Each year when winter rolls around, people have the opportunity to get a flu shot. Some claim that flu shots cause super viruses and make people deathly ill. Others say it’s a good way to keep from getting the flu during the winter months.
I decided to do some investigation of my own, turning to Google for answers.
My first stop was this guy who claims in large red letters that he avoids flu shots like the plague. His wife got a flu shot and couldn’t get out of bed for more than a few hours for years afterwards and he’s been healthy without them so in his opinion, they should be avoided by everyone.
The second stop was this government web site touting the benefits of flu shots.
I ended at Dr. Andrew Weil, of Yahoo Health. He recommends flu shots for the elderly and children, but not for healthy adults.
I read some other sites as well, and from what I saw, the medical community has confirmed that a flu shot is a safe way to keep from getting sick. Still, it could be a massive conspiracy on the part of the doctors to make a fast buck off the poor, unsuspecting, paranoid public. Then again the people who bring up a single exception to prove everyone else wrong aren’t very convincing. One example doesn’t cut it when compared to years of studies and thousands of examples to the contrary.
In the end, Dr. Weil’s discussion of the subject was the most convincing, so I’ve decided to follow his advice and forego the flu shot this year. Wish me luck.
I’ve never had a flu shot. A co-worker gets them every year, but I don’t get sick more or less often than she does. I think you’ll be fine, but good luck anyway.
I’ve also heard that the flu shot is only necessary for the old and very young. It makes sense since in both cases immune systems can’t combat the flu. In my mind, getting the flu is just a way of exercising our immune systems. Remember the saying, “What doesn’t kill us, only makes us stronger.” So you feel crappy for a few days, be a man for cryin’ out loud! Not you Dan, you’re made of steel man.
You might want to avoid it if you have an egg allergy, too.
I just read the information on the link McKay provided, and found this line quite amusing:
“There have been no reports of flu shot complications affecting the nervous system since the 1976-1977 swine flu epidemic.”
The swine flu?
The first time I got a flu shot it gave me the flu. I was pretty sick for three days.
The second time, I stayed pretty healthy.
There is my experience with them.
I’ve gone winters with the shot, and some without. There’s no difference for me.
I’ve had the flu shot consistantly over the last 10 years. Mostly because my father had a very bad immune system and everyone living at the house needed to protect themselves. The only side effect was a sore arm for 1/2 a day. On this same note, I haven’t had a cold or the flu in the last 2 1/2 years. Coincidence? Maybe.
I won’t get them. I do this because my mother who has worked in hospitals for 35 years won’t get them. She says only the super young and elderly need them. I rarely get the flu anyway.
I had a co-worker ask me why I wouldn’t do it when everyone else here is. My response was if they all get it, why should I? If they’re healthy I’m not in danger of getting sick from them. LOL
My wife gets a flu shot every year because her MD says she should. Every year she gets sick. This year is another repeat. She got a cold and flu shot one in each arm. Her arms started to become inflamed and ache and within a few days she’s down with an upper respiratory flu. Sicker than a dog right now in fact.
On the other hand, I refuse to get the injections and I’ve only had the flu twice in perhaps 25 years. I won’t be getting one this year either. But then again… the MD’s know what’s best for everyone, right?
If I were you dont get a flu shot! When I was 12 (Im 23 now) my brother got a flu shot and within seconds of getting it in a gocery pharmacy he passed out and started turning grey. His heart almost stopped and they had to use another shot to get his heart going. He almost DIED! The nurse was horrified. Suppposedly this was because the old flu shots carried a “Live” virus and the new shots carry a “killed” virus. Dont ask me what the diffrence is it all sounds bad to me. About three weeks ago I heard how everyone needs a flu shot on the news so I went and got one myself about 2 weeks ago. For about a week by face and eyes felt like they were burning and this last week my neck, arms, back and legs have been achy. It hurts in my arm were I got the shot bad! I have NO energy and feel terrible, like a low grade flu. I will never get one again. After telling people about my experience most people have gotten sick off them. My manager got the worst case of vertigo after she got hers a couple years ago. For all this it is not worth it It is a conspericy, belive me I almost watched my little brother die in a grocery store!
I too, have been wondering if I should obtain this tiny little needle again this year.
The first year I received the flu shot; I too was sick for a few days with flu-like systems, similar to what Carlene stated on October 23rd, and then from there on out my experience has been fine.
However, I would like to know when is it too late to obtain this shot/vaccine?
In the past years, I received the shot around mid October through our family physician and our insurance company. This year is different. My wife, who carried our insurance, was laid off from work, and we no longer have the insurance.
So, I have decided not to get the shot, which was until this morning when I started to feel a bit under the weather, and wondered if I should get the shot or if it was too late.
Just like Mel mentioned on October 24th about her father, I too have a bad/weekend immune system.
I am 35 a father of two and have and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) since I was three and I also have a slight case of Asthma. It seems that the muscles in my body ache all the time, thus making me feel very weak.
Up until now, I have been self-employed for the past ten-years and have recently decided to make a career change.
I am getting ready for a second interview with a company that requires me to travel (outside sales) and also during my first two-weeks with them, I will be away from home in a state on the east coast of the USA and of course to get to the particular state, I will need to fly.
So, again I would like to know what others think. Should I or should I not get the shot/vaccine and is it too late?
Thanks ever so much in advance for all you input.
BTW – Brenda please proof read.
Just got my flu shot two days ago and right now I feel terrible. Iam so tired,have no energy and have had a steady headache,not to mention nauseated
Ok so if this reaction isnt from getting the flu shot..then what it is?
The first time I got the flu shot I got sick as a dog for 2 weeks…with the flu
WHats up with that? Any connection?
I got the flu shot the day before halloween, for the next 3 days I felt like I had a mild flu, but I attributed it to drinking and going out for halloween. A few days later I felt better but noticed I felt tired all the time. This persisted for a week and then one night I only slept about five hours and woke up feeling like hell. Then that night because of a drastic temp. drop here in NY I got a very bad chill and woke up Sat. morning with a full on flu and have had it ever since.. It is now Tues. and I feel like hell.. I don’t know if this is worth it? Last winter I got the flu for real and was out of commision for close to 3 weeks, so this has to be better. Just a tip, if you do get the flu shot don’t go out and party all night for the next 2 nights. And avoid alcohol, Instead of a hangover you will wake up with the flu.
