Alternatives
to the Flu Vaccine
Written by Dr Joseph Mercola
Visit
Dr Mecola at
www.mercola.com
I can think of very few more insane holiday
events than having parents and children
wait in long lines at shopping malls,
supermarkets, hospitals and clinics to
get a flu vaccination, worrying that the
supply might run out before they step
up to get the shot. They have been convinced
that the flu vaccine will save them from
the terrible flu bug that has already
killed six children in Colorado and six
people in Oklahoma. It is a dangerous
way of thinking, as you will read below.
When
I first started practicing medicine over
20 years ago, the flu vaccine was only
indicated for those over 60 years if age
or with chronic health conditions. Now,
experts are predicting that we will see
even more flu vaccinations recommended
than we have already seen. A Mayo Clinic
professor and a member of the CDC advisory
committee on immunization predicted that
we will continue to see a broadening of
the recommendation for influenza immunization.
The
new FluMist nasal spray, which costs three
times as much as the injectable form of
the vaccine, was supposed to be the answer
to the nearly unavailable shot. While
FluMist was expected to be a hit among
the needle-shy, the company said in November
that it had distributed just 400,000 doses
of the spray, although it had made about
four million. The demand for it is now
sharply rising. However, one important
point you need to know is that BOTH forms
of these vaccines are full of toxins,
like mercury, aluminum and phenol. Still,
these vaccines are now recommended ANNUALLY
for just about everyone. Can you even
begin to imagine the cumulative toxicity
of injecting phenol, mercury and aluminum
into your body every year?
Why
Flu Vaccine Isn't Good For You
Beyond
the toxins in the vaccines, though, those
who obtain the immunization are in for
a big surprise: the flu vaccine will actually
do little to protect them from the flu.
The influenza virus is merely an innocent
bystander. Most people have been lead
to believe -- by the pharmaceutical powers
that dominate conventional medicine and
really like your money -- that viruses
like the flu bug are the problem. They
are not the problem. The real problem
is that many people, in fact most people
in the U.S. now, have weakened and impaired
immune systems that are unable to function
as they’re designed to because of
our horrendous dietary habits (the same
culprit behind the obesity and chronic
disease epidemics in the U.S.)
So
pay close attention to this fact: If you
are one of the many whose immune system
has been impaired by the “American
diet” rich in sugars, grains, processed
foods, fast foods, and all the other junk,
putting so much faith and credence in
a single vaccine against the flu is like
fireproofing one door in your house when
the rest of your home is saturated in
gasoline. A vaccine won’t “save
you” from the flu, much less from
far more serious diseases, because your
underlying defenses -- your immunity --
are seriously dysfunctional, and there
are far too many potential “invaders”
to ward off via the artificial means of
vaccination.
Still
many people, apparently the majority of
people, allow themselves to be brainwashed
with the hype surrounding vaccinating
against the latest flu bug. It is a vicious
cycle of thinking, really, as there will
be new resistant strains of flu bugs,
and then more new bugs after that and
after that, and so the perceived “need”
for vaccines against them will rise …
until everyone is injecting or inhaling
these things in such a frenzied manner
that you’d think they were all addicted
to heroin or cocaine. And the drugs companies
will continue laughing all the way to
the bank.
How
to Stop Worrying About Flu Vaccinations
for Good
Avoid
the brainwashing. It only takes stepping
back from the hype for a moment to realize
the following is just pure common sense:
if your body’s immunity level is
where it is naturally supposed
to be, you won’t have to
worry about this flu vaccination issue
every winter. For that matter, you’ll
get to be much less concerned about getting
cancer, heart disease, and all of the
other very serious chronic diseases out
there, too. Because your body, when you
are eating the proper diet, is designed
to stave off these bugs and all the “bad”
invaders.
It
constantly amazes me how many people ask
“should I take this vaccine”
(or some pill) and, when I tell them they
should instead focus on eating properly
if they want to avoid the flu, other illnesses
and disease, and all the drug company
hype, they look at me as if I were speaking
Swahili. Most Americans want a quick fix,
but while that might work in other areas
of their life, the quick fix approach
is not healthcare.
On
that note, it’s important to remember
the revealing study researchers did over
60 years ago. In 1938, the only laboratory
animal that could contract polio by experimental
inoculation was the monkey. All other
laboratory animals were completely resistant
to the polio virus, including the rabbit.
The researchers could not infect these
rabbits with polio -- that is, until they
lowered their blood sugar in a way that
also occurs in humans after they eat sugar.
So the take-home message is that if you
want to avoid the flu, avoid sugar like
the plague. Avoiding
sugar is the single most important physical
factor that you can address to avoid the
flu.
What
Should You Do if You DO Get the Flu?
Preventing
the flu (and other illnesses) as described
in greater detail below is obviously "your
best medicine." But if you do get
the flu, one of the most important and
simple things you can do is to use hydrogen
peroxide in your ears. Yes folks, simple
hydrogen peroxide, about a half of a capful
in each ear, several times a day, is more
than likely to abort the flu reaction.
