The Flu: To Shoot or not to Shoot, that is the Question

For most of you that know me, you probably already know my opinion on the flu shot. However, it is not my opinion that will help you make the decision on whether you or your children should get the flu shot this season. So I will do my best at putting my biased opinion aside and provide you with some informative facts to help you with your decision to roll up your sleeve this season or not.

How does the flu shot, or all vaccines for that matter work anyway?  Vaccines work by creating antibodies. Our amazing immune systems have the ability to build army’s that attack specific viruses or diseases. These army’s however, can only be created once the body has had exposure to that particular disease or virus. Healthy people with strong immune systems are often able to do this, build antibodies against a virus before the symptoms get too severe and in the end be forever immune to that virus. However, for many of us, we do not have the time to build enough antibodies before the virus becomes too severe and this can be dangerous for many. The amazing thing is that the virus that the body is exposed to does not even have to be living in order for the immune system to build antibodies. That is how vaccines work. They contain inactivated viruses in which enables the body to create antibodies, protecting you if you come in contact with that virus again – and all without ever getting sick. Pretty amazing.

But what else does the flu shot contain? I am so glad you asked;) Unfortunately, this is where the ‘amazing’ gets a little scary. One of the main ingredients in the influenza vaccine is Thimerosal, a preservative that contains mercury. I don’t have to emphasize much about the dangers of mercury. It is a well-known fact that the body cannot dispose itself of mercury and the nervous system and brain are usually the systems/organs most greatly harmed by this toxic heavy metal. Yes, there may be the same amount of mercury in that can if tuna you ate for lunch, however that mercury was not injected directly into your bloodstream! The flu shot often contains aluminum; another dangerous heavy metal that is linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Next are eggs. Eggs are what carry the inactivated virus in the vaccine. Not too scary unless you are allergic to eggs which therefore makes that vaccine ineffective. Then there is the sucrose, which is used to concentrate and purify the virus, however sucrose, also known as sugar, is known to lower ones production of antibodies. Gentamycin, an antibiotic shown to cause deafness is also found in your flu shot. Other antibiotics found in the flu shot are Neomycin and Streptomycin, which can often be the cause of allergic reactions following the flu shot. Oxtocinol - a detergent used as a spermatocide (kills sperm) is also found in the vaccine as well as Polyethylene glycol. Now, just to clarify, this is not the same as Ethylene glycol – the main ingredient in antifreeze although many anti-vaccinationists claim it to be. However, Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is still a toxin that has been greatly associated with cancers, especially leukemia. And although you won’t find this ingredient in antifreeze, you will find it in your oven cleaner. Then there’s Formaldehyde; yes the same kind they use to embalm dead bodies. Formaldehyde, a well-known carcinogen is used as a preservative in the vaccine. This information was not found on the Health Canada website however. I searched the Health Canada website and nowhere could I find a detailed list of ingredients.

Effectiveness of the flu shot is also questionable. Because the influenza virus changes each season, vaccine manufacturers actually do not know which strain will be circulating. That is why the flu shot contains strains from 3 different inactivated viruses in hopes that one if the strains will be the one that is infecting people that season. Really though, it is somewhat of a guessing game and this is why many people still get infected with the influenza virus even after getting the shot. Actually, according to Sherri Tenpenny D.O (http://drtenpenny.com/the_truth_about_the_flu_Shot.aspx) a study that included 66,000 adults, the vaccination reduced their risk of influenza by only 6% and showed no change in the number of sick days taken or the number of people that were hospitalized.  Another study showed no difference between the vaccination and the placebo for infants between the ages of 6-24 months. In children over 2 years old, the vaccine helped to prevent the flu in 33% of cases.

This is a tough call, especially for parents. For someone with a compromised immune system the flu shot may be helpful. The only thing is if it doesn’t work, your immune system is now even more compromised from the ingredients in the flu shot. Many people that are pro-vaccines emphasize that although many of the ingredients are toxic, dosages are safe. This may be true but the accumulation of several different vaccines and/or those who choose to get the flu shot every flu season are not accounted for. Ultimately, you have to go with what you feel is right. Either way though, it will always benefit to help boost your immune system naturally in case you do get sick. After all, the flu shot doesn’t protect against colds or pneumonia. There are many easy ways to boost the immune system naturally and if you check back here in a few days I will tell you how!

In the meantime, I found this funny YouTube video for your enjoyment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWfCnjnShnM

References: http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_366.shtml

                       http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/a/aa011604a.htm

 

My unconditional love for the universe, my brother....and his gallbladder.

Today my only brother was minutes away from getting his gallbladder removed. Minutes before the anesthesiologist attended to my brother, doctors refused to proceed due to complications with my brother’s Medicare card. They were worried how they would be paid for the procedure so they sent him home. My brother was frustrated and worried about the excruciating pain soon returning. I can’t help to smile at how beautiful this universe is.

