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Why Flu Shots Don’t Work |
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Flu Shots |
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Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, October 23, 2008 Flu Shots For The Elderly Are Ineffective
(OMNS, October 23, 2008) Have the elderly people in your family missed
their flu shot? If so, they may have made the right decision. The New York
Times recently reported that "A growing number of immunologists and
epidemiologists say the vaccine probably does not work very well for people
over 70," and that previous studies may have shown "not any actual
protection against the flu virus but a fundamental difference between the
kinds of people who get vaccines and those who do not . . . simply because
they went to the doctor more often." (1) Influenza vaccination has been widely touted even though evidence of
effectiveness is lacking. One large scientific review looked at 40 years'
worth of influenza vaccine studies. It found that flu shots were ineffective
for elderly persons living in the community, and flu shots were "non-significant
against influenza" for elderly living in group homes. (2) The authors of
another major review "found no correlation between vaccine coverage and
influenza-like-illness attack rate." (3) Author Dr. Thomas Jefferson
said, "The vaccine doesn't work very well at all. Vaccines are being
used as an ideological weapon. What you see every year as the flu is caused
by 200 or 300 different agents with a vaccine against two of them. That is
simply nonsense." (4) Indeed, he commented, "What you see is that
marketing rules the response to influenza, and scientific evidence comes
fourth or fifth." (5) Some still claim that flu vaccinations, even though they do not prevent
the flu, may help prevent more serious complications such as pneumonia, so
dreaded and so often deadly for the elderly. But the authors of the study
discussed in the NY Times article specifically noted that "influenza
vaccination was not associated with a reduced risk of community-acquired
pneumonia." (6) As with all immunizations, flu shots can have harmful side effects.
Vaccines may contain, among other things, ingredients such as mercury and
aluminum, which are widely regarded as toxic. The elderly are more likely to
be injured by, or even die from, flu vaccine side effects. Such incidents may
remain unreported by hospitals or physicians. One man,
aged 76, had a flu shot and immediately had to be hospitalized for a week.
When family members suggested to the hospital staff and physicians that it
was probably a reaction to the shot, their views were disregarded. Two years
later the man had another flu shot, and was promptly hospitalized a second
time. Family members once again said it was a reaction to the flu shot. The
hospital said it was a low-grade infection, probably a bladder infection. The
man died. There are indications that vaccination side effects are underreported. The
The exact contents of each year's flu shot is an educated guess. Sometimes
this guess is wrong, as it was for 2008, where the vaccine "doesn't
match two of the three main types of flu bugs now in circulation. . . . The
predominant type A flu virus this year is the H3N2 strain; 87% are the " The flu vaccine, notes the NY Times, has not been double-blind,
placebo-control tested. Faith in vaccination appears to be greater than the
scientific evidence to justify vaccination. Senior citizens already take far
more medications than any other segment of the population. The elderly have
weaker immune systems. The risk of immunization adverse effects rises
accordingly. Increased side effect danger, along with low effectiveness, is a
bad combination. Is their an available alternative? Yes, there may be: give the elderly
more nutrients, rather than more needles. Older people often have inadequate
diets. With ageing and illness, their bodies' need for vital nutrients goes
up, yet frequently their intake actually goes down. Nutritional supplements help fight the flu. Vitamins and minerals have
been shown to significantly reduce incidence and duration of influenza. This
was already known back when many of today's elderly were still middle-aged.
