Vax Facts: What to Consider Before Vaccinating at All Ages & Stages of Life

by Paul Thomas, Deedee Hoover

Vax Facts is a one-stop-shop for all the information parents and guardians need to make an informed choice about childhood vaccinations.

The challenge for most who are wrestling with whether to give a vaccine is a lack of understanding about what information they really need to make an informed decision.

Written by a pediatrician who witnessed the difference over decades in the health outcomes of the vaccinated, partially vaccinated, and unvaccinated children in his practice, Vax Facts will enlighten parents and guardians and provide the information needed for informed consent.

Covering each of the vaccines recommended by the CDC and doctors, from pregnancy through the teen years, this detailed guide breaks down the ingredients, the lack of safety testing, and the side effects and risks of the vaccines.

With the help of simple data tables that compare the rates of death from the diseases for which we have vaccines and the rates of death from the vaccines themselves, parents and guardians can easily decide what’s right for their children.

With almost four million births per year in the United States, this useful resource will resonate with all who are pregnant or considering pregnancy, and all parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles who are considering whether vaccination is appropriate for a family member or loved one.

At the end of each chapter, Just a Mom (coauthor DeeDee Hoover) shares personal stories and reflections that allow readers to connect with the information.

This information-packed guide is for all those asking “Should I get my child vaccinated?” who want more than just a yes/no answer. After reading Vax Facts, parents and guardians will be able to decide with confidence whether vaccination is the right choice for their loved one.

Genres: Parenting, Health, Vaccines, Nonfiction

474 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2024

Reviews

[Jessica Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book that presents the issues with vaccine safety in a clear, no nonsense manner.

Dr. Thomas was our pediatrician for a few years, and truly the first pediatrician who met me with compassion and encouragement, rather than condescension. His humility and deep concern for the overall health and well-being of all people comes through in his writing. So thankful for professionals like him!

[Elena Henreckson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fascinating (and concerning). I think Thomas does make some leaps and assumptions (which he says are assumptions), but overall this is super eye opening. This isn't discussed in the book, but I find it interesting that culturally, many Americans don't want to have conversations about vaccines, and yet they hate the American healthcare system and think it's a scam and get angry when, because of insurance, costs are astronomical. Then those same people completely trust big pharma companies who are also motivated by money and rake in billions yearly and legally cannot be held liable if people have adverse reactions to their vaccines. Those two perspectives seem at odds with each other, and, I think, merit open conversations about health care and vaccines instead of blind acceptance of what we're told.

[Margaret Perkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't think I can finish this. I don't trust it. I was really looking for a more objective take, and the claim that vaccines cause autism is a serious problem for me. I'm also concerned that the data shared here was cherry picked to make the authors' point and doesn't include the whole picture.
I'd still love to read more on this topic, but I should probably look at reputable journals instead of an easy-to-read book.

[Jaimie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was insanely infuriating to read but also insanely eye opening. Paul Thomas is a former doctor who tried to get information out about issues with vaccines (with proven data) and the CDC thought he was a threat to society and refused to publish his work. All he wanted was to change the vaccine schedule because he proved it was better and safer to delay some vaccines. Not get rid of them, just delay them. He was threatened into surrendering his license. He then wrote a book called The Vaccine Friendly Plan that explained the delayed plan and why it was better.

This book was him admitting, after years of more research, that the vaccine friendly plan still wasn't good enough. He admitted after more data and research that no vaccines are better than any vaccines...and he comes with receipts. A doctor willing to admit he was wrong and contradict his past work is someone I'm willing to listen to. Everything he talks about in this book is proven with data, easy to read graphs, and all of his resources for you to look into. I also encourage people to look into more research other than what is in this book as well because you never want to listen to just one person. The more research I do the more shocking it is to see what has been hidden from us for all these years...

[Rachael Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one every medical provider and parent should read with an open mind. Dr. Paul Thomas is a hero for risking everything in an effort to seek truth. Everyone deserves to know the risks that come with these pharmaceuticals.

