Introduction

It is difficult to watch television, read the newspaper or turn on your computer without being inundated by fear surrounding the swine flu.  The hype around the upcoming H1N1 swine flu vaccine is mounting, and the media is advising the public to “roll up their sleeves” and get in line for this precious commodity.  I hope to provoke thoughtfulness about the risks of the swine flu versus the concern about this new vaccine.  

Deaths and Hospitalizations

According to the CDC, the common influenza virus leads to approximately 36,000 deaths per year.  There is controversy about whether that number is inflated to increase vaccine sales by including non-lab confirmed cases that resemble influenza but are caused by non-influenza viruses or bacteria.  The CDC reports that the swine flu has led to 522 deaths and 7,983 hospitalizations in the U.S., as of August 21, 2009.  The majority of the swine flu-related hospitalizations and deaths occurred in people who were obese or suffered from chronic inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and asthma or were pregnant (www.nvic.org).   The common symptoms of the swine flu resemble those of the common flu, are uncomplicated, mild to moderate and include:  fever, chills, body aches, headache, fatigue, nasal congestion, cough, diarrhea and vomiting.  

Swine Flu History

The first swine flu scare occurred in 1976, which resulted in a swine flu vaccine campaign that closely resembles the current campaign.  At that time, the vaccine was more harmful than the swine flu, resulting in claims totaling $1.3 billion filed by victims who suffered paralysis from the vaccine.  The vaccine was also blamed for 25 deaths.  Several hundred people developed Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an autoimmune disorder affecting the peripheral nervous system usually triggered by an acute infectious process, after they were injected with the vaccine.  (www.mercola.com)   What have we learned from that tragedy?

About the Vaccine

I consider the swine flu (H1N1) vaccine to be “experimental.” According to the FDA, candidate swine flu vaccines will be tested for one to three weeks on a few hundred children and adults before being released for public use.  The government reportedly has contracted with vaccine manufacturers to produce a total of 193 million doses of swine flu vaccine. (www.nvic.org).  

The National Vaccine Information Center (www.nvic.org) reports that U.S. health officials are expected to bypass normal FDA licensing procedures and include squalene adjuvants in some swine flu vaccines released for public use (an adjuvant is a substance added to a vaccine in order to elicit a more marked immune response).  Squalene may increase the risk for vaccine-induced chronic inflammation and autoimmunity in some children and adults.

What About the Cost?

Another point to consider in the vaccine conundrum is the money that the medical industry stands to make on pushing the swine flu vaccine. Over a billion dollars has been appropriated by the united states government to make swine flu vaccine so far, with three companies receiving two-thirds of the money to produce antigen and adjuvant: Novartis ($288.8 million), GlaxoSmithKline ($181.1 million), and Sanofi-Pasteur ($190.6 million). Sanofi-Pasteur will make only antigen, and Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline will make antigen and their novel, proprietary, “next generation” adjuvants—neither of which has ever been used in a vaccine that has received approval by FDA. Another $150 million will go toward conducting clinical trials run by these three companies and MedImmune, in Rockville, Maryland, and CSL Limited, in Melbourne, Australia. (www.sciencemag.org)

Immunity and the Flu

A final concern about the swine flu vaccine was highlighted by Dr. Jay Gordon.  The current swine flu is the mildest form of the swine flu that we will likely see.  It is a virus that is anticipated to travel the globe, and return again to the United States, in a mutated and more virulent form.  If we are exposed to the current, mildest form of swine flu, we will have protection from the more serious strain that we might be exposed to in the future.  We see protective antibodies to the H1N1 swine flu virus by one third of adults over 60 years of age because they were exposed to H1N1 viruses in influenza epidemics in past decades.  If we institute a massive vaccination effort, we lose the opportunity for future protection from a more serious flu infection. 

Awareness and Prevention

It is critical to evaluate the risks vs. benefits of the vaccine, as it relates to your personal health history.  However, we need to remember the best treatment for the regular influenza and the swine flu is prevention.  There are many steps that you can take to prevent the swine flu: 

• Vitamin D has shown promise as a preventive agent against flu viruses, both common and H1N1. The findings were confirmed by a very large, new study that involved about 19,000 participants (Archives of Internal Medicine 2009; 169 (4): 384-390). The study found that people with the lowest vitamin D levels reported having significantly more recent colds or cases of the flu. Ensure that your vitamin D levels are adequate.  You can get a simple blood test to evaluate your current Vitamin D status, and to help determine optimal dosing. 

• Be sure to wash your hands regularly using common hand soap.

• Use a good nasal wash several times a day. A nasal wash containing xylitol and saline, such as Xlear Nasal Spray, will have a marked effect on keeping nasal passages clean and free of pathogens.

• A good diet goes a long way for boosting the immune system.  You should avoid sugars, refined foods, sodas and processed foods and add sources of omega-3 fatty acids and regular garlic to your diet. 

• Focus on tools to help manage stress, such as massage, yoga, exercise and journaling.

• Intravenous nutrients are an excellent way to boost your immunity and intravenous Vitamin C is strongly anti-viral.  IV nutrients can be used for prevention or treatment of the regular flu or the swine flu viruses. 

We can help you avoid the flu this year!

It may be in the interest of some patients to receive a flu vaccine this year. The Institute for Progressive Medicine has vaccine available to our patients for the common flu virus, but we will not be carrying the H1N1 flu vaccine at this time. If you would like an individualized flu prevention program, please call reception at 949-600-5100 to make an appointment with an IPM doctor.


By Jule Kahn Harden, ND, LAc

• This information is provided for informational purposes only. Never add, change, or discontinue medication or treatment without first consulting your doctor. To make an appointment with a doctor at the Institute for Progressive Medicine, please call 949-600-5100.