James A. Duke, Ph.D.
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 Most health departments offer inexpensive flu shots every October and November. Call your local health department and check on the schedule. More and more chain drugstores offer shots as well. Of course, you can always get a shot from your doctor, though it may cost a bit more.
I certainly recommend flu shots, especially for "old youngsters." Given the large number of elderly people who die from flu-related pneumonia each year, the shots can be a matter of life or death. To be honest, I've been getting the shot only when I remember, and only when it's convenient. |
Earl L. Mindell, RPh, PhD with Virginia Hopkins, MA
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| Just as with flu shots, the alarming rise in the number of people getting asthma and dying from it is a very good indication that these medications aren't working and may be doing more harm than good. In fact, a Johns Hopkins study published in the Journal of Epidemiology suggests a link between beta-agonists, a very popular type of asthma drug, and an increased rate of heart disease. |
| And wouldn't it be wonderful if flu shots were the magic bullet they're made out to be? But according to statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control, the P&l death rate has increased 59 percent since 1979. Even adjusting for the fact that there are increasing numbers of people over the age of 65, who are more susceptible to death from the flu, there is still a 44 percent increase in P&l deaths among people 65 and older. |
| If you take a close look at the studies on flu shots, they appear to be just another way for physicians and pharmaceutical companies to rake in more money.
IS IT A COLD OR AN ALLERGY?
When we start sniffling and sneezing in the spring, it can be hard to tell whether it's a cold or an allergy. Although the symptoms of nasal congestion may be very similar and the underlying causes have to do with a malfunctioning immune system, what precipitates a cold or an allergy is very different.
In the case of a cold, a weakened immune system allows a cold virus to take hold. |
Earl L. Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.
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 Deaths from flu are increasing in spite of flu shots. The flu can be deadly. According to government statistics, P&I deaths (pneumonia and influenza) are among the top 10 causes of death in the elderly. And wouldn't it be wonderful if flu shots were the magic bullet they're made out to be? But, according to statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control, the P&I death rate has increased 59 percent since 1979. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Health officials can't even get flu shots distributed without creating a near-panic in the population. Imagine the fear and confusion that would be created by a killer virus: a flu pandemic. So what kind of viral strain is expected to strike the world next? Probably a variation of the bird flu virus, or a particular strain known as H5N1, which right now exists in other species but is expected to make the cross-species jump and end up in humans very soon. You can expect the mass media to severely distort this story as it unfolds in order to avert a public panic. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
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 LM For most people, flu shots are not recommended. Their usefulness is questionable, and the side effects may be worse than the flu itself. Enhancement of immune function is preferable—and safer. If you are allergic to eggs or chicken, you should definitely avoid flu shots, as the vaccine is produced from chicken embryos.
ž See also COMMON COLD in Part Two. surgical tweezers, being careful that all parts of the tick are removed. Surgical-quality tweezers are available from the Self Care Catalog. (See Appendix B: Resources. |
Earl L. Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.
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| And this is in spite of the fact that an estimated 52 percent of the population aged 65 and older received flu shots in 1994, way up from an estimated rate of 20 percent in 1987, for example.
If flu vaccinations are working so well, why is this happening? One reason is that as you age, which is when you need the most protection from flu, your body's ability to create antibodies to the vaccine deteriorates. It is known that only about half of the elderly who receive flu shots can mount an antibody response strong enough to be protective. |
Attaining Medical Self SufficiencyDuncan Long
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| Flu Shots
In the past, flu shots were recommended only for those in high-risk groups like the very old, very young, or people with respiratory ailments. But it now appears that getting a flu vaccination even if you're not in one of these groups is a good idea.
In a recent report appearing in the January 1992 issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, researchers told of an unexpected result that they had discovered during their studies. |
Gina Kolata
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 Those who had been unable to get the flu shots in time would be angry because they would be vulnerable. Those who were immunized but who caught another virus that they thought was the flu would be annoyed because they would assume that the vaccine did not work. All in all, millions of people would be upset. Yes, a repeat of 1918 was unlikely. But, the participant said, "who could be sure?" And if it happened, "it would wreck us."
Then take the other side of the argument, supposing there was no pandemic. |
Zorba Paster, M.D. and Susan Meltsner
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 Pain is the most common reason given for not taking advantage of flu shots or getting tetanus boosters or being immunized against hepatitis B. Other obstacles include the time it takes to go to a doctor and get a shot, the cost of the shot, and simply not knowing that immunization is important.