Sigh… Everyone is saying “get the flu shot, its gonna be bad this year”. My mom was begging me to get one because my brother has already had it this year and was very sick for a week. So, I go the grocery store and get a flu shot. 24 hours later, I am sick. Coughing, congested, headache… all that good stuff. They say you can’t get sick from the flu vaccine because its a “dead” virus- but I hadn’t had a cold for almost 3 years until now. What is up with this??
In refernece to Flu shots, most people are not aware that when they are vacinated against it, it is only for the strain that went around the previous year. This Year (2003), there are three seperate strains circulating, so the chances of some one receiving a flu shot turning around and contracting a different strain of the flu is not uncommon. As far as the the actual shot, some people do experience flu like symptons for the first 72 hours after receiving it. This is because the inactive flu cells call Virons used to make the vacination do not mix with the blood stream as they should, instead they coagulate in little pods and it takes longer for them to be absorbed by your body, ergo flu like symptons. The Baylor College of Medicine did a study of patients that sufferred flu like symptoms after receiving the vacination, but they still do not know why this happens in some patients.
We had flu shots at our company today. They were free, but I passed. I’ve been sick anyway. The controversy over flu shots is really a larger one about vaccinations in general, which I don’t think a lot of people realize. A vaccination is really just a deliberate infection of a weakened or deadened virus. The idea is that an immune system can successfully mount an attack, without getting overwhelmed, but that is not always the case, and some people do get sick, or at least show the symptoms of an aggressive immune response. This can happen with nearly any type of vaccination, but flu shots are the most common.
Last year I was required to obtain a flu shot because my son was undergoing chemotherapy. The year before that I missed it. The year before that I had one. This year, it was free at work and so I opted to get the shot.
My own personal experience is that flu shot versus no flu shot really makes no difference; I’ve had the flu like three times in my entire life, and not for many years. A coworker, however, says that she missed her flu shot last year for the first time in several years, and subsequently, also for the first time in several years, was extremely sick with a flu virus over the winter.
Each to his or her own, I guess. Until we get some verifiable science and statistics to really confirm the pros versus cons of the shot, I suppose this controvery will probably continue ad nasuem, and we’ll all just have to make whatever decision we feel is best for us. As for me, I think that I have now decided to probably forego it in the future.
Over the past few years my parents have made me get a flu shot. I always hated this though because I’ve had the flu once before and it wasn’t that bad. ANYWAY…now I’m my own man, I have not gotten the flu shot for 3 years and every year at school kids all around me drop like flies from the flu, but me I’m fine. In my opinion live life naturally to live it to the fullest, and besides how did all the people before the shot get through it then…huh huh?
I got the Flu shot last year and got sicker than a dog afterwards. I just got my second flu shot this year and I feel great, other then the stiffness/tingle feeling I have in my legs and hands. I have had this for 4 days and it’s scarring the crap out of me. I went to the doctor and they gave me Alive for this… let me tell you it really does not work. I went form being a healthy 34 year old person to someone who can not get his socks on in the morning without his wife’s help. This is the last time I get a flu shot. To me this type of side effect is not worth it.
OK..Here’s my story. It’s Nov.2003. At my work the flu shot caravan has come to town to distribute the $18 shot on a first come first serve basis before they run out)Of course I buy into all the hype and I become very vocal & start telling everyone in my office don’t forget to get your flu shot,yada-yada-yada. Intersting enough some of my co-workers said they would never get the shot & told me horror stories of people they knew personally that did & got very ill. I was’nt really convined because 1. I don’t know these “people” to whom my co-workers were refering and 2.I have never got sick after the Flu shot. But still, that nawing ache in my concience would’nt let me rest. So I decided not to get the shot. And I am very thankful for that decistion. I am continualy investigating the pros & cons and there are way too many cons.
Here’s part of an Article written by Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.)
FLU SHOTS contain thimerosal – a mercury-laden preservative.â€Burton says scientific evidence “continues to accumulate†regarding a biologically plausible connection between the preservative and certain neurological disorders. Some scientists have attributed the growth in Alzheimer’s disease and autism to mercury found in certain vaccines.
· Alzheime Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
· Phenol, also known as carbolic acid (this is used as a disinfectant, dye)
· Formaldehyde, a known cancer-causing agent
· Aluminum, which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease and seizures and also cancer producing in laboratory mice (it is used as an additive to promote antibody response)
· Thimerosal (a mercury disinfectant/preservative) can result in brain injury and autoimmune disease
I questioned whether or not Burton said those things mentioned above. However, I did a search and apparently, he did.
I usually give something 3 times and you’re out…the flu shot I gave 5 times (stupid me) I caught the flu each time and was sick for the entire rest of the season…each of those 5 times. No More flu shots for me!!!
Well!!! Now, I don’t know what to do. My pediatrician has recommended that all 3 of my children get the flu shot (ages 6, 3, 2). I have been going back and forth with this decision. I trust her completely, but am also a little concerned here. I have two more days to decide. We are scheduled to get them on Wed. before Thanksgiving. Any Advice?????
Can’t get the flu from a flu shot. The virus in the vaccine is not alive. It’s a personal choice. If you want one, get it, they’re free or very low cost. If you don’t, don’t. But make up your own mind from the information that is readily available. Don’t rely on someone else’s experience.
well the US gvt gave me a flu shot for free and it has worked well so far. greetings from Monterey California
got my shot october 1st. felt great, and still do. Goodluck to all and get your shot. Prevention is the best medicine.
got my flu shot in oct. no side affects. but i still worry about whats in the shot. and should i get my 8yr old son a shot? greetings and happy holidays from oklahoma.
My husband is a lung cancer survivor, got a good report on his PET scan in October. Two weeks ago he got his flu shot. The next day he felt exhausted, talked like he was drunk, and developed a headache above his eyes the following day (which has come and gone every day since). His oncologist saw him and didn’t seem concerned about all this and just told him to take Claritin, assuming it was a problem with his sinuses. The pharmicist said he should not take Claritin because he has high blood pressure. He has also started to suffer panic attacks when we go out. Has anyone ever heard of anything like this?
