The truth behind the influenza death rates and the CDC manipulation

Friday, January 18, 2013 by: Joseph Bova
Tags: influenza, death rates, CDC estimates

(NaturalNews) In the last few weeks there has been significant talk of the so called "flu epidemic" that is sweeping the nation. The majority of what you're hearing about in the media deals with death rates from the disease. Along with these details comes an assortment of statistical analysis from every big name organization you can think of. However, how accurate are the statistics and what is the truth behind the flu related deaths the media scares us with? (The following information was taken directly from the governmental website for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.)

When people hear about influenza related deaths, they are influenced into thinking that these deaths are directly caused by the flu. However, as stated by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, "Seasonal influenza-related deaths are deaths that occur in people for whom seasonal influenza infection was LIKELY a contributor to the cause of death, but NOT necessarily the primary cause of death." So what does this mean? It means that the flu related deaths are nothing more than speculation. In fact, continuing through the website you can find information regarding how the CDC calculates the number of influenza deaths. "Many seasonal flu-related deaths occur one or two weeks after a person's initial infection, either because the person may develop a secondary bacterial co-infection (such as bacterial pneumonia) or because seasonal influenza can aggravate an existing chronic illness (such as congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)." Therefore, it seems that the real problem is not focusing on the flu virus. The problem is that people have very weak immune systems and extremely poor health in general. This is part of the reason why as stated on the CDC website, 90 percent of those who die from influenza related disease are over the age of 65. At that point in our lives, our bodies in general are starting to deteriorate so we must make sure we do everything we can to keep them thriving.

Another important fact that can be found on the CDC website is that the CDC does not believe that influenza is the cause of most pneumonia and influenza related deaths. "Only a small proportion of deaths in either of these two categories are estimated to be influenza-related. CDC estimated that only 8.5% of all pneumonia and influenza deaths and only 2.1% of all respiratory and circulatory deaths were influenza-related." This is a very interesting point that makes you wonder, why is there such an immense amount of publicity about the seriousness of influenza related deaths when the CDC states on their website that about 2.1 percent of respiratory deaths are influenza related?

So what should you take away from this information? Well for one, do not stress about getting the flu. We know stress depresses your immune system and that is definitely not going to help your chances at beating the flu. If you do end up getting the virus, make sure you take care of yourself with proper sleep, liquids and vitamins. Try taking vitamin D3, zinc, vitamin A and selenium among others. All of these have been shown to boost immune response in individuals. Secondly, the problem with this sudden influx of influenza infections is most likely due to our nation's poor nutritional lifestyles, which create incapable immune systems. Let's start focusing on creating healthy bodies rather than short cuts to try and "beat" the flu.

Sources:

http://www.cdc.gov

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22797987

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23272110

About the author:
Dr. Joseph Bova runs Bova Health and Wellness, which is located in Latham, NY. He received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree in March of this year and is currently enrolled in the Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies where he will be obtaining his specialty diplomate in functional neurology. Dr. Bova is also an attendee of Dr. Datis Kharrazian''s functional medicine seminars dealing with additional education in understanding autoimmunity, neurological diseases, nutritional suggestions, hormone regulation and much more. Dr. Bova is thankful for everyday that the Lord gives him to help patients live their lives to the fullest. You can follow Dr. Bova on twitter at BovaJoe, or at BovaHealthandWellness.com.