GET THE FLU SHOT THIS YEAR AND NEXT!!

[Mya Symons]

I wanted to add that for some reason for us adults, it has been coming and going. Meaning that we will have one or two days where it feels like it is gone and the next day it comes back full force. The teenagers, however, have had it non stop for over a month (this is why they have had it longer than us). Maybe that is why it is more likely to put teenagers and young children in the hospital.

But, they don't have the physical pain we do.

 

[golden]

I too try to avoid any flu shots or vaccines. I usually end up with a golf ball to tennis ball sized lump where the shot was, a fever, and flu symptoms from the shots. But, this time this flu was so bad I am wishing I had went through the lumps and symptoms of the flu shot. I have not been tested yet, but am going to the doctor in a couple days to see if an antibiotic will help. The woman I work with who was in the hospital with swine flu works the afternoon shift after my morning shift. She sits in my chair and uses my work area. Plus, I live in college town and work at the college. There have been stories in the paper about how Swine Flu is working it's way through the dorms. Thus, I am pretty sure I picked it up from my co-worker and gave it to my whole family.

I can understand though, why you would not want to take a chance with any shots. If I had almost died from a vaccine, I would rather take my chances on getting the swine flu.

I do have my own natural protocols that i do well with and rely on...

But yep, sometimes the simplest of things arent that straight forward... And we can all very easily wish we had done something differently. But that wouldnt have necessarily worked out just right either...

I was just asking about labs because of all the controversey - cant find the good link I wanted - but this gives an idea...


http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...swine-flu-cases-seriously-overestimated.aspx#!


Hope your all getting extra tlc...

Golden

 

[barbc56]

I just got my flu shot as well as the pneumonia vaccination. I wanted to get the shot for shingles but I had a slight temp and since it is a live virus vaccine the doctor wanted to wait.

Several years ago, I got a virus and it laid me low for a long time. I can't imagine getting the actual flu!

I should add that the last two shots are because of my age.

@Mya Symons I hope your family gets to feeling better quickly. The flu is no fun.

Barb

 

[SOC]

I wanted to get the shot for shingles but I had a slight temp and since it is a live virus vaccine the doctor wanted to wait.

Do you know that the shingles vaccine is a live chicken pox (herpesvirus) booster? It's generally not recommended for PWME because, in general, we don't control herpesviruses well. It can also reactivate EBV and HHV6. This is not an issue for normal people, but can be a problem for us. That's a vaccine that I would avoid. I've had shingles twice and I'd rather have it again than have a long-term major crash.

In the US, at least, you can be checked to see if you have sufficient antibodies against varicella. If you do, you don't need the shingles vaccine. They don't ordinarily test that first because a healthy person isn't going to be harmed by the booster even if they don't need it. For us, it's a different matter.

 

[heapsreal]

Do you know that the shingles vaccine is a live chicken pox (herpesvirus) booster? It's generally not recommended for PWME because, in general, we don't control herpesviruses well. It can also reactivate EBV and HHV6. This is not an issue for normal people, but can be a problem for us. That's a vaccine that I would avoid. I've had shingles twice and I'd rather have it again than have a long-term major crash.

In the US, at least, you can be checked to see if you have sufficient antibodies against varicella. If you do, you don't need the shingles vaccine. They don't ordinarily test that first because a healthy person isn't going to be harmed by the booster even if they don't need it. For us, it's a different matter.

Thats actually in my next lot of tests is the chickenpox antibodies, having had chickenpox twice im interested to see if i even produce antibodies?? I did ask my doc about the vaccine if it was a live vaccine or not, cant recall but will wait till i get test results back. ALso having hep b antibodies tested again as its apart of my job to have these sorted, previous tests after having the course and supposedly being protected, yrs later was tested and had no immunity at all, so will be interested to see those results.

 

[barbc56]

This is from 2011, but as usual the science is not necessarily straight forward.
There's also some useful info and questions in the comments. I would like to see if there is any updated information.

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-flu-vaccine-and-narcolepsy/

Barb

 

[barbc56]

Do you know that the shingles vaccine is a live chicken pox (herpesvirus) booster? It's generally not recommended for PWME because, in general, we don't control herpesviruses well. It can also reactivate EBV and HHV6. This is not an issue for normal people, but can be a problem for us. That's a vaccine that I would avoid. I've had shingles twice and I'd rather have it again than have a long-term major crash.

