"What the heck do we have to do!?"

That frustrating question has probably annoyed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials for years. 

I imagine they lie awake nights. During family dinners, their faces go blank as they drift off, lost in thought, all the time wondering, "What the heck do we have to do to convince people to get a flu shot!?"

"Is it too much to ask to just take a few minutes every September and go get a shot!?"

"Why oh why would people NOT get a flu shot!?"

Meanwhile, most Americans are stubbornly unmoved. Polls show that millions don't think they need the shot, or that the shot is ineffective, or that the shot might actually make them sick. So they pass.

And that drives CDC guys nuts.

What to do?

The answer is pretty clear. It's time to pull out all the stops and recommend flu shots for EVERYONE!

Just say yes

Recently, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to expand the flu shot recommendations to include everyone over the age of 6 months.

In other words, the CDC will be recommending that virtually every American alive today should get a flu shot next season. Now you might have some contraindications--such as egg allergy or a chronic disease--that will keep you off the recommended list.

Everyone else? Step right up!

A CDC flu specialist told the Washington Post, "Now no one should say, 'Should I or shouldn't I?'"

That's right--you don't even have to THINK about it anymore. When your doctor says, "Ready for your flu shot?" It's easy. You just say, "Yes!"

And here's the best part: It's easier for your doctor because now HE doesn't have to think about it either! A representative of the American College of Physicians actually told Medscape: "This will be much simpler. We don't have to figure out who should get the vaccine."

In the past, a doctor had to look at some paperwork to find the age of his patient. Then he had to figure out if the patient belonged in one of two age groups: six months to 18 years, or anyone over 50. Imagine how complex that was!

When the ACIP voted on the new recommendations, there was actually a round of applause at the meeting where the vote occurred. That's how much these people craved this change. They were celebrating! Which is fairly odd because there's zero evidence that the flu vaccine even works.

And they know it.

Last year, I told you about an important study from the Cochrane Collaboration--a non-profit, independent organization that reviews a wide variety of health care research. Cochrane researchers examined every influenza vaccine study conducted between 1948 and 2007.

Their conclusion: "There is no evidence whatsoever that seasonal influenza vaccines have any effect, especially in the elderly and young children. No evidence of reduced cases, deaths, complications."

So the CDC--these very mainstreamers who are always telling us that supplements don't have gold standard proof of effectiveness--are recommending that nearly every person in the U.S. should get this completely unproven vaccine next year.

They're going to be mystified when millions of people just say, "No."

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