it’s “flu season” again

It’s that time of year again.  The time when the newspapers and airwaves began ratcheting up their message to ‘responsible‘ citizens —- Worst Flu Season Ever. Get Your Flu Shot Now!  But really; how serious is the flu? 

The truth is, many of you reading this right now have never had the flu.  “What“, you say. “Last year I had a case of the flu that was so stinkin bad, I could barely leave the bathroom for 24 hours!”  That is my point.  This is not a picture of the flu.  This is a picture of Gastroenteritis (aka Stomach Flu / 24 Hour Bug), which is frequently (and erroneously I might add) diagnosed as “flu”.  Just read the government poster above from the CDC (Center for Disease Control).  So, if it’s not the flu, what does the flu look like?  What kinds of symptoms are associated with the flu?  Believe it or not, the flu produces virtually the same symptoms you get with a cold, only a bit worse.

• Fever and Chills

• Cough and Sore Throat

• Headache and Muscle Aches

• Fatigue and Malaise

• Generally Feeling Like Crap

• Vomiting is not Normally Seen with the Flu — Particularly in Adults

Maybe it’s just me, but do the symptoms listed above sound even remotely dangerous?  Of course not.  The Gastroenteritis thing is typically much worse!  When people have the above symptoms, they say they have a bad cold.  Because the flu poses no real danger to healthy individuals, warnings to get our flu shots are almost always accompanied by  statistics  — statistics thrown in for the express purpose of inducing fear.  You know the old saying, “figures never lie, but liars figure.”   Case in point; the shocking number of American deaths attributed to the flu each year — over 35,000.  But is this really true?

Let’s be honest with each other for a moment.  Who is dying from the flu?  Most commonly it is the very elderly —- people who are going to die from their next physical challenge.  People whose death certificates would be accurate with any one of a couple dozen health issues (or even “old age“) listed as the cause of death.  But for any number of intriguing reasons, the truth continues to be suppressed.  If you are a person who values your health as well as that of your family, I would strongly suggest that you read the short article by renowned pediatrician, Dr. Ed Yazbak (HERE).  I would also suggest that you read what one of the most published research physicians in American history; Neuro-Immunologist Dr. Hugh Fudenberg, has to say about the intimate relationship between flu vaccines and Alzheimer’s Disease (HERE).  Do some real research on this issue (HERE) and make a decision based on facts —- not on fear or hype.