The Vaccine Book By Dr. Robert W. Sears

When I picked up this book, I was unsuspecting of the inevitable shock I would receive as I started to read this book. I must start by saying that I love most things the Sears family produces. They typically offer superb information. That is why I was utterly disappointed in this book.

There are many fundamental errors in this book regarding vaccines and in the paragraphs that follow, I will outline exactly what they are. Interestingly, the most important information in this book can be found in the preface, where the author gives his opinions regarding vaccines.

I shall begin this discussion by saying that I am not unbiased regarding vaccines. I do not support them. I didn’t start out my quest for knowledge with the objective of being against vaccinations. I am a registered nurse. I was taught how wonderful they are in school. However, when it came time to vaccinate my first child, I needed more information than the pathetic institutional instruction that lacked true depth. I began my research. I have been researching any and all information I could obtain for five years now, which has led me to my viewpoints regarding vaccines. I do not get paid to write reviews of any books. I do it because I enjoy it, and it is something I believe in. I therefore have no conflict of interest regarding vaccines. It does not affect me either way if you choose to vaccinate your children or not. I am passionate about this issue however. The more I researched, the more I began to realize how to wool has been pulled over our eyes as parents and indeed as a society as well. If I can do some small part of helping parents to protect their children and see the truth, then I will be satisfied. Let’s begin.

If you read this book, you must read the preface. I usually skip over them, but was drawn to this one. I have quite a lot of conflict with many statements made in the preface, so this review will spend a substantial amount of time discussing flawed statements made by the author.

The author begins by asking the question, “Should you vaccinate your child?” His goal of this book is to give you pros and cons in a balanced fashion so you may make an educated decision. I hope to shed light on why this very statement is problematic and impossible.

First, we’ll start with why parents are beginning to question vaccinations. I believe parents are starting to wake up and realize there are huge financial incentives and conflicts of interest regarding vaccines. Parents are wondering why there is a need for so many vaccines and have heard rumors of over 100 vaccines in the works. Vaccines coming out nowadays are for illnesses that are anything but serious, and the adverse events from vaccines is growing. This is not surprising when you realize the necessities it takes to be healthy, and I firmly believe one day the entire vaccine façade will come tumbling down as it will be impossible for the body to support the assault on its immune system from a vaccine’s toxicity.

The author seems to feel parents are beginning to question vaccines because they are confused, hearing conflicting information from different sources. While there is conflicting information certainly, parents are questioning vaccines because they are becoming more educated. They are beginning to listen to their instincts (which is a huge aspect of attachment parenting, a term coined by the author’s father William Sears by the way). There is some confusion in regards to vaccines, sure. This is because medical authorities continue to push vaccines even in light of growing concerns of toxicity and adverse events. The author seems to understand this in a way, but if you want a thoughtful discussion of why vaccines are harmful, you will not get it in this book. This is by the author’s own admission on the second page of the preface and is precisely what makes this book not worth your time if you’re looking to be truly informed. If you want to have a true discussion on vaccines, then it is essential that vaccine harmfulness is examined at length. What a shame.

I do not agree with the author’s assertion that parents feel confused because their friends are telling them they are crazy to vaccinate. I realize this was simply an example by the author, but I feel it is important to point out that parents who feel conflicted, confused, or make the decision not to vaccinate do not get support for it. Vaccinating is not questioned by society as a whole. People will call you crazy, irresponsible, and many others things for not vaccinating your children.

