Friday, October 16, 2009

Flu Vaccines: Pure Quackery

There are 3 or 4 alternative health sites I visit regularly. I always read Bill Sardi if an essay of his shows up at LewRockwell.com. He's excellent. Then there's Dr. Mercola, also excellent. And Mike Adams, the Health Ranger of Natural News. Each of these are good, reputable critics of our current medical system.

Lately there's been some very interesting articles on flu vaccines. If you're interested, read the following articles. In my not very humble opinion, we HAVE to be interested in our health, because it takes effort to keep it these days. If you're the sort of person who runs off to the doctor, takes whatever pill or potion they give you, believes in their diagnosis without question, takes whatever test is recommended, then I'd say you are in Big Trouble and your health will suffer greatly. We must question "authority" on this and everything else. Frankly, I lost trust in the medical system years ago. Like most people who lose trust in the system, I think I was more harmed than helped by their treatment. That lack of trust has served me well since.

Anyway, the first article on this list is from Mike Adams, of Natural News. In his piece, he summarizes and explains/comments on a current article in The Atlantic. Mike is biased in favor of natural medicine, and opposed to the medical system as it is. With that in mind, however, here's his take on the topic of flu vaccine:

http://www.naturalnews.com/027239_vaccines_flu_vaccine_.html

Then, if you are like me and have the time, you'll want to read the original article in The Atlantic. The authors did a great job of showing the empty science behind the vaccine industry:

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200911/brownlee-h1n1

And last, over at Dr. Mercola's website, you find this article on how getting a seasonal flu vaccine doubles your chances of getting swine flu:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/15/People-Who-Get-a-Seasonal-Flu-Shot-Are-Twice-as-Likely-to-Catch-Swine-Flu.aspx

Pretty amazing, isn't it? In the past few days I've seen the hordes of people lining up to get their seasonal flu shots at $24 or $30 a pop. My bet is most of those folks get a flu shot every year. They probably and reliably get the flu every year as well. Sigh. Well, there are good people challenging this vaccine "science" this year.

I want to leave you with a paragraph from the Atlantic article. It is a real eye-opener. It will show you exactly how deadly modern medicinee can be:

The annals of medicine are littered with treatments and tests that became medical doctrine on the slimmest of evidence, and were then declared sacrosanct and beyond scientific investigation. In the 1980s and ’90s, for example, cancer specialists were convinced that high-dose chemotherapy followed by a bone-marrow transplant was the best hope for women with advanced breast cancer, and many refused to enroll their patients in randomized clinical trials that were designed to test transplants against the standard—and far less toxic—therapy. The trials, they said, were unethical, because they knew transplants worked. When the studies were concluded, in 1999 and 2000, it turned out that bone-marrow transplants were killing patients. Another recent example involves drugs related to the analgesic lidocaine. In the 1970s, doctors noticed that the drugs seemed to make the heart beat rhythmically, and they began prescribing them to patients suffering from irregular heartbeats, assuming that restoring a proper rhythm would reduce the patient’s risk of dying. Prominent cardiologists for years opposed clinical trials of the drugs, saying it would be medical malpractice to withhold them from patients in a control group. The drugs were widely used for two decades, until a government-sponsored study showed in 1989 that patients who were prescribed the medicine were three and a half times as likely to die as those given a placebo.

Keep in mind: when dealing with the medical system, it is definitely Caveat Emptor!
HM

11 comments:

Eileen said...

you wrote: "retty amazing, isn't it? In the past few days I've seen the hordes of people lining up to get their seasonal flu shots at $24 or $30 a pop. My bet is most of those folks get a flu shot every year. They probably and reliably get the flu every year as well. Sigh. Well, there are good people challenging this vaccine "science" this year."

Well, I have chronic bronchitis caused by asthma I've had all my life. Every year, I got the flu without fail and it devastated me. Very, very scary - to the point of hospitalization and pneumonia and all. About six years, around the time my doctor got the asthma under control with a drug called Advair, and I also discovered I was gluten intolerant (made a huge difference in my breathing), my doctor suggested I get the flu shot. She insisted. I got it - and for the first winter of my life, didn't get the flu, didn't have to be nebulized or put on any machines, didn't get hospitalized. Yes, I still got bronchitis, and when that got bad, had to be treated with an antibiotic (I do take probiotics to counter that) but no more flu. I haven't had the flu in over five years now and I wouldn't hesitate to get it again. I never have even the slightest symptoms, just a sore upper arm for a day. As for swine flu, with the asthma susceptibility and age group I'm in (middle age), I am anxiously awaiting the vaccine because I know I'm at a higher risk for complications. The flu shot has been a huge contributor to my quality of life and I don't want the flu ever again if I can avoid it.

