October 2004

Flu frenzy

by Dr. Madeline Behrendt

It's coming! Grab the kids!

October kicks off flu vaccine season, when millions of dollars are pumped into what The New York Times last October called an "aggressive campaign mounted to persuade as many people as possible to be vaccinated." The Times published 69 articles on the flu vaccine between October and March, sometimes more than one a week. Are you sick yet?

Women spend most of US health care dollars so advertising is generally aimed at convincing them to comply. Accordingly, much of the vaccine news focuses on children.

Reasons people get the flu vaccine include: They think they're being protected, they assume it can't hurt them or their kids, it's "free" or, they think they have no other choice (vaccine or no protection). But controversy surrounds all of these reasons. And, social pressure from media flu spokespeople, fearful co‑workers, or from the administrators at your child's school is pressure, not information, not choice.

By the way, do you wonder what the "insiders" (health care workers) are doing? They're NOT getting vaccinated. It's reported that more than 60% of health care professionals did not get the flu vaccine.

Let's start this season off by identifying media deficiencies. This was the typical news cycle:

***  October ‑‑ experts predict a BAD flu season ('worse than last year'), and this flu is a different strain so the new vaccine is promoted.

***  November ‑‑ urgent news predicts a possible vaccine shortage, triggering public panic. Deaths "associated" with the flu are reported. And throughout, information about vaccine efficacy and safety, or other approaches for immune protection are missing, eliminating choice.

***  Next, effectiveness ‑‑ did the flu vaccine protect as promised last year? Well, 82 million people were vaccinated but The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) reports "Only 3 to 14% of those who got vaccinated were protected against the flu..."

Questions had been raised about the vaccine's effectiveness the prior spring. In December 2003 Barbara Loe Fisher, founder of NVIC and the consumer voting member of the FDA Advisory Committee, called on federal health officials and flu vaccine makers to be honest with the American people about the effectiveness of the flu vaccine. Her challenge: "It is not right to lead people to believe that if they get vaccinated now, they will be protected against it."

Although the vaccine was a failure, the vaccine campaign was successful: two of the vaccine manufacturers had sales of $322 million and $598 million, respectively.

When considering safety, parents are concerned about mercury's possible negative effects on children's health. The flu vaccine contains mercury. Yet, the CDC recommends the vaccine for healthy children 6 to 23 months old. And, NVIC reports: "Once CDC makes a final recommendation for 'universal use' of flu vaccines in children, vaccine manufacturers will be protected against lawsuits for vaccine‑induced injuries and deaths."

Does the vaccine guarantee safety from the flu? No. A young boy from Colorado, whose death from the flu was widely publicized, was vaccinated.

For pregnant women, the dead virus vaccine is recommended past 14 weeks despite evidence that brain damage in newborns has been associated with mothers exposed to high levels of mercury. The live vaccine is not recommended.

The newer flu mist vaccine can actually spread the flu. It's "live" and people are cautioned to avoid contact with immune compromised individuals during the 21‑day post vaccination period. Is that possible?

And our parents need to know an increase in Alzheimer's has been noted among those who had regular flu shots as an adult.

The CDC reports that after vaccination, immunity to the disease declines over time and may be too low to provide protection after one year. NVIC notes that if Americans have little immunological experience with flu viruses, "future generations of Americans will become vaccine dependent, presumably for the rest of their lives."

While many people think their only choices are to get the flu shot or go without protection, chiropractic has been shown to have a positive effect on the immune system.

During the Great Flu epidemic of 1918, those under chiropractic care had higher rates of survival. Statistics documented the following ratios: medical care: 1 out of 17 died; chiropractic care: 1 fatality out of 886.

Boosting the immune system naturally can be safer and more effective, both short and long term, than other choices. For my well being, I'm taking a spine‑tingling approach to flu season.

Production of the flu vaccine has been increased this season so expect promotions to start soon. Meanwhile, problems have already surfaced. On August 27, The New York Times reported a contamination problem affecting the release of 50 million doses.

For further information about the flu vaccine:

1. National Vaccine Information Center ‑‑ www.nvic.org

2. Mothering magazine ‑‑ July/August issue, plus archives

3. "The Great Flu Scam of 2003."

(Dr. Madeline Behrendt is chair of the WCA Council on Women's Health and associate editor of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research [JVSR]. An author and speaker, she is committed to connecting women to chiropractic and chiropractors to women, and may be contacted at drmadeline@drmadelinedc.com)

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