Influenza, the Vaccine, and Vitamin D

It's flu season!

You've likely noticed the propaganda.  Signs everywhere I go, at pharmacies, grocery stores, supermarkets, warehouse stores, and more!  I see signs on the side of the road, and I hear news stories about how everyone should go get their flu shot!  Some places even offer incentives, such as memberships, gift cards and the like, all for getting a flu shot!  Our pediatrician's office has a sign with a caricature of a man with an ice pack on his head, a red nose, tissue in his hand, covered with a blanket, and a fizzling drink nearby.  It says "Don't let this happen to you!  Get your flu shot today!"  They'll even bill your insurance for you!  No hassle!

One thing all this media coverage makes me question is why?  Where are the funds coming from to pay for all of this?  The advertisements and the incentives?  The pay for the registered nurses who sit at the tables and booths with their syringes ready?  It makes me think that, just maybe, the flu shot is pushed more for monetary reasons than for health.  Just think about that for a minute.

If you live in a place where it gets very cold in the winter, like I do, then the propaganda is likely more prevalent than in warmer climates.  Flu season here can be quite ugly, particularly for infants and babies who can develop potentially deadly RSV, which affects a baby's ability to breathe and get adequate oxygen.  Indeed, parents are cautioned to keep their infants home and avoid public places for fear of contracting the feared flu bug.  When I gave birth to my third baby in October we kept him home for months to avoid any exposure.  We sacrificed holiday parties and family get-togethers out of fear our precious baby might get sick.  He was healthy all season, and I can't say whether or not staying home really made a difference.

I used to get the flu shot, and I even had some of my kids get it more than once.  Our family doesn't get the flu shot anymore.  The decision was simple for me.  I didn't notice our family getting sick less often when we got the vaccine.  The years that we skipped the vaccine we didn't get sick any more often or worse than the years we got it.  I saw no point in subjecting myself and my children to an annoying stick in the shoulder (or thigh) when I never noticed any benefits.

In the years since I stopped getting the flu shot I've done more research on the subject.  This year in particular I've found a lot of resources about the flu vaccine, and they're not favorable.  I didn't intentionally seek out anti-vaccine blog posts and articles, but the research I've found supports my decision to stop getting the annual shot.

Why is flu season during the winter months?  It's quite simple.  The colder weather forces us to stay indoors more.  We exercise less.  We eat more food, and more fatty and sugary foods, particularly during the various holidays that take place during the winter.  Our health overall suffers, and we're more prone to illness.  Flu isn't the only illness that goes around during these times, but it seems to be the one that gets the most attention.  Perhaps it's because of money.  There's a vaccine for that, and lots of companies make money when vaccines are sold and administered.

In considering whether or not the vaccine is a good choice for you or your family, you should consider the following:

• The latest flu shot has been linked to seizures:  "Australia, just coming out of its flu season, had to suspend flu shots for kids — because little ones were suffering febrile seizures at 10 times the normal rate."  This is the 2010 flu shot.  The one that's being currently promoted.  My kids won't be getting it.
• Six reasons to say NO to vaccination: At first glance I thought this blog post was all about scare tactics, but when I took the time to read past the bold print I realized there's a lot of truth to it.  It's about vaccinations in general, but as you read it think about how it applies to the flu shot in particular.  
• Flu is vitamin D deficiency disease: This post really resonates with me.  It makes sense that during the darkest months of the year we would suffer from vitamin D deficiency, when vitamin D is most available through exposure to sunlight.  Taking a regular dose of cod liver oil or another vitamin D supplement could potentially prevent the flu altogether.  I'm willing to give it a try!
• Vitamin D proven far better than vaccines in preventing influenza infections:  If you're one of those people who needs scientific proof of a theory, here's some evidence to back up the vitamin D link to the flu.
• Food sources for Vitamin D: This site has a list of foods that contain Vitamin D.  The major foods listed are: fish (like salmon and tuna), milk, cheese, and egg yolks, but check the list for more.  It's a good idea to eat as many Vitamin D rich foods as possible through flu season.  An adult should have about 1200 IU's of D3 daily, and a child should have about 400.  You can also get D3 supplements from your local grocery store or health food store.
• Sunlight is the best source of Vitamin D: However, in many very sunny places it's still possible to be deficient because it's dependent on the type of sunlight.  Dietary changes and/or supplementation may still be needed.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist.  I support families making informed choices about their care.  That means knowing what it is you're choosing.  If you choose to get a vaccine, understand the potential risks involved.  If you choose not to vaccinate, understand what you can do to support your family's health more effectively.  Make the choice that makes sense and feels right for you.

