Flu Vaccine Shortage? Blessed!
By Thomas S. Lee, NMD
Many Americans are worried about not being able to get a flu shot this season. Should the flu vaccine shortage add fear and uncertainty to our lives? Maybe, if the vaccine really protected us from the flu. But despite the fear-mongering among our politicians and major media, the flu vaccine shortage hardly rates a colored alert.
Don’t misunderstand me, concern for your family health is worth making an effort at education and planning. So before you fret about missing your flu shot, let’s consider where else that protection can be found.
About the Flu
Millions of people catch the flu and only experience mild symptoms. Many more are exposed and acquire immunity without ever noticing symptoms. Even if symptoms are not severe, the body will produce antibodies that remember that specific virus for a very long time, possibly life-long. The Centers for Disease Control present mortality rates from the flu that are combined with those from pneumonia. When reading these statistics in context, it does not suggest a high flu mortality rate in the U.S. in modern years.
The influenza virus is usually a form of coronavirus and is quickly spread through coughing and sneezing, contact with common surfaces, and unwashed hands. Touching your own eyes, nose, or mouth with your own contaminated hands or fingers is the most common way this virus is naturally “vaccinated” into our bodies.
Once in your body, if you are vulnerable, a virus will incubate without noticable symptoms for a couple of days. Then the dreaded flu symptoms of fever, chills, aching, coughs, and fatigue last two or three days, and will usually subside and be gone in a week. After an individual has had the flu, their body will have produced antibodies that protect them from the same strain of virus for a prolonged period of time.
Complications from influenza infection are very rare and may occur in individuals with an underlying medical condition, those over 65 years of age, and young children that have a predisposition to respiratory infections. Pneumonia is the primary complication of influenza and can result in hospitalization or death in those who are at extremely high risk for complications.
About the Flu Vaccination
The flu vaccination offers temporary protection from specific strains of the influenza virus. Over 500 different viruses can cause flu-like symptoms, and the three most common strains seen in the previous year are used to make the vaccine. Viral adaptation is rapid and constant. It takes about two weeks after a flu shot for your antibody levels to be able to protect you. These antibodies then lose their effectiveness within a few months.
Below are the ingredients in two common flu vaccines, as described in another article on our site:
FLUSHIELD: Influenza Virus Vaccine, Trivalent, Types A & B. Wyeth-Ayerst, 1-800-934-5556. Produced using gentamicin sulfate, formaldehyde, polysorbate 80, tri(n) butylphosphate, and thimerosol (mercury). Medium: chick embryos.
FLU VIRIN: Influenza Virus Vaccine. Medeva Pharmaceuticals, 1-888-MEDEVA, 716-274-5300. Produced using embryonic fluid (chicken egg), neomycin, polymyxin, thimerosol (mercury), and betapropiolactone. Medium: embryonic fluid (chicken egg).
According to Health Canada, the influenza vaccination is only recommended for those who are at high risk for developing serious complications from the flu. It is ironic that mercury is proven to be more harmful than the vaccines themselves are proven to be helpful. The very people who are most in need of protection are the most vulnerable to the metal poisons in the vaccine.
The high-risk groups mentioned above include people aged 65 years or older; those with chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, or immunosuppressive disorders; children on long-term treatment with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA, or aspirin); health-care workers; residents, workers, and volunteers at nursing homes, chronic-care facilities, and retirement homes; and women who are more than three months pregnant.
Health Canada also found that for their clients over 65 years of age, the efficacy rate of the vaccine is less than 30 percent. 75 percent have prolonged soreness (up to 2 days) at the site of the injection. Not surprisingly, children are at the greatest risk of side effects, which include the primary identifiers of the flu itself, with severe allergic and paralytic illnesses.
We have not been able to locate any studies that differentiate between the effects of the vaccine and those of the proven toxic effects of its added ingredients. Inexplicably, the FDA does not require these studies of the manufacturer.
Contraindications to the Flu Vaccine
According the manufacturers, the flu vaccination should not be given to persons with an acute respiratory infection or with any other active infection or serious febrile (fever) illness. So do NOT attempt to treat an active case of the flu with a vaccination.
The vaccination also should not be used by persons who develop anaphylactic-type reactions (hives, swelling of the mouth and throat, difficulty breathing, hypotension, or shock) when they eat eggs. Also, anyone with an active neurological disorder should avoid vaccination until they are stabilized.
To work properly, the vaccine must be introduced into a body with a normal immune system. So persons who are immuno-suppressed, either intentionally with steroids or from the effects of a disease, should not be vaccinated.
Thimerosal — which contains mercury — is commonly used as a preservative in flu vaccines and many others. Mercury has been implicated in many severe neurological and immunological disorders. If these symptoms are a concern, do NOT vaccinate.
