KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
As temperatures continue to drop in the Santa Clarita Valley this winter, the flu has started going around once again. Though flu shots are available to help prevent the virus, some individuals choose not to vaccinate themselves or their children due to well-known — but inaccurate — myths, according to a Santa Clarita pediatrician.
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Dr. Rochelle Feldman of Prima Pediatrics, who has 40 years of experience, says that people should not believe everything they read on the internet, but instead trust the judgement of healthcare professionals who have expertise on the subject.
“With flu shots, people say, ‘Why? My child is healthy — why should I give him any vaccine?’” Feldman said. “It’s your luck that you are healthy. I say, ‘When we were kids, we never wore seatbelts either; none of us got in an accident or got killed. But plenty of other people did.’”
Related: Santa Clarita Pediatrician Offers Gun Safety Advice To Parents
Today’s myths regarding flu shots likely stem from fear regarding possible side effects.
“Something bad can happen, but something good can happen too,” Feldman said. “People in fear cannot weigh risks-versus-benefit properly.”
Feldman believes giving into this fear by letting it affect the decision-making process only accelerates these myths, making it more difficult to distinguish reality.
“Some very intelligent people don’t vaccinate their children, they don’t live near where radio waves emit, they don’t use microwaves and things like that,” Feldman said. “They are not stupid people — they simply are living their lives in so much fear that they let that overcome.”
Because there is so much fear and indecisiveness related to these shots, one may wonder if it’s possible to change this mindset.
Feldman advises, “What you need to do is to quench your fears, stamp them down, think logically, think reasonably. Don’t allow the moment to guide your entire decision.”
Varnica Singh contributed to this article.
Ed. Note: This article is a KHTS Feature story based on a recent radio interview with Prima Pediatrics.
Santa Clarita pediatrician Dr. Rochelle Feldman of Prima Pediatrics is board-certified in both pediatrics and neonatal-prenatal medicine, and is affiliated with several nearby hospitals. She has been a pediatrician in Santa Clarita for 35 years, and is one of the only pediatricians in Santa Clarita who specializes in the treatment of mitochondrial diseases. Her personal philosophy is to “take care of the whole child, remembering that the parent knows the child best and at first do no harm. We use complementary medicine when appropriate and avoid medication in lieu of natural means when possible.”
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The preservative in the flu shot is Mercury. Have you ever heard of Mercury poisoning? A little bit of Mercury helps to preserve the shelf life of the flu shot. Every time you get a flu shot, you also get some Mercury. Mercury doesn’t leave your body. It stays and is stored like other heavy metals. Get a flu shot every year, build that Mercury storage. Test for Mercury, ask your Holistic Nutritionist.
Not all flu shots contain mercury. Those that do contain a kind of mercury that is safe. According to the CDC: “Some types of mercury, like mercury in some kinds of fish, stay in the human body and can make people sick. Thimerosal is a different kind of mercury. It doesn’t stay in the body, and is unlikely to make us sick” (http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/thimerosal/faqs.html).
I would suggest that you talk to a holistic nutritionist about food, talk to a doctor about vaccines.
I have never had a flu shot and don’t get the flu as many others experience the same. Why is it that the medical business (and it is BIG business) keeps using fear tactics to get the population to buy into their products? Remember the bird flu scare a few years ago? They made it sound like you were sure to die if you didn’t get vaccinated. There was a shortage of vaccines and as it turns out there was no epidemic of bird flu. Money talks and in this case supports the b.s.
There was no bird flu epidemic. There WAS a swine flu pandemic that killed 282 children in 2009. The shortage of vaccines was because they weren’t ready in time, which is understandable considering how little time there was to make them.
Get Educated. Get Vaccinated.