Books like Overkill by Paul A. Offit

Katie Mack takes readers through the five scientifically grounded scenarios for the universe’s ultimate fate—Big Crunch, Heat Death, Vacuum Decay, Big Rip, and Bounce—in an engaging, accessible tour of cosmology and physics.

A medical expert - the Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia - offers a scathing expose of the alternative medicine industry, revealing how its popular therapies are ineffective, expensive and even deadly. A half a century ago, acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, Chinese herbs, Christian exorcisms, dietary supplements, chiropractic manipulations and traditional Indian remedies were once considered on the fringe of medicine. Now, these practices-known as alternative, complementary, holistic, and integrative medicine-have become mainstream, used by those seeking to burn fat, detoxify livers, shrink prostates, alleviate colds, stimulate brains, boost energy, reduce stress, enhance immunity, eliminate pain, prevent cancer, and enliven sex. But as Paul Offit reveals, alternative medicine - an unregulated industry under no legal obligation to prove its claims or admit its risks - can actually be harmful to our health.

How did we get to a place where vaccines are viewed with horror rather than as life-saving medicine? The answer is rooted in one of the most powerful and disturbing citizen activist movements in our nation’s history -- a movement that, despite recent epidemics and deaths, continues to grow. Deadly Choices is the story of anti-vaccine activity in America -- its origins, leaders, influences, and impact -- and is a powerful defense of science in the face of fear. - Publisher.

Maurice Hilleman's mother died a day after he was born and his twin sister stillborn. As an adult, he said that he felt he had escaped an appointment with death. He made it his life's work to see that others could do the same. Born into the life of a Montana chicken farmer, Hilleman ran off to the University of Chicago to become a microbiologist, and eventually joined Merck, the pharmaceutical company, to pursue his goal of eliminating childhood disease. Chief among his accomplishments are nine vaccines that practically every child gets, rendering formerly dread diseases—including often devastating ones such as mumps and rubella—practically toothless and nearly forgotten; his measles vaccine alone saves several million lives every year.Vaccinated is not a biography; Hilleman's experience forms the basis for a rich and lively narrative of two hundred years of medical history, ranging across the globe and throughout time to take in a cast of hundreds, all caught up, intentionally or otherwise, in the story of vaccines. It is an inspiring and triumphant tale, but one with a cautionary aspect, as vaccines come under assault from people blaming vaccines for autism and worse. Paul Offit clearly and compellingly rebuts those arguments, and, by demonstrating how much the work of Hilleman and others has gained for humanity, shows us how much we have to lose.

Eleanora McBean argues that vaccination programs, influenced by politics and profit, can cause adverse reactions and worsen public health, urging a reevaluation of widespread immunization practices.

Get the straight facts about vaccines and make informed choices Do you wonder whether vaccines are safe and whether they are all really necessary? This completely revised and updated edition of the classic Vaccines: What You Should Know helps you sort through the latest information about vaccines in order to determine what is right for your family. Coauthored by Paul Offit, a member of the CDC advisory committee that determines which vaccines are recommended for use in the United States, this guide tells you what vaccines are made of and clearly explains how they are made, how they work, and the risks associated with them. This updated edition includes recommendations for the smallpox vaccine, the latest information on vaccines for travelers, and the latest on the progress of combination vaccines. Expanded information on vaccine safety includes discussion of vaccines and autism, mercury in vaccines, and the ability of children to tolerate numerous vaccines at once.

This book examines every aspect of vaccination - from development to use in reducing disease. Completely revised and updated, it provides authoritative information on vaccine production, available preparations, efficacy, and safety-recommendations for vaccine use, with rationales-data on the impact of vaccination programs on morbidity and mortality-and more. The book provides a complete understanding of each disease, including clinical characteristics, microbiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as epidemiology and public health issues. It discusses the proper use of immune globulins and antitoxins; examines vaccine stability, immunogenicity, efficacy, duration of immunity, adverse events, indications, contraindications, precautions, administration with other vaccines, and disease control strategies; and illustrates concepts and objective data with over 605 tables and figures.

Medical expert Paul A. Offit, M.D., offers a scathing exposé of the alternative medicine industry, revealing how even though some popular therapies are remarkably helpful due to the placebo response, many of them are ineffective, expensive, and even deadly.

A critical analysis of the real value of vaccination - written for patients and containing information about childhood vaccinations, flu vaccine etc. The book contains startling information about vaccine side effects and dangers and is written by a registered and licensed general practice.