Just responding to my concern I posted on Nov. 24th. I did it! I took my 3 boys ages 6, 3 and 2 to my pediatrician and got them a flu shot. I feel much better now. They have not had any problems so far. They will go back in a month to get the second dose. I just made up my mind and went for it. Now, I need to get myself one. Hope it isn’t too late. Happy Holidays from Nacogdoches, Texas
Considering many of the promotions for the flu shot are age related i.e that the elderly should have one, it would be helpful to know the ages of the people who are responding here. What age range are those in who have suffered with the shot etc.? I am very skeptical about the flu shot myself and find it difficult to find really good information that exposes how the vaccine is created, or what strains it is for, how the vaccine was tested , what the results of the testing was, how long it was tested for, who sponsored the tests, who is making money besides the pharmaceuticals, and their hired marketing companies, etc, etc. It is a shame we, the public cannot get more information about these shots – we truly take these shots in the dark with trust that our “big brother” is watching out for us – be it the doctor, the health authorities, the government health divisions, or the world health organization (by the way how many of us knows who is on this organization). I am in my early 40’s and would not even consider it but I am researching for my mother who is 70 and wants to make a decision for or against. I vote no more decisions with blind trust
A Dr. died in Eshterville Iowa on Nov. 30 a short time after he was given a flu shot. he went in to anifilatic (?) shock and they were unable to stabilize him. I can’t find any other reports of deaths from flu shots?
I am 56 years old and my last flu shot was three years ago. I got a flu shot and a pneumonia shot. I got really sick from the flu shot… I was expecting it would…but I thought maybe it was all my imagination that I always get sick from the flu shots…then I got pneumonia. I’ve had chronic lung problems ever since but I’ve been lucky not to have gotten the flu since. I hear the flu season is going to be really bad this year…they say people with chronic lung problems need to get the flu shot. I am feeling really good right now…my lungs are NOT keeping me lying sick on the sofa and I just hate to spoil it all by going and getting a flu shot. I think I will just take my chances. Seasons Greetings from Mission Viejo, CA
Popular post, Dan.
One of my co-workers has a husband who is in the hosptial because of the flu. I still don’t regret my choice to not get a shot. (Famous last words)
Anyway, he’s in bad shape. The rest of that family is on some medication in hopes of staving it off.
In my comment of December 1, I did not mention that my husband is 59 years old.
I got the flu shot the other day and within 24 hours I started coming down with mild flu like symptoms. This didn’t surprise me though, because when I was 10 (I’m 23 now) I ended up in the hospital with asthma for a week, 2 days after getting the shot. This year I decided to get it because I don’t want to come down with the full blown flu, like I did the past 2 years. I talked to my doctor about my getting sick the last time I had the shot and he suggested that I get a half dose now and come back in a month and get the other half. This was good thinking by my doctor because I only had the mild flu symptoms for about a day and now I’m doing fine.
I have been thinking as to why I got sick and I think I have come up with a solution. The purpose of the flu vaccine is to introduce the dead virus to the body so it can build up an immunity to the strain. Well the body must not realize that the virus is dead so it attacks the dead virus and try’s to kill it. So, my thoughts are that I got mild flu like symptoms because my body thought I had the real flu and as soon as my immune system had made the antibodies need to fight off the virus the symptoms went away, because the virus was already dead. After all, not all of the symptoms that you get when you have the real flu are from the flu virus, they come from your body fighting off the virus. Think of common allergies, some people get a runny nose and a head ach from pollen. So compare the reaction of pollen on the immune system and the flu shot on the immune system and those mild flu symptoms kind of make sense.
We need experiences with the FLU from people who have been on a regimen of Colloidal Silver. At age 84 I have never had a flu shot…nor the flu.How can decisions on the type of virus to attack be made 3 to 4 months in advance? Do we ever receive info on the number of deaths from flu shots…or the variety and severity of reactions? NO! Since my 1942 ‘shots’ in the Army the concept of this type of unscientific, random approach has been rejected by me.
The only thing colloidal silver is good for is turning your skin blue. Sure, it has anti-microbial properties, but then so does bleach, and you don’t drink that, do you? See here.
Just about anything you injest has the potential for fatal side-effects due to allergy or other conditions. You don’t hear about them because they are statistically irrelevant. The flu shot is a statistics game, not a certainty of any sort, but it functions on the same principles of any other vaccination, so it will most definitely protect you against the flu strains that it contains. Because it contains only 3 strains, you could still catch a different one, but your odds of remaining flu-free are increased. This is neither non-scientific nor random.
Man, some people need to learn critical thinking and research skills. Good information is out there, but you have to look for rigorous scientific sources rather than anecdotal evidence (like most of the comments here) and be careful of conflicts of interest, like herbal remedy hawkers or conspiracy theorists. Science and logic are useful tools! They work! Use them!
Unfortunately, it’s hard to say what the interests are of those “scientific sources”.
For years the medical community said that low carb diets were dangerous and evil. Now they are starting to think otherwise.
I’m leary of research by drug companies for obvious reasons. Same goes for doctors. So many organizations and people in the medical industry (and others) are in each other’s back pockets it is hard to say who to trust. There drugs that went through testing and screening and ended up getting taken off the market later. I question how they got approval in the first place.
When it comes to drugs and vaccines, we should seek info from a variety of sources. When those sources conflict, it’s a crap shoot.
I had my first flu shot 5 years ago.My doctor said i need’d it,i didnt have the flu before the shot but i sure had it ,for 2 months after! Sick as a dog !I’ll never let another Quack try and kill me again. I stopped eating white sugar and yeast products,and i havnt had the flu in 4 years ! People are to egar to eat junk food that feeds the flu virus,and think a toxic waste shot will cure them .Plus there’s raw pork product used to make the flu shot, Isnt there parasites in Pork !Wonder if they filter out the tapeworms eggs. Its your body,
I am debating having my 3 and 2 year old get the flu shots. I am against them, but my fear of my boys getting seriously ill from the flu outbreak outweighs my prior conviction. Any advice of places to search for “real info” on the shot. If they don’t get the shot I am not concerned with getting the flu and being sick since they are healthy boys and it stinks but we will get though it- but getting really sick like some of the people in the midwest. “They” say this shot will help the symptoms even though it does not contain this years deadly flu. IS this bologna or what!