I make decisions for myself and my family based on a combination of personal intuition and research.  I go with what feels right, but I also search for evidence and pray about my decision.  This is one vaccine I feel confident about missing.

UPDATE: (10/29/10) Since writing this post, I discovered more information about the 2010 Influenza Vaccine.

HIV From Mother to Child

HIV can spread from mother to child during pregnancy and through breastfeeding.  We have the ability to stop that from happening, and everyone should know about this.

ONE is a grassroots organization working to prevent the spread of HIV from mother to child, with the goal of no child born with HIV by the year 2015.  Please watch their video below and visit their website for more information.

Please also watch the second video to learn how mothers can pasteurize their own breast milk to kill the HIV virus and protect their infants while still providing the best nutrition.

Please help protect babies everywhere by sharing this information!

Prevention of Preeclampsia with Aspirin?

The Unnecesarean posted an interested piece about using aspirin to prevent preeclampsia:

Aspirin in Early Pregnancy May Prevent Preeclampsia

It's all about a meta-analysis that found that low doses of aspirin started early in pregnancy (16 weeks gestation or earlier) lowered the incidence of preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia, Toximia, HELLP Syndrome & Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension are all related variations of the same pregnancy complication.  They are serious and potentially dangerous, and these conditions have been linked as causes for preterm labor, which puts the baby severely at risk.  I think it's really great that doctors are trying to find ways of preventing these issues.  I also think there are healthier ways of approaching prevention than turning to a chemical medication.

Preeclampsia and toximia are preventable with good nutrition.  Do everything in your power to Stay healthy and low-risk.  The healthier you are in general through exercise and proper nutrition, the much better your chances are of NOT developing pregnancy complications like preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia And Toximia Preventable With Good Nutrition

Many doctors will tell you they don't know what causes Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension, Preeclampsia or Toximia. While in some cases this is true, many times these potentially serious pregnancy complications can be prevented simply by getting proper nutrition during pregnancy.

Ina May Gaskin, in her book, "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth", explains it well:

"In telling you that toxemia can be prevented, I have given you the good news. The not-so-good news is that the techno-medical model of birth does not recognize any connection between toxemia and poor nutrition. The assumption about toxemia underlying this model of birth is that it doesn't matter what a pregnant woman eats or drinks, because her baby is somehow able to extract what it needs from her, regardless of how poorly she eats. One of the most important reasons for this missed connection between good nutrition and good health is that obstetricians receive virtually no training in nutrition during their medical and clinical education. Instead, they continue to be taught that the cause of toxemia is unknown and that it cannot be prevented.

"...Within the techno-medical model of care, the favorite ways of dealing with toxemia today include "treatment" by early delivery, whether by induction of labor or planned cesarean section, and the prescription of magnesium sulfate, Valium (diazepam), or calcium.