The author states he wrote this book because there was no other fully informed, unbiased vaccine books available. He then goes on to later state he “doesn’t want to leave you in the hands of anti-vaccine books”. He also states that “outside a doctor’s office, parents have nothing to read that doesn’t scare them away from vaccines.” WHAT?! Almost every mainstream publication about vaccines is in favor of them. Where does he get this notion? So, where else do concerned parents have to turn than anti-vaccine books to give them insight as to why people are concerned? I realize in the process of becoming informed regarding vaccines that it important to understand both sides of the vaccine debate. It is good to have all aspects of the debate. However, once becoming fully informed (as an author who writes a book on this topic should have done), there is no way to be completely unbiased. You will have to decide are you for or against vaccinations? If you can’t decide either way, then you still need more information. If you are delaying your children’s shots, then you are still for vaccines. If you are giving your child some vaccines, but skipping others, you are still for vaccines. I would also venture to say that if you are doing either of the above, that you are still somewhat uninformed regarding vaccinations and all the issues surrounding them. It is possible to be informed regarding vaccines, but not necessarily how toxins work in the body, the immune system, producing true health, etc. These things go hand in hand, and I am quite certain that once you would have studied all aspects of health, not just vaccinations, you would reach the conclusion that vaccines are harmful and cannot produce true health. Therefore, if the author is educated regarding vaccines and how to produce health, then there would be no way to be unbiased, and as you will see when reading this book, he is anything but unbiased. He is for vaccinations. Let’s move on.

“Are all vaccines equally important? No. You will learn that some diseases are more common and/or more deadly. Obviously, vaccines to prevent those diseases are more important, both for your child and from a public health standpoint. But a shot to prevent a disease that is extremely rare and usually harmless might be considered less important by some people. That’s not to say that such a vaccine is unnecessary.” This quote by the author sheds light on exactly where he stands with vaccines. He feels they are important. He accepts they may not all be of the same importance because diseases vary in severity (duh), but he has accepted that vaccines do what they are supposed to do in the body and that is to prevent a disease. So, if you are looking for intelligent discussion as to one of the controversies regarding vaccines in their ability to do what they are actually designed to do in the body, then you won’t find it here. For the reader’s awareness, there are current debates and much scientific evidence that 1) vaccines do not actually protect against the diseases as they are designed, 2) antibodies are not the only measure of immunity, 3) artificial and natural immunity are different, 4) vaccines disrupt the immune system, 5) vaccines are not responsible for the decline of diseases and a whole host of other debates. I am not going to debate these issues here as they are much too lengthy (these will be addressed on our website), but it is important to be aware that they exist. Personally, if I want to be fully informed, I would want a book that discusses these issues. Instead what we have here is another book that skirts over these issues. Time to pull out that anti-vaccine book.

“Most anti-vaccine books claim that all shots are bad, the diseases aren’t really anything to fear, and as long as you live a natural and healthy lifestyle, you don’t have to worry. I think this is a very irresponsible approach to the vaccine issue.”
Okay, now this quote was just a little below the belt for natural living experts. Having read almost every anti-vaccine book out there, I can safely say that this is not necessarily the case. Let’s take this piece by piece. Yes, most anti-vaccine books say that shots are bad. Of course, they are “anti”. And “bad” should more correctly be described as harmful. Furthermore, “harmful” can even more correctly be described as toxic. And yes, all vaccines are incredibly toxic to the body; this is undebatable. What is debated is if something so toxic to the body could actually produce health and prevent disease. Experts on toxins and their effects on the body consider this debate ridiculous, however.

Next, anti-vaccine books do not necessarily say the diseases are nothing to fear. Of course, new vaccines coming out are typically for all sorts of things now and not for diseases to fear, but rather trivial illnesses. Some diseases vaccines “supposedly” protect against are serious. They are not nearly as serious as is made to believe though and complications and death from these diseases are rare and were also rare when the diseases were more prevalent. What anti-vaccine books strive to do is dispel much of the fear mongering that is active in our society to coerce people into getting vaccines. People are brainwashed into believing these diseases are so terrifying and that the vaccine is the only way to prevent them. This notion is so utterly incorrect.

Furthermore, it is possible to fight off disease by a strong immune system, which is achieved directly by healthy and natural living and an avoidance of toxins that weaken the immune system. If you are healthy, you have a much greater chance of surviving an illness. We do not have to live in fear of disease. It is the unhealthy people that most have to be careful of disease. The key lies in finding out how best to support good health. So in essence, this is not irresponsible at all.

"Vaccines are beneficial in ridding our population of both serious and nonserious diseases.” Well, there you have it. I guess we won’t be getting any insightful information as to the debate if vaccines are actually responsible for the decline of diseases.