White sugar, yeast products, and other foods to not ‘feed the flu virus’ or any other virus. A virus is not an independant organism, it’s a piece of genetic material surrounded by a protein shell. Bits of genetic material do not “eat” in any sense of the word. They have absolutely no biochemical processes of their own. They work by breaking into living cells and merging their genetic matieral into the cell’s reproductive system, hijacking it and turning it into a virus factory.
The protein shell of a virus has a certain shape. The body’s immune system “learns” the shape of new viruses and produces substances (antibodies, complement proteins, and interferons) that will fight toxins of that specific shape. Any body with a properly functioning immune system will create these defense mechanisms whenever they encounter a new toxin. From that point on, the immune system remembers the shape and is prepared to immediately attack anything that matches it.
Flu shots (and other vaccinations, like the ones you’re required to get as a child that have virtually eradicated nasty viruses like polio and smallpox) are basically a bunch of weakened viruses that are let loose in your body. Because they typically don’t cause a full immune system response (which would entail getting sick), they offer only temporary immunity. Also, some viruses, like the flu and cold viruses, are prone to mutation that changes their shape, so many different strains develop. Flu shots protect from the 3 strains that appear most likely to hit. Because of the manufacturing process, the 3 strains must be chosen about 6 months in advance. Sometimes strains will be very close to others, in which case the flu vaccine is less likely to be effective but may still reduce symptoms or the length of your sickness.
As far as mercury is concerned, the amount is very small (25 ug/0.05ml) and has not been proven nor disproven to cause harm. It is also present, and has been for years, in other vaccines given to children. There are currently petitions to remove it, however, and there is a mercury-free flu shot available for very young children now. There is some risk involved with mercury, and it is being removed from more and more vaccines.
The fact is, flu shots are just another form of vaccine. They are formulated very similarly to the other ones we’ve all got. Vaccines have been very well researched, and they’re one of the greatest medical breakthroughs ever. The flu shots are limited in effectiveness due to the nature of the flu virus and its many strains, but this does not make them ‘quack science’. Learn how they work, what the risks are, and use them as tools to stay healthy.
Anyone not familiar with how the body’s immune system works should read this. Read this to find out what a virus is and how it works.
To find information about the flu shot and other vaccines, including potential side effects and other risks, and some of the facts in the controversy surrounding them, check out this site.
Levi would you mind telling those of us who are reading your comments what your training or knowledge base is regarding the comments you are posting? That is where you are coming from and do you get the flu shot every year? I would appreciate it, thank you.
I am 21 and very healthy, I have never had a flu shot and very rarely come down with the flu. I am now researching this because my work is demanding that I get one. I am a nanny for a 4 month old with down syndrome. Her medical complications are mild, thank god, but this year her entire family has gone and got flu shots because she can’t get one this year. She’s too young. They are very scared and have bought into all the hype, and so are demanding I get one. I do not believe in unessecary vaccinations. In fact there is not alot in Western medicine that I do believe in. I have known plenty of people who have gotten very sick from flu shots, and I have know plenty of people who have gotten very sick from not having flu shots. There are violent testamonials on both sides. I would be interested to know why this Levi feels so passionately about the topic, what stake has he got in making us believe what he is saying? I am seriously open to information, but only real information. Not, “the medical community says,” or, “well, everyone else does it.” I am very concerned that no one has been able to give me information on why mercury is used in this vaccine at all, regardless of wether it is used in other vaccines too! Why is it used in those? Just because we have been being poisoned for a long time doesn’t mean we should keep up the practice. Does that sound stupid to anyone else, Also, I want to know what our alternatives are. Yes, I said alternatives. You always have them, and no matter how much the Western medicine community trys to pretend they don’t exist, I know they’re out there. Someone needs to talk about our alternative medicine options such as accupuncture, a chinese medical practice that has been safely in use for thousands of years. I need all sides of this before I make my decision. I’ve been through the Western medicine propoganda, now I need the other side.
Most of the information I posted was from the links I provided at the bottom of my comment. My only formal training in these things has been in a college Biology class, but the general concepts of how viruses and the immune system work are well understood and are available in considerable detail in any number of textbooks. In general, I approach things with skepticism and with an eye for whether scientific processes were used in the determination of results. I can’t claim to be authoritative on the subject of biology, but I do believe my statements were correct.
I’ve never had a flu shot before, primarily because I don’t really like being poked with needles and I’m not likely to die or be permenantly disabled by the flu. I’ve never been out of commission for more than a day or two due to the flu, so the desire to not be stuck with a needle overrides whatever statistical advantage I might get from a shot.
My motivation for posting my previous lengthy comment was to bring a bit of light to the discussion, which had been largely anecdotal evidence and downright incorrect assertions, such as sugar and yeast feeding the virus and colloidal silver being a useful immune system booster. Please, feel free to be skeptical of my statements, and do your own research. Use textbooks and scientific sources and steer clear of anecdotal evidence until you have solid facts to compare them with. Anecdotes may not be relevant to you unless they are representative of a statistically significant condition in a controlled study. Or they may be; it’s hard to say unless there’s been a controlled study.
The mercury in the flu shots is used as a preservative. It allows them to package the vaccine in vials that have multiple doses rather than single-dose needles. It’s a cost-saving measure that was instituted before it was known that mercury was potentially harmful. Now that it is known, there is a lot of pressure on the companies that provide them to remove it, and it is happening, though probably not as quickly as would be best.
I don’t feel passionately about flu shots. I do feel passionately about critical thinking and taking a scientific approach to medicine. As far as alternative medicine goes; I am not opposed to it, but I am skeptical of its real benefits without knowing the basis upon which it operates. I don’t partake of the medical system very often because I’m pretty healthy and I believe the human body is pretty good at keeping itself going. No system of medicine is perfect, but modern western medicine has made for a significant improvement in our health as a whole and is certainly useful.
