Hot Health Tips

It's Flu Season
By Dr. Jeff Bartlett

It's flu season once again and we feel compelled to address an important, but controversial issue...the increasingly popular usage of the flu vaccine.

Last fall, I remember watching the 6:00 news, and the CDC had just announced that they did not make enough flu shots to go around for the up and coming flu season. Unfortunately, statements like these can generate fear which can be used as a driving force to increase consumer demand. I sadly saw on the news what the fear manifested into. Do you remember the massive flu shot lineups at the Costco stores? People were in such a state of panic to get their flu shot that a poor elderly woman actually died in the lineup from complications of heat exhaustion and dehydration. Who and what created this hysteria? And why were these people so desperate to get their flu shot? Is the media at fault or the CDC? Are the flu vaccine manufacturers looking out for your best interests…or their best interests? These are important questions to ask. We'd like to shed some light on the situation.

Yes, the peak of the flu season is almost upon us, and I hope that you are willing to do your own due diligence when it comes to your health choices, especially when it relates to injecting foreign substances into your body. We at "CurvesHealthClub” will not tell you whether or not to take a flu shot, but we can speak from our own opinions, readings, and research, and tell you how we reach a decision for our own health choices. The CDC recommends that the elderly and infants need to take special precautions to avoid the potential of getting the flu because of an already compromised immune system. This makes sense, in theory, yet according to Dr. Joseph Mercola, the facts are quite construed.

Here is an excerpt from Dr. Mercola's website discussing the issue of flu shots:

Flu Vaccine's Paradoxical Effects

For most people, the flu shot does not prevent illness, but actually does the polar opposite--it weakens your immune system and makes you more predisposed to the illness.
In light of the flu-related death toll, many people have been fooled into believing the only way to prevent death from the flu is to get a dose of the vaccine. However, the significant number of deaths associated with the flu is outrageously exaggerated!

As a surprising confirmation of this, one critic determined to expose the CDC and vaccine manufacturers for falsely instilling fear into people has found the truth behind the "statistics." According to the CDC's most recent death statistics located on their Web site, influenza and pneumonia killed 62,034 people in 2001. That means, in light of the current statistic, that just over half of those deaths resulted from the flu. However, upon further investigation, the actual number of deaths caused by the flu came to 257, with pneumonia accounting for the remaining number of deaths.
What is helpful to understand is that the people who are really dying from the flu do so because they are already sick and have compromised immune systems.

There are two issues to consider when making a decision about the flu shot. First, is it safe? And second, is it effective? Influenza is a virus that is constantly changing and mutating. There is no way of knowing if the strain that was selected for the vaccine can protect you against the strain that you may come into contact with in the real world. Is this a chance that you are willing to take when you consider the safety issues at hand?

Even though the 'ingredients' of the flu shot are always changing, here is some general information I found regarding some of the components of a flu vaccine. I retrieved the information from Concerned Parents for Vaccine Safety.

When you get a flu vaccine, here is what they are injecting into YOUR body.

• Aluminum hydroxide, which is associated with Alzheimer's disease and seizures. Has also been shown to cause cancer in laboratory mice. (It is used as an additive to promote antibody response.)
• Animal tissues
• Ethylene glycol or Henoxyethanol (antifreeze)
• Formaldehyde, a known cancer-causing agent
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• Neomycin and Streptomycin (used as antibiotics) have caused allergic reactions in some people.
• Phenol, also known as carbolic acid (this is used as a disinfectant, dye).
• Sorbitol
• Sucrose
• Thimerosal (a mercury disinfectant/preservative) can result in brain injury and autoimmune disease. Some researchers have found a direct correlation of the number of flu shots one has and the incidence of Alzheimer's. This would be due to the aluminum and mercury that is put into every flu shot.

What should I do before the flu season hits?

I've approached the yearly flu season hype with the understanding that if I eat and live properly, I will build a strong immune system, capable of defending itself from the attack of a flu virus. Feel free to browse our website for ways to boost your immunity naturally. In particular, our article "Redefining Ourselves Nutritionally” can help to steer you in the right direction. I have made a decision not to risk my health by injecting myself with chemicals that have the potential to trigger mysterious autoimmune diseases.

The big question you have to ask yourself is "Which is better? Some rest time with the flu or having toxic chemicals injected into your bloodstream?"

One last thought that directly parallels our health philosophy: The human body is an incredible intricate machine, with a very efficient immune defense system that fights off disease and sickness throughout our entire lives. Therefore, if someone follows an optimal diet, exercise and rest, why can't the human body defend itself from the flu? Furthermore, what you MUST understand is that people are dying from the flu because they are already sick and have compromised immune systems. The ultimate treatment for the flu is proactive prevention. Eat the right foods, avoid junk foods, get plenty of rest, and stay emotionally balanced, and you will create immunity naturally.

So how can you strengthen your immune system and prevent the flu?

Here are some key factors to prepare you and your family for the flu season:

1. Avoid sugary foods, simple carbohydrates, trans-fats, and fast foods.
2. You can increase your immune system with:

• Omega-3 fats.
• Eat organic foods to avoid the onslaught of toxins.
• Exercise regularly.
• Get enough sleep.
• Lower your stress level.
• Wash your hands regularly

References:

1. Archives of Internal Medicine, February 14, 2005;165(3):265-272
2. Science Daily, February 23, 2005
3. CDC. Weekly report: influenza summary update http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/weeklyarchives2003-2004/weekly47.htm.
4. www.mercola.com