The Flu: to vaccinate or not?

I have never gotten a flu shot... .I have never had the flu (knock on wood).  My daughter has never and will never receive a flu shot (unless she is decides for herself once she is old enough). Why you ask?  I work with patients who suffer from neurological disabilities.  In the 5 years I have been working I have treated 5 patients who suffered Guillion-Barre Syndrome after receiving their flu shot.  Doctors will try to tell you there is no correlation whatsoever, but that statistic is more than I'm willing to gamble with.  I combat the flu with other methods: wash my hands often, wear a mask when I'm working with patients who present with respiratory symptoms but still insist on coming to therapy, etc.  It's worked so far!

My boss sent out an email today regarding a new flu vaccine that is genetically engineered from bugs and cultivated in dogs' kidney cells vs eggs.  Still don't think I'm willing to go there, haha.  This article did, however, have some good advice for otherwise protecting yourself from the flu that I found interesting.  Figured I would do my civic duty and share these tips with you:

•Optimize Your Gut Flora. This may be the single most important strategy you can implement as the bacteria in your gut have enormous control of your immune response. The best way to improve your beneficial bacteria ratio is avoid sugars as they will feed the pathogenic bacteria. Additionally, 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 than regular use of fermented foods can radically optimize the function of your immune response.


•Optimize your vitamin D levels. As I've previously reported, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D deficiency may actually be the true culprit behind the seasonality of the flu – not the flu virus itself. This is probably the single most important and least expensive action you can take. Regularly monitor your vitamin D levels to confirm your levels are within the therapeutic range of 50-70 ng/ml.

Ideally, you'll want to get all your vitamin D from sun exposure or a "safe" tanning bed, but as a last resort you can take an oral vitamin D3 supplement. According to the latest review by Carole Baggerly (Grassrootshealth.org), adults need about 8,000 IU's a day. Be sure to take vitamin K2 if you are taking high dose oral vitamin D as it has a powerful synergy and will help prevent any D toxicity.

I'm not exactly sure what consistutes a "safe" tanning bed......

•Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods. Sugar impairs the quality of your immune response almost immediately, and as you likely know, a healthy immune system is one of the most important keys to fighting off viruses and other illness. It also can decimate your beneficial bacteria and feed the pathogenic yeast and viruses. Be aware that sugar (typically in the form of high fructose corn syrup) is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice. If you are healthy that sugar can be consumed but the LAST thing you should be eating when you are sick is sugar. Avoid it like poison while you are sick.

•Get Plenty of Rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my article Guide to a Good Night's Sleep for some great tips to help you get quality rest.

•Have Effective Tools to 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 using an energy psychology tool such as the Emotional Freedom Technique, which is remarkably effective in relieving stress associated with all kinds of events, from work to family to trauma.

I've never heard of the Emotional Freedom Technique, but I think I might check that out!
•Get Regular Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. Be sure to stay hydrated – drink plenty of fluids, especially water. However, it would be wise to radically reduce the intensity of your workouts while you are sick. No Peak 8s until you are better.

•Take a High Quality Source of Animal-Based Omega-3 Fats. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill oil, 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 damage your immune response.

•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 completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to.

No antibacterial soap... going to the grocery store on the way home! (I've read this before but haven't done anything about it.  In using antibacterial soap we are creating Super Bacteria that are resistance to antibacterial substances.  We are weeding out the weak bacteria leaving the strong to reproduce and strengthen themselves)
•Tried and True Hygiene Measures. 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.

•Use Natural Antibiotics. Examples include oil of oregano and garlic. These work like broad-spectrum antibiotics against bacteria, viruses, and protozoa in your body. And unlike pharmaceutical antibiotics, they do not appear to lead to resistance.

Use garlic to increase your health?! Rachael Rae will be thrilled to hear this!!
•Avoid Hospitals. I'd recommend you stay away from hospitals unless you're having an emergency and need expert medical care, as hospitals are prime breeding grounds for infections of all kinds. The best place to get plenty of rest and recover from illness that is not life-threatening is usually in the comfort of your own home.

Oh well, my luck ran out on this one seeing as I WORK for a hospital!!

Weight Loss Myths

I'm on a new get fit/lose weight kick.  Going on a very special trip in March and my goal is to lose 10 pounds and tone up before I leave.  I have 51 days to get it done! So I've been reading different articles trying to make sure I'm doing things the most efficient way to make the most use of the limited time I have.  I found this article very interesting, especially the part about added fiber vs natural fiber and shorter workouts vs longer works!

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/6-weight-loss-myths-busted-153200466.html

Move to Mars - the next Reality TV Show

I'm not kidding.  Some non-profit organization wants people to volunteer to to move to Mars.  These people need to be creative and either hate Earth or have "nothing to live for" because obviously this will be a one-way trip.  We will get to watch their training for this journey and help "vote" (I guess this is the right term?) for the winners, and then watch their journey and settlement on Mars.  REALLY?!?!

Read for yourself:

http://news.yahoo.com/wanted-astronauts-one-way-trip-mars-144200502.html

Happy New Year

Hope everyone had a fun and safe New Year's celebration! We sure did. Aly and I celebrated with a few other army wives and their children.  The kids had so much fun playing together.  They played chase, hide and go seek, fashion show (including the boy), karaoke/dance, and who knows what else.  We all played several rounds of the game Hedbanz.  Pizza and finger foods.  We toasted the New Year's at 6pm to our fellas since it was 12 midnight their time.  It was great.

On the way home, a dog ran out in front of me coming down a major road.  I slammed on brakes to avoid hitting him, not thinking about the 18 wheeler behind me.  The truck driver slammed on brakes, tires skidding, blowing smoke, swerved into the other lane to avoid rear-ending me and praise Jesus missed my car... but hit the dog.  I heard the dog yelp right before he was hit and saw him get slung across the road.  :(  I felt awful!  What a way to start off the new year!!