Be sure to read right to the end. As a faithful subscriber to the weekly newsletters, I have a thank you gift waiting for you!
Almost time to roll out the flu vaccine marketing campaign! To keep this a fast and easy read today, I am going to share with you a client’s recent experience with the flu and then I will offer some information for you to research the FluMist vaccine which has been removed from the US vaccine schedule (ineffective) but remains on the Canadian one as safe and effective.
Confusing, isn’t it?
The reason for researching FluMist and suggesting you research it too?
Children as young as 2 will be offered this vaccine, which is a Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV – intranasal – sprayed in the nose). The vaccine has been declared safe and effective. (Attenuated means that the virus has been grown on animal cells and passed through tissue to ‘weaken’ the virulence of the virus.)
Flu in Real Time
One of my long time clients (Sarah) has reported this week that she came down with flu and that in her small community there have been several others with similar symptoms.
- Severe chills with rigors (convulsive shaking) with very high fevers (105 at one point).
- Painful stiffness in neck, back and shoulders
- Inability to move
- Heat with perspiration following the chills and shaking
- Sensitive to being chilled in cold air or moving/removing covers
Sarah is an extremely well informed individual who knows how to use homeopathic remedies (she has taken the Vaccine Free: Now What? courses that I offer) so at the first sign of flu, she used Influenzinum – a remedy made by Helios Pharmacy in England made from the 1918 Spanish influenza. The remedy appeared to help but when she developed pain and stiffness in the neck, shoulders and head she then used homeopathic Rhus tox.
Within three or four days she was feeling much better so she went for a walk for an hour and after the walk, returned to work for a short while. Being in the cool autumn air and working even that small amount was enough to send her into a relapse of chills, rigors, heat and eventual inability to move at all. Gelsemium was tried.
However, when her fever kept rising and she could not move, she called an ambulance.
Tests were given in the hospital and the White Blood Cell count was very high, indicating an infection. Antibiotics were prescribed. After hydration (water given intravenously) and vital signs returning to normal, she decided to return home. Her chest was clear and eventually the diagnosis, flu.
Getting chilled on the way home from the hospital started a cycle of rigors and fever again so Sarah repeated the Gelsemium. At this point, because of the history of the very high fever in a short amount of time, she opted to take an over-the-counter fever medication.
Despite all your best intentions to allow the fever sometimes, you just do what you have to do in these kinds of circumstances. Do try Belladonna or Aconite for fever but if they do not help (you will need a homeopath’s help to find a better fever remedy match) and you are concerned about a fever becoming too high too quickly, then you might want to consider a fever medication.
When there is an acute illness like flu, you may have to try more than one remedy as the symptom picture changes and if needed, you might have to contact your homeopath as well to come to a remedy that will be the best match for the flu symptom picture for that individual.
A return trip to the hospital in the morning and more tests showed that the white blood cells were returning to normal.
Rest is the prescription now. Please – do rest when you are sick. Flu these days seems to have a relapsing nature so even if you are feeling much better after a homeopathic remedy, go slow!
From the Public Health Agency Canada website:
FluMist and your Children: 2016/17 Season:
We understand that parents have heard different reports about FluMist over the past few months.
In Alberta, we follow the recommendations from Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization.
The Committee reviewed recent research, and found that nasal spray influenza vaccine products (FluMist), are still safe and effective for children.
The Committee still recommends FluMist as one of the immunization products to be offered to children this influenza season. What’s different is that it is not the only preferred product for children this season.
In alignment the Committee’s recommendation, FluMist will be offered in Alberta’s Influenza Immunization Clinics. Parents will have the opportunity to choose between the nasal spray FluMist immunization product, and ainjectible (needle) immunization product.
Again, both products are safe and effective for children.
To help you make an informed decision, you can find information on the Canadian recommendation, and the USA recommendation, listed below.
We encourage you to consider the information provided below, and make the decision that you feel is best for your child/children.
- View the Canadian National Advisory Committee on Immunization Recommendation
- More information on the US recommendation – Note that, in the United States, the Centres for Disease Control & Prevention has made a different recommendation. They are not recommending nasal spray for children.
Note: Nasal Spray vaccine is often called FluMist, or FluMistQuadravalent Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV). You may see those names in the links provided above.
How safe is the Vaccine?
These quotes are taken directly from the product monograph itself and you will have to decide for yourself and for your children/family whether to get this vaccine or not. At this time, flu vaccines are not mandatory in the provinces or in Canada. Be informed and practice your right to choose.
Contraindications for FluMist Intranasal vaccine:
…contraindicated in individuals with a history of hypersensitivity, especially anaphylactic reactions, to eggs, egg proteins, gentamicin, gelatin, or arginine or to any other ingredient in the formulation.
In other words, any allergies to eggs, egg proteins, antibiotics (gentamicin), amino acids (arginine), gelatin and ‘any other ingredient’…not sure how you would find out what that ingredient might be!
“Vaccine recipients should be informed that FLUMIST QUADRIVALENT is an attenuated live virus vaccine and has the potential for transmission to immunocompromised contacts. Vaccine recipients should attempt to avoid, whenever possible, close association with severely immunocompromised individuals (e.g., bone marrow transplant recipients requiring isolation) for at least 2 weeks following vaccination. Peak incidence of vaccine virus recovery occurred 2-3 days post-vaccination in clinical studies. In circumstances where contact with severely immunocompromised individuals is unavoidable, the potential risk of transmission of the influenza vaccine virus should be weighed against the risk of acquiring and transmitting wild- type influenza virus.”
This is a live virus and can shed.
FLUMIST QUADRIVALENT should not be administered to individuals with severe asthma (e.g. currently requiring therapy with oral glucocorticosteroids or high dose inhaled glucocorticosteroids) or active wheezing (medically attended wheezing in the seven days prior to vaccination) because these individuals have not been adequately studied in clinical trials.
Do you have a child with wheezing or asthma? Not likely very safe to have the vaccine despite reassurances that this is a safe and effective vaccine. And please be sure that your under 2 year old is not being offered the vaccine because there is an increased risk of wheezing.
Do not administer FLUMIST QUADRIVALENT to children <24 months of age due to increased risk of wheezing (see ADVERSE REACTIONS).
Product Monograph for FLUMIST® QUADRIVALENT
Check Medalerts for adverse reactions:
How to Prevent Flu if you are opting out of a flu vaccine?
Homeopathy can be effective and safe in prevention of flu and if you get the flu.
The Boiron Influenzinum remedy is now available. The current strains of the flu virus used in the current year’s vaccine are homeopathically prepared and safe for all family members to use as prevention. Go to www.renewal.clinic for your flu kit.
The Helios Influenzinum is available year round. Contact your homeopath.
And the gift?
For those of you who are regular weekly subscribers, and for those who have found this newsletter on FB and have read all the way to the end, I am offering a 25% discount on the Vaccine Free: Now What? Influenza course. The course is online, available 24/7, study at your own time. Send an email to info@powersofhomeopathy.com for details about how to enrol. You can find out more information about the course by going here.
Yours in health and healing,
Donna