These are the biggest red flags for me:

-There has not been a single placebo controlled trial done on ANY of the vaccines in the CDC schedule (the "control" is almost always another vaccine or the toxic adjuvant—when it should be a saline injection)
-Data is manipulated to show these shots are safe even if they clearly are not. There is no control for conflicts of interest.
-Doctors are quite literally risking their license if they dare to question the safety of the CDC schedule. This is not true science.
-Our children are sicker than they have ever been before (autoimmune disease, autism, behavioral issues, allergies, etc). Of course there are many factors to this, but I believe it's fair to question if the one thing that alters a child's immune system from the day they are born is a huge contributor.
-Pharmaceutical companies have zero liability for adverse reactions.
-The risks of severe complications and death are much higher for every shot than the actual disease they are meant to prevent against.

I've spent dozens of hours researching these topics prior to reading this, so none of the information came as a surprise to me. But I was very impressed with the presentation—it was written in a way that is easily digestible by a "lay person" while still being backed with extensive research (all of the sources and studies referenced are cited).

I really appreciated how the authors emphasized the importance of letting go of fear regardless of what you choose to do. Their goal is to help people make informed decisions, though it's obvious they are passionate about sharing the serious risks of the CDC schedule for children. They also gave tips for mitigating risks if you do decide to proceed with any vaccines.

Small side note: Dr. Thomas encourages people to take care of their bodies and eat nourishing foods, which is great! He recommends avoiding ultra-processed foods, seed oils, refined sugars, etc (love it). But he included animal protein and fat in his list of inflammatory foods to avoid—yikes. This makes me sad. Of course this wasn't a focus of the book, but as someone that feels very strongly about the health benefits of pasture-raised meat, dairy, and eggs I had to mention it.

Always take what resonates with you and leave the rest! Overall, I highly recommend this book—it left me feeling fired up about protecting our children.

[Eleni Mastronardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took extensive notes, so that I could share here but there’s just so many I don’t know where to begin. It’s at the library, just read it to make an informed decision. If you know both sides of the argument, then that’s all I can ask of every parent.
If you’re on the fence, at least read chapter 7 on the history of vaccines and chapter 8 which shows how no true placebo testing was done for virtually all vaccines. There were over 500 footnotes that references journal articles, SCOTUS decisions, and clinical trials which shows how thoroughly he researched this new book. I often found myself reading the abstracts.
If anyone has questions, I would love to discuss since I don’t have time to type up all my thoughts.

[Patty Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Do Not Ever let someone- anyone-tell you don't need informed consent"
Very informative, very scary, very infuriating. This is a helpful tool for all parents, grandparents etc. It is always a good idea to enter a discussion armed with all the facts you can get.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Paul Thomas was a pediatrician for over 30 years with his own practice where, for a long time, he recommended only certain vaccines and spacing them out/delaying them in a plan he called the “Vaccine Friendly Plan.” He published a book by that title in 2016. Over the years he had thousands of patients; some fully vaccinated according to the CDC schedule, many vaccinated according to his vaccine friendly plan, and many more that were completely unvaccinated. Over time he noticed dramatic health differences in his patients—the fully unvaccinated were significantly healthier in every respect.

His practice data showed that many chronic conditions of childhood (e.g., asthma, allergies, behavioral issues, ADHD, eczema, anemia, autism) were much more common in the vaccinated—often 4-8x more common when compared to the unvaccinated. The vaccinated also had many more incidents of infections than the unvaccinated—including infections that the vaccines are meant to prevent!

In 2019 he published all the data from his practice. The medical journal that issued his study rigorously reviewed his paper prior to publication. A few days later the Oregon Medical Board emergently suspended his license for being a threat to public health.

His experience and decades of research has caused him to no longer stand by his former Vaccine Friendly Plan. In this new 2025 book Vax Facts he includes updated science and his own practice data, where he now concludes that none of the vaccines on the market are safe and he no longer recommends any of them.

