From the “Know The Cause” Newsletter by Doug Kaufmann, The Fount is pleased to present an informative article by Lynn Jennings MD about natural ways to prevent the flu and avoid vaccinations.
The Hard Sell, The Soft Sell
Dear Readers,
The “pre-season” flu is upon us. I started writing this article in mid-August so it is hard to tell what kind of insanity the pharmaceutical company will be promoting. If last year was any indication, I predict that the government will be laying low after last year’s hard sell for the useless H1N1 vaccine. This year will see a more subtle approach in an attempt to increase the number of recommended adult vaccinations.
Currently the government recommends yearly seasonal flu vaccinations, a pneumococcal vaccination, a tetanus vaccination, and a zoster (shingles) vaccination. That is a list just off the top of my head (see the end of the article for full listing). The latest (but not the newest) vaccination is for pertussis. Read on…
I saw this commercial a few weeks ago and I shook my head in amazement. The commercial starts with a mother holding her child in her arms saying, “We think the safest place in the world for our babies is in our arms, but it can also be one of the most dangerous.” What? Are you kidding me?
Now if you were to drop the baby, that would constitute danger, but no, the commercial goes on to talk about the need for adults to be vaccinated against pertussis. The propaganda machine would like you to believe that adults lacking vaccination against pertussis are too dangerous to be around your baby.
Pertussis is the medical term for whooping cough. Whooping cough is a bacterial respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis. Whooping cough is considered an endemic illness.
An endemic illness refers to an illness that persists in a population without having to be reintroduced from outside. For example, chickenpox is an endemic disease in the United Kingdom; malaria is not.
Generally speaking, there are 5000-7000 cases of whooping cough reported each year. The Center for Disease Control reports that “epidemics” of pertussis occur every three to five years. The most recent “epidemic” occurred in 2005 when there were 25,616 cases reported in the United States. (1)
In 2007, there were 10,454 cases and ten deaths reported in children. (2) The CDC reported 8,295 known cases for the 2009 season. (3) Currently the CDC recommends that children be vaccinated for pertussis five times by the age of four to six years (vaccinations at two months, four months, six months, eighteen months and four to six years).
Not content with that, the pharmaceutical companies are suggesting, through supposed public service announcements, that adults need to be vaccinated as well. In my own opinion, these public service announcements seem more like Big Pharma subsidized commercials.
In a bit of related news (on the epidemic that was not), the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the swine flu pandemic over. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the organization’s emergency committee of top flu experts advised her that the pandemic had “largely run its course” and the world is no longer in phase six — the highest influenza alert level.
Governments in Europe and North America had already started dumping vaccines earlier this year after finding their stocks were full of expiring supplies. (4) The WHO just released a list of the names of key pandemic advisers who influenced the decision to declare a phase six pandemic.
Interestingly, five of these advisers receive money from the vaccine manufacturers. Why is this a problem? It seems very suspicious that the WHO would enlist advisers with financial ties to the vaccine industry to decide whether a pandemic was underway and then declare it to be so. (5)
Doesn’t it just seem like someone is always “pushing a vaccine”? Or perhaps I have just become cynical since the manufactured “swine flu pandemic” last year. Add to that the campaign to vaccinate little girls for human papilloma virus to “prevent” cervical cancer, yearly seasonal flu “shots”, and hepatitis B vaccinations for newborns. Endorsement of Big Pharma seems to be a reflex for many journalists.
I just read an article about the fact that most doctors in residency “work when they are sick.” Which led the author of the article to mention, “The Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly recommends annual flu vaccinations for all health care workers to prevent their patients from getting sick.” (6)
This implies that if I get the flu vaccine I will be able to keep my patients from getting ill. Right…that would be a logical conclusion if the vaccines were effective, but I am not convinced that they are. This is propaganda, pure and simple.
I recently reviewed the recommended immunization schedule for children. If I exclude the yearly seasonal flu shots (which if given according to schedule could number up to eighteen) and the meningococcal vaccine required of virtually all incoming college freshmen, children are expected to receive over thirty-two vaccinations.(2,5) How many is too many? Every parent must make this decision based upon his or her own research and comfort level.
