Every drugstore you drive by these days has a sign out reminding you to get your flu shot. Your medical doctors have probably already advised you to get a flu shot. I won’t tell my patients to get a shot or to stay away from the shot; but I can tell you that I have never had a flu shot.Getting a flu shot is like playing the lottery – the shot might keep you from getting the flu but it might not keep you from getting it. This is from the Center for Disease Control’s own website “The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season.” “Research indicates.” Really? I know those CDC researchers are working hard to determine which flu strains will run rampant this year, but in the end they don’t really know. Just as you buy that lottery ticket without knowing if you will strike it rich.The flu strains that researchers think will infect the U.S. are cultivated in chick embryos for several weeks before being inactivated with formaldehyde, which is a known cancer-causing agent. Then they're preserved with thimerosal, which is 49 percent mercury by weight, according to the ThinkTwice Global Vaccine Institute.According to the CDC, the majority of flu vaccines contain thimerosal. Some contain as much as 25 mcg of mercury per dose. This means that it may contain more than 250 times the Environmental Protection Agency's safety limit for mercury. By now, most people are well aware that children and fetuses are most at risk of damage from this neurotoxin, as their brains are still developing. Yet the CDC still recommends that children over six months, and pregnant women, receive the flu vaccine each year.In addition to mercury, flu vaccines also contain other toxic or hazardous ingredients like:• Aluminum -- a neurotoxin that has been linked to Alzheimer's disease• Triton X-100 -- a detergent• Phenol (carbolic acid)• Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)• Betapropiolactone - a disinfectant• Nonoxynol - used to kill or stop growth of STDs• Octoxinol 9 - a spermicide• Sodium phosphateForget about the fact the flu shots are often ineffective, I don’t want those ingredients injected in my body! If we keep our immune systems strong, that is a much better way to keep viruses at bay. To armor your body against the flu or other seasonal illnesses make sure you are taking a Vitamin D supplement (and getting sun exposure), avoid sugar and processed foods, get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated, exercise and make sure you wash your hands with good old soap and water. Your chances of avoiding illnesses this winter will increase if you take care of your body.