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Summary: Essential reading for any prospective parent.
Review: In spite of being only a rather slim paperback , this little book contains enough clearly written and essentially accurate information to make it an excellent introduction to the problem facing young parents : do we vaccinate our children or not? Written in a very understandable manner and with very compelling evidence , I found myself wishing that this book had been available when my own children were young.This book quickly reviews many of the common childhood diseases , the complications possible , and then proceeds to discuss the effectivness of the vaccines and their associated risks. Evidence is presented that the vaccines , although highly touted for disease prevention , are mostly ineffective and risky. The only reason I rated this book 4 stars instead of five is the book is TOO concise and some of the subject matter requires additional treatment. The evidence presented , however ,is very compelling , and I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: Our Best Selling Title.
Review: More than 100,000 copies sold! This excellent, well-documented publication evaluates the safety, efficacy, and long-term effects of mandatory vaccines. It was written for new parents and health practitioners. This book has received hundreds of glowing endorsements. Now in its 9th updated and revised edition.
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Summary: Please improve this book, eliminate misleading numbers
Review: The author has done extensive research into the effects of immunizations and presents much data that would be lead a person to believe that vaccinations do much harm and provide no benefit. In the forward by George R. Schwartz, MD, he states that "a voice is seeking dialogue and requiring counterpoint" (page 8). Dr. Schwartz does not provide this counterpoint but only states that he "advocates the standard vaccinations" (page 7). But this is critical for the average reader to make an informed decision. Both sides of the issue should be presented in this book in order to help the reader make the best decision possible. Perhaps a format where the author presents his findings with an opposing view of from the medical establishment and rebuttals would serve the reader best. The book presents some very convincing statistics, however I was very disappointed in the misleading manner some of the numbers were reported. Many times the author points out that infection rates were falling before the vaccine was introduced and implies that the continued rate of decline was not due to the vaccine. Although the prior decline is relevant it doesn't prove that the vaccine is not effective. The infection rate might have stabilized at a higher rate without the vaccine. Even if the vaccine were effective this argument could be used to show that it wasn't. The data that needs to be compared to resolve this are infection rates for comparable populations of those vaccinated versus those not vaccinated. Another example is on page 29 where it states that "In 1989, 89% of all school-aged children in the U.S. who contracted measles were adequately vaccinated". This is a misleading way to present the numbers. It makes it impossible to evaluate the effectiveness of the vaccine. To demonstrate this, suppose that million children were vaccinated and 22 were not. Also suppose that there were 89 cases of measles from the vaccinated group and 11 cases from those not vaccinated. In this scenario 89% of cases are from vaccinated persons. However what needs to be compared is the percent of cases in the vaccinated group versus the percent of cases in the non-vaccinated group. In this example 0.0089% of the vaccinated group became ill versus 50% of the non-vaccinated group. These numbers are fabricated and are only used to demonstrate that some of the statistics reported in this book can be misleading and are not the best data to using in determining the efficacy of the vaccination. What I find more troublesome is that author "is a medical research journalist", has a degree with "an emphasis on statistical analysis", and is a member of Mensa (a society for those with a genius level I.Q.). With this background the author, Neil Miller, must realize that the data mentioned above is misleading and is not the relevant statistic to compare to judge the harm or benefit of the vaccination in question. What is needed is the rate of infection, death, or other complications, such as autism, in similar groups of vaccinated versus non-vaccinated populations. After seeing data presented in a purposely misleading fashion I came to question the author's sincerity when he states that "I merely try to present the facts in a clear and straightforward manner". In conclusion I would like to point out that the author has done society a great service to gather a tremendous amount of information and raise very important issues regarding vaccinations. His conclusions might very well be correct! However the reader would greatly benefit if the author expanded the book and co-authored it with those of the medical establishment propounding alternate views and then include a series of rebuttals. With the tremendous amount of medical information available and contradicting positions the reader is generally left with doubts and concerns. Having an open dialog, as proposed in the forward of the book by Dr. George Schwartz, might help resolve and clarify many issues in the reader's mind.
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Summary: Must read for any parent!
Review: The case against vaccinations is presented in this book with clear and logical examples. After reading it, I was able to discern what a hard sell the medical establishment does on vaccinations. I was already sold on avoiding vaccinations when the only thing the pro-vaccination sites could do is insist that it was the right thing to do, use scare tactics about what will happen if you don't and the schedule for getting vaccinations (which is totally illogical if you take some time to think about it). This books shows me that the aforementioned tools are the only things the medical establishment can say in "favor" of vaccinating your child. I am indebted to Mr. Miller for making this information available to the public in such a concise and readable book.
