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Not multiple times. Twice, over around a 30-year span. I admitted that I haven't gotten a flu shot every year, too. There have been a few years in that 30 when I didn't get one.
I believe I have accumulated some natural resistance from those shots, so I don't get sick when others do some years.
That resistance won't ever fully protect me because the flu virus mutates so quickly and continually. So there are probably years in that time when I got a minor case of the sniffles, and had caught the flu, but my natural resistance was strong enough to make it very mild, mild enough that it didn't bother me very much.
There is never any guarantee at all with influenza. Any new strain can be so different from all the others it could wipe out millions of us. The Spanish flu epidemic was such a strain. The epidemic began during WWI, in 1918, and it killed more people than the war around the world.
And though the war ended, the epidemic didn't. It kept coming back around, and kept killing people for the next 10 years.
The only thing that stopped it was the virus itself. It was so deadly that eventually, it killed or sickened everyone who could catch it, so it no longer had a host large enough to keep the virus alive.
But even the Spanish flu couldn't infect everyone. There were people who were naturally resistant to it that never caught it at all, and there were others who got it and got sick but didn't die. The second bunch were immune to the strain when it came back around.
No one knows yet why there is anyone with natural resistance. They only know once a person catches one particular virus and survives, they are immune to that strain afterward. But influenza mutates so fast and drastically no one will ever be immune from all the strains of it.
A flu that killed people 100 years ago when nutrition, food preservation, hygiene and sanitary practices were vastly different compared with today's first world countries is not an example that should be taken seriously.
Two completely different worlds.
People who have healthy immune systems don't get sick.
A flu that killed people 100 years ago when nutrition, food preservation, hygiene and sanitary practices were vastly different compared with today's first world countries is not an example that should be taken seriously.
Two completely different worlds.
People who have healthy immune systems don't get sick.
newtovenice,
I agree with some of your points about the media's scare tactics and the unseemly push for the flu vaccine by commercial entities who are selling it. But your statement about that people who have healthy immune systems don't get sick, is just incorrect.
As I said, I've never had the flu shot. I *think* I've had the flu 3 times. I do not credit a healthy immune system for what I consider my rare flu occurrences. It's luck. You can be as healthy as a horse and if you breath in flu particles into your lungs, you are going to experience the flu unless your body recognizes that strain as something you've had before. Very, very healthy people get the flu.
In my own observations, people who are more social and putting themselves out there during flu season seem to be the ones that succumb to it.
I credit my lack of flu to mostly being a bit of an introvert and staying out of large gatherings more than the average person.
A flu that killed people 100 years ago when nutrition, food preservation, hygiene and sanitary practices were vastly different compared with today's first world countries is not an example that should be taken seriously.
Two completely different worlds.
People who have healthy immune systems don't get sick.
There were three flu pandemics in the 20th century-1918, 1957 and 1968. By 1957, nutrition, food preservation and sanitary practices were comparable to today.
In point of fact, people with healthy immune systems do get sick, sometimes deathly sick with the flu.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristineVA
I was reading a presentation by another researcher who referenced it the study. He stated that the study was never done again and said that it should be. He did use the word "replicated" but he referred to the actual way the study was done and not the results.
OK. I guess we have to take that guy's word for it that the study was never replicated, but one was done this year as I posted just above.
A flu that killed people 100 years ago when nutrition, food preservation, hygiene and sanitary practices were vastly different compared with today's first world countries is not an example that should be taken seriously.
Two completely different worlds.
People who have healthy immune systems don't get sick.
Do research. That 1918 Flu Pandemic mostly killed young adults. There had been a similar strain pandemic in 1889. Older adults who had lived though that one were not the people dying in 1918.
Very similar to the 2009 Flu Pandemic which also hit young adults harder. It was similar to the 1957 Pandemic. People who were old enough to have lived through that one had immunity in 2009. Now I know the medical professionals will start talking about how the flu mutates, BUT it is not a brand new strain entirely. Maybe a person's immune system can recognize the similarities once they have had that strain before? Does having had wild measles, mumps, chicken pox give immunity? ONLY vaccinations give immunity? But wait you have to SUFFER those disease whatever they may be/
What does not kill you makes you stronger. The word SUFFERING is definitely overused in today's society in order to sell doctor visits, vaccines, medications, bla, bla, bla. Right now I am "suffering" from a cold. Help, doctor, HELP! Geesch.
A flu that killed people 100 years ago when nutrition, food preservation, hygiene and sanitary practices were vastly different compared with today's first world countries is not an example that should be taken seriously.
