Zombie Apocalypse and the Flu

You have made your choice…no flu vaccine for your family.

You have done the research, and with the confidence that comes with educating yourself, you feel pretty good. Then the media reignites the ‘get your flu vaccine before we run out’ campaign, hospitals start reporting the number of cases of H1N1, and very suddenly, sadly and tragically, you hear of someone dying from the flu…including the healthy 30-year-old who was fine one day and gone within the week. This can and does happen.

How do you make sense of it all? And what can you do for yourself and your family? Do you get the vaccine? Do you stand firm in your choice? What do you do for prevention?

MEET REBECCA GOWER
Rebecca is a homeopath and colleague based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who specializes in mom’s health and fertility.

Her article “What the Flu and the Zombie Apocalypse Have in Common” was written well before the flu vaccine campaign and almost predicted the kind of panic felt at the end of this flu season.

Check it out! What could the two possibly have in common?

“What the Flu and the Zombie Apocalypse Have in Common”
I really, really love the television show The Walking Dead, which frankly surprises me. I’m that person who loves science fiction (think the first three Star Wars movies, Star Trek and especially the newer Battlestar Galactica). I used to refuse point-blank to watch any zombie movies.

I’ve become hooked on The Walking Dead because it is really a human drama that happens to take place when zombies suddenly take over the world. Zombies are half-alive people who only have a limited brain function and are driven by blood. And just like zombies are desperate for food, one of the themes of the show is how hard the humans in the show have to fight for everything from just being able to live without being attacked by zombies to having to scrounge for basic necessities that we take for granted such as food, water and medicine. The show really reminds me how much denial we all live in until we are pushed by some crisis.

I know it seems like a stretch to compare a zombie apocalypse, which is a little silly and mostly made-up, to influenza. Just bear with me. In spite of the influenza outbreaks of the last few years, we have been pretty lucky. The fact is that we are due for a more serious strain of influenza. And most of us feel very comfortable because of the advances of medical science and most of us are way too young to remember how much devastation an epidemic of influenza can really cause.

It’s great that we all have the advances of medical sciences. I know I’m grateful especially for medical interventions when we need them. Each system of medicine has its strengths and weakness. I am suggesting that effectively preventing and treating influenza is one of the weaknesses of conventional medicine. I want to make two points here:

Conventional Medicine’s Record with Influenza:
The Spanish Influenza epidemic is probably the most famous and most severe influenza outbreak in the last 100 years. It is famous because it led to a huge amount of deaths on a global scale. Unfortunately, conventional medicine of the time was not very effective against the flu. Public health records show a 30-60% mortality rate. This means that you had almost a 50% chance of dying if you were treated in this way. That’s scary to think about. On the other hand, homeopathic medicine gained its reputation by successfully treating a wide range of epidemics including Spanish Influenza. Compared to a 30-60% mortality rate of conventional medicine, homeopaths in the United States alone only had a 1.05% mortality rate during the Spanish Influenza epidemic. (Lansky, Impossible Cure, page 6)

But Now There’s the Flu Vaccine:
You probably are going to argue that conventional medicine is much more equipped to fight the flu now because there have been many breakthroughs including a vaccine. A study from 2012 showed that the flu vaccine is at best 59% effective and less so with the elderly and other people with compromised immune systems. To read a review of this study, please click here.

Scientists do their best to try to determine which strains of influenza to add to each year’s vaccine, but there is no way they can accurately estimate which strains will develop each year. And although there is a big push every year to vaccinate for influenza, it is probably the least effective vaccine out there.

What Can You Do?

Educate Yourself: I want you to decide what is best for you and your family’s health. I want you to come to this decision through learning and researching the information for yourself. Knowledge is the most powerful tool in terms of your health and wellness. Of course, if you there’s a way I can help, you can always reach out to me.
It’s Easier to Prevent Illness: It is easier to prevent illness than to treat it. It’s also easier on all of us when we don’t have to actually go through Influenza or other powerful viruses. Don’t forget that influenza is not like other upper respiratory tract viruses. Once you’ve actually had Influenza you won’t ever forget it. So you will want to look for options that will help you prevent Influenza.
Don’t Get Stuck in Denial: As I mentioned before, denial is so powerful. It’s like floating in the most serene lake with warm sun shining on you. You don’t want to leave. I get it. This is one reason to get out of the comfort of that lake. Do something. Improve your diet. Boost your immune system with homeopathic medicine; or get the flu shot.

Rebecca Gower is a Mother and a Homeopath. She works with moms and moms-to-be who want safe and effective natural solutions for their families healthcare needs. Since 2008, she has helped hundreds of women and children to feel healthy and happy. You can visit her website to find out more. When she’s not helping families, she’s busy chasing after her own toddler, exploring her love for good food or watching documentaries.