[NVIC] Flu & You: Know Your Options

[Guest guest]

[]

Flu & You: Know Your Options

by Barbara Loe Fisher

Child receives a flu shot.

Cheryl /The Arizona Republic/AP

These days you can't turn around without being reminded that the

" flu " season is just around the corner and it is time for every

American - but especially infants, kindergarteners through high

school graduates and anyone over 50 - to get a shot of influenza

vaccine. But there are lots of new questions about whether the

influenza vaccine is

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpws-Oh75WXDXIhtDP7t372gMbpoiWaCKtzTSh8gEOTbl\

2A66ur8xIdd0ccRqmD4XRqh25SdiwkDwJKgRhw-6xN8YXi6XTC9JpNSgMvWNrjgX_5kxWdxw1ZpoP5NI\

ulVa9RaaX4Tz7fSIf8sTn4q84eTxBL0hl8monEsLNiAtr1l18A==>ineffective

in children and whether it is also

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpws6MUvudI84lHdkvPYyYSaoZjwI_jleR8ZBnhq3cZM_\

sPkT2tL52S7rOHXWF2FyI74Ihrz-qXJAxbvUo1b_v3EJWWzr31rlz6HdiQPKPbh99Pz1sxdEOqK44pbx\

BUPBV1mcJzF-myMepsE787JdpODx>ineffective

in the elderly at the same time there are growing doubts about

whether many doctors and health officials have told the public the

truth and nothing but the truth about the risks associated with

infectious disease and the risks associated with vaccination.

Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) has produced several

investigative reports on vaccination during the past several years

and a

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpwtFryPeV2ckpTTrDujGuhtK8-W8I75HBvfxJxq4PmJo\

cquoT99SzMlVqconJ09i3wFz7pKgJZNuaE9sy8FXENlwX1scvKNRon6daHbfHK2J3i_lH-u3WWF9Nob5\

CMBQBSc=>recent

CBN report on influenza vaccine examined the validity of the annual

influenza mortality figure that the CDC routinely uses (36,000 deaths

per year in the U.S. from influenza). The report also presented

several perspectives about getting a flu shot versus using a more

natural approach to staying well in the flu season. (See

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpwtFryPeV2ckpTTrDujGuhtK8-W8I75HBvfxJxq4PmJo\

cquoT99SzMlVqconJ09i3wFz7pKgJZNuaE9sy8FXENlwX1scvKNRon6daHbfHK2J3i_lH-u3WWF9MxmJ\

-D4wYE4=>VIDEO

of report as well as

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpwuhtrmH3kds2Iin75jFoyDciFM2Z0jyzZ1WTuPq4_2P\

irTSOi8f0cU_bpHDssJZo59NNSrusYV1MYR3XPz0L2YM43ljB5qI7j5E5lqeaP52IFjGYk-ELNWJIQ8x\

87AWO-I=>VIDEO

outtakes not included in the broadast story featuring Vitamin D

Council Executive Director Cannell, M.D. on pandemic influenza,

Maurer on how she made an educated flu shot decision for her

child; Virginia Health Commissioner Remley, M.D. on why public

health officials like flu shots; and my comments on " cradle-to-grave "

vaccine policies and development of a " supervaccine. " )

ph Mercola, M.D., a champion of the holistic health and wellness

lifestyle and strong advocate for the informed consent ethic in

medicine, frequently offers alternative perspectives about infectious

disease and vaccination. See Dr. Mercola's past newsletters

discussing flu vaccination and other vaccination topics at

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpwupDQuzvYdTdOcw7lFy5WwJRPzmQk695737EBczJ8qr\

D3jSuTWnzVt4Aa_lbotzEwkTdkKkVVV3Fc_-i0YpacK9R2YkEtOPCuA=>www.mercola.com

and view a

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpwtN28ZSbs3AVgYNEpLbxIZ44VMaDs4190XdmsWIxwxD\

HePDFz8Ua42j_0FJQxJYMq3hhJ3yTcXnjMbXO15KGhZZuYEQXPzF2dlEdipmJZyDhBw_Aj328UKeENwI\

3CHq7qKtQdEMmhEV1yXNTGWmQnlB0Iyc-VS8pr_RmTrkg_xkwtLPQ6E6smnyYiUJ-xirhJWbEZdSZciV\

rrSMe2PjnGIhYuzfrEeMu8uaTGNMFtfi-S4M8_AIzbyNQK_YrP4TrILmEdr0XA0Aeg==>speech

I gave at the Natural Living Conference sponsored by Holistic Moms

Network on his website.

