Fall is here, and winter is just around the corner…again. Football, frost, and, more recently, flu shots are just a few of the things associated with this time of year. The first two are inevitable. The third is a matter of choice, which has been popularized more by marketing and propaganda than by effectiveness. Another recent study bears this out.
During the last two decades the flu vaccination rate among the elderly has increased from 15 to 65 percent, but there hasn’t been a corresponding decrease in hospital admissions or mortality.
A Canadian study involved 352 individuals given the flu vaccine and 352 matched control individuals who didn’t get the shot. Eighty-five percent of the participants were over age 64. Overall, 29 percent of these individuals came down with severe pneumonia, and 12 percent of the group died. At first glance, it appeared that the flu vaccination reduced the mortality rate by about 50 percent. Only 8 percent of those receiving the vaccine died, compared to 15 percent of those not receiving the shot. Most other studies come to a similar conclusion and report findings like these as a matter of fact—but this study went a little further.
The researchers in this study not only adjusted for factors such as age, gender, and co-existing illnesses, they also took into account what they refer to as the “healthy-user effect.” This is one very important factor that hasn’t been considered in the earlier studies.
Dr. Sumit Majumdar, the lead researcher, explains the healthy-user effect describes what most doctors refer to as their “good” patients. These are the ones who take a serious approach to their health by exercising regularly, not smoking, drinking in moderation, taking supplements or necessary medications, et cetera. When you include this factor into the evaluation, taking the flu vaccine didn’t have any significant effect on mortality. In other words, if someone is otherwise healthy they probably have a better chance of surviving a serious flu infection than someone who is already frail and in ill heath. The flu vaccine doesn’t change the mortality rate in either the already-healthy group or the already-ill group.
Despite the overwhelming evidence that the flu vaccination program offers no benefit, I’m sure it will go on and on like most government-sponsored efforts. Most of the public, and health professionals alike, have been brainwashed into believing it’s saving lives. Personally, I would suggest spending your money and efforts on making sure you’re keeping your immune system in shape so you don’t get sick in the first place. Regular and adequate exercise and rest, a good diet, and clean water are an essential start to staying well. So is a sound daily supplement program. There are some key supplements, in addition to a daily multivitamin-mineral supplement, that can ensure your immune system stays strong and healthy. I recommend taking the following on a daily basis:
- Vitamin D. Make sure you get vitamin D through sunshine or supplements. However, hardly anyone is making enough vitamin D from sunshine exposure during this time of year, so everyone should be supplementing their diet with 2,000 to 4,000 IU of vitamin D daily.
- Vitamin C. Even without signs of a flu or cold, I take 2,000 mg of vitamin C each day.
I prefer the natural defense too. This whole h1n1 flu shot gives me the willies. There's no way they're getting anywhere near me or my children with that stuff.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this!
That is good, some angles I have not seen it from. You know anyone can make the statistics say what they want.
ReplyDeleteI beleive in the healthy approach and staying as close to natual things as I can.
This really throws some good light on claims of vactionations and what really works.
Thank you