He begins by explaining how the notion that vaccines were the primary cause of the dramatic reduction of infectious disease mortality in developed nations is a myth. All diseases declined dramatically before vaccines were introduced and widely distributed. Even illnesses for which we still do not vaccinate (e.g., typhoid, tuberculosis, scarlet fever, cholera, yellow fever) dropped at the same rate and at the same time as the diseases that we do have vaccines for (e.g., smallpox and polio). The decline in disease was actually a result of improvements in sanitation—especially clean, safe water and flush toilets—better nutrition, refrigeration of food, and availability of antibiotics, among other things.

The biggest problem with vaccines is that the adjuvants used to trigger an immune response are toxic to the body and brain. Aluminum is the current most widely used adjuvant. It is added to intentionally stimulate a massive reaction at the injection site and hyper-stimulate the immune system. It induces toxicity and cell death which attracts macrophages to the area, which then carry the aluminum to the spleen which further boosts the immune response. The aluminum ends up being carried everywhere in the body, including the brain. Simply removing it from the vaccines isn’t a feasible solution because vaccines wouldn’t work without an adjuvant; either the antigen alone isnt “foreign” enough to cause an immune reaction, or there isn’t enough of it.

In the early 2000s the FDA set a limit of 3-5 micrograms per kilogram of body weight of injected aluminum. Most vaccines far exceed that. For example, the hepatitis B vaccine given to day-old babies contains 250 micrograms of aluminum—for an average 8.8 lbs baby, this amounts to 28mcg per kilogram, when the known safe limit is 3-5mcg!

Moreover, in just the first 6 months of life following the CDC immunization schedule, a baby will receive a total of 3,675mcg of aluminum (622mcg/kg). Infants are being exposed to 14-49x more aluminum in a day than is considered safe!

Finally, the half life of aluminum is 7 years. So it accumulates quickly and is very difficult to remove it once it is in the cells.

As aluminum is the most problematic vaccine ingredient, vaccine manufacturers have found a way to disguise its danger in their clinical trials. The vast majority of control groups in vaccine clinical trials do not use saline as the placebo. Instead they use either a different vaccine, or the vaccine solution being tested minus the antigen as the placebo (i.e., the placebo solutions still contain the same amount of toxic aluminum adjuvants). So when researchers compare side effects in each group and find little difference, they can legally declare the new vaccine “safe” even if both groups had a lot of serious side effects, even in the short window (most safety studies are very short, often just a few days).

Merck’s Gardasil vaccine for HPV is a good example of this. It has 500 micrograms of aluminum. In one section of the clinical trials, 29% of those who got the vaccine developed “new medical conditions”; but this was not seen as a problem because 31% of the “placebo” group did too. But the “placebo” contained the same amount of the aluminum adjuvant. In another arm of the trials, 49.5% of those who got the vaccine developed a new medical condition and 49% of those who got the aluminum “placebo” did.

The HPV trials only monitored safety for 15 days post vaccination. The death rate of those who got Gardisil in the trials was 13.6 in 10,000. The death rate at that time from all causes was 4.4 in 10,000. And the death rate from cervical cancer was 0.23 in 10,000. In other words, the vaccine literally killed 18x more young women than were dying from cervical cancer in the first place.

Other problems with clinical trials include the fact that they never compare overall health outcomes in the vaccinated to the unvaccinated. They also only use relative risk reduction (RRR) rather than absolute risk reduction (ARR) to hide the fact that the vaccine has very little impact on risk of disease. RRR is a statistical term that researchers use to make poorly performing therapies look like they are more effective than they truly are. Every time a new product is brought to market, you will hear the product reduces the risk by some very high percent, usually in the 75-95% range (for example, COVID vaccines were claimed to be about 95% effective). What they are not telling you is the reduction in absolute risk, which is what matters most in the real world. Often that ARR is less than 1%, meaning 99% of those who take the product will receive no benefit at all.

