PITTSBURGH -- The H1N1 flu vaccine is being made available to children in the Pittsburgh area, and health experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending kids get it for protection.

Because the vaccine is so new, not all parents are sold on the idea of their children getting the shot.

"I haven't had enough information to actually know or make an actual decision on if I want to get my kids vaccinated," Donnie Harrison told Channel 4 Action News on Monday.

Pharmacist Joe DiMatteo told Channel 4 Action News reporter Marcie Cipriani that the best protection to boost the immune system may come in bottles, not syringes.

"As a clinical nutritionist , as a pharmacist and as a naturopath, I take a little more of a natural approach," said DiMatteo, who recommends vitamins C and D and probiotics.

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"If you use the right forms of vitamin C in adequate doses, vitamin C is a great immune support agent," DiMatteo said. "We know vitamin D -- it's replete throughout the literature -- is an immune modulator. It modulates your immune system, much like a thermostat does."

DiMatteo has specific recommendations for each supplement -- cholecalciferol for vitamin D, L-ascorbate for vitamin C and Lactobacillus casei as the probiotic. And he says they should be used together.

"You're activating the immune system in multi-directional factions as opposed to just with the vaccine that is single-focused," he said.

Whether parents choose the vaccine or the pills, or both, they should be warned that protection is essential because the H1N1 flu is spreading and has already killed 76 children -- more deaths than the seasonal flu.

People who choose to try supplements should consult a clinical nutritionist and make sure they're getting the proper dosage, DiMatteo said.