Flu Shot or Not?

With all the hype about getting a Flu Shot there is a lot of fear among the general public that the flu has become a deadly and incurable epidemic.   On the other hand there are people who swear that the worst case of the flu they have ever encountered happened directly after getting the flu shot.  Parents are running to their pediatricians to have babies and very young children vaccinated each winter season.  So which is?  What are the facts?  Do we run right out and get every single vaccine released and offered at grocery and drug stores as well as drive through stations?

When it comes to our health we are often willing to jump on every bandwagon, try every fad diet, and believe every piece of preventative literature that is put out and widely accepted.  We often don't do our own research and then use our bodies as experimental dummies.  Drug companies are becoming increasingly wealthy as more and more of their products are being marketed and consumed.  In certain work environments mandatory vaccination is even required for continued employment.  There is also a great fear among the elderly despite the fact that "the only randomized trial of influenza vaccine in older people found no decrease in deaths."  

Peter Doshi, Ph.D. is a scientist at Johns Hopkins who has studied influenza vaccines and released his report in the British Medical Journal.  Doshi's research shows that "even when the vaccine is closely matched to the type of influenza that’s prevalent, which doesn’t happen every year, randomized, controlled trials of healthy adults found that vaccinating between 33 and 100 people resulted in one less case of influenza."

Neurosurgeon Dr. Russell Blaylock states that the influenza vaccine not only has "zero effectiveness in children under five" but also "contains a dose of mercury that is toxic to the brain."  While it is not factual that the flu vaccine can give you the flu, it does increase your chances of getting it due to the immune depressant caused by the mercury for several weeks after receiving the vaccine.  There also may be additives in the vaccine in addition to mercury that may cause allergic reactions.   The CDC has recently approved a nasal vaccine not made with thimerosal (mercury-based preservative.)  

"Mercury overstimulates the brain for several years, says Dr. Blaylock, and that activation is the cause of Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases. One study found that those who get the flu vaccine for three to five years increase their risk of Alzheimer’s disease 10-fold."

Drug companies have nothing to lose as vaccines are protected and therefore the companies cannot be held accountable for drug related complications.  The general public however has a lot to lose and very little to gain by getting the vaccine.  Careful deliberation and research should be first engaged before deciding whether or not to get the vaccine, especially for those who are under the age of five, elderly, pregnant, or suffering from a life-threatening illness.  "The most important thing for infants, children, and pregnant women is to MAKE SURE YOU ARE GETTING A MERCURY-FREE FLU VACCINE."

Johns Hopkins Scientist Slams Flu Vaccine  
How to Make Sure Your Baby's Flu Vaccine is Mercury-free
CDC - Thimerosal and 2013-2014 Season Flu Vaccines