What’s the Flu With You: Flu Strategy and Prevention

We are receiving calls asking about the flu shot. It is a tough decision!

We really can’t make the decision for you. What we hope to do is provide you with some information and options so you can feel better about your decision, either way.

Concerns (in general) with vaccines are as follows:

• They contain mercury as a preservative and we accumulate this mercury over time, which can cause problems for the cardiovascular and nervous system as well as for children and pregnant ladies. One of the world’s leading immunologists, Dr. Hugh Fudenberg, conducted studies that found that people who receive the flu vaccine yearly for three to five years increase their risk of Alzheimer’s disease tenfold. He suggests the culprits are mercury and aluminum in the vaccines. Dr. Russel Blaylock, a US Neurosurgeon, believes a new mechanism, which involves mercury and aluminum as well as the over-activation of the immune system caused by the vaccines, is to blame. Mercury and aluminum are directly toxic to brain cells and also over-stimulate the brain’s immune system. There is compelling evidence that this mechanism can trigger Alzheimer’s dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease and autism spectrum disorders, as well as Gulf War Syndrome.  
• Adjuvants Explained – in order for a vaccine to be considered effective, your immune response to the vaccine should be to produce antibodies to the live(live vaccines have more risk) or dead viruses in the vaccine (the antigen). An adjuvant is a substance added to a vaccine to improve your immune response to the antigen, mainly by aggravating your tissues and the immune system. The word adjuvant comes from the Latin adjuvare, which means “to help.” By adding adjuvants the vaccine can contain less viral antigens, which reduces production costs. Unfortunately, many of these adjuvants are highly toxic. There are several types of adjuvants. Some of the most commonly used ones include:   Aluminum hydroxide, Aluminum phosphate and Calcium phosphate. Other adjuvants include oil-based emulsions such as Squalene. Squalene has not been licensed by the FDA for use in vaccines distributed in the U.S. Yet, squalene is an adjuvant used in vaccines distributed in Europe and other countries. GlaxoSmithKline’s proprietary formula ASO3™ and Novartis’ MF59™ are two examples of squalene adjuvants. As damaging as the neurotoxin mercury is, it’s important to realize that aluminum is also a neurotoxin and aluminum-based adjuvants are estimated to be even MORE toxic than mercury. Canada’s H1N1 version contained Squalene. 
• Think before having the vaccine, if you are an individual with weakened immunity, autoimmune disease, are pregnant, or have neurological symptoms (dizziness, weakness, numbness, tingling, etc.) since it is difficult to predict the type of effect it may have on your immune system. 
• The only way to get natural and permanent immunity (antibodies) to a strain of flu is to become ill and recover naturally.  Natural immunity to a particular strain of flu will be protective if that strain, or closely related strains, come around again in the future.  However, because the vaccine only provides a 70-80% chance of temporary immunity to selected strains and those strains may or may not be prevalent each year, doctors say you have to get a flu shot every year. Become educated about the flu and its benefits and risks and the vaccine and its benefits and risks and make an informed decision – taken from The National Vaccine Information Centre.

  For more information on vaccines:

  www.vran.org

  www.909shots.com

  www.drmercola.com

  http:www.youtube.com/watch?v+L-7p2pOveJc

Here are 3 homeopathic alternatives to the flu shot:

Muco Coccinum from Seroyal (1 dose per week) or Oscillococcinum from Boiron (1 dose per week): They are homeopathic tablets that you dissolve under tongue, used for prevention and/or treatment. If you do get the flu or even a cold, take either 1-3 times daily. There is also another one that just came out from Pascoe called Pascoleucyn.

Prevention is the key. If you get the flu, chances of a quick recovery are better if you take: 

• 2000IU of vitamin D3 per day (2 tsp of cod liver oil). You can increase vitamin D3 to 5,000IU
  short term if under high risk of exposure or weak immunity. There are so many research studies which show that vitamin D deficiency is likely the reason for the seasonality of the
  flu – not the flu virus itself; therefore, taking vitamin D is likely the single most important
  and inexpensive thing you can do to prevent your risk of getting the flu. 
• Probiotics (HMF Intensive from Seroyal) once or twice a day
• A good multi vitamin daily.

For your kids:

• Use 400 to 1000IU vitamin D3 per day (1 tsp of cod liver oil)
• Probiotics once a day (HMF Forte from Seroyal)
• A  good whole food multi like Juice Plus for adults and kids 

If you get the flu, know that your immune system is training itself to cope with the current viruses out there and keep the following on hand:

• Thieves essential oil blend (Young Living) – take 1-2 drops in mouth at the first sign of a
  tickle in your throat or a sniffle
• VIR formula from Vitamost/The Results Company – take 4 per day as soon as you feel anything coming on.
• Extra vitamin C
• Jut-U-Sin homeopathic cough syrup from Reckeweig – dose every 3-4 hours as recommended on bottle.
• RC essential oil blend (Young Living) directly on throat and chest. Stay warm, cover
  neck and rest. “Sweating it out” incinerates the viruses and bacteria. Never suppress
  a fever.
• Castor oil pack: call us for a kit. This boosts lymphocyte production by 40% in 20 minutes. That’s how you fight the infection. It also helps bowel elimination.
• Fresh organic lemons – squeeze ½ lemon into warm water with ½ tsp unpasteurized
  honey added.
• DETOX BATH – to pull toxins from the body
  2 cups Epsom Salts
  1 cup Baking Soda
  5 drops each: Lemon, Fennel, Rosemary

   Stir all of the above into a tub of water as hot as one can stand, and
  soak for 20 minutes.
  Drink purified water while in the tub so as to stay hydrated. (Even
  then, be careful when getting out of the tub…some people tend to be slightly dizzy.) 

Have a lukewarm to cool brief shower (do not scrub). Then bundle up and rest. 

Regardless of whether or not you get the flu shot, we strongly recommend the following tips to maintain healthy immunity. Unlike the flu shot, boosting your immune system is free of side effects and offers potential health rewards for years to come. 

1. Make immune supporting nutrients part of your daily vitamin routine. Add extra antioxidant support if you have a weak immune system.
2. Drink filtered water. Stay hydrated to eliminate toxins.
3. Ensure adequate protein. Protein is used to make antibodies that fight infection and to encourage tissue healing. 
4. Minimize sugar, starches, bad/cooked fats, dairy products, alcohol and processed meats and foods. Sugar weakens immunity drastically by decreasing infection-fighting cells that battle bacteria and viruses. Dairy and bad fats create a lot of mucous and inflammation.
5. Monitor stress. Stress causes an increase in the stress hormone cortisol.  Cortisol inhibits immune function if chronically elevated.
6. Include immune boosting foods in your diet. Garlic, onions, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms (shitake, reishi, etc.), red and yellow fruits and veggies like peppers, sweet potato, tomatoes, and citrus fruits are immune supporting.
7. Take Seroyal HMF probiotics daily. Studies prove probiotics reduce the frequency and severity of infections, especially in school children. Acidophilus is the “friendly bacteria” in our digestive tract.
8. Take plant sterols. Plant sterols balance your immune system. If aspects are running too high (as in autoimmune diseases or allergies) they turn it down; or running to low (like with frequent colds or flu’s) sterols increase immune system function.
9. Wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your hands to your face when in public to reduce your risk of contracting a viral infection. Avoid hand sanitizers. All of those chemicals absorb right into you. If you can’t eat it, it shouldn’t go on your skin. Use the hand sanitizers from Young Living.
10. Exercise. Exercise helps your immune system by improving circulation throughout your body. When the components of your immune system circulate properly, the immune system is better equipped to detect an illness before it gets a chance to spread.