Is the flu shot hysteria based on hard science?

The influenza news reports would have us believe that the sky is falling. There is no question that the flu can be nasty to endure and can be dangerous. This flu “season” may be more deadly than usual in part because the dominant strain, H3N2, is strong. Of course, no one wants the flu, but the question is this: to what extent does the vaccine keep us from getting it. The media gives no hint that this is even a legitimate question! The points below show that it is not a black and white issue.

  • It is alleged that, on average, 36,000 Americans die annually from the flu. However, most all fatalities attributed to the flu are really from other problems such as pneumonia, secondary infections and dehydration. Clearly, the type of care given the flu patient is critically important. Most who succumb are elderly; are suffering with chronic diseases; and are already in fragile health. Those folks have damaged immune systems and therefore may be the least likely to respond to even the stronger vaccines given to them. (They are also more likely to suffer side effects of the shots.) Similarly, infants do not yet have fully operational immune systems and therefore cannot properly fight the disease or react as hoped to the flu vaccine. Sometimes apparently healthy young adults die from the flu, but for the rest of that story, see the next bullet point.
  • Obviously, not everyone who is exposed to the flu gets sick and others have only a mild case. Those “lucky” ones have stronger immune systems. So, when it is said that a “healthy” person died of the flu, unseen factors are being ignored. For example, vitamin D is exceedingly important for immune function and yet we never hear if victims’ blood levels were adequate. Maybe they are low in zinc which is also critical to immunity. Since up to 75% of immune function is in the gut, we can guess that many of these people didn’t have good strong intestinal probiotic protection. Or perhaps they have lowered their immune function by eating a lot of sugar or failed to get enough sleep.
  • Many health experts are rightly concerned about unintended effects of some of the additives in the vaccines such as mercury, formaldehyde, antibiotics and MSG.
  • Hearing the experts push the shots, we would assume that the science supporting safety and efficacy is unequivocal. However, this article, The Shocking Lack of Evidence Supporting Flu Vaccines, summarizes a review of 75 studies over 40 years. It concludes that there is not convincing evidence for the flu vaccine regarding “children under 2, healthy adults, the elderly, and healthcare workers who care for the elderly”. Gee, that covers a lot of ground and includes the populations warned most strongly to get immunized! Of even more concern are 4 studies showing that in Canada during the 2008-2009 season, persons who had been immunized were 1.5-2.5 times more likely to need medical attention for the flu.
  • I have had a little trouble with the logic in one official justification for the flu shot. As part of making us feel like criminals if we don’t get the shot, they talk about “herd immunity”. The story goes that the vaccine might not keep YOU from getting the flu, but if most people get the shot, maybe there won’t be an epidemic. [Wait, if it doesn’t work for most people, how would it…?] Then I saw an article on a shocking new study. It concluded that persons who develop symptoms and had received the flu vaccine the previous two years, spread the flu 6 times faster than those who had not gotten the shots! Yikes! Turns out there were more viruses in the air they exhaled.
  • Each year, manufacturers must basically guess which strain of virus to include in the vaccine for the next season. The protection varies yearly from 10% to 50% effectiveness. This year’s drug effectiveness has been pegged variously at 17%. It was not targeted to H3N2 which also can mutate into different forms.
  • Oddly, the vaccine seems less effective this time for baby boomers. One TV doctor speculated that the boomer’s immune systems had “imprinted on” [become fixated on] strains of flu that they had experienced earlier in life. Therefore, their immune systems didn’t have the flexibility to recognize and attack the H3N2. [Or, was it that their immune systems were fixated on the strains used in previous vaccines?]
  • In an interview on our show, Russell Blaylock, MD, explained how excitoxins added to flu vaccines overstimulate brain immune cells and lead to dementia.

It is not appropriate for me to tell you to avoid the flu shot. I will just say that I’ve never had one and “luckily” I have never had the flu. I do enthusiastically recommend:

  • Keep your immune system in fighting form by making sure that you take plenty of vitamin D (8,000 to 10,000 IU for most adults according to new research); get sufficient zinc daily (e.g. at least the 30 mg of a good form like what is in Molecular Multi): take a garlic pill daily with your biggest meal to ward off viruses; keep your tummy immunity nourished with Ohhira’s Probiotics; stay away from sugar and get a good night’s sleep.
  • Read my article on what to do and not to do if you feel sick. (Most importantly, do not take antibiotics for conditions caused by viruses.) Be prepared by shopping ahead of time for the items listed in my article, Colds and Flu Remedy Kit. Bill Sardi reminds us that “everyone should have a bottle of zinc lozenges (ideally acetate form) handy as they have been proven to dramatically shorten a bout with the flu or a common cold.” 
  • Consider Homeoprophylaxis (also known as “HP”) a safe, non-toxic and proven alternative to vaccinations. 

Good luck figuring out what is right for you. But, please don’t assume there isn’t fake news regarding health. It is promoted by the drug industry, the medical establishment they have influenced and follow the leader media that do not dig deep enough into the science.

 

 



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