FLU vaccination

Every year, at around this time, mainstream medicine steadies itself for Flu season.  Pretty soon, every one will be once again advised to get the Flu vaccine, but do we really need them?  Can a simple flu shot really protect against the annual aches, sore throats and fever that are the Flu's companions.

The simple answer is not really, unless you are a high risk candidate for the Flu with yearly fights against it which be accompanied by high fever and even sometimes a trip to the hospital.

Protection or Panacea

The flu vaccine contains two or three inactive or "dead" viruses (out of a possible 200 flu strains) that were prevalent the year before. On this basis, it seems that the vaccine does afford some protection, but of course,   since these strains are constantly changing, vaccinations can at best be partially successful in preventing outbreaks of the disease. In other words, medical science is constantly playing catch-up, hoping that last year’s strains match those in circulation this year.

If they are a match, the vaccine can prevent 70 to 90 percent of flu cases in people under the age of 65. But if you’re over 65, protection can drop to as low as 30 percent.

What about the risks

In addition to the above, the vaccine also contains other ingredients made up of a combination of additives, including thimerosal (a mercury derivative), formaldehyde (a carcinogen and neurotoxin) and aluminum (a neurotoxin that has been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease).  For those of you who are allergic to egg, it is worth noting that the vaccine also contains egg protein. Getting a flu shot could cause a drop in blood pressure, wheezing, breathing difficulty and hives in people with this allergy. But you’re doctor may not be aware of this ingredient, so if you do suffer from an egg allergy, make sure you talk to your health care professional before you agree to a flu shot.

But there is worse still…  There is evidence that seemingly links the flu vaccine to serous eurological side effects. The flu vaccine is known to have caused  Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) and other autoimmune conditions. GBS is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. The first symptoms of this disorder include varying degrees of weakness or tingling sensations in the legs. In many instances, the weakness and abnormal sensations spread to the arms and upper body. These symptoms can increase in intensity until the muscles cannot be used at all and the patient is almost totally paralyzed.

While the CDC claims that the risk is small (one in 100,000), this wasn’t the case in 1976. Of the 46 million people who were vaccinated against swine flu that year, 532 developed GBS and 32 of those died. At least one other study has also found a link between GBS and other strains of the vaccine.

Ok.  No shot for me..  What about nasal sprays?

At first this solution seems to be the perfect choice, easy to administer, and of course, no needles are involved so it’s painless.  One such nasal spray is FluMist, a recently FDA approved product, but the problem is that it’s been approved for healthy people between the age of 5 and 49, the very people who need the vaccine last! Besides the drug’s age limitations, FluMist has other drawbacks. Side effects include sore throat, coughing, nasal congestion and runny nose. (Funny, that sounds an awful lot like the flu.) And people with asthma or respiratory diseases need not apply. It’s also not cheap.  A point of concern for me is that FluMist contains live influenza virus, diluted of course, but still potent enough to pose a risk to those with a weakened immune systems.

Fortunately, it is relatively easy to guard against the flu.  The key of course is to boost your immune system before the season starts.