In their first five years of life, children are expected to undergo 37 doses of eleven different vaccines, yet relatively few parents are aware of the risks of chronic disease, injury, or death that some vaccines can present. A growing body of research has linked immunization with autism, seizures, asthma, arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and even hyperactivity and learning disabilities; yet we continue to use vaccination as “insurance” even against diseases that no longer pose a significant threat.

Christine Murphy has compiled a book that presents the vaccination dilemma from multiple perspectives. It clearly describes the immune system and its workings—and what science does and does not know about them. It offers suggestions and resources for parents whose children are sick, whether from a common childhood illness or from a vaccination reaction. And it makes a case for an alternate view of disease—as a teacher that allows us to develop physically and spiritually, and as a necessary test of strength that we have chosen out of our destiny.

This book will help educate parents about the vaccination dilemma and prepare them to make, in consultation with one or more health professionals, educated vaccination decisions for their children.