It seems like everyone is fighting some extent of the flu these days…

As you may have noticed, the media’s infatuation with the flu vaccine gets heated up during this time of year.  We think it’s important to emphasize how strong our body’s immune systems can be, which is why it is essential to pay attention and listen to your body during the winter months. Most of us can sense when we are starting to get sick- scratchy throat, heavy/tired eyes, swollen glands, unusual fatigue, or body aches.

First off, don’t wait until it gets too late! Make an appointment to get the proper supplements to handle the bug- when you are feeling sick is the most important to get seen and get your nutrition program updated.

Secondly, we want to encourage you to really examine what the media paints as a picture of this “fearful”, “terrible”, “war-zone”, “flu-apocalypse”, and capitalize on your body’s own ability to handle this situation.

You want to be somewhat skeptical when it comes to these media messages. Ask yourself, why is just in the past few years you hear about how dangerous the flu is and why is getting so much worse as the media push and vaccination rates increase year to year.  Dr. Susan Humphries, MD explains in a brief video here the sense of false security people have when it comes to vaccines as well as the scientifically proven impacts of having flu shots year after year.

While the government insists that everything is fine, and if you “just go get your flu shot you will be safe”, an overwhelming amount of evidence has shown us that in fact, this is frighteningly wrong. The US News and World Report has continued to come out with an annual statistic, showing that approximately 36,000 people in the US die from the flu every year.According to Lew Rockwell, “In 2015, about this time it was reported a flu shot was only 38% effective against the H3N2 flu strain which was deemed to be “terrible.”  A similar low response rate was reported in 2009 and each year in between then shows less than 50% effectiveness rates. Unfortunately, vaccine policymakers tend to ignore safe and effective strategies to help naturally boost your immune system which keep you feeling well throughout your illness and don’t cause further complications.

If the flu shot has poor effectiveness rates, why do we still see them everywhere?

Vaccines are a huge business. Estimates show that the market will be worth almost $3 billion in the next five years, which means that the US will distribute approximately 166 million doses for the upcoming flu season. The mass amounts of people “dying from the flu” in most cases have actually gotten their flu shots and suffered the scary and harmful consequences that it has on the body.

The CDC advocates anxiety, worry and concern among the population from the rising death numbers, which has been so perfectly twisted as it is portray to the public as devastating effects of this deadly, fatal, and horrifying flu itself, despite the statistics of those who have had the shot. As described by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., “Pharmaceutical companies and public health officials vastly overstate flu cases and deaths in order to market influenza as a threat of great proportions.” Big Pharma knows that vaccines are one of their most profitable and un-regulated areas of making money and so continue to push this agenda year after year.

What do I do if I start feeling sick?

Our immune systems are really the determining factor of our susceptibility to getting sick. Being exposed to environmental toxins, chronic stress, and nutritional deficiencies will result in a higher risk of  influenza. If your immune system is strong on the other hand, it will have the correct response to infectious challenges and symptoms will go undetected. It’s important to remember that our immune system heavily lies in our gut and stomach, which means that what we feed it is extremely important when strengthening it.

Oftentimes, micronutrient deficiencies can impact our immune systems. Food intolerances and certain vaccines and medications can deter our bodies from absorbing all of the nutrients we need from food. Not getting enough sleep, eating too much processed sugars (see delicious and nutritious sugar-free and anti-inflammatory recipe ideas on our Zero Sugar Recipe Board), lack of physical activity and poor vitamin D exposure are also major risk factors to a weakened immune system. According to Mercola, “Vitamin D is an amazingly effective antimicrobial agent, producing 200 to 300 different antimicrobial peptides in your body that kill bacteria, viruses and fungi”. Researchers have also found that just 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day can abolish the seasonal flu, which is only half of what most adults take. Sugar, artificial sweeteners, and processed foods should also be cut-out when you feel like you may be coming down with the cold or flu. Not only are sugars damaging to the immune system and impairs the body’s ability to fight off infection.

What if my symptoms come back?

If you are recovering from the flu or flu-like symptoms and feel like you are doing better, keep in mind that the virus can still be lingering in the background if you don’t handle it properly (even after symptoms go away). Oftentimes, small strains of the virus can accumulate in the sinuses, phlegm, and chest, which makes you more susceptible to catching it when the bug comes around. To prevent it from sneaking back around, make sure you don’t stop taking preventative measures to protect your immune system.

We tend to drop all of our immune-strengthening practices once we don’t have symptoms. The key is to continue to feed your gut antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods, pay attention to the amount of sleep you are getting, decrease stress levels, drink more water than you think you should, and come in and get tested with Nutrition Response Testing. This can help target the organs of the body under stress that are suppressing the immune system and will therefore  help determine the appropriate nutritional supplements for your body and what is needed to fully handle the bug.