Free tip about the Flu

[ml1209]

....don 't get it.

And if you do get it, stay hydrated.

Holy smokes did this thing do a number on me. I haven't been sick in years so this must have been payback. I'm recovering but still at only 85%. Can easily see it taking another week to get back to full strength.

Sorry to hear about that and I hope you feel better

[Liberty]

Eventually the human race will be just like the aliens in "War of the Worlds" - Toast! The majority inhabitants of this planet, the bacteria and viruses, will kill us all. They become more resistant everyday to antibiotics and vaccines, and there hasn't been a new antibiotic introduced in over 20 years.

I think we have signs we are approaching this. Young people today seem to have more allergies and OCD and Bipolar, and Autism. Maybe this is a trade off for dead and kids crippled with polio. All I know for sure though is my life expectancy is longer than my parents and grandparents. and My childrend and Grand children can expect to live longer than I.

[Pariah3j]

Saw an interesting short documentary/interview with a Doctor that is 100% against flu vaccines - wish I could remember what it was called/find it, I would link it. She is currently doing research to prove that not only is not as effective as suggested (the supposed 15-25%) but may actually make Flu season worst. Some of her early preliminary research from what I understand actually backs her claims up.

I'm a computer guy, so biology/chemistry/medicine not in my wheelhouse so I can't explain the science behind it but if I remember correctly, her theory was more or less, by priming ourselves with specific flu vaccines, we hurt our immune system because its only looking for those strains so to speak, its slower to fight the mutation/other variations unless its drastically different/mutated enough. So unless they guess right and put out the strain that hits that year(and their record is alot like Texas weathermen), then it actually hurts.

This doesn't even sound logical. If your body can adapt to what's in the vaccine ( 3-4 strains) than it can adapt to a mutation. That doctor you saw in a documentary might have also been talking about restricting guns. Would you believe her?

Once again, not a biology/medicine guy so I'm sure I'm not explaining it right. It made alot of common sense the way she explained it. My wife, who works in the medical field and has about as much experience and knowledge as most nurses I know, agreed with most of the science/info being presented. The Doctor had a pretty impressive resume of degrees and background. So to use your analogy, if she had been a Pro NRA, Gun Engineer, 2-time world shooting champion talking about the dangers/flaws of something about guns, I'd at least listen/give it some thought.

[Pariah3j]

Am I the only one who sees this conversation slowly drifting towards "the Earth is flat"?

yes... unless someone starts claiming that little grey men are the ones manufacturing the Flu virus and giving it to the government to disperse through chem-trails. Then we've drifted into that territory

[rotor]

Saw an interesting short documentary/interview with a Doctor that is 100% against flu vaccines - wish I could remember what it was called/find it, I would link it. She is currently doing research to prove that not only is not as effective as suggested (the supposed 15-25%) but may actually make Flu season worst. Some of her early preliminary research from what I understand actually backs her claims up.

I'm a computer guy, so biology/chemistry/medicine not in my wheelhouse so I can't explain the science behind it but if I remember correctly, her theory was more or less, by priming ourselves with specific flu vaccines, we hurt our immune system because its only looking for those strains so to speak, its slower to fight the mutation/other variations unless its drastically different/mutated enough. So unless they guess right and put out the strain that hits that year(and their record is alot like Texas weathermen), then it actually hurts.

This doesn't even sound logical. If your body can adapt to what's in the vaccine ( 3-4 strains) than it can adapt to a mutation. That doctor you saw in a documentary might have also been talking about restricting guns. Would you believe her?

Once again, not a biology/medicine guy so I'm sure I'm not explaining it right. It made alot of common sense the way she explained it. My wife, who works in the medical field and has about as much experience and knowledge as most nurses I know, agreed with most of the science/info being presented. The Doctor had a pretty impressive resume of degrees and background. So to use your analogy, if she had been a Pro NRA, Gun Engineer, 2-time world shooting champion talking about the dangers/flaws of something about guns, I'd at least listen/give it some thought.

