Dr. Donald Miller, a cardiac surgeon and Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington, recommends avoiding the flu shot and taking vitamin D instead. According to Dr. Miller, “Seventy percent of doctors do not get a flu shot.”
Health officials say that every winter 36,000 people will die from it. But the National Vital Statistics Reports compiled by the CDC show that only 1,138 deaths a year occur due to influenza alone -- more than 34,000 of the “36,000″ flu deaths are actually pneumonic and cardiovascular deaths.
There is also a lack of evidence that young children benefit from flu shots. In fact, a systematic review of 51 studies involving 260,000 children age 6 to 23 months found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo. But there is also a risk of harm from the flu vaccine itself, particularly from the mercury, aluminum, and formaldehyde it contains.
Sources:
Eco Child’s Play November 18, 2008
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This is such a difficult issue for so many people.
Anyone who has had a truly wicked bout with the flu and its possible followup respiratory infections hopes that flu shots are a true preventative. Those who worry more about the shots than the flu wonder if they are leaving themselves open to a winter illness. And everyone in the middle is left to figure out which information to trust for themselves and how to make the choice.
Here are some pages that outline pros and cons of the flu shot from different points of view:
http://www.kitchentablemedicine.com/flu-shots-pros-and-cons-of-getting-vaccinated/
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=286471
http://www.truestarhealth.com/members/cm_archives07ML4P1A10.html
November 26, 2008 - 9:17amThis Comment