Making An Informed Decision About the Flu Vaccine

Everyone is concerned about the flu. With the Swine (H1N1) Flu virus invading our population, fear becomes a big motivating factor in looking for preventive options. The one suggested and even insisted upon by most allopathic physicians, television commercials and magazine advertisements is the Swine Flu Vaccine. First, you should know there are natural options to help prevent any flu, regardless of strain. But, let’s consider the Swine Flu Vaccine...

The most important consideration in any vaccination is the seriousness of the illness the vaccine is designed to prevent, and your potential for contracting the illness. Small children and the elderly are generally considered more susceptible. Anyone with autoimmune disorders or a compromised immune system is also considered susceptible. People who work with ill populations such as hospital employees, medical office staff and even school employees will obviously have a higher risk of exposure.

It is difficult to know how serious the illness is because there is a lot of misinformation in the press reports and many people who have died, have been found after the fact, not to have had the H1N1 flu at all. Even testing for Swine Flu can be wildly inaccurate. The test performed on the spot in doctor’s offices is considered not even worthwhile in its outcome because of the high degree of inaccuracy. More accurate lab tests still have only a 40 - 69% accuracy rate. Even more important is the knowledge that NO test can tell which strain of flu a person has, only that one of the strains is present.

The next important consideration in vaccination is exactly what the ingredients are in the vaccination because these are what will most often determine side-effects that can occur. The unfortunate thing is that there are no long-term safety studies done on any vaccines, including the flu vaccines and the vaccine intended for H1N1 will be released without any adequate safety studies in order to meet demand.

The most common ingredients in the H1N1 vaccine which can trigger side effects due to allergy are: * Egg protein * Formaldehyde and Formalin including methanol * Polysorbate 80 shown to cause infertility in mice * MSG or Monosodium Glutamate one of the most common allergy triggers * Potassium Phosphate — a food additive, fungicide and fertilizer * Thimerosal — a form of mercury * Polyoxidonium — synthetic polymers that can drastically alter body responses to inflammation, cell differentiation, cell proliferation and cell growth control. * Squalene — an oil that has never been approved in the US and can cause blindness, autoimmune dysfunction and can inhibit sperm production. * Tween 80 — this is an agent that can cause fatal anaphylactic shock with hives, blood pressure drops and breathing difficulties. * Human organ tissue * Aluminum * Gelatin, Glycerin and Glycerol * Animal Tissue and Blood including pig, horse, rabbit, dog, monkey, duck, chicken, sheep and cow. * Steroidal hydrocortisone * Octoxynol 10 and Nonoxynol 9 — used as spermicidal agents

Another concern is that the rapidity with which this flu vaccine is being manufactured and shipped can cause mistakes and contamination to occur. An article in the Toronto Sun in February of this year stated that a large consignment of seasonal flu vaccine which was circulated to 18 European countries had been infected with deadly live avian flu virus, due to the experimental nature of the vaccine.

There are also some health care programs that are recommending taking multiple vaccines, which has never been tested for safety. And vaccine doses are not regulated for body size, so that a tiny baby will receive the same vaccine as a full-grown adult male. One thing to realize is that the Swine Flu H1N1 is not new. In fact, a Swine Flu vaccine was developed in 1997 and at that time there were 25 deaths from the vaccine and only one death from the flu.

It is important for each individual to assess their risk for the flu, and the risks involved in vaccination. It is a personal decision, and having all the facts is vital to making the right decision for you.