Before Making a Decision on Flu Prevention
If you have already had the flu this year, you have developed antibodies to the current influenza virus. Antibodies, developed by the body when you have the flu, are more robust than the antibodies that result from a flu shot, and they will protect you for a longer time than a flu shot.
The selection of which influenza strains are to make up the vaccine is a best guess from among the last year’s three most prevalent strains. No one knows which will be the most prevalent strains of flu virus in any given season. The vaccine only promotes temporary (two to three months) of immunity to the viral strains used to make it. The only proven way to get natural and long-term immunity to a given strain of the influenza virus is to recover naturally from an infection with it.
Vaccine production involves formaldehyde, heavy metals such as mercury, and antibiotics. There are many concerns about all of these substances in human health, especially with repeated exposures. While basic research is needed about their effect on the human body, there are no long-term safety studies on vaccine use. Worse, there is no regulatory or legal pressure to conduct them. None. That means that vaccination is an unproven, unscientific remedy, and is inherently dangerous.
Vaccinations prevent the body from naturally responding to external pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. Those who maintain a strong healthy immune system will protect themselves naturally from adverse effects of the flu. They will build permanent immunity and decrease the potential for developing unknown side effects from long-term exposure to the viral fragments. They will thus be less likely carriers of the virus to their loved ones and co-workers.
The flu vaccination was developed by the allopathic health care system to decrease the risk of contracting the influenza virus. However, the best way of preventing any flu or complications from any virus is through prevention. Prevention is most surely achieved with daily healthy habits that ensure an optimum immune system and overall health. A strong immune system is the most effective prevention strategy against the flu or any other disease.
Guidelines for Strengthening the Immune System
The best protection from infectious diseases is a robust immune system and healthy daily habits. Some general recommendations for maintaining a strong immune system are as follows.
Regular health care visits with an experienced naturopathic doctor will help you identify any health and immune system concerns early to strengthen or rebalance your system. Work with a natural doctor to identify the daily healthy regimes or additional supplements that will best help you.
Becoming or staying active in keeping yourself healthy will ensure you against most disease and illness far more surely and affordably than most medical insurance.
Maintain an optimal nutrient intake and a strong digestive function by:
Eating 5-8 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables daily, including garlic, onions, thyme, and oregano in your meals to boost the immune system and protect you from disease organisms. Use moist cooking methods for meats and vegetables, as this preserves nutrients and makes good foods more digestible.
Supplementing with an appropriate group of nutrients and “superfoods” that might include living-food multivitamins, colostrum, probiotic formulations, amino acids, garlic (fresh or encapsulated), Larix or larch sugars, Vitamin C and MSM, colloidal minerals, and other products you can study or be taught about by natural health professionals.
Using appropriate and delicious culinary herbs in your food preparations will add nutrients and improve your digestion. Optimal immune system strength, as with other life functions, requires a healthy digestion.
Avoiding sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and recreational drugs, which reduce your immune functions — most particularly during seasonal weather changes and when exposed to other people who are ill.
Drinking enough filtered water — around 6-8 glasses per day. People drink less in the winter, adding stress to the liver, kidneys, and colon. Frequent sips through the day are better than occasional large drinks.
Not overeating, because it takes more energy to digest the food. Adding more stress to the digestive organs will lower your immunity.
Guidelines for Keeping Up Personal Defenses
Wash your hands with soap and water regularly and avoid close contact with anyone who is not well. When traveling or in public gatherings, view all common surfaces as contaminated. Use paper barriers, washcloths, and disposable wipes when possible.
Wear adequate clothing. During the change of season, err on the side of being too heavily dressed versus chilled.
Get enough rest and sleep. Become sober or come down from any recreational high before going to sleep. Otherwise, the quality of your rest will suffer, as the “morning after” will prove.
Exercise on a daily basis. Stretching, walking, swimming, working out at a health club, doing yoga, or even dancing when done on a regular basis will assist in maintaining a healthy body.
Spend ten to fifteen minutes a day focusing on your breathing, with twice as long on the exhale as the inhale. Good times for this are upon waking and before bed.
Lower your stress with meditation, massage, or playing with family and pets, because stress depresses the immune system, while joy and fun is proven to strengthen it.
If you develop flu-like symptoms, stay home, limit your exposure to others, and allow your body time to recover using the following hints.
First Aid for Flu Symptoms
Upon the first sensation of an attack, move quickly to warm up your body. Drink some hot herbal teas, take a hot bath, and get into a warm bed for a lot of sleep. The earlier you can catch this with these powerful methods, the less misery and the shorter your recovery time.
