Is the Flu Shot for You?

I get lots of questions every year around this time about the flu shot..."Should I get it?" "Do you get a flu shot, Dr. Kyle?" "What is your view on the flu shot?" and more similar questions. I don't like to think of myself as someone who tells my practice members what to do, however, I am very serious about making the information and resources available in order for everyone to make an educated and informed choice about what they put in their body...and no, I do not get a flu shot.

Our bodies have the ability to heal themselves from the inside out. My method of flu prevention is making sure my immune system is strong by getting my nervous system checked by a chiropractor, sleeping well, drinking plenty of clean water, eating real food, and decreasing my stress.

Each year, health officials gather data from around the world in order to create the following year’s flu vaccine. The flu shot contains a combination of flu strains that are a best guess about which strains may be present.

The Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee has recommended that the 2013–14 influenza trivalent vaccines used in the United States contain an A/California/7/2009(H1N1)pdm09-like virus, an A(H3N2) virus antigenically like the cell-propagated A/Victoria/361/2011 virus (A/Texas/50/2012), and a B/Massachusetts/2/2012-like (B/Yamagata lineage) virus. A/Texas/50/2012 is an egg-propagated A(H3N2) virus antigenically similar to cell-propagated A/Victoria/361/2011. The committee recommended that A/Texas/50/2012 be used as the H3N2 vaccine component because of antigenic changes in A/Victoria/361/2011 vaccine virus resulting from mutations acquired during growth in eggs. (CDC)

The committee also recommended that quadrivalent vaccines contain a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like (B/Victoria lineage) virus. These recommendations were based on global influenza virus surveillance data related to epidemiology, antigenic and genetic characteristics, and serological responses to 2012–13 seasonal vaccines, and the availability of candidate strains and reagents. (CDC)

The theory is that if you receive the shot with those specific strains, then you will gain immunity to the flu that year. However, the chances are pretty good that those strains may not the be actual ones that will be circulating.

Another consideration is the other ingredients used in the vaccine itself. Flu vaccines can also contain:

Formaldehyde:  a known cancer causing agent.

Triton x-100:  a detergent

Phenol

Ethelyne glycol (antifreeze)

Side effects are also common after receiving the flu shot, and can include:

Allergic reactions to ingredients

Guillain-Barre Syndrome ( A severe paralytic disease that is fatal in about 1 in 20 cases)

Neurologic disorders

Runny nose, irritability, decreased activity, fever, chills, muscle aches and vomiting. 

A study published in the October 2008 issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine found that vaccinating young children against the flu had no impact on flu-related hospitalizations or doctor visits during two recent flu seasons. The researchers concluded that "significant influenza vaccine effectiveness could not be demonstrated for any season, age, or setting" examined.

Here are some tips about how you can prevent the flu naturally:

1. Get plenty of rest every night

2. Stay  hydrated by drinking plenty of clean water

3. Maintain a healthy diet containing real whole foods

4. Avoid foods that can decrease your immune response such as high amounts of sugars and caffeine

5. Raw garlic has great health benefits including anti-microbial properties

6. Eating a teaspoon of honey can help flush bacterial and viral pathogens from the system

7. Keep your body and immune system strong by getting your nervous system checked by a Chiropractor.

8.Using a Nasaline sinus rinse or Neti pot to clean the nasal passages can help reduce the chances of flu pathogens from getting further into your system.