Is Getting The Flu Shot Really Necessary?

Though it almost felt like the common flu was memoryholed over the past couple of years during the spread of Covid-19, none of us are strangers to influenza. Fever, chills, fatigue, and headaches last for a few days, and then a sore throat and cough shortly follow and last anywhere from two days to two weeks or longer. 

Since we’ve come to expect an annual influenza epidemic in the fall/winter seasons, healthcare professionals have jumped on developing treatments to either prevent the flu entirely, mitigate symptoms if you get it, or prevent your likelihood of spreading it. That said, if flu strains have been part and parcel of our changing seasons for many decades now, do we really need to be injecting ourselves yearly with flu shots? Some speculate they’re dangerous. Others insist they’re harmless. Let’s take a look at what the flu shot actually is, how it’s manufactured to help you, how it might actually harm you, and what Big Pharma might be making off your symptoms.

Wait, There Might Be Dog Kidney Cells in My Shot?

If you opt to get vaccinated against the flu, you’re likely going to get the injectable shot in your arm of an inactivated influenza strain concoction. There is also a nasal spray vaccine that contains a live virus.

Flu vaccines contain some combination of three or four weakened or killed strains of past flu viruses. The combinations are determined by researchers who try to predict which strains will circulate that year. If researchers predict wrongly, then the shots available for the current season might not even provide any health benefit against the strain you’d be likely to contract, if you were to get the flu at all.

The ingredients in flu shots can look pretty bizarre on paper. Historically, they have been made using chicken eggs, but manufacturers realized the volume of eggs needed to produce a large volume of shots was growing expensive. Additionally, some people have raised concerns that the egg protein in flu shots can cause allergies, but other evidence shows that serious egg allergies are not triggered by shots.

Insect cells might carry other viruses, and dog kidney cells might increase cancerous tumor risk.

As a result, the FDA has approved alternative ingredients such as dog kidney cells or army worm caterpillar cells. Now, manufacturers can put more flu shots on the market because the alternative ingredients are cheaper and can replicate the virus at a much quicker pace. There are downsides to taking shortcuts, however, as some concerns have been raised that insect cells might carry other viruses and dog kidney cells might increase cancerous tumor risk. Aside from the main ingredient, you’ll see mercury-based preservatives, sucrose or MSG-style stabilizers, antibiotics, emulsifiers, and formaldehyde in a flu shot’s ingredient label.

Here’s How Flu Shots Are Manufactured To Help You

The flu virus can be deadly. In fact, as few as 20,000 but as many as 40,000 people can die of influenza during each flu season (peak season being December to February), but some years are worse. Between 2017 and 2018, 52,000 deaths were attributed to the flu. Things got a bit complicated with counting during the spread of coronavirus, but now that more people are out and about again, healthcare professionals think that flu deaths will once again increase.

The flu shot aims to help everyone but is usually urged for people who have chronic conditions like heart disease or asthma, are otherwise immunocompromised, are elderly, pregnant, or are babies – all populations who could experience life-threatening complications like pneumonia or heart, brain, and muscle tissue inflammation if they contracted the flu.

Their exact efficacy is difficult to determine, however. One study from 2021 found that adults who got a flu shot had 26% less chance of being admitted to the hospital Intensive Care Unit and had 31% less chance of dying from the flu. Virologists believe that if vaccine-induced immunity is then followed by infection, people may be more resistant to future strains of the flu.

But can that be the case when every month after you get a flu shot, the effectiveness drops anywhere from 6% to 11%? Basically, flu shots are manufactured to help you during that particular season, but as time goes on, their efficacy wanes. Some epidemiologists will even admit that flu shots are “terribly inadequate” since they don’t protect over 60% of those who get them, and they lose effectiveness so quickly.

There May Be More Risks Involved Than You’d Think

Whether big or small, research has found that adverse reactions to flu shots are not uncommon. I consulted with Dr. Jeff Barke, a physician who runs his own practice rooted in concierge-style medicine, to hear straight from a practicing doctor what a few genuine reasons may be why people should be wary of flu shots.

“Every year, we’re told without exception that this will be the worst flu season ever,” he noted. “Adverse reactions [to flu shots] are common and are usually mild but severe reactions to the flu shot can occur. The package insert lists in children: abnormal crying, vomiting, headache, and appetite loss as common side effects among others.”

Flu shots have also caused some people to develop Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a temporary but nonetheless tragic neurological condition that weakens your muscles (some people are unable to move half of their face for a portion of time) and, in its most severe cases, might paralyze you.

“Other adverse events reported include thrombocytopenia, anaphylaxis, convulsions, and more,” Dr. Barke explained. “With any vaccination or medical procedure, the risks versus the benefits must be considered, and while it’s no fun getting the flu, it’s rarely serious, and we [physicians] have really good antiviral treatments.”

Remember how I mentioned one of the target populations for flu shots is pregnant women? Yes, it’s risky for a pregnant woman to deal with a flu virus, but it’s also risky for them to get the shot as well. The CDC released data that revealed that pregnant women were up to 7.7 times more likely to miscarry after receiving the flu shot. This heightened risk of miscarriage may be attributed to an ingredient in flu shots that the average consumer wouldn’t even know is part of the concoction: mercury.

Pregnant women are up to 7.7 times more likely to miscarry after receiving the flu shot.

