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Encouragement Corner
The Flu Vaccine: A Closer Look
The fall season is here. All over the country leaves are starting to change colors and the air is becoming more crisp. With the beautiful colors and the chill in the air comes another seasonal gift, the flu vaccine. You will inevitably be bombarded with multiple campaigns urging you to receive the flu vaccine for the sake of your health. You may have heard the statistics that the flu claims 36,000 lives per year, and puts another 200,000 in the hospital. With such terrifying information it’s no wonder so many individuals rush off to their local hospital, pharmacy, or even grocery store to receive a shot. But what exactly are we injecting straight into our bloodstream? What exactly is the effectiveness of this flu fighter? How dangerous is the flu exactly, and does the dangers justify the potential risks of receiving the shots? Lets take a closer look at the information that may be left off the brochures.
“Flu is a serious contagious disease that can lead to hospitalization and even death.”
This statement appears at the top of the CDC “Take 3” campaign to fight the flu. It goes without saying the flu can lead to hospitalization and even death, but the question is how often does this truly occur? The mortality rate of 36,000 per year was accepted by the CDC and still is accepted by other institutions including the National Institutes of Health. However, that claim came under fire by not only vaccine opponents, but also medical journals.
The authenticity of that figure was put into question by then Harvard graduate student Peter Doshi in his article published in the British Medical Journal.
‘… according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), “influenza and pneumonia” took 62,034 lives in 2001 - 61,777 of which were attributed to pneumonia and 257 to flu, and in only 18 cases was flu virus positively identified. Between 1979 and 2002, NCHS data show an average 1,348 flu deaths per year (range 257 to 3,006).’
When you apply the 62,034 number published by the CDC, and the 18 confirmed deaths due to the flu, this would mean the flu claimed a meager .029% of the stated deaths. This leaves quite a discrepancy between potential and reality.
The Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons also took issue with the CDC claim.
“The CDC and news media frequently proclaim that there are about 36,000 influenza-associated deaths annually. Review of the mortality data from the CDC’s National Vital Statistics System(NVSS) reveals these estimates are grossly exaggerated. The NVSS reports preliminary mortality statistics and distinguishes between influenza-related deaths and pneumonia-related mortality. When the final report is issued, influenza mortalities are combined with the far more frequent pneumonia deaths, yielding an exaggerated representation of influenza deaths. Pneumonia related mortality due to immunosuppression, AIDS, malnutrition, and a variety of other predisposing medical conditions is therefore combined with seasonal influenza deaths. The actual influenza related deaths for the years 1997 to 2002 ranged from 257 to 1,765 annually. These values are further overestimated by combining deaths from laboratory-confirmed influenza infections with cases lacking laboratory confirmation.”
Another fact that skews the estimates is that a high majority of deaths occurs in those with pre-existing conditions and the elderly. Of the 257 deaths in 2001, 194 occurred in those 55 years old and older (the largest number of deaths occurred in individuals 85 and over with 96 deaths.)
In addition to these figures, the fact the CDC lumps pneumonia together with the flu is a fallacy in itself. It is often argued that the flu can lead into pneumonia and therefore the flu is to blame for the death. However, the majority of pneumonia cases are caused by a bacteria and not a virus (the flu is a virus). Pneumonia caused by a virus is typically not as serious or severe as pneumonia caused by a bacteria. Those at greatest risk of contracting pneumonia through a virus often times have a pre-existing heart or lung disease, or women who are pregnant.
With all the pressure placed on the CDC of the accuracy of their clams, the CDC decided to take a different stance:
“Flu seasons are unpredictable and can be severe. Over a period of 30 years, between 1976 and 2006, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the United States range from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people.” - CDC
As we have already looked at, a statistical analysis of their own data shows a low of 3000 might still be too high.
A question that never seems to be asked is what exactly is the flu vaccine? And more importantly, does that concoction effectively prevent the flu?
There are two types of flu vaccines available. There is the traditional “shot” vaccine that is inactive (containing a killed virus) and contains no thimerisol. There is also a nasal-spray vaccine that is active (containing a weakened but alive flu virus) and does contain thimerisol. While there are only two types of vaccines available, there are many different manufacturers producing them. Because of this, each vaccine may vary a bit with the exact ingredients. However, there are very common ingredients in most of the vaccines available that is worth covering.
- Chick Embryo - It is quite surprising that the question of “where do these viruses in vaccines come from?” is not brought up more often. Rather than taking the time explaining how vaccine manufactures actually do this, it might be easier allowing the manufacturer, Novartis, explain it themselves. “...influenza virus vaccine prepared from virus propagated in the allantoic cavity of embryonated hens’ eggs inoculated with a specific type of influenza virus suspension containing neomycin and polymyxin.”
Neomycin and polymyxin are both antibiotics. Anybody who has an allergy to eggs or egg product can find this ingredient troublesome.
- Formaldehyde - Formaldehyde has been classified as a known human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. While formaldehyde is widely known for its use in building materials and household products, it may be best known for its role as an embalming agent.
- Triton X-100 - Is used as a detergent. May contain traces of ethylene oxide which is a proven human carcinogen. Considered hazardous is case of eye contact, ingestion, or inhalation. Also an irritant when contacted with skin.
- Potassium Chloride - The majority of potassium chloride is used to produce fertilizer. It is also used, in very high dosage, in the lethal injection. Side effects from potassium chloride include gastrointestinal discomfort including nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding of the digestive tract. Overdose from potassium chloride can lead to cause cardiac arrest and rapid death.
- Betapropiolactone - A potential human carcinogen according to the CDC.
- Potassium Phosphate Monobasic / Potassium phosphate dibasic - May cause irritation to skin, eyes, and respiratory tract. May be harmful if swallowed.
