Swine Flu Isn't Very Different From Yearly Flu

Swine Flu Vs. Yearly Flu: Let's Look at the Numbers...

Our goal with this blog post is to educate people and to help them make informed choices. It is important to know both sides of the story before making these kinds of decisions. That being said, let’s try to ponder some key questions that are being constantly addressed in the media. Note that this post will be substantiated with direct links to websites to see the articles where the facts have been obtained.

Is Swine flu deadly? According the Center for Disease Control, (CDC), “most people who get the H1N1 flu will have mild illness, will not need medical care or antiviral drugs, and will recover in less than 2 weeks,”(found at: CDC link 1). However, the Swine Flu can kill, just like any other flu is potentially lethal. Even the common cold is lethal TO SOMEONE WHO HAS A WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM. Studies show that 70% of the complications from the Swine flu did not occur in healthy individuals, but in children or adults who were already immuno-compromised. Here is a list from the CDC as to those people who are more at risk of serious complication:
• “Chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, hematological (including sickle cell disease), or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus);
• Disorders that that can compromise respiratory function or the handling of respiratory secretions or that can increase the risk for aspiration (e.g., cognitive dysfunction, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, or other neuromuscular disorders)
• Immunosuppression, including that caused by medications or by HIV;
• Preliminary studies suggest that people who are morbidly obese (body mass index equal to or greater than 40) and perhaps people who are obese (body mass index 30 to 39)
• Persons younger than 19 years of age who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy.”
o Found at: CDC link 2

How likely is someone to get the Swine flu? As of 11/25/09, there have been 22 million cases of Swine flu in the US. The total population of the US is hovering somewhere around 307 million, which equates to 14% of the population actually contracting the Swine flu [found at: CDC link 3]. However, there have been an estimated 9800 reported deaths according to the latest statistics from the CDC. Interestingly, the CDC states: “Each year in the United States on average, 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu; on average, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications, and about 36,000 people die from flu-related causes.” [found at:CDC link 4]. That means that the swine flu at present is affecting the same percent as the seasonal flu, with far less fatalities so far. According to these statistics, 9800 deaths from swine flu in 2009 is significantly less than the 36,000 fatalities annually from regular seasonal flu.

Are kids more likely to get the Swine flu? An estimated 8 million children have contracted the Swine flu in the US, (9% of the number of children in the country), with 540 deaths. Considering that there are 75 million children in the US, the death rate of the swine flu in children in 1.5%. [found at: CDC link 5].

What is in the Swine flu shot? Each needle-delivered vaccine contains Thimerosol, a mercury derivative, as one of the main preservatives in the shot (unless you get lucky and find a single dose preparation versus the multi-dose preparation). Mercury is a major toxin to the brain and is carcinogenic, and has been implicated repeatedly (including an important article in the June 2009 issue of the journal entitled Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry) to have a potential relationship in the rise in autism and other developmental disorders [found at:
Journal link 1]. The only vaccine without Thimerasol is the Flumist nasal spray, although that contains MSG and antibiotics. Formaldehyde, used to preserve dead bodies, is also in some of the shots. These ingredients were found on the FDA website at: FDA link 1.

What about testing for swine flu? Recently, doctor’s offices have stopped taking the extra step and actually confirming if their patient has the swine flu with a lab test. These tests cost a lot and take time, so now if you have flu-like symptoms, it is ASSUMED you have Swine flu. According to an article on healthcentral.com, there are a few reasons testing is now longer routinely completed: “1) The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is no longer tracking each case of swine flu, 2)Doctors are familiar with symptoms of the flu and are able to make a diagnosis without a test, and 3)Treatment is the same whether you have the flu or have a viral respiratory infection”[found at: health central link 1]. Therefore it appears that this may statistically increase the number of false positive cases of the swine flu.

With the dozens of shots our kids are given from an early age, do we have a healthier America? Are our kids, or adults for that matter, a shining example of health and vitality? No, we are sicker, more obese, and less fit than ever before. As reported in the Huffington Post recently, one in three American children has diabetes, one in three is obese and one in three American children have allergies, autism, ADHD or asthma. [found at:
huffington post link 1]

It was additionally postulated in an article in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine that my generation will be the first in recent history to have their average age of death be younger than the generation before us [found at:
New England Journal of Medicine link 1]. What does all this mean? It sounds (statistically speaking) that the 2009-2010 Swine Flu is relatively similar to the "regular seasonal flu!" I don’t know about you, but these statistics show that with the degree of fear being discussed, we are traveling in the wrong direction. It is like the signs on the highways that say, “Wrong way. Go back.”


OK…so with all that bad news, what can be done to help give you the strongest possible body, one that might be more apt to fend off the swine flu? Our approach is simple and three-pronged: 1) Chiropractic, to boost your immune system and keep it functioning at 100%; 2) diet, to make sure you are eating the best possible foods to avoid weakening your own immune system by poor food choices, along with taking proper supplementation to give your body (for example, extra probiotics and vitamin c); and 3) exercise, to keep your body as strong as it can be, which helps reduce stress and thereby increase your ability to fight disease.

We believe that the power that made the body can heal the body. We believe that the best ‘vaccination’ is prevention, through chiropractic, diet and exercise. The body has this amazing intelligence that controls it from above, down, inside out. It knows what to do, when to do it and how to do it, and our job is to make sure it is working at 100% of its potential.

When this winter is over, I will be very interested to see how many regular chiropractic patients got Swine flu, versus the rest of the population. In the meantime, keep healthy with chiropractic, diet and exercise!

Please post your comments, whether they are for this article or against it…I would enjoy seeing your reactions, and will respond to all posts. And most of all, have the happiest and healthiest of holidays! Check out theadjustment.com for more information.