Can having any mutation of the flu change or damage the brains of unborn babies? If the flu itself damages the hippocampus, the result could be linked to autism, Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia.
Let’s take a logical look at one of the original studies, published in the medical journal, European Neuropsychopharmacology. Scientists published their report in the medical journal, European Neuropsychopharmacology, listing more than a dozen genes that the swine flu virus adversely affected.
The study was done on mice, not humans. But think about it. Geneticists want to know how some of those genes are tied to the development of the hippocampus, a component of the brain involved in long term memory and spatial navigation.
View the article, " Swine Flu Can Change Genes of Unborn " published July 27, 2009 at Blisstree.com suggesting that swine flu in pregnant women may change the genes of unborn children resulting in damage to the hippocampus. According to the article, neuroscientists found that the H1N1 changes the genes that control brain growth and development in the unborn child.
The team of researchers and lead scientist, Hossein Fatemi as part of the experiment, injected pregnant female mice with the H1N1 and studied the brains of the newborn mice. Mice exposed to the H1N1 virus in the womb had a fifteen percent reduction in the size of their hippocampus. Scientists also found twelve other genes that the flu virus negatively affected.
Does the study confirm the public health recommendation that pregnant women need to be vaccinated against the H1N1 virus? If so, the question consumers need to ask is whether getting flu shots of the killed virus do anything to the brains of the infants yet unborn when the pregnant women get the recommended shots? On one hand, you don’t want to get the flu when pregnant. Your immune system is compromised when you’re pregnant. You want protection. Should you get vaccinated when pregnant?
On the other hand, the question is how is your unborn baby’s brain going to be affected by the dead virus, the mercury and formaldehyde in the shot, or any other factor? Should you ask for mercury-free vaccinations–no thimerosol?
You don’t want the flu, and vaccination is a priority for pregnant women. But what will the hippocampus of your baby’s brain look like? You’re not going to be given the live virus up the nose because you’ll be shedding it for days after vaccination to other family members, people standing next to you in the stores you shop at, and co-workers. You’ll be getting the shot, if you choose to have it.
Read the article, " Scientist Says H1N1 Flu Virus Could Damage Brains of Unborn Children," published July 24, 2009 at Lifenews.com . The article reports, " A neuroscientist at the University of Minnesota medical school has published a paper saying the H1N1 swine flu virus could pose problems for unborn children."
Hossein Fatemi has published a new paper saying the virus, which is causing the deaths of people across the globe, could damage the developing brains of babies before birth." Notice that the article is about the flu, not the vaccine. But consumers are wondering what happens to your unborn baby’s brain when you get the vaccine, even if the virus is dead.
And what happens when your other young children or those you come in contact with daily get the live virus flu mist vaccine up their nose? When children recently vaccinated start shedding the virus for up to 21 days, will you catch the flu while pregnant? Those are questions consumers ask. Could other recently vaccinated children infect the pregnant mother and her unborn baby with the flu?
Did you get a receipt verifying that the adverse reaction to a vaccine had been reported to a government agency? Or did your doctor tell someone at your HMO your symptoms, and you have no knowledge of how to track your response through the HMO system to the government agency and to the drug or vaccine manufacturer?
Who keeps tabs on your adverse reactions to vaccines or other prescribed medications or even over the counter remedies? Who is in charge of taking note of adverse reactions to supplements or individual allergies? Is there a database of information where you can report your symptoms?
If you’re not getting the results you want, you are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs or vaccines to the FDA. First go to the FDA website called MedWatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. If you’re going to get vaccinated for any reason, talk to your health care professional about situations you may need to avoid. Some medications and vaccinations have interactions with other environmental or medicinal issues or even the foods you eat.
For example, eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit might interrupt the way certain medications work or eating certain vegetables such as avocados or aged cheeses. It all depends on what you’re taking. Talk to your doctor about what effects a vaccination or certain foods will have on you if you are taking specific medications. Find out whether you’re allergic to any ingredients in a specific medication or vaccination serum such as eggs or neomycin, or any other item related to the specific type of vaccination.
Don’t forget, if you have a negative reaction to any prescribed drug or vaccine given to you for your health, you can report the side effects to the FDA. One example might be that you had chickenpox as a baby. But when you’re over age 60, you may not realize that the virus is till in your body and could give you shingles as you age. There’s a vaccine to prevent shingles.
You need to know whether you’re allergic to any of its ingredients such as neomycin or gelatin. What if you have a weakened immune system? That’s why it’s important to ask questions before you take any type of vaccine. Know what’s in the vaccine, and whether or not you have an allergy to any substance in it. For example, before you take a flu shot, you’re usually asked whether you’re allergic to eggs because the vaccine is grown in eggs. Same goes for prescribed medications.
