Back To Health
Your guide to better living
Dr. Van D. Merkle
DC, DACBN, DABCI, CCN
Dr. Andrew R. Dyer, DC
Tracey C. Merkle
Flu Season
5785 FAR HILLS AVE, DAYTON, OH 45429
(937) 433-3241 mai l@Bk2heal th.com www.Bk2Heal th.com
No one likes to get the flu. But, is the flu vaccine the answer? We know that
regardless of whether or not you get the flu shot, you can still come down with the flu.
Even with all of the marketing and scare tactics we see on TV, radio and magazine
ads about the need to get the flu vaccine, only 1/3 of the US population actually gets
the flu shot. If the flu vaccine is as effective as the CDC wants us to believe, why
don’t more people get the flu shot?
First of all, many question the effectiveness of the flu vaccine. There is no single
virus that causes the flu; there is no one flu vaccine that protects against all of them.
The flu shot is only as good as the educated guesses of a group of vaccine
researchers across the globe. Every February, they try to predict which flu viruses will
work their evil during the next fall and winter. Their three top choices are put into the
vaccine. Now, if the flu vaccine happens to be on-target, there’s the potential for it to
be more effective but it’s really dependent upon the health of your immune system.
Even then, the vaccine isn't perfect because virus’ mutate. Even in the best case
scenario, it won’t always protect against the flu.
A severe cold can mimic the flu. There are more than 200 cold viruses, they mutate a
lot, and virtually everyone comes down with one from time to time. Although the worst
colds might feel like the flu, lots of people say they have the flu when they really don't.
Two years ago, only 13% of people who were tested after reporting flu-like illnesses
actually had the real thing.
According to the CDC, “On average, 226,000 people are hospitalized every year because of influenza and 36,000 die – mostly elderly.”.
Of those who are hospitalized or die because of flu complications, how many of these have preexisting health conditions? If you have a
preexisting health condition, your immune system will be more weak and unable to mount a strong attack against the flu virus. The
health of the immune system is the most important aspect of protecting yourself from flu complications. In a study published in Vaccine
May 2007, 80 case-patients were identified as having been hospitalized for complications from influenza in eastern Thailand. Of those
80 cases, those less than 1 year old were 6.2 times more likely to have complications and those over 75 years of age were 11.1 times
more likely to have complications compared with the overall population. The complicated cases were also 7.6 times more likely to have
chronic respiratory disease. In Thailand, the young, elderly, and those with chronic disease were at high risk for hospitalized from
complications from influenza. In other words, generally healthy people do not need a flu vaccine.
Only small populations and short-term info are used to measure safety of the flu vaccines. Adverse-events reporting, for instance, is
done for only 2 to 14 days after an injection and it's voluntary. According to Hugh Fudenberg, MD, the world's leading immunogeneticist
and 13th most quoted biologist of our times (nearly 850 papers in peer review journals), “if an individual has had five consecutive flu
shots between 1970 and 1980 (the years studied), his/her chances of getting Alzheimer's Disease is 10 times higher than if they had
one, two or no shots”. Alzheimer’s is now the 7th leading cause of death in the United States.
In an article published in Expert Review of Vaccines August 2008, authors state, “In 2005, Fluarix (an inactivated flu vaccine) underwent
accelerated approval for use in adults by the US FDA following one US-based, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that established its
safety in adults.”. The authors went on to say, “There are no published clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness or efficacy of Fluarix
against influenza and its complications.”.
With regards to the flu vaccine, the healthy population does not need it. The safety and effectiveness have been called into question
therefore even those very young, the elderly and those with preexisting health conditions should avoid it as well. There are safer and
more effective ways to prevent colds and flu.
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