Should you get a Flu shot?

It's flu season. Or so it's been declared. Kind of like duck season. But the ads are appearing on TV, in the news, and in the local stores telling everyone to get their flu shots. It is so matter-or -fact that most everyone thinks it's safe and don't think twice about it. But is it?

What's in a Flu shot?

Did you know that when you buy a bag of cheese doodles, everything that goes into making them is listed on the package, but you are not told what is in the flu shot that they are injecting into your arm? Well, here is a list of the ingredients:

• Mercury (Thimerosal) One of the most toxic substances known. It causes nerve damage and has been linked to autism and senility.


• Formaldehyde. A major component of embalming fluid, and very poisonous. It is a probable carcinogen that is linked to leukemia, and cancers of the brain, colon, and lymphatic system.


• Gentamicin sulfate and Polymixin b (Antibiotics). These can cause allergic reactions from mild to life threatening.


• Chicken Enbryos. The flu virus is grown in fertilized chicken eggs. Having these proteins injected into your blood stream can cause you to become allergic to chicken and eggs, or if you are allergic, it may cause a sever reaction.


• Sodiun phosphate . This can cause vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, heart problems, and central nerve system problems.


• Gelatin. Can cause allergic reactions.


• Polysorbate 80. Known to cause cancer in animals.


• Neomycin sulfate (antibiotic). This interferes with Vitamin B6 absorption. And can cause allergic reactions. It should also be noted that unnecessary exposure to antibiotics causes the formation of antibiotic resistance bacteria which is becoming more of a problem and can lead to life threatening infections.


• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). MSG is also a food additive that has been shown to destroy nerve cells in the brain and may be linked to certain forms of brain cancer.


• Sodium Deoxycholate. Promotes tumors and damages DNA.


• Octoxynol-10, polyethylene glycol-p-isooctylphenyl ether, and octyphenoxypolyethoxyethanol. Spermacide (kills sperm). Can cause chills, confusion, dizzyness, fever, lightheadedness, muscle aches, peeling of the skin. Causes severe eye irritation. Harmful of swallowed, inhaled or in contact with the skin. Toxicology not fully investigated. May contain traces of ethylene oxide or dioxane, which are probable human carcinogens. Manufacturer's website http://www.calbiochem.com/ states: FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY. NOT FOR HUMAN OR DRUG USE.


• Beta propriolactone. Known to cause cancer. Suspected respiratory gastrointestinal, liver, and skin poison.

Does this sound like something you want in your body?

Is the flu shot effective?

Multiple studies published in leading medical journals have documented that the flu shot is ineffective in all ages.*

But do people die from the flu?

The ads tell us that over 30,000 people die every year from the flu. This is simply not true. Government stats lump flu and pneumonia deaths together, but flu deaths are only a small part of that. In 2002 when the deaths were reported to be over 60,000, there were really only 753 flu deaths. In 2001, the number of deaths were 267*. This does not justify giving a poorly tested and highly dangerous drug to millions of people.

No one knows the long term effects of getting this shot every year, however repeated exposure to the contents of the vaccine can have cumulative detrimental effects on the health of the recipients. This vaccine, as well as all the others, have never really been tested to see what they do to people, yet there are reports every year of people having severe reactions to this and other shots. It is much easier on the body to suffer for three days with fever, chills, coughing, and or vomiting. As uncomfortable as this may be, it is the body's way of cleansing and purifying itself.

There are steps you can take to help minimize the chances of getting the flu, and lessen its severity. These include:

• Taking a good Vitamin D (D3) supplement. Flu is more common in the winter months than in the summer because of lack of Vitamin D from sunlight.


• Take a good Vitamin C supplement. Vitamin C supports the immune system.


• Get plenty of exercise. Exercise helps to eliminate toxins by increasing the core temperature of the body and sweating.


• See your chiropractor! Keeping your nerve system free of interference through regular chiropractic care helps keep your body healthier. Your nerve system is your immune system, and a healthy nerve system is your best ally! During the 1918 flu pandemic, those people who were under chiropractic care did not get the flu and chiropractors at the time were called "Flu doctors". Even today, most of the people who are under my care tell me every year that they don't get the flu each year as they used to, even when everyone around them is sick.

So, should you get the flu shot? You be the judge!

*References available.

What is True Health?

Most people have a warped sense of what it means to be healthy. If I give a lecture to a group of people. I like to start out by asking "How do you know you are healthy?" The most frequent answer is, "I feel good!", which generally means they have no pain at the moment. Most people judge their health basically by the presence or absence of pain. But here is the kicker: If health is a state of no pain, then the healthiest people on earth are dead! Dead people feel no pain. But living people do.

A true state of Health cannot be judged solely on our feelings. A healthy body is programed to express pain when necessary. Pain is a body mind communication that generally means the body is experiencing something to which it cannot adapt, and if one continues on the path that they are on, they may experience sever damage to the body. But most people see pain as an announce. It keeps you up at night, it keeps you from enjoying something, it's a nuisance. So they reach for the bottle of aspirin, or some other pain reliever to eliminate the pain. Then they can go about their business doing what they have been doing that brought the pain on in the first place. But now they are unaware of what the body was warning them about. They disconnected the mind/body communication, and now the body will start to get sick as it breaks down unable to adapt to life's situations.

Health is a state of honoring the body's signals. If you have pain, listen to what the message is instead of shutting it off. Follow your instincts instead of viewing your body's processes as an annoyance. If you cannot figure out what your body is telling you, find a practitioner that will help you understand your body, rather than aide in a war against it with pills and therapies.True health comes from making the proper choices. Sometimes it takes work. Sometimes it means being uncomfortable. But the results are always rewarding because they make you stronger....and healthier!