We’ve all heard that when we’re pregnant we should be wary of eating fish that contains mercury, but did you know that many vaccines contain a type of mercury called thimerosal? The CDC has claimed that this is a “safe” type of mercury that is quickly excreted from our bodies, but other studies have suggested that the mercury content from vaccines actually lasts longer in our internal organs than mercury from fish. When you consider that a growing fetus doesn’t yet have a way to detox his or her system like an adult can, you have to wonder just how safe the preservative really is. When studied, fetal cord blood contains on average 70% higher mercury levels than the mother’s blood. What we put in our bodies while we’re growing a unique life clearly matters.

Some flu vaccines may also cause a pregnant woman to develop eclampsia (seizures and severe toxemia) or gestational diabetes. In fact, the British Medical Journal actually found there were significantly higher rates of these complications in the 86,000 pregnancies they studied. 

Who Is Profiting from Flu Shots Anyway?

Within the past few decades, vaccine manufacturers have scored big. Back in 1986, the National Childhood Vaccination Injury Act made it so manufacturers would have partial liability for vaccine due losses. Fast forward to 2011, and the U.S. Supreme Court has now ensured that manufacturers are no longer liable for injuries or death related to vaccines.

“This means that if you are severely injured by the vaccine, then you have no recourse against the manufacturer,” said Dr. Barke. “What incentives do the vaccine companies have to ensure their product is safe and effective if they only have upside profits and no downside liability?”

Since the flu virus is fickle and may present more strongly as one strain over another, competition among manufacturers is fierce during the six-month window. With $1.61 billion dollars at stake in revenue annually in a $4 billion dollar market, should it be of concern to any of us that manufacturers like Sanofi Pasteur, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, and more scramble in a short amount of time to put together the right concoction of flu shot and make it available for the masses?

Interestingly enough, when a Director of the CDC’s Immunization Safety Office publicized flu studies that didn’t align with a squeaky-clean narrative, the CDC actually issued a gag order on any of their employees from speaking to the press without first getting a pass from their communications team. While it’s common protocol for organizations (especially arms of the government) to keep their business a secret, it’s notable that this gag order came soon after a few different studies came out suggesting that flu shots caused issues for pregnant women and their soon-to-be-born children.

Our favorite magazine-cover model Dr. Anthony Fauci once said that he wanted to accelerate a universal influenza vaccine that could stand the test of time and work well for any strain. He recently announced he’s stepping down from his role as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a role which offered him $480,654 a year, a larger salary than the President of the United States. From 2010 to 2019, public federal salary records showed a total earning of $3.6 million, and if he continues his role through President Biden’s term ending in 2024, he’ll amass $2.5 million more. That’s on top of his full federal pension and accrued Social Security benefits.

What incentives do the vaccine companies have to ensure their product is safe and effective if they only have upside profits and no downside liability?

After Moderna and Pfizer drew big profits from Covid-19 shots, the two companies are now in the process of conducting their own trials for influenza vaccines. The development of these clinical trials could mean that researchers wouldn’t have to play as much of a guessing game about what flu strain is coming up next. What one might consider a game changer, another might feel wary about since it uses the same mRNA technology as shots crafted for Covid-19, instead of live or dead viruses. We were fundamentally gaslit by the media, told that these new shots wouldn’t affect our cycles or cause other tragic adverse effects like miscarriage, but now the media is finally reporting that coronavirus shots caused unwanted symptoms. No, we shouldn’t be branded as conspiracy theorists for raising concerns over yet another round of experimental, “revolutionary” shots for sicknesses that don’t actually have as high of a mortality rate as the media may want you to think.

Feeling Jaded? Here’s How You Could Alternatively Fight the Flu

First of all, the CDC recommends four different types of antiviral medications to be taken within 48 hours after you start feeling flu symptoms. Dr. Barke confirmed the efficacy of these antiviral medications in lieu of flu shots. Now, if you don’t feel comfortable taking those medications, there are still other ways to either prevent the flu or lessen your symptoms naturally.

When seasonal illness is inevitably about to start, you should start proactively getting good bacteria into your body. Probiotics can help fight off infections by keeping your gut microbiome healthy. If you’re already less susceptible to infection, you’ll fare much better when another bug comes around. We all know that probiotics are great for our feminine hormones too, so enjoy a wide range of food with probiotics, from yogurt to kefir to fermented vegetables to apple cider vinegar and more.

Other ways that you can proactively take good care of your health, which Dr. Barke confirmed are strong protection against influenza, are getting daily exercise, daily sun exposure, eating clean, keeping your body clean, getting regular, deep sleep, reducing your stress, and taking supplements. Those supplements will differ from person to person, so consult with your physician for what might be the best choice for you. I can say my personal favorites are desiccated beef liver and Chelated Magnesium Glycinate supplements.

Of course, you can feel free to wear a mask if you really want to (it’s a free country, after all), but don’t forget that in 2019 (pre-Covid-19), the World Health Organization actually didn’t find much strong evidence for masks being an effective flu mitigation strategy.

Closing Thoughts

All in all, getting the flu shot is a personal choice. It’s one that only you can make for yourself with as much or as little guidance from healthcare professionals as you would like. If you choose to get one, you may not necessarily experience awful, adverse reactions, but you may feel icky for a few days or experience mild symptoms for longer. As vaccine manufacturers are shifting how vaccines are made and clinical trials are being sped through, there’s no telling what the long-term effects of new types of flu shots could be. If you choose not to get one, there are still scientifically sound antiviral medications you can take within a few days of feeling poorly, but ultimately, you should preemptively arm yourself with every possible arrow in your quiver of positive health choices to lessen your risk of contraction or dull any symptoms should you fall ill.

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