What can you do? Last year I wrote about the things you could do to optimize your immune system and prevent “swine flu.” The same recommendations hold true whether it is the seasonal flu, common cold, or another infectious disease.
It is always easier to prevent an illness than to treat one. I would recommend that everyone begin a “prevention program” which focuses on optimizing your immune system. Keeping your immune system healthy is the best and most effective defense:
1. Get adequate amounts of rest. Irregular sleeping patterns or inadequate sleep cause stress on your body and can adversely affect your immune system.
2. Maintain a healthy diet. You need to limit your intake of refined sugar such as candy, cakes, donuts, etc. You should also stay away from artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, aspartame, and Splenda. Eat plenty of green and purple vegetables.
The majority of your diet should be vegetables and fruits. Avoid peanuts and corn which are foods that tend to be highly contaminated with fungus and fungal byproducts (mycotoxins). Almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, etc. are good substitutes for peanuts.
3. Regular exercise. You do not have to be a marathon runner. Walking is good. Do what you can. If you cannot walk, arm exercises are good.
4. Make sure you are getting adequate amounts of Vitamin D3. A good starting dose would be 5000 units per day until you can have your doctor or health care provider check your 25 hydroxy-vitamin D3 levels. Recommended levels are 70-100.
5. Take 4000-6000mg of vitamin C daily.
6. Take 25mg zinc citrate daily
7. Take 50mcg selenium daily
8. I would start on an iodine supplement such as Iodoral 12.5mg tablets. Take three tablets per day.
9. Take daily probiotics.
If you think you have been exposed to the flu, or are showing signs of infection there are some things that you can do:
• Increase your dose of Vitamin D3 to 50,000 units a day for 3 days.
• Increase you dose of Vitamin C. Take 1000-2000mg every 3-4 hours.
When your intestinal tract has reached its limit of absorption of Vitamin C, you will usually have a loose bowel movement. Just decrease the dose of vitamin C or increase the time interval between doses.
Drink plenty of water.
• Increase zinc citrate to 50mg daily
• Increase selenium to 200mcg a day for 3-4 days
• Make sure you are on a source of iodine such as Iodoral. Take 3 tablets of Iodoral 12.mg daily.
I promised you a list of the recommended vaccines for adults. Surprise! I just received a list of clinical recommendations in the mail from The American Academy of Family Physicians. They urge me to use every opportunity to immunize my patients.
The printing and mailing of those materials was provided for by a grant from Merck & Co., Inc. (thought you would like to know). A complicated and detailed list of vaccinations and explanation of risk factors and contraindications can be obtained at http://www.cdc.gov.
Vaccine Recommendations (7)
Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (TD/Tdap) – Boost with Td every 10 years
Human papilloma virus (HPV) – 3 doses for women ages 19 – 26 years
Varicella – 2 doses
Zoster – 1 dose after age 60
Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) – 1-2 doses between 19 and 49; 1 dose after 50 if you have risk factors
Influenza – 1 dose annually
Pneumococcal – 1-2 doses between the ages of 19-64 if risk factors are present; one dose after
Hepatitis A – 2 doses for those with risk factors or in a medical occupation
Hepatitis B – 3 doses for those with risk factors or in a medical occupation
Meningococcal – One or more doses for those with risk factors, or in a medical occupation. Required by most colleges for incoming freshmen.
Blessings from my vaccine-free clinic,
Lynn Jennings, M.D.
2. http://www.examiner.com Zagoren, K. “Pertussis update: Whooping cough on the rise nationwide.” August 3, 2010.
3. http://www.abcnews.go.com Jordan, F. “WHO Says Swine Flu Pandemic is Over. August 10, 2010.”
5. http://www.naturalnews.com Adams, M. “WHO list reveals flu advisers with financial ties pharma, vaccine manufacturers.”
6. http://www.msnbc.com Tanner, L. “Working While Sick? Study finds even doctors do it.” September 14, 2010.
7. Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule United States 2010, Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You can go to http://www.cdc.gov for detailed schedules.
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Doug Kaufmann and Dr. Jennings were 2 of the 4 speakers featured at the Grambling Health Seminar held in the School of Nursing Auditorium Grambling State University this past April 2010.
–The Fount
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