Instead of having to deal with it here at home!

other years - even when Obama wasn't president. Maybe he did it by remote control!

which are the sarcastic posts?

he brought it here on purpose. You know, so everybody would be sick and offer little resistance when his band of thugs decided to take over the country.

Instead he sat around dealing with so-called "issues".

while the virus was mutating.

And all the new earthquakes in Texas . .

I doubt there is enough time though

during the flu season. It's a much better preventative measure than any shot.

People touch their faces. Even when they insist they didn't.

There's a classic study where they put a powder on people's hands and then told them to not touch their faces. The powder wasn't visible normally, but glowed under UV light.

Every person in the study had powder on their face by the end of the day. Even the people who swore that they never touched their faces, and didn't remember doing so.

We itch. We have hair fall out-of-place. We get a million little impulses towards touching our faces every day. If you don't have something you can feel on your hands reminding you to not do it, it's going to happen. It's as much a non-event as breathing, so we often don't remember it.

I haven't had the flu in over 10 years because I wash my hands and don't touch my face.

it's not hard once you get into the habit.

Causation != correlation.

you found something that works.

mine works for me, and yours works for you but...

Stop Touching Yourself, Flu Researchers Say

http://www.livescience.com/25086-stop-touching-yourself-flu-researchers-say.html

I'll choose, you know, science over your "causation!=correlation" (I don't know why you used an exclamation point, but whatever)

oh and just for grins if the "livescience" site isn't good enough for you...

http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/etiquette/coughing_sneezing.html

Let's take a look at your own CDC link. What's their advice?

•Coughing or sneezing
•Unclean hands ◦Touching your face after touching contaminated objects
◦Touching objects after contaminating your hands

The vaccines are always based on what they saw in the previous year.

I wish they'd get this one out sooner though. I'd be happy to have another flu shot in May.

I don't get injected with stuff that MIGHT be good against something.

I would rather have the flu.

He gets the flu shot every year. Once again, he is sneezing, coughing, aches and chills, cannot sleep. He got his flu shot WEEKS ago. Oh, no, it is not the FLU because that cannot BE with getting those flu shots. It's just a "cold". No more comments from unvaccinated me. Waste of breath on my part. I just ignore his dirty looks at me because I don't get sick and don't catch HIS "colds" either. "Do you have any Nyquill or Dayquill?" Um, no, why would I have something like that?

Don't get a flu shot and lock myside inside my house???? My house already IS contaminated.

Even without this particular mutation, depending on your immune system you can still get the flu because it could be another strain not included in the vaccine. If it is the same strain, if you get the flu, and your immune system is working properly it should be a less severe bout than someone who isn't vaccinated.

I had a flu shot on Halloween . Day after Thanksgiving I got hammered, now it settled in chest into bronchitis. Now taking antibiotics, second year in a row this has happened. I quit.

and you have the flu your doc should be fired because the flu is a virus and antibiotics are totally out of line.

Maybe you have pneumonia, would you expect the flu vaccine to help with that?

It is possible the doctor had diagnosed bacterial bronchitis and prescribed antibiotics for that.

The flu kills thousands every year in the US including 105 children in 2012-2013, 90% of whom weren't vaccinated.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/spotlights/children-flu-deaths.htm

Funny stuff though.

Last time I had the flu? Maybe in my 40s? My "luck" should be running out pretty soon right? At my age my "luck" will be running out from something very soon.

hasn't gotten the flu in years....that proves a lot, don't it???

I particularly like the comments about getting the flu vaccine and then weeks later getting bronchitis, as if the two are linked somehow. Folks, there are dozens of respiratory viruses and many bacteria that can cause bronchitis; the flu vaccine prevents infection from a particular virus called influenza A or influenza B virus, it doesn't prevent everything!!

Bottom line is, the same science that tells us that the earth is round, that the earth revolves around the sun, that the polio virus causes polio, is the same science that has demonstrated that influenza vaccination of a large portion of the population SAVES THOUSANDS OF LIVES, PARTICULARLY CHILDREN AND THE ELDERLY, EVERY DAMN YEAR!!! If you don't believe it, I guess you also believe the earth is flat, the moon landing was fake, and the earth is 6,000 years old despite the fact that we can see stars that are hundreds of thousands of light years away.

