Diet Pop and Flu Shots

Is Diet Pop Better For You?

There are a lot of people out there who drink diet soda. And a lot of them apparently confuse the word "diet" with "healthy."

They may be in for a shock.

New research shows that people who drink diet soda every day increase their risk of heart attack or stroke by nearly 50% compared to people who rarely or never drink soda.

In 2007 a study found that daily soda drinkers are at greater risk of obesity, high triglycerides, impaired fasting glucose, and high blood pressure. And it didn't matter if subjects drank regular sodas or diet sodas -- the results were nearly identical.

The lead author of the new study told WebMD that if the results are confirmed, "diet drinks may not be an optimal substitute for sugar-sweetened beverages."

Hmmm. MAY NOT be an optimal substitute?

I don't think we need to wait for further studies or even wait one more minute to say, without question, that diet sodas are not an optimal substitute for any beverage!

 

Protect Yourself from the Flu Shot
Article by Dr. David Williams
 
It's that time of year again. The seasonal push for flu vaccination is well underway. Reports on television and print media are once again praising the safety and effectiveness of mass vaccinations.

Every pharmacy chain in the country has low-cost or no-cost quick access to flu shots. The promotion of vaccinations during flu season has now become as commonplace as the seasonal push for Christmas sales. In October, the healthcare provider Kaiser Permanente set the Guinness World Record for administering 47,259 flu shots in an eight-hour period, four times the previous record.

I've explained many of the various aspects, dangers, possible benefits of vaccinations before. The effectiveness of most vaccinations is questionable at best, and their inherent dangers are routinely overlooked or ignored.

Researchers at Canada's British Columbia Centre for Disease Control performed an analysis of individuals who received the annual flu shot given in the 2008-2009 flu season. Based on five studies from various provinces, the researchers were alarmed that in the early weeks of the pandemic, doctors began to notice more people who got the flu shot were getting sick compared to those who didn't get shots. Further research discovered that those receiving the shot actually had a higher risk of developing the H1N1 infection (swine flu) than those not receiving the shot, and those in the vaccinated group that came down with the flu were far sicker than those who weren't vaccinated. (September 2012 52nd Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, San Francisco presentation by Dr. Danuta Skowronski)

Another analysis of 5,705 articles and 31 studies showed no evidence that flu vaccines afforded any protection for those 65 or older.  I'm sure they won't be promoting those findings at your local pharmacy.

Questionable Ingredients
 
Just the ingredients used in vaccine formulas—including thimerosal, mercury, aluminum, and formaldehyde—raises safety questions, particularly when given to young children.

Australia and Finland both banned H1N1 flu shots to children when they were linked to narcolepsy. History will show that injecting contaminates, viral and DNA fragments, and foreign bacteria into our systems will have a profound ill effect on our long-term health. Vaccine-related neurological changes in our children are currently being seen, yet downplayed. Don't be surprised, not if, but when the link between certain vaccinations and degenerative brain diseases are discovered.

Our unabated use of antibiotic compounds and animal husbandry practices continue to increase the number of mutated viruses and bacteria we're exposed to. Some vaccinations may prove necessary, but for the most part, the risk-to-reward aspect of flu vaccinations is far from favorable.

Rather than focusing on boosting the immune system through diet, exercise, proper sleep, sun exposure, probiotic foods and supplements, stress reduction, etc., the public is lured into the idea that vaccinations make these issues irrelevant. Unfortunately, most of the rationale behind vaccinations is based on incomplete science and marketing rather than actual facts.

And, anyone who dares question the value of vaccinations is vilified and labeled as kooks, extremists, uneducated, or enemies of public safely. Concerned parents probably receive the majority of criticism. We are told that unvaccinated children in our schools place the other children at risk.

How can this be? If vaccinating children gives them immunity, then exposing them to unvaccinated children or the flu shouldn't make any difference. If that's not the case, then it means vaccinations don't actually work.

As we enter this flu season, concentrate on boosting your immune system. It is your immune system that ultimately determines if you overcome any virus, bacteria, pathogen, or disease you might encounter. . . .vaccination or no vaccination.

Medical evidence shows that pregnant mothers exposed to mercury in vaccines are more likely to have children with ADHD

(Reported by NaturalNews) The truth is finally starting to come out, at least in a roundabout way, concerning the dangers of mercury exposure during pregnancy, including mercury exposure resulting from vaccinations. New research published in the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine reveals that even low-level mercury exposure during pregnancy can cause children to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other similar hyperactive and behavioral conditions.

The smoking gun in the long debate over whether or not trace mercury exposure causes health problems in children, the new research helps seal the deal in definitively identifying mercury as a known neurotoxin. And since the threshold for exposure levels causing observed symptoms was relatively low, the study helps reinforce the fact that exposure to Thimerosal, a mercury derivative still commonly used in influenza vaccines, is dangerous for both pregnant women and children.

Dr. Sharon K. Sagiv, Ph.D., M.P.H., from Boston University's School of Public Health and her colleagues examined the relationship between mercury levels and fish consumption patterns among pregnant women to arrive at the conclusion that eating fish helps reduce the risk of impulsivity, hyperactivity, and atypical inattentive behaviors in children. But within these observational confines, Dr. Sagiv and her team also noticed that exposure to as little as one microgram per milliliter of mercury during pregnancy can cause serious health problems for children.

"Low-level prenatal mercury exposure is associated with a greater risk of ADHD-related behaviors, and fish consumption during pregnancy is protective of these behaviors," wrote Dr. Sagiv and her colleagues in their conclusion. "These findings underscore the difficulties of balancing the benefits of fish intake with the detriments of low-level mercury exposure in developing dietary recommendations in pregnancy."

Some vaccines contain up to 50 times the amount of mercury implicated in causing ADHD

This is where mercury in vaccines comes into play. According to the National Network for Immunization Information (NNII), vaccines contain anywhere from two to three micrograms of Thimerosal per milliliter of vaccine, and this is in a lowest case scenario. When Thimerosal is actually added to vaccines on purpose as a preservative, rather than simply being left over as a trace residue from the manufacturing process, levels of mercury contamination can be much higher.

Since Thimerosal is roughly 50 percent mercury by weight, this means the level of mercury found in many vaccines exceeds the threshold for what was found in Dr. Sagiv's study to cause ADHD and other behavioral problems. In vaccines that contain added Thimerosal, which include multi-dose vials of flu vaccine, levels of mercury are as much as 50 times higher than the one mcg/ml threshold observed in the study.

"Live viral vaccines contain as much as 25 mcg (per 0.5 milliliters) of mercury (as Thimerosal) per dose," wrote Erik L. Goldman from the CrossRoads Institute in a piece entitled Digestive, Metabolic Problems Abound In Patients with ADHD, Autism. The "per 0.5 milliliters" was added to Goldman's statement in accordance with data provided by the Institute for Vaccine Safety (IVS), which shows that many vaccines actually contain the equivalent of 50 mcg of mercury per milliliter of vaccine.

"Young children receiving serial live viral vaccines get quantities of mercury that, on a body weight basis, exceed safe levels for U.S. adult fish consumption," he added.

My Comment:  Ultimately it is your decision on if you want to get a flu shot or not, unless you are forced to by your employeer.  My goal is to give you as much information as possible so you can make an intelligent decision.

 

Until next time, stay happy and healthy

 

JD Roma

 

The information on this blog is provided for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care, and medical advice and services are not being offered. If you have, or suspect you have, a health problem you should consult your physician (preferably a Naturopath).