In the US, at least, you can be checked to see if you have sufficient antibodies against varicella. If you do, you don't need the shingles vaccine. They don't ordinarily test that first because a healthy person isn't going to be harmed by the booster even if they don't need it. For us, it's a different matter.

Yes. This was a decision made between myself and physician weighing the risks vs. the benefits for me. Of course this can vary among individuals.

I didn't know about the antibody test and I will ask my doctor.

Thanks for the information.


ETA The shingle's vaccination is only approved for people over fifty. The chances of getting Shingles increases exponentially as you get older.

 

[SOC]

Yes. This was a decision made between myself and physician weighing the risks vs. the benefits for me. Of course this can vary among individuals.

I didn't know about the antibody test and I will ask my doctor.

Thanks for the information.


ETA The shingle's vaccination is only approved for people over fifty. The chances of getting Shingles increases exponentially as you get older.

Yep. The reason is antibodies can decrease over time, so the longer since the original infection, the more likely antibodies have dropped below sufficient levels to prevent reactivation. Still, it's not a certainty that antibodies are low. I wonder, given the number of herpesvirus reactivations in ME/CFS, if we haven't had a mild reactivation (and consequent increase in antibodies) since the original infection.

Odd how the docs can acknowledge that antibodies normally decrease over time therefore requiring boosters for chicken pox (HHV3), but can't translate that understanding to the inverse of the concept that high antibody titres to these illnesses after 40 or 50 years old are not normal since antibodies should be decreasing to (supposedly) risky low levels.

ETA: Please let us know how the booster goes for you. Your experience may help other PWME make their own decisions about whether to get the vaccine booster.

 

[barbc56]

@SOC

I will keep people updated.

Take care.

Barb

 

[SOC]

It was actually. I knew it was not ordinary flu because of the gastric symptoms too and it was doing its rounds and l had contact with it a few days earlier.

I'm always amazed at how some people can "know" things professionals need lab tests to know. Is this some magical ability I just missed out on?

I'd need some pretty fancy equipment and a lot more education to be able to look at a virus and know it was H1N1. Geez, I can't even see the darned little buggers, much less identify them on sight.

I sometimes guess at the identity of a virus based on symptoms, but I'm generally not very confident if the symptoms are not completely typical. I certainly don't know.

 

[brenda]

Well, while you are peering down your microscope, and dropping down with every virus doing its rounds, l'll just get on with my sweet little way of dousing them with garlic and continue avoiding everything that others pick up despite very low IgG. Not one viral infection for over 10 years tells me l know what l am talking about and so do history books where they report garlic being used for the Plague.

 

[SOC]

Not one viral infection for over 10 years tells me l know what l am talking about and so do history books where they report garlic being used for the Plague.

Funny you should mention that. One of my students is studying the Black Plague period in history and her teacher asked me to teach some of the related science, so by coincidence I happen to have done some reading on the topic recently.

Over one third of the entire world population died from the plague in the late 1300's. If you exclude areas where the plague did not reach at that time, such as North and South America, and most of Africa, more than half of the population in plague areas died. So I'm guessing the garlic wasn't all that effective.

In modern times we treat the few cases of plague that arise with antibiotics. Untreated bubonic plague kills 40-60% of infected people. On the other hand, with antibiotics the mortality rate is 1-15% (depending on how early treatment is started). You're welcome to your medieval treatments. I'll take modern medicine, thanks.

The issue is not what any person chooses to do with his or her own body. I'm perfectly happy if someone wants to treat their bubonic plague or H1N1 or whatever with garlic, prayer, self-flagellation, or medication, as long as they don't spread the disease to other people.

The issue is distinguishing between belief and scientific knowledge. Your belief that garlic will cure H1N1 in less than 24 hours is not based in any scientific facts and contradicts a number of them. That's okay, you can believe whatever you want, but it's belief, not knowledge. Passing on belief as factual medical knowledge can be dangerous.

 

[brenda]

@SOC

Over one third of the entire world population died from the plague in the late 1300's. If you exclude areas where the plague did not reach at that time, such as North and South America, and most of Africa, more than half of the population in plague areas died. So I'm guessing the garlic wasn't all that effective.

We don't know how many people had access to garlic, nor whether it was used as a preventative, as I have found that it merely helps in relieving syptoms of infection and shortening it, rather than stopping it if taken too late, which is, later than the very first symptom, meaning, a slight tickle in the throat for most flu viruses. I get up during the night of this occurs to take the dose but also start on garlic if I have been in contact with an infection. We also do not know how many more would have died if they had not taken garlic.

