Swine flu — from pigs to guinea pigs

Looks like the dialogue/push has begun for swine flu shots, and, so, I must speak up because I hate to see people who are driven by fear and influenced by media overkill make potentially serious decisions for themselves and their families.

To keep it simple, let me repeat what I always say: You need to make the decision for yourself, based on the best facts you can manage to come up with and based on your specific self. What’s right for me may not be right for you. Or … it might.

Will I be getting a swine flu shot? Oh hell no! I don’t get flu shots; I don’t believe in them for the bulk of the population. I think they may cause more problems than they solve. And, so, why in the world would I get a vaccine that is close to untested and is supposed to prevent something that may never be a big deal for many of us? I adore guinea pigs and all; they’re blasted cute. But I sure as heck am not making the choice to be one.

So, some facts as I’ve gotten them. If you want more, with footnotes of where this info came from, feel free to visit a slide show put up by Suze Fisher, a trusted resource I’ve come to know after interacting on the same list for holistic pet health for years. We need to protect our pets from unneeded vaccinations; we need to protect us, too! Her work can be found at: http://swineflushots.us. There, you can read plenty of information plus download the audio and PowerPoint presentation she’s put together.

•            The swine flu vaccine contains mercury, considered to be 500 times more toxic than lead, for which we currently have safeguards in place. If we’re worried about lead, why not mercury? It also contains a substance that is considered to be a carcinogen and another that is closely related to a spermicide. The vaccine also may contain adjuvants (agents that stimulate the immune system) not approved for use in the U.S. Adjuvants that are included already have been shown in a number of studies to cause debilitating autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, MS and Lupus, according to Russell Blaylock, M.D.

•            Testing of the vaccine has been limited. Additional studies will be required and conducted after the vaccine is made available. None of the vaccines have been tested for carcinogenicity, mutagenicity or fertility impairment. It also isn’t known if the vaccine causes harm to a developing fetus or is excreted in mothers’ milk.

•            During the last swine flu pandemic in 1976, more than 40 million people were vaccinated. The vaccination campaign was halted after 10 weeks because too many people were being injured or killed by the vaccine. In the end, one person died of swine flu, 25-plus died from the vaccine and thousands more were injured from being vaccinated.

•            According to a survey of general practitioner physicians, up to 60 percent may choose not to be vaccinated, with many concerned about safety.

•            “The vaccine is far more deadly than the swine flu; mass vaccination is a recipe for disaster.” — Dr. Mae-Wan Ho and Professor Joe Cummins, geneticists, July 2009.

•            “Although it (swine flu) may affect lots of people, most will not be severely ill,” Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

•            “Most people, including children, will experience mild symptoms and recover without any medical intervention,” according to the Australian health minister. (The flu season in the southern hemisphere has now ended, and, in fact, it was much milder than expected.)

•            Testing for swine flu is not done on everyone with a flu-like illness so statistics may reflect both those with seasonal flu and those with swine flu.

•            As of summer 2009, the U.S. government has paid pharmaceutical companies $1.8 billion (yes, billion) for the components of the swine flu vaccine. (Feel free to draw your own conclusions from that.)