Flu Shots Pro and Cons

[Ballygrl]

I actually got pneumonia last year...my daughter and I got snowed in with 4 kids, and the youngest got sick enough that I was sure we'd have to haul her to the hospital during the night sometime.  Four different times, I went out and shoveled out the driveway so we could get out, and each time I came back in the house, it looked like the worst was over finally.  (We did finally end up in ER at 7 in the morning.)

Two days afterward, I went to the doctor with what I thought was bronchitis, but turned out to be pneumonia.  I think I only had to stay home one day, but it may have been 2.  I asked about the pneumonia shot when they called with the news that it was officially pneumonia, and my doctor said that he wouldn't really recommend it unless I started having pneumonia every year or two.

I'm over 50, but it seems that your overall health has more to do with this decision than age does.

My Mom gets the Pneumonia shot every 5 years but she also has a chronic problem so it's probably good that she does get it.

[Ballygrl]

And when a majority of people do take the flu shot, it blocks a few specific strains of the virus while leaving everyone completely vulnerable to the other strains...giving those other strains a good foundation for evolving rapidly with "no competition" from the strains chosen for the shots.  We are annually creating a good environment for whatever strain ends up being dominant in a given year.

That's interesting, I never thought of it like that.

[Eupher]

That's interesting, I never thought of it like that.

And viruses are known to mutate very, very quickly.

[TVDOC]

And when a majority of people do take the flu shot, it blocks a few specific strains of the virus while leaving everyone completely vulnerable to the other strains...giving those other strains a good foundation for evolving rapidly with "no competition" from the strains chosen for the shots.  We are annually creating a good environment for whatever strain ends up being dominant in a given year.

The upside to that is due to genetic engineering, whenever a new (or mutated) strain is isolated, a new vaccine can be produced in a matter of hours, and manufacturers can have production lines running at full capacity in days.......

We've come a long way in the past few years in this effort.......primarily due to the threat that one of our enemies will decide to "weaponize" some bug.

doc

[BEG]

I debate this every year. When you have an auto-immune disease it is a hard choice. One doctor suggests you get one and another will say it could trigger your immune system to the point of restarting a health issue that is quiet at the time. You are not suppose to get any vaccinations that are live as that will almost guarantee a relapse. BUT so would getting the flu.

[chitownchica]

I debate this every year. When you have an auto-immune disease it is a hard choice. One doctor suggests you get one and another will say it could trigger your immune system to the point of restarting a health issue that is quiet at the time. You are not suppose to get any vaccinations that are live as that will almost guarantee a relapse. BUT so would getting the flu.

Same here.  I've had fibro for years, so my immune system is messed up.  If I get sick, I just go to the Dr.

[IassaFTots]

Ditto.  Except for the fibro, I have urticaria, and my allergist says no to the flu shot.  So I don't. 

[MrsSmith]

http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=658227

Flu Vaccine Isn't Foolproof
Analysis found it only protected healthy adults 60 percent of the time

...

TUESDAY, Oct. 25 (HealthDay News) -- The most widely used flu vaccine in the United States is only about 60 percent effective in healthy adults, new research indicates.

...

The vaccine for the pandemic H1N1 flu was about 69 percent effective, which the study authors said was "not adequate for a pandemic setting."

Even when the virus is specifically chosen, it leaves a lot of people without protection. 

[Thor]

Last time I had a flu shot was the flu vaccine shortage circa 2003. I had a pneumonia shot before that. Every year I would get the flu. For the next consecutive FIVE years after the pneumonia shot, I got pneumonia. I no longer get them and I haven't had the flu or pneumonia since. When I feel something coming on, I take massive amounts of Vit C and I've recently read from Dr. Mercola that Vit D also helps with resisting the flu.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/03/21/can-vitamin-d-cure-the-common-cold.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/10/21/vitamin-d-is-a-better-way.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/10/03/more-evidence-vitamin-d-beats-the-flu.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/25/vitamin-d-deficiency-is-why-you-get-flu.aspx

[whiffleball]

Last time I had a flu shot was the flu vaccine shortage circa 2003. I had a pneumonia shot before that. Every year I would get the flu. For the next consecutive FIVE years after the pneumonia shot, I got pneumonia. I no longer get them and I haven't had the flu or pneumonia since. When I feel something coming on, I take massive amounts of Vit C and I've recently read from Dr. Mercola that Vit D also helps with resisting the flu.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/03/21/can-vitamin-d-cure-the-common-cold.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/10/21/vitamin-d-is-a-better-way.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/10/03/more-evidence-vitamin-d-beats-the-flu.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/25/vitamin-d-deficiency-is-why-you-get-flu.aspx

I'm relieved to know someone else here reads Mercola.   I know he's considered a quack in many circles.  I don't take everything he puts on his site as gospel, but there are some very helpful articles there.

[whiffleball]

I debate this every year. When you have an auto-immune disease it is a hard choice. One doctor suggests you get one and another will say it could trigger your immune system to the point of restarting a health issue that is quiet at the time. You are not suppose to get any vaccinations that are live as that will almost guarantee a relapse. BUT so would getting the flu.

One of my reasons for refusing as well.

[Eupher]

I had a doc tell me a couple years ago that Vitamin D3 helps the immune system stay strong and that, at the time, my own levels of Vitamin D "sucked" (his word, not mine).

I was having fever blisters one after another. I began taking 15,000 units a day for a couple months, then scaled it back to about 5,000 units per day.

I haven't had a fever blister since (touch wood!).

[longview]

I read more on the flu vaccine and almost considered taking it this year.

I'm in an area that gets people who travel outside the U.S. frequently and outside this part of the country a lot.  Since the virus is more common in heavily populated areas, and adapts much more quickly in those areas, too, I thought maybe I should.  But, there is that low rate of effective protection, and co-workers have had some nasty, though temporary, side effects.  I'm going to pass. 

Interesting on the Vitamin D levels.  I just got my health fair blood work done and that was one thing that a nurse friend got excited about when she looked at mine.  The immune-boosting effect is probably why.  I didn't ask.  Working with nurses, I've learned I often don't want to understand their work!

[Thor]

There have been a few articles, not by Mercola, but other sites, which have stated that the flu shots are essentially worthless. My immune system seems to be working fairly well as I haven't had much of any commonly spread illnesses over the last few years. Flu?? Nope. Colds?? rare and if I do get one, it's pretty mild. My biggest problem seems to be stomach viruses (or food poisoning) and even those are pretty rare.

Eupher, as far as vitamin D3, you work in an office and get little outdoor time. I also question the FDA minimum daily requirements. It seems as if Vit D deficiency mimics a lot of other diseases, too, my research is showing me. The problem nowadays is that Doctors don't seem to look for older diseases thought to have been eradicated. Forget them even checking for parasites unless it's the last resort.

[Eupher]

Eupher, as far as vitamin D3, you work in an office and get little outdoor time. I also question the FDA minimum daily requirements. It seems as if Vit D deficiency mimics a lot of other diseases, too, my research is showing me. The problem nowadays is that Doctors don't seem to look for older diseases thought to have been eradicated. Forget them even checking for parasites unless it's the last resort.

Currently, you are correct. My outdoor time is generally restricted to maybe an hour per day, max.

But at the time I was diagnosed with low vitamin D3, my ass was outdoors at least 3 days a week for several hours each day (mowing my  yard, which I hate), and other types of stuff that's done outdoors. Furthermore, the doc laughed his ass off when I told him the above, claiming that he'd seen people who LIVE outdoors in Florida with low D3.

As far as he was concerned, sunlight does not translate into D3/calcium/whatever.

For whatever reason, I needed major supplements. And those supplements work nicely, or at least they appear to be. I haven't had but mild colds since all that started and the fever blister thing has disappeared entirely (knock on wood).