I took the time to read Levi’s information and found it to be helpul. I posted a comment back before Thanksgiving with my concern of getting my 3 children a flu shot, which I did. I understand that there are risk in getting vaccinations, but I would certainly feel horrible if my child ever got a disease because I would not vaccinate them (knowing that one of these diseases would more than likely kill them). Too many children are loosing the battle with the flu this year. As for the 21 year old nanny, you will never know how a parent feels until you have your own children. There is no greater worry than to worry about your children. Most parents will do what ever they feel neccessary to keep their children healthy. I teach a Kindergarten class and see first hand how quickly children pick up germs. Especially those with a weak immume system. As a parent, I would ask the same from my sitter, however, mine gets one every year.
I usually opt for a flu shot each year, and excluding a sore arm and an occasional low grade fever afterward, I have not experienced any serious side effects. However, I still manage to get at least one significant upper- respiratory virus each winter (chills, fever, cough and/or sore throat).
In 1991, I contracted the what many were calling the “Bejing C” strain and it was the worst bout of influenza I have experienced in 42 years. A truly nasty virus, I was immobile for 7 days, running very high fevers along with severe chest congestion. Had I not started Ceclor, it could have very well went into pneumonia. I felt the effects of the flu for 30 days afterward, and lost 15 lbs. in the process. It was after this experience that I started having annual flu vaccinations.
I CAME DOWN WH PERIPHERAL NEUROPEDI AFTER I GOT A FLU SHOT 2YEARS AGO. ANOTHER PERSON I MET HADSIMILAR SYMPTOMES AND SHE HAD A FLU SHOT THE SAME TIME. I WAS80YRS AND SHE WAS MIDDLE AGED. NEITHER OF US BARE DIABETIC, HAVEHIV, OR HAD CHEMO. HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS HAPPEN TO THEM. I CAN’T WALK HAVE PAIN IN MY ARMS ETC. ANY HELP FOR ME. PLEASE LET ME KNOW. HAVING CONSTANT CAREGIVERS IS EXPENSIVE AND WILL PUI ME IN THE POOR HOUSE. THANKS
YDO you want to be well? why are we all worried about a flu shot? Some people are very healthy and never get the flu! what is the difference between the healthy ones and the sick ones? You have a lot of people writing to you that are sick. An impaired immune system will generally be the culprit for disease. Why – though – is your immune system not working properly? I suggest that you call 1800453 5775 and pruchase a book called “A MORE EXCELLENT WAY” – THIS BOOK SAVED MY LIFE – I was sick and dying until I realised that there were many things in my life that caused my immune system to not work properly and that caused me to become diseased. There are many reasons that people are sick – are you stressed out? Do you have a broken heart? Are you worried and anxious? Do you try to keep up with the Jonses? Did someone hurt you? Read this book it will open up a whole new world to for you.
One thing to keep in mind with the Flu shot is that you are goading your immune system into fighting the dead flu viruses that are injected into your body as if you had been exsposed to the live virus. With flu shots you are asking you body to stage a mock defense of several differnt strains, and this is asking a lot. Your body is constantly be exsposed to germs & virues on a daily basis and will fight most of them off. But if you are run down from not eatting or sleeping right, run into one too many germs, then you body can’t handle it all and one or more of the pathogenes wins and you get sick. If you take the flu shot when you are run down, or have already been exsposed to other ailments, then chances our the flu shot will be the straw that broke the camals back and you will get sick with something shortly after. This is aside from any allergic reactions you might get to what is in the vaccine. Bottom line is you have to weigh the risks of injecting a pathogene into your body to get a reaction from your immune systme and the risks that entails versus the risk of actually getting the flu. All of this is further complicated by the sad fact that the flu shot contains strains from previous years that the makers are likely to be prevalent so you are only getting protection from a few ailments against the literly 1000s of other ailments you may be exsposed to. The biggest irony is that the person who is least likely to have any adverse to the flu shot, a healthy adult is unlikely to suffer much from the flu even if contracted. It’s a personal choice. I play the odds, and the odds say for a healthy adult the benefit of being protected from a few aliments out of the 1000s outthere does not overshadow the downside of forcing my body to deal with yet one more virus.
So… do I get the vaccine for my 8 year old, or not?
Hey I suggest you stay away from the flu shot. It is not the healthy way to go. The government is trying to scare you all. They are just after money, that is all it ever is about. Why don’t you guys just trust in Jesus, the creater? Did people in the bible run to the doctor to get a flu shot? No, they prayed and asked God to heal them. So turn to God, he will get you through anything….
This is a great, informative thread, thanks for all the info and links.
I dont get the shot because I simply dont trust the manufaturor’s and the pushers of these shots enough to inject me with anything.
Maybe I’m just the paranoid type, but what if just 100 of the flu shot vials were switched with some other nasty bug, like e-bola? How secure is the supply chain for these vials anyways?
.02
As of the end of last year, the system contained 244,424 total reports of possible reactions to vaccines, including 99,145 emergency room visits, 5,149 life-threatening reactions, 27,925 hospitalizations, 5,775 disabilities, and 5,309 deaths, according to data compiled by Dr. Mark Geier, a vaccine researcher in Silver Spring, Md. The data represents roughly 1 billion doses of vaccines, according to Geier.
from:
UPI Investigates: The vaccine conflict
By Mark Benjamin
Investigations Editor
Published 7/21/2003 10:42 PM
http://www.upi.com/print.cfm?StoryID=20030718-012134-4422r
There are, as they say, three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Note that those numbers aren’t per year, they’re since 1991. When dealing with statistics, you have to interpret them very carefully, because they don’t necessarily mean what they seem to at first glance. In the article you link to, it says, right after the stats, “The reports do not necessarily show that a vaccine caused a problem.” The percentage of people having possible reactions to vaccines was around 0.02%, or 2 in every 1000. Deaths possibly caused by vaccines were 5 per million vaccinations, and disabilities were only slightly higher, closer to 6 per million. In gambling terms, odds against you getting death or disability from a vaccine are on the order of 90000:1.
