It's that time of year again. The flu season is upon us, or should I say the season to push flu shots for the benefit of the bottom line of the big pharmaceutical companies. I am now hearing radio ads, seeing print ads and being generally inundated with pronouncements about the necessity of flu shots to prevent coming down with such a malady. I've read stories about how the flu shot should be taken, especially by pregnant women. Every time I hear or see such nonsense, it makes me want to cringe.
I must say, however, that at least this year they're not pushing it as hard as they did last year. Remember last year? The media hype was huge. There was going to be a terrible plague like we hadn't seen since 1918. Millions were going to die. It was going to be terrifying. The flu was going to wipe us all out.
Well, that didn't happen. In fact, it was the lowest flu rate in years. Not only that, but less people than normal were taking the flu shot. It seems that maybe the hype and fear mongering had the opposite effect than it was supposed to. Or maybe people are just becoming more wary. Maybe they're starting to research claims on their own rather than simply trusting large corporations and doing as they're told by the media. Maybe others besides me just don't trust the way flu vaccines are made and don't like the thimerosal, squalene, adjuvants and other questionable ingredients in the shots. Maybe some, also like me, discovered that the flu shots made them sick. I can't say for sure, but I'm fairly certain that the low numbers of people getting the flu and the low numbers of people taking the shots are not merely coincidental.
I read at MSNBC that scientists are now saying most Americans have an immunity to the swine flu. How convenient. Just at a time when people are finally beginning to question the effectiveness of flu vaccines, they had to figure out something to say to explain away the low amount of flu cases last year after all their fear mongering. They call it herd immunity, I call it herd mentality. We are beginning to think for ourselves, to question authority, to worry about ourselves and to stop worrying so much about the herd. This is scaring the establishment.
The specter of millions of deaths like in 1918 wasn't enough to send the people flocking to get their shots, and now they have to think of some reason flu cases were down at the same time inoculations were also down. So, most of us have an (cough) immunity to swine flu because of past exposure or we already had the vaccine. Yeah, right. Next look for fear to be raised of some other kind of flu, something we haven't been exposed to. Maybe the bird flu. Or the Asian flu. Or perhaps a horse flu. Or a cat flu. Or a kangaroo flu. It doesn't matter. They need to figure out something to scare us with so that we'll flock to them begging to be saved from some malady. They need to make their money.
Do you suppose that the past deceptions and misleading statements have taken effect against the makers of flu shots? How often were we told how safe the shots were only to find out later that they might have links to certain side effects like Guillain Barre, autism and even Alzheimer's? How much covering up can the media do for corporate big pharma before people scream enough and learn not to trust them? Personally, I discovered long ago that I'd rather take my chances with nature and risk catching the flu than risk putting the chemicals in my body that the greedy big pharmaceutical companies tell me are safe. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.
I'm not saying that all vaccinations are bad. I will say this, however. I had the measles. I had the chicken pox. I had the childhood diseases and lived through them, and now I am immune for life. Those vaccinations, the shots that you take once when you're a child and then never again, those perhaps aren't so bad. Or at least they weren't when I was a child, I'm not so sure anymore. But if you have to take a shot every year to prevent illness, is it worth it? Is it worth the risk when combined with even the small amounts of questionable ingredients and poisons necessary to preserve the active ingredients in the shot?
The shot isn't even guaranteed to prevent the flu. They have to guess the type of flu that's going to be catching that year. And if they prevent one flu this year, they may not prevent another, or that flu may be around again next year. One is better off just taking precautions like washing their hands often, eating well to boost immune health and avoiding crowds if possible. I also wonder that if one catches the flu, how long will that immunity last as opposed to the immunity one gets by taking the shot? I remember the really bad flu I got the last time I took the shot because I thought I was going to die and now I wonder if I have an immunity to that flu for life. I hope I do.
It bears repeating, the hype doesn't seem to be there this year. I don't see the corporate media pushing the shots. I don't see celebrities taking the shots to show how safe they are or news outlets talking about a viral infestation threatening to take out mankind this year. The advertising is still there, but much more low key, which just might work for them. As for me, they couldn't pay me to take their shot, let alone get me to pay for it. In fact, if I had a job where the flu shot was required, I just might be forced out of work. That's how much I distrust the pharmaceutical establishment and their government cronies. I know there are others with similar feelings. I hope this is one battle the corporate establishment is going to lose as more and more people discover that maybe they can survive quite well without taking part in the yearly ritual of getting a flu shot.
I guess the big pharmaceutical companies are just going to have to figure out another way to make lots of money. Perhaps they can get the government to pass some kind of health care reform bill. Oh, wait, that already happened. I wonder how much big pharma contributed to that tome. Perhaps they can start experimenting on our soldiers overseas, vaccinating them against strange diseases and over charging our government for their medical products and services. Perhaps they can sell their questionable wares to third world nations where no one is paying attention. Perhaps they'll think of something even more devious and destructive than imaginable. One can only hope that those with principle can keep an eye on them and expose any shady dealings they may have. One can only hope that one day we will live in a world where individuals can chose to frequent medical professionals they feel are principled and trustworthy rather than being forced to use products that are only available due to political connections.
My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.
No comments:
Post a Comment