How To Survive Flu Season Without a Flu Shot!
Ever wonder WHY we have flu season?? Everywhere you go you see signs for flu shots. The drug companies are even targeting perfectly healthy people to get a flu shot in someone else’s name. As if it’s a donation to the rain forest or something! If someone has received the flu shot then why should they fear being around someone who hasn’t? Aren’t they protected now?? One of my favorite flu article quotes stated, “"Just because the H1N1 pandemic never materialized...doesn't mean the crisis has passed". How can we call it a pandemic or a crisis if it never materialized??
The truth is, fear is a very effective way of getting you to take the desired action. If you understand WHY we have flu season then you can’t be frightened into doing anything. “Flu Season” arrives in the fall when we begin to spend less time in the sun. Vitamin D from the sun helps keep our immune systems strong and when we get less sun exposure our immune function drops and makes us more susceptible to illness. Once you recognize this simple process you will then realize that you can never inject away all illnesses.
The key to a truly healthy life is simply a strong immune system. Poor health overall is gained from a series of lifestyle choices and habits that create toxic load and cause nutritional deficiencies in the body. Flu shots (and other vaccines) are laced with dangerous chemicals including Thimerosol/mercury, alcohol, and even formaldehyde to name a few. I don’t know about you but I’ll wait till I’m dead to be pumped with formaldehyde! Bottom line: better health is NEVER gained by having more toxins injected into your body.
There are many nutrients I can recommend for immune health but the single most important nutrient for ALL facets of health is Vitamin D. Clinical journals as well as the mainstream media have been reporting evidence that modern industrialized humans are severely deficient in Vitamin D and that this deficiency is a major contributing factor to illness and lack of health and vitality.
FACT: Vitamin D is essential for wellness and prevention for people of all ages. From birth onward humans require sufficient vitamin D for health and vitality and for protection against vitamin D deficiency related illnesses.
FACT: Unless you are getting your required amount of sunlight every day (20 minutes of full body exposure) you will almost certainly be deficient in vitamin D. Since we slather sunscreen during the summer months and are rarely exposed to it in the winter months, just assume you are deficient. FACT: Research is clear that the vast majority of people living in industrialized society are deficient in Vitamin D.
FACT: When your doctor does your bloodwork, ask them to measure 2 forms of D; 25 hydroxy D and 1-25 diHydroxy D). Your level should be between 50 and 80 ng/ml. The only way to be sure of your vitamin D levels are thru blood work.
FACT: You cannot get adequate amounts of vitamin D from the foods you eat in your diet. Humans are genetically designed to get vitamin D from sun exposure. Supplementing with a high quality D3 is essential. Multivitamins never have enough D.
FACT: Vitamin D deficiency can have severe consequences and is linked to very serious illness in people of all ages. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to seasonal colds and flu, cancer, heart disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, dementia, asthma, allergies, autism, autoimmune diabetes, and a plethora of other serious illnesses.
What Happens With Sun Exposure?
Within 30 minutes of full body exposure to the sun, humans make at least 10,000 units of vitamin D. Unfortunately, fear of skin cancer keeps many people out of the sun and when they do go in the sun they are fully clothed or slather on mass quantities of chemical based sunscreens. The problem with this as found in the International Journal of Cancer in 2003 is that the incidence of melanoma continues to increase dramatically although people have been completely avoiding the sun for years. Sunburns are not safe but brief, full body exposure to the sun at non prime time provides health benefits that far outweigh the risks.
How much Vitamin D should you be taking?
The Food and Nutrition Board's upper limit of 2,000 IU per day is simply not enough for most people to get the full benefit of vitamin D, nor is it enough to push vitamin D levels higher than 50 ng/mL, especially in the winter. The National Institute of Health’s RDA is 200-600 IU’s/day which is just enough to prevent rickets. Most research shows that daily intake of 4,000-6,000 IU’s if you aren’t getting sun exposure is sufficient to keep D levels between 50 and 80 ng/ml. Women who breast feed need to supplement in order to get Vitamin D in the breast milk. It is recommended that babies under 1 year have 1000 IU’s/day if they aren’t getting it from mother’s milk. Children over 1 year of age should take 1000 IU’s per every 25 pounds of body weight.
Are There Dangers?
There are very rare situations where higher levels of vitamin D can do more harm than good. If you have any health concerns you should consult with a physician knowledgeable in nutrition. Take your daily dose of D and have a healthy winter!
Dr. Paula L Ruffin, D.C. owns New Hudson Chiropractic Wellness Center, P.C. She is a chiropractor, certified nutritionist, and weight loss coach. (248)486-5684