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alphad0gz wrote:...Not to mention that there is huge difference between a bad cold and the flu. If you don't get on top of the flu in the first day or two, you are in it for the haul. A bad cold? A week or so of discomfort. You can die from the flu.
Come on man if a fly took a crap on your shoulder you'd fear for your life. Boyz of 4d wrote:As I said in my previous post, I'm not anti-vitamins or herbs (I prescribe certain ones to my patients for certain condition) nor am I trying to initiate a flame war.
However the literature on vitamins and the flu is shaky at best. The reason I mentioned the FDA is because they oversee what medical companies can say. For example if the research doesn't show that drug X doesn't cure disease Y they can't make that claim (although sometimes further research shows things may not be as effective as originally thought or effective at all...).
However since there is no group that governs on these vitamins, supplements, herbs these types of claims can be made (some may be true, but it's not a requirement for their advertisements)...My point is to blindly agree/disagree with what someone says without actually reading the literature is silly.
Also, if a medicine/vitamin/etc is shown to be beneficial on phagocytes there is no guarantee that carries over to overall benefit. There are many treatments/effects that are seen in individual cells or in animal models that don't translate out (for example the scare between PPI's and plavix a few years ago).
duetta wrote:Got a Flu shot in September, got the flu in October (came down with serious symptoms the day after the Hurricane)...but it mercifully wasn't a long one, and I was able to be back at work by Monday (when downtown Manhattan reopened).
My co-worker got his flu shot on Saturday - and by Monday he had symptoms, and he's been out ever since!
Boy, this flu shot stuff can be hit or miss!
HawthorneWingo wrote:duetta wrote:Got a Flu shot in September, got the flu in October (came down with serious symptoms the day after the Hurricane)...but it mercifully wasn't a long one, and I was able to be back at work by Monday (when downtown Manhattan reopened).
My co-worker got his flu shot on Saturday - and by Monday he had symptoms, and he's been out ever since!
Boy, this flu shot stuff can be hit or miss!
The only thing I can think of is that it takes a few days for the virus to incubate in your body before you start to feel the symptoms. So maybe you already were infected when you got the shot? I had to visit a client in one of the prisons here in Pa. That was on Wednesday. I was in the waiting area during shift change when all these correctional officers signed into work. I'm sure that's where I got it. Sunday is when I started feeling the symptoms.
Try getting the shot a little earlier next time. I think I'm going to get one next year.
Yes and no... the flu vaccine will be more effective some years than others. The CDC predicted that the vaccine developed for the winter of 2003/2004 wasn't going to be effective against most cases of the flu because the strains covered by the vaccine weren't the same as the strains that were common. Highly targeted vaccines work, but only against their targets! There's no point in accepting the risks of a vaccine for a disease you can't get. When the flu vaccine is on-target, it's more effective. Even then, the vaccine isn't perfect because it uses inactivated virus. Is