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Read this before your
next flu vaccine Slap Shot Have you ever
wondered why a government agency spends so much time and energy (not to
mention tax dollars) trying to convince you to get a flu vaccination every year? Is it some sort of
vague "for our own good" motivation? If so, then why don't we ever
hear any government officials urging everyone to take vitamin C supplements? Why? Because it's
all about selling The Shot. And 2005 is no different. --------------------------------------------
Every year we get
an official flu vaccine media blitz from Department of Health and Human
services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In
fact, the CDC oversees a National Immunization Program (NIP). The motto of
the NIP is: "Leading the way to healthy lives." Healthy lives?
Okay, so again: Why aren't these officials urging U.S. citizens to take
vitamin C and other supplements that have been shown to help reduce the risk
of picking up colds and influenza? It's simple. The
folks at the NIP have millions of vaccine units to move. According to The
Detroit News, most flu vaccines are purchased and distributed by the
government. So why in the world would NIP officials promote vitamin C? That
job would be the responsibility of those who actually sell vitamin C. The NIP
isn't in the vitamin supplement business; it's in the flu vaccine business. --------------------------------------------
In September, HHS
and CDC officials were saying that the elderly, infants, people with chronic
health problems and health workers should all get vaccinated. But when it
became obvious last month that about 70 million flu shots will be available
in the U.S. this season, health officials changed their recommendation to
include everyone. Everyone!
Well...not quite everyone. Children under six months of age, those who are
allergic to eggs and those who have had poor reactions to flu shots in the
past should not be vaccinated, we're told. But for the rest of us:
"There is no reason for anyone to delay or to go without their annual
flu shot," HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt told WebMD Medical News at
the end of October. Well...I can think
of at least one reason. In a February 2005
issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers for the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases compared flu-related mortality
among older people to rates of immunization. Their finding: During the past
quarter century, immunization rates for the elderly have climbed
substantially while the elderly flu-related mortality rate has stayed the
same. The authors of the
research wrote: "We conclude that observational studies substantially
overestimate vaccination benefit." --------------------------------------------
"Should I get
a flu shot?" That question is a frequent one in e-mails from members
this time of year. And while each person has to make the flu shot decision on
his own, here are three points to consider: Point One: Flu
shots are not reliably effective (see above). Point Tw Flu shots
contain additives you may not want in your body. In addition to strains of
dead flu virus, each shot contains:
You
can ask your doctor about the FluMist nasal spray vaccine (which avoids an
injection), but it's much more expensive than a flu shot and it contains
living flu virus. Squirt a living virus straight into my head? Mmmm...no
thanks. Point Three: The
flu shot is designed to prepare the immune system to fight specific virus
strains. But you can prepare and strengthen your immune system without an
injection of antifreeze by taking these steps:
And
you can further prepare with proven immune system enhancers, such as
echinacea, vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene; all of which have been shown to
help fight colds and flu. Selenium is also an effective flu fighter, as is
zinc and N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an amino acid that stimulates your body to
produce the powerful antioxidant enzyme glutathione. To find out about
other effective ways to enhance your immune system you can read the e-Alert
"Fantastic Four" (10/3/05) on our web site at hsibaltimore.com. ***************************************************
...and another
thing What most people
don't know about chemotherapy is a lot. In the e-Alert
"Heart of Texas" (10/17/05), I stated that most people don't
realize that only nine types of cancer are considered "highly
responsive" to chemotherapy. That comment
caught the eye of an HSI member named Robert who sent an e-mail with this
question: "What are the 9 types of cancer that are highly responsive to
chemo?" Good question.
According to Gordon Zubrod, M.D., (a researcher for the National Cancer
Institute), chemotherapy is considered to be highly effective only in these
cancers:
Note
that I initially had the number wrong: it's 10, not nine. Note also that
except for testicular cancer all of these malignancies are rare in adults.
Certainly, these are not the only cancers that can be defeated by chemo; it
all depends on the type of cancer, how early the cancer is caught, what other
measures are taken to treat the cancer, etc. Ralph W. Moss,
Ph.D. - one of the leading researchers in alternative cancer therapies -
states that when an oncologist speaks of a "response" to
chemotherapy, that should not be taken as an implication that "increased
survival" is probable. Dr. Moss urges cancer patients to ask these
questions before beginning chemo:
Dr.
Moss' book, "Questioning Chemotherapy," is available on amazon.com.
To Your Good
Health, Jenny Thompson Sources:
"U.S. Now
Recommends Flu Shots for All" Todd Zwillich, WebMD Medical News,
10/24/05, webmd.com "What is
Cancer Anyway?" Bill Henderson, Cancer Therapy,
cancertherapy.ftherapy.com |
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