In the News: Flu Vaccines May Not Be Worth the Effort

Each and every autumn, my parents visit their doctor to receive their flu vaccination. Why? To prevent getting the flu, of course! But each and every year, thousands of people who receive a flu vaccination actually develop flu-like symptoms because of the vaccine itself and never actually “catch” the actual viral flu that is circulating about in our atmosphere. Is the flu vaccine really just causing more harm than good?

How Do Vaccines Help

The whole idea behind creating vaccines is so that our body can build up immunity to a “safe” level of a virus, so when it is confronted with the virus again, perhaps in a larger and more dangerous dose, our bodies have the appropriate amount of defenses to actively and effectively destroy it. Every year, flu vaccines are created based on an educated guess as to what the flu virus actually will “look” like, though more often than not, the guess is wrong or the flu virus itself morphs into another unrecognizable form by the time the vaccines are distributed.

Here’s another issue with the vaccines: what is actually IN the vaccines. Influenza (flu) vaccines contain mercury (thimerosal -preservative) and a number of other chemicals that are actually detrimental to our bodies and carcinogenic (a cancer-causing agent). So not only may you be injecting yourself with a virus that may actually make you ill and fail protect you from the seasonal flu, but you are also taking in a load of chemicals that are unsafe for your body.

Are They Necessary Every Year?

So why do people get the flu vaccine year after year? Because sometimes it can be an effective defense against the flu. With the recent outbreak of the H1N1 virus, many people could have potentially avoided contracting this illness because they took appropriate measures by having the shot. The most important thing that you can do as a responsible adult is to do your research before you step into your doctor’s office and request a vaccine. Find out what is in the vaccine and how this year’s flu vaccine was created. What studies were conducted? How effective do they believe the vaccine is? Only once you do the appropriate amount of research, will you feel confident in the choice that you have made for both you and your family.

photo by Marcus Österberg