So there.

(I did get my shot, even tho'...)

that interested in facts, you might want to check on the facts of the efficacy of the flu vaccine on mortality, which is utterly unproven.

That being said, I do find the whole flu thing interesting. There seem to be the people who rarely get the flu and never get the shot, and then there are the people who get the shot and frequently get the flu. Now, I'm not saying the the shot causes flu, because I don't think it does. But it is curious the difference in people's suseptibility. My theory is that people who are prone to getting the flu tend to get the shot because it really is a pain in the ass illness, thus the sense one gets that people who get the shot get the flu. Every person I know who religiously gets their shot religiously gets the flu. I don't get the shot and I have had the flu twice in my life. Probably if I got the flu every year I'd get the shot. Then again, if i got the flu AND the shot every year I wouldn't bother.

Your compassion bowls me over.

He knows that I don't get colds or flu. Why would I have OTC cold meds? He goes out and buys small bottles of Tylenol and says, "YOU don't need this at all". So why Nyquill? Dumb question to even ask me.

This isn't exactly the first time you've dogged your husband here so that's nothing new, but couldn't you at least cut him some slack if he's I'll?

and it HURTS? Well, stop doing that. Learn from experience. SAME with the flu shots. I did say that I am not wasting my breath telling him NOT to get those flu shots. How long will it take to learn this lesson? Really, not my problem since HE is the one getting sick, not me. An adult can do whatever they choose, but don't bitch to me about what you choose to do. No doctor is putting a gun to your head forcing you to do anything.

because I a a free nurse, cook, housekeeper, etc.

before he mentioned that he "couldn't have the flu because he just got his shot". I didn't even know that he'd gotten it but I should have realized because the same thing happened to him last year.

I stopped vaccinating the animals too because they kept getting sicker from it every time. The vet admitted that they keep the immunity for way longer than a year anyhow.

They are indoor only. What are they going to catch inside 4 walls?

pay a fine. Even if it's an indoor cat.

Do you have to license cats there? They don't keep track of cats around here but it might be good if they did. Some people treat them as disposable pets and there are far too many strays. Its horrible.

Contracting and potentially passing along a deadly illness is fantastic.

I think I'll go with the virologists, immunologists, infectious disease experts and epidemiologists in this case.

Last edited Thu Dec 4, 2014, 01:57 PM - Edit history (1)

virus, or that there is a mutation, but it is a question of reducing the risk.

Those who "brag" about not getting the flu vaccine for over 20 years, and never had a problem, I hope there luck holds out, because the statistics on what influenza does are not very pretty

Honestly, I don't understand the need for some here to boast about their robust immune systems. Past a certain point it's an accident of nature, like being born filthy rich. They should Appreciate their good fortune, by all means, but not rub everyone else's face in it. The poor will die earlier than the rich, unless said rich step in front of a bus. Isn't that good enough, without adding mockery and self righteousness to the misery of the poor?

That is what unfortunately happens a lot with the flu it turns into a pneumonia. Very scary.

you are still better off getting vaccinated. Doesn't that statement go against the scientific method? I mean you have your mind made up in spite of evidence to the contrary.
I laugh at those who burn incense to the gods of corporate science.

vaccinated each year and have had the flu once, and while it put me in bed, it lasted only a couple of days. It ain't perfect, but it makes a big difference.

I am not even gonna BOTHER

Much as saying "I don't wear a seat-belt that MIGHT be good against something. I would rather get into a wreck..."

I've been procrastinating for too long.

It has been a fact since flu vaccines have been around. The flu bug ALWAYS mutates over time. In fact, there is no clearer evidence of evolution.

Every fly vaccine people have taken in that past were already too dated and too old to be effective because of how flu vaccines are grown. It takes time, and that passage of time prevents the flu vaccine from being very effective.

...didn't make sufficient billions off the first round of flu shots, and need more billions from a second round against a 'mutated' strain?

Yes, I always get flu shots. But I am. at the same time, skeptical of giant corporations and of all government agencies, which are now pretty much controlled by giant corporations. It is, of course, a vital component of the scientific method, to be skeptical. And we have REASON to be skeptical of people making billions of dollars from illness--and of people who enter/exit the "revolving door" of government employment/corporate employment, and of all giant corporations and billionaires suckling on the body politic.

