Flu

On December 3rd, the CDC issued a warning that the 2014-2015 flu vaccine is less effective due to drifted influenza A viruses (in other words, the CDC isn't promising that this year's flu shot will work.)  This may come as a shock to many people who rely on the flu vaccine to prevent the flu. Despite this warning, is it still worth getting the flu shot? Many sources still say yes, claiming that the flu shot will make any flu you get more mild.

Why rely on a shot that probably won't protect you from getting the flu, no matter how mild? Does the flu shot even work? Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. explains why it's innefective. This study also explains that "Vaccination shows no appreciable effect on working days lost or hospitalisation." 
While I normally try to link to scholarly articles and studies, this article also makes a great case against the CDC for not documenting actual results of the flu shot. This is another case against the flu shot by Dr. Mercola.

But, the flu shot still has a chance of working, so it's better than nothing, right? I disagree. The flu shot is full of toxins. The CDC actually lists the ingredients in a flu shot. They're not hiding the fact that there are known toxins in it.

Formaldehyde is in the flu shot. The EPA does a great job of listing the known toxic effects of formaldehyde.

Thimerosal is a type of mercury. The FDA recognizes that it does cause many people to have allergic reactions, but also claims that it's a different type of mercury than the known toxic kind (the kind found in ocean fish.) However, there are still many studies out there about the harmful effects of thimersal. 

There's also the danger of the other preservatives and heavy metals in the flu shot. Rather than explaining all of this, read this. It's overly sensationalized, which is normally a turn-off for me, but it contains a lot of research all on the same page.

My intention for this blog wasn't to re-research the flu shot. Plenty of other people have already done that. My intention is to share my experience with the flu.

I can only remember having the flu once in my life.  That one case was H1N1, and I got it while working at a movie theater during a particularly busy weekend, where I helped to serve more than a thousand customers in my shift. I should note that I got sick very often in my child hood. I was often told I had the flu, but we called every sickness "the flu." I rarely vomited, had the shakes, or the other symptoms associated with the flu. I normally was sick with high fevers, headaches, sinus infections, and seasonal allergies. I also got sick easily from certain objects, like gray crayons, which I now know is part of MCS. More importantly, since my early teenage years I've never had the flu shot. I don't remember if I got the flu shot when I was younger - I assume my schools required it, but I don't remember getting it.

So how is it that I've only had the flu once and I've never had the flu shot? Part of the explanation is going to be guessing, but I'll get into known facts too.

1. I've been allergic to corn my whole life, meaning I've always avoided High Fructose Corn Syrup. This means that I've eaten less sugar than the average person, because I often couldn't eat the pre-packaged foods that most people regularly ate. I also could eat out very easily, so I had to be careful. I ordered salads with oil and vinegar as a dressing, or meat without the marinade with a size of vegetables. I occasionally would get pizza from a local business that read all the ingredients they used to make sure they didn't use any corn. Don't get me wrong, I did eat sugar, but I did not eat it with most of my meals like the average American does (because HFCS is in almost everything.) Read ingredients if you don't believe me. Sugar is an immune system suppressant. It also feeds infections, promotes the growth of yeast in our bodies, and causes our bodies to become very acidic. This single article says enough for the purpose of this blog on how sugar affects whole body health.

2. I've spent a lot of time outdoors as a kid, getting a lot of sunshine. I grew up in Idaho and Oregon, meaning all year round I had access to amazing outdoorsy things to do. I was in girl scouts, soccer, sailing camp, track, and more sports. I also just spent a ton of time on the ocean and went for plenty of bike rides and walks. I got plenty of sun. In my adult years, I've spent less time outside, but I have started taking vitamin D regularly at the request of my chiropractor. Vitamin D is known to prevent the flu. The sun is the best source of vitamin D, and the sun is known to boost immunity.

3. I've been getting chiropractic adjustments regularly for about 6 six years. The trouble with offering a source for how chiropractic adjustments help fight the flu is that most sources are written by chiropractors, well researched or not. I have personally had so much benefit from chiropractic care, that it doesn't surprise me at all that it helps prevent the flu because of what it does for the body. Remember, chiropractors are nervous system doctors, not bone doctors. They manipulate bones in order to free nerves so they can do their jobs. When the nervous system is working well because nerves aren't blocked or pinched, the body can respond well to invasion or harm. I'm going to link you to a chiropractic article anyway.


In conclusion, I hope that my perspective at least raises awareness of how the flu shot is not a guaranteed to prevent you from getting the flu. I hope that my perspective helps raise awareness of the fact that our bodies have a great natural defense system that needs to be nurtured in order to work effectively. If you're afraid of the flu, I highly recommend working on boosting your own immune system by avoiding sugar, getting enough vitamin D, and even going to a chiropractor regularly.