"Tom Brewer, author of "Metabolic Toxemia of Late Pregnancy," is a U.S. family practice physician who has devoted his life and career to understanding the cause of toxemia and to educating women and caregivers about how to prevent it. Between 1963 and 1976, he ran a prenatal-care project in Contra Costa County, California, for a population of over seven thousand mothers from the lowest income group in the San Francisco Bay Area. By all odds, most of the women in this population would have been considered likely candidates for developing toxemia and having low-birth-weight babies. In similar populations during the same period, the incidence of toxemia ranged between twenty and thirty-five percent. That is not what happened in the Contra Costa County project, where because of Brewer's intensive work, the women received extensive nutritive counseling during pregnancy. There, the incidence of toxemia was only 0.5 percent, with no cases of convulsive toxemia. The published results of this study convinced many midwives but few physicians or researchers, ostensibly because Brewer's work was not based upon randomized controlled trials. This research method (in which women are assigned by chance to groups receiving different treatments, whose outcomes are then compared by researchers unaware of the group to which each woman belongs) is often called the 'gold standard' of research because it is designed to eliminate bias. However, the problem with applying it to the thesis that good nutrition can prevent most cases of toxemia is that IT REQUIRES THE DELIBERATE MALNUTRITION OR STARVATION OF A GROUP OF WOMEN to be compared with a group of well-nourished women [emphasis mine]. Unfortunately, in the modern world of techno-medicine, cures and treatments involving drugs and surgery are often more researched and quickly accepted by most obstetricians than are preventative measures.

"Gardeners know that you must nourish the soil if you want healthy plants. You must water plants adequately, especially when seeds are germinating and sprouting, and they should be planted in a nutrient-rich soil. Why should nutrition matter less in the creation of young humans than it does in young plants? I'm sure that it doesn't. Farmers, ranchers, and veterinarians know that pregnant animals must be well-fed and given enough water and salt to give the best chance of survival to their young. It doesn't make sense that the human species could be the only one whose newborns have the power to extract from their mothers nutrients that their mothers aren't eating themselves.

"I know of no zookeeper who would feed pregnant animals in zoos junk food and expect optimally healthy young to be born. Common sense says that eating well is a good idea."

For more information, please see the following blog posts and site:

Preeclampsia, Toximia, HELLP Syndrome and Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension

Staying Healthy and Low-Risk: Pregnancy/Prenatal Diet & Nutrition

The Dr. Brewer Pregnancy Diet

Infant Massage May Help Prevent SIDS

"Parents have a therapy at their fingertips that may offer their baby protection against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), an Australian pediatrician says."

"Reducing a newborn's SIDS risk could be as simple as massaging them, said Associate Professor Graham Reynolds, as the practice was known to naturally boost a baby's serotonin levels."

"'Scientists have known for a long time that touch and skin-to-skin contact play a major role in the development of serotonin pathways in babies brains,' said Dr Reynolds, who is Director of Paediatric Research at The Canberra Hospital and also patron of the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM)."

"As well as playing a role in mood and behaviour, serotonin acts as a regulator of the body's basic life-sustaining functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, sleep cycles and respiration."

Parents Urged to Get Hands-On to Prevent SIDS

Study: Babies; low serotonin levels cause SIDS

Preventing Preterm Labor and Birth

Preterm labor and preterm birth are increasing dramatically in the United States, and we don't really know why.

"A preterm baby has a 120 times greater risk of death than a baby born full term, and survivors are at risk of breathing difficulties, bleeding into the brain, and having a significant neurological handicap such as cerebral palsy."

"Preterm birth costs the United States $26 billion per year. It is one of the most serious and significant challenges to medicine and society and one whose importance is not fully recognized,"

This article discusses findings that genes in mothers and babies can predispose them to preterm labor:

Genes in Mother, Baby Raise Risk of Preterm Birth

The risk is not completely genetic. "'We have established that one of every three premature babies is born to a mother who has an intra-amniotic infection,' an infection in the normally sterile amniotic fluid that surrounds the developing fetus."

Even expectant mothers who are genetically predisposed to preterm labor can take precautions to stay healthy and low-risk through a healthy lifestyle and diet, including plenty of fresh whole foods and lots of vegetables that contain vital enzymes to aid in proper digestion. This will help ensure that the mother will stay free of infection and reduce her risk of having preterm labor.