In addition, some folks just don't believe in immunization. They feel there's something inappropriate about having shots when they aren't sick, or they fear that the shot, which is intended to keep them well in the future, will make them ill now. |
Gina Kolata
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| In addition, Neumann wrote in his letter, within a week after receiving flu shots, 45 people will develop encephalitis and more than 9,000 will get pneumonia. Nine hundred will die of pneumonia. "Sequential to the immunizations? Yes, but not a consequence of them," he said. "These are only a few examples of what is bound to happen the day and the week after immunizations."
Neumann cautioned: "It is one thing to see matters objectively in light of statistical expectations. It is quite another when it affects one personally. Who can blame someone for assuming the events are linked? |
Donald M. Epstein
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 Results of a clinical study presented at the American Geriatrics Society in Atlanta in 1997 suggested that people over sixty-five may not benefit from annual flu shots. According to Dr. Haim Dannengerg of the Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem, the study showed that the subjects (whose average age was seventy-two) who had been given repeated flu vaccines had lower antibody levels against three major strains of flu than those who were not vaccinated. Dr. |
Gina Kolata
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| But that vaccine had been made against the previous year's flu strain—the abrupt change in the virus's genes took scientists by surprise, making their vaccine ineffective by the time people got their flu shots. There was the pandemic of 1957, the "Asian" flu that started in China and swept the world. Another vaccine failure. In 1968, there was the "Hong Kong" flu pandemic, another flu that originated in Asia. Vaccine makers were prepared, but few Americans bothered to get vaccinated. Although no epidemic even approached the 1918 one in its dead-liness, Hultin could not help but worry. |
| Three elderly people in Pittsburgh, all of whom had heart problems, died suddenly after receiving swine flu shots. All had gotten their shots at the same clinic. All had had shots from the same batch of vaccine. And, reported the Pittsburgh Press, that same batch of vaccine had been delivered to twelve other clinics in Allegheny County as well as to clinics in twenty cities across the country.
The media swarmed to the Pittsburgh clinic, and the next day, October 12, Dr. |
| It was only when the Netherlands data for both years of swine flu shots were lumped together that the association went away.
As for the military data, there were several problems, Schonberger said. The period of time when the Guillain-Barre cases were counted was three to four months, while the disease is most likely to occur within six weeks of a vaccination. With a longer time period, the link between the flu shot and the neurological disease gets washed out, he said. In addition, the military population was younger, and younger people were at less risk of getting Guillain-Barre. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
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| Since flu shots immunize against one, two, or at most three strains of virus, elderberry extracts offer significant added protection. A clinical trial of elderberry found that it cured 90 percent of flu infections within seventy-two hours. In the same trial, patients receiving a placebo needed six days for recovery. Elderberry also relieves nasal congestion, fever, and sore throat.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR USE
Elderberry is best used in the form of Sambucol, a patented herbal medicine from Israel that is active against various strains of viruses. |
| If you are allergic to eggs or chicken, you should definitely avoid flu shots, as the vaccine is produced from chicken embryos.
ž See also COMMON COLD in Part Two. surgical tweezers, being careful that all parts of the tick are removed. Surgical-quality tweezers are available from the Self Care Catalog. (See Appendix B: Resources.)
LJ Wash any insect bite with soap and water, and then disinfect the area with either rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.
LJ To avoid mosquitoes, wear light-colored clothing; mosquitoes are attracted by dark colors. |
Gina Kolata
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| In 1944, Americans were the first in history to be immunized against influenza, with flu shots made of viruses that had been grown in eggs, then killed so that they could not cause an infection. That meant that if scientists knew in advance that a new flu epidemic was brewing, they might be able to stop it with a vaccine. In 1947, the newly formed World Health Organization created a worldwide surveillance system to provide an early warning of flu epidemics.
For Hultin, however, these developments were interesting, but not compelling. |
James Trefil
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 Consequently, one or two injections will confer immunity against the disease through the winter; we can hope to see children and seniors being given antibody shots much as they are now given flu shots.
The second kind of manufactured antibodies ?human antibodies ?are made by a rather different process. Material gathered from the sites in the body where the heavy and light chains of antibodies are made (the spleen, for example) is used to produce strands of DNA that code for the chains. Many such genes are gathered and then scrambled ? |
Martin L. Cross
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 In sixteen academic primary care practices, for example, seventy percent of patients who should have received flu shots didn't get them.
