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Flu shots
- Thread starter Cave Man
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I don't bother getting flu shots - I'd rather let my immune system deal with things naturally rather than exposing it to toxic chemicals and virus strains which are artificially grown and genetically modified in laboratories.
Some of the ingredients they use in flu shots are downright nasty - fromaldehyde being one of them, as well as polysorbate 80 which is another potential carcinogen. Many flu vaccines also still contain thimerosal as a preservative, otherwise known as mercury.
In my opinion, if you're wanting to protect yourself from flus and colds, the best thing to do is to live healthy every day. Build a strong immune system naturally, plain and simple. Plus, getting sick isn't a bad thing - it's natural, and it is good to cleanse our bodies from time to time and rid ourselves of our weakest cells.
Some of the ingredients they use in flu shots are downright nasty - fromaldehyde being one of them, as well as polysorbate 80 which is another potential carcinogen. Many flu vaccines also still contain thimerosal as a preservative, otherwise known as mercury.
In my opinion, if you're wanting to protect yourself from flus and colds, the best thing to do is to live healthy every day. Build a strong immune system naturally, plain and simple. Plus, getting sick isn't a bad thing - it's natural, and it is good to cleanse our bodies from time to time and rid ourselves of our weakest cells.
What about those infectious diseases in which your immune system is what actually kills you? With thinking like yours, we would never have eradicated smallpox, soon polio, and then measles. It's no wonder measles in endemic in Great Britain again.
Lies and FUD.
Again, what about that "strong" immune response that kills you? You're playing roulette with your life and the lives of others.
Except when getting sick kills you.
Once, back in Uni, I listened to my mother's pesterings about getting a flu shot (she's religious about them and they seem to work for her). So I went and got a flu shot. I ended up sicker than a dog and it was the only time in more than 20 years that I've gotten the flu.
Where do you get this absolute twaddle? As Cave Man pointed out this is all ill-informed FUD. Spreading this disinformation directly places peoples lives at danger. It is dishonest, uninformed, and dangerous.
Tell that to the victims of the spanish, asian, and hong kong influenza outbreaks. Somewhere around 100 million people have died because of influenza. And these influenza outbreaks killed people in their healthiest years i.e. 15 - 45 year old age group. No amount of strong immune system (plain and simple) helped them at all.
There are specific proportions of the population that are at increased risk of mortality from influenza. People over 80, young children, and those with neurological defects and respiratory disease. The CDC states 200 000 people are hospitalised by influenza in the US every year, and 36 000 people die. 36 000 people. Vaccination is not just about you. It's also about protecting others.
If and when H5N1 bird flu mutates to the point where it can pass from humans to humans I bet my bottom dollar that Shard will be lining up with everyone else to get a jab and not tackling it "naturally".
. Where do you get this? Getting sick doesn't cleanse your body from their weakest cells. This is wrong. Viruses infect healthy cells.Firstly are you sure that you have influenza and not just a cold or gastro? This is often the problem with people - they correlate a coincidence with it being the flu vaccine. Some years the influenza vaccine doesn't cover the strain that is going around 100% and you can still get the flu - but this has nothing to do with the vaccine. You would have got the flu vaccine or no.Randman said:
I'm sure you already have iowamensan but if you've got diarrhoea/vomiting at all while you're pregnant you should be in touch with you doctor or Obs/gynae as early as possible. It's a rare side effect of the vaccine but could point to anything.iowamensan said:
The flu vaccine can make people feel sick. But the fact is that it's a very, very, very small minority of people that get sick. Just as a specific breakfast cereal can make some people feel sick. As an anecdote to combat all the anecdotes in this thread, as medical students and doctors we are not allowed to work unless all our vaccines are up to date. Out of the thousands that are done each year at my hospital there might be one or two negative reactions to the vaccine. More may have mild flu-like symptoms or redness at the injection site. The vast majority will be absolutely fine (myself included and I get vaccinated every year). One the plus side many, many hopsitalisations and deaths are avoided.iowamensan said:
I had mine at the start of October with no ill effects whatsoever, other than a slightly sore upper arm.
.Andy makes the best, most concise points here.
I got my Master's of Public Health in Epidemiology before going to medical school.
Those that doubt either the efficacy or safety of vaccines are one of two camps: those who rush to summary judgments because it somehow makes them feel like a member of a (noisy) vocal minority, or those that have simply not reviewed the literally millions of pages of scientific data, publications, and research reports that very conclusively demonstrate the safety, efficacy, and importance of vaccines.
The anti-vaccine thing has to stop. I just can't understand it. It seems as if people have run out of things to complain about, and are now cherry picking them at random. Since it is no longer socially acceptable to pick on homosexuals, blacks, the mentally disabled, or even elderly people, let's start finding some new thing to make a public outrage about. Let's see, maybe violence in video games? How about Saying the Pledge of Allegiance in school? Or, how about making a giant issue out of vaccination? That sounds like a good target, it's not like there's any sort of evidence base to support vaccination, right?