Herbal teas that are helpful include any single or combination of the following herbs in teas: Peppermint, Yarrow, Elder, Goldenseal, Echinacea, Ginger, Rhodiola, Lomatia, Lonicera, Forsythia, and many others. You can sweeten these with a little honey, licorice, or stevia if that helps you get down several mugs of your tea every day you are working to defeat the flu.
A cleansing enema before the hot bath and bed will also help clear the lower colon and free up more strength for your immune system in the coming battle. Make a solution of 1 tsp. of salt and 1 tsp. of baking soda in 2 qts. of warm water.
We offer a recipe for NaturoDoc’s Own Flu Soup that many have found helpful. If you have a Thai restaurant nearby when you feel this coming on, stop for a takeout container of “Tom Yum Gai” or “Tom Kha Gai,” which are Thai chicken soups that include a marvelous antibacterial herb called Galangal that will help with your oncoming viral battle. Eat a little of this before getting to bed if you are hungry, but dont fill up with a big meal.
Supplements to Help in the Early Phase
Take Vitamin C and MSM at one gram each every 2 hours you are awake during the first 24 hours, then 4 times a day after that for a week or so. A multivitamin/mineral capsule with the soup or a tea, and Vitamin A and D in an amount of 20,000 IU’s A and 2,000 IU’s D.
If you have no Vitamins A and D, but you do have cod liver oil, put a teaspoon of that in a small glass, add about a cup of cool water, and squeeze a half a lemon into it if you fear a taste problem. Stir the water and oil vigorously, then chug the whole cup of water.
Chinese patent medicines such as Gan Mao Ling or Yin Chiao, at 5 or 6 tablets a time, might help before that first sleep as well. We have listed some preferred supplements for prevention, first aid treatment, and recovery from long and tough cases of the flu. Click on the names below and read the descriptions to see if you have comparable supplements ready should you or your family need them.
Samento, a liquid extract of the Peruvian herb Cat’s Claw (Una de Gato), is a powerful immune booster that is taken as a few drops in water 1-3 times per day. Samento combats infections from colds and flu and eliminates the need for antibiotics. For more information on the amazing properties of Samento, vist the Samento Science Library.
Please don’t begrudge the time you give yourself to defeat the flu. Consider this extra rest time a sure investment to save you many extra days of misery and lost work if the virus is able to get a strong grip on you. Also, in the early phase you are most infectious, even before you know you are sick. If you can help yourself
Preventive: To help build immunity ahead of time
EpiCor – High-potency immune support.
Gan Mao Ling – Chinese flu remedy.
Larch – A natural fiber that strengthens the digestive and immune systems.
Lugol’s Iodine – Support for the metabolic, immune system, and thyroid functions.
Probiotics – Repopulates good bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract to build resistance to infection.
ViraCon – Herbal support for the immune system.
Zinc Citrate – Highly absorbable immune support.
Treatment: To reduce symptoms and speed recovery if you get the flu
Immune Support – Herbal support for the immune system.
Echinacea Extract – Herbal support for colds.
Gan Mao Ling – A Chinese flu remedy that’s especially effective when taken at the very onset of flu symptoms.
Larch – A natural fiber that strengthens the digestive and immune systems.
Lugol’s Iodine – Support for the metabolic, immune system, and thyroid functions.
Livit-2 – Liver rebuilder, based on a classic Ayurvedic formula.
Probiotics – Repopulates good bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract to build resistance to infection.
Samento – A Peruvian herbal extract, also known as Cat’s Claw or Uña de Gato, having a proven ability to strengthen the immune system and combat degenerative diseases.
Triphala – Traditional Ayurvedic herbal formula for digestion and purification.
ViraCon – Herbal support for the immune system.
Vitamin D3 – Maintains bone density and protects against cancer. Necessary for the assimilation of Vitamin A and calcium.
WinterWell – Improves symptoms in as little as two days, including nasal secretion, sore throat, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and the frequency and intensity of coughing.
Zinc Citrate – Highly absorbable immune support.
Recuperation: To support your recovery once youre starting to get well
Ashwaganda – Ayurvedic herb for handling stress and enhancing stamina.
DIM – Estrogen regulator; assists with fat loss, muscle growth, cancer protection, and hormone balancing for both men and women.
Lugol’s Iodine – Support for the metabolic, immune system, and thyroid functions.
Livit-2 – Liver rebuilder, based on a classic Ayurvedic formula.
Triphala – Traditional Ayurvedic herbal formula for digestion and purification.
Vitamin D3 – Maintains bone density and protects against cancer. Necessary for the assimilation of Vitamin A and calcium.
Zinc Citrate – Highly absorbable immune support.