Dr Sears on "the doctors"

[moonlight mom]

I just watched an episode of "the doctors" on TV. Dr Jim Sears in one of the doctors on this show. I was surprised when a question about whether to give the vaccines to children came up, one of the doctors replied "they are completely safe and we all strongly recommending vaccines". Dr sears didn't even comment. Do you think the Sears family has gone mainstream? I loved the vaccine book and really respect their opinion, but now I am not so sure I want to turn to him for vaccine advice. Where do you turn for reliable vaccine info?

[sam1980]

I thought that the Dr. Sears on the show (Jim Sears)was the brother to the one who wrote the book (Bob Sears), but I could be mistaken. If you read their bio's it seems that Bob is the one who has a particular interest in vaccines and alternative therapies. http://www.askdrsears.com/about.asp

I don't really trust any doctor who is getting paid by network TV and ad sponsors to give a 100% honest opinion either way.

[frugalmama]

I know Dr. Jim Sears just spoke at a "Town Hall Meeting for H1N1" nearby - but I didn't want to make the drive to go see it, so I have no idea what he said.

From what I've seen though - he's pretty much sold out.

[sam1980]

I sort of rely on a variety of non-so-scientific stuff. My own gut is first and foremost. I also consider the way my mom and her family were raised (in the country, no electric, raised their own food, etc) and look at pro's/con's of their lifestyle (other than diabetes, no health problems at all), and I let my husband have a (small) opinion LOL.

I also have a lot of faith in my pedi (who is actually a family practice doc and sees me as well). He is from my area, still lives near me, and isn't getting rich by being a doctor. His office isn't full of ads from different drug companies, etc.

At DS's last visit we discussed the H1N1 vaccine (I am vaxing my son for the most part, leaving a few out). DS is too young, but I asked his opinion on whether DH and I should get it. He told me he didn't feel it was necessary. It has already been in our area for a few months, and given that the vaccine can take up to a month to build immunity, it may be too late anyway. He said that IF I get sick, he would give me Tamiflu to help keep me less-contagious to DS, but that is a big IF.

I asked him what his wife was doing, and he said that his wife, kids, and even himself are NOT getting the vax. He didn't claim it to unsafe, didn't even imply it. He just said not really all that necessary. H1N1 has been rampant in my area, and so far cases have been even more mild than the seasonal flu.

[MyLilPwny]

Originally Posted by moonlight mom

Who do you trust for parenting/medical info?

I don't trust Dr. Sears and I don't like The Vaccine Book he wrote. For example, on page 9 he says:

Whenever I meet a parent who doesn't vaccinate (or only partially vaccinates) her child, I like to pick her brain a little to see how she thinks. I've written down many responses over the years, and I've recorded the thoughtful and logical ones in this section of each chapter. (I've purposefly left out any of the really, shall we say, "interesting" ideas. Although the inclusion of such interesting comments would be sure to entertain and amuse you--like the one about germs not really causing infections; they're just a normal and harmless part of our every day existence, so the shots aren't needed to prevent them--some of them might just confuse the heck out of you, and this book is all about unconfusion.)

He is assuming that The Germ Theory is true and that anyone doesn't believe it, he is "amused" and "entertained" at. And he says his readers aren't capable of understanding any other theory aside from The Germ Theory, because it would confuse the heck out of the readers. Therefore, as you can see his book is a biased, pro-vaccine book that does not cover the anti-vaccine side of the debate, and when he calls the non-vaccinating parents' ideas "interesting", he might as well substitute the word "crazy" because that is what I believe he is inferring when he says that he is "amused" at their concepts, and he's only including the "thoughtful" and "logical" ideas in the book, so he's really calling people who don't vaccinate and who uses these "interesting" ideas, "unthoughtful" and "illogical" people.

Who do I trust? I tend to trust more of the anti-vaccine people because their explanations are "thoughtful" and "logical" to me. Dr. Sears is shallow and doesn't think outside the box.

[Belle]

I agree. The Vaccine book is very Pro-vaccine. He tries to balance it with the other side but he goes out of his way to say that he is pro-vaccine.

[ZoeyZoo]

I just read an article posted on Mercola where Bob Sears said he thought there wasn't enough research on the H1N1 vax so he wasn't recommending it.

[velveeta]

I agree with previous posters. I find all the Searses to be very mainstream with the small exceptions of bedsharing, baby wearing and breastfeeding. And even with BF, I wonder what they would think of some of us who nurse for years and through pregnancy and so?

In general, I find the Sears books to be patronizing, especially to women, and I find it disrespectful that he would use that kind of language to describe a parent who doesn't subscribe to Germ Theory.

[amnesiac]

Please continue any further H1N1 discussion in the threads designated for that purpose as per our forum announcement.

Also please remember:

Do not post in a disrespectful, defamatory, adversarial, baiting, harassing, offensive, insultingly sarcastic or otherwise improper manner, toward a member or other individual, including casting of suspicion upon a person, invasion of privacy, humiliation, demeaning criticism, name-calling, personal attack or in any way which violates the law.

[eireann]

dr. sears is pro vax. people get confused b/c he's big into AP, but he believes in vaxes.

[BeckyBird]

Well, I don't know much about Dr.Sears. I know he offers a delayed vax schedule, but the fact remains that he still recommends vaccinations (even though they are delayed). That is not saying anything good OR bad about him, just stating the facts.