This is not climate change we are debating. I would guess that 99.9% of doctors think the flu vaccine is beneficial at least part of the time and then there are fringe doctors that are against it. Then you also have to realize that there are anti vaccination people all over the world.
Your choice what you believe or not. I am a biology guy, BA in Microbiology and did influenza virus work in undergraduate school. I get the flu shot every year as soon as it comes out. I almost died of influenza when I was in high school. What you do is up to you. Just my opinion of course but it is based on commonly accepted theory (I won't say fact). The human body though is capable of building an immune response to more than one thing at a time. Many vaccines are combinations, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), DPT (diphtheria, pertusis, tetanus), Flu vaccine in one arm and pneumococcal pneumonia in the other arm. The human body is quite capable of making antibody and immune response to many things at the same time.

[nightmare69]

I got the shot and was sick for about 3 days and never missed work. I’ll say the shot worked for me as the flu was short and manageable. Since I now work full-time in a hospital we have to get he flu shot every year. Being around sick people all the time it’s a no brainer.

[crazy2medic]

Unless you are having difficulty breathing don't go to the hospital! Over the last several weeks I have seen the local ER's fill up with flu sufferers, Harris Hospital in Ft Worth has a 100 bed ER and at peak times there has been over 200 people there, they can't do anything about the Flu, if your having trouble breathing that is different. But all these people going to the ER for the flu, they are creating a flu zone, subjecting the nurses, doctors, tech and other patients to the flu! STAY HOME, drink lots of fluids, rest and let your body fight off the virus!

[C-dub]

Reviving an not too old thread because I have been trying to recover from the flu for almost a week now.

I did get my vaccination and I am a science guy with a bull in Medical Technology. Studied all kinds of stuff including microbiology, virology, and immunology. Getting vaccinated will not hurt someone's immune response as described by some "doctor" Pariah3j quoted any more than not getting vaccinated. That "doctor's" claim is just ridiculous.

I work in a hospital laboratory, so there's no telling how I came in contact with my flu. It could have been from a patient sample or from anyone else I've come in contact with that was contagious and didn't stay home. I couldn't remember ever actually having the flu before and now that I do have it I'm thinking that I never have. This is kicking my tuckus. I was hard down for 2 days and have been so-so for the last/next 3 days. I haven't had a fever for 24 hours now, but energy wise today I can't even sit up for 3 hours without becoming exhausted. No way I can go back into my lab yet. I'm shooting for Monday, 7 days from now.

Ya'll be careful out there.

[KLB]

I believe the FLU shot is a scam as well. Every time I have ever gotten the shot guess what? I got the flu. Same with everybody I know who has gotten it this year and years past. Seems like most people get sick from the flu waiting in line to receive the shot. The Flu shot is horse manure. People can claim that it works but if they get the shot then don’t get the flu they sing it’s praises and say oh how wonderful it is. On the other side of the coin, if they get the flu shot and get the flu all of a sudden it’s stupid and didn’t work. I wash my hands like a mad man and clean everything ten times this time of the year to try and keep myself away from it. I also take elderberry syrup to boost my immune system naturally and try and stay away from large crowds.

You pay your money and you take your choice--and deal with the consequences. I operate on the theory that every flu shot I get boosts my immune system a little and may help in future years even if not in the year I get it.

It's not the medical profession's fault that the rapidly mutating flu virus is tough to protect against. Someday we'll get another strain that does what the Spanish flu did in 1918. If I'm still kicking then, I want as much built-up immunity as I can get.

[C-dub]

It's not always that things mutate. Certain types of things your immune system remembers forever or for many decades and other things it forgets after only a short time, like several months. And that has more to do with our own immune system and the different types of lymphocytes than with mutations. But then there's also so many strains that circulate the world year to year.

[Paladin]

Vitamin D for influenza

A colleague of mine and I have introduced vitamin D at doses that have achieved greater than 100 nmol/L in most of our patients for the past number of years, and we now see very few patients in our clinics with the flu or influenzalike illness. In those patients who do have influenza, we have treated them with the vitamin D hammer, as coined by my colleague. This is a 1-time 50 000 IU dose of vitamin D3 or 10 000 IU 3 times daily for 2 to 3 days. The results are dramatic, with complete resolution of symptoms in 48 to 72 hours. One-time doses of vitamin D at this level have been used safely and have never been shown to be toxic.8 We urgently need a study of this intervention. The cost of vitamin D is about a penny for 1000 IU, so this treatment costs less than a dollar.