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Summary: Amazing Research! The Best Vaccine Book on the Market!
Review: The latest edition of this book is fantastic! I read both the earlier edition and this latest edition and must say that the improvements are phenomenal. I was looking for scientific studies to confirm both vaccine benefits and risks. This book summarizes hundreds of studies from peer-reviewed medical journals such as the British Medical Journal, the American Journal of the Medical Association, The Lancet, the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, Pediatrics, the New England Journal of Medicine, Pediatric Nursing, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Archives of Neurology, the American Journal of Epidemiology, the National Academy of Sciences, the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Reports, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and many, many others. Studies from dozens of foreign journals published in Japanese, German, and other languages are reviewed in this book as well.
When I read the earlier edition of this book, the documentation was good, but substantial studies linking vaccines to new diseases was sparse. A lot of effort was devoted to vaccine failures and studies showing efficacy problems. However, in this new updated book, the latest safety and efficacy studies are included plus there is a greater focus on the newest research showing that vaccines appear to be causing an exchange of diseases. For example, the section on polio dramatically illustrates this point. The author lists numerous peer-reviewed studies published in lesser known yet quite prestigious medical journals -- Virology, Oncogene, Cancer Research, Neoplasma, Cancer Genetics and Cytogenics - linking the polio vaccine to brain cancers, bone cancers, and tumors. These studies are not discussed in the media, and I have not seen them summarized in other vaccine books. Apparently, the medical establishment does not want us to learn about them. I was also deeply affected by the many graphs and illustrations. For example, Figure 19 on adverse reactions to the chickenpox vaccine summarizes a CDC study recently published in JAMA showing links to serious blood disorders and immune damage. Figure 20 on the Hib vaccine summarizes a recent study published in the British Medical Journal linking this vaccine to rising diabetes rates. A pie chart on the hepatitis B vaccine shows that more than 3 of every 4 doctors do not think babies need this vaccine. I looked up these references myself because I thought that maybe somehow the author was exaggerating. But all of the information is true. I have been following the international controversy surrounding the MMR vaccine and autism. I personally know two sets of parents who are convinced this vaccine is responsible for their baby's condition. This book does an excellent job of summarizing the debate and even includes references to recent government hearings investigating MMR and other vaccines. The author of this book encourages parents to explore all aspects of this heated issue so that we can all make informed decisions. If you are pregnant, recently gave birth to a new baby, or know someone who is interested in learning about vaccine safety issues, BUY THIS BOOK. It is the best investment you can make.
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Summary: Important issue - Misleading statistics - Heavily biased
Review: The vaccination issue is a controversial one and it may be possible that your child and mine will be better off without specific vaccinations. To determine this, we need more information; relevant information. It's my opinion that Neil Miller's bias towards not vaccinating has led him to report and display information that only supports his view, regardless of its relevance to the issue. For example, as other reviewers mention, Mr. Miller shows graphs that indicate that since the early 1900's, the death rate due to polio, measles, and pertussis, has been dropping significantly, even before vaccinations were introduced. Death rates? True, if you contracted a serious disease in 1950, your chances of surviving it were significantly better than if you got the disease in 1900, thanks mainly to improved hospital hygiene and medical technology. Why doesn't Mr. Miller display the likelihood of contracting the diseases instead of dying from the diseases? Perhaps it is because these graphs seem to show that vaccinations are effective in reducing disease incidence rates, and therefore can be found on the Center for Disease Control web page. The purpose of a vaccination is to prevent a disease, not to prevent a death from a disease. Focusing only on the small number of people who died from a disease, and not on the much larger group who contracted the disease, is misleading and leaves me feeling that Mr. Miller was searching for the most persuasive and dramatic graphs. He also shows charts indicating that about half of all pertussis and measles cases in 1984 occurred in vaccinated kids. This argument seems common and is another misleading and persuasive tactic. Ask yourself this question, if the CDC is successful and 100% of kids are vaccinated and vaccinations are about 90% effective, what percent of those who get the diseases will have been vaccinated? 100% So far Neil Miller has effectively shown that less people die from diseases in modern times and that the CDC is very effective at promoting vaccinations. Though I fear that the remaining half of the graphs in this book were chosen with the same persuasive tactics in mind, they do represent important points: the live polio vaccine often causes polio; doctors may be less likely to diagnose a disease as polio if they gave you a polio vaccine; the pertussis vaccine (and others) caused and still may cause many side effects, some severe. This book contains important information and it contains irrelevant information. If you wish to relax your critical thinking skills and be persuaded not to vaccinate, read this book. If you wish to be better informed about all sides of this issue, look elsewhere. I recommend The Vaccine Guide by Randall Neustaedter. I have decided that the chances of my child getting a serious reaction to vaccines is about the same as having serious problems from the disease (chance of getting disease times chance of getting serious problem once they have the disease). I'm left not wanting to vaccinate until I get further information. Unfortunately, Neil Miller's book didn't help me much in this quest.
