Flu shot. Is it worth it? Is it safe? Does it work? How dangerous is the flu?? All answered here with references!

Every year the flu shot is shoved down our throats ad nauseam.  This year seems to be particularly special as you can now get discounts on shopping or 10$ gift cards to spend at the store where you receive the flu vaccine.  Why the push? I mean, if it was so good for you, would Big Pharma and these stores who ordered cases of these vaccines NEED to  entice you with bonuses to get you to take it??

Let's talk about the ingredients first:  

Depending on which flu vaccine you end up with, the ingredients will vary.  An example of ingredients from vaccines include: egg protein, ovalbumin, Madin Darby Canine Kidney Cell Protein, polysorbate 80, formaldehyde, hydrocortisone (steroid), gentamicin sulfate (antibiotic), MSG, thimerosal (mercury), baculovirus and Spodoptera frugiperda cell proteins (infects insects like butterflies and moths), baculovirus and cellular DNA, etc.  

Contrary to popular belief, the shot is not simply comprised of saline and some dead virus.  I encourage everyone to look up the ingredients of anything you plan on injecting into yourself or a loved one.  https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf

Does the vaccine even work?:

There are a few studies I'd like to cite here:

1.  There was a true placebo study conducted on the flu vaccine in China, where most vaccines are now made.  It's interesting that it was a true saline placebo study because almost every study ever done on vaccines uses either another vaccine or a shot of excipient such as aluminum as a placebo- which of course are NOT placebos! 

In that trial, the researchers found no difference between the trivalent flu vaccine and saline placebo when it comes to prevention of influenza. (Meaning- it didn't work!)   What they DID find is that those who got the flu shot had a 340% increase in acute respiratory infections (ARI) that were not caused by influenza. http://m.cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/54/12/1778.long

2.  They found that children who had received the flu vaccine had three times the risk of hospitalization, as compared to children who had not received the vaccine. In asthmatic children, there was a significantly higher risk of hospitalization in subjects who received the TIV, as compared to those who did not (p= 0.006). But no other measured factors—such as insurance plans or severity of asthma—appeared to affect risk of hospitalization.  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519172045.htm. 

3. "Vaccine-induced protection was greatest for individuals not vaccinated during the prior 5 years". People who had a flu shot OVER 5 YEARS AGO WERE THE LEAST LIKELY TO GET THE FLU. http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/…/early/2014/09/29/cid.ciu680…

4. The available evidence is of poor quality and provides no guidance regarding the safety, efficacy or effectiveness of influenza vaccines for people aged 65 years or older. To resolve the uncertainty, an adequately powered publicly-funded randomised, placebo-controlled trial run over several seasons should be undertaken. (Get that? The research is SO poor, the Cochrane Collaboration, widely respected for their excellent meta-analyses of research for specific subjects, it is literally unknown if the flu vaccine works for the age group most at risk from complications from the flu!) http://www.cochrane.org/CD004876/ARI_vaccines-for-preventing-seasonal-influenza-and-its-complications-in-people-aged-65-or-older

Is the flu as dangerous as the media makes it out to be?:

What the general public doesn't know is that during flu season, all deaths from pneumonia AND flu are lumped together under "Flu Deaths".  However it is many years after the fact that the true data is released in a report by the American Lung Association delineating deaths to either pneumonia or flu.  The latest death data is from 2013.  That year 53,282 deaths were reported from pneumonia and only 3,550 deaths from the flu.  Now remember during that flu season, media was reporting flu deaths to cap out at over 50,000 in the country, which is completely false.  85% of those deaths were from the 65+ age group with significant comorbidities.  If you will notice at the end of the report, flu vaccination was also the highest it had been in years in the year with the most deaths!  http://www.lung.org/assets/documents/research/pi-trend-report.pdf

Is the flu vaccine safe?:

1. Cochrane Review 2012: "In specific cases, with children, influenza vaccines were associated with serious harms such as narcolepsy and febrile convulsions. It was surprising to find only one study of inactivated vaccine in children under two years, given current recommendations to vaccinate healthy children from six months of age in the USA, Canada, parts of Europe and Australia."  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22895945

2.  They found that children who had received the flu vaccine had three times the risk of hospitalization, as compared to children who had not received the vaccine. In asthmatic children, there was a significantly higher risk of hospitalization in subjects who received the TIV (Trivalent Influenza Vaccine), as compared to those who did not (p= 0.006). But no other measured factors—such as insurance plans or severity of asthma—appeared to affect risk of hospitalization.  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519172045.htm

3.  The flu vaccine has been and continues to be THE MOST COMPENSATED VACCINE INJURY IN THE NATION.  https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/vaccinecompensation/data/statisticsreport.pdf

As of October 3, 2016, there had been 2,954 claims filed in the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) for injuries and deaths following Influenza vaccination, including 109 deaths and 2,845 serious injuries. 

Using the MedAlerts search engine, as of June 30, 2016, there have been more than 128,194 reports of reactions, hospitalizations, injuries and deaths following influenza vaccinations made to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), including 1,270 related deaths, 10,780 hospitalizations, and 2,377 related disabilities.

(Please note that it is a well known and accepted statistic that only 1 to 10 percent of vaccine injuries are ever reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System- VAERS- and FAR LESS even know there is a special court in the United States to file for compensation for injury or death.  The system is laborious, brutal, slow, and most don't find out about it until after the statute of limitations has run out!) 

What about Tamiflu for treatment?:

LENGTH OF ILLNESS REDUCED BY HALF A DAY!

"We have used data from 46 trials (20 oseltamivir and 26 zanamivir studies) in this review. We identified problems in the design of many of the studies that we included, which affects our confidence in their results. We found that both drugs shorten the duration of symptoms of influenza-like illness (unconfirmed influenza or 'the flu') by less than a day. Oseltamivir did not affect the number of hospitalisations, based on the data from all the people enrolled in treatment trials of oseltamivir. Zanamivir trials did not record this outcome. The effects on pneumonia and other complications of influenza, such as bronchitis, middle ear infection (otitis media) and sinusitis, were unreliably reported, as shown by the case report form in the trialdocuments. Some forms showed limitations in the diagnostic criteria for pneumonia. Regulatory comments noted problems with missing follow-up diary cards from participants. In children with asthma there was no clear effect on the time to first alleviation of symptoms.Oseltamivir use was associated with nausea, vomiting, headaches, renal and psychiatric events; these last three were when it was used to prevent influenza (prophylaxis). The use of oseltamivir increases the risk of adverse effects, such as nausea, vomiting, psychiatric effects and renal events in adults and vomiting in children. "  http://www.cochrane.org/CD008965/ARI_regulatory-information-on-trials-of-oseltamivir-tamiflu-and-zanamivir-relenza-for-influenza-in-adults-and-children

This review published in April of 2014 created such an uproar and media frenzy, Cochrane was actually lead to release a statement on the findings:

Dr David Tovey, Editor-in-Chief of The Cochrane Library, commenting on the release of the updated Cochrane Review, said: “We now have the most robust, comprehensive review on neuraminidase inhibitors that exists. Initially thought to reduce hospitalisations and serious complications from influenza, the review highlights that [NIs are] not proven to do this, and it also seems to lead to harmful effects that were not fully reported in the original publications. This shows the importance of ensuring that trial data are transparent and accessible.”  http://www.cochrane.org/news/tamiflu-and-relenza-getting-full-evidence-picture

Want to know some simple ways to support your immune system during flu season? 

Michelle's Reference Document for Natural Prevention and Support for Illness: https://steemit.com/steemit-health/@michellerowton/reference-document-for-natural-prevention-and-support-for-illness