I don't disagree with you about being suspicious or considering alternative solutions though. I supplement with Vitamin D and other extracts known to increase immunity, as is appropriate, and do copious amounts of research on everything I do. But I will say not to be so quick to assume everyone who lines up for that flu shot gets the flu anyway - they might just have figured out something others haven't about avoiding the misery that is flu.

Patricia said...

Eileen: thank you for your critical and astute comments. I really appreciate it. Critical comments help me learn and grow. Your comments are welcome, and a good addition to my contentions about the flu vaccine. I am heartily glad that the flu vaccine worked well for you--and for any others it may benefit. That is the one thing I had left out of my thinking--that indeed a flu vaccine may help certain people. Especially in a case like yours, where a flu could be devastating on top of already serious illness.

My assumptions about the folks getting a flu vaccine are based on my observations through the years of people getting a flu vaccine shot, but then, nearly invariably, also getting the flu--or a flu at any rate. Still, there's no call for me to be obnoxious or snide about it and there was some of that in what I said. I'm glad you called me on it.

Still, the science behind vaccinations is questionable, and the questions should be asked and the research done. The fact that the research isn't done should make us all uneasy.
Onwards,
HM

Eileen said...

I didn't think you were obnoxious at all! I just wanted to balance what you said with another opinion. I'm pretty suspicious of modern medicine (just ask my poor doctor who has to do battle with me on a regular basis) but some things just work for me. Might not work for others. I'd rather say "Oh, I stopped eating gluten and now I'm able to breathe without Advair!" but the truth is, it was part but not all of my cure. And I try to balance modern med with alternative, pharmaceuticals with herbals, and a healthy dose of my own kitchen witchery :) Thanks for the response.

Anonymous said...

I have been around people with the flu almost daily for the last three weeks. My defense has been the old standby...coloidial silver.
1 little slug of it morning and night. I am almost 71 and I had the flu back in 1962 and in 1995/96
I see my doctor twice a year to get refils on my Lidocane pain patches for my hip. He has got tired of asking me do I want a flu shot or a test for whatever the flavor of the month is. I will go without a lot of things, but not my silver!
Charliexpensur

Patricia said...

Charli, you make a good point about colloidal silver. I've never really used the stuff. I'll read up on it and get some for flu season. Thanks
HM

Anonymous said...

Based on experience I distrust the medical system.

A couple brief examples. Once I had tendinitis in my knee. Went to four doctors, received four different diagnoses. One of the treatments damaged my knee. When I asked one of the doctors to explain his reasoning so I could understand, he angrily repeated the diagnosis and left the room, spitting a sarcastic comment on the way out.

Later went for a blood checkup, cholesterol, all that. Wanted an iron test, doctor said no (who is her patient/customer?) so I paid in cash. Test showed off the charts iron in my blood, which she said would lead to liver failure if unresolved. She ordered another test, was still off the charts. Then she didn't want to do any treatment or even further investigation, figuring it would be okay unchecked. What?! That directly contradicts her previous statement!

Doctors are clueless and lack morals.

I've never had a flu shot as far as I know, and have only gotten it once. I don't take flu shots seriously either.

Pro-tip: a nice way to stay healthy in winter is to boil some water and add to minced ginger. Add honey, stir, drink. It's delicious and good for you. Honey is a natural anti-bacterial, the warm liquid is easy on the throat, and ginger boosts the immune system. VoilĂ  there you go.

Patricia said...

Thanks for the comments, all, and the tips on collodial silver and ginger with honey. Such basic "already in our kitchens" stuff and they are usually better than what the allopaths order. :)
Onwards,
HM

FM said...

OT: I've been enjoying your blog for a while. I think you might enjoy this blog. I don't know that you'll agree with her about everything, but like you, she's distrustful of both halves of The Establishment, or whatever you want to call it.

Moggy said...

More on the flu vaccine.

Patricia said...

Hey FM: Thanks for the tip on the blog. I'll check it out!
HM

Patricia said...

American Monarchist: Thanks for a view at your very interesting blog. I'll look further.
HM