“But families do have the right in our country to take their chances without vaccines.” Personally, I feel completely comfortable “taking my chances” because I have learned what it takes to achieve health, and I certainly do not believe it can magically be produced by injecting a toxic substance directly into my bloodstream while bypassing all of my body’s natural defenses. This statement by the author is very emotionally charged for vaccines.

And yes, we do and should have the “right”. Of course, to obtain this right, we will have to put up with scare tactics, coercion, guilt, and a whole host of other possible threats such as denial of pediatrician choice, denial of public education, denial of certain jobs, and possibly even denial of our freedom and our children as now parents are facing the threat of prison time if they do not vaccinate their children. Obviously, this right is being threatened. Is this true freedom?

“Because I’ve taken ALL my information from the vaccine product inserts and from medical journals and textbooks…” Well, now there’s another problem. Do you think it possible that an entity grossly in favor of vaccines actually presents a true unbiased perspective? I realize I have only quoted part of one sentence here, though I assure you it is not taken out of context. This is his ONLY source of information by his own admission. Did he make a mistake when he said that? I would hope so because if you are really going to write a book that is unbiased than you are really going to have to look for other sources. Many of the controversial topics regarding vaccines do not appear in mainstream modern publications or scientific journals! And why would they? It is imperative to realize that vaccines are the bread and butter of our entire conventional medical system. There would be severe ramifications for the entire system if widespread public awareness led to a distrust of vaccines.

Now, something I actually not just like, but LOV E. “Doctors, myself included, learn a lot about diseases in medical school, but we learn very little about vaccines, other than the fact that the FDA and pharmaceutical companies do extensive research on vaccines to make sure they are safe and effective. We don’t review the research ourselves. We never learn what goes into making vaccines or how their safety is studied. We trust and take it for granted that the proper researchers are doing their jobs.” How enlightening and refreshing to hear a physician actually admit this. Next time you think your doctor is the ultimate authority and know all source of information, think again. Next time you are tempted to simply trust your doctor’s recommendation without researching for yourself, don’t. It is very true that almost all physicians, as well as nurses by the way, learn is about diseases and what to do to manage them. This in fact is what our entire allopathic medical establishment is based on. We do not actually learn about being healthy! Or how to produce health! Or how to prevent disease! Now, should we be trusting the FDA and pharmaceutical companies blindly? Well, here’s an example. The original Rotavirus vaccine had to be removed from the market after it was found to have extremely serious complications that 1) were life-threatening, and 2) were able to be linked directly to the vaccine. It is now known that the man responsible for directly overseeing this vaccine’s approval for use had the patent on the vaccine! He had a direct conflict of interest and huge financial incentive, and many children were injured or died because of this. So no, let’s not blindly trust “authority”. Who will look out for your children better than you can? Physicians? Pharmaceutical companies? The FDA?

“That’s why I’ve written this book. I’ve done the research. I’ve spent the last thirteen years learning everything I could about vaccines and the diseases they are designed to prevent, and I’ve put it all together in one place so you can get all your questions answered.” Whoa now. All my questions answered? Then why are there huge chunks of the vaccine debate left out? It does not matter if these components of debate are conclusive or even truthful, if you want to be fully informed, then study all aspects. Thirteen years? Maybe so, but I find it truthfully shocking that a person could really actually study all the issues of the vaccine debate and not be weary of them to say the least much less outright against them. I will admit that understanding the whole vaccine debate is difficult. It takes passion and a lot of study. It took me several years to feel like I fully understood the issue and a little bit longer before I could say without a doubt that I didn’t believe in any vaccines period. Maybe the problem is that he was only reading the vaccine inserts.

“There is little doubt that vaccines have played a useful role in eliminating some diseases from our population and limiting many others. Smallpox is a case in point.” Again, this reiterates his belief in vaccines, making his perspective anything but unbiased. There is a TON of doubt as to whether vaccines have been useful at all! Maybe they have been (I personally don’t think so) but it has not been proven conclusively so and a lot of evidence is starting to surface that perhaps they haven’t, but the point is not to make light of this issue! It is a valid part of the debate. Smallpox is not a case in point at all. This is what medical authorities want you to believe as it is the only small amount of evidence they actually have that vaccines do anything. There are many who after carefully examining data regarding smallpox do not believe the vaccine was responsible for irradicating the disease. There were other diseases such as the Plague and scarlet fever that also began to decrease while no vaccines were created for them.

