Before you wait in line to get your flu and Swine Flu shots, I’d like to share some important information about preparing yourself and your family against the flu this season.

Here are a few contentious issues I would like to tackle about the new swine flu shot:

• It’s new and experimental
• The H1N1 virus can mutate and change form
• How safe is it for our loved ones?

As of this date, the H1N1 flu shot is in the experimental stage. In fact, the vaccine was only tested for a few weeks on healthy subjects. Because it’s new, and for the most part untried, the effectiveness of the H1N1 flu shot can only be learned after inoculating millions of people.  In essence, you and your neighbors are officially the guinea pigs for this new vaccine.  Well, I’m not sure about you, but I am uncomfortable with being a test subject.As you know the H1N1 virus is a virus – and a potent one too.  Viruses need a host to survive – in this case, your body.  They function cleverly when it comes to survival.  What I find most menacing about viruses is that they can change form (mutate or modulate), and can do so many times.  In the end, we could actually end up with more strains such as H1N1-a, H1N1-b, H1N2, and so forth.  All told, the vaccine may not work.

The other issue I have with the vaccine is safety. In 1976, a Swine Flu “epidemic” threatened the US.  Over 43 million people received the vaccination and hundreds developed a paralyzing neurological condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Dozens died.  These deaths were from the flu shot, not the flu!

Personal Choice and the Nightly News

Let me make my point clear: I am not telling you to get a flu shot, and I am not advising you not to.  It is a personal choice.  After practicing in the health care field for decades, I feel it is important to really look at the facts and increase your own understanding of your body. For example, you should know how your body functions, and more specifically, what you need to do to protect yourself and your family against virus and flu threats.

As a society, we believe in the mindset “Medicine will come to my rescue.”  This type of thinking encourages greater reliance on medicine – and vaccinations like the new flu shot – without reliable efficacy testing procedures in place. It also takes the emphasis away from alternative medicine.

A perfect example of this plays out in the media. Every few minutes, flu shot reports air on TV and radio stations. Make no mistake, there’s a flu shot promotion. Have you ever seen the 6 o’clock news spotlighting the following facts?

Most Americans have compromised immune systems because they:

• Are overweight
• Don’t get enough sleep
• Experience too much stress
• Have poor eating habits

Prescription drugs often reduce immune response to the point where individuals become a “medical liability.”  A weakened immune system is vulnerable to almost any infectious disease.  Some of these immune-lowering drugs are quite common – including prednisone, cold medications, sleeping pills, and more.

There are a number of proven ways to improve your immune system and to protect yourself against the flu. Washing your hands is a good idea but not the end-all to fighting the flu.

Strong Virus vs. Strong Host (Your Body)

Recently, a doctor friend of mine said, “Dr. P, the H1N1 virus is proving to be strong but I am telling my patients to fortify the host.” If you’re concerned with the flu, whether it is the swine flu – or the garden variety that sweeps through your community each year – the solution is to IMPROVE YOUR OWN IMMUNE SYSTEM.

Your body is composed of 100 trillion cells, and your immune system drafts cells into its own personal army.  What differentiates a body that succumbs to a potent virus versus one that emerges without a single sniffle?  It comes down to the super-nutrient Vitamin C.

Why Your Pet Does Not Get the Flu

Every mammal on the planet manufactures its own Vitamin C (dogs, cats and even your pet pig) except: Primates (monkeys, apes), Guinea pigs… and Humans.

You read that right! There are only three species in the mammal kingdom unable to make their own Vitamin C! After a genetic incident 25 million years ago, humans lost the ability to make their own Vitamin C.

In simple terms, the majority of animals make Vitamin C every day to protect themselves.  A few examples: my 25-pound Westies make about 5 grams (5,000 mg) of Vitamin C per day, and a goat weighing several-hundred pounds probably makes 50 grams per day.

The More Vitamin C You Take, The Better Your Immune Response

Your body needs Vitamin C.  There’s also good chance that you need more than you’re taking. It’s not just a smart idea to take it; your body does not function without it. And it’s especially true for your immune system. Vitamin C jump-starts your immune function.  Ultimately, flu protection occurs when your immune system is properly activated.

A few specifics:

1. Vitamin C is needed for white blood cell function.  Your white blood cells identify and destroy viruses and bacteria in your body.
2. There is a special type of white blood cell called a lymphocyte.  These are phagocytic (they devour cells; phago means “mouth” and cytic means “cell”).  Lymphocytes can only activate when Vitamin C is present.
3. Vitamin C controls antibody levels.  Antibodies are the immune system’s most direct line of defense.  Invaders have bacteria, viruses, foreign particles and pathogenic substances – also known as antigens.  Our antibodies, when Vitamin C is present, attack these antigens directly.
4. Vitamin C makes complement – a form of protein found in our immune system.  Known as the “neutron bomb,” complement   chemically removes foreign invaders.
5. Vitamin C makes interferon.  Interferon is another protein that the body makes to zap viruses and malignancies.

This is just a partial list of how Vitamin C benefits the immune system.  The complete list goes on and on…

Vitamin C and Epidemics:  A Historical Example

In the late 1940s, our troops were home and settling down from WWII, just as the polio epidemic swept through our country.  Polio either killed thousands of Americans, or crippled them – as it did with President Franklin Roosevelt at the age of 39.  At the time, there were no polio vaccines, and the medical options that doctors did have were ineffective.

Case in point: In 1949, Dr. Fredrick Klenner, a North Carolina physician, saw 60 patients presenting with acute polio symptoms.  After administering Vitamin C to each patient, all 60 recovered completely – with no signs of polio or residual impairment!  It was unheard of because most people with polio symptoms had irreversible nerve or muscle damage following the infection.

Some time later, Dr. Klenner presented his Vitamin C findings at an annual polio treatment conference held by the American Medical Association. Although his clinical results were life saving, his reports were either buried or ignored by his medical colleagues.  Unfortunately, not much has changed today. In fact, if you ask a doctor about taking Vitamin C, the majority would simply say it is a good idea but that it has no real value in treating infectious diseases.  Guess what? They are WRONG!

Super C22 and the Flu

It is important to take a good source of Vitamin C, and plenty of it.  Think of it this way, if a dog manufactures 5,000 mg of Vitamin C per day, it makes sense that you’ll probably need more than the recommended daily allowance of 60 mg for your weight. Our current Vitamin C RDA may ward off scurvy, but it will not bolster your immune system.

My Super C22 formula has 22 different forms of Vitamin C and it provides 2,500% of your RDA! Plus, this refreshing effervescent drink mix formula has a natural orange flavor so both adults and kids love it!  I’ve added high-grade minerals and bioflavonoids so that when you mix it with water, the nutrients are immediately absorbed into your body. And like all of my supplements, there are no artificial ingredients, colorings or sweeteners. Plus, it’s manufactured in an FDA-approved lab right here in the USA.

Time is of the Essence…

Don’t wait to come down with the flu before you start taking Super C22.  Start a new health routine now.  If you drink 1-3 glasses of Super C22 every day, you’ll have a stronger immune system and more energy (your body also needs Vitamin C to create energy).

Order Your Super C22 Today and Receive an additional Free Bottle.

To help you and your family weather these tough times, I’d like to offer you a free bottle of Super C22 with your order.  I wish you and yours the best of health in the coming months, and throughout this holiday season!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Michael Pinkus