A fun math lesson for the CDC
Pearls Before Swine
An interesting little detail emerged in the recent reporting of the Swine Flu Scare of ’09…
Big numbers
The other day I was watching flu coverage on the Today show when NBC Medical Editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman offered this: “We haven’t seen a pandemic of flu in this country since 1968 when 34,000 people died!”
Great emphasis was put on “34,000.” And for good reason – that’s a tragic outcome. Enough people to nearly fill Boston’s Fenway Park – all lost.
Now let’s switch over to another statistic (we’ll come back to Dr. Snyderman): According to the CDC, there are about 36,000 flu-related deaths in the U.S. each year. That’s the number that’s tossed around by the media every autumn when the CDC begins an intensive campaign to convince us that we MUST get a flu shot.
Think that number might be just a wee bit off?
At the time I’m writing this, three cases of U.S. swine flu have resulted in death, and the confirmed fatality count in Mexico is less than 50. Meanwhile, all those newscasters who were nearly blue in the face with the enormity of this “pandemic” seem to be catching their breath and getting a grip.
So, seriously – do 36,000 people in the U.S. die every year from the flu? Absolutely no way. It’s preposterous. We would hear ALL about it.
Let’s say the heart of flu season runs for six months. That means 200 people would die each day – 1,400 deaths every week! Do you think that might make the news? It would be the leadoff news item for months! And yet this transparently false number is repeated over and over, year after year, by the very newscasters who were recently jacking up the fear of an imminent pandemic.
In one blink-and-you-missed-it moment, Dr. Snyderman easily revealed the CDC lie when she noted the last time more than 30,000 people actually DID die from a flu outbreak in the U.S.: four decades ago.
Down to earth
In the e-Alert “Panic! Don’t Panic!” (10/26/04), I told you about Sherri J. Tenpenny, D.O. – an internationally known vaccine researcher – who estimated that less than 175 people died due to flu complications in 2003.
There are probably more beer vendors in Fenway Park than yearly U.S. flu fatalities.
So with those CDC numbers so absurdly inflated, should we all wash our hands several times each day? You know it. That will help put the brakes on all varieties of flu – swine and otherwise. Should we get plenty of sleep, and try to reduce stress in our lives, and avoid highly processed foods? Yes, yes, and yes. Then add some regular exercise and you’ll have an immune system that’s up to the task when a bad bug tries to invade.
Want more support? Some proven immune system enhancers might help: Echinacea, and vitamins C, E, and beta carotene have all been shown to help keep colds and flu at bay. Selenium is also an effective flu fighter. And you can add zinc and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) to that list.
Finally, you can supercharge your immune system with mushrooms – or rather, activated hexose correlate compound (AHCC) – an extract of several medicinal mushrooms.
AHCC is the active ingredient of ImmPower, a product I’ve mentioned in several e-Alerts over the years. ImmPower’s proprietary blend triggers the activity of natural killer cells that seek out and destroy viruses, bacteria, and toxins. You can find more information about ImmPower at The Harmony Company (theharmonyco.com).
Of course, you should always talk to your doctor before adding any new supplements to your current regimen.
Source:
“FDA Approves 2008-2009 Flu Vaccines” FDA News, 8/5/08, fda.gov