Right?
The scientists of the world with compassion feel sorry for these people. Those who have no compassion are laughing their collective asses off.
I got my Master's of Public Health in Epidemiology before going to medical school.
Those that doubt either the efficacy or safety of vaccines are one of two camps: those who rush to summary judgments because it somehow makes them feel like a member of a (noisy) vocal minority, or those that have simply not reviewed the literally millions of pages of scientific data, publications, and research reports that very conclusively demonstrate the safety, efficacy, and importance of vaccines.
The anti-vaccine thing has to stop. I just can't understand it. It seems as if people have run out of things to complain about, and are now cherry picking them at random. Since it is no longer socially acceptable to pick on homosexuals, blacks, the mentally disabled, or even elderly people, let's start finding some new thing to make a public outrage about. Let's see, maybe violence in video games? How about Saying the Pledge of Allegiance in school? Or, how about making a giant issue out of vaccination? That sounds like a good target, it's not like there's any sort of evidence base to support vaccination, right?
Right?
The scientists of the world with compassion feel sorry for these people. Those who have no compassion are laughing their collective asses off.
I've never gotten one. It seems like half the time they guess wrong about which strains to include anyway. I've had the flu twice in the last 15 years. It sucked, but I'm still not getting the shot.
Not getting a flu shot is kind of like saying that because you've never had a crash, there is no reason to wear seat belts ( or back up your computer, if you're in that frame of mind).
Anyway, my husband brings the shot home and gives it to me. It's a bonding, S/M moment.
Anyway, my husband brings the shot home and gives it to me. It's a bonding, S/M moment.
Never got a flu shot, and never will. I tend to get the flu about every other year, then only for a week at a time. If I stay on Vitamins, it runs through in shorter time.
I should probably get one this year.
I'm in the lowest-risk category, so in the past when there were shortages, I felt it was best to spare the vaccines for those in higher-risk groups (such as the elderly or ill). This year, it doesn't seem as if that should be an issue.
Here's a list from the CDC of who should be vaccinated:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm
I'm in the lowest-risk category, so in the past when there were shortages, I felt it was best to spare the vaccines for those in higher-risk groups (such as the elderly or ill). This year, it doesn't seem as if that should be an issue.
Here's a list from the CDC of who should be vaccinated:
1. Children aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday
2. Pregnant women
3. People 50 years of age and older
4. People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
5. People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
6. People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
2. Pregnant women
3. People 50 years of age and older
4. People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
5. People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
6. People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
a. Health care workers
b. Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
c. Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
b. Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
c. Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm
I've never had a flu shot or the flu. In fact, it's been about 5 or 6 years since I've had a cold.
Regardless of whether you get the shot or not, if you want to make it through cold/flu season unscathed, eat healthy, exercise, get enough rest, and wash your hands! This business about a strong immune system doesn't matter is ridiculous... While I'm on the subject, I've noticed that in recent years, people seem to be a lot more careless while sick. People (at least in my community) go out while sick, head to work with fever, send kids to school with mild fever, etc. I think this has a lot to do with the spread of cold/flu. When I was younger, if I was moderately sick or had fever, I was home. Period. If it's a light cold, sure, but come on, it's so annoying!
Regardless of whether you get the shot or not, if you want to make it through cold/flu season unscathed, eat healthy, exercise, get enough rest, and wash your hands! This business about a strong immune system doesn't matter is ridiculous... While I'm on the subject, I've noticed that in recent years, people seem to be a lot more careless while sick. People (at least in my community) go out while sick, head to work with fever, send kids to school with mild fever, etc. I think this has a lot to do with the spread of cold/flu. When I was younger, if I was moderately sick or had fever, I was home. Period. If it's a light cold, sure, but come on, it's so annoying!
While no one disputes that those tasks are helpful, so long as the cells of your respiratory tract express alpha-2,6-sialic acid on their cell surface proteins, you will be susceptible to influenza. It is an equal opportunity infector.
And you don't know what you're talking about. It is clear that the reason people die from avian influenza, dengue, arenaviruses and hantaviruses is because of a strong immune response. The latter two do not cause any cellular damage whatsoever, yet in fatal cases a strong immune response occurs with the production of inflammatory cytokines, particularly tumor necrosis factor, lymphotoxin, interleukin-6 and interferon gamma. These cytokines cause the tight junctions holding together vascular endothelial cells to dissociate from one another, which then leads to a vascular leakage. Since the blood is under higher pressure the the surrounding interstitial tissues, the plasma takes the path of least resistance - into the tissue. In extreme inflammatory responses you get red blood cells leaking into the tissues, leading to the infamous viral hemorrhagic fevers. This results in a precipitous drop in blood pressure and, in fatal cases, cardiac failure.
Who dies from these diseases? Not the very old or very young - the most "healthy". If you don't know what you're talking about, you ought not say anything at all. Do everyone a favor and go get your flu shot. You might prevent the death of a child or elderly person.