- Octoxinol 9 - A vaginal spermicide.
- Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
- Sodium Chloride (Salt)
- Thimerosal (a mercury derivative) - A highly toxic preservative. Mercury has been shown, even in minimal amounts, to cause DNA damage, cell death, brain damage, and organ failure. - Resource
The last remaining question is how effective is the flu vaccine? This question should be answered by the producers of these vaccines:
“There have been no controlled trials demonstrating a decrease in influenza disease after vaccination with FLULAVAL” - GlaxoSmithKline
“...there have been no controlled clinical studies demonstrating a decrease in influenza disease after vaccination with AFLURIA” - Merck
“Data demonstrating a decrease in influenza disease after vaccination with Fluzone High-Dose are not available.” - Sanofi Pasteur
“Specific levels of hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titers post-vaccination with inactivated influenza virus vaccine have not been correlated with protection from influenza illness.” - Novartis
While the manufacturers openly admit there is no data supporting the effectiveness of their vaccine, there is data supporting the opposite:
“...we could not demonstrate VE (vaccine effectiveness) in preventing influenza-related inpatient/ED or outpatient visits in children younger than 5 years.” - Published study in Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine
“The effect of influenza vaccination on the risk of pneumonia in elderly people during influenza seasons might be less than previously estimated.” Published study in Lancet
“Vaccination had a modest effect on time off work and had no effect on hospital admissions or complication rates. Inactivated vaccines caused local harms and an estimated 1.6 additional cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome per million vaccinations. The harms evidence base is limited.” .... “Fifteen of the 36 trials were funded by vaccine companies and four had no funding declaration. Our results may be an optimistic estimate because company-sponsored influenza vaccines trials tend to produce results favorable to their products and some of the evidence comes from trials carried out in ideal viral circulation and matching conditions and because the harms evidence base is limited..” - The Cochrane Library
It is important to note the article published in The Cochrane Library was a result of reviewing studies on the effectiveness of the flu vaccine in preventing influenza in healthy adults. They made the point to mention that 15 out of the 36 trials were funded by the vaccines companies themselves. In these trials the ideal circumstances were created and favorable results were obtained. They did not, however; replicate real world variables.
Why does the flu vaccine appear to be so ineffective in preventing the flu (outside of creating your own conditions)? Because the flu virus is constantly mutating and creating new strains. The flu vaccine will be rendered useless against brand new strains of influenza since there is no way to formulate a vaccine on a virus you have never seen. Even if their educated guesses are accurate, there is no guarantee the vaccine will be effective. As already mentioned the real world provides an endless amount of variables, and how each individual responds to the flu vaccine, good or bad, is completely unpredictable. There are ways to take your health into your own hands, and ways to assist your body to operate the way it was created to.
- Vitamin D: Research has indicated that a way to truly immunize yourself from the cold and flu is to maintain high levels of vitamin D. Individuals tend to be deficient in vitamin D during the winter months. In addition to possibly preventing the cold and flu, keeping high levels of vitamin D may also help in the prevention of other common respiratory infections - Epidemiol Infect, Virology Journal, Medical News Today, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Archives of Internal Medicine, Pediatric Research
- Wash Hands: Here is a simple and effective way to fight viruses in general. In additional to this, it is great to get into a habit of not touching your face often throughout the day as there are plenty of access point on your face for viruses to get in.
- Exercise: Exercising raises your body temperature which naturally creates an environment that is inhospitable for viral invaders. In addition to that, exercising will trigger an immune response that will take care of any foreign invader. Research has even indicated that exercising can cut the chances of getting a cold by close to 50% - British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Avoid Sugar: No one will be surprised that sugar can make you sick. It leeches vitamins and minerals from your body, and simply throws it out of whack. If our system cannot function properly in general, it cannot ward off illnesses.
- Quality Sleep: Your immune system is simply more effective when you are well rested. If you’re sleep deprived, you’re more likely to get sick.
- Decrease Stress, Increase Smiles: Research has shown the more happy you are, the less likely you will get sick. If a happy and positive person does get sick, they tend to recover faster. However, the opposite effect can also occur as well. If you have a lot of stress in your life, it can compromise your immune system making you more susceptible to illness. Just as your immune system can be triggered by physical stimulation, it can also be triggered by emotional stimulation. - CMU
- Eat Healthy: We already knocked out sugar, but also be aware of everything else you put in your mouth. Food is fuel to our bodies, and the quality of that fuel will absolutely affect how we run. Consuming dark green, red and yellow fruits and vegetables is a great place to start.
- Drink lots and lots of water: We are 75% water. Every part of our body is made up of cells... which are primarily filled with water. Water is essential to not only a healthy life, but life in general. It is vital to consume water to maintain health.
During this time of the year you will most likely be exposed to a flu vaccine campaign. You may see a commercial, a flyer, a brochure, or a host of other advertisements. However, how much information are you truly getting on this concoction that is claimed to be essential for our health? Potentially more important than that, how reliable is the information you are receiving? We believe it is the right of the parent to choose what they feel is the best medical decision for their families. No one else holds that right. However, in order to make the best decision possible it is imperative to have all the facts and all the information available. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the availability of information is becoming scarce. When information is centrally controlled by a governing body the reliability and integrity of that information must be put into question. In order to overcome this disparity of information one must take upon themselves the responsibility of researching their own information, and not rely on others to tell them how to raise a healthy child. We encourage you to continue to search out the best options for your families health, and never accept partial information.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The contents of this article is based on (unless otherwise noted) the opinion of Hope And A Future. It is not intended to replace or substitute a relationship with a qualified health care professional. If you have a health concern or undiagnosed sign or symptom, please consult a physician, or a health care specialist.