While Americans across the country line up for flu shots this winter, some doctors say they don’t work and may actually do more harm than good.
Dr. John Adams, a homeopathic and family practice physician in Sedona, said he doesn’t recommend anyone get a flu shot. Instead, he says all a person needs is Vitamin D3; AHCC, Japanese medicinal mushroom extract; and homeopathic preparation, or diluted mixtures of natural substances regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
By Trista Steers
Larson Newspapers
While Americans across the country line up for flu shots this winter, some doctors say they don’t work and may actually do more harm than good.
Dr. John Adams, a homeopathic and family practice physician in Sedona, said he doesn’t recommend anyone get a flu shot. Instead, he says all a person needs is Vitamin D3; AHCC, Japanese medicinal mushroom extract; and homeopathic preparation, or diluted mixtures of natural substances regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Adams referred to research by Dr. Joseph Mercola, a New York Times best-selling author, and licensed physician and surgeon who also practices homeopathic medicine. Mercola’s research also says Vitamin D is what prevents the flu, not the vaccine.
The Yavapai County Public Health Department encourages anyone 6 months to 18 years old or over 50 years old to get the vaccine, claiming on its Web site the vaccine prevents the flu.
Cindy Roth, nurse manager for Fronske Health Center at Northern Arizona University, said the flu shot protects a person and the people around that person from contracting the flu.
“We give it to everyone who wants it,” Roth said, and she recommends even people in low risk groups — healthy individuals 18 to 50 years old — get the shot.
“The flu itself is so dangerous,” Roth said.
Kim McCoy, a Camp Verde resident, attended a county flu shot clinic in Cottonwood on Nov. 12, to get vaccinated. McCoy said she’s gotten the shot for four years because her entire office does it and she has two grandbabies.
“I’d rather get the flu shot and hope I don’t get the flu,” McCoy said.
However, Adams and Mercola argue the vaccine is just as dangerous as the flu itself.
“I don’t think they [vaccines] work well,” Adams said. “I don’t trust them.”
Adams claims he’s seen people get sick from the vaccine itself and sometimes develop autoimmune diseases. In fact, Adams said he used to believe in vaccination early in his medical career but his 30 years of experience has caused him to become skeptical.
McCoy said she got sick one year she got the vaccine but doesn’t think it was because of the shot.
Mercola cites the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Lancet Infectious Diseases and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews among other articles on his Web site to support his claim that autoimmune disease is just the tip of the iceberg.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, four out of the six flu vaccination varieties contain mercury and formaldehyde.
Roth said the amount of mercury is small and can be compared with levels found in ocean fish people eat.
Mercola reports it contains 25 micrograms of mercury, which he says is unsafe for anyone who weighs less than 550 pounds.
The Environmental Protection Agency says all forms of mercury are toxic to humans in its Hazard Summary created in April 1992 and revised in January 2000.
Formaldehyde is used as a preservative, according to Roth.
Formaldehyde causes cancer, according to Mercola.
Roth said she trusts vaccines and probably wouldn’t be a nurse if she didn’t believe in them as a preventative measure against disease.
Mercola said if a person gets vaccinated, the person can still get the flu. The vaccine only protects against some strains and nobody knows which strains will pop up from year to year.
In 20 years of not receiving a vaccination, Mercola said he’s never had the flu. Instead of a shot, people simply need to ensure they are getting enough Vitamin D, or the “sunshine vitamin,” and winter, or flu season, is when people see less of the sun. Oral supplements can be used to make up the difference.
Roth, on the other hand, stands behind the vaccine and its benefits.
“From what I know, I feel comfortable doing it [giving vaccinations],” Roth said.
McCoy said she doesn’t know what the vaccine’s ingredients are but in her small office, she can’t afford to get sick, so she gets the shot.
Trista Steers can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 124, or e-mail tsteers@larsonnewspapers.com
