27 people just in Minnesota so far this season were not able to "fight it off themselves" or use any home remedies or stuff they "learned" on the Internet to fight influenza. They DIED, and 1100 have been hospitalized. including teenagers in the prime of life. This is no rumor or anecdote. http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/186354402.html?refer=y
There sure are a lot of anecdotal accounts about the flu shot not working or people here and there getting sick from the shot. Inactivated virus is NOT the same as activated virus. In layman's terms, the vaccine works by tricking your body into thinking it has the flu and responding to it. The vaccine is NOT designed to work by introducing the actual live virus inside of you.
If you go by evidence as gathered in scientific research and large-scale statistics instead of individual stories, you are actually helping yourself and the population have a better "shot" at not getting this year's flu if you get immunized.
As Neverscreamagain indicated, this year the scientists did a REMARKABLE job in creating a vaccine that matched the strains most often occurring in nature this season. Let's appreciate their efforts, please.
Have You Prepared For The "Flu" And Do You Get A Flu Shot?
by minimus 191 Replies latest jw friends
-
Gopher
-
AGuest
Just a little something to think about (peace to you all!). According to the manufacturers... for YEARS... corticoid steroids did not cause a whole host of problems. This was because they normally aren't taken by injection but topically. And "topical steroids don't cause..." per my doctors. And so, when I developed diabetes, of course the steroids (that I had been on for close to 24 years) were not the cause... and I was a Type II.
Here, though, is a webpage regarding just one of the steroids I was on indicating the side effects:
http://www.rxlist.com/triamcinolone-cream-drug.htm
Notice the links to "All potential side effects" and "All Potential Precautions". If you click on those, you can eventually get to this page, which states "This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur":
http://www.rxlist.com/triamcinolone-lotion-side-effects-drug-center.htm
Well, hmmm. Now, just what "other" side effects may "occur"? Well, it doesn't really say. Rather, the links keep looping back. If you pay CLOSE attention, though, you might see this:
"Our Triamcinolone Acetonide Lotion Side Effects Drug Centerprovides a comprehensive view of available drug information on the potential side effects when taking this medication."
Well, we can play the "loop the loop" game that the doctors play (because they believe the manufacturers)... OR... we can do a little research on our own (thank gawd - and God - for the Internet!). Let's try that. Let's Google "corticosteroids" and, say, "diabetes". Well, looky HERE:
Uhhhh-ohhhhh...
Here's one from the U.S. Government about inhaled corticosteroids... and "the onset of diabetes":
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20870201
Notice the very first statement under "Background":
"Systemic corticosteroids are known to increase diabetes risk..."
Let's look at another, this time from the American Diabetes Association:
http://www.americandiabetes.com/expert-advice/diabetes-health/taking-steroids-and-diabetes
Notice the question: "Q. Can taking steroids cause Diabetes or increase blood glucose levels?"
Now, notice the response:
"A: Yes, steroids-based medications, often referred to as corticosteroids, can significantly increase blood glucose levels in individuals with and without Diabetes. The higher the dose, the longer steroids are needed, and the older a person is, the greater the potential for raising blood glucose levels. If these medications are required in people with pre-existing diabetes, frequent blood glucose checks are needed and an increased dose of Diabetes medications will likely be required. Some individuals with Type 2 Diabetes will need to be placed on insulin in order to control blood glucose levels adequately. Those without Diabetes can develop steroid-induced diabetes. If the medications are needed long-term, it is essential to treat high blood glucose levels, just as a person with diabetes would be treated, in order to avoid diabetes complications."
