Sunday, October 14, 2007

Is The Flu Shot For You?: A Few Facts

It's flu shot time of the year. When you listen to the media, they almost create panic as they question whether or not there will be adequate vaccines, and when or if the "epidemic" will strike. They urge people to get their shots quickly so we can avoid all the "death and carnage" sure to come this year. After these reports I'm sure people race to get their shot in order to be sure they're covered.

This year the shots are being recommended for everyone regardless of age or health. Usually they're recommended for the very young, very old, people with compromised immune systems and pregnant women, health care workers, etc... Obviously, there are people who truly benefit from the flu shot and for those people, I'm glad it's available.

The thing that irks me is that people just willingly walk into their health department, roll up their sleeves and, in a robot-like state, get their shot. There are things about this vaccine, and others, we should all know, but usually don't. The more information you have the more you can make an informed decision. Let me repeat, I am NOT anti-vaccine, I am pro-education. What follows are a couple of facts concerning vaccines which, I think, are important to know. Then, when and if you decide the flu shot is right for you and your kids, YOU will have made the decision for yourself.

Until recently all vaccines were preserved with thimerosol, which is a derivative of mercury. Starting in 2000 thimerosol was REMOVED from childhood vaccines but it remains in the flu shot and in the RHOGHAM shot (for all you RH negative mothers out there). Recently a study was released conclusively linking mercury poisoning to autism-like behaviors. The study is as follows (it's hard for me to understand, but I include for anyone medical reading this):

Thu Oct 4, 2007 10:46 pm (PST)

Urine Testing Confirms Autism is Mercury Poisoning

A new peer-reviewed scientific/medical case study confirms that many
children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) suffer from mercury
poisoning. The new study, "A Prospective Study of Mercury Toxicity
Biomarkers in Autistic Spectrum Disorders" by Mr. David A. Geier et
al. Mark R. Geier has been published in the most recent issue of the
Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A (volume 70,
issue 20, pgs 1723-1730).

This study utilized urinary porphyrin profile analysis (UPPA) to
assess body-burden and physiological effects of mercury in children
diagnosed with ASDs.

Using UPPA, Geier and Geier (2007) examined 71 children diagnosed
with ASDs, 9 neurotypical siblings, and 5 general population
controls. The researchers studied urinary porphyrin patterns using
results reported both by the US Laboratory Corporation of America
(LabCorp) and the French Laboratoire Philippe Auguste.

Their findings demonstrated that:
1. . Only the non-chelated patients diagnosed with ASDs had porphyrin
patterns indicative of clinical mercury toxicity.
2. . Treating ASD diagnosed patients with chelating agents resulted
in lower mercury-specific urinary porphyrins.
3. . The UPPA patterns reported were consistent between the two labs
used.

The results of the present study confirm and extend previous
observations by Nataf et al. (2006) and Geier and Geier (2006) on the
use of UPPA profiling to establish the causal role for mercury in
ASDs. Additionally, the current findings are consistent with those
observed by many other physicians who treat patients diagnosed with
both ASDs and mercury toxicity.

Thus, urinary porphyrin profile testing is being successfully used to:
1. . Demonstrate the role of mercury in ASD populations,
2. . Identify those children and adults who are mercury poisoned, and
3. . Track mercury excretion from affected children undergoing
treatment.

For the past several years there has been a raging controversy as to
whether or not mercury in medicines, especially in vaccines, has
caused a dramatic rise in the rate of children diagnosed with an ASD.
Many experts have insisted ASDs are caused by some yet-to-be-
identifie d genetic cause.

A paper recently published in Nature Genetics described the results of
multi-million- dollar genetics study (which studied a thousand-plus
families with at least two children diagnosed with an ASD using in-
depth genetic screening). Tellingly, the authors reported, "None of
our linkage results can be interpreted as 'statistically
significant' ."(The Autism Genome Project Consortium 2007).

With the current study's results, public health officials should now
publicly admit what they have been saying in their private
transcripts and memos: Mercury from Thimerosal-containi

ng vaccines
and other medicines has been a major cause of ASD cases, which, based
on recent CDC estimates (CDC 2007), may, when corrected for under
ascertainment, exceed a rate of one in 100 children.

Today, any parent, physician, or healthcare provider can easily
confirm whether a non-chelated child with an ASD diagnosis is mercury
poisoned by having UPPA testing run at either laboratory.

CoMeD's web site,
http://www.Mercury- freeDrugs. org<http://www.mercury-freedrugs.org
contains:
1. . Further information on how to order these tests,
2. . Full copies of the Nataf et al. (2006), Geier and Geier (2006),
& Geier and Geier (2007), and
3. . Some of the many published papers validating the UPPA


Mercury is not easily released from the body and builds up over time. Question: if you begin giving a healthy child flu shots every year from age 5 on, what will happen in their 20's, or 50's? I don't think anyone knows.

In 1999, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) directed vaccine manufacturers to take mercury out of all childhood vaccines. In October 2001, the Institute of Medicine issued a report that said it is “biologically plausible” that mercury-containing vaccines could cause injury to the brain, but there have been too few scientific studies conducted to prove conclusively that mercury in vaccines has caused brain damage. The above study proves it does.

Nevertheless, the Institute of Medicine recommended that drug companies take all mercury out of all vaccines and over-the-counter drugs. In compliance with this recommendation, a preservative-free vaccine with only a trace amount of thimerosal formulated for children aged 6 to 35 months is available in a limited amount. It is distinguished by a pink syringe plunger rod in the pre-filled syringe. All adult formulations still contain thimerosal.

My advice to anyone receiving the flu shot: Demand the pink syringe and avoid thimerosol if you can. I know this has been lengthy, but I hope it is helpful. If nothing else, I hope you feel as I do, more empowered over my own life and the lives of my children.

5 comments:

duff said...

Thanks for taking the time to post this info......love you

Anonymous said...

Great info. I'm really grateful you wrote this, it got me thinking. Ya know how they always say, "You can't get sick from the flu shot!"?? Well, I ALWAYS, without fail, get super sick for two days after.

I'm just wondering now if it has more to do with the mercury and less to do with the vaccine itself. Hmm.

I really appreciate this info!! =]
-Melly

Kristin said...

Really interesting information Lish. My question for you or maybe for myself is what purpose has Mercury served in the vaccinations?

Noah Vail said...

What a plethora of information! I hadn't visited your blog for a few days and was overwhelmed by the amount of useful information. Fortunately, I haven't received many flu shots over the years, so my mercury build-up must be negligible. However, I do occasionally glow in the dark. I appreciated your essay on the joys of staying home with your children. Doesn't Avery seem like a female version of Ender? I'm glad we don't have a Battle School yet; she'd be a major candidate. Love you.

Noah Vail said...

It's time for a new blog from Alisha. I'm feeling factoid withdrawal.