In the coming months, the push for Americans to get flu shots will

increase but how many will understand the government-acknowledged

risks and precautions for

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpwvJ9Rk0DFNySFF5f8VpBtkO96AbBE4IeX4q96Xl_PVt\

D82v3xw4LBAjys8Ne-Rt8v8R-aQ1rQJpxWPfxTYXy_klMoBMu3CqoV1JbHkR-yhDq4qa5zekopg29AM7\

wpMrr9I2hznu4NxJl6i4exFXo2C1wKZVw-al3iU=>inactivated,

injected influenza vaccine or the

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpws5L5m7KCD-WSm5Kj3ZubCzQfYCKjHbsNCPZPd_HSff\

qFyyn4VT4V9pQC6pPH7Wb-LNzhF4ADi0eVNRBDddMn7ESID_kZuEorRmrGYPJhNg7eAXuYDbHeg8ig1L\

wBO8ennk5Esg7TQgYrRwM6Vl6msM_E6gs8oHt_m726BB8pLaTA==>live

virus nasal influenza vaccine which are more fully outlined in the

manufacturer's product inserts available on the

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpwtT7ruXjofrDjh34L9EuDjDb4_1FpHhwjj1KitqvN7c\

xJI3EX_PRIG8kHol7aZduRmGNPIJdsS2yPRsknONIXOXLtlroNhuqTO6egL6T62w3eg3pYzOB-mGZWts\

9oItgCVHcxKoC1F9IQ==>web

and at pharmacies and in doctor's offices?

How many Americans know there are practical steps to take during the

flu season that will not only help protect against all infections,

including actual influenza as well as other " flu-like illnesses " that

can often be mistaken for influenza? (Only about 20 percent of all

" flu-like " illness is actually influenza and only three strains of

the many strains of type A and type B influenza that may be

circulating during the year are actually included in the influenza vaccine).

To prevent and treat influenza or flu-like respiratory illness that

does not involve fever over 103 F., pneumonia or serious

complications which may require medical intervention, the National

Vaccine Information Center offers the following non- toxic suggestions:

1. Wash your hands frequently.

2. Avoid close contact with those who are sick.

3. If you are sick, avoid close contact with those who are well.

4. Cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze.

5. Drink plenty of fluids, especially water.

6. Get adequate sleep.

7. Eat a healthy diet rich in vitamins and minerals, especially foods

containing vitamin C (such as citrus fruits) and vitamin D (such as

cod liver oil) and spend a few minutes a day in sunlight to help your

body make and store vitamin D.

8. Exercise regularly when you are well.

9. Lower stress.

10. Consider including holistic alternatives in your wellness or

healing plan, such as chiropractic adjustments, homeopathic and

naturopathic remedies, acupuncture and other health care options.

Whatever you do this flu season - whether or not you choose to

vaccinate - become vaccine educated and know your options.

Knowledge is power and an informed, empowered consumer is one who can

stand up for the right to freely exercise informed preventive health options.

See

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpwtxrZ_MiokDkH4Ad_nN0a3aIIL6u1NVUsSrQXqCBjPg\

UdkhUwd7B2OUnoMAmFusyg04eMSXOAFX5ws4vQaFEwW-0dU-RVzwCPg=>www.NVIC.org

and

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpwvn-RIDrSfSojUwc-G5-BTvlSSD5F8m7yw-rMnypKpa\

YzwcLG0-HAKIGAdIZEZXvC6h-TxGt589XB_tZs9rzNrSlavLFq1jzjzX3NS1ZK2dMA==>www.StandUp\

BeCounted.org

for more information.

Please email NVIC@... if you would like to volunteer to

work in your state to help NVIC educate Americans about vaccination

or have special expertise you would like to share. NVIC is also

looking for volunteers in the Northern Virginia and greater

Washington, D.C. area to assist our staff with many exciting and

challenging projects.

" The federal government finds of that 36,000, about 1,000 people die

directly from the flu virus. Blame for the remaining 35,000 deaths

goes to diseases like pneumonia that may follow the flu. However

there's no clear scientific connection between the flu and these more

serious afflictions. That means most of the time the shot would have

little impact in actually preventing death. Barbara Loe Fisher heads

of the non-governmental National Vaccine Information Center. She says

the repeated references to 36,000 seems to be an attempt to scare

people into getting the shot. Fisher suggests the public is smart

enough to decide independently. A free market would be better, she

believes. " If we allow vaccines to be subject to the test of the

marketplace, then the public will use those vaccines they consider to

be safe, effective, and necessary, " Fisher says......Dr.

Cannell, Executive Director of the Vitamin D Council, suggests the

reason we even have a flu season is because our vitamin D levels

drop. That takes place naturally as we get less and less sun with the

approach of winter. Cannell explains that less sun means we produce

less vitamin D in our skin. " Pretty much any disease, any infectious

disease, that is more common in winter is a target of vitamin D, "

Cannell says. He says that's true even of some serious non-seasonal,

prolonged diseases such as tuberculosis. Early in the 19th century,

TB sanitariums where people would get sun were one of the few ways to

recover from " consumption, " as it was known. So Cannell suggests

babies get a 1,000 units a day and those two and older get 2,000

units. Many adults and some children need to take more than that. For

kids, that can come as a single daily drop of liquid D. Cannell says

a recent discovery explains vitamin D's role in the flu season. The

vitamin triggers your body to produce its own antibiotics against flu

as well as colds. " - Gailon Totheroh, CBN News Service (November 4,

2008) VIDEOS at

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpwtFryPeV2ckpTTrDujGuhtK8-W8I75HBvfxJxq4PmJo\

cquoT99SzMlVqconJ09i3wFz7pKgJZNuaE9sy8FXENlwX1scvKNRon6daHbfHK2J3i_lH-u3WWF90Xsi\

OxsSzXw=>http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/475564.aspx

and

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpwuhtrmH3kds2Iin75jFoyDciFM2Z0jyzZ1WTuPq4_2P\

irTSOi8f0cU_bpHDssJZo59NNSrusYV1MYR3XPz0L2YM43ljB5qI7j5E5lqeaP52IFjGYk-ELNWJSj4w\

4KXMZLs=>http:

//www.cbn.com/cbnnews/479085.aspx

" Led by Dr. Szilagyi, researchers at University of Rochester

studied 414 children aged 5 and younger, who came down with the flu

during the 2003-2004 or 2004-2005 flu seasons. These children were

compared with over 5,000 controls who did not have influenza during

the same seasons. Turns out that flu shots seemed not to make much

difference: Kids who got immunized did not get the flu at lower rates

than unvaccinated kids. In fact, the immunized youngsters were just

as likely to be hospitalized or to visit the doctor as kids who never

received the vaccine.......Targeting the correct strain is a always a

bit of a guessing game, however; researchers make their best

scientifically based prediction as to which flu virus will be making

the rounds in a coming season, but they often have to make these

predictions up to nine months ahead of time, in order to keep up with

the lengthy vaccine manufacturing process. " In some circumstances, it

is like forecasting the weather, " says Dr. Geoffrey Weinberg,

professor of pediatrics at University of Rochester. " Sometimes we are

right on, and sometimes we are off. " - Alice Park, Time Magazine

(October 6 2008)