Now, why do I bring this up? Because I am a Type 1 diabetic. WHY am I a Type 1 diabetic? Because... my dear doctors, whom I told... for YEARS... that the corticosteroids they were prescribing were "killing" me... told me that, no, corticosteroids DON'T cause diabetes... UNLESS THEY ARE INJECTED. Why did they tell me this? Because... DIABETES IS NOT LISTED IN THE INITIAL LIST OF "SIDE EFFECTS." It IS listed in that "comprehensive" list, though. But, my dear doctors didn't think they needed to read that list. And me, being the ignorant, non-medical lay person that I was, thought SURELY... THEY knew what they were talking about! Sure, my beta cells were being destroyed... but what the hey, not according to my dear doctors. No, I wasn't even a Type 1 diabetic... but a Type 2... because BY THE TIME THEY CAUGHT IT... I was in my mid-30's. Never mind I had been on steroids for about 24 years - I was over 30 and so the only kind of diabetes THOSE folks (non-juvenile) develop is Type 2.
I had to undergo MAJOR surgery two years ago, dear ones... because my doctors "knew" what they were talking about. According to them, I was a Type 2 diabetic because of the age of "onset" (meaning, when they finally figured it out). My gall bladder was destroyed, my pancreas close to it, and my kidneys quickly following. Because these very dear... but very ill-informed (because of their own choice and laziness)... didn't KNOW... that corticosteroids will absolutely destroy your beta cells... rendering you a Type 1 diabetic... because your body NO LONGER MAKES INSULIN.
Why do I tell you this? Because one of the greatest pieces of advice EVER given me with regard to medical matters is... "advocate... for yourself!" YOU know if a flu shot has made you sick. No matter what anyone else... even "they" say. Because YOU reside in that vessel. And YOU know what is "normal" and "right" for that vessel... and what is not. Am I saying blow doctors off? Nope. Not at all. They are highly trained professionals that deserve regard and respect.
They don't, however, ALWAYS deserve reverence... nor does their particular understanding or position on a matter. Science... and particularly medical science changes. Progresses. As even its supporters admit. Now, true, a flu shot may make you sick (or at least, it seems so to you)... and you just might not want to GET sick. On the other hand, not having one might get you sicker. Or worse. YOU must decide. But DON'T decide because some others are telling you what they will or will not do to your body... when you know what they WILL do.
S'all's I'm saying. When it comes to your physical health, you may need to do some research. But don't let anyone else tell you what something will/will not or does/does not do to your body. Look... it... up. And don't stop at the first level. If there's a disclaimer that indicates there is more information... LOOK FOR AND AT THAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
Yes, pharmaceutical companies want to find cures. But that's because there's money in the drugs that cure. There's money... in ALL drugs. And regardless of ANY stated altruistic purpose/mission... the REAL purpose of a corporation is to make money... for its shareholders.
Again, peace to you!
A doulos of Christ,
SA
-
love2Bworldly
no
why would i get a shot that may make me sick, only covers certain strands of viruses, and will eventually mutate into another virus that is resistant to the shot?
instead i take a lot of nutritional supplements, exercise, drink lots of water & stay away from kingdumb hells
-
Barrold Bonds
Wow aguest. Thanks for the long post. Unfortunately it's completely irrelevant as it's about a completely different type of illness and drug. Also it's nothing but anecdotal stuff. For all we know you're making all that stuff up.
love2bworldly: Did you even bother reading and understanding the posts containing hard data about flu shots? I'm guessing you didn't. Don't be dumb. All of the precautions you listed WILL NOT prevent you from getting the flu.
-
AGuest
For all we know you're making all that stuff up.
That's why I posted the links, dear BB (peace!)... so's you'd know I wasn't making it up. Most here who know "of" me know I'm a Type 1 diabetic... and that I had to have major surgery two years ago this coming February. What they may not have known is why. Do I trust doctors/the medical field? Yes... and no. I HAVE to trust them... to control my condition. But trusting them is what caused it, so... I have to "weigh" what I'm told now. And I got THAT from others in the medical field.
Wanna know how things really work in an industry? Ask those in the industry. But not someone who's trying to impress you with their knowledge of it ("Ooh, I have THIS credential, so I'm...!") but one who says, "Look, here's the real skinny: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I.e., the truth. There's a LOT of good... and some not-so-good." Because you need to know both... so that you can make a TRULY informed decision.
