“Should I get the flu vaccine?” Both patients and friends ask me this question every year. I don’t tend to tell my patients what to do regarding whether or not to get vaccinated because of the explosive controversy surrounding this issue. Instead, I share with them what I know about the flu vaccine, the pros and cons, and let them decide for themselves.

Last winter, I had a total of five patients with serious cases of influenza, a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus that can infect the nose, throat, and lungs. Patients complained of sore throats, fever, chills, aches in their bones and muscles, exhaustion, and unrelenting coughing.

Coincidentally, every single one of those five seriously sick patients had received the flu vaccine.

“How come I’m so sick with the flu even though I got the flu vaccine?” Each of them expressed bewilderment that they had become sick in spite of the promised protection of the vaccine, implied by their doctors and the media.

In answer to that question, the CDC admitted in February of this year that the vaccine was only 18% effective last year. Every year we’re told that this year’s vaccine will be very effective against this year’s strains. But the viruses constantly mutate from one season to the next; it’s unpredictable if the vaccines will have any significant effect or not, in spite of the adamant assurance we hear each year as we enter flu season.

But is it just a coincidence that all my sickest influenza patients had received the flu vaccine, while the non-vaccinated patients who got the influenza virus were only mildly affected?

While we know that the vaccine they received was ineffective at protecting against that season’s viruses, is it possible there was something that made the patients’ immune system more vulnerable to getting seriously sick? That’s the question I asked myself.

I did a little research and discovered that, based on international surveys, over time, children who were vaccinated had significantly more illnesses and allergies than non-vaccinated children. For example, in Germany there were 22 times the cases of middle ear infections in vaccinated children as compared with non-vaccinated children.

The preservatives in the flu vaccines are mercury-based thimerosol, aluminum, and formaldehyde. These preservatives can significantly impact the immune system and the nervous system in genetically susceptible people who have difficulty clearing heavy metals and other toxic substances from their bodies. I have many patients who date their chronic illnesses, especially auto-immune diseases, to the time they received their vaccines.

Because the shot is administered by injection, the preservatives go straight into the blood stream and, from there, have easy access to the brain.

Mercury is one of the most toxic substances on the planet. The FDA considers 2 parts per billion of mercury in water at the upper limit of safety. The vaccines with thimerosol contain 25 mcg of mercury per injection. That’s 25,000 parts per billion.

Even if you ask for a “thimerosol-free” vaccine, you’ll still be receiving mercury in “trace amounts” that are still highly toxic at 300 parts per billion—enough to be neurotoxic—along with the aluminum and formaldehyde.

The preservatives have a high affinity for the brain. The mercury and the aluminum are stored in the brain and can be one more item that increases the risk of dementia. Can you imagine what happens to the brains of children who are given the flu vaccine every year from the time they are toddlers?

My patients try to get around my reluctance to tell them what to do by asking, “What will you do about the flu? Will you get vaccinated?”

Against the crushing pressure to get vaccinated, I choose not to get the flu vaccine and never have. My genetics put me at risk from the preservatives in the flu vaccine due to the impaired detoxification pathways in my liver. I have suffered more than enough in my life from toxic chemical exposures and have no desire to voluntarily expose myself to yet more chemicals known to have the potential to cause serious harm.

As you might have noticed, I write almost exclusively about the downside of the flu vaccine, even though I think the concept of vaccination is totally brilliant.

Because of the heavy-handed promotion of the benefits of the flu vaccine in mainstream medicine and mainstream media, I don’t feel a pressing need to write more about the potential benefits of the flu vaccine. Rather, I feel a pressing need to talk about what is not being talked about—such as the poor track record related to the efficacy of the vaccine, along with the potential harm caused by the preservatives, especially for those with a family history of allergies, chemical sensitivities, chronic fatigue syndrome, and auto-immune disease.

As I mentioned in my prior posts about vaccination in children, I would like to see less harmful preservatives used in the vaccines. My hope is that a cheap, rapid genetic test will be developed soon that could be performed before we get vaccinated to assess the risk of having an adverse reaction. This kind of test would be especially valuable for assessing risks in children.

Whatever choice you make in regards to the flu vaccine, make your choice with your eyes fully open.

Stay tuned for the next post about prevention and treatment of the flu—whether you’ve been vaccinated or not.

Here’s to your good health!