Swine Flu Vaccine: Avoid It Like The Flu

With flu season upon us, there’s definitely no shortage of news stories, blog posts, general conversation and even protests about whether or not to recieve the H1N1 flu vaccination.  Big Pharma profiteering and FDA/CDC/WHO fear-mongering has prompted a run on vaccines, to the point where there is a shortage in many areas.  Recent children deaths go even further to stoke this fear fire.  My wife and I made a conscious, informed decision not to vaccinate ourselves or our two children.  Fortunately, receiving it has not been mandated, so it’s a personal choice at this point.  There’s a plethora of information (and misinformation) available, so I would encourage you to educate yourself on H1N1, seasonal flu, vaccines and your options.   Until then, here are four reasons to forgo this potentially dangerous drug:

• It does not offer effective viral protection- Numerous studies (independent of pharmaceutical cartel influence) have been conducted regarding the efficacy of flu vaccines and the consensus is that they are largely ineffective in children, adults and the elderly.  There are two types of flu vaccines: trivalent inactivated (injectable, needle) and live attenuated (intranasal, FluMist).  The shot is “inactivated” because it does not contain the live virus.  An attenuated nosespray essentially contains a very weak flu antigen.  Both versions basically fool the body into thinking that the actual virus is present.  In response to this, your body produces antibodies for future protection.  According to the CDC, the seasonal flu shot is effective “in about 70%-90% of healthy persons younger than 65 years.”  This is somewhat misleading.  I’ll address exactly what “healthy” means in a minute, but if you parse this data, one can clearly see that the vaccine is effective in people who most likely have a very strong immune system already and would probably be  better off without it.  Folks with compromised (sickly, elderly) or undeveloped (infants, children)  immune systems have the highest risk of succumbing to the secondary complications of the flu, but this demographic is curiously not cited in the CDC statistics.

• The vaccine is not as safe as officials claim - Earlier this year, the W.H.O. declared a worldwide H1N1 pandemic.  Fears about a more severe outbreak prompted drug manufacturers to rush production of a new vaccine (operative word – rush) in anticipation of the fall and winter seasons.  Not only were the untested vaccines pushed through to the marketplace, but the dangerous preservative thimerosal has been included in most versions of the vaccine (read more about the dangers of thimerosal).  Other jeopardous components include squalene and aluminum.  Even the well tested and supposedly safe seasonal flu vaccine can lead to serious health problems: click here and here.  Knowing that the H1N1 vaccine hasn’t been as rigorously tested, are you willing to take the risk?

• H1N1 is not more deadly than seasonal flu- On average, the seasonal flu kills approximately 36,000 people nationwide each year.  This is obviously a lot of deaths that largely go unreported or buried under “Balloon Boy” and “Jon and Kate” headlines.  H1N1 isn’t more deadly per se, but since the last outbreak occurred in 1976, most young people have not been exposed, and subsequently don’t have the antibodies in their immune system to mount a defense.  The next logical question is – why are these deaths even happening?  A largely unknown (and unnecessary) fact about influenza is that the vast majority of deaths are not from the actual virus, but from secondary complications (eg – pneumonia).  So, a person with a fully functioning immune system should be able to fight the flu without a vaccine.  And don’t be fooled by medical personnel saying that “healthy” people are now dying from H1N1.  I’ve discovered that the status “healthy” is used very loosely, and often times,  it does not necessarily equal a heathy immune system.  In general terms, ”healthy” is used by medical professionals to describe someone who has basic health indicators in a normal range (blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, etc.), so take it with a grain of salt when you hear it.

• Vaccination is not your only option- If you’ve read some of my other articles, you know my approach to wellness and prevention is to let food be your medicine, exercising, reducing your toxic load (drugs, chemicals, etc.) and avoiding unnecessarily invasive medical procedures.  Our bodies, down to the cellular level, have a symbiotic relationship with the environment around us.  Consequently, if you feed those cells the right nutrients, you will thrive on many different levels.  Your immune system stands to gain the most from this mindset.  When you provide your immune system with proper nutrients, it will thrive.  To this end, the first thing you must do is drastically reduce or eliminate junk food from your diet.  Organic vegetables (and to a lesser extent some fruits), spices (garlic, oregano), clean water, lean meats (wild, free-range, hormone-free) are good starter options.  Supplements like Vitamin C and D3 (avoid synthetic D2), herbs like astragalus, echinacea, oregano oil, and especially black elderberry all have a tremendous effect on your immune system, when used in conjunction with a whole-food based diet.  Online scams abound these days with dubious cures, inferior supplements and dangerous herbs.  So, do your research and make sure to buy from a reputable manufacturer.  Read more about boosting your immune system here.

Don’t be fooled by the rampant fear-mongering perpetuated by the profit-drive pharmaceutical industry.  The media get their information from doctors and health officials who inevitably get their information from the drug companies (or biased studies funded by them).  There’s a lot of money at stake, so there’s a vested interest in keeping the public in the dark about natural ways to fight illness.  Do yourself and your family a favor, and educate yourself about all the options available before you blindly subject yourself to the vaccine (or any, for that matter).  If, after all your due diligence, you still decide to go with the vaccine, at the very least you made an informed decision.

Related posts:

1. National Swine Flu Emergency Is Declared
2. Yet Another Reason To Avoid Soda
3. FDA: Avoid This Dangerous Weight Loss Supplement
4. W.H.O. Was Complicit In Unfounded H1N1 Hype?