Your first link affirms the usefulness and efficacy of Influenza vaccinations.
Your second link is to a quackery site, pure and simple
Your third link selectively quotes the cited article. The intact quote is "Measles vaccination produces immune suppression which contributes to an increased susceptibility to other infections. " By dropping the word “measles”, they completely alter the intent of the article. The article is correct, measles innoculation may well cause increases susceptibility to other infections during the time period when the body is reacting to the initial measles vaccination. So it might not fight off a cold so well. But it’s a damn sight better than getting measles!!!
Your fourth link seems to imply that you’re better off in the long run for getting sick. Well, that which does not kill or cripple one may make one stronger, but the flu kills thousands, and saps the health of many more, especially the otherwise vulnerable. I don’t buy into this link’s doctor/author authority’s thinking. This Dr. Hoffman is the Medical Director of the Hoffman Center (how’d he get that position?) and advocates the “Hoffman ulcer diet” for stomach complaints, and is heavily into Holistic and Alternative medicine. He touts immunity boosters, diets and supplements for healthy hair, and generally makes my alarm bells ring.
I would advise any healthy person who does not have an egg allergy or a history of Guillaume-Barre syndrome to strongly consider getting the flu shot.
If I hadn’t been so spcaed out at the time, I’d have asked my own doc the last time I saw him, which was a couple of weeks ago. On one hand, I can’t remember the last time I had a cold or flu. On the other hand, I’m asthmatic, and finally managed to kick my third case of bronchitis in the past year (thus the 2 doctor visits in the past month). I know I’m at higher risk for complications of flu, but also for complications of the vaccine, no? What factors am I balancing here, and how should I balance them?
Eva, if you’re asthmatic, you should DEFINITELY get the flu shot. You’re at increased risk of serious complications from influenza, but (contrary to your gut feeling), your asthma does NOT place you at increased risk of complications from the vaccination (which is a killed virus vaccine).
People at increased risk from the flu vaccine are those people with a history of egg allergy, who’ve had a severe reaction to the vaccine in the past, or who’ve ever had Guillian-Barre syndrome. If you don’t fall into one of those categories, your risks of developing a serious reaction are miniscule (far lower than the risk you face should you catch the flu).
The flu shot does NOT put asthmatics at increased risk - it’s the nasal spray vaccine that does that.
Which puts me in a bit of a quandry - I have asthma (fortunately mild as these things go) AND I’m allergic to flu shots.* I was hoping this nasal spray thing might be an option for me, but apparently it’s not
So I strongly encourage everyone else to get a flu shot, because if YOU don’t catch the flu then you CAN’T give it to me.
Yes, I do seem to get the flu every year. Fortunately, my body seems to fight it off pretty well, too. Then again, when I get it I go straight to bed instead of “toughing it out” and have my devoted husband to hover over me and take me to a doctor if things start to look dicey. I do my best to stay healthy and eat right otherwise. And I’ve turned into a compulsive handwasher. Does all that help? I don’t know.
Back in college, a too-helpful nurse actually did pursue me across a room with a vaccination gun, me yelling “If you can’t handle anaphylaxis keep that thing away from me!” Another case of “you must be exaggerating the allergy situation, this won’t hurt you”. Fortunately, her supervisor intervened before I had to hurt her.
Bad choice of words on my part. My advice was meant to tell healthy people to get the shot too. People with chronic illnesses should definitely get it!!!
Thanks for the input, QtM. I hate when people use their elite knowledge to try to pull a fast one - and I really appreciate it when others use their own elite knowledge to call bullshit on them !
I have chronic renal disease and don’t need the flu on top of it.
Oh and if you live with a high risk person you should get the shot too so you don’t bring the flu home to them.
One thing I don’t advocate is getting too many shots in one day! I got a flu shot, hep B shot, MMR booster and Tetanus shot all in one visit. Puked my guts out for 3 days.
As Qadgop the Mercotan would surely say, cold viruses and flu viruses are completely different beasts and have absolutely no relationship to one another, vanilla.
So whether your son and you get a lot of colds in the winter or none should have no effect on your decision.
Well now, I’d argue with this. I would assume that, in general, anyone who gets a lot of colds is someone who gets exposed to a lot of susceptible people. Say, for example, me, who has a preschooler who shares toys and such with dozens of little monsters at daycare. He brings home a lot of stuff, mostly the common cold. When the flu starts going around, I’ll bet he’ll be a vector for that, too. Cold viruses and flu viruses may be different beasts, but they are spread in similar ways and both know how to take a ride on a useful host.
One thing which I don’t think has been mentioned is the fact that the flu shot does not necessarily keep you from getting the flu.
It is made up of several strains of what they think will be the prevalent flu, and for most folks, that’s good enough.
Several years ago I went smugly told myself, as the flu season began, that having gotten my usual flu shot, I wasn’t going to get sick. That winter I got the worst flu I’ve ever, ever had.
I teach preschool. There are lots and lots of germs at preschool.
I still get flu shots, and still teach preschool, and <knock on wood> have never been that sick again. But it can happen.
I’ve never gotten a flu shot, and up until four days ago, I’d never gotten the flu.
I will always get a flu shot from now on. Seriously, I haven’t been this sick for over 15 years. Every negative symptom you can imagine, all visited upon you simultaneously with an almost demonic efficiency. Bring on the pinprick and the arm soreness any day, because it couldn’t possibly be worse than this, not by any measure.
People are forever saying they have flu, when all they have is a bad cold. When you have flu, you know all about it. I got it two years ago and I felt like I was going to die. It wiped two weeks out of my life. It’s nothing like a couple of days off work and feeling stuffy for a week.
I’m always offered a flu shot every autumn, goes with the job. But always decline. I’ve just got a problem with medicating myself when I’m not ill.
On the other hand, I always get colds. If there’s on going I’ll get it. I have one right now and I’ll have about another three to one degree or another before spring, guaranteed.