I didn't believe it when I first saw it,
but I have now seen many hundreds of cases
that have been rapidly aborted with the
use of hydrogen peroxide. You can read
my original
posting on peroxide for this purpose.
It costs less than a penny, so you really
don't have much to lose. Give it a try.
I can guarantee you that it is less toxic
and more effective than any flu vaccine
on the planet.
But
again, please remember the ultimate treatment
for the flu is proactive prevention. Eat
the right foods, avoid the junk, get plenty
of rest and stay emotionally balanced
- all presented in detail in my new book
-- and you and the flu symptoms will likely
never meet.
Prevent the Flu -- and Other Diseases
-- For Good!
If
you're only interested in quick fixes
like a vaccine to avoid the flu and all
the other sicknesses that you could get,
it is a losing proposition. Your arms
are going to be black and blue from all
the vaccines you are “supposed”
to take, you’ll be swallowing a
giant cocktail of pharmaceuticals, and
1) they won’t “save you”
anyway, because there far too many potential
invaders when your immune system is dysfunctional;
2) the mix of all the toxins in the vaccines
and drugs will harm you and likely kill
you faster.
So
how do you stop worrying about the flu
vaccine, how do you really prevent flues
and more serious diseases? When I give
the answer, this is where I lose those
who are addicted to “quick fixes,”
who are lazy, or just plain brainwashed
by the pharmaceutical companies, but here
it is:
Start
focusing NOW on eating properly. That
means STOP with the junk foods and fast
foods, STOP with the sugary foods, the
processed grains, and the trans-fats.
That means INCREASE the healthy and essential
fats like the omega-3 found in cod liver
oil, the good carbohydrates like those
in vegetables, and the healthy proteins
like those in clean, naturally raised
meats (i.e., NOT the kind you typically
find in grocery stores) like free-range
chicken. That means learn your metabolic
type as soon as possible so you know what
proportion of fats, carbs and proteins
are ideal to build YOUR immune system
(and help you optimize your weight, and
increase energy, and avoid premature aging).
I
guarantee that this and not vaccines and
pills are the answer. I have spent over
two decades developing my dietary program,
and through my respected clinic it has
proven to help tens of thousands of people
build their immunity, overcome disease
(most far more serious than the flu),
optimize their weight and increase their
energy.
Which
all just about brings me to my highest
recommendation to anyone wondering if
they should get this vaccination or that
one, if they should take this pill or
that one: read my book presenting my entire
dietary program, which as you’ll
see is designed to make it easy to implement
the program into your life. But wait a
moment. Having stated this let me address
the two common objections I get from some
people when I do make this recommendation:
“After
all that, you’re just trying to
hawk a book!” Maybe I’m being
too ideal, but this objection startles
me. People will dole out hundreds to thousands
every year on vaccines, pills and other
quick-fixes that do nothing real for their
health, they’ll drop gobs of their
hard-earned money on garbage food without
blinking, but their defenses suddenly
go up when a real solution -- a solution
that costs the price of one dinner out
-- is presented to them.
Well, for those who may not be familiar
with my high integrity, I created Mercola.com
out of my own pocket, and now use any
profit from other products to maintain
and expand it. And with my book providing
my entire dietary program and over 150
new recipes, ALL OF MY PROFITS ARE GOING
TO A NEW NON-PROFIT HEALTH ASSOCIATION
that, beginning in 2004, will work toward
shifting the healthcare paradigm in the
U.S. and then beyond away from the drug/surgery
quick-fix model and to a real healthcare
system focused on prevention, real cure,
and wellness.
“How
do I even know your dietary program really
works when so many out there are full
of hot air?” This objection I do
understand, as there are many “diet”
programs out there that fail people, providing
temporary weight loss at the most but
rarely any real health benefits. To answer
this objection, again, I am a licensed
physician who has dedicated over twenty
years to developing this dietary program,
and literally tens of thousands of patients
have been helped by it at my clinic.
So when I say I GUARANTEE you that this
is the answer, I mean it literally. While
most publishers or bookstores allow a
book to be returned for up to several
weeks or months after purchasing it, I
KNOW that if you follow my program you
will build your immunity, you will experience
an increase in your energy, you will avoid
premature aging and be considerably healthier,
and so I am guaranteeing my new book for
life. That means at any point in YOUR
life you can return it for your money
back, no questions asked. I can do this
because I know that, when you follow the
program, you’ll agree it really
is the best $31.95 you’ve ever spent.
In the book you'll learn about all the
foods that will help you build your immune
system and optimize your weight, and those
you should avoid. You'll also learn all
about metabolic typing, including a test
providing the basics on your own type
and the proportion of good proteins, fats
and carbohydrates that you should be consuming
for your specific biochemistry (you don't
have the same biochemistry as others,
and therefore what you SHOULD be eating
differs from others, which is why all
those one-size-fits-all diet plans out
there generally fail). Finally, as mentioned,
you'll get over 150
delicious and very healthy recipes
for all types of meals, from main dishes
and soups to snacks, desserts and raw
foods.