Summary: This flu season's vaccine is not protecting you as originally planned.If you've gotten the flu shot for the 2014-2015 season, it may not be working in your favor. According to a statement released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this year's flu vaccine is ineffective against the dominant flu strain. The CDC's director, Dr. Tom Frieden, also stated that it's too late to produce a new flu vaccine, since the production of the vaccine could take approximately four months. The first week of January 2015, the CDC announced the flu is prevalent and widespread in 43 states, and they are expecting more states to become infected as peak season is just around the corner. This means you may be more at risk for complications. You are still able to get a flu shot, but since it's ineffective towards the dominant strain this year, you may want to strengthen your immune system in a natural way. How can you strengthen your immune system? Take a multivitamin Reishi mushroom extract Enzymatically modified rice bran Cistanche deserticola Dr. Mike discusses why the flu vaccine is failing, and ways you can strengthen your immune system so you can stay healthy during the rest of flu season. See corresponding article below: The Failing Flu Vaccine By Alonso Chavarriaga A recent statement released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that the vaccine for the 2014-2015 season may not be as effective against a certain strain of influenza virus. The CDC is particularly worried because this particular strain has always been aggressive, leading to more hospitalizations and deaths. An Aggressive Virus Mutates Each year around summertime, the CDC begins analyzing flu viruses that are circulating in the southern hemisphere, to get an idea of what we can expect during the winter months in the northern hemisphere. Based on that research, scientists can predict which strains will pose a threat. In this case, the strain in question is H3N2, which can cause severe complications in young children, adults around 60 years or older, and those with chronic illnesses such as asthma or heart problems. The problem is that since last summer when the vaccines were created, the H3N2 virus mutated just enough to make the shots less effective. Of the 85 flu virus samples collected and analyzed from October 1 to November 22, 52 percent had changed, indicating rapid mutation. Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, says that producing a new vaccine for this strain would talk approximately four months; far too long since the strain will probably change again before then. Flu Vaccines Are Not Totally Ineffective That’s not to say that the flu vaccine is not effective. There are two types of vaccines available: trivalent, which is generally taken through injection and contains three flu strains, or quadrivalent, which contains four strains and is taken through the nose. Most people receive the trivalent vaccine, and this year the three strains it included were H1N1, H2N2, and influenza type B. While the vaccine may not be fully effective against H3N2, it still provides protection from the other two most common strains of flu virus. Aside from getting flu vaccines yearly, there are natural ways you can improve your immune system. For example, eating more Reishi mushrooms or taking Reishi mushroom extract with a supplement of CoQ10 can help bolster your body’s defenses and fight viral infections like influenza and swine flu. Taking in more Ometa-3 fatty acids, primarily found in cold-water fish, can also fight against infections. Lastly, there is Cistanche, which has been called the “ginseng of the desert” and significantly boosts T-cell production. T-cells, or T-lymphocytes, are a type of white blood cell that plays a key role in cell immunity.
