Dr. John L. Turner Blog

 
Dr. Frank Lipman
The Huffington Post
September 25, 2009


Summer is over and the question I am being asked most frequently in my
practice is, "what do I do about Swine flu?" My patients are wondering
whether or not they should get vaccinated and the simple answer I give most
of the time is ..NO!

From what you may have read, you might think that the swine flu vaccine is
the answer to swine flu. Unfortunately this is not true and until we know
that the vaccine is safe, I cannot in good conscience recommend it to most
of my patients.

From the outset, let me say, I am not anti all vaccinations, rather I am pro
vaccine safety and freedom of choice.

This is why am I not recommending the swine flu vaccine.

1) At this stage, for the most part the swine flu seems benign.

Over a million people in the US have already come down with swine flu, many
of them without even knowing that they had it. The vast majority of people
who get the swine flu recover after a week or so of high fever, aches, and
respiratory distress. It's not pleasant, but except in rare circumstances,
it is not fatal. Most people who've been infected by swine flu think so
little of it, they believe they just had a really bad cold or a regular flu.
So unless the swine flu evolves to a much more virulent form, there's no
need for mass vaccination.

2) We don't know if the vaccine will be effective.

Vaccines are only useful against the specific viral strain that was
available at the time of their manufacture. But influenza viruses mutate
quickly, and as the WHO has already said, the real concern with H1N1 swine
flu is that it will combine with seasonal flu in the Fall, creating a new
strain that will of course be immune to all available vaccines.

3) We don't know if the vaccine is safe.

The FDA has authorized an expedited approval process for the swine flu
vaccine but we don't know yet if it is safe. Even GlaxoSmithKline, one of
the vaccine manufacturers has said, "The total population studied in
clinical trials will be limited, due to the need to provide the vaccine to
governments as quickly as possible. Additional studies will therefore be
required and conducted after the vaccine is made available."

In other words, the only thing that is safe, is to say that no one knows.
Since it's never been used before and they have not had time to conduct any
sufficient human testing, by getting vaccinated you are being a human guinea
pig.

4) Vaccine manufacturers have been insulated from liability by the
government.

The Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius has
granted legal immunity not only to the makers of the 2 drugs being used to
treat swine flu, Tamiflu and Relenza, but also to the swine flu vaccine
makers, for damages due to their use against swine flu. By effectively
manipulating the legal system, the Pharmaceutical Industry through their
powerful lobbyists have acquired almost complete and total insulation from
any liability for their vaccines and adjuvants, which are additives added to
generate a stronger immune response. It is believed that it is these
adjuvants which often cause the problems. The last time the government
embarked on a major vaccine campaign against a new swine flu was in 1976.
Thousands filed claims for side effects such as paralysis caused by the
vaccine and a number of people died. I am sure that the researchers know
more now than they did last time and no one can say for certain that bad
things will happen again or that you will suffer dire consequences if you
get vaccinated. But this time you have no legal recourse even though this
vaccine involves new factors, which makes it therefore experimental and
unpredictable.

By shielding the manufacturers from any responsibility for any harm caused,
the pharmaceutical firms have no financial incentive to make the safest
product. In fact, they have a negative incentive to test it for safety,
because if they are aware of problems, then they could potentially be held
liable for willful misconduct.

Instead I advise my patients to build up and strengthen their immune systems
to prevent viral infections.

HERE ARE MY TOP 10 RECOMMENDATIONS:

1) Optimize your vit D level

Adequate levels of Vitamin D are essential for our immune systems to
function optimally. Unfortunately there are no significant dietary sources
of Vitamin D, most of our intake comes from exposure to sunlight. If you
live far from the equator, you simply don't get enough sun through Fall and
Winter to make all the vitamin D you need. So unless you supplement during
this period, your innate immunity will be compromised. Vitamin D plays such
a crucial role in so many aspects of your body's functioning, that
supplementing with it makes sense whether you decide to get the flu shot or
not.

