Flu Vaccine Alternative

[Guest guest]

This was passed in another news group that I am a member of.

 

Here's to our health,

Ian

 

(Excerpted from the Health Sciences Institute e-Alert for 10/8/04)

 

Here's something you won't see very often: The Centers for

Disease Control (CDC) urging healthy people under the age of 65

to forgo a flu shot. But that's what CDC officials were doing this

week after the surprising announcement that the British company

that supplies half of the U.S. flu vaccine supply was shut down by

health officials.

 

Of course, the media treated this as a major health crisis – sky

falling, etc. – but last year, when the situation was also called a

major crisis, we ended up with a surplus of vaccines and the dire

reports of a terrible flu season never materialized.

 

The big winner here will probably be the manufacturer of the

FluMist vaccine. That's the vaccine that's administered with a sniff

up the nose rather than a shot in the arm. FluMist has been a hard

sell because it costs twice as much as a flu shot, but with vaccines

now in very short supply, it would seem that FluMist's ship has

come in, at least for this year.

 

Long before this week's vaccine shortage announcement, HSI

members were already preparing for alternative ways to stay

healthy during the flu season. In an HSI Forum thread titled

" Preparing for a flu outbreak " a member named Mari asks: " What

supplies should we have on hand to be prepared? "

 

Excellent question. And first up with some useful suggestions is a

member named Leppert who says she hasn't had a cold or the flu

for nearly 20 years: " Make sure your diet is good now – lose the

sweets etc. My personal arsenal is composed of vitamin C;

Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) liquid (Citricidal), tablets &

capsules; Olive Leaf Extract; Black Elderberry Extract

(Sambucol); Pau d'Arco; osillicium and other basic homeopathic

remedies; zinc gluconate lozenges, and we always keep a lot of

fresh garlic on hand. Also I always carry the little packets of hand

wipes with me when I am in public. When I can't wash my hands I

use these little towelettes. "

 

In previous e-Alerts, HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., has

recommended GSE, which he describes as a " natural antibiotic

made from an extract of grapefruit seed, developed from the

observation that something in grapefruit (though not in other citrus

fruits) keeps bacteria at bay for extended periods of time. "

 

A member named Merlin confirms that GSE is extremely

effective: " I work in a hospital and about 3 years ago we had a lot

of nasty infections that were resistant to the strongest antibiotics.

One of our physicians was courageous enough to prescribe GSE

for one patient who had a particularly stubborn case, and within

two or three days the infection was gone. "

 

Echinacea, garlic, vitamin C and a good multivitamin with

minerals is the list of flu fighters that a member named Roz uses.

She says, " Like Leppert, I've been cold and Flu free for more years

than I can count. The important thing, whichever route you take, is

to start NOW, before the season begins, so that your immune

system is strong. "

 

In addition to further details about all of these preventive

measures, other members share information on the specifics of

how Echinacea should be taken for best (and safest) effect.

Different preparations for elderberries are also discussed.

 

If you're looking for alternatives to the flu vaccine, this is a great

place to start.