Do You Know What's Inside a Flu Shot?

Each year, just as multiple reminders on the need for and efficacy of getting a flu shot hit the news wires, I start receiving a steady stream of e-mails from readers, all asking the same basic question:

"Should I get a flu shot?"

My answer is an unequivocal no. I never recommend getting a flu shot. Based on everything that I know about flu shots, I think it's pretty clear that their main effect is to tax and possibly weaken one's immune system.

Before I highlight my main reasons for saying no to flu shots, please have a look at the following skit by the Royal Canadian Air Farce - it's quite the humorous look at the main ingredients that go into flu shots, and how little the general public knows about what's being injected into their bloodstreams:

There are a number of reasons why I feel that flu shots should be avoided, and almost all of them are related to the ingredients mentioned in this video.

But here's the most glaring reason: One in a million people who get the flu shot develops a neurological disease called Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

Guillain-Barré syndrome tends to develop without notice, and is marked by extreme muscle weakness and other symptoms related to nerve dysfunction. I once provided ongoing chiropractic treatments to a professional athlete who had to retire early because he developed Guillain-Barré Syndrome, so I know firsthand how debilitating this condition can be.

And let's not miss an obvious point: if one in a million people who get the flu shot can develop a devastating neurological condition, how many others who get the flu shot suffer from a number of uncomfortable symptoms that are never properly or accurately diagnosed? It's just not realistic to think that the ingredients in a flu shot can cause severe neurological damage in a small percentage of the population while leaving everyone else completely uninjured.

The truth is, even if the odds were one in 300 million, I would still say no to getting a flu shot - why take any risk of creating serious damage to my body?

The best defense against the flu and the common cold is to live healthfully every day. And if we do develop the flu or a cold, if we give our bodies time to rest and heal, we can cleanse ourselves of our weakest cells. For more information on this topic, please feel free to view the following articles: