Seasonal Info

Should I Get A Flu Shot?

In the 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 flu immunization. Their finding, after surveying results spanning all the years from 1968 to 2001, was that:

Immunization rates for seniors have climbed substantially, but flu-related mortality has stayed the same.

Specifically, they noted the following over the 33-year period:

• For people 85 and older, the mortality rate did not change.
• In those 65 to 74 years of age, the mortality rate remained the same from 1980 to 2001.
• Flu-related mortality” in seniors always remained less than 10% of the total number of winter deaths.

Finally, in addressing the general perception of flu shot benefit, the authors of the research wrote: “We conclude that observational studies substantially overestimate vaccination benefit.” (1)

So when gauging the value of flu shots, consider the following main points:

1) Flu shots are not reliably effective (see above).

2) Flu shots contain additives you may not want in your body. In addition to strains of dead flu virus, each shot contains:

* Thimerosal (a mercury derivative added as a preservative)
* Formaldehyde (to kill viruses)
* Aluminum (to promote antibody response)
* Ethylene glycol (also known as antifreeze, used in vaccines as a disinfectant)

3) 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 mercury and antifreeze. (see our Immuno-Therapy Program)