Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.
If you’ve read this column for any length of time, you know
a frequent topic is vaccinations of any kind, but especially the treatment for
influenza, aka the flu.
Unfortunately, many people actually believe recommendations
from our governments Center for Disease Control (CDC). They supposedly help people make important
health decisions. For many years they have advocated that virtually every man,
women and child be vaccinated yearly for the flu.
As recently as last year the CDC recommended that “either
vaccine is appropriate (the shot or the nasal spray) for people age 2 through
49.” But, in a complete reversal of itself from last year, the CDC advisory
committee now says that the nasal spray vaccine, known as FluMist, NOT be used.
How can it be that one year it works and the next year doesn’t?
The reason is that they actually did some data research and
found that in 2015/16, the FluMist spray vaccine was a shopping 46% effective,
and the flu shot was 65% effective. And those numbers come from even their
biased research. Imagine if the studies were done by independent labs. Let’s
say those effectiveness percentages are honest numbers. Why in the world would
you consent to any flu vaccination with only a 50% chance of doing you any
good, and an equal chance of harming your overall health?
Do you realize that flu vaccines can cause serious reactions
such as anaphylaxis, encephalitis, meningitis, febrile seizures, brain damage,
coma and death? Would you trade one of those for a 50% shot at not getting the
flu? Not I.
Recent research shows annual vaccination against the flu
hampers the development of certain types of immunity in children. Stated
differently, the seasonal flu vaccine may weaken children’s immune systems and
increase their chances of getting sick from influenza viruses not included in
the vaccine. So more vaccines equal less healthy resistance to disease, who’d a
thunk?
If the vaccines do not work, rest assured the CDC has a plan
– take antiviral flu drugs. It sounds great until you read the fine print that
says they really don’t do anything positive either. In their own data, the
drugs known as Tamiflu and Relenza may shorten the length of the flu symptoms
by just 16.8 hours. Tamiflu did not affect the number of hospitalizations from
the flu, Relenza was not even studied for this affect.
The way these drugs function is to block an enzyme in the
virus called neuraminidase, which helps influenza invade cells in your respiratory
tract. The problem is that your nervous system also contains this enzyme for
proper brain function. If the enzyme is blocked, neurotoxicity may ensue,
especially in infants and children whose blood –brain barrier has not fully
developed. That sounds like a pound of joy doesn’t it?
Stay healthy by eating right and taking vitamin D and omega
3 fats. By all means wash your hands regularly; it is the best way to avoid the
flu says current research. Avoid hospitals unless there is an emergency and you
need immediate care. They are breeding grounds for infections of all kinds,
especially drug resistant ones. The best place to recover is at home.