Even after a vaccine was developed during World War II against certain stubborn strains of pneumonia-causing bacteria, it was not used extensively in the decades afterward, because doctors "assumed" that antibiotics would cure all pneumonias. As a result, thousands die each year of pneumococcal pneumonia caused by the Streptococcus pneumoniae, a deadly bacteria. The vaccine is excellent protection and generally lasts for life, but as Dr. |
Linda B. White, M.D.
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 A relatively new alternative to flu shots is getting a dose of the weakened virus intranasally,- so far, studies show this method is effective and has few side effects.)
More Herbal Cold Combinations
Sometimes flu or colds come with raw, irritated respiratory linings. Herbs that have demulcent qualities can help soothe inflamed throat and bronchial passages. Among these herbs are: mullein (Verbascum thapsus), which also has expectorant and antiviral properties; marshmallow (Althaea officinalis); slippery elm (Ulmus rubra); plantain (Plantago lanceolata); and licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). |
Martin L. Cross
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| PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
Immunization of all residents would be undertaken by the CMP, including the necessary shots for children, and immunization of all adults for pneumococcus, hepatitis A, tetanus, and annual flu shots. Computer records for preventive care would be set up on all 500,000 residents, with notation of all immunizations given by the town health services, hospitals, and physicians. Notice would be sent out regularly to those who were not immunized, and doctors educated to educate their patients.
Preventive medicine is poorly practiced in America. |
Elson M. Haas, M.D.
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 These "flu shots" are usually given to people who are sick or who have decreased resistance or to the elderly, for whom a severe case of flu might be fatal.
The use of immunizations has become a philosophical/moral/medical issue for many people in recent years, especially health-conscious parents who do not want to "mess around" with a healthy child's immune system or give them a little disease (and shots!) for illnesses they may or may not get. |
Earl L. Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.
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| Just as with flu shots, the alarming rise in the number of people getting asthma and dying from it are a very good indication that these medications aren't working, and may be doing more harm than good. In fact, a Johns Hopkins study recently published in the Journal of Epidemiology suggests a link between beta-agonists, a very popular type of asthma drug, and an increased rate of heart disease. |
J.D. Kleinke
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 There are exceptions to this rule, in particular flu shots and childhood vaccines for more common illnesses. But because such analyses stack up wrong for nearly every other aspect of preventive care, the nation's MCOs have no vested interest in managing anyone's health. Dr. Chang certainly has no interest in bearing the costs of preventive care, a source of enormous professional conflict for any good doctor. The only people with that vested interest are Dr. Chang's patients, or in the case of the Kaiser study, the parents of those thirty-nine children. |
| And that $9 is supposed to cover pap smears, vaccines, physicals, flu shots, and all other preventive care services. If we actually provided any of those services—the same ones they promote in their brochures to my patients—we'd be losing money on every single one of them."
It has long since passed into conventional wisdom that the fundamental problem with the U.S. health care system is the existence of a third party to pay for services demanded by the first party and provided by the second party. |
Earl L. Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.
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| And wouldn't it be wonderful if flu shots were the magic bullet they're made out to be? But, according to statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control, the P&I death rate has increased 59 percent since 1979. Even adjusting for the fact that there are increasing numbers of people over the age of 65, who are more susceptible to death from the flu, there is still a 44 percent increase in P&I deaths among people 65 and older. |
| If you take a close look at the studies on flu shots, they appear to be just another way for physicians and pharmaceutical companies to rake in more money.
Is It a Cold or an Allergy?
When we start sniffling and sneezing in the spring, it can be hard to tell whether it's a cold or an allergy. Although the symptoms of nasal congestion may be very similar and the underlying causes have to do with a malfunctioning immune system, what precipitates a cold or an allergy is very different.
In the case of a cold, a weakened immune system allows a cold virus to take hold. |
Michael Castleman
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 The high death rate from flu-related pneumonia is the reason those at risk should get flu shots every year. The danger signs include shortness of breath, difficulty breathing and/or a second fever a few days to three weeks after the initial flu fever subsides.
If you or anyone you know—especially anyone over age 60— develops these symptoms, call a doctor immediately. that colds can be spread through the air and by finger contamination.
You can use the findings on cold transmission to keep those wily viruses out of your throat.
Increase ventilation. |
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