Since I am not in any of these, groups, I will again not be getting a flu shot.
Both times that I got a flu shot, I was sicker than I have ever been in my entire life.
The first time was in late 1999, right before the 99-00 New Years. I was sick at home on New Years' Eve with chills and fever, throwing up and having diarrhea. A fun night. I would have preferred drinking myself into this condition. Happy new year to me.
The second time was exactly one year later, right before the 00-01 New Years. Again, I was sick at home on New Years' Eve going through the exact same thing as the year before.
I never had the flu before those two occasions, and I've never had the flu since.
So, no, I will not get injected with that crap until I'm in an at-risk group. And even then I'll be thinking hard about it.
To Cave Man and .Andy: It would be swell if you guys could post a link or a list of the ingredients that is in the flu shot if you guys are going to dispute the posts regarding formaldehyde, preservatives, mercury, etc. that may or may not be in these vaccines. Thanks.
My appointment is for tomorrow morning. Our 4 year old just got her 4 year checkup + flu vaccine. Now that was a fun 5 shots. She's not too happy with us right now (thank God for bribery with early Xmas gifts).
With our 3rd daughter due at the end of Feb I hit a couple of the groups. Household contact of pregnant, soon to be caregiver of an under 6 month old, and household contact of children aged 6 mos-19 years, so I guess I have about 20 more years of the shot in front of me...
With our 3rd daughter due at the end of Feb I hit a couple of the groups. Household contact of pregnant, soon to be caregiver of an under 6 month old, and household contact of children aged 6 mos-19 years, so I guess I have about 20 more years of the shot in front of me...
I hope you don't get influenza, then pass it on to some child or elderly person who dies from it.
Perhaps you're allergic to eggs. Have you been tested?
Sounds like it was something you did during New Years.
And you didn't get the flu from the vaccine, since it is a killed preparation.
To Cave Man and .Andy: It would be swell if you guys could post a link or a list of the ingredients that is in the flu shot if you guys are going to dispute the posts regarding formaldehyde, preservatives, mercury, etc. that may or may not be in these vaccines. Thanks.
No one has said these are not found in the inactivated influenza vaccine. The FUD and lies is that they are toxic in the doses formulated in vaccines, and it is the dose that makes the poison. Heck, even dihydrogen oxide, which is found in many products, is toxic at appropriate doses. Perhaps we should ban it, too?
I'll take my chances.
No. Just ate eggs this morning for breakfast.
Really? Is that the best you can do? I have taken your posts seriously, why are you not taking mine seriously? Or perhaps you shouldn't have skipped over this part: "I would have preferred drinking myself into this condition. Happy new year to me."
I am aware that it is a killed preparation. However, the link is still there for me both times between the shot and the flu. Perhaps my immune system was so busy adapting to the vaccine that it was unable to defend properly against the strain that affected me.
No one has said these are not found in the inactivated influenza vaccine. The FUD and lies is that they are toxic in the doses formulated in vaccines, and it is the dose that makes the poison. Heck, even dihydrogen oxide, which is found in many products, is toxic at appropriate doses. Perhaps we should ban it, too?
A bad argument. Water and oxygen are toxic at appropriate doses as well.
And to .Andy's post below: Please keep in mind that I am not an anti-vaccine crusader. I just don't feel that the flu shot is beneficial/worth it to me personally, based on my experiences with it.
Cave Man's already answered but I'll go into a bit more detail. The ingredients depend on who makes the specific vaccine - some will contain traces of thiomersil as a preservative or formaldehyde which fixes proteins. However to claim that these are hazardous to one's health in the concentrations found in the vaccine is pure FUD. Each and every batch of every vaccine on the market goes through rigorous quality controls to ensure that the ingredients are not even remotely near levels which are considered toxic - usually many thousand times less.
Labeling them as "toxic chemicals" and "genetically modified organisms" is just trying to instill fear where there should be none. Being informed is the ideal situation before taking any medicine/vaccine, however being misinformed/misled is dangerous and the aim of anti-vaccine crusaders. Everything that enters your body (including everything you eat) has physiological side effects - be wary of the person that tells you otherwise. The distinction is safe doses - 4 litres of water will likely kill you, but that's no reason not to drink a glass of water.
There has been literally billions of doses of flu vaccine given with these ingredients and the side effects are negligible. It's an incredibly safe vaccine. All side effects that are reported are monitored (which is why you should keep in touch with the person who vaccinated you). It's saved exponentially more lives than it has made people sick with negligible side effects. It's a statistical anomaly the amount of people in this thread that have claimed the flu vaccine has given them nausea and vomiting - it's more than likely that they all had a concurrent gastro infection they picked up around the time of their vaccination.
Your immune system is better than this Surely. If it wasn't you'd be dead long ago. Your immune system can cope with many simultaneous infections and does so every single day. Vaccination does not cause you to become immunocompromised.