Flu Vaccine Reactions From the Same Gelatin in Gummy Bears

by Catherine J. Frompovich

What’s the difference between an allergic reaction, an adverse event, or a contraindication with regard to vaccines? Apparently there are very little or no differences because all those events mean that a vaccinee is in trouble with his or her health due to having received a vaccine.

The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) reported at its Baltimore, Maryland, meeting early in November 2013, a case report

notes that individuals with a gelatin allergy can have a mild to severe reaction from the [flu] shot. [1]

Severe reactions can include anaphylaxis, which can result in death!

Apparently the ACAAI considered the case report – supposedly about a four-year-old toddler who received a flu vaccine according to radio news reports this writer heard – serious enough that it advised its membership to take some fairly drastic precautionary measures about giving flu vaccines to children with known allergic reactions to marshmallows and gummy bear candies, which contain gelatin made from animal trimmings not used in food processing, or even from discarded animal parts.

Gelatin [2] is an animal protein that is used as a gelling agent in pharmaceuticals, candy making, yogurt [3], ice cream [4], and as a clarifying agent in beer [5]. As with any food, especially protein, people may or may not know they are allergic to it or may not have recognized an allergic reaction to a food, since there can be many allergic reactions in addition to hives, itching, rashes, or even asthma. When I studied nutrition, I learned there can be as many as a thousand different types of reactions in the human body, depending upon an individual’s immune system, constitution, and the offending allergen. In today’s chemical world, more and more individuals are allergic to man-made chemicals, something the medical profession deals with almost exclusively, i.e., pharmaceuticals to which there can be numerous adverse reactions. Vaccines are not exempt!

Some claim there is a difference between food intolerances and allergies. Try telling that to parents who see their little ones experiencing reactions no matter what label is put on them, especially after receiving a vaccine. It’s frightening stuff, and as ACAAI member Stephanie Albin, MD, points out,

Because it is found in the vaccine, those with a known allergy to gelatin can experience allergic reactions, such as hives, sneezing and difficulty breathing. [1]

Furthermore, Dr. Albin elaborates with,

Gelatin reactions can cause hives, swelling, itchiness, shortness of breath and a severe life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis. Because of this, precautions should be taken, such as having a board-certified allergist administer the vaccine in a person with known gelatin allergy in case a reaction occurs.

That’s all well and good advice for those who want to take that chance, but there are numerous other proteins in vaccines, along with neurotoxins and other toxic chemicals that can and apparently do cause allergic reactions and adverse events, as verified by the CDC/FDA’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System where physicians and parents can and should file reports.

Furthermore, “While the vaccine is recommended for those six months of age and older” [1], can anyone tell what an infant that young is allergic to? Isn’t that a reasonable question to ask? Maybe the ACAAI ought to consider recommending testing be done on all infants before any vaccines are administered to determine whether there will be adverse mitochondrial involvement that can precipitate the Autism Spectrum Disorder, the MTHFR mutation [6], or allergic reactions. Right now it’s a ‘crap shoot’ and you take your chances of having a damaged child after vaccination.

There also is a nasal flu vaccine, i.e., nasal spray, which contains gelatin that the ACAAI is concerned about. However, it contains MSG (monosodium glutamate), an excitotoxin that doesn’t seem to arouse their interest. MSG affects the brain to produce what’s been called the “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” or the MSG Symptom Complex. See this YouTube “FluMist Contains MSG” that talks about MSG in the nasal flu vaccine.

According to Dr. Michael Roussell, PhD, [7]

Concerns regarding a link between MSG and obesity have been raised, especially following the publication of a 2011 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 

Furthermore, in 1978 two possible psychiatric reactions to MSG were reported to The New England Journal of Medicine. [8]

According to the CDC’s “Ingredients of Vaccines – Fact Sheet” [9]

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) and 2-phenoxy-ethanol which are used as stabilizers in a few vaccines to help the vaccine remain unchanged when the vaccine is exposed to heat, light, acidity, or humidity. 

For children with a prior history of allergic reactions to any of these substances in vaccines, parents should consult their child’s healthcare provider before vaccination.

That last statement presents a real problem for everyone, as far as this writer is concerned. The reason lies in the fact that no one knows who will have a reaction to a vaccine ingredient. Furthermore, everyone is told by the medical profession, the media, governments, and school systems that vaccines are safe and necessary. No, they are not on both counts!

Vaccines contain numerous ingredients [10] that pose hidden adverse reactions or events for numerous children of all ages, including adults. VAERS confirms that! Any previous vaccine reaction should preclude a child – or anyone for that matter – from receiving other vaccines in the future in order to prevent an anamnestic response [11], which really doesn’t seem to be taken very seriously by those promoting vaccines, as is exemplified in the recommendation that a board certified allergist should administer vaccines to children with known allergies to vaccine ingredients. No vaccine warrants the possibility of an anamnestic response, in my opinion.

As we have seen with gelatin and MSG, there are real problems that can and do occur from vaccine ingredients from supposedly ‘mundane’, edible, or GRAS ingredients. I have not addressed in this article the more serious ingredients in vaccines, e.g., neurotoxins, which I talk about in my recent book, Vaccination Voodoo, What YOU Don’t Know About Vaccines. That being said, I would like to congratulate the ACAAI for warning about the possible vaccine gelatin reaction. Please don’t stop there! You have an entire roster of ingredients, which can cause adverse reactions, intolerances, or allergies – whatever you want to call them – that are causing serious health problems for innocent children. It’s time to take responsibility; it is time to “bell the cat”. [11]

Notes:

[1] http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/609629/?sc=dwhn
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin
[3] http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Suppliers2/Ingredion-rolls-out-cost-saving-gelatin-replacer-for-yogurt
[4] http://ask.metafilter.com/59218/Gelatinfree-ice-cream-brands
[5] http://www.bertusbrewery.com/2012/06/how-to-clear-your-beer-with-gelatin.html
[6] http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/MTHFR
[7] http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/diet-tips/ask-diet-doctor-truth-about-msg
[8] Colman, A.D. Possible psychiatric reactions to monosodium glutamate. New England Journal of Medicine 299: 902, 1978.
[9] http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/additives.htm
[10] http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/b/excipient-table-2.pdf
[11] http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/bell-the-cat.html

Catherine J Frompovich (website) is a retired natural nutritionist who earned advanced degrees in Nutrition and Holistic Health Sciences, Certification in Orthomolecular Theory and Practice plus Paralegal Studies. Her work has been published in national and airline magazines since the early 1980s. Catherine authored numerous books on health issues along with co-authoring papers and monographs with physicians, nurses, and holistic healthcare professionals. She has been a consumer healthcare researcher 35 years and counting.

Two of Catherine’s more recent books on Amazon.com are Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, A Probe Into What’s Probably Making Us Sick (2009) and Lord, How Can I Make It Through Grieving My Loss, An Inspirational Guide Through the Grieving Process (2008).