Flu Vaccine – Do You Really Want to Take It?

Do you really want to have that highly touted annual flu vaccine injected into your body?

Each year Big Pharma attempts to predict which flu virus will be going around in the next season. Then they develop a vaccine to attempt to boost your immune system against that strain of flu virus Sometimes, the people who develop these vaccines are right on target in predicting which flu vaccine will be needed the most, and sometimes, they aren’t. According to the local public health department, the flu vaccine in 2003 did not cover the major strain of flu that actually was passed from person to person that season.

Therefore, the flu vaccine is very specific for just one or a few viruses. There are a lot of other viruses flying around in the winter that you can contract and the vaccine has no effect on them.

The heavy promotion of flu vaccination almost makes you feel like a dummy if you don’t plop down in your favorite pharmacy or supermarket and let them stick you with that needle.

But maybe you’re not so dumb if you don’t succumb to all that advertising that makes you feel like they’re being so altruistic in offering you the vaccine. Maybe you’re actually a maverick who thinks for himself or herself, who finds a better way.

If you want a maverick opinion based on good research, then take a look at Dr. Mercola’s position on flu vaccines:

So what can you do to protect yourself from the flu bug and all of those other strains of viruses? Plenty.

The most important step is to take personal responsibility for keeping your immune system strong. That involves all sorts of healthy things for you, especially along the nutritional lines.

Did you know that eating sweets paralyzes your immune system? Check out the Sugar story. Read the story about how the white blood cells can gobble up an average of about 16 bacteria to destroy them if a person has not eaten any sweets. However, once a person ate sweets, the bacteria could only gobble up about 9 bacteria. In other words, the power of the immune system was cut in half to defend you against unfriendly organisms was cut in half.

Did you know those sweets even included fresh orange juice? Yes, any concentrated sweet can impair the functioning of your immune system.

When I worked in the emergency room and in the walk-in care clinic, January was always the biggest month for people coming in with the flu. Previously I thought that was because we traveled around and just mixed our germs together during the holiday season. That is probably true. However, I later came to realize that we weaken our immune system by all the sweets we eat during the holiday season. Then the viruses stick around in our bodies instead of getting kicked out.

Oh, I know what you are thinking now. Dr. Jo’s a big party pooper. Well, that’s true – sometimes I am a party pooper.

But will you be able to go to a party if you are pooped because you have a virus that has laid you low? Maybe it is worthwhile thinking about what you can do to keep those pesky buggers from overwhelming your immune system so you can have a really happy time during the holiday season.

So, the bottom line is to watch those sweets. Also, be sure you eat all the healthy foods. Those include animal proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and nuts and seeds.

Now, take even more charge of your health. Some supplements give you extra protection too. More about them next week.

Stay healthy,

Dr. Jo