Do You Know What's Inside a Flu Shot?
By Dr. Ben Kim on September 19, 2008
Each year, just as multiple reminders on the need for and efficacy of getting a flu shot hit the news wires, I start receiving a steady stream of e-mails from readers, all asking the same basic question:
"Should I get a flu shot?"
My answer is an unequivocal no. I never recommend getting a flu shot. Based on everything that I know about flu shots, I think it's pretty clear that their main effect is to tax and possibly weaken one's immune system.
Before I highlight my main reasons for saying no to flu shots, please have a look at the following skit by the Royal Canadian Air Farce - it's quite the humorous look at the main ingredients that go into flu shots, and how little the general public knows about what's being injected into their bloodstreams:
There are a number of reasons why I feel that flu shots should be avoided, and almost all of them are related to the ingredients mentioned in this video.
But here's the most glaring reason: One in a million people who get the flu shot develops a neurological disease called Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
Guillain-Barré syndrome tends to develop without notice, and is marked by extreme muscle weakness and other symptoms related to nerve dysfunction. I once provided ongoing chiropractic treatments to a professional athlete who had to retire early because he developed Guillain-Barré Syndrome, so I know firsthand how debilitating this condition can be.
And let's not miss an obvious point: if one in a million people who get the flu shot can develop a devastating neurological condition, how many others who get the flu shot suffer from a number of uncomfortable symptoms that are never properly or accurately diagnosed? It's just not realistic to think that the ingredients in a flu shot can cause severe neurological damage in a small percentage of the population while leaving everyone else completely uninjured.
The truth is, even if the odds were one in 300 million, I would still say no to getting a flu shot - why take any risk of creating serious damage to my body?
The best defense against the flu and the common cold is to live healthfully every day. And if we do develop the flu or a cold, if we give our bodies time to rest and heal, we can cleanse ourselves of our weakest cells. For more information on this topic, please feel free to view the following articles:
What Most Doctors Won't Tell You About Colds and Flus
Why I Never Get Flu Shots or Snorts, by Chet Day
If you have any family members or friends who continue to believe in and get flu shots, please share this article with them.
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jenny b. said... funny
jenny b. said...
funny and sad at the same time. :)
Wednesday, December 07, 2005 10:15:10 PM
Ben Kim, D.C. said...
Well put, Jenny. The clip is so funny that it made me temporarily forget some of the real tragedies associated with flu shots.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005 10:32:47 PM
oneprez said...
I CANT STOP LAUGHTING! UHH! SHOULDNT WE BE AMMUNED TO THE FLU BY NOW? WE SHOULD BE AFTER YEAR'S OF FIGHTING OVER WHO GET'S A VIRUS INJECTION FIRST! LOL!
Thursday, December 08, 2005 12:15:17 AM
David Rutherford said...
haha, that was very funny dr. kim!
Thursday, December 08, 2005 3:33:35 AM
heather said...
sorry !dr Kim , but I didn't get a laugh out of that flu article. Not at all!!! But thanks for trying>
Thursday, December 08, 2005 3:46:29 AM
Mariana B said...
Thank you a lot...it was funny !...I did forward the email to everybody on my book :)
" Visuals " are always powerful!...and so funny...
Thanks again!
Thursday, December 08, 2005 8:21:11 AM
Anonymous said...
So, yes funny. But is the list of ingredients true??? If so, oh my, I had no idea.
Thursday, December 08, 2005 8:36:37 AM
Sarah said...
After extensive research into vaccinations after the birth of my first daughter, I am somewhat saddened by this clip, though I can see the humour as well.
Sometimes it is difficult to laugh about the things we take most seriously.
Thank you for sharing this with us. I have forwarded it to family and friends.
Thursday, December 08, 2005 9:43:05 AM
Anonymous said...
Well done Dr. Kim. The drug companies have been forcing garbage into our bodies for years and it's all about $$$ and not about health. Scare the public with misinformation has been their motto for decades. Keep up the good work.
Dr. Jerry
Thursday, December 08, 2005 1:32:35 PM
Anonymous said...
Really makes you stop and think about what the drug companies and government say is good for you and "safe". It is all about money. Healthy people do not make money for the drug companies. Look at the side effects of some of the medicines, they are worse than what you take them for. Bet the same drug company has the cure for what they have caused.
Thursday, December 08, 2005 3:07:19 PM
Anonymous said...
It was funny!
Whoever didn't think it was funny has lost their funny bone.
I teach at an elementary school. Every year they try to poison us with the flu shot. Some teachers get so sick. But some NEVER learn. :-(
Thanks!
Thursday, December 08, 2005 4:34:06 PM
Colleen C. said...
Hilarious!! Good actor.Too bad most people still think the drug companies and government have our best interest at heart. They just see dollar signs $$$$ instead of trusting, loving people.
Friday, December 09, 2005 5:09:18 PM
Unknown said...
DR> KIM, funny. scarey. but not surprising. Never had a flu shot. I was always more afraid of the shot then getting the flu. Now I can see why! Its worst than I thought! Geri S Ny
Saturday, December 10, 2005 7:00:15 AM
Ben Kim, D.C. said...
I'm really glad that so many people viewed this important clip. As of this moment, close to 4,000 people have viewed Eye On: Flu Shot.