The book covers all illnesses and their corresponding vaccines, ultimately concluding for each that the data shows that the risk of receiving each vaccine is higher than the risk of the illness itself. A few quick facts about polio serves as an example, since polio is one that people are typically concerned about:

—Before the polio vaccine was introduced your chance of getting paralytic poliomyelitis was 1 in 19,000 (0.005%).

—The last case of wild polio in the US was in 1979. All polio cases since then have been caused by the vaccine.

—New guidelines for diagnosing polio were implemented at the time the vaccine was introduced. New definition required 60 continuous days of paralysis before a diagnosis of polio could be given. But mosr cases of polio paralysis lasted days or a few weeks. Thus the US “eliminated” polio in part by changing its definition; it actually had little to do with the vaccine.

—The risk of permanent injury or death from the polio vaccine has not been proven to be less than that of polio for children at normal risk.

He covers SIDS too, including a few noteworthy data points:

—A 2021 paper reviewed 2,605 infant deaths reported from 1990-2018. Of those, 58% occured within 3 days post vaccination and 78.3% occured within 7 days post vaccination.

—Another report from GlaxoSmithKline showed in one of their trials, 97% (65 of 67) SIDS cases occurred within 10 days of receiving the tested vaccine.

Finally, he highlights a recent report that shows there is virtually zero risk to not vaccinating healthy children in the US today. The report documents that the risk of each vaccine (even using underreported VAERS data) is exponentially higher than the risk of the targeted disease. In other words, even if we use the government’s own sub par data, there is no scientific justification for the mass vaccination program.

He also helpfully includes a chapter at the end about how to reduce the risk of harm and help your body detox if you choose to receive any vaccines.

Overall its very thorough and compelling, lots of data to sift through, would be handy to own as a reference as it goes through pertinent information for every illness and its corresponding shot for children, adolescents, and adults. I could have done without DeeDee Hoover’s “Just a Mom” input at the end of every chapter, though. It didn’t offer much, I found it to be just fluff and not helpful for those only wanting the meat and potatoes.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the vaccine friendly plan a couple years ago and found tremendous value in it. Just finished this and would suggest anyone who is considering reading this, to first read the vaccine friendly plan (VFP). Then definitely read this next, shortly thereafter. The reason for the progression - Dr. Thomas is unreserved in Vax facts and some who are on the fence about vaccines could easily be turned off by the tone. I believe the tone is justified, however, if you’re a new parent or just new to researching vaccines, it could come across as emotional and therefore possibly less valid. By reading the VFP first, you’ll understand that Dr. Paul spent many years with a measured approach to vaccines, educating people on the pros and cons which enabled them to make informed decisions. And this is a good foundation to what you’ll be introduced to in Vax facts… VFP is a reasonable and fair presentation of pros and cons, but it’s measured. Whereas Dr. Paul is much less filtered in his assessment of each vaccine and its efficacy in Vax Facts. Ultimately, it’s crucial to understand everything in Vax Facts. But to be sure you aren’t turned off, I’d suggest the gateway of VFP. Similar content in both books. But worth the time especially when your child’s health lies in the balance.

[Mallory Chriceol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely thorough and well cited. If you have any questions about vaccines whatsoever, this book answers it. Dr. Thomas deep dives into each individual vaccine and goes over the risks vs. benefits of each one. He also goes over the fundamentals of research and statistics, so that the layperson can understand how to interpret the results of all the studies cited. For example, a control group should have a true placebo 🙃 He explains the difference between relative risk reduction (RRR) and absolute risk reduction (ARR) and why referring to the RRR allows the pharmaceutical companies to claim their products are much more effective than they actually are. And to tie it with a nice pretty bow, he explains why pharmaceutical companies cannot be held liable (aka cannot be sued) for any adverse reactions that vaccines cause.

