​A common ritual in America is getting a flu shot “just in case” when “flu season” is immanent.  How safe and effective are today’s influenza vaccines?  Dr. Scheifle and researchers described the results of a study of hospital workers receiving trivalent influenza vaccine prepared for the 1988-1989 flu season.  Of approximately 500 full-time workers in “high risk” areas, 288 took the vaccine.  Of these, 266 returned a questionnaire regarding any symptoms experienced within 48 hours after the vaccination.  90% of the respondents reported adverse effects.  49% reported systemic adverse effects.  5% missed work as a consequence of vaccine adverse effects.  This study was reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal January 15, 1990. 
            Ten years later, things aren’t any better.  A “CBC News” report dated January 12, 2000, states that flu vaccine is only 30-50% effective in seniors and 70-90% effective in healthy adults.
            Officials in Los Angeles were baffled when a group of vaccine recipients developed influenza.  “We don’t know why.  Nobody knows,” said Dr. Weinstein, chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente’s Panorama City Hospital.  “It seems to be the same strain that’s in the vaccine, so it should’ve worked,” he continued. 
In Vancouver, British Columbia, during the 6:00 p.m. news hour on Friday January 7, 2000, Harvey Oberfeld noted that of 32 individuals who received the flu shot, 30 had contracted the flu.  This is a failure rate of more than 90%.
Vaccines enthusiasts reached the height of their folly in 1976, when a pandemic of “killer swine flu” was predicted.  America was asked to buy a “pig in a poke” and accept vaccination.  The media proclaimed that failure to do so would result in an epidemic that would rival any in recorded history.  The government spent millions on the vaccine.  The outcome?  There were deaths.  There were cases of paralysis.  But they were not from the dreaded “killer flu.”  They resulted from the vaccine that was supposed to prevent it.
J. Anthony Morris, one-time head of influenza control in the U.S., warned his superiors in the federal government that the vaccine was dangerous and probably ineffective.  When they refused to act, he went directly to the media.  Morris advised the public that the vaccine was unsafe, and an epidemic was unlikely.  As a result, he was fired from his position at the Food and Drug Administration.  His experimental animals, representing years of research, were destroyed.  His superiors blocked publication of his findings.
Other scientists and physicians were also critical of the vaccine.  Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling, in a letter to the author dated May 11, 1976, indicated that he and his wife did not intend to take the vaccine because he felt there was “significant danger” associated with it. 
The Lancaster, Pennsylvania Intelligencer Journal of August 14, 1976, reported on a survey of practicing physicians asked about the vaccine.  100% of the physicians surveyed said they would not administer swine flu shots to their own children.  T.A. Vonder Haar, then Coordinator of Programs in Public Policy at the University of Missouri stated in a letter dated May 10, 1976, “Virus vaccines are notoriously ineffective…flu vaccines have been documented as having contained SV-40, a known carcinogen, with full FDA knowledge.”
Even the insurance industry balked at this one.  They refused to indemnify vaccine makers against claims arising from the administration of swine flu vaccine C.  Joseph Stetler, then president of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturer’s Association was quoted by UPI as saying, “It’s like you taking out a life insurance policy and suddenly becoming a kamikaze pilot.”  The answer – the government agreed to insure the vaccine makers!  What was the result of this debacle?
According to Newsweek, July 18, 1977, $135 million was appropriated by Congress to indemnify vaccine makers.  However, claims totaling more than $1.3 billion were filed with the Justice Department alleging injury or death as a result of the swine flu shots.  517 Americans were struck with Guillain-Barre syndrome, and at least 23 died.  And what of the killer epidemic?  The total number of swine flu cases was six, and in some cases the diagnosis was questionable.
Flu shots seem to be more a product of cultural superstition than science.  Think twice before rolling up your sleeve.  

​      Doctors wrote 12 million antibiotic prescriptions in a single year for colds, bronchitis and other respiratory infections against which the drugs are almost always useless.  “A study found such indiscriminate use of antibiotics has contributed to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria, a growing problem in the United States,” the researchers said.  More than 90% of upper respiratory infections, including bronchitis and colds are caused by a virus and are therefore impervious to antibiotics.  Doctors usually know this, but studies have suggested they may yield to pressure from the patients – or what they perceive to be the patients’ expectations – to prescribe a drug, even if it is unlikely to help.  “Every time we use an antibiotic, we run the risk of promoting antibiotic resistance, or drug resistance, by bacteria,” said the lead author, Dr. Ralph Gonzales. 
       Despite the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria strains, the old standby antibiotic amoxicillin is still the best first-line treatment for children’s ear infections – but doctors should double the standard dose.  Drug resistance has become a major problem in this country because of antibiotic misuse, and over-treatment of ear infections has been a big contributor.  About one-third of ear infections are asymptomatic and happen to get diagnosed during well-baby checkups.  “One of the most important steps in using antibiotics more wisely is not to treat those kids.”
       A recent nation-wide survey of nearly 700 kids revealed that children who have taken more than 20 cycles of antibiotics in their young lifetime were over 50% more likely to suffer developmental delays compared with children who have had 3 or fewer rounds of antibiotics.
     The spread of antibiotic-resistance bacteria is associated with antibiotic use.  Children are important targets for efforts in reducing unnecessary antibiotic use.  Antibiotic prescribing for children diagnosed as having colds, URIs, and bronchitis, conditions that typically do not benefit from antibiotics, represents a substantial share of total antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S.
       About 90% of staph bacteria are resistant to penicillin, and may be resistant to everything except vancomycin.  A super-bug immune to all antibiotics poses a deadly threat to the half million patients who contract staph infections each year in hospitals.  It’s only the latest in a disturbing trend that has claimed thousands of lives.  About 19,000 people died in 1992 from bacterial

infections that couldn’t be treated with antibiotics, making bacterial infections the 11th- leading cause of death.  More than 1,400 died in New York City in 1995 from antibiotic-resistant infections.  And the list of
Super-bugs is growing, as more bacteria develop resistance.  Health experts point to the vast overuse of antibiotics as the problem.  Through mutations and other methods, bacteria learn to fight back, rendering the drugs useless.  The more the drugs are used, the sooner they fail.
       The May 25, 1999, issue of Your Health contained a feature about the potential risks of antibiotics revealed in a new book authored by three medical doctors.  The article states that “the medical advice in the book was reviewed by experts and is based on the latest medical information” misleading the reader that these are new concepts developed by these medical individuals.
       The idea that the misuse of antibiotics is potentially dangerous is not a new one. For decades, chiropractic physicians, along with other holistic practitioners, have been warning about the potential risks, including but not limited to drug-resistant bacteria.  These conclusions can be found throughout the literature, including the book “Beyond Antibiotics”, written by Michael Schmidt, DC and first published in 1992. Instead of recognizing the ideas of these professionals as useful information, the medical profession labeled chiropractors as quacks.  Now we see that the chiropractors were right all along. It is not the first time. The same has happened with manipulation, herbs, vitamins, physiotherapy, and a host of other therapies and practices.
       The article also points out that even though these concepts have been proved true, many medical doctors still do not follow the recommendations. One excuse given by doctors who write unnecessary prescriptions is that they are pressured by patients to do so. This is simply a cop-out. Patients simply should not be choosing their own treatment as if they are ordering from a menu board at a fast food restaurant. As William J. H. Boetcker said, "That you may retain your self-respect, it is better to displease the people by doing what you know is right, than to temporarily please them by doing what you know is wrong."
       Another excuse given is that “it takes less time to fill out a prescription form than to explain why drugs will not do any good.” This is frightening.   The latest research project to prove that medical doctors are either ignorant of the situation, or ignoring its danger, was a report published in the Annuals of Emergency Medicine.
       So Doc would you give an antibiotic to your family for an ear infection? The answer is No. I would adjust them and let nature work by itself without any interference.

     A healthy immune system means high resistance to disease and infection, an enhanced ability to deal with environmental stresses, and greater health and well-being. The immune system is one of the most complicated, sensitive, and mysterious systems in the body. It is influenced by our neurological and hormonal systems, by our diet, and even by emotional and mental stress. Science's understanding of it is in its infancy, yet many believe it holds the ultimate key to life and health.
      
       Thus we can see that if the immune system were to malfunction we could be in very serious trouble.  The most common disorder of the immune system is one that is a lot less frightening: the allergy.
    
       Substances that cause an allergic reaction are called allergens. An allergic reaction (sensitivity) occurs when the immune system overreacts to an allergen and produces too many neutralizing chemicals (especially histamines) to counteract it. Some examples of allergens are dust; pollen; medicines; dog or cat dander; dairy; soaps; detergents and other kitchen chemicals; and even foods like strawberries or chocolate (heaven forbid!).
       A common example of an allergy is hayfever. Although most people who breathe ragweed pollen aren't bothered by the microscopic bits of plants that constitute pollen, some have an immune system that overreacts to it. The runny eyes, irritated mucus membranes, redness, pounding in the head, fullness in the sinuses - are produced by the neutralizing chemicals.
 
       The cause of allergies and immune system disease has not been conclusively determined. However, there are those who attribute the proliferation of allergies and other immune system diseases to the mass vaccination campaigns of the past few decades.
 
       Medicine has no cure for allergies, only treatment.  According to Robert Mendelsohn, M.D “You can depend on most doctors to largely ignore the cause and instead rush madly to treatment.” Unfortunately, the treatment is often worse than the disease, especially since the relatively safe folk-measures of yesteryear have been replaced by the sophisticated, dangerous drugs of modern medicine.
 
       Overreaction to allergens causes the body to release the chemical histamine (as well as other chemicals) that cause inflammation

and other symptoms. Antihistamines are often prescribed to counter these effects. In most cases the antihistamines dry up the nasal passages and decrease the discomfort from itching, but do not correct the immune system overreaction.
 
       Antihistamines, steroid hormones, and long-term desensitization all carry significant negative side effects.
 
       Regarding allergy shots (desensitization), Dr. Mendelsohn states, "Although millions of patients have received the shots over the past 60 years, there are no, good, long-term studies to determine possible neurologic or other consequences of this treatment." Also mentioned was "a striking incidence of positive 'rheumatoid factors' in allergic children receiving shots.” Clinical studies have shown that breast fed babies have fewer allergy problems than formula-fed babies. Although chiropractic is not a treatment for diseases, allergies included, it does, by permitting the nervous system to function with less stress, permit the immune system to function more effectively - and this is something all allergy sufferers need.
 
       Many studies have revealed the effect of a healthy nervous system on immune system health.  Ronald Pero, Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York's Preventive Medicine Institute and professor of medicine at New York University, measured the immune systems of people under chiropractic care as compared to those in the general population and those with cancer and other serious diseases.
 
       His study found that chiropractic patients have a 200% greater immune competence than people who had not received chiropractic care. Allergies can make people's lives miserable. The standard medical approach may give short-term relief but is controversial and dangerous, and its long-term effects are untested. Common sense tells us to explore the safest, most natural means of dealing with problems before resorting to more extreme measures. A two-fold approach to allergies is often recommended: first, the avoidance of those substances that cause severe reactions and, second, correction of the basic cause - a malfunctioning immune system.
 
       As one authority states, “A healthy body is capable of neutralizing these toxic substances and a body which has malfunctioning defense mechanisms cannot. The emphasis on allergies must be on building a healthy body, not on trying to use evasive tactics by eliminating all the allergens."