Flu Shots: Beyond the Banner Ads

Posted by: Lindsay

Today in the Red Eye I saw an ad that made me pause. Along the bottom of the page, a banner touts the flu shot by way of the tacit endorsement of the sports celebrity pictured in it. It is one ad in a larger, citywide campaign to get you to buy a flu shot because your favorite sports star says it’s a good idea. If you want to be awesome, like this soccer star, buy a flu shot!

If you can tell by my tone, I’m not a fan of this campaign. Using celebrity to promote products or services is nothing new, but a tactic doesn’t have to be new to still be irresponsible. And it’s irresponsible to push the flu vaccine in this manner.

Before we get into a huge fight, let me say this: I’m not here to denounce vaccines. Vaccines can be and have been effective at reducing or eliminating countless once-lethal diseases. I’ve never had polio or the measles and neither have most of my family and friends and coworkers. That’s simply amazing.

What I am here to do is advocate informed consent. A flu shot might work for you and it might not and knowing the difference can be key! There’s no fine print on the ads that tell you that the effectiveness of the flu shot can vary between 30% and 90% depending on how old you are, how healthy you are, and how accurate the CDC is. The vaccine’s effectiveness varies depending on whether or not the CDC has guessed correctly which strains of the flu are going to be most prevalent this year. And the debate about the vaccine's effectiveness continues among the medical and scientific community. (The New York Times alone has posted articles both for and against promoting the vaccine.)

This issue is obviously complex just in terms of science, never mind that the debate involves public health and millions of dollars. It wouldn't be unreasonable to take a step back, learn about both sides, and then make a decision from there.

What I'm also here to do is promote additional and alternative methods of strengthening your immune system. Wouldn’t it be great if you could prevent the flu without having to receive injections of it? Here are some ideas you might have heard before:

1. Eat a healthy, balanced diet.

2. Reduce your stress levels.

3. Exercise regularly.

4. Get regular chiropractic adjustments.

Yes, those recommendations are repeated to the point of inanity. But sometimes the cliches bear repeating.

I’m not a fan of that ad campaign. I am a devoted fan of educating yourself and choosing for yourself.

Check out Dr. Ken’s and Dr. Dan’s take on the flu shot. And visit the National Vaccine Information Center, an informative resource for all-things-vaccine, for an unbiased fact sheet on the flu shot and its risks.

Flu Shot: Are 50/50 Odds Worth It?

Posted by:Dr Dan

A recent article from USA Today, stated that the flu vaccine was effective in only 9% of adults 65 years and older.  Stated more clearly, the flu vaccine was 91% INEFFECTIVE.

In all age groups, it was said that the vaccine was 56% "successful".
Where in the world are 50-50 odds considered successful except in the weather department of the newsroom?!

The flu shot is definitely a big money maker for the pharmaceutical industry. At its worst, it fills your body with toxic chemicals which ironically weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to the flu and other germs. Check out our previous blog from November where Dr. Ken covered this topic.

There are better ways to improve your immune system than with a faulty vaccine system. We recommend the Orenda products such as Immune and of course we provide chiropractic support for the immune system as well.

Here are a few highlights to help your immune system work properly. (Read the full blog here.)

#1 Way to Boost your Immune System - Get adjusted and let your nervous system do its thing.
~ The nervous system runs the immune system.  Adjustments allow the nervous system to function better.  The more your nervous system is able to function as it is designed to function (healthy and well) the more resilient and vital every system in our body is, including the immune system.

#2 Way to Boost your Immune System - Eat a healthy diet and take quality supplements.
~ What we eat and drink and the vitamins and supplements we take either support us or hinder us. Eating plenty of organic, fresh fruits and vegetables and organic, free range meat gives our body the vitamins, minerals, protein and good fats necessary to be healthy. A few supplements we carry in the office are great for immune system support.

Orenda Immune, Vitamin D, Detox Essentials, Orenda Balance, 
Alka Green, and Arabinogalactans (Larch Tree Extract).  

#3 Way to Boost your Immune System - Sweat.
~ There are two ways to sweat that support your health in different ways. First, passive sweating is sitting in a sauna or hot bath, it’s almost like giving yourself a fever.  As your internal temperature raises your body detox’s from the inside out. Second, active sweating is exercise.  You really don’t have to exercise until you are dripping wet. Just getting up and getting your body moving helps to increase circulation throughout your body but especially the circulation of your lymphatic system.

Is the Flu Vaccine Right for You?

Posted by: Dr. Ken

Just the other day I had a patient, Laura, email me asking for my opinion on flu shots. So I thought I’d share my response because it’s an important topic and something that all of us at The BC are passionate about.  So many places have flu shots available these days that it seems like Starbucks might start offering free flu shots with every Grande Mocha Latte…

Here’s my email:

“Thanks for asking. I do indeed have an opinion.  I think flu shots are pretty useless. The bug slightly mutates every year and the shot is nothing more than a mix of previous years’ bugs.  It seems to me that people commonly get the flu after the shot…

In general, I’m not a fan of vaccines.  Bugs, diseases, etc. rarely get into the body directly through the blood.  Our immune system has skin, mucous, hair, digestive enzymes, white blood cells, etc. set up in defense.  Shots bypass all of our natural defenses and go straight into our blood.  This leaves the immune system at a loss and trying to play catch up.  On top of that, they are mixed with many toxic chemicals and fillers that do more even more harm to the body.

My biggest issue is that nowhere in nature is anyone ever exposed to measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, hepatitis and more all at one time and then again a few months later…it’s not natural and not safe.  A much slower and smaller schedule is much safer.

I know this is much more than you asked for but it is a topic I’m passionate about. There’s so many chemicals we intake daily without much choice as is.  Why bother adding another that is from last year’s bug…”

There’s a lot of evidence supporting Vitamin D as a great way to strengthen your immune system and fight the flu.  I actually blogged about the importance of Vitamin D last year, check it out here: The "D" Defense Against the Dark 

Regardless of what you choose to do, we take it as our responsibility let you know that there are plenty of safe and effective alternatives to keeping yourself healthy; Alternatives that don’t involve needles, pill bottles and side effects."

Aluminum in Vaccines

Posted by: Dr. Taka Nakaseko

"No one in my lab wants to get vaccinated..."

According to the Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, a recent investigation of the role of Aluminum adjuvant shows that an aluminum compound can cause neurological damage. An adjuvant, found in a large number of vaccines, is added to help the vaccine increase immune response. Aluminum compounds are used as common adjuvant since its discovery many yeas ago. The pharmaceutical industry, various government agencies, and the FDA have proven to use them as a safe additive to vaccine.

The investigators have found various negative effects of aluminum hydroxide in vaccines such as, behavioral deficits, motor deficits, decreased motor neurons, and increased sign of inflammation in the central nervous system (the main control center of your body!).

As you know, your brain and spinal cord are main components of your nervous system, and those two structures are protected by the frame work of bones, your skull and spine. In order to have healthy nerve cells and smooth nerve flow, your frame has to be strong, flexible, and balanced. Healthy nerve function is also essential to your immune function.

Before you stick the needle in, tune-up your nervous system to boost your immune function.

For more information, click here.