32 years ago, twice Nobel-Prize winner Linus Pauling reviewed the nutritional
literature and determined that high doses of vitamin C reduce the frequency
and shorten the severity of influenza. (12) Orthomolecular (nutritional)
physicians have repeatedly confirmed this. Robert F. Cathcart, MD,
successfully treated thousands of viral-illness patients with massive doses
of vitamin C. (13) Vitamin D also increases resistance to influenza (14), as
do the minerals selenium and zinc. (15) With good nutrition bolstered with supplemental vitamin and mineral
intake, the human body's natural defenses are strengthened and can rapidly
adapt to resist new flu strains. Clinical evidence indicates that nutrition
is more significant that vaccination. Malnutrition is far more dangerous than
not getting vaccinated. No, there is not a vaccination for every illness. It might be nice if
there were, but no shot can make up for poor nutrition. Over-reliance on vaccinating the elderly ignores their fundamental
problems of poor diet and vitamin/mineral deficiencies. These are underlying
reasons for a susceptible immune system. Supplemental nutrition is the
"other" immune system booster. It is time to use it. References: (1) Goodman B. Doubts grow over flu vaccine in elderly. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/health/02flu.html September
2, 2008. For more information: For further reading: _______________________________________________ Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, March 19, 2008 Vitamins Reduce the Duration and Severity of Influenza
(OMNS, March 19, 2008) Vitamins fight the flu by boosting the body’s
own immune response and by accelerating healing. Individuals can be better
prepared for an influenza epidemic by learning how to use vitamin supplements
to fight off ordinary respiratory infections. The most important vitamins are
vitamins C, D, niacin, and thiamine. Vitamin D During a viral infection, the body can draw on vitamin D stored in the
body to supply the increased needs of the immune system. The withdrawn
supplies of vitamin D are quickly replenished with 4,000 to 10,000 IU/day
doses for a few days. Due to biochemical individuality, we recommend vitamin
D blood testing as a routine part of a yearly physical exam. Niacin Niacin’s effectiveness fighting viruses may have to do with
accelerating wound healing as well as improving immunity. Accelerating tissue
repair limits collateral damage and minimizes the risk of secondary
infection. Niacin has been proven to promote healing of damaged skin in
double-blind trials. [13] Other recent findings (niacin reduces injury to the
brain after strokes and reduces inflammation in general) also provide
evidence of healing. [14,15] Niacin, 500 to 2,000 mg/day in divided doses, is generally well tolerated
during periods when the immune system is fighting viral infections. One takes
such doses for several days starting at the onset of a viral infection.
Dividing the dose reduces flushing. Using "no-flush" form niacin
(inositol hexaniacinate) eliminates the flushing side effect. Vitamin C Extraordinary quantities of vitamin C, between 20,000 and 100,000 mg/day,
are surprisingly well tolerated during periods when the immune system is
fighting viral infections. These large daily amounts are best taken divided
up into as many doses per day as possible, beginning immediately at the first
sign of a viral infection. To achieve maximum effect it is necessary to
maintain high concentrations of vitamin C in the body. Large, very frequent
oral intake of vitamin C can maintain much higher blood plasma concentrations
of vitamin C than is generally believed. [16, 19, 20] Thiamine (Vitamin B1) Influenza killed more people in the two years following World War I than
all soldiers killed on both sides in four years of machine-gun warfare.
Influenza has been and remains a serious threat to human health. There is a
great deal of public concern about the possibility of a repeat of the 1918
influenza pandemic. Vitamin C, niacin, vitamin D, and thiamine act together
to strengthen the immune system, and to optimize health. Intelligent,
high-dose vitamin supplement use can do much to eliminate the risk of death
and disability for individuals with average health, and dramatically reduce
the hospitalization and death rates amongst the most vulnerable members of
the population. References: [1] http://www.vitamindcouncil.org
The
peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and
non-commercial informational resource. Editorial Review Board: Damien Downing, M.D. Erik Paterson, M.D. Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D., Editor. To Subscribe to the
ORTHOMOLECULAR MEDICINE NEWS SERVICE at no charge: http://www.orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html Andrew Saul is the author of the books FIRE
YOUR DOCTOR! How to be Independently Healthy (reader reviews at
http://www.doctoryourself.com/review.html
) and DOCTOR YOURSELF: Natural Healing that Works. (reviewed at http://www.doctoryourself.com/saulbooks.html
) For ordering information, Click Here .
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