Keep in mind that that data also includes vaccines that have since been pulled from the market due to high rates of problems, so it doesn’t necessarily imply anything at all about flu shots or any other specific vaccine available today. It also mentions no relationship between the age of the person receiving the vaccine and the rate of reaction, which I suspect is a significant factor.
Also consider the rates of people getting such diseases as smallpox, polio, etc. before vaccinations were commonplace. These diseases are practically nonexistant now thanks to vaccinations, rather than being a significant risk before. If you run all the numbers, I suspect you’ll see that vaccinations have caused a significant net decrease of death and disability.
There is still risk involved, of course, but you take risk of similar proportion every day of your life. Take the time to properly assess the risk and make a rational decision. Remember, it’s impossible to be risk-free; you have to take some risk somewhere.
Saying that “diseases” were commonplace before vaccinations and are “nonexistant” because of vaccinations is one of your [three kinds of lies].
What about all the diseases that were NOT vaccinated against that are no longer around? What about the fact that these diseases (polio, smallpox…) that were well on their way out of the picture long before vaccination? (check the stats 1900-2000) What about clean water laws and sewerage laws and central heating and child labor laws and all the thousands of changes for the better that have taken place in our lives?
You can NOT give the credit to vaccinations… and here is why. Because no one has done the “science!
There are millions of people in the USA that have NEVER been vaccinated for anything for all kinds of reasons (religious, political…) and because of this, once and for all, we can learn the truth on this issue. All we have to do is “DO THE SCIENCE” and compare the lifetine health stats of the vaccinated to the un-vaccinated. Now, ask yourself why this has NEVER been done. Then ask yourself why we now have LAWS that hold vaccine makers and sellers harmless for all ill effects of their products.
How many “safe” things do you know of that NOBODY will stand behind? Call me when you have done the science and can find ANYBODY to stand behind the safety of the product.
gpw, I looked for information about the disease stats, and they do indeed show a huge drop in diseases that we currently vaccinate against before the introduction of diseases. I don’t think anyone claims that improved sanitation and treatment methods haven’t made a huge contribution to public health and lowering disease rates. They certainly have.
I was, however, not able to find rates of contraction of disease and correlation of that with vaccination. Without those statistics, it’s impossible to say that vaccines did not have a significant positive effect. Dealing only with death rates is misleading, as diseases can have unfortunate effects without causing death.
I think that you’re confusing science with statistics, though. Statistics can be a useful tool for science, but not the only one. Vaccines can be shown by scientific process to provide immunity to diseases. Historical trends are irrelevant to this fact. Not to dismiss the importance of trends and overall effects, of course; these are important as well, but they’re only one aspect.
Regarding your argument about people who have not been vaccinated: Consider a community where 80-90% have received vaccinations for a disease and become immune. The remaining 10-20% are likely to be spread throughout the community, and will be unable to contract that disease from those who are immune to it. Therefore their chances of contracting it are significantly reduced. Even though they have not been vaccinated, they benefit from the vaccination of their neighbors, as diseases will have a harder time passing through the community.
I do want to make it clear that I’m not 100% in favor of all vaccines and other medical tools. The medical community is always learning more about the functioning of the body, and messing around with it can be dangerous. Sometimes there are misakes. I think that putting pressure on the medical community to make safer medicines and address other concerns is a good thing. Caution when dealing with health issues is strongly advised. Do your own research, get second opinions, etc. And don’t believe everything you read on the internet, even this. I could be wrong… find out for yourself, but be skeptical of scientifically unsubstantiated claims from unknown sources and sloppy quoting of statistics!
i thought vaccines were nifty and cool. i thought vaccines were helpful and friendly. i bought into all the hype! the drug companies had me under their thumbs. i was spending hundred and thousands of dollars per annum to buy their so-called “drugs”, their so-called “medications”, their so-called “pills” coming in the little bottles with Rx on the side. all the cool kids were doing it.
and then it turned out to all be a lie! a vicious lie! i know because i was there. i went to the doctor and he told me that he wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, but actually glaxo AND bayer are both run by vampires. yes, vampires. i know, i didn’t believe in them either until i saw the light (well and the teeth). now i take garlic pills every five minutes. they’re made by bayer. but that’s just a detail.
then i found jesus and jesus told me about the vampires, and i stole a gideon bible from a motel cuz jesus told me to. and there were garlic pills there. and i took them and felt better. and i’ve never gotten the flu since i found out about the vampires and discovered jesus garlic pills at the super eight, but i am writing a book about the vast drug-company conspiracy which is keeping down the sale of stakes.
on a side note, i’d like to raise my glass to occam.
I think one crucial thing missing in this discussion, although brought up just now by Levi, has been the question of contagion. You don’t get an immunization only, or even mostly, for your own protection. You get it for MINE! Seriously. If some number of people get less sick than they otherwise would have because they got a flu shot, and maybe (hypothetically) even more people got sicker than they otherwise would have, it could still be a big win for society, because of all the people who are not exposed to the virus, and because the smaller population of the virus gives it a lower rate of mutation.
The smallpox vaccine is supposed to be really nasty and foul, like actually containing cow hair and puss and what-not, but I don’t mind because I don’t have to have one! NOBODY has smallpox anymore. Isn’t that amazing? It’s not that everybody on the earth got vaccinated, but that enough got vaccinated, by a concerted, world-wide effort, that the virus could no longer maintain a viable population. We actually eliminated one of the most vicious killers in the history of the world — eliminated it from the face of the earth!
I regret not having gotten a flu shot early enough this year because I’m going to visit my 79-year-old grandmother next week, and I’m afraid I might be putting her at risk.
So, I’m asking people to consider the health of their coworkers and their coworkers’ chiildren and elderly relatives, and think seriously about whether a flu shot might provide benefits to those people as well. If you don’t, that’s your choice, and that’s fine, but I ask everybody to at least take the general attitude of considering other people’s health as well as their own when they think about communicable diseases. Please take care of yourself, wash your hands, cover your mouth when you cough, all of the obvious things, and, please, for the love of God, people, DON’T COME TO WORK WHEN YOU’RE SICK! I know not everyone has the choice to stay at home through the course of a communicable illness, but I wish people would at least try.
