Should You Get A Flu Shot?

Fall is the time to consider whether you and your loved ones should get a flu shot. I see the advertisements in the pharmacies stating, “Flu shots given here.” So, let me present some data for you to decide if you should get a flu shot. Some of this article comes from my newsletter, “Dr. Brownstein’s Natural Way to Health.” More information about this newsletter can be found on my website homepage (www.drbrownstein.com).

The CDC recommends that all children aged six months and older should get the flu vaccine. However, a review of over 51 studies involving 290,000 children reported, “…no evidence that injecting children 6-24 months of age with a flu shot was any more effective than a placebo. In children over two years, it was effective only 33% of the time in preventing the flu. Stated another way, the flu vaccine was useless for two-thirds of the children that received it. Another study found that the Flumist vaccine “…did not provide any protection against hospitalizations in pediatric subjects, especially children with asthma. On the contrary, we found a {300%} increased risk of hospitalization in subjects who did get the Flumist vaccine.”

You would think that the flu vaccine would be effective in preventing the elderly from getting the flu. A review of 75 studies found that vaccinating the elderly was ineffective at preventing the complications from the flu. In fact, the researchers commented that the available evidence supporting the use of the flu vaccine in the elderly is of such poor quality the studies provide no guidance on the safety of the flu vaccine.

Before you vaccinate for the flu, you should understand what is in the vaccine. The flu shot contains a mixture of egg proteins including bird contaminant viruses. It also contains polysorbate 80 (associated with infertility in animals), formaldehyde (a known carcinogen), Triton X100 (detergent), sucrose (sugar), and thimerisol (50% mercury by weight). The multi-dose flu vaccines still contain mercury which is the third most toxic item known to mankind. You should not ingest or inject any mercury containing products. Looking at this cornucopia of toxic ingredients should make it clear that it is best to avoid injecting the flu vaccine in any living being.

Flulaval, the most commonnly prescribed flu vaccine on the market, contains 25ug of mercury per dose along with formaldehyde. Formaldehyde, as stated above, is a known carcinogen. In fact, this dose of thimerosol exceeds the EPA’s safety limit of mercury exposure by over 250 times. Mercury is a known neurotoxin and is the third-most toxic element known to mankind. Injecting mercury into any living being should be outlawed.

How can you prevent becoming ill from the flu? Maintaining adequate vitamin A and D levels helps the immune system fight viral infections. Furthermore, ingesting daily amounts of vitamin C (2-5,000mg/day) can also help. Finally, drinking adequate amounts of water to maintain hydration helps the immune system ward off infection.

References:
Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy children." The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2 (2008).
The American Thoracic Society’s 105th International Conference, May 15-20, 2009, San Diego. C94 VIRAL INFECTIONS IN CHILDHOOD RESPIRATORY DISEASE / Mini Symposium / Tuesday, May 19/1:30 PM−4:00 PM
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD004876. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004876.pub3

Just Say "No" to Dietician Nonsense

Folks, I posted a blog post in September, 2010 describing the American Dietetic Association's ploy to pass a law in all 50 states which mandates that only licensed nutritionists or dieticians (RD's) will be allowed to provide nutritional or dietary advice. Other licensed practitioners such as pharmacists, nurses, naturopaths, and CCN's would be prohibited from discussing nutritional and dietary advice. I know this sounds crazy, but my state legislature passed this law in 2006. Governor Granholm signed the law shortly afterwords.

The good news is that the law has not been enforced yet. Furthermore, the new Governor (Snyder) has decided to review every occupational licensing law in the state.

I just sent a letter opposing this law to the Office of Regulatory Regulation at the State of Michigan. I am encouraging each of my readers to send the Office of Regulatory Regulation (orr@mi.gov)your comments about this asinine law. Please reference Nutrition Licensing Law PA333.

Here is what I sent them:

To: The Office of Regulatory Regulation (orr@mi.gov)
From: David Brownstein, M.D.
Medical Director
Center for Holistic Medicine
5821 W. Bloomfield, MI 48323

Re: Nutrition Licensing Law PA333
October 5, 2011
To Whom It May Concern,
I am the Medical Director for a busy holistic medical practice which consists of three medical doctors and numerous support personnel. Our practice focuses on prevention, wellness and integrative medicine. We have been in practice for nearly 15 years and have been actively counseling our patients about diet since our inception.
My partners and I strongly oppose the nutrition licensing law PA333. Restricting dietary advice to licensed dieticians is a recipe for disaster. Our experience has clearly shown that no single group, including resident dieticians, should be licensed to provide dietary advice.
There are many qualified Nutritionists that are credentialed and certified through other programs. There are many health care practitioners that include nutrition recommendations in their care, such as nurses, pharmacists, naturopaths, etc. This respect for the value of nutrition among multidisciplinary healthcare professionals can only benefit Michigan citizens. I am imploring you to allow patients to have a choice of who they want to receive their dietary advice from.
As previously stated, my partners and I have been providing dietary advice for patients for many years. Over the years we have utilized many different practitioners to aid us, including both RD’s and other Nutritionists. There is absolutely no justification to allow RD’s to be the only licensed practitioners able to provide dietary advice.
The last thing we need in the state of Michigan is more barriers to patients seeking dietary advice. We have enough regulation; we do not need this law.
Thank you for your consideration,

David Brownstein, M.D.

Avoid Taking Zetia

I received the latest National Geographic magazine with interest. The cover story is titled, “The New Science of the Teenage Brain.” With two teenagers at home, I was interested to read this article. Perhaps the magazine article could help to clarify what happened to my sweet children. But, that is not the purpose of this post.

I decided to write this blog post after reading the advertisement for the drug Zetia. The headline for the ad page states, “If you take a statin, ZETIA can help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol even more.”

Since when is LDL a ‘bad’ cholesterol molecule? We cannot live without LDL cholesterol. In fact, there are numerous studies showing neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s occur more frequently when LDL-cholesterol levels are too low. In fact, many of these studies show a direct, linear correlation between lowered LDL-cholesterol levels and the development of neurological problems.

Does Zetia lower LDL-cholesterol levels? The answer is “yes”. Has Zetia been shown to lower the risk of developing a heart attack? The answer is “no.” In fact, in the advertisement, near the lower side it states, “…Zetia has not been shown to prevent heart disease or heart attacks.”

I feel that the research is clear; Zetia should not be prescribed for any condition. It has not been shown to prevent heart attacks or strokes nor does it prevent atherosclerosis (i.e., plaque in the arteries). Zetia is a multimillion drug for the Big Pharma Cartel that should never have been approved. Furthermore, it should be removed from the market.

If you are taking Zetia, I suggest talking with your doctor about stopping it. For more information about cholesterol medications and natural ways to treat high cholesterol levels I refer you to my book, Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do.