Vaccines, Autoimmunity, and the Changing Nature of Childhood Illness

One doctor’s surprising answer to the epidemic of chronic disease and essential reading for everyone concerned with the health of the next generation 'Dr. Cowan intelligently educates us on the complicated and beautiful workings of our immune system [and] charts the clear, concise path to healing, offering a better, healthier life for us, our children, and the planet.'—Lindy Woodard, MD, Pediatric Alternatives Over the past fifty years, rates of autoimmunity and chronic disease have exploded. Currently: * 1 in 2.5 American children has an allergy * 1 in 11 has asthma * 1 in 13 has severe food allergies * 1 in 36 has autism. While some attribute this rise to increased awareness and diagnosis, Thomas Cowan, MD, argues for a direct causal relationship to a corresponding increase in the number of vaccines American children typically receive—approximately 70 vaccine doses by age eighteen. The goal of these vaccines is precisely what we’re now seeing in such abundance among our chronically