No one has yet demonstrated that flu shots do anything. It’s all rumor and anecdotal. I did read an article years ago where some university did a survey and found that flu shots are no more effective than placebo. Unfortunately I didn’t save it and can’t remember the name of the U. There’s big $ in vaccinations. We need scientific data not opinions of people who profit from the crisis.
I think there are several preventatives that work much better in combination:
1. Wash hands frequently with warm water
2. Eat nutritious foods, and make sure you have the RDA of vitamins, specifically A,C, and D.
3. Excercise outside regularly, but know your weather limits (it’s too cold for me at cloudy 32 and sunny 30)
4. Make sure you are getting 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep a night. Meditate, or look in to medications if necessary to get your sleep.
One thing I don’t like about immunizations is that some people think the are invincible and don’t practice other preventions or don’t believe they really have the flu, go out in public and pass it around.
"There are three "arms" of the immune response, Lee says. The first are antibodies, which are also known as immunoglobulins. Produced by white blood cells, they identify and attack bacteria and viruses. The second are killer T cells, which can tell when a cell has been infected with a virus and then attack it. The third are mucosal antibodies, which live in the mucous membranes in the nose and mouth and defend against the virus there.
Most vaccine from killed virus
There are two types of vaccine available against both seasonal and H1N1 flu. About 80% is in the form of shots made from killed virus. FluMist nasal spray, which makes up about 20% of the H1N1 vaccine supply, uses live, weakened virus to provoke an immune response.
The live but weakened ("attenuated") virus creates all three immune responses, Lee says. "You can almost treat the FluMist as a natural infection," Lee says. The shots only provoke an antibody response. "
Talk about rumor and anecdote.