Well it’s “that time” of year again. As we get closer to the holiday season, we are more likely to have visions of syringes dancing in our heads. This is the time of year that the media, spurred on by the CDC and the pharmaceutical lobby, start their annual ‘get a flu shot’ campaign. The question I always ask is “are the flu shots necessary?”
When my children were little we all got a flu shot every year. My son had pneumonia a time or two before he was two years old. He had a weakened immune system (that we much later suspected it was as a result of a milk allergy we didn’t know about). I also was a registered nurse, working at the community hospital, and bringing all the world’s germs home on my uniform. The flu shot was required for staff who had direct contact with patients, and I gladly took it.
Do I take the flu shot now? No. My children are grown, my husband and I are still middle aged and healthy, I eat well, choose to consume super-foods like chlorella, mushrooms etc. I take a multivitamin, extra C, D, zeolite and a healthy wallop of fish oil every day. I haven’t had a cold in a couple of years, where as when my kids were little I was sick every other week for 10 days at a time! My husband gets a wee cold only slightly more frequently than I do. We aren’t elderly or frail, we don’t have a lung condition or any other kind of issue that would cause concern should one of us actually come down with a flu.
I find, in the past few years, there has been a literal frenzy of media alarmist reporting on flu related issues. Flu deaths aren’t any higher now than they were decades ago but every time one happens, the media go into a tailspin reporting it. Things seem much worse than they are, I believe. So what about the 2011-2012 flu season year? The CDC is making very few recommended changes this year over last.
I disagree with the CDC when it comes to vaccinations for everyone! I believe that if we were to allow our own immune systems to strengthen by eating good healthy foods, drinking lots of fresh pure water, and avoiding chemicals and toxins as much as possible, hardly anyone would get sick with the flu.
I think that people in high risk groups should seriously consider whether a flu shot is the right thing for them, but I think that persons between the ages of 0-100 years who are healthy could go without. I also believe that the flu shot poses many risks for even those who are vulnerable. Adding to the toxic burden of a chronically ill individual made not help them at all.
My firm opinion is BUYER BEWARE. If something puts more money into the pocket of pharmaceutical companies, it probably isn’t going to be in Joe Public’s best interest.
What if You Do Not Take The Flu Shot?
There are some things you can do year round to make sure your body has what it needs to fight off a viral (or bacterial) attack. Your body has several mechanisms in place to keep you healthy, and if you give your body the right tools, you will be a fortress! Here are a few tips for you.
Eat your vegetables – vegetables have all kinds of nutrients that your body can use to keep your immune system strong. Here is something I just learned recently… organic vegetables and fruits may have more disease fighting nutrients than pesticide and herbicide laden varieties. This is because they develop their own protection when they are allowed to be grown naturally, and their protection is ours. Make sure you get 10 servings of veggies a day. Eat them cooked (by steaming, lightly boiling or stir fry in a wee bit of oil) or raw but preferably not microwaved. Eat super-foods – You may be hearing more and more about ‘super-foods’. Super-foods are foods that pack a higher nutritional punch than garden variety foods. Foods like agaricus blazeii mushrooms, goji berry, camu camu, spirulina and chlorella and more… these foods go a long way to helping strengthen your immune system. Often super-foods provide other healthful functions too, for example, chlorella is a super natural chelator of heavy metals and toxins. Find out what the super-foods are and strive to get more of them into your diet daily. Add vitamins – A regular multivitamin, some extra Vitamin C (I take 3 grams a day, and increase it to 5-10 grams if I feel a sniffle coming on), Extra Vitamin D (I take 3000-5000IU a Day. I just read Mike Adams of Natural News say he takes 10,000IU a day!). Also add some CoQ10 Omega 3 fatty acids – good ‘ole’ cod liver oil…. I bet you never thought that would come back to haunt you! Actually cod liver oil is (generally speaking) more likely to have concentrates of mercury in it, but you absolutely MUST add Omega 3 to your diet. I take a full tablespoon of fish oil in the morning, and 1/2 teaspoon every time I eat. If you are vegetarian you can choose flax seed oil. Our diets are so deficient in the right kinds of oils, and yet we need these oils for every single cell in the body! Never mind that you will be less depressed and lower your cholesterol! Think alkaline – Eat less red meats, dairy, processed foods, and junk foods. Eat more whole foods. The closer a food is to nature, the better (on average) the nutritional profile will be.
Remember that your immune system, if healthy, will keep you healthy so you don’t have to worry about getting deathly ill from the flu this season. Give your body the nutrients it needs and you can stay healthy without vaccines!
Shelley Penney is a retired registered nurse with a continued, insatiable thirst for health and wellness information. Although Shelley hails from traditional medical training, she is always searching for ways in which the natural world of healing herbs, foods and supplements can intersect with traditional medicine and benefit us all.
She has spent the last few years learning about zeolite for detox. Visit Shelley at www.ShelleyPenney.com