A shot of reality

While we're talking about public misinformation, I have a couple particularly pitiful statistics to shoot your way. You know how this winter brought one of the worst flu seasons in the last ten years? Well, it turns out that the CDC's annual flu shot juggernaut didn't really soften the blow. In fact, this year's vaccine failed to protect elderly recipients entirely, warding off the most deadly strain of the virus in only 9 percent of seniors. Meanwhile, everyone else benefited from only modest protection. In healthy adults, the vaccine had an effectiveness rate of just over 50 percent. Better? Yes. Acceptable? Excuse the pun, but not by a long shot. And sadly, that number is pretty typical for any given year. The usual call for vaccines that actually work is already sounding. But I've got a better idea: Next year, skip the flu shot and follow my own not-so-secret recipe, instead. Kick sugar to the curb and take 500 mg of AHCC, twice a day. Simple as that. Until next time, Dr. Fred