PubMed: Colostrum 3x More Effective Than Flu Vaccine

So, thankfully we're out of the depths of winter and into the heat of the summer here in the Southern Hemisphere, but for our Northern cousins the season of flu is once more upon them. A lot of people - myself included - are for various reasons extremely wary of vaccinations in general, and in particular the flu vaccine. And with the impending rollout of the new H1N1 'swine' flu vaccine across the US, a lot of people are looking towards safer methods of prevention. As a student naturopath, I'm aware of the issues many people have with this particular form of prophylaxis, and that people are on the lookout for things that are less invasive and more natural to help them avoid the lurgie. Which is why, besides the standard hygiene principles of washing your hands, covering your coughs and sneezes, etc etc, I'd recommend taking colostrum."Colostrum over the flu jab?" I hear you ask. "But why?!"Well, because a recent Italian study published in PubMed found bovine colostrum supplements three times more effective in preventing the flu than the vaccine.

The efficacy of a 2-month treatment with oral colostrum in the prevention of flu
episodes compared with antiinfluenza vaccination was evaluated. Groups included
healthy subjects without prophylaxis and those receiving both vaccination and
colostrum. After 3 months of follow-up, the number of days with flu was 3 times
higher in the non-colostrum subjects. The colostrum group had 13 episodes versus
14 in the colostrum + vaccination group, 41 in the group without prophylaxis,
and 57 in nontreated subjects. Part 2 of the study had a similar protocol with
65 very high-risk cardiovascular subjects, all of whom had prophylaxis. The
incidence of complications and hospital admission was higher in the group that
received only a vaccination compared with the colostrum groups. Colostrum, both
in healthy subjects and high-risk cardiovascular patients, is at least 3 times
more effective than vaccination to prevent flu and is very cost-effective.

This is most likely because colostrum contains high levels of several antibodies. They effectively grab hold of the pathogens - in this case the flu virus - and surround them, meaning they aren't able to multiply and spread in your body. Instead, they're either destroyed by macrophages, and/or 'kindly escorted' from your body in your normal waste, and you're left healthy and happy.You can read the study here.