What winter season would be complete without chilly weather, hot cocoa, and… flu vaccines?

Vaccination against the flu (influenza) is perhaps conventional medicine's most common weapon against misery-causing viruses that usually strike between January and March and can result in acute fever, cough, chills, tiredness, body aches and sweats.

But new research suggests they're not as effective as claimed, leaving some people wondering if there are other ways of flu prevention.

A September 2007 study in The Lancet said the flu vaccine benefit in reducing deaths amongst people in their 70s is "greatly exaggerated".  Researchers at George Washington University pointed out that although flu vaccine coverage rose in the United States from 15 to 65 percent since 1980s, flu-related mortality rates in the winter actually increased during the 1980s and 1990s.

This isn't the first time flu vaccine hype has been questioned recently. In 2006, in the British Medical Journal , researchers who analyzed flu vaccine clinical trials said that the majority of published flu vaccine studies are flawed, and that too few clinical trials have been conducted to prove vaccine safety.

In Canada, it's believed that more than 4,000 people die from the flu or flu-related complications each year. 

Related to this kind of figure, the BMJ report said that death and illness statistics attributed to flu viruses may be grossly over-estimated due to virus confusion and misdiagnosis, and that current evidence indicates that flu vaccines have only a modest or no effect on preventing flu in children or in the elderly.

"There is a big gap between policies promoting annual influenza vaccinations for most children and adults, and supporting scientific evidence," said co-author Tom Jefferson, an Italian epidemiologist.

Still, in Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends that everyone six months and older get an annual flu jab  and national flu immunization rates have reached 34 percent.

For those unsure of flu vaccines, other approaches--holistic approaches--to healthy immunity do exist.

"Viruses can set up residence in the body when the immune system is weak from fatigue, stress, allergies and nutritional deficiencies or poor diet, and when we are dehydrated," explains Lorna R. Vanderhaeghe in Health Immunity (Kensington Publishing, 2001). "The mucous membranes around the eyes, nose, and mouth are very rich in immune factors that fight viruses. When we become dehydrated, these fluids shrink, reducing the effectiveness of the immune factors. The cheapest virus fighter is plenty of water every day."

One problem with flu vaccines, notes Vanderhaeghe, is that flu viruses keep mutating, and for maximum effect, the virus in the vaccine has to be the same virus as the one we're exposed to in the environment.

For the 2007/2008 flu season, it's already been reported that two of the three chosen flu viruses in this year's vaccine have mutated,  raising additional questions of effectiveness that public health officials dismiss.

In place of the flu shot, Dr. Ingrid Pincott in Campbell River, BC, suggests Boiron Influenzium to her patients. This homeopathic remedy is taken once a week for five weeks every fall.  Up to six family members can share the less than $20 treatment.

Naturopathic doctor Jennie Weisenburger of Bellevue Natural Health Clinic in West Vancouver, BC, encourages her patients to limit sugar intake because sugar suppresses the immune system. High-sugar foods include baked goods such as cakes, cookies, chocolate and other processed sweets.

Dr. Weisenburger also recommends stocking a cold and flu prevention kit that contains not only homeopathic remedies, but also vitamin C, a herbal immune-boosting tincture, and an antioxidant liquid syrup that ideally includes extracts from berries such as raspberry, blueberries, cranberries and elderberries.

In The Immune System Cure (Prentice Hall Canada, 1999), Lorna R. Vanderhaeghe and Patrick Bouic, PhD, list ten top immune-boosting nutrients:
Vitamin C                1,000 milligrams (mg) or to bowel tolerance
Vitamin A                5,000 international units (IU)
Vitamin E                400-800 IU
Zinc                        15 mg
Selenium                100 micrograms (mcg)
Coenzyme Q10        60 mg
Reduced L-glutathione        75-150 mg
Vitamin B6 (in a B-complex)        50 mg
Magnesium                100 mg
DHEA                        5 mg increased until symptoms abate

The authors note, however, that vitamin and mineral supplements don't replace a healthy diet. "Good nutrition is the foundation for longevity and strong immunity," they write.

For those seeking alternatives to flu vaccination this winter season, it's reassuring to know that nutritional and complementary medicine offer them.

Health Action Network Society (HANS) is a national, non-profit, membership-based charity based in Burnaby, BC. HANS monitors and reports on health and environmental issues that are important to Canadians. Annual membership offers numerous benefits and starts at $35. Visit www.hans.org or call 604-435-0512.

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