Pros and cons of the Pneumococcal Vaccine for SeniorsAccording to the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology,
“Especially in immunocompromised individuals, some authors, in a systematic review of randomized clinical trials, have identified low effectiveness of the vaccine in high risk patients.” The 2007 article entitled, “Adverse events after pneumococcal vaccination”, claims the shot was not effective for ”patients with renal immunodeficiency (kidney disease), blood cancer (leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma), nephrotic syndrome (high cholesterol, high protein in the urine, and high triglycerides), systemic lupus erythematosus (an autoimmune disorder that affects the kidneys, skin, and joints), and alcoholism.”
The article continues to say that elderly individuals with diabetes, chronic pulmonary disease, or cardiopathy had an appropriate response to the vaccination.
One important factor that patients can’t disregard is whether or not the anticellular ingredients in the pneumococcal vaccine are safe for them. One of the most controversial ingredients in the vaccine is aluminum, a known neurotoxin that is harmful to the cells in our body, and known to concentrate in the brain, liver, and thyroid. When we ingest aluminum in our body our kidneys and intestines will work to eliminate this toxin. But when it is injected through a vaccine, our bodies are unable to filter out the toxic metal and it can accumulate and eventually lead to neurological damage. So patients at risk or already exhibiting symptoms of neurological disease may in fact see an increase in symptoms after getting annual routine vaccinations like the flu shots and Prevnar shots, due to the slow accumulation of toxic metals in concentrated areas of their brains.
As early as 1978, a study in the Biological Psychiatry Journal stated,
“We have found that brains from Alzheimer patients contain approximately 1.4 times the aluminum level found in a control series.”
And this early study was just the tip of the iceberg. Since that time there have been several controversial studies on the subject and none have yet provided conclusive evidence, although aluminum continues to be found in high concentrations in a majority, but not in all, autopsies of Alzheimer patients. The CDC has concluded that aluminum may not be the primary cause of Alzheimer’s disease, but it could be a contributing factor in patients who already are at an increased risk of developing the disease. The evidence for aluminum as the cause of Alzheimer’s disease is not strong, but the Center for Disease Control has established a tenuous connection. The CDC’s public health statement on aluminum says,
“Some studies show that people exposed to high levels of aluminum may develop Alzheimer’s disease, but other studies have not found this to be true. We do not know for certain whether aluminum causes Alzheimer’s disease.”
The CDC also lists aluminum’s potential link to Alzheimer’s disease as the subject for ongoing study.
If you are toxic with metals, live in an area with a higher concentration of aluminum in the water, then the aluminum in your inoculation may be problematic and cause unintended neurological issues for you.
The pneumococcal vaccine is recommended for folks 65 and up routinely. Know your risk factors before you decide whether or not you are a good candidate for this shot. If you have a healthy lifestyle and don’t often get sinus infections, or fall victim to chronic illnesses which can develop into pneumonia, then your need for the vaccine may not be warranted right now. If you are sedentary and at higher risk for congestive issues then it may be helpful for you.
But what about patients already diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder?
According to an English study in 2008 in the European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, scientists found that
“some patients with coeliac disease have an elevated risk of invasive pneumococcal disease.”
Their findings showed an increased rate ratio in celiac patients with risk factors over the general population that persisted beyond the first year after their diagnosis of celiac disease. But do celiac patients who are inoculated gain proper immunity? And what is the underlying factor that attributes to their particular risk?
According to Green and Jones book, Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic, patients with celiac disease are at an increased risk for pneumonia because a majority of patients have an inactively functioning spleen. Green and Jones state,
“the spleen is important in fighting bacterial infections caused by pneumococcal bacteria. Patients over age 50 are advised to have the pneumococcal vaccine. This is usually repeated every 5 years (170).”
Green and Jones also point out that patients diagnosed with celiac disease are not immunocompromised and at a greater risk of infections. They say,
“This is not medically accurate. The immune system (in celiac disease) is not compromised, it is in fact overactive. Patients with celiac disease are only at risk for conditions based on specific encapsulated organisms such as pneumococcal pneumonia or menigococcal infections that require the spleen to combat them (170).”
You may not need the vaccine yet, or you may be at in increased risk. It is up to you to decide what’s best. Just understand that when you are not vaccinated and you are exposed to colds and flu viruses, you may put yourself at an increased risk for a bacterial infection that leads to full blown pneumonia.
Here are 10 simple lifestyle changes can naturally lower your risks:
- Know your particular risk factors (liver function, spleen function, presence of an autoimmune disorder)
- Isolate yourself from loved ones when they are exposed and symptomatic from a contagious virus or infection
- Test for a vitamin D deficiency and supplement as needed
- Don’t smoke or expose yourself to second hand smoke
- Frequently wash your hands
- Eat healthy home cooked meals that are not highly processed and full of chemical additives
- Get plenty of rest
- See a doctor at the first signs of illness
- Properly follow your doctor’s treatment protocol
- Actively reduce or eliminate sugary and acidic foods which feed bacterial growth
It is important that you visit your doctor for medication in a timely manner when you feel ill. You also need to follow the proper treatment protocol to avoid a re-infection.
