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Farewell to Flu
by author Zoltan Rona, MD, MSc

Cough! Hack! Sniffle! It is estimated that at least 50 million people in North America get the flu each year from November to March. Children are two to three times more likely than adults to get sick. More than 100,000 people are hospitalized and at least 20,000 people die from the flu and its complications annually.

Influenza is a respiratory infection caused by a variety of viruses. Unlike the common cold, another viral respiratory infection, the flu can cause fevers, headaches or extreme exhaustion. Other flu symptoms are chills, a dry cough, body aches, stuffy nose and a sore throat, which many consider an inevitable fact of winter. This is not necessarily the case. The best way to prevent viral illness is to keep health at its best by getting enough rest, limiting stress and eating a nutritious, whole-food diet.

One way of maintaining good health is to ensure the body has an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals. Nutrient requirements vary from one individual to the next, but any formula for the immune system should contain vitamin A, beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A), vitamin C, vitamin B₆ and zinc. There are formulae available that combine these ingredients with bioflavonoids and herbs such as echinacea, garlic and ginger. As a further precaution take additional vitamin C for its immune stimulating, antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Garlic is one of the best herbs to boost immunity and has long been recognized for its antibiotic properties. It helps prevent infections and is a general wellness tonic.

Should I Get a Flu Shot?

My answer to this question is an unequivocal "no." Proponents of the flu vaccine boast a 70 per cent effectiveness rate, but clinical experience proves otherwise. For example, in British Columbia last year, it was reported that of 32 individuals in a nursing home who received a flu shot, 30 contracted the flu. Nursing homes throughout BC were reporting a much higher death rate from the flu last year than expected, despite a 100 per cent vaccination rate!

A 1993 Dutch article reporting on a home for the elderly stated that 50 percent of the vaccinated population caught the flu, compared to 48 percent of the unvaccinated group. The excuses used for such failures were that the wrong virus was predicted for use in the flu vaccine.

In both the 1992-93 and the 1994-95 flu seasons, the isolated influenza samples for the predominant virus were not similar to that found in the flu vaccine. The actual composition of the flu vaccine is based on an educated guess made by a consensus of about 30 public-health experts. These "experts" meet annually with the US Food and Drug Administration to predict which specific strains of influenza will invade the country in the coming year. If this sounds unscientific to you, it’s because it is. At best, keeping in mind factors such as mistakes in production, transport and storage, the flu vaccine effectiveness rate is only about 20 percent.

The flu vaccine, received faithfully by the public without question each year, has a disturbing history of potential toxicity. The vaccine contains formaldehyde, a known cancer-causing agent.

It also contains the preservative thimerosal, a derivative of mercury, itself a known neurotoxin linked to brain damage and autoimmune diseases. Aluminum is yet another flu vaccine ingredient. Mercury and aluminum are two toxic heavy metals that have been associated with an increased incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.

Flu Vaccine Side-Effects

Zoltan Rona has practised preventive medicine in Toronto, ON. for more than 20 years. Dr Rona’s published books include The Joy of Health and Return to the Joy of Health available through alive books at 800-663-6513.

Source: alive #229, November 2001