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Summary: Parents are entitled to accept or reject vaccines.
Review: This book came about as a result of my search to find the truth behind vaccines. When my son was born the matter became important to me. I began by gathering stacks of information from local, state, college, and medical libraries. Much of this information was taken directly from scientific journals. One-by-one I studied each "mandatory" vaccine. What were the symptoms of the disease it was meant to protect against? If the disease were contracted, how dangerous could it be? I also looked for 1) solid proof that the vaccine was responsible for a general decline in the incidence of the disease, 2) evidence that the vaccine is effective (Does it offer true immunity?), and 3) side effects and safety. Slowly, the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. Many of the vaccines could not show that they were responsible for a decline in the incidence of the disease. Some of the graphs in this book portray this fact by showing that many of these diseases were declining in number and severity on their own, before the vaccines were introduced. Many of the vaccines also failed to show evidence of their ability to confer immunity. In fact, some studies show that the disease is more likely to be contracted by those who are vaccinated against it than by those who are left alone. Finally, many of the vaccines are unsafe. Thousands of children have been damaged by them. Seizures, retardation, and death are only a few of the many potential "side-effects." I wrote this book (and two additional books on this subject as well) so that parents like yourself may make more informed decisions regarding vaccines. I do not advocate them, nor do I presume to know what is best for you and your family. I merely try to present the facts in a clear and straightforward manner. Here are some other key features and benefits you will gain by reading "Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective?" This book: Systematically evaluates each mandatory vaccine to determine its safety, efficacy, and long-term effects. * Outlines current vaccine laws, and discusses parental options to "mandatory" shots. * Promotes health freedom by not advocating for or against vaccines. * Pinpoints for parents exact conditions that may put their child at high-risk. * Contains 12 diagrams and is easy-to-read (The entire book can be read in about 2 hours). * Is exceptionally well-documented, containing over 300 citations so that every single claim may be confirmed. In addition, "Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective?" contains forewords by two prominent medical doctors, was recently updated, and has now been purchased and read by more than 90,000 concerned parents and health practitioners throughout the world. May God bless you for seeking the truth, for taking personal responsibility for your decisions, and for wanting only the very best that this world has to offer for your innocent and trusting children. Sincerely, Neil Z. Miller
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Summary: Great info on vaccines-but not much new
Review: This book contains alot of good information on vaccines. But if you have read alot of books like it, you won't find a whole lot that is new. But it was still worth the purchase to me. If you havn't read much on this subject, get it! It's great! Though I would like to see more information on vaccinated crowds vs. Unvaccinated crowds in all different agles- rate of disease along with the severety of disease, typical health, living habits, diet habits etc. I am not for vaccines but I would like to see some real non-biased info come out some time soon.
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Summary: Great info on vaccines-but not much new
Review: This book contains alot of good information on vaccines. But if you have read alot of books like it, you won't find a whole lot that is new. But it was still worth the purchase to me. If you havn't read much on this subject, get it! It's great! Though I would like to see more information on vaccinated crowds vs. Unvaccinated crowds in all different agles- rate of disease along with the severety of disease, typical health, living habits, diet habits etc. I am not for vaccines but I would like to see some real non-biased info come out some time soon.
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Summary: Great resource!
Review: This book, while decidedly antivaxing, is a fantastic resource. Miller cites every piece of information he uses in his argument that vaccines may not be as helpful as the medical community leads us to believe. Choosing to vaccinate your child can be a difficult decision, and I appreciated the information presented to me here.
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