FluMist: Is It Better Than The Shot?

image by  U.S. Pacific Fleet

At one of my vaccine lectures, I was asked by a soldier if I would choose the Flumist or the flu shot.  What was my answer?  Read on.

What Is The FluMist?

The FluMist is an intra-nasal spray which, like the flu shot, contains 3 different flu strains including 2 type A strains (including subtype H1N1) and 1 type B strain.   It is known as a live, attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) because the viruses in the vaccine are alive (live) but weakened (attenuated).  This is different from the flu shot which is known as a trivalent inactivated vaccine (TIV) in which the flu viruses are supposedly inactivated or dead.  The FluMist was approved for use in the US in 2003 and is now recommended for healthy people age 2-49 years with 2 doses for first time recipients under 9 years old.  According to the CDC, the FluMist is not recommended for kids under 2 or taking aspirin, adults 50 and over, pregnant women, people allergic to eggs or other ingredients, people with a history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) and individuals with a history of any chronic disease especially those that depress immune function such as asthma or diabetes which places them at an increased risk of influenza complications.  The CDC also states that those caring for individuals with “severely compromised immune systems” should also not get the Flumist.

Why Are There So Many Restrictions For The FluMist?

The FluMist is a live-virus vaccine that contains between 10 million and 100 million viral particles from each strain that have supposedly been attenuated in the lab by passing them multiple times through “specific pathogen-free” (SPF) chick kidney cells.  Since those viruses are still alive, it is contraindicated for those who are immune compromised because live flu viruses, weakened or not, are known to cause complications.  Judging by the rates of chronic illness and disease, a strong argument could be made that a majority of the US population is immune compromised.

According to the manufacturer”s insert the FluMist “is not approved for use in children younger than 24 months of age because use of FluMist in children 6 through 23 months has been associated with increased risks of hospitalization and wheezing in clinical trials”.  Additionally they say that it “is not approved for use in persons 65 years of age and older because in a clinical study, effectiveness of FluMist to prevent febrile illness was not demonstrated in adults 50 through 64 years of age.”

The CDC states that the vaccine strains “cannot cause flu illness [because] the weakened viruses are cold-adapted, which means they are designed to only cause infection at the cooler temperatures found within the nose.  The viruses cannot infect the lungs or other areas where warmer temperatures exist.”  This seems to contradict casino online their contraindications.  A later statement on their website that states that “[i]n children, side effects can include runny nose, headache, wheezing, vomiting, muscle aches, and fever.  In adults, side effects can include runny nose, headache, sore throat, and cough.”   The last time I checked, muscle aches, headaches, vomiting, fever and wheezing don”t occur in the nose.

Those vaccinated with live-virus vaccines can shed the virus for up to 28 days which is why the FluMist is contraindicated for people who are in close contact with people who have “severely weakened immune systems” such as health-care workers.

The CDC lists pregnancy as a contraindication for the FluMist which makes sense the considering that manufacturer acknowledges that the “[s]afety and effectiveness of FluMist have not been established in pregnant women.”  In an article written by neurologist Dr. Russell Blaylock he states that there is a great deal of evidence that excessive immune stimulation during pregnancy is linked to autism.  Interestingly, the CDC recommends the flu shot although every single flu shot insert that I have read also states that the “safety and effectiveness have not been established in pregnant women.”

Although nursing is not a contraindication, breast-feeding mothers can potentially spread the vaccine viruses to their infants.  The package insert states that “[i]t is not known whether FluMist is excreted in human milk.  Because some viruses are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when FluMist is administered to a nursing woman.”  They also acknowledge that the safety and effectiveness has not been determined in this population.

Is The FluMist Safe?

One ingredient is monosodium glutamate (MSG) .  MSG is known to have neuro-toxic effects through excito-toxicity and free radical production.   Symptoms of excessive excito-toxicity include seizures and behavioral problems such as anger, violence, depression & even suicide.  Dr. Blaylock maintains that sustained excity-toxicity leads to neuro-degeneration often found in Autism, ADHD, Alzheimers, Parkinsons and Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

The FluMist also contains the antibiotic gentamicin sulfate.  Anaphylactic reactions to this drug have been reported.  Also, antibiotics can destroy the normal mucusal flora that help to protect the body from all types of microbial infections.  Suppression of these protective bacteria can lead to an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria, viruses & fungi.

The vaccine-strains of the 3 viruses are cultured on SPF eggs.  Egg protein can contaminate the vaccine and can cause a severe reactions in people allergic to eggs.  Let me make this point very clear…when they refer to SPF they are stating that it is free of the pathogens that they tested for, however, this doesn”t mean that there were no pathogens present.   My previous article on the flu shot addressed how the the rotavirus vaccines were found to be contaminated with porcine circovirus and porcine circovirus DNA in 2010.  They had been used for years before this was discovered.  There really is no telling the number of contaminants that could be in the vaccines including animal mycoplasmas (parasitic bacteria), viruses, retroviruses and free DNA/RNA.  The effect that these contaminants could have on the human body is completely unknown.  According to the manufacturer,  “FluMist has not been evaluated for its carcinogenic or mutagenic potential or its potential to impair fertility.”  

There is also the potential for the viruses to enter directly into the brain.  The package insert states that “[a] biodistribution study of intranasally administered radiolabeled placebo was conducted in 7 healthy adult volunteers.  The mean percentages of the delivered doses detected were as follows: nasal cavity 89.7%, stomach 2.6%, brain 2.4%, and lung 0.4%.”  In an article written by Dr. Tenpenny regarding the FluMist, she states that “[a]t the top of the nasal passages is a paper-thin bone called the cribiform plate. The olfactory nerves pass through this bone and line the nasal passages, carrying messenger molecules to the brain that are identified as “smells” familiar to us. The olfactory tract has long been recognized as a direct pathway to the brain. Intranasal injection of certain viruses has resulted in a serious brain infection called encephalitis, presumably by direct infection of the olfactory neurons that carried the viruses to the brain.”  Other reported adverse events that were recorded following the vaccine include pericarditis, Leigh syndrome, diarrhea, facial edema, hives, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), Bell’s Palsy, meningitis and epistaxis (nosebleed).

FluMist Or Flu Shot?

I told the soldier that, based on knowledge and experience, I would not willingly submit to either one because I know far safer and more effective ways to prevent the flu, however, if I were forced to choose, I would pick the FluMist.   My decision has nothing to do with any perceived increased protection from the FluMist when compared to the shot.  In fact, the CDC clearly states in the Pink Book  that “[t]here is no evidence in adults that efficacy of LAIV is greater than that of TIV.”    It is based on the fact that the FluMist  is administered through the nose directly onto the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract which allows the body to more effectively protect itself  from the toxic and infectious materials found in the vaccine.   I would take additional steps to protect myself by 1) inhaling some  silver hydrosol through each nostril and 2) coating my nostrils with coconut oil prior to the vaccine.  Following the vaccine, I would go to the bathroom, blow my nose and inhale another dose of silver hydrosol.

What Experiences Have You Had With The FluMist?