I just have to say I really do not believe in the flu shot I have a very good reasons for this, My mother gets them and ends up in ICU for two weeks each year after getting the shot, my son ended up in childrens hospital for a week in an oxygen tent after reciving his shot and I was throwing up for 6 months after getting my flu shot. To me its another way for the govt to kill us off.
I believe that Levi’s comments are right on target. I drive a school bus (aka: giant metal tub ‘o germs) and I get a flu shot every year. I have only had one reaction to the vaccine, and that was in the early 1980’s when they used a partially live virus. I had flu-like symptoms for about a day. Well worth it.
This whole discussion brings to mind the big ‘marijuana is a gateway drug to heroin’ debate. There is a faction that firmly believes that marijuana will ‘encourage’ people to use more dangerous drugs such as heroin and cocaine. The thinking is that ALMOST all heroin and cocaine addicts started by using marijuana. Someone whose name I just cannot remember, (BET IT’S A REACTION TO MY FLU SHOT!!!!) noted that while almost all of the aforementioned addicts may have started with marijuana, certainly 100% of them did start with milk. Is there a correlation between milk drinking and drug use? Between flu vaccines and illness?
Think long and hard about some of the “facts” and anecdotal evidence that have been presented. Statistics and numbers can be skewed to look any way that I want them to. I know this because I was once married to an accountant.
I’ve read many comments. I’ve been searching on and off for the past two years about evidence that the influenza vaccine can cause illness. The fact is that I’m very sick. I was always very healthy. In fact, I’ve been told that I couldn’t be more healthy. However, all this changed, I believe, after receiving the flu shot. One week after getting the shot, I felt a pulling pain in my chest. It turns out that my chest wall was inflammed. Weird! Never experienced that before. Then, my wrists became inflammed. Next thing you know it goes up to my shoulders and neck. I didn’t really think much of it at the time. I just figured I was working too hard. I’ve been known to do so. However, it became increasingly clear that this was more than just a temporary setback. I can barely carry out the necessities of everyday life now. The pain is literally everywhere right down to the bottom of my feet. It’s a chore every day just to get dressed. And to top it all off, I have to go to work because I’m not considered “disabled” according to my insurance company. How does one compete with that? The truth is, after all is said and done, isn’t ONE person enough to make a difference. If I could change back the hands of time, I would certainly let fate take its course rather than welcome the damned with open arms. There isn’t any amount of money on earth or any kind of convincing argument that would ever put me in that place again. I’m human. I deserve dignity and respect. Most of all I deserve the truth. And my truth right now is disabling disease. I’m quite certain it was set off by the flu shot. I have a friend who got the flu shot the same year that I did and she’s experiencing the same symptoms. If you don’t HAVE to get the flu shot, then don’t. If there is some serious complication that could arise if you become ill with the flu, then get it. However, go into the game with open eyes. No one is certain that it won’t happen to you next.
I got the flu shot in the fall of 2003. Within two weeks I felt like I had the flu in my ankle. My ankle became swollen and soar. After taking motrin for a while it went away, only to then come back in my knee. When the swelling left my knee it went to my hip, then shoulder, then the back of my knee. Back to the hip. The latest episode in the hip caused me to be bedridden unable to get up and walk.
After several er visits, doctors appointments, blood tests, mri’s, the doctors said I needed my hip tapped. I disagreed, they then put me on indomethrine for inflammation and pain. This helped. Now it is back in my hip, hand, left calf, elbow. Now I am on sulfasalazine to see if this rids me of it.
Has anyone had similiar experiences or heard of a connection between the flu shot and GBS?
November 2003 I was given the flu shot on my left arm. I regret it. I immediately got a stiff, sore and, acute pain in my left shoulder. I was unable to lift my left arm. The pain was excruciating. It left me in the sitting position for a whole week. I sought an osteo Doctor who explained the injection’s medicine went directly into some muscle which caused me to loose functionality of my left shoulder. To this date I cannot rotate my shoulder to some degree and w/out the pain.
I got a flu shot in December 2003. Two weeks lateral my chest muscles, my feet hurt and my butt muscles hurt. I cold barely walk. I have been to 5 different doctors in 8 months. I have been put on Prednisone, Cipro, Vioxx, Lasix, Celebrex and nothing has worked. Lasix and Celebrex had to be stopped because of sulfa allergies. Vioxx I stopped because of the recent scare on TV. I have mostly been living on Motrin. It is now very painful and swollen in my feet and 1 knee. This is all due to my first and last flu shot. I never had 1 joint ache ever. None of the doctors will say how long this last. got any clues.
First of all I think everyone should read this article before deciding to take the Flu Shot.http://www.familiesathome.net/3930/with_flash/html/flu_shots.html
It really outlines a lot of the mystery behind what is actually in the Flu Shot.
Secondly, I would like to address the person who said they had Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). I also have RA, and have never had the Flu shot. RA does not mean that you have a weaker immune system, it just means that your immune system attacks you (when there is actually nothing to attack in most cases),thus causing deterioration of your joints as well as other symptoms.
When I tried taking Echinacea, for a cold, I had a horrible flare up because of the immune boosters in it. My hands were swollen for 2 weeks! To me this means that my already hyper immune system saw this and made it even more aggressive.
I work at a hospital that specializes in Arthritis, and I have seen so many terrible cases of RA. My RA seems to be rather dormant and I would hate to stir anything up by taking the Flu shot. As a matter of fact, my Rheumatologist says I am very lucky to be typically feeling fairly well on a daily basis, and I can’t help wonder if this might have something to do with the fact that I have never had the Flu shot, versus the people who have…
I also know someone who was forced to take the flu shot by her employer and has never been back to work since that day because of an incredible crippling attack of RA (which she never even knew she had!). She is in the process of suing the company for forcing her to take the Flu shot.
I hope this is some help along the way of making some informed choices about the Flu Shot.
I got a flu shot in Dec 99. I almost died. I have suffered with a range of symptoms that mimic Lupus, Ms, Polymyositis. I had been healthy untill I bought into that flu shot panic. I was 37 with 3 small children. My health has never made a full comeback. I have bizare unexplained symptoms with no disease. I know what the disease is. Its the flu shot. I would have prefered to be sick as a dog for a week rather than spend the rest of my life ill. I have a daughter who has asthma. She doesn’t get the flu shot. No one in my family gets the flu shot. Ask your doctor whats in this years flu shot. Does he get it himself? How about his family? President Bush doesn’t get one and he is around 100’s of people every day! Why do you think that is?