So don't accuse me of being anti-science. I am very pro-science when the science is not tainted by corporate greed.

I work in the health care field, and I'm old--so I want as much protection as I can get, from whatever nasty viruses and other pathogens that I may contact, from whatever source, natural or man-made. It's just that you gotta wonder--and I wonder--at the interference with our natural immunities, and, also, of course, I wonder at the corporate promotion of unhealthy lifestyles and foods, the epidemic of untreatable infections (the increasing antibiotic-resistance of pathogens), caused by the overuse of antibiotics and the putrid use of antibiotics in the cruel treatment of food animals (chickens, pigs, cattle), the pervasive presence of pollutants of all kinds, around us and within us, and other aspects of the obvious corporate destruction of our environment and of our peoples' health.

My best advice:

1. (as others above are saying) WASH YOUR HANDS! Very important. Do it the nurse-way: scrub your nails into the soap; wash with soap for 30 seconds or more. Also, anti-bacterial soaps and lotions are bad. Ordinary soap does the job perfectly well.

2. Do be careful of eating and touching your face with unwashed hands. Remember that sink faucets, doorknobs, money and other items that are handled a lot might be contaminated. (Turn off faucets with a paper towel, for instance, after you've washed your hands.)

3. Cook at home, if possible. Buy organic foods, if possible. Look to your overall health--diet, nutrition, exercise, etc.

4. Use a Netti bottle. (You squirt benign salts into your nasal cavities--that's where most pathogens enter the body.) Do this especially after (within a few hours of) contact with a sick person or other contamination. There is some controversy about cleansing your nasal cavities in this way--that it might be interfering with the body's natural immune mechanism, but it seems to have prevented me from getting ear infections and colds over the last two years (used to be chronic, now gone). I haven't been able to figure out a free way to do this; you have to buy the squirt bottle and the salts. But it might be worth it, if you are plagued by colds, flu, ear infections, allergies, etc.

5. Flu shots for the elderly, the sick or weak, health care workers, and others with vulnerabilities. Pneumonia shots (some say only one for a lifetime; others, every 5-10 years) for the elderly and possibly other vulnerable people. I'm really not sure that everyone should get flu shots. If worried and in doubt, get the shot.

There is NO vaccine or modern medicine that has had adequate long term study. For instance, the question should be asked and studied: Are flu vaccines causing an increase in flu? And, of course, are flu vaccines causing or facilitating flu virus mutations? Some vaccines have worked wonders--polio vaccine, for instance--but why was there an epidemic of polio? Antibiotics work wonders. Many, many people would have died from infections without them. But long term? Little or no consideration was given to the long term in their development, and now we have a very grave crisis of resistance. These are very difficult scientific and moral questions. (Do you deny a life-saving remedy because it might become a serious crisis 50 years from now?) My main point is that we--whether for humanitarian or greed motives--tend to jump in and champion modern medical solutions that have NOT been adequately tested for long term consequences.

Interestingly, herbal medicines are the ones with thousands of years of experimentation on humans. Herbals tend to have subtler action and take longer to work (take patience), but there is almost no risk from them, of poisoning yourself or of herbals poisoning the earth. It does take some research and knowledge, though. (Most of us have lost this knowledge, but it is recoverable and is being recovered.) In any case, flu shots are a lot higher risk than, say, echinacea & goldenseal (which might help you resist flu and colds, and will likely help relieve symptoms if you get sick). (Another riskless remedy: pure cranberry--best in pill form (avoid surgared juices)--to treat urinary tract infections and yeast infections. It bombs the UTI or yeast infection at no risk--it's just concentrated cranberry juice! It would be very, very hard to take too much, and it works. Man-made antibiotics and chemical salves may work also, but they are risky by comparison--for individuals and for the general population and environment. (It's also important to ask WHY you are getting a particular illness, but that may too difficult to figure out while you are suffering symptoms. Diet or other conditions may be why.)

I recently read a study--can't remember where (maybe phys.org?) that babies need to eat dirt to gain immunities from pathogens in dirt. I'm pretty sure that there is hardly a baby on earth who has not eaten dirt, sand or other things that adults would find "icky" and a "no-no." I felt this instinctively when I was mothering a baby, and didn't become fussy or pathologically clean--and scientists have now verified this instinct. We humans have been around a LONG time and have coped successfully with very unsanitary environments (albeit natural environments, not environments drenched in pesticides, etc.). So I would say, don't be TOO clean! And, use your judgement as to your own circumstances and vulnerabilities.