Welcome!

Welcome to the Ehren Chiropractic and Wellness Center Blog spot. I have set this blog up to be able to publish views and news related to your health. Please feel free to check it often! Today I would like to start by publishing my latest newsletter for the month of October. Enjoy and see you soon!

25 Years and Counting!!
On October 10, I will be celebrating 25 years in practice. I officially opened my practice on that date in 1983 and had four patients scheduled. I remember two of them, one was a friend of my Dad’s and the other was a lady I had already been seeing
They told us in chiropractic school that our first patient was going to crawl in the door. We all laughed when we heard that, but…it was true! During the month of September I was busy getting my office in Northland Plaza set up. Furniture was being delivered, my x-ray machine was in crates, and I was painting the walls when I could. I did have a telephone with call forwarding to the house. One day I was working out at home when the phone rang. I was all out of breath when I answered and there was a lady on asking for Dr. Ehren. I was shocked! She asked if she could make an appointment, she had gotten my name from my wife whom she worked with at Lakewood Hospital. I told her that I wasn’t open yet, so she asked if I could refer her to someone else. Well, I ain’t stupid and I was not about to let my potential first patient get away, so I told her that my office was still being put together and if she wouldn’t mind the confusion, I would be happy to see her.
I was waiting in the office at the appointed time when I saw her walking, barely, to the front door. She was all bent over in pain and every step was agonizing. I don’t recall, but I am certain that I gave her paper work to fill out, then I took her into my adjusting room and performed a most beautiful orthopedic and neurological exam that would have given me an A on any final in school! The exam told me that she had disc herniation in her low back with sciatica. I was so proud of myself! And then I thought, “So what do I do?” I had no clue. Obviously my thought processes were different then than now, but at the time I really didn’t know what to do for her. So I did some adjusting of God knows what and had her come back a day or two later. Then I called my best friend Mike who was practicing in Silver Springs, Maryland and asked him. He laughed and said “Toggle the SOB (meaning the disc in question)!” Toggling is a rapid thrust into a joint that they teach us in school. So, on her next visit, that’s exactly what I did! She screamed and her legs and arms went flying up, and I thought “Oh my God, what happened!?!” Then she relaxed, and told me she felt much better. She was with me for several months before we had the issue completely resolved.
In those days my office was open five days a week with one day having evening hours. I worked half a day on Wednesdays and half on Saturday. I didn’t have any staff, it was just me answering the phone, doing what paper work there was and mostly staring out the window visualizing new people coming in. I would walk up and down the hallway admiring my little office and wondering what it would look like with dozens of people coming and going all day. The only adjusting table I had was a “Hi-lo”. That’s a mechanical table that raises up to allow people to walk on, then it slowly lowers them down for their adjustments. I used to spend a lot of time riding up and down on it. I would lie face down and ride it, and also face up. Once I fell asleep on my back and my snoring woke me up!
I didn’t work Saturdays very long. It was hard only having one full day off on Sunday. At first I thought I had to be there all the time, but slowly grew to hate that. The only person who came in on Saturday was a vitamin salesman who wanted me to sell his stuff. He was a nice enough guy and he would show up just before noon when I was getting ready to leave. Then he would talk my ear off for two hours. It used to really make me mad, but I thought I had to be nice since I was new. It totally killed my Saturdays. That finally ended when I stopped working Saturdays after a couple of months.
I worked the office by myself for about 4 months when I got my wife, Pam, to come and work. She was a nurse at Lakewood Hospital, and I talked her into working a couple of days when she had off. There was one lady, Grace, who wanted to work for me. She was a patient who I had only come for a short time, and never paid me because she essentially very poor. I always felt that she was a little off balance in the brain department, so, of course, I didn’t hire her. Sometimes when I was in the back with someone, I would find her sitting at the front desk answering the phone. I distinctly told her not to do that. One day she came in while Pam was at the desk. Grace had to wait to see me, and was sitting in a chair directly across from Pam staring knives at her. Pam looked up and Grace said, “So, how did you get this job?” in a very sneering way. Without missing a beat, Pam said, “I sleep with the Doctor.” I never saw Grace again!
The practice grew slowly at first. I was fortunate that I never had a day without appointments. I have a friend in Mentor who opened his practice in Pittsburgh after his graduation, and sat in his office for four months without one single appointment! But it really took off when I took out an ad in one of those coupon mailers. It was like Valpak, but another company. I sent a coupon out to the western half of Lakewood in early 1984, and had 57 new patients! The salesman was astounded! Never, anywhere in this country did they ever get a response like that. We were so excited that I sent another out to eastern Lakewood. That time I got about 4 new patients. The more we sent the coupons out, the less response we got. That was national average. But that first one was the catalyst that got things going for me, and then it started to grow. I went from seeing about 10 people a day to 30 in just a matter of a couple of months , and it kept on growing until I was averaging about 60 a day working three and a half days a week. I still have one person who still comes in who answered that initial coupon, and has been with me for 24 years! Thank you Donna!
In 25 years, the practice has taken many turns. I have gone from a highly physical therapy type practice to a traditional, holistic one. I would like to think that it is always evolving as I look for more ways to help people on more levels. It has always been interesting, and even if I were to win the lottery, I would not stop practicing. I may take a long vacation though.
But it is not me that makes the practice. It is you. It is you who put your faith and trust in me to help you, and that is something that I am forever appreciative of. I may not say it much, but I am thankful for every one of you who continue to come and put your health and well-being in my hands. For without you, I would still be riding that table, all by myself and falling asleep counting the holes in the tiles in the ceiling. Thank you for a great 25 years! And here is to the next 25….oh dear God, I will be 82 then!!!