Vitamin D Is More Effective Than Flu Vaccine, Study Says

I gave up on the flu shot years ago. Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common in the winter time and supplementation works well.

The effectiveness of vitamin C in preventing and relieving the symptoms of virus-induced respiratory infections.

RESULTS: Overall, reported flu and cold symptoms in the test group decreased 85% compared with the control group after the administration of megadose Vitamin C.
CONCLUSION: Vitamin C in megadoses administered before or after the appearance of cold and flu symptoms relieved and prevented the symptoms in the test population compared with the control group.

Zinc can also be helpful

[jason812]

Vitamin D for influenza

A colleague of mine and I have introduced vitamin D at doses that have achieved greater than 100 nmol/L in most of our patients for the past number of years, and we now see very few patients in our clinics with the flu or influenzalike illness. In those patients who do have influenza, we have treated them with the vitamin D hammer, as coined by my colleague. This is a 1-time 50 000 IU dose of vitamin D3 or 10 000 IU 3 times daily for 2 to 3 days. The results are dramatic, with complete resolution of symptoms in 48 to 72 hours. One-time doses of vitamin D at this level have been used safely and have never been shown to be toxic.8 We urgently need a study of this intervention. The cost of vitamin D is about a penny for 1000 IU, so this treatment costs less than a dollar.

Vitamin D Is More Effective Than Flu Vaccine, Study Says

I gave up on the flu shot years ago. Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common in the winter time and supplementation works well.

The effectiveness of vitamin C in preventing and relieving the symptoms of virus-induced respiratory infections.

RESULTS: Overall, reported flu and cold symptoms in the test group decreased 85% compared with the control group after the administration of megadose Vitamin C.
CONCLUSION: Vitamin C in megadoses administered before or after the appearance of cold and flu symptoms relieved and prevented the symptoms in the test population compared with the control group.

Zinc can also be helpful

I like milk and cheese. I have never got the flu. I will use this argument with the Dr if my cholesterol is a little high next check up.

I get flu shots too, the wife makes me because of the kids.

[strogg]

Sometimes I get the flu with the shot. Sometimes I don't. If I don't get the shot, sometimes I get the flu, sometimes I don't. I don't see a correlation. With that in mind, I'm not going to say the flu shot helps or it doesn't, but I have noticed one very odd observation about myself. If I exercise in the wintertime, I will absolutely come down with something nasty. Otherwise, I won't. I kid you not. I used to exercise all the time in high school. I never failed to catch the flu every year. I stopped for a few years in college. Never got sick. I started up again for my health's sake. I got the flu within 2 months. I stopped due to laziness. No more flu. Started up again. Flu. So on and so forth. Catch the pattern? My guess is that exercising and recovery is keeping my body busy from doing other things like keeping germs from multiplying. It makes sense, right? Others with more knowledge, please chime in. I'm curious if this is merely some odd correlation without true causation.

[Paladin]

The Top 10 Benefits of Regular Exercise

It Can Make You Feel Happier.
It Can Help With Weight Loss.
It Is Good for Your Muscles and Bones.
It Can Increase Your Energy Levels.
It Can Reduce Your Risk of Chronic Disease.
It Can Help Skin Health.
It Can Help Your Brain Health and Memory.
It Can Help With Relaxation and Sleep Quality...

[C-dub]

Definitely an odd correlation if related at all. My only real question would be if you had actually been diagnosed with the flu or not. The flu will knock you down for two weeks or more untreated. I'm getting treatment with tamiflu and antibiotics to help ensure no rebound of a bacterial infection or pneumonia while my immune system is depressed and I'm going to be down for 7-10 days. I'm also still expecting some general weakness for another week or more before reaching a full recovery.

Without an actual test and diagnosis what most people think is the flu is really just a cold or nasty cold.