My only “complaint” about this book is the “Just a Mom” section that follows each. and. every. chapter. No offense to the sweet lady who wrote it, but as someone who used to be very pro-vaccine and reluctantly changed my stance over a 3 year period of learning new information—people don’t want to hear opinions or testimonies from laypersons. They want to see/hear objective information from physicians and scientists. Period. So her input just adds emotional fluff that I ended up skipping over.

[Emily Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and damning. As a mom of a 2-month old, I have been overwhelmed by trying to figure out what things to do to protect my baby. Diving into a study of vaccines online was extremely daunting. This book simplified the study of vaccines for me and helped me understand enough to continue my own research outside of it.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so disappointed with this book. I expected all the facts from Dr. Paul's experience, finding that "unvaccinated kids are dramatically healthier." Unfortunately, he had to include a co-author who is a "health and diet" coach who is in no position to tell anyone else how to eat. She is a vegan or vegetarian espousing lies like "saturated fat causes inflammation" and pushing the practice of "eating the rainbow," plus advising the dosing of synthetic Vitamin D. What we need is sunlight on bare skin and supplementation with magnesium. Synthetic Vitamin D cannot do the beneficial things that Vitamin D3 Sulfate from sunlight can do. Tests for Vitamin D only measure the storage, which is always low because magnesium is low for pretty much everyone. So all of us are deficient in magnesium, and adding synthetic D only makes the problem worse. How to supplement sunshine? Eat beef liver, raw dairy, free-range eggs, and wild-caught deep-sea fish. Cod liver oil is a tried-and-true source of Vitamin D. Vegetables, grains, and beans all contain anti-nutrients or nutrients in forms not immediately usable by the body. To suggest these inferior foods in place of animal foods that have readily available nutrients is just pushing an unfounded vegan ideology, not based on facts. Eating a diet high in plant matter, even if it is organic, will load your body with anti-nutrients designed to harm nutrient assimilation and gut health. Sure, continue to use plants, but for medicine, for homeopathy.
Factual anti-vaccine information was abundant in this book. I expected and hoped for this. What I didn't expect were the waffling comments. It seemed that Dr. Paul was afraid to take a more strident stand against vaccination. After all of the vaccine-damaged children he saw in his practice, I am not sure why? For example, "For you, as a parent, it comes down to which risks you are most comfortable with, the danger of the vaccine or the danger of the disease." Why even say that when another sentence is "all (vaccines) have serious adverse events, including death." Did he just recycle some of the information from his "Vaccine-Friendly Plan"? How else does this irresponsible statement make any sense? All vaccines harm, creating immune dysfunction, and a huge list of poisoning effects, including death, compared to childhood illness which are benign and easily overcome with good health, nutrition, and homeopathic support. Additionally, after talking about the myriad of dangers of taking the MMR vaccine, he still says this idiotic statement, "There may be some children who can safely be vaccinated with the MMR." No, there can't. Every person who receives a vaccine is vaccine-damaged and neurologically damaged. There is never a reason to vaccinate. Then he says this, "I heard hundreds of stories from parents who shared how their typically developing one-year-old regressed into severe non-speaking autism after the MMR." So in your great wisdom, Dr. Paul, who are the children who can safely be vaccinated? Why would you even put this in parents' brains when they are on the fence? Every shot is a risk, and the outcome is unknown. Near the end of the book, Dr. Paul says, "Your child will be better off remaining unvaccinated for any and all diseases." This is a great sentence and should be the guiding principle for this entire book! Regrettably, this message was watered down by lapses in logic, dangerous ambiguity, and invalid and ridiculous nutritional advice.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth be told by the time I picked up "The Vaccine Friendly Plan," this was the book I really wanted. I knew from his podcasts that his stances had changed since that book but I wanted the same in depth explanation per vaccine. I immediately grabbed a copy of this once I saw he'd created this new work.

The data and evidence is as convincing as his first book. However, I preferred the layout to that one much more. It just seemed easier to quickly go back and get the gist of his opinion then in this new one. I also wasn't a fan of the "Just a Mom" commentary at the end other then some of her personal stories. Dr. Thomas is very personable & easy to understand so I didn't think this section was necessary; it's supposed to be a summary of the chapter in mom layman's terms. It came across to me as page filler saying the same thing in different variations at the end of each chapter: "can you believe the data from that chapter?!"