Since I do not want to vaccinate, I don't know much about the doctors who recommend them.

[EENS]

Originally Posted by moonlight mom

I just watched an episode of "the doctors" on TV. Dr Jim Sears in one of the doctors on this show. I was surprised when a question about whether to give the vaccines to children came up, one of the doctors replied "they are completely safe and we all strongly recommending vaccines".

I'm curious if this doctor ever directly answered the question as to whether or not he vaccinates his children. I didn't see the program.

[Deborah]

What I find interesting is that the author of the Vaccine Book has been viciously attacked as anti-vaccine by the mainstream doctors (particularly Offit). As everyone is pointing out, he is actually pro-vaccine, just mildly willing to listen to parents and make slight adjustments to conciliate their concerns. Very slight.

The cognitive dissonance of this doctor being considered anti-vaccine really gets to me.

Two comparisons come to mind:

The Soviet Union under Stalin--no independent thinking permitted--although we haven't been throwing vaccine delayers into the Gulag, at least!

OR

Galileo's little run-in with the Catholic Church. Vaccination as religious dogma. Vaccines are safe = the sun goes around the earth. Although, once again, Dr. Sears hasn't been hit with anything worse than name-calling to date. No threats of torture or imprisonment.

[tanyalynn]

Originally Posted by Deborah

Two comparisons come to mind:

The Soviet Union under Stalin--no independent thinking permitted--although we haven't been throwing vaccine delayers into the Gulag, at least!

OR

Galileo's little run-in with the Catholic Church. Vaccination as religious dogma. Vaccines are safe = the sun goes around the earth. Although, once again, Dr. Sears hasn't been hit with anything worse than name-calling to date. No threats of torture or imprisonment.

At least we're making some progress!

But yeah, he takes criticism (or worse) from both sides, but at least he's actually discussing the topic and seems to think parents are the responsible party for making these decisions. He has opinions, but he's not a voice saying "my way or the highway."

[phrogger]

Originally Posted by eireann

dr. sears is pro vax. people get confused b/c he's big into AP, but he believes in vaxes.

Actually he isn't PRO vax, he seems to be very case by case basis, and will recommend what is need by the case by case, considering I have an appointment with him and my best friend uses him as a ped. He has recommended my friend NOT vax her dd and has by email recommended the same for my son and is willing to take us on as patients strictly for that fact that I need a ped who supports my medical exemption for not vaxing my kids. And I am talking about Bob Sears, I don't know about Jim Sears. But it was Bob who wrote the book.

He has also recommended to not vax with H1N1 at least for my friend and her DD.

[SuzyLee]

Originally Posted by ThereseReich

I don't trust Dr. Sears and I don't like The Vaccine Book he wrote. For example, on page 9 he says:



He is assuming that The Germ Theory is true and that anyone doesn't believe it, he is "amused" and "entertained" at. And he says his readers aren't capable of understanding any other theory aside from The Germ Theory, because it would confuse the heck out of the readers. Therefore, as you can see his book is a biased, pro-vaccine book that does not cover the anti-vaccine side of the debate, and when he calls the non-vaccinating parents' ideas "interesting", he might as well substitute the word "crazy" because that is what I believe he is inferring when he says that he is "amused" at their concepts, and he's only including the "thoughtful" and "logical" ideas in the book, so he's really calling people who don't vaccinate and who uses these "interesting" ideas, "unthoughtful" and "illogical" people.

Who do I trust? I tend to trust more of the anti-vaccine people because their explanations are "thoughtful" and "logical" to me. Dr. Sears is shallow and doesn't think outside the box.

I think you are giving his statement a very different slant then he may have intended. He says he included the "thoughtful and logical" explanations, which sounds like a positive to me.

Of course he got some crazy responses. Just like some people have crazy reasons to formula feed or CIO or whatever else. There are plenty of misguided people on both sides of the aisle. I would think as an anti-vaxer you would be glad he left out the completely loony tunes responses- it would only take away the credibility of anti-vaxers.

Completely unrelated but why would you not believe in the germ theory? What do you believe instead?

[MyLilPwny]

Originally Posted by phrogger

Actually he isn't PRO vax

That would depend on your definition of what "pro-vax" is. My definition of pro-vax is anyone who believes in using any vaccines whatsoever, so that would make Dr. Sears pro-vax according to my definition.

Originally Posted by SuzyLee

I think you are giving his statement a very different slant then he may have intended. He says he included the "thoughtful and logical" explanations, which sounds like a positive to me.

Of course he got some crazy responses. Just like some people have crazy reasons to formula feed or CIO or whatever else. There are plenty of misguided people on both sides of the aisle. I would think as an anti-vaxer you would be glad he left out the completely loony tunes responses- it would only take away the credibility of anti-vaxers.

Completely unrelated but why would you not believe in the germ theory? What do you believe instead?

I didn't slant his statement at all. My whole point is that he is saying that anyone who doesn't believe in the Germ Theory is crazy, and I think that is a foolish thing for him to say because the Germ Theory has more holes than swiss cheese. There would be no reason for me to be glad that he left out explanations that disprove the Germ Theory. They aren't loony toon explanations either. Him leaving out the explanations just tells me that he doesn't have enough understanding of how health works.

Cellular Theory or Pleomorphic Theory makes much more sense than Germ Theory, but of course Sears doesn't cover that because he doesn't want to "confuse" his readers, which says to me that he himself is confused.