On the other hand, with antibiotics the mortality rate is 1-15% (depending on how early treatment is started). You're welcome to your medieval treatments. I'll take modern medicine, thanks.

Antibiotics are becoming increasingly resistant as with all diseases and it has been recognised that other means of fighting infection must be found. You as a scientist should already know this.

Your belief that garlic will cure H1N1 in less than 24 hours is not based in any scientific facts and contradicts a number of them. That's okay, you can believe whatever you want, but it's belief, not knowledge. Passing on belief as factual medical knowledge can be dangerous.

Not many will manage to get hold of antibiotics the very first day of infection, and after then, I have no opinion as to whether people should go the alternative route, it's up to them. I have other guns in my arsenal if the timing of the critical dose fails.

I am not about to stand around waiting for science to catch up. If you wish to do so then go ahead.

https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/garlic

 

[WillowJ]

It was actually. I knew it was not ordinary flu because of the gastric symptoms too and it was doing its rounds and l had contact with it a few days earlier. The garlic did not reduce the symptoms, it cured it within 24 hours. It was gone but l felt extra tired for a few days during recovery. But believe what you will. I will continue knocking out infections as always.

just curious, how do you know it wasn't gastroenteritis ("stomach flu", not related to the actual influenzas, will go away on its own after possibly as little as one day)?

not saying the garlic couldn't have helped, but I just don't know how one can be so certain.

 

[brenda]

just curious, how do you know it wasn't gastroenteritis ("stomach flu", not related to the actual influenzas, will go away on its own after possibly as little as one day)?

not saying the garlic couldn't have helped, but I just don't know how one can be so certain.

I rarely suffer from gastroenteritis. I might have had it once, and seem to recall that the initial symptoms were not the same as flu. There was not the 'head' symptoms and that woozy feeling you get at the very start of flu with the throat tickle in the very early stages. I have become adept at guessing what is ailing me so I can treat it very early on. When I guessed that I had contracted H1N1 after being in the presence of someone who reported that they were coming down with it at the time, I had noticed an extra symptom to the usual flu ones, as being as well as those which I was puzzled about at the time, until I worked out what it had been. The symptoms were worse than the usual flu's..

 

[Wayne]

My partner, who is very healthy, recently came down with a bad case of the flu. It was one of the worst she'd ever had, and hung on for a long time. After about 10 exasperating days, she finally started taking some Liposomal Vitamin C I had been recommending. She started to improve significantly as soon as she did this (she had been taking her regular tried and true flu remedies the whole time up to this).

I was taking the Lipo C during this whole time, and never came down with the flu. I am however, one of those pwCFS who rarely gets a cold or flu, so I might not have gotten it either way. But there are reports of how Lipo C has helped people recover from the flu, including those with the H1N1 so severe that it sent them into a coma and on to life support. Stories of this were making headlines in New Zealand & Australia recently.

If Vitamin C can knock out polio within 3-5 days, it's not hard for me to believe it could do the same with a flu virus, whether H1N1 or some other serious strain.

 

[barbc56]

Good to hear your partner is feeling better that you didn't get it. I'm like you, I rarely get colds, etc.

However, isn't it true that you start feeling better after ten days?

This reminds me of the joke:

"If takes about 1 week to get over a cold if you don't take medicine, but only 7 days to get over a cold if you take medicine."

But the flu isn't a joke. I'm not saying the vitamin C didn't help, but the above came to mind.

I haven't heard about vitammin C curing polio Do you have any citations for this? I will also look.

Take care.

Barb

 

[adreno]

@Wayne

Lipo C is great for virus infections. I have been able to wipe out colds/flu in hours given enough Lipo C. I have literally gone from fever and agonizing malaise to feeling pretty good in a few hours, with the fever gone. I've found it takes something in the order the equivalent of 80-100 grams oral vitamin C, this can be accomplished with 8-10 grams of lipo C. Of course this is just my own little anecdote, I am not claiming any scientific facts, although I have read other accounts of this happening.

 

[Wayne]

I haven't heard about vitammin C curing polio Do you have any citations for this?

Here's a Wikipedia link for Dr. Fred Klenner --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_R._Klenner --- His maxim: the patient should "get large doses of vitamin C in all pathological conditions while the physician ponders the diagnosis."

I've run across other articles which elaborated on his work far better than Wikipedia; will post them if I can find them among my thousands of bookmarks.

 

[golden]

I am just reading this:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...ound-useful-for-near-terminal-swine-flu.aspx#!

Fascinating article.