Okay, so you know I am becoming obsessive about the flu vaccine. That's because all my friends and family are beginning to hear this years' hype about the need to have their flu shot or risk ...well risk something. Lowering Big Pharma's profits at best. Their lives ,worst case scenario.
I'm concerned about the High Dose vaccine for seniors. (As if we don't have enough negative propaganda to deal with as it is.) Everywhere I go I see the huge posters at every department store touting an RN inside ready to jab you with no appointment necessary. If all of their services were as amiable, it would be more fun to shop there.
The Fluzone High-Dose vaccine, designed specifically for seniors, contains four times the amount of antigen compared to the regular flu vaccine. Yet there is no scientific evidence to support the theory that a higher dose of antigen will result in decreased risk of flu and related health complications.
The primary differences between the 'regular' Fluzone vaccine and Fluzone High-Dose for seniors is that the it contains four times as much microbial antigen that prompt your body to produce antibodies to the three different influenza strains contained in the flu vaccine.
The reasoning for the higher dose for seniors is that seniors need more antigen to affect the immune system. Some studies have shown that the flu vaccine creates only a weak immune response in the elderly. In other words what they are telling us is that the flu vaccine doesn't work for those 60 and older, so just quadruple the vaccine and ,as usual they think more is better. However if you read the small print it states, "Data from clinical trials comparing Fluzone to Fluzone High-Dose among persons aged 65 years or older indicate that a stronger immune response (i.e. higher antibody levels) occurs after vaccination with Fluzone High-Dose.
Whether or not the improved immune response leads to greater protection against influenza disease after vaccination is not yet known. An ongoing study designed to determine the effectiveness of Fluzone High-Dose in preventing illness from influenza compared to Fluzone is expected to be completed in 2014-2015."
So we take the vaccine and we are part of an ongoing study! Can you say perpetual lab rat?
The Cochrane Database Review—which is the gold standard for assessing the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of commonly used medical interventions—has concluded that flu vaccines are of little if any value. When you consider the risk we are taking with the possible side effects I've listed below, it is a no brainer, friends.
“The available evidence is of poor quality and provides no guidance regarding the safety, efficacy or effectiveness of influenza vaccines for people aged 65 years or older.”
"[T]here is no evidence that vaccinating health care workers prevents influenza in elderly residents in long-term care facilities."
This doesn't sound too promising to me. The same holds true for children under 2. A large-scale, review of 51 studies, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2006, found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo in preventing influenza in children under two. The studies involved 260,000 children, age 6 to 23 months.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16437500
"The review demonstrated that reliable scientific evidence confirming that influenza vaccines are effective is thin and there is plenty of reason to suspect that there may be a manipulation of conclusions when the studies are funded by drug companies." "In average conditions (partially matching vaccine) 100 people need to be vaccinated to avoid one set of influenza symptoms."
Can this be any more clear? How much more evidence do we need to ascertain that that the flu vaccine, not unlike the disease modifying drugs that our neurologists have been pushing on us for decades is a Big Pharma gold mine? Is it really worth risking the health and well-being of 100 people in order to prevent ONE case of the flu, which may or may not result in serious illness or death in that one individual to begin with? Well sure it is if you manufacture the vaccines!
Ok so what can you do to prevent the flu? (Which does have its own risks, I concede.) Since the flu vaccine myth is nearing its ultimate demise, what is the best way to avoid contracting the flu each and every year?
We have to build a healthy immune system. Avoid all sugars, particularly fructose, artificial sweeteners, (aspartame I could write a book about the dangers there). This would include fruit juice, and many grains. Processed grains are the absolute worst. They break down as sugar in the digestive system, which is the main source of many of our medical problems to begin with, eh, Eriks?
Excessive sugar consumption effectively suppresses your immune system and impairs your defenses against all infectious disease.
The other measure we can take is to be sure our Vitamin D levels are good. Many doctors and researchers now feel that vitamin D deficiency may be the reason for the overload of colds and flu in the United States, during the winter months especially.
At least 8 different studies show that the people with the greatest potential for suffering colds and flu are Vitamin D deficient.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/03/21/Can-Vitamin-D-Cure-the-Common-Cold.aspx
Other choices, provided by the following link:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/17/dangerous-new-ineffective-flu-vaccine-released-for-seniors.aspx?e_cid=20111017_DNL_art_1
Zinc—According to a Cochrane Database Review of the medical research on zinc when taken within one day of the first symptoms, zinc can cut down the duration of a cold by about 24 hours. It was also found to greatly reduce the severity of symptoms.
Chicken soup—Chicken contains a natural amino acid called cysteine, which can thin the mucus in your lungs and make it less sticky so you can expel it more easily. For best results, make up a fresh batch yourself (or ask a friend or family member to do so) and make the soup hot and spicy with plenty of pepper. The spices will trigger a sudden release of watery fluids in your mouth, throat, and lungs, which will help thin down the respiratory mucus so it's easier to cough up and expel.
Mushrooms—While most people think only of eating the fleshy fruiting body of the mushroom (the part that grows above ground), most of the benefits are actually located in their complex root structure, called the mycelium. Beta glucans and proteoglycans are the primary biologically active compounds in the mushroom fruit body and mycelia that support your immune system. The beta glucans are special proteins with unique side-branching patterns that “fit” perfectly with cellular receptor sites that support your immune system, just like a key in a lock.
Mushrooms also contain trace minerals, polysaccharides, amino acids and fiber that support your health by protecting against environmental stressors; supporting your detoxification process; and promoting healthy gut flora and optimal digestion, just to name a few of the known health benefits.
Vitamin C: A very potent antioxidant; use a natural form such as acerola, which contains associated micronutrients. You can take several grams every hour till you are better unless you start developing loose stools
Oregano Oil: The higher the carvacrol concentration, the more effective it is. Carvacrol is the most active antimicrobial agent in oregano oil.
Propolis: A bee resin and one of the most broad-spectrum antimicrobial compounds in the world; propolis is also the richest source of caffeic acid and apigenin, two very important compounds that aid in immune response.
A tea made from a combination of elderflower, yarrow, boneset, linden, peppermint and ginger; drink it hot and often for combating a cold or flu. It causes you to sweat, which is helpful for eradicating a virus from your system.
Olive leaf extract Ancient Egyptians and Mediterranean cultures used it for a variety of health-promoting uses and it is widely known as a natural, non-toxic immune system builder.
These are the possible side effects of this Super Flu Vaccine: (same side effects for the rest of us also.)
Thrombocytopenia: (abnormally low platelet count, which can result in abnormal bleeding)
Lymphadenopathy (enlarged lymph nodes)
Anaphylaxis (life-threatening whole-body allergic reaction)
Chest pain
GBS Guillain Barre Syndrome: Please read my Facebook note about GBS.
Myelytis (spinal cord inflammation)
Optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve)
Vasculitis (inflammatory destruction of blood vessels)
Brachial neuritis (excruciating unilateral shoulder pain, followed by paralysis of shoulder)
Pharyngitis and rhinitis (inflammation of the throat or pharynx, and the nose)
Itchy skin
Convulsions, fainting, dizzyness
Parenthesia (numbness/tingling of the skin)
Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath
Bell's Palsy ( a condition that causes the facial muscles to weaken or become paralyzed)
Steven-Johnson's Syndrome (a type of hypersensitivity reaction that occurs in response to medications, infections, or illness)
I think this is an important time to peruse this information as we are heading into prime flu and pneumonia season.
Special thanks to Dot for bringing the Senior aspect into this for me.
To come: What now?
