what do you think about flu-shots, especially in lieu of the supposed oncoming pandemic flu? should we get flu-shots, because we have compromised immune systems?
~heather.
Posted by heiwalove (Member # 6467) on :
up
Posted by beachcomber (Member # 5320) on :
I won't get one. I did 1/2 dose 2 years ago and got the flu before I left the Dr's office. I had a reaction immediately.
If you do get one make sure it does not have Themerosol (sp?) in it, as I think that is a mercury derivative.
My MD gets it. My nurse does not. They both say I shouldn't.
Talk to your MD.
Posted by heiwalove (Member # 6467) on :
thanks so much beachcomber. any more opinions?
Posted by pattiecake (Member # 6424) on :
I wouldn't get it either. THimerosal is a big concern as mentioned....it is mercury.
there are a lot of good anti-virals out there like olive leaf extract and oil of oregano/. I keep them on hand at all times.
pattiecake
Posted by bugabooboo (Member # 7383) on :
I won't get one.
I'm an RN, but have always been skeptical of them.
And like I trust the CDC more now??
I've got my rife and my colloidal silver...what more could a girl ask for?
Bug
Posted by heiwalove (Member # 6467) on :
pattiecake,
does this mean you start taking these anti-virals as flu season approaches? or just if you feel yourself coming down with something?
thanks, heather.
Posted by heiwalove (Member # 6467) on :
up
Posted by Kara Tyson (Member # 939) on :
My feeling is that unless you have viturally no immune system (such as an HIV person)...I would think twice about taking it.
First, it isnt 100% effective. On a side note, the standard flu shot will not work for the Avian flu--that is a specific strain. By the time Avian gets here it will have mutated many more times.
Second, there are a whole lot of 'fillers' in the vaccines. Some of these are very dangerous. It isnt just mercury.
Vaccine Fillers and Ingredients
In addition to the viral and bacterial RNA or DNA that is part of the vaccines, vaccine fillers and ingredients include:
aluminum hydroxide aluminum phosphate ammonium sulfate amphotericin B animal tissues: pig blood, horse blood, rabbit brain, dog kidney, monkey kidney, chick embryo, chicken egg, duck egg calf (bovine) serum betapropiolactone fetal bovine serum formaldehyde formalin gelatin glycerol human diploid cells (originating from human aborted fetal tissue) hydrolized gelatin monosodium glutamate (MSG) neomycin neomycin sulfate phenol red indicator phenoxyethanol (antifreeze) potassium diphosphate potassium monophosphate polymyxin B polysorbate 20 polysorbate 80 porcine (pig) pancreatic hydrolysate of casein residual MRC5 proteins sorbitol sucrose thimerosal (mercury) tri(n)butylphosphate, VERO cells, a continuous line of monkey kidney cells washed sheep red blood cells
[ 13. October 2005, 12:00 PM: Message edited by: Kara Tyson ]
Posted by pattiecake (Member # 6424) on :
HEather, I take oil of oregano daily because it keeps yeast away. It works great.
I think the olive leaf extract is also a good thing to take during the season or if you feel something coming on right away. pattiecake
Posted by clpgotlyme (Member # 7875) on :
Sorry, but I am going against the flow. I have gotten a flu shot every year for the past 8 years with no problems.
Last year I couldnt get a shot and my kids did. Guess who got the flu? Every time I get the flu, I am very ill for several weeks, with sinus and bronchial infections.
I dont need that on top of my other problems. Before I started getting the flu shot, I got the flu every year! Only once have I still gotten the flu, but it was a mild case. Cindy
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
A big "no" on the flu shot here.
Posted by heiwalove (Member # 6467) on :
that is the FREAKIEST list of fillers and ingredients i have ever seen in my life. it makes me shudder just to read it all. EEK.
Posted by heiwalove (Member # 6467) on :
thanks for all the responses, guys.
okay, no flu shot. ACK!!!
(i've gotten a bunch in the past (pre-lyme) and had no problems. i cringe to think what sort of crap that put into my body!)
thanks again.
~heather.
Posted by Kara Tyson (Member # 939) on :
heiwalove,
I am sure they could replace the fillers with less dangerous substances. There has got to be a way.
I had to have Hept. B shots for school. I broke out in BOILS.
Posted by DolphinLady (Member # 6275) on :
No flu shots for me either for reasons already mentioned.
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
I laid in a supply of Sambucol elderberry extract, on the strength of this article.
Black Elderberry Extract Shortens Flu Duration by Half Springville UT, 10 December 2003
Sambucol�, an all-natural, proprietary black elderberry extract (Sambucus nigra L.) distributed by Nature's Way Products, Inc., reduces symptoms and shortens duration of flu types A & B, finds a clinical study accepted for publication in The Journal of International Medical Research.
On average, flu patients given Sambucol recovered in 3.1 days compared to 7.1 days for those given placebo. Fifty-four patients with verified type A flu and six with type B (29 females/31 males aged 18 to 54 years) were enrolled in the double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted through the University of Oslo School of Medicine, Norway. Study participants were randomly assigned to two groups, with one given Sambucol (1 tbsp) and the other placebo four times a day for five days. No significant side effects were reported.
A previous study published by The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that nearly 90 percent of flu patients given Sambucol were completely free of symptoms within two to three days, as compared to at least six days with placebo.
These clinical studies confirm the effectiveness of Sambucol black elderberry extract in shortening the duration and reducing the severity of flu. Black elderberry has not, however, been tested as a flu preventative, nor is it intended as a substitute for flu vaccine.
"Sambucol is one of our best treatments for the flu, especially when taken at first sign of symptoms," says Dr. Madeleine Mumcuoglu, a prominent Israeli virologist and developer of the Sambucol extract. "Flu viruses are covered by tiny protein spikes of hemagglutinin, which they use to attach to, and infect, healthy human cells," she says. "While working on my doctoral thesis we isolated key active substances within black elderberry that disarm hemagglutinin and thus stop the first step of viral invasion."
Dr. Russell Greenfield, a leading American practitioner of integrative medicine and Medical Director of Carolina's Integrative Health, also advocates treating flu with black elderberry. "It can be given to children and adults, and with no known side effects or negative interactions," he says. But don't expect grandma's elderberry jam to ease flu-related body aches, cough and fever warns Dr. Greenfield. "Sambucol is the only black elderberry preparation shown effective in clinical studies."
Available in formulas for children and adults, Sambucol is sold in health and nutrition stores nationwide. Nature's Way Products, Inc., of Springville UT, distributes Sambucol throughout the United States and Canada. Nature's Way is a leading manufacturer and marketer of dietary supplements and homeopathic medicines.
Sambucol is classified as a dietary supplement, rather than a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention, cure or treatment of the flu. It is not intended as a substitute for flu vaccine, which is advisable for children and adults--especially those over age 50 or with compromised immune function.
Reference
Zakay-Rones Z, et al. "Inhibition of Several Strains of Influenza Virus in Vitro and Reduction of Symptoms by an Elderberry Extract (Sambucus nigra L.) during an Outbreak of Influenza B Panama." Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 1995;1:361-369.