So long as doctors receive kickbacks for the drugs they push (and they DO receive kickbacks; THAT'S been shown to death!)... you're only going to hear what the pharmaceutical companies (and, unfortunately, doctors) WANT you to hear. Heck, why do you think you got so many senior ending up in the ER due to bad drug interactions??
S'all I'm sayin'. Given my family's issues with pancreas (my mom died of pancreatic cancer)... there is NO way I would have EVER let them put me on steroids... and certainly not for as long as they did... had someone, ANYONE, told me of the risk TO my pancreas. Sadly, no one did. I discovered it all "by accident"... AFTER I was diagnosed with diabetes (and, then, the wrong type). And even then I had doctors arguing me down... until I showed them the "comprehensive" list of side effects. Guess what? Diabetes is the FIRST side effect on that list.
Just sayin'...
Peace!
A slave of Christ,
SA
-
JeffT
Why on earth were you using steroids for 24 years?
-
AGuest
Severe skin (eczema) and nasal allergies (leading to chronic sinus infections), dear JeffT (peace!). From the time I was an infant. I grew up with frequent nosebleeds (requiring 2am trips to the ER for carterization) and blood infections (due to scratching). What teen girl wants nosebleeds and "alligator" skin? I couldn't go higher than the 20th floor in a building and couldn't swim in some pools. So, I started in my late teens.
And then I started having "weird" symptoms in my early 20's, after about 5-6 years. But every time I said I thought it was the steroids (because I wasn't taking anything else, not even aspirin), I was told that they didn't "cause" the things I was complaining about (although it was almost everything on the short list). But I was a young woman - surely, it was "all in my head." As time progressed and my symptoms got weirder, I asked to be taken off or have them changed to non-steroidal treatment. But I was told "No, they don't cause that" or "Sorry, we don't have anything non-steroidal that is strong enough for your condition or "No, you can't just stop" (and that is TRUE! I "kicked" cold turkey, which also screwed things up... I can't even describe the pain and withdrawals - 3 years of it! I would NEVER do that again!).
So they would just change me to another steroid, or change my dose. But I would have withdrawals (your organs either start shutting down or atrophying), so they would up it again. I realized after I was off that they simply didn't know what they were doing - they really hadn't been educated as to what CORTICOsteroids do. They only knew as to ANABOLIC steroids.
I started getting really scared when Lyle Alzedo developed brain cancer that he claimed was brought on by (anabolic) steriods... and more when he died. What finally convinced me to quit, I don't care what nobody says! was finding out what Barry Bonds was using - it was VERY similar to what I had been on for years. I still couldn't find a doctor willing to "wean" me, though, so I decided to just quit. Disclaimer: if you're on streroids... don't just quit. FIND someone to help you - you could do irreparable damage, even beyond what being ON them does, perhaps even die (heart attack, stroke, renal failure, etc.).
So there you go. Folks'll just have to bear with me if I'm not "all in" with the medical field. Or... science. I'm in... just not all in.
Peace!
A slave of Christ,
SA
-
EntirelyPossible
Shelby, please do not derail this thread by making it about you.
With regard to the flu vaccine, if you are older, younger or in poor health it may be right for you. Consult your doctor.
-
Bungi Bill
I no longer get flu shots:
- not after having done so during the four years 1997- 2001 (when my then employer used to provide flu shots to any members of the work force who wished to receive these).
During those four years, I have never been so sick in my life, before or since.
So, no - these days, I don't waste my time anymore!
Bill.
-
LouBelle
I never prepare for the flu, never get a shot for the flu and I hardly ever get the flu. I reckon it's got to do with the fact that I eat really hot, spicey food - I'm a sucker for chillis, curry powders, cayenne pepper. That keeps me flu free!