Dear Dr. Ayurveda, via Dr. John Douillard.

Q. I advocate selective vaccinations, each of which carries unique risk/benefit considerations. Which vaccines do you feel most strongly about (either positive or negative) and why? ~Sarah Kraft of Mindful Momma magazine.

A. This is a controversial issue. Parents need to be informed about their choices when it come to vaccines. The C.D.C. [Center for Disease Control] vaccine schedule may not work for every child—parents have to make that decision on a child-by-child basis. Factors in making vaccination decisions include immune strength of the child, parent’s health history and immune strength, family disease history, travel habits and whether you live in an area with a high incidence of vaccine-related diseases.

If a child gets sick once a year for two days rather than frequently sick for two or three weeks, they will be less susceptible to the potential toxicity of the vaccine and fight the infection better if exposed. Clearly avoiding vaccines with mercury, less shots per visit, checking the vaccine titers before giving boosters and perhaps, like in Europe, not starting them until your child is one year old are some valid points that parents should begin discussing with their doctor. Dr. Bob Sears’ The Vaccine Book will guide parents through the process of selective vaccinations, individual dosing and working with your doctor.

We parents must take back the reins of our children’s preventative healthcare. My wife and I have six children—and my book, Perfect Health For Kids, aims to offer parents the tools that have worked for us, and my patients.

Author of four Ayurvedic [traditional Indian Science of Health] books, DR. JOHN DOUILLARD directs LifeSpa, an Ayurvedic rejuvenation center in Boulder, Colorado, where he lives with his wife and six children.