I assumed I'd be tossing "The Vaccine Friendly Plan" in favor of just owning this book but I've decided to keep both as I also enjoyed the non-vaccine parenting tips from the first book that I've referenced in the past.

[Tiffany Blosser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very eye-opening book with research that Big Pharma is trying so hard to censor. I had never heard of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986. I learned it took away any liability for vaccines on the childhood schedule 😮

Vaccine "safety" trials use aluminum and other adjuvants in the placebo group's injections.

I was also horrified that Dr. Thomas' peer-reviewed study was removed by organizations claiming his data was skewed because unvaccinated children went to the doctor for well-visits less. When he was able to prove that, in his practice, unvaccinated children came for more well-visits, the study was never re-published.

There is a serious agenda being pushed by the billion-dollar pharmaceutical industry, and covering up real data to push that agenda is inexcusable. I recommend this book to anyone, but especially parents.

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I loved the Vaccine Friendly Plan so when I saw that Dr Paul Thomas had another book with updated information I was so excited. I want to start with something good- this still has a lot of good information about what's in our vaccines and what the risk of diseases are. However, thats where the praise ends. This book is SO heavily opinionated and so one sided that I lost some respect for Dr Thomas. This delves into some higher power stuff that felt very new age-y and definitely gives the conspiracy theory vibe. I see where he's coming from but this was just too much.

[Karsyn Freeman]

I chose not to rate this book - Of course the book is well written & was ultimately a “good book” - but it also provides much research I didn’t know was out there as well as data I’ve never seen before. I was ready to read about book so granola I couldn’t stand it with no evidence for anything, but this isn’t a persuasion book and it provides scientific research and studies for the reader to ultimately make the decision for their children taking into account multiple scenarios FOR and AGAINST.

[Heather Caputo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. I red Dr. Paul's first book The Vaccine Friendly Plan and was thrilled to see this new one come out when he re-evaluated his position on vaccinating at all! Thoroughly researched and referenced, this book is a MUST HAVE for anyone who has questions about vaccines. It even covers vaccines during pregnancy and old age. A reference book everyone should have!

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worthwhile summary of the controversial studies related to vaccines. While there is some simplification of data readouts, I appreciated reviewing the population health a tudy based on Dr. Thomas’ own pediatric practice.

[Catherine Miller]

“For you, as a parent, it really comes down to which risks you are most comfortable with, the danger of the vaccine or the danger of the disease. The answer will not be the same for everyone, nor should it be.”

[Rachie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eye opening and incredibly informative book. It helped me obtain truly informed consent on whether or not to vaccine. If you have been recommended this book by a friend or family member please read this with an open mind.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is eye opening for either side of the isle. Once you know the information can’t be unknown. These pharma are not for our children or us, they are for profit. Do your own research, read this book and make the best decision for you and your family. My mind is made up!

[Lizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written, well-researched, well-informed author. Highly recommend for anyone on the fence. I was convinced only a few chapters in. The author doesn’t fear-monger or name call, he provides logical arguments and data to support his claims.

[Chris Jansson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Paul Thomas’s VFP, but this felt like a totally different version of him. Gone was the reasonable, thoughtful pediatrician weighing the pros and cons of each vaccine. This read more like a bitter manifesto full of sweeping negative statements.

[Hannah Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting data that's worth considering. It was very helpful how he went through all of the vaccines that are used today and highlighted the risks of vaccinating AND the risks of not vaccinating. You have to decide which risk you'd rather take.

[Alli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it.

[Cami · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had so much helpful information! It’s a must-read for everyone, but especially for new parents. I wish I knew this information when my kids were little.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Jenna Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Would recommend for parents trying to gain more information about vaccines!

[Emily Miedema · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well cited for additional information.