Nutritionists can research foods, but when it comes to looking at vaccines in a logical way by finding out how they’re produced, you need to go beyond foods that help your health to find out whose watching the watchers. How do vaccines work?
If the media isn’t watching the watchers quickly enough, then it’s up to the people, the consumers, even the citizen journalists to watch the credible, logical, and validated research. What did you always want to ask about vaccines?
When it comes to vaccines, you need to know how they work. According to the October 21, 2009 Planet News article, " Vaccines: How do they work?" there’s an excellent report on how the flu vaccine is produced. For example, flu vaccines are made by introducing an inactivated strain of flu (hypodermic) or a weakened live virus (nasal spray), an immune system can be taught which particular type of invasive cells to be looking for and how to eradicate them, thereby building an immunity to that strain of flu. The technology has been in use for 60 years. Nasal sprays, sold under the name “FluMist,” were approved for use in 2003.
The article reports how the vaccine shot form is produced "by growing the virus in chicken eggs. New research is currently being explored that will use canine kidney cells, insect eggs, and retinas from aborted fetal tissues. In 2005, the Bush administration allocated more than $7 billion to pharmaceutical companies for the production of these ‘cell line’ factories. The virus is rendered inert by either the addition of formalin (an aqueous solution of formaldehyde) or by exposure to UV rays. The current swine flu vaccine used both methods to deactivate the virus."
According to " Vaccines: How do they work ?" the article reports that a "2009 study in Current Topics Microbiology Immunology reported that Center for Disease Control (CDC) officials conceded the ability of flu vaccines to generate sufficient antibodies and effectively reduce symptoms and prevent death is only about 30 to 50 percent. Other experts say most years the efficacy is 70 to 80 percent."
Also see the article, " The American Flu Charade by Bill Sardi ." According to this article, millions of doses of flu vaccine will go unused. The article reports, "With a Consumer Reports poll showing nearly 2/3rds of U.S. parents will hold off on having their children vaccinated with the H1N1 late-2009 season flu vaccine, health authorities are likely to resort to scare tactics as they have in past years to induce parents into having their children vaccinated. You can’t cry wolf every year. The Consumer Reports telephone survey shows 50% of U.S. parents are delaying their decision to have their children vaccinated and another 14% will forego vaccination altogether."
What happens to the vaccines not used in the USA? Are they shipped overseas to places that have a higher rate of illness for children? The big worry in this article notes that, "The first flu vaccines in use will be nasally-administered Flumist® which utilizes "live" viruses. Flumist®-vaccinated individuals will shed viruses for 5 days following inoculation and are likely to spread the virus to family members."
What fears are spreading is that the children shedding the live viruses will spread the flu to older adults who come in contact with their grandchildren and from there it could sweep through nursing homes for the frail elderly. The article notes, "senior adults living in a home with others who have received Flumist® are at greater risk to become infected, though no warning is issued over this."
The point made about any vaccine is to find out which facts actually can be validated and evaluated. View the interview with Barb Loe Fisher, Founder of the National Vaccine Information Center video at the HealthyAgain site. You also can compare this video with the 60 Minutes 1977 video also on that site about that swine flu issue.
The Doctor Yourself site offers an article, " Why Flu Shots Don’t Work ." Another article takes a different view in, " How to be a swine flu vaccine zealot (satire) by Mike Adams ." Another article states, " 60 Percent of Doctors Don’t Get a Flu Shot: Why Medical Experts, Parents and Others Avoid the Flu shot . The reason usually stated is, "I’m too busy." Most medical professionals are encouraged to promote vaccines. View the article by Victoria Anisman-Reiner written for Suite 101 August 5, 2009.
The big push against vaccines, according to the article, may come from some of the holistic practitioners telling people that vaccines damage the immune system "by acting as an immunosuppressant which hinders the natural immune system response and contributes to immune system disorders," according to the article, " 60 Percent of Doctors Don’t Get a Flu Shot: Why Medical Experts, Parents and Others Avoid the Flu shot ."
The problem for the consumer is to debunk myths with facts. But where do you find reliable facts and resources? Read the article, " Flu Shots Work Best in Married Senior Citizens, Worst in Those Sad. This article notes, "Senior citizens who are happily married show stronger responses to flu shots that those who are unmarried, especially those who are widowed. And, flu shots do not work as well in older adults who have recently experienced the death of a family member or close friend, a new study shows." Also read the article, " Vaccinated Senior Citizens Less Likely to Die from Pneumonia ."
Another article states, " Don’t Use Amantadine or Rimandatine to Treat Flu, Warns CDC ," because "evidence indicates Influenza A viruses in US are resistant to these drugs." So who do you believe? It’s not so much about belief, but about results and validations. The decision is up to the individual as to what and where to research in order to balance risk against benefit when pregnant.
Photo credits: Flickr.com . For further references, see: lifenews.