We know that influenza always gets worse during the winter months. Now there
is good evidence to suggest that this is because as sunlight hours lessen
during the winter, the people living in the northern hemisphere become
vitamin D deficient and are susceptible to influenza infections of all
kinds. Here's a great article available at NIH pertaining to this topic:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16959053

There is also some evidence that supplementation with a sufficient amount of
vitamin D can help to prevent the onset of a flu or cold.

The current recommendations from the Food and Nutrition Board of the U.S.
Institute of Medicine: from 200 to 600 IU/day depending on one's age, are
way too low. These values were originally chosen because they were found to
prevent osteomalacia (bone softening) and rickets. It is now recognized that
vitamin D has many additional physiological functions, for which these
levels are totally inadequate. A number of scientists are therefore calling
for the Food and Nutrition Board in the U.S. and its counterparts abroad to
reassess their current recommendations.

To optimize your vit D levels, you will need to:

* Take at least 2,000 IU of a Vitamin D3 supplement daily.

* Get your 25 hydroxy Vitamin D level checked by your doctor (if that is not
an option, you can self test your level with ZRT labs)

Although the current normal range is between 20 and 50ng/ml, this is much
too low for optimal health. You want your level to be between 50 and
70ng/ml. This is the most important step you can take to prevent the flu!!
It may require a number of months taking 5,000 to 10,000 IU of Vit D3 daily
(especially during winter) under a doctor's supervision, to optimize your
blood level. Monitor your 25 hydroxy vitamin D status every 3 months until
you are in the optimal range, then cut back to a maintenance dose of at
least 2,000 IU a day.

2) Get adequate sleep, this is an indispensable requirement for a strong
immune system.

3) Get adequate exercise, this keeps you robust.

4) Take actions to lower your stress levels

Do breathing exercises, meditate, practice yoga, spend time doing something
that makes you happy. Feeling spent, overwhelmed, and/or mentally run down
has a causal relationship to your physical health.

5) Wash your hands frequently but not excessively

It decreases your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or
other people. Be sure you don't use antibacterial soap because of the risk
of creating resistant bacteria. Rather use a simple chemical-free soap.

6) Avoid sugar and processed foods as they decrease your immune function
dramatically.

7) Eat phytonutrient rich meals (lots of colorful salads and dark greens)

8) Eat lots of garlic, it works as a broad spectrum antibiotic.

9) Take a probiotic daily (look for one with 10-20 billion organisms).

A strong immune system relies heavily on having a strong foundation in the
gut.

10) Keep a supply of antiviral herbal supplements on hand.

As opposed to antiviral drugs, antiviral herbs do not cause resistant
strains because they are multifaceted and contain literally thousands of
different medicinal compounds. Thus they are able to attack viruses with a
full spectrum of synergistic substances. Andrographis, Olive leaf extract,
Grapefruit seed extract and Elderberry extract, all have antiviral
properties. Use one or a combination of some of them as a prophylactic
measure, for ex.whenever you travel (airports) or enter a potentially
compromised environment such as a large office, auditorium, stadium, theater
etc.

And if you really want to go all out, here are 4 more tips:

11) Take 1-2 grams of fish oils daily, its beneficial for immune function.

12) Take 2 grams of Vitamin C daily, yes it does help.

13) Stock your home pharmacy with an immune building formula.

Look for one that contains Cordyceps and Astragulus. Take it throughout the
flu season.

14) Keep homeopathic Oscillococcinum on hand

Take it at the earliest sign of a cold or flu. Early intervention is
essential. If you are exposed to someone with the flu directly, you can take
one dose twice a day for two days. You can also take one vial once a week
throughout the winter, and two or three times a week during flu season, as a
preventative measure.

.............

Frank Lipman MD, is the founder and director of the Eleven Eleven Wellness
Center in NYC a center whose emphasis is on preventive health care and
patient education. His personal blend of Western and Eastern Medicine
combined with the many other complimentary modalities he has studied, has
helped thousands of people recover their energy and zest for life. He is the
author of the recent SPENT: End Exhaustion and Feel Great Again (2009) and
Total Renewal; 7 key steps to Resilience, Vitality and Long-Term Health
(2003).