Are you ready for the next flu shot?

Although summer is just over, if you read newspapers or have children you’re probably all too aware of the upcoming flu season and the need to once again make a decision about the flu shot.

During the summer, while many of us were thinking about vacation or trips to the beach, the staffs at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and pharmaceutical companies were hard at work planning for a successful “immunization season.”

According to a recent article by Dr. Sherri Tenpenni, published on the online weekly magazine Red Flags (www.redflagsweekly.com), the CDC spent the last few months hatching a seven-step plan to insure high vaccination rates.

The plan includes disseminating posters, fliers and other documents, stressing the potential dangers ñ including death ñ of the flu, and releasing reports through the media “helping to foster the perception that many people are susceptible to a bad case of influenza.”

Personally, I have never had a flu shot; I take vitamin C. I used to think that vitamin C made me completely immune to the flu, but in a few instances I realized this wasn’t always true. I still think that vitamin C helps me resist the flu most of the time, even though I am exposed to it frequently because of my work. When I do catch it, it seems to be mild or at least short-lived.

Getting immunized for the flu is a decision we all need to make for ourselves, but in making this decision we may consider a few facts. If there is a risk of death from the flu, is it any greater than the risk of, say, being struck by lightening? And we need to also take into account what’s in the shot, aside from the active vaccine. Last year’s vaccine contained such additives as mercury, aluminum, antifreeze and a host of other chemicals that are toxic to the brain, immune system, and possibly other systems of the body as well.

The final question: does the vaccine even work? In case you’ve forgotten, last year’s vaccine was developed for the wrong strain of the virus and it turned out to be basically ineffective. On the other hand, natural products, including vitamin C, anti-viral herbs and immune-boosting supplements can help prevent the flu at least most of the time and have side benefits, rather than side effects.

To read the entire article about the CDC and its vaccination strategy go to http://www.redflagsweekly.com/conferences/vaccines/2004_aug30.html

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