My brother rushed to the hospital a few nights ago doubled over in a pain that he describes as the worst thing he has ever experienced in his life. An ultrasound showed several large gallstones that were blocking the bile ducts. Doctors said there was no choice, the whole gallbladder had to be removed.

This has become such a common procedure and doctors treat the removal of the gallbladder as routine surgery that it is easy to mistake the importance of our gallbladders. However, the gall bladder plays quite a vital role in our body and without it, one can be looking at a lifetime of digestive issues.

Upon hearing about my brother’s condition I just wanted to rush to Montreal to his bedside and protect his little gallbladder from those evil men in white coats that just want to kill it and throw it away! I couldn’t talk to Jay as he was in the hospital to voice how I really didn’t think he should have the surgery and that there were other options. And even if I couldn’t talk to him, I wondered if he would listen.

I am his little sister. His little sister who has adopted a new lifestyle and belief system that we can heal ourselves naturally, without drugs. Don’t get me wrong, allopathic medicine has its place and without it many people would not be alive today. But unlike many people, I see allopathic medicine as the last resort, not the first. I am so passionate about my new career, that I sometimes push my beliefs on others without realizing. I didn’t want to do that with Jay. I hoped he knew where I stood without having to say too much, but ultimately I had to leave this decision up to him.

Jason got sent home from the hospital for the day yesterday but was scheduled to return first thing in the morning, ready to lie on the operating table and be cut open. He called me & we got to talk for the first time since he was admitted. I almost had to sit down when he voiced the words ‘ I want to keep my gallbladder. I am willing try to do this naturally, and maybe that way I won’t need surgery tomorrow.” I may have not been that one to convince him but I lite up instantly with pride. Then my pride was instantly replaced by fear. I know how to clean a gallbladder and liver for that matter. I have even preformed a  liver/gallbladder flush on myself. But never had I treated one that had stones in it. Large, obstructed stones for that matter. I also remember reading ‘ do not do this with someone who has stones.’ And also remember reading the words ‘ risk of death’! I warned him of the consequences (without using the ‘d’ word;) and he said he was still willing to try. He is braver than I.  I immediately contacted all my amazing peers to get their opinion. I put him in touch with my colleague and my friend M-J (www.livewise.ca) who has a lot more experience than I in these cleanses. She guided him through it and he followed everything she said. Now it was the waiting game. A game I suck royally at, especially when it concerns my bro.

I stayed by the phone for the rest of the day, praying this cleanse would work. I imagined him going to the hospital the next morning and shocking all the doctors because the stones had magically disappeared. That would have been nice. But cleanses don’t work like that, especially for some one with a gallbladder issue. It takes time and takes a few cleanses to work fully.

Being new to natural medicine, or any medicine for that matter, Jason wasn’t sure if the cleanse worked so he kept his appointment for surgery in the morning. It was out of my hands, it was out of M-J’s hands and it was out of Ely’s hands, his wonderful girlfriend who never left his side throughout this whole ordeal. It was now between Jay, the doctors and the universe.  And luckily the universe won. Jay was on the right path but like so many of us we get confused by outside influence and lose confidence in our decisions.  That is why the universe had to step in and help guide him. It was not because of a faulty Medicare card. It is because Jason was not supposed to have that surgery.

I am now on my way to Montreal to be with my brother and help get him better naturally and without the need of a Medicare card. It may not be due to his confidence in me or in natural medicine; it may be just because he has no other choice. Either way, I am given the opportunity of a lifetime – literally. All my life I have been his little sister, the one he was told to protect and look after. That role has been embedded in his brain and has carried this role even to today, 31 years later. Jason has been my rock through everything. My blood and my family, very little of what I have left of. He is the only person on this planet who knows absolutely everything about me and the only one who has shared my darkness. We have an indestructible bond that I cherish everyday. That is why today, I have been blessed. I am finally given the opportunity to repay a little of all my brother has given me.

Banana Date Macaroons

The hardest part about being on a cleanse for me is the absence of sweets. Even though I cut sugar out of my diet a long time ago, my sweet tooth is more present than ever, especially at the beginning of my cleanse.

It is then, in my pure desperation for something to fulfill my ravenous desire for something sweet that I discover that world I was looking for all along. The ‘Sugar-free Sweets World’!! It does exist! And everyday (especially during my cleanse;) I discover more and more beauty in this wonderful world.

Today I will share with you a small part of the 'Sugar-free Sweets World'  that soon, I hope we will all live happily ever after in.

Banana Date Macaroons

8 medjool dates, pitted
1 ripe banana
1.5 - 2 cups coconut flakes, always unsweetened

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 
2. In a food processor, process above three to a smooth paste. It should have a sticky consistency - but not be too gooey. Depending on how ripe the banana is, more coconut flakes may be required. 
3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 
4. Drop spoonfuls of the date-banana-coconut paste on the sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between them. 
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Macaroons are done when bottom has browned. Top will be soft.

And after you finish one, then another, then another, you will experience something you never felt before while consuming numerous amounts of sweets: the feeling of being guilt free! 

Recipe by Jolinda Hackett, About.com Guide