I’m really glad I found this site. I got the flu shot on friday, and felt fine at first, about 3 hours later the muscles in my body started feeling inflamed and stressed, all of them but the spot where I got the shot. I don’t understand this at all. This has continued for 3 days, and I’m wondering if relief is on the way. Ibuprofen subdues it for a while, but I was perfectly healthy before taking the shot, I just took it, ’cause it was free at my company and I’ve already suffered from a cold this fall, and the flu last winter and didn’t want to endure it again.
I regret taking that shot.
If your not old or a child don’t take it.
Iwould like to know whether to give an elderly woman of 92 the flu jab. She has never had this in her life and has always been opposed to all vacinations. I know she had chest infections last year but wonder is her age likely to be a problem in having a jab at this time of her life. Does anyone have info on elderly and these flu jabs. She is so well at the moment and lives at home.
Ok, i just read that someone got the flu from the flu shot? you should know that actually getting the flu from the vaccine is not possible because the vaccine contains only the dead virus!
The theory of the flu shot is good, the fact that it does not work is why Im not getting one.
I have Epilepsey and for the past couple of months I’ve had alot of anxiety about having another seizure I don’t even like going out of the house as much anymore cause I start thinking oh god what if I ahve a seizure. They say I am a high risk patient and should get a flu shot it kindof scares me after reading all of this does anybody know if the flu shot could cause me to have a seizure. Thanks I have to go tomorrow to get it I just would like to know if I should be worried or not.
OMG! How can anyone deny that it’s impossible to get the flu from the flu shot (read post #70)! There are numerous posts in here and undoubtly, countless others, who have not found this site, who have suffered or are currently suffering from flu symptoms and worse after receiving the flu shot! My 11 yr. old son got his flu shot last Friday and within hours was complaining of swelling and soreness at the injection site. Fever, headache and runny nose followed. His symptoms worsened throughout the weekend. Now, I sit at home with my daughter, anxiously waiting for a phone call from my husband. He had to rush my son to the E.R. this evening. Our son’s temperature has skyrocketed to 103.3 and he’s halucinating! I hope post #70 never has to live through our nightmare (or any body else’s) before realizing that the flu shot is extremely dangerous to some people!
I just had the flu shot on Saturday, and a day later my lymph nodes are all swollen to the size of golf balls, Im dizzy and I have to leave work monday morning to go home and sleep for 24 hours straight! I had no contact with germs outside my house during this time, and I NEVER get sick like this… I know the flu vaccine is a protein, not a live virus, but is there a remote chance that it could be associated with my illness? It seems likely to me.
I will be 67 yo this Aug…I would never consider putting a toxic vac in my body. Why not just consider building up your own immune system to fight off viral infections. There are many ways to do this. “Get the White out”…white sugar,flour, milk, rice, potatoes {w/o skin), beef, (what color does the fat turn to when cold), ect., then supplement your nutrition with live foods, (not dead), raw veggies and fruits. Many supplements are available e.g., garlic, grapefruit seed extract, olive leave extract, ect., which are powerful immune builders…just check out the alternatives that are available in lieu of the toxic chemicals with horrific side effects that are being prescribed by the doctors, “drug pushers” of the pramaceuticals (the largest most profitable business in the USA”). Prescription drugs kill more people, MANY, MANY, times more than the flu. So do vaccines. In reality, “Iatrogenics”, (doctors, prescription drugs, and hospital induced diseases) are the 3rd leading cause of death in America. There is so much more, but I wiil stop here. You get the picture, don’t you??????????
Has any one noticed that the recent major outbreaks of the flu are timed with the advertisement and release of flu shots? This is a little more than suspicious to me! They just came out on the news and said that the shots are available again. Now, for some “unknown reason”, everybody I know is sick again. Frankly, the American people need to gather enough evidence to sue these disease merchants!
I am writing about post no. 65. I would like to reach this person to see if she has found anything else out about her symptoms. My husband had severe lung problems and was very sick after the shot in 2003 and one year later he had same symptoms but much worse and heart arithmia. Fluid on the lungs causing him shortness of breath… He is allergic to sulfa… and I am wondering if this vaccine can CAUSE an allery to eggs. He is on Lasix… and he is allergic to sulfa… these doctors are something else!!! If anyone else has had heart trouble after the flu vaccine please write to me at Rogersresearch@earthlink.net THANKS.
That should be all lower case in that email… sorry. rogersresearch@earthlink.net
It doesn’t matter – e-mail addresses are not case-sensitive.
After getting the flu shot in 2002,2003—-I had frequent vomitting experiences once a week for about 6 months. After having a few tests done,I finally realized this started occurring just after the flu shot and always lasted till about april—–in 2004 I didnt get the flu shot and I never had a reaction that year. Just wondering if anyone has had this reaction? I think the flu shot works for most people but maybe some adverse reactions to a few of us.
i dont like jabs but they protect you from illness except the flu one which isnt neccessary.
I had a flu jab 4 days ago as I care for my mother, and for the past three days I have sore lymph gland in left leg that is travelling down towards my lower calf – it seems to be getting worse has anyone had this experience?
Wow, I had no idea there was a debate surrounding flu shots! Btw, I’m here because I was looking for info on the flu, which I now have. I’m 32 and it’s my first. Anyway, I was getting to the bottom of the comments and decided to post what I didn’t see any mention of: that we only need ONE measels, mumphs, ruebella, polio shot (did I miss any?) but these flu shots, eh… To me, the concept is a little like saying you should take a cold/flu medication every day during the season in order to avoid the cold/flu. Ie, sounds like overkill! I can understand getting a shot for the aforementioned illnesses, once in your lifetime, but one every YEAR for the flu and it may not work but in fact get you sick (I know people who go through this silly ritual of flu shots… they always seem to be the ones that get sick with it!)? I don’t know. To each their own, I suppose, but if one were to ask me these shots are little better than snake oil for easily scared people.