“Did you get the flu shot?” This is a question I have been asked repeatedly over the last month.

No. The answer will always be “No.”

When people hear my answer they automatically assume it is because I am a chiropractor. In a way I suppose it is, and I am grateful for that. My education has taught me that when my nervous system is able to function at an optimal level to support my immune system 1 of 2 outcomes can happen:

1. I will be equipped to fight off bacteria and virus’ before they cause disease.
2. I will get sick, but my body will fight the disease, and gain life time immunity.

***Usually the second one happens whenever I have taken a hiatus from other healthy aspects of my life, like exercises or eating healthy!***

I’ll be honest. I haven’t had the flu shot since I was a Freshman in college when I was peer pressured into getting one due to the swine flu epidemic. Before that, I don’t remember getting the flu vaccination on a regular basis. It was one of the vaccinations that my mom did not believe in.

So what exactly about the flu shot has deterred me from injecting myself with a virus every year? If that sentence doesn’t spell it out for you, let me break down my thought process! The last time I actually had the flu, was Freshman year of college when I had the flu vaccination. I put 2 and 2 together and decided that I had been fine up until that point and never really thought about it after that.

You also have to realize that I spent four additional years after college at chiropractic school where we were not blasted with advertisements for the flu vaccination. I was educated on the fine print side effects that they put in the pamphlets, that unfortunately the average person does not read. I was given the statistics on the efficacy of the vaccination and decided that 19-42% was not good enough. I was educated that this vaccination still contained heavy metals such as aluminum, and chemicals like formaldehyde, and I decided these were not good enough for my body.

Last year I was listening to a Dave Ramsey podcast and he said, “If this is normal, you don’t want it! That’s why you want to be weird. You’ve got to look at what everyone is doing and then run the other way.”

Now of course he was talking about debt and finances, but it got me thinking about what I always relate things to, health. We are a 1st world country, with supposedly an advanced medical model, yet we rank 40th in the world for average life expectancy. We are doing something wrong as a nation. We aren’t sick due of a lack of drugs in our system. Sure, I have had sinus infections, colds, sniffles, etc. but not the flu, and my body typically recovers within 1-2 days of intense rest, monitoring my temperature, and taking my secret wellness regimen (I will be sharing soon!)

Recently I went to a networking meeting, and the first question someone asked me after finding out that I was a chiropractor was, “do you get the flu vaccination?” With society today, that’s as bad as talking about politics, religion, and how much money you make on a first date! I have become immune to this question by now (pun intended), but it’s because I am not ashamed of being different or weird. The problem lately is that we are so divided and angry about the choices other people are making when it comes to their own health. Ironically, this person told me she will always get the flu vaccination, because after she received it, she was violently ill with the flu and never wants to experience that again. She got the flu AFTER the vaccination, what was the point of getting it in the first place then?

Inevitably, I will get backlash from this blog post, and that’s “okay,” some of you will say without a vaccination I shouldn’t be able to walk among the masses because I could spread disease. The truth is, if I am sick with the flu and contagious, I shouldn’t be leaving my house to begin with! I should be staying home, resting, drinking fluids to avoid dehydration, and monitoring my temperature to make sure I have not endangered my life. Yes, I realize people are contagious before major symptoms set in, but basic hygiene has also been proven to limit the spread of disease.

There has been a Facebook post that has gone viral about a Nurse who said that people who don’t vaccinate should not receive emergency care when they need it, because Big Pharma also makes those medicines. I am friends with nurses, I have many nurses who are patients, I went to undergraduate school to become a nurse initially. In no way am I saying that this post is wrong because she is a nurse. I have the upmost respect for nurses. Can you tell I love my nurses out there?!

What is wrong about that Facebook post, is that there is a difference between someone educating themselves and deciding not to get a vaccination, versus not getting a vaccination because of “Big Pharma.” It is the medical community’s job, and they took an oath, to treat patients in an emergency situation.

Without this this type of medical advancement I would have lost my fiance this year, but his auto immune condition has nothing to do with him not getting the flu vaccination. On the contrary, new research has suggested that his auto immune condition could be related to an increase in heavy metals in his system due to a heavy vaccination schedule as a infant before his immune system had fully developed.  Research that I am looking into to fully understand before we make any hard assumptions.

What I want to express most of all is that, before you get heated at someone for their health choices, ask them why. Or, if you are someone who is on the fence do your research. Read the pamphlets. Ask questions. Be Weird. Find a practitioner who won’t ask you 2,3,4,5 times “are you sure?” Most importantly, Be Empowered!

I had a friend who refuses to get the flu shot for herself and for her 8 year old daughter. She told me that countless practitioners, friends, and family members have guilt tripped her over this. Using threats like, “how will you feel if your daughter dies because of the flu and it’s your fault.?!” How terrible is that? Fear mongering to make someone to abide by your recommendations?

Maybe I will get the flu this year. Maybe it will cost me my life. Statistics say that it won’t. But if it does, I guarantee this blogs goes viral. “Chiropractor Succumbs to Flu After Writing Blog On How She Will Never Get Flu Shot!” At least I’ll be famous.

According to the national laws, vaccinations are “out of my scope,” so as always this blog is not medical advice, and you should talk to your health care professional.