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Do Flu Shots Really Work?
By Frank Schallenberger, MD, HMD, ABAAM
Here is a question that a reader (Betty R.) sent to me by email: “Everyone seems to be pushing the flu shot. What do you think of it? Should I get one?”This is such a great question, that I thought all of you would like to see my answer.
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Flu shots prevent colds in only about 1% of people who get them, making them 99% useless.
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No, I don’t think you should get one. Neither does a new study published in the October 26, 2006 issue of the British Medical Journal. In this study, Dr. Tom Jefferson, coordinator of the Cochrane Vaccines Field (see Editor’s Note below) in Rome, Italy, conducted an extensive review of all of the previous studies on the effectiveness of the flu vaccine.
He looked specifically at whether or not the vaccine decreased hospital admissions, death rates, or time off work. According to Dr. Jefferson, vaccines “have little or no effect.” He said, “We've got an exaggerated expectation of
what vaccines can actually do. I’m hoping American and European taxpayers will be alerted and start asking questions.”
Dr. Jefferson looked very hard at what the flu vaccine is supposed to do and what it actually does. What he found has really shaken up the vaccine proponents. According to the doctor, “almost none” of the benefits that the vaccines theoretically offer are actually seen in the real world.
Consumer health advocate Mike Adams, author of “Conquering the Common Cold,” has gone much further. He has called the flu vaccine “one of the greatest medical cons perpetrated on the populations of the world. Flu shots prevent colds in only about 1% of people who get them, making them 99% useless,” Adams said. “They also inject unhealthy substances such as mercury preservatives directly into tissues, poisoning the patient with a chemical burden that accumulates with each flu shot.”
I have never advocated flu shots for any of my patients. From what I have seen, the few that have ignored my advice either get sick from the vaccine, or they get the flu anyway. I would much rather have them get the flu, which would immunize them naturally, than have ineffective and potentially dangerous materials injected into their bodies. After all, it’s not getting the flu that is the problem. It’s getting over it. And with the right natural therapies, such as vitamin C and hydrogen peroxide infusions, treating the flu homeopathically is a slam-dunk.
And the safety issue is another concern. Just three days before Dr. Jefferson had his study published, health officials in the Israeli town of Kiryat Gat immediately stopped the use of the flu vaccine. This was because four people died after receiving the injection. Because the people targeted most aggressively for flu vaccines are the elderly and sickly, we will probably never know the true death rate. When one of these people dies from the vaccine, doctors usually attribute the death to their disease and not to the vaccine.
Dr. Jefferson asks why doctors still use the flu vaccine in spite of the absence of any proof that it works. He says the reasons “are unclear,” but I think he really knows why. The flu vaccine is big business. And thanks to drug company lobbying, we taxpayers are not just paying for flu vaccines. We are also subsidizing the deaths and other malpractice litigation that stem from their use. What a bargain.
Instead of getting a flu shot, try taking vitamin D. It’s one of the most effective flu fighters I’ve seen. It’s inexpensive (make sure you buy vitamin D3, as vitamin D2 is synthetic and doesn’t work well). And you can find it at any good health food store.
That said, the guidance of a health-care practitioner is always recommended; the elderly, parents of young children and those in poor health should seek decision-making support from a knowledgeable health care provider.
[Editor’s Note: The Cochrane Vaccines Field (CVF)…was founded to facilitate the gathering of evidence on vaccines and their effects (ability to prevent the target disease, short and long term safety and efficiency) finalised to the production of systematic reviews. The CVF formulate criteria for population-based quality assessment of vaccines. The Cochrane Vaccines Field was registered in 1996 and has been based Italy since 2000.]
References:
- Tom Jefferson. “Influenza vaccination: policy versus evidence”. British Medical Journal 2006;333;912-915
- To read the complete BMJ report online go to: www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/333/7574/912
- “Taiwan halts flu vaccine after four Israelis die.” dpa German Press Agency. Published: Monday October 23, 2006
