI (sudden unexpected death in infancy), and neonatal death (infant death, whether sudden or not, during the first 4 weeks of life). Based on this review, the committee concluded that the evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between some vaccines and SIDS; and that the evidence is inadequate to accept or reject a causal relationship between other vaccines and SIDS, SUDI, or neonatal death. The evidence regarding biological mechanisms is essentially theoretical, reflecting in large measure the lack of knowledge concerning the pathogenesis of SIDS.