Caveat: I am no expert of any kind in these matters--I just have led a long life of observation and experimentation.

But you should be aware that vaccines make far less money for the drug companies than the drugs used to treat the resulting disease. Doesn't mean they are paragons of virtue by any means, but "big pharma" would prefer you continue to not get flu shots.

Your insurance company and public health officials are the ones pushing the shots in order to increase their income.

Aside from Antigenic Sin theory...

Aside from this being a huge $$$ maker for the vaccine industry and all of the associated issues....

Aside from the fact that if 100 people are given a flu shot, only 1 will benefit (NNT). How much are we spending on this??? See above.

and the fact that the vaccine industry measures vaccine efficacy as "Not getting the flu".. That is, in their efficacy rates they include people who received the vaccine but did not get the flu. Makes sense, right? Well, what they don't say is that they cannot control and account for whether people weren't exposed, practiced good flu prevention (hand washing, etc.) They don't actually know if the vaccine prevented the flu or if people had natural immunity, weren't exposed, etc..

etc....etc....etc....

IMO, flu vaccine is a load of bullshit and now recent evidence has come out that even the elderly (with Complications: Pneumonia, transmission, etc) and young kids under 2 aren't benefiting and may actually be exposed to greater risk if they receive the vaccine.

I have heard and read so many anecdotal reports of people who started getting flu shots regularly and started experiencing more illness and others that say they never get the flu shot and very rarely if ever get the flu. I fall into this category.

and you wonder why people are leery of vaccines in general..... See above.

Here are some articles:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20614424

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22895945

http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=486407

for posting this. I have been researching the flu vaccine for a number of years now and have pretty much come to the same conclusions.

I had never heard of the Antigenic Sin Theory, which I found interesting, although I'm not sure I get how it works practically speaking.

What do you mean you believe those scientists?

supporters here who told us we were killing folks if we didn't get the flu vaccine?
What do you folks suggest we do now?

The story is it's only 43% effective against one of the three to four strains in the vaccine.

43% is better than 0%. And that doesn't account for the other two to three strains.

Call me what you want.
This is not like when I was a kid and we got vaccinated against polio and small pox.

Though your massive defensiveness on the subject is quite interesting.

Lot easier than having to support their position.

themselves or others, they really have no shame.

Unless you medically can't get a vaccine, get one when its recommended.

Hello? If I don't have it, how am I going to give it to somebody else?????? Unless you happen to think those of us like this are some kind of Typhoid Mary's? Does the same apply to Measles, Mumps, Chicken pox, etc.? If we have had those diseases ourselves and can't get them again, can we STILL pass them on to YOU unless we get vaccinated?????

I'm sorry, miss special, I wasn't aware of that.

reason than your own ignorance. You may not have had the flu in the past, but that doesn't mean you won't catch it in the future. If you don't want to reduce the risk of exposure for those who are immuno-compromised and in poor health, then stay at home and pretend to be superior to everyone else, but don't risk the health of others.

"Past performance is no guarantee of future results." Sorry, I used to work in finance, but I think that disclaimer applies here as well.

Anyone can get the flu and risk exposing others as well. Just because one has been lucky in the past does not mean they are immune for life. Particularly as one gets older, the flu can be more severe and often fatal in some cases.

people who cannot see past themselves

immune system. I used to get one to two colds a year. Now I've had three colds in five years and they don't last as long.

I'm a preschool teacher, by day, and have kids coughing and sneezing around me all day.

After work, I've spent the last two weeks helping my daughter and her family of five while they have become sequentially effected by the flu. I wash my hands often and I don't eat there. Glad to be flu free, so far.

It's "hit or miss".

Yeah, I feel run down for awhile after one. We'll see if it keeps me out of the hospital. If it's a sucky choice, I'll take the least sucky option.

nagging me that I need a flu shot, telling me I'm foolish not to.

No, I don't "need" a flu shot. I have had 2 flu shots in my life, but I never get the flu anyway. Once every 2 years or so I may get a mild cold.