Flu shots, flu shots. Everybody gets flu shots. We see them at grocery stores, convenience stores; there are even signs on the street. But the question is, are they safe, do they work and are they the right thing to do for your health? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, results indicate you’ll get just as sick with colds and flu-like symptoms whether you get the flu shot or not. Flu shots are not all they are cracked up to be – not by a long shot.
Numerous studies, not funded directly by flu vaccine manufacturers, show flu shots are not effective and fail to work for many people. They may provide temporary immunity for some, but research shows they are not effective for the young or the elderly. Flu shots may help protect you from getting the flu for one year, but they provide no protection from getting the flu the next year. If you get the flu, your immune system provides immunity thereafter, especially if you work at staying healthy. The primary side effect of being vaccinated is we commit much of our immune system to a strain of virus that we likely won’t see, which leaves us susceptible to whatever bugs come our way.
Research from the University of Minnesota shows vaccinating against one strain can actually increase your risk of exposure to another. Add to that the backlash of holiday partying, bad dietary choices and cold weather – and wham, we get sick.
No matter what you do, building the health of our immune systems is the most effective measure of all. Herbs and specific whole-food vitamins improve immunity while you are healthy, and avoiding refined carbohydrates really helps. See an herbalist, chiropractor or naturopath for the details. Check out the research for yourself, especially studies not produced by drug manufacturers. And remember: It’s not about us fighting the bugs in our environment; it’s about the ability of our immune system to combat viruses and bacteria, which is the crux of the matter.
Jim Forleo
Durango