What an amazingly effective way to educate people on the realities of flu shots! I encourage you to recommend this clip to friends and family. Let's hope that the cbc.ca website keeps it up for a long time.
Ben Kim
Saturday, December 10, 2005 2:02:13 PM
irene said...
very funny Dr Kim,please keep on spreading the word about these nasty harmful vaccines and other prescribed drugs.keep well.irene monday,december 12,2005 11:07am
Monday, December 12, 2005 6:25:35 AM
Anonymous said...
Soon to be frog-marched by the British National Health Service into the flu shot clinic, with the 'we'll tell on you if you don't have it and you'll have consequences from the doctor' threat, I'll be brave and ask them for the list of ingredients - then leave after I've shown them the video. I always knew these shots were dodgy... Thanks for the ammunition!
Monday, October 09, 2006 10:40:42 AM
Anonymous said...
Again as many others have already stated...it is all about money,...so, so , sad, especially for parents who have to make a decision concerning their children. As a parent you want to do what is right and best, well aht is that anymore when it comes to ALL the different vaccines a child is suppose to take? I think it would be awesome if you could help us all with that major issue. Thank you for helping us open our eyes to the truth.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006 1:06:50 PM
Anonymous said...
they missed one- MSG. I had life threatening reactions to vaccines every forced innoculation in school and it wasnt until i found out what was in the vaccines that i knew why!
Tuesday, October 10, 2006 2:22:42 PM
Zac Roe said...
Does anyone know if flu shots are still being made with thimerosal? I thought vaccinations were no longer being made wit that particular preservative (since 2002, that is).
Monday, October 23, 2006 12:42:31 AM
Ben Kim said...
The flu shot administered in Canada does contain thimerosal. The
URL is:
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/im/q_a_thimerosal_e.html
It states:
"Since 1994, all routine childhood vaccines, with the exception of the flu vaccine, administered in Canada
have not contained thimerosal. Thimerosal is not added to single dose vaccines."
"In Canada, vaccines to prevent the following diseases are used for routine immunization of children and do not contain thimerosal:
* Diptheria
* Tetanus (lockjaw)
* Pertussis (whooping cough)
* Polio
* Rubella (German measles)
* Measles (red measles)
* Mumps
* Hepatitis B (available free to children only in some provinces and territories)
* Haemophilus influenzae type b disease
* Meningococcal C
* Pneumococcal
* Varicella"
Flu shots
I didn't watch the video but wish to comment on Dr. Kim's advice. Some years ago when I had just licked the flu, my doctor at the time said, "There's a way to avoid getting the flu now and you'll never have it again." He then gave me a flu shot. In a very short time I began a dry cough. My daughter heard me coughing repeatedly and suggested I have a checkup at a clinic devoted to respiratory illnesses. She said it sounded like asthma and it was. Perhaps because of an allergic reaction to one of those ingredients in the flu shot? At any rate, I had suddenly developed a temporary asthma which, I was told, would leave eventually after treatment. Well, I'm still asthmatic but of course, I never took another flu shot.
flu shots
I always had flu shots as a child as I grew up in a farming area, exposed to chemicals and suffered asthma and allergies as a result. I missed a flu shot one year and immediately saw the link to no flu shot = no flu. Although I stopped having flu shots, a few years ago I started a vaccination course for hep a & b as I was working as a cleaner. Every shot brought on a full blown flu which turned my skin green while sick. Since then I have experienced lowered resistence in my immune system and 2 years of chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. Coincidence?
Thanks Mr. Kim
I love this website, and articles like this make me trust it and love it even more.
I've long believed that some of the ingredients in a flu shot would be very harmful to voluntarily put in my body for a chance to not get the flu for that particular season. If you voice your concerns to most doctors they just assume you're some kind of health nut or conspiracy theorist or something. Its sad how ignorant we are about our own health but its good to know there are people like you out there that run websites like this to keep people informed about their health.
Thanks again for your efforts.
flu shot & vaccines
Dear Dr Kim,
Well, I just happen to be one out of a million. I think that one in a million is not even close to being accurate. After coming down with gullain-barre syndrome I did some research on the flu shot and vaccines. The research said that only 10% of doctors report the effects of the flu shot. I saw 3 doctors ( neurologist, internist & family practicioner) and not one of them ever asked me if I had a flu shot.Isn't that odd. I had a bad reaction the day after and was told it was probably just a coincidence. I tell everyone I know about my situation and warn them about flu shots and vaccines. My 2 youngest grandchildren have not been vaccinated. The drug companies and the FDA are slowly killing us and we are too busy to notice. I am only 57 and have suffered with this for almost 6 yrs, I lost my job, my career, and my health. I think it would be safer to play Russian Roulette, a bad outcome would be less painful.
WOW!
Hi Angela,
I'm so sorry to hear about your condition. I'm a competitive speaker and this year I'm giving a speech on the flu vaccine and why we shouldn't take it. I wanted to make sure that I could use your story to allert people of the side effects of taking the flu vaccine. Also I would like to know where you got the piece of information on the whole 10% of doctors don't submit thing. That is really good evidence and I want to use it but I am having trouble finding it. Thanks!
~Tess~