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpws-Oh75WXDXIhtDP7t372gMbpoiWaCKtzTSh8gEOTbl\

2A66ur8xIdd0ccRqmD4XRqh25SdiwkDwJKgRhw-6xN8YXi6XTC9JpNSgMvWNrjgX_5kxWdxw1ZpoP5NI\

ulVa9RaaX4Tz7fSIf8sTn4q84eTxBL0hl8monEsLNiAtr1l18A==>http://www.time.com/time/he\

alth/artic

le/0,8599,1847794,00.html

" The influenza vaccine, which has been strongly recommended for

people over 65 for more than four decades, is losing its reputation

as an effective way to ward off the virus in the elderly. A growing

number of immunologists and epidemiologists say the vaccine probably

does not work very well for people over 70, the group that accounts

for three-fourths of all flu deaths. The latest blow was a study in

The Lancet last month that called into question much of the

statistical evidence for the vaccine's effectiveness. The authors

said previous studies had measured the wrong thing: not any actual

protection against the flu virus but a fundamental difference between

the kinds of people who get vaccines and those who do not. This

contention is far from universally accepted. And even skeptics say

that until more effective measures are found, older people should

continue to be vaccinated, because some protection against the flu is

better than none. Still, the Lancet article has reignited a

longstanding debate over claims that the vaccine prevents thousands

of hospitalizations and deaths in older people. " The whole notion of

who needs the vaccine and why is changing before our eyes, " said

Doshi, a doctoral candidate at M.I.T. who published a paper on

the historical impact of influenza in May in The

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpwvRtrL0ucVyP3u7iZVmJzukDu2Uqa6T3EItPnZSwL3A\

BPjSDNaCGWNBs3h9j2dmCCVU-ydTuzbQdctE8KMn6znjJXbgZ16T-JcK27tPcCTOXUrxM6ZGKgw8u3Hi\

l2jIebMQchEFC4WrEtQN86_geFRW>American

Journal of Public Health . " - Goodman, New York Times

(September 2, 2008)

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpws6MUvudI84lHdkvPYyYSaoZjwI_jleR8ZBnhq3cZM_\

sPkT2tL52S7rOHXWF2FyI74Ihrz-qXJAxbvUo1b_v3EJWWzr31rlz6HdiQPKPbh99Pz1sxdEOqK44pbx\

BUPBV1mcJzF-myMeplXPxuUMXaGz>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/health/02flu.

html

National Vaccine Information Center

NVIC E-News is a free service of the National Vaccine Information

Center and is supported through

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpwtOYvGddt4FXhfIArSKqSKpDIC0ObSEDNh8MBDJFdm8\

ca5r16Vrn6f12FVTuzEVXkXZKY8X6I3wJXE4NoP1vt1iLmtTiK0inj6naHP4-fJwxhg5Yjg-hdz4KxVO\

XkLWUXtrfTh8w8bgoiwuI8sg-OhL>donations.

NVIC is funded through the financial support of its members and does

not receive any government subsidies. Barbara Loe Fisher, President

and Co- founder.

Learn more about vaccines, diseases and how to protect your informed

consent rights

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpwtUY7FIdzXRWpIxUuPxRrQb7wJetiYP4zod2pqxCAAn\

6YfgzXLk7w3RouqHI_PxYylRKkDKTi9OnjD3-h6RuMpbTq6QD_S7xZY=>www.nvic.org

email: <mailto:news@...>news@...

phone: 703-938-dpt3

web:

<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001sPkc_bkIpwtUY7FIdzXRWpIxUuPxRrQb7wJetiYP4zod2pqxCAAn\

6YfgzXLk7w3RouqHI_PxYylRKkDKTi9OnjD3-h6RuMpbh7YrahqCRDI=>http://www.nvic.org

[]

[]

National Vaccine Information Center | 204 Mill St. | Suite B1 |

Vienna | VA | 22180

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

Vaccines - http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccine.htm Vaccine Dangers &

Childhood Disease & Homeopathy Email classes start in December 2008