“That’s what this book is all about-information. Open, honest, complete, and accurate information that all parents can use.” Well, why on Earth is it not provided then. Complete information? I think not. Many issues are left out! Accurate? Well, that is debatable. I am just failing to comprehend how you can write an unbiased source of information that is complete, open, honest, and accurate if 1) you strongly believe vaccines are important, 2) you only studied medical textbooks and journals, 3) you neglected to mention most of the concerns of vaccines, and 4) you have an assumed financial incentive to vaccinate children as that is a service you are paid to provide.

Now a closer look at the author’s A Note to Fellow Physicians.

“I know that much of this information in this book won’t be new to you.” Really, because it was just stated that doctors are ill informed regarding vaccines, and most do not do the research for themselves.

He also gives advice to fellow physicians not to turn away patients who decline vaccinations. How noble; noticing that we have a right to exercise autonomy. Let me ask you though. Do you really want to butt heads with your doctor on this issue or would you rather find a doctor that supports your viewpoint and decisions? Because if a physician has a severe lack of understanding regarding vaccines, I would venture a guess he also has a limited understanding of health in general , and I don’t know if I would even want his recommendations regarding my child.

“The way I see it, a family that doesn’t vaccinate needs a good doctor more than ever.” Now this statement just really frosts my cookies. Without going into a lengthy rant, let me just say, unvaccinated children as a whole are actually noticed to be healthier than their vaccinated counterparts. They get sick less often. They need care less often. They suffer from less debilitating diseases. So, what care are they in need of then? A good doctor is needed less if parents are informed. And what constitutes a good doctor? One that recommends you comply with the vaccine recommendations?

“When I set out to write this book, one of my goals was to take a close look at many of the theoretical problems with vaccines and to find conclusive evidence that showed these worries to be unfounded.” Okay, so in actuality, he was trying to not exactly write an unbiased book, but to purposefully prove that the issues of the great vaccine debate are unfounded. There is not conclusive evidence that the concerns of rising numbers of people are unfounded, which is why there is still such heated debate regarding vaccines that is growing.

“I discovered that most of the risks and controversies over vaccinations have been well researched in the medical literature, and there is scientific evidence to show that vaccines are safe and effective in preventing diseases.” Load of crap. Pardon me. Actually, many of the controversies are not given adequate attention nor have they been well researched. They are simply brushed off as quackery. Risks are intentionally minimized. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that vaccines are not safe and effective, making the author’s statement unintelligent at best. We as a society as well hold way too much confidence in what the vaccine scientific research tells us. Vaccines to me defy common sense. Scientific research is also always changing and in reality are all really just theories. We also know that nowadays, many studies are purposefully skewed in favor of a certain outcome due to financial incentive. It is imperative to be careful in which studies you trust.

“…and make our nation’s vaccine schedule the safest it can be.” The only way it can actually be completely safe is to abolish it! So by “safest” I interpret that to mean, let’s continue to vaccinate and just ignore the growing concern. That is really the only way to pretend that any vaccine schedule could potentially be interpreted as safe.

I could go on and on. This book is severely lacking and potentially dangerous. I expected more from the Sears family. Many parents trust them as an alternative source. A lot of ideas with attachment parenting go against the mainstream grind. Therefore, parents trust the Sears family if they are looking for alternative information. This book masquerades as a book with intelligent, well researched debate, which makes it more dangerous than books openly pro-vaccine. The only purpose this book serves is to further delude parents to trust anything but their own instincts and continue to believe in vaccination. What a perfect platform for the corrupt, profit driven, child maiming pharmaceutical companies than a book written by an “alternative” pediatrician. For heaven’s sake, please don’t let your research end with this book. If you really want a book to read, pick up the Vaccine safety Manual by Neil Z Miller. Now there’s a book that will help you be truly informed. Stay tuned for a review of that book shortly.