Flu shots?

**brainyblonde** · 10-21-2005, 10:11 PM

'Tis the season. My employer invited a health group to provide flu shots to the employees. The employees paid the cost, and the company will reimburse 50%.

I did not sign up because I don't think healthy people need flu shots, and they may do more harm then good over the long term.

My "flu shot" is the bottle of Vitamin C and the can of Lysol disinfectant spray I keep in my desk drawer.

Anyone else not believe in flu shots?

**SHOPGIRL** · 10-21-2005, 10:14 PM

Me! I haven't done all the research, but I really don't want to infect myself with the virus. I sometimes get the 24 hour flu, but it's rare that I get sick. I'm a big believer in Vit C, herbs, etc. . . . I think I could get the shot for free, but I don't want it.

**QuilterMom** · 10-21-2005, 10:25 PM

Our health food store offered mercury free flu shots and those I am not opposed to. I wouldn't even consider getting a regular one.

**YankeeMom** · 10-21-2005, 10:27 PM

We are able to get free flu shots as well, but will not.
Only our youngest has ever gotten the flu shot, and only because he had a heart condition (since been repaired and he is no longer high risk). None of my kids have ever had the flu, I haven't had it in 20 years.
Some call me naive, but I don't see the need for it for us.

**canadian gardener** · 10-22-2005, 12:11 AM

While Drew's gf was ill before she died she was so immuno suppressed due to chemo and other drugs that for her sake Dh, Ds, and I began doing the flu shots. DD refused, but she was the one most at risk as she has a pronounced reaction to eggs and even chicken meat. And she was least likely to be in contact with ds' gf.

Up till then due to the high risk for allergic reaction for our rather more allergic than the usual type family we had been avoiding it.

Got thru fine. I'll probably do it again this year as will dh. I get pretty sick when I catch something, it's easier to avoid it.

I'm mixed in my feelings about vaccinations. Depends on what it's for, what type of risk, how big the problem is in the community, how well the vaccine has done in the past.

I am not a willy nilly vaccinate everyone in sight person, nor am I one who would avoid each and every vaccine.

My son had a terrible reaction to the DTP vaccine at 8 months or so, and ended up hospitalized. The dr's swore up and down it couldn't have been the vaccine, since that is what they were taught.

The reaction happened within 24 hours of the vaccination, and it was scary. He bled into his tissue all over his body, including his joints. It wasn't till years later that I found out he fit one of the profiles of a certain type of vaccine reaction.

Fortunately for us, he stopped bleeding but not before his body was covered in blood filled swellings that later turned to bruises. The emergency room dr told us he'd have had us arrested for abuse if he hadn't seen it happening before his eyes. This was after he'd sent us home without looking at ds a few hours previous. He was in almost a week. They called it an allergy to a virus because they didn't know what else it could be.

Because the dr's were misinformed many reactions including his were not reported. Since then I've known people who's autistic kids were normal before their infant vaccine, and started showing symptoms after.

I've read the pros and I've read the cons. I think there is wisdom in both sides and I think it's up to the parents or persons looking at vaccinations to become well informed and make the decision that is best for them.

As for flu shots, the same advice applies. Know what the pros and cons are, and make an informed choice. KNOW WHAT THE RISKS and BENEFITS ARE IN YOUR PARTICULAR CASE. For example in our family the risk of an allergic reaction is rather high, so in a lot of cases the risk of harm, outweighs the potential benefit.

Be aware of potential reactions, and make sure that if you or a family member has one that it's recorded as such, and the vaccine people are informed as well as any watchdog agency that you think is appropriate such as the FDA in the states.

With flu shots, you aren't taking them for you so much as you are taking them to reduce the amount of flu and the speed of transmission thru the community.

If enough people are vaccinated against it, the chances of someone catching it who is at risk of dying of the flu is lower.

Unfortunately the very people who are at most risk, are least likely to form proper immunity from the shot, so public health authorities want as many as can to have it, so as few as possible get it and spread it.

And the other problem is that the flu shot is simply the top 4 or 6 or some such number of flu viruses out of the hundreds floating around, that the authorities figure pose the biggest threats. It's a gamble. Sometimes one of the other strains of flu gets moving quicker than expected, and the flu shot doesn't protect against it at all.

On the whole the authorities have had a reasonable track record (more wins than losses) in guessing the current strains likely to cause trouble but it's not perfect.

Hopefully that made sense.

**canadian gardener** · 10-22-2005, 12:24 AM

oh and I would NEVER under any circumstances allow anyone to give a child of mine mercury preserved vaccines. Merthiolate is one name for mercury disinfectant that we used to paint on cuts and scrapes. Thimerosol is another name for the preservative often used in vaccines and contact lens solutions.

did you see the "mer" in Merthiolate and Thimerosol? Kind of hidden wasn't it? People didn't really realize that was mercury.

Look for the mer word hidden in the bigger word that is the preservative. Read the bottle before allowing the nurse or dr to give the vaccine.

Mercury in vaccines was and is still a problem in some areas. It is neurotoxic and there is no safe dose. It's a gamble which kids genes will protect their brain and nervous system from it, and which will be affected and to what degree. Most kids can handle it without showing major symptoms, others can't.

Children's brains are still developing and they are at much greater risk. You may have heard of Minimata disease. It happened when pregnant women and nursing mothers were exposed to mercury in fish in Japan after toxic levels had built up in an area that the Minimata dwellers ate fish from.

The children were damaged for life. Some were fine, others were not.

The levels allowed in vaccine, wouldn't be allowed in other products, but for many years Thimerosol, was allowed to preserve vaccines and even contact lens solutions.

Because most people tolerate the levels ok, it took years before the contact lens people stopped using it, and only recently some vaccines are preserved without it. It's like the battle with mercury "silver" amalgam fillings. Most people tolerate it, some are very sensitive. Mercury in paints was a problem, but they are lowering it now. Used to be in latex paint as a preservative and mildew/mold preventer.

**sarathom** · 10-22-2005, 09:06 AM

We have never gotten the flu shot...have gotten the flu though but worked through it just like when I was a kid.

My dad informed me that when I was 1 years old, he and I had the Hong Kong flu (the pandemic in the 60's).

My dad has been getting the flu shot for years. Well, 2 years ago, he got the flu anyway and was extremely sick for over 3 months, pneumonia and bronchitis. I really believe it is because his immune system has never had to fight anything for so long, that it was weakened.

If any of my family had a preexisting condidition or developed one, I would get them the flu shot. And if there was a vaccination for the bird flu, I would do that as well. But for now, we are all "healthy" and so I guess we will let our bodies deal with any flu that comes our way.