A text message conversation prompted me to think of more answers to the question “Why didn’t you get a flu shot?”

My mom lives in a retirement community that offers annual flu shots. They have someone come out every year to administer them for the convenience of the residents. I made sure my mom was fully informed as to WHY she did NOT want to get one, but then she was worried about what she was going to say!

There are many approaches to take.  I like to follow the Biblical patterns of communication and figure out how I can apply them in my life. I confess I don’t always get it right, but here are two principles:

1. “a soft answer turns away wrath”
2. Questions, when asked politely, usually give you the upper hand.

Here are more examples of strong questions in response to the question “Why don’t you get flu shots?” or when you are experiencing pressure to agree to a flu shot:

“What do you know about the contra-indications – that is, the people who shouldn’t get flu shots”?

“Did you know you can find the vaccine package insert from the FDA for every shot? The vaccine package insert is provided by the manufacturers lists all the ingredients, the contraindications, and the side effects. It also states that some categories of people should not get flu shots. Have you read it?”

“Do you know how effective the flu shot is expected to be for this flu season? Some years it’s been as low as 15% accurate.”

“Do you know what they make flu shots from? Did you know they’ve been experimenting with growing the flu virus in different mediums? Do you know the other ingredients in a flu shot, like mercury which is in the multi dose vials?”

“Do you know what mercury does to your brain and why the FDA limits the amount in ingestible foods to well below the amount they want to put into a person’s body with a needle?”

“Did you know that some vaccines (not flu shots) are developed using aborted human fetal tissue?”

When you think about it, most people who think the flu shot is a good idea really believe that it is good. They have been influenced by the vast amount of money spent on marketing by those who would benefit from flu shot sales. They haven’t been exposed to the research and facts that show the flu shot is overrated and possibly very dangerous. Most doctors are “educated” by the drug reps who want to sell more drugs, or by the CDC who has a dodgy record regarding accurately communicating vaccine safety studies (see #CDCwhistleblower).

You can read what I shared with my mother here. It was prompted by our text conversation.

How about you, what is your best response to those who try to influence you to get a flu shot?