Lately the media has been reporting that this is an especially bad flu season. The suspected culprit, according to them? A lousy flu shot that provides protection for less than half of the influenza bugs around. This is exactly what scientific studies in the past have found to be the case, as I mentioned back in October.
An article on CNN.com says that the “biggest surprise has been how poorly the vaccine has performed.” I would have to say that this really is no surprise to me at all. What is alarming is that this article is also reporting that more than four times as many flu samples are resistant to antiviral medications this year than last year. Sound familiar? We have seen disease resistance before from overuse of antibiotics and it seems like the medical field is having a hard time learning from the past.
The easiest ways to prevent disease transmission carry the least side effects and the least risks to public health. It’s not by taking short cuts, like getting your flu shot and then assuming you can’t catch the flu and don’t need to take basic precautions. The best way to avoid the flu is to take care of your body by eating and sleeping well and wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands! Certain supplements like garlic, probiotics, and Omega-3 fatty acids can help keep your immune system in tip-top shape as well.
Bill Maher said on his show Real Time on February 8, 2008 that if we don’t have a swamp in our bodies for bugs to set up camp, the mosquitoes will not come. “The model you have is wrong. You’re thinking that the problem is in the – the mosquitoes. And it’s in the swamp. If there’s no swamp, the mosquitoes – in other words, the germs—can’t take root.” I couldn’t agree more!