Two completely different worlds.
People who have healthy immune systems don't get sick.
This is simply not accurate. In 2014 the majority of people we treated and who died were healthy men (runners, athletes) who had two things in common. They did not get a flu shot and they transited airports up to 2 months before they became ill.
Like I said, the evidence is limited. The first link was a study and yes, it was in mice. The second two links were just about how some exercise caution in this area due to limited evidence. Obviously I was not citing them as evidence or proof. Potential to cause flares is something that some may consider while others will not due to limited information.
That was a long rambling critique of an article written by the Atlantic years ago where Jefferson was referenced. Can you pinpoint what his criticism of Jefferson is other then Jefferson calling for placebo controlled studies and Crislip saying that that would be unethical. Is that the big criticism and why you repeatedly say that Jefferson is biased?
About Crislip: He sure does have a lot of free time on his hands to denigrate alternative medicine between his many podcasts and his blog. His reviews on healthgrades are abysmal. Maybe he should spend more time actually practicing medicine and less time criticizing others.
If you read the whole story or the multitude of stories out there about the Tamiflu and how the clinical trial information was not made public, you might understand what this was all about. Until then.
There is adequate evidence about vaccines and autoimmunity. This review has 92 references.
Jefferson refuses to include case control studies in his reviews. That means he refuses to include many studies that are favorable to flu vaccines.
Cochrane itself admits Jefferson has a conflict of interest about Tamiflu. The man should not be doing reviews of the drug and giving advice to lawyers who want to sue about it.
The critique by Dr. Crislip was long but very specific.
"He has been voted a US News and World Report best US doctor, best ID doctor in Portland Magazine multiple times, has multiple teaching awards and, most importantly, the ‘Attending Most Likely To Tell It Like It Is’ by the medical residents at his hospital."
"The posts are written in what little spare time he has, late at night or in the early hours of the morning while his family sleeps."
I would not give much credit to seven anonymous reviews at healthgrades.
My experience with Tamiflu has been in the observation of its apparent efficacy for my MIL and the speed with which the outbreak at her nursing home was controlled. Anecdotal, yes, but there is evidence for the value of the drug, which is why doctors are still using it despite Jefferson's Cochrane review.
My experience with Tamiflu has been in the observation of its apparent efficacy for my MIL and the speed with which the outbreak at her nursing home was controlled. Anecdotal, yes, but there is evidence for the value of the drug, which is why doctors are still using it despite Jefferson's Cochrane review.
My experience with elderberry syrup and the flu in my household has also been anecdotal, but the results were very good. Exceeded my expectations.
There were three flu pandemics in the 20th century-1918, 1957 and 1968. By 1957, nutrition, food preservation and sanitary practices were comparable to today.
In point of fact, people with healthy immune systems do get sick, sometimes deathly sick with the flu.
OK. I guess we have to take that guy's word for it that the study was never replicated, but one was done this year as I posted just above.
And if you get sick .... it means that your immune system is not working.
What were the death stats in the US for 1957 and 1968? I've never heard of anyone ever mentioning these years as proof of pandemic in the UNITED STATES.
Do research. That 1918 Flu Pandemic mostly killed young adults. There had been a similar strain pandemic in 1889. Older adults who had lived though that one were not the people dying in 1918.
Very similar to the 2009 Flu Pandemic which also hit young adults harder. It was similar to the 1957 Pandemic. People who were old enough to have lived through that one had immunity in 2009. Now I know the medical professionals will start talking about how the flu mutates, BUT it is not a brand new strain entirely. Maybe a person's immune system can recognize the similarities once they have had that strain before? Does having had wild measles, mumps, chicken pox give immunity? ONLY vaccinations give immunity? But wait you have to SUFFER those disease whatever they may be/
What does not kill you makes you stronger. The word SUFFERING is definitely overused in today's society in order to sell doctor visits, vaccines, medications, bla, bla, bla. Right now I am "suffering" from a cold. Help, doctor, HELP! Geesch.
The WHO declared 2009 a pandemic after 20 cases.
So, I take all stats from that year with a grain of salt as that is NOT the definition, per the WHO'S OWN DEFINITION of what a pandemic is.
Add in the fact that the vaccine was actually transmitting the flu ... look into that, also, ans 2009 is a year that was ... faulty. All stats are suspect when definitions change and vaccines are faulty.
Also, look into Shari Atkinson's reporting on 2009 flu. Eye opening. And she lost her job because of it.
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