Fighting Flu Naturally
Every year we are bombarded with warnings about the flu and we must get a flu shot to be protected, but is that really true?
The strains used in the many flu vaccines available each year are a best guess as to what's going to be around this season, and are not subject to the same double blind placebo controlled studies that are the benchmark of modern science.
Recent studies have shown that flu vaccines are not as effective as we are led to believe. A study published in the prestigious journal The Lancet revealed that flu shots provide only “moderate protection” against the flu, and in some seasons is altogether “reduced or absent.”
The 'gold standard' of independent scientific evaluation and analysis, the Cochrane Database Review, has issued no less than five reports between 2006 and 2010, all of which decimate the myth that flu vaccinations are “the most effective flu prevention method” available.
Some surprising facts...
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A 2010 randomized double blind placebo study demonstrated the effectiveness of vitamin D as a preventive strategy against influenza. In fact, children taking just 1,200 IUs of vitamin D3 per day, were shown to be 42 percent less likely to come down with the flu
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A 2008 study published in the Lancet found that influenza vaccination was NOT associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia in older people. This also supports an earlier study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
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A large-scale, systematic review of 51 studies, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2006, found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo in children under 2. The studies involved 260,000 children, age 6 to 23 months.
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A study published in the October 2008 issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine found that vaccinating young children against the flu had no impact on flu-related hospitalizations or doctor visits during two recent flu seasons. The researchers concluded that "significant influenza vaccine effectiveness could not be demonstrated for any season, age, or setting" examined.
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Research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine also confirms that there has been no decrease in deaths from influenza and pneumonia in the elderly, despite the fact that vaccination coverage among the elderly has increased from 15 percent in 1980 to 65 percent now.
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In 2007, researchers with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the National Institutes of Health published this conclusion in the Lancet Infectious Diseases:
“We conclude that frailty selection bias and use of non-specific endpoints such as all-cause mortality, have led cohort studies to greatly exaggerate vaccine benefits.”
Science is trying to copy nature
Currently a universal vaccine is being developed by the pharmaceutical company Sanofi. It is based on the finding that people who have more virus-killing immune cells, known as CD8 T cells, either don’t get sick or experience only mild flu symptoms. The idea behind this vaccine is that by stimulating your body to produce more CD8 T cells, it may protect you from getting the flu, or at least from having severe symptoms.
While drug company researchers say they know how to use a vaccine to stimulate the immune system to produce more CD8 T cells, vitamin D is also known to have a direct immune-modulating effect on CD8 T cells. Other research has proposed that deprivation of sunlight and vitamin D at higher latitudes worsens CD8 T-cell deficiency. So, it may be, then, that a ‘universal flu vaccine’ doesn’t need to be created at all because it essentially already exists in the form of vitamin D!
Optimize your Flu Defence!
1. Improve Your Gut Flora. Bacteria in your gut have enormous control of your immune response. To improve your beneficial bacteria you should avoid sugars as they will feed pathogenic bacteria.Processed foods 
and most grains should be limited and replacing with healthy fats like coconut oil, avocados, olives, olive oil, butter, eggs and nuts. Once you change your diet then regular use of fermented foods can radically optimize the function of your immune response. Taking a probiotic will add friendly bacteria to your bowel and help fight off pathogenic bacteria
2. Optimize your vitamin D levels Raising your vitamin D levels is one of the best choices for optimal health. Vitamin D deficiency may actually be the real cause behind the flu season, not actual virus itself. Taking vitamin D3 is probably the most important and least expensive action you can take. Talk to your doctor to confirm your levels are within the optimal range of 40-60 ng/ml. You can of course get all your vitamin D from moderate sun exposure, but only in the summer months, if you live in a cooler winter climate..
According to the latest review by Grassrootshealth.org, adults need about 8,000 IU's a day. To raise your levels optimally taking 1000iu in the winter is probably not enough. It's helpful to take vitamin K2 if you takie vitamin D3 as it has a powerful synergy and helps prevent D toxicity. Be sure and get your level tested as that is the only way to know with any accuracy.
3. Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods. Sugar reduces your immune response almost immediately. It also can decimate your beneficial bacteria and feed the pathogenic yeast and viruses.
4. Get Plenty of Rest. A healthy immune system is vital to warding off colds, influenza and other ailments.Research over the past few decades consistently shows that sleep deprivation depresses the immune system's disease-fighting abilities, such as by decreasing the proliferation of cells called T-cells. Even a single night of poor sleep can impair your immune system.
5. Use Natural Immune Boosters. Examples include oil of oregano and garlic (Allimax), Echinacea, Medicinal Mushrooms, Elderberry, Vitamin C, Astragalus
6. Take a High Quality Source Omega-3 Fatty Acid. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like omega-3, which is crucial for maintaining health. It is also vitally important to avoid damaged omega-6 oils that are trans fats and in processed foods as it will seriously affect your immune response.
7. Effectively Address Stress. We all face some stress every day, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness. If you feel that stress is taking a toll on your health, consider exercising, or practice yoga, meditation or find something that you love to do!
8. Get Regular Exercise. Be sure to stay hydrated – drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Radically reduce the intensity of your workouts if you are sick.
9. Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don't use antibacterial soap for this – antibacterial soaps are unnecessary. Instead, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to.
10. Cover Your Mouth. In addition to washing your hands regularly, cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. If possible, avoid close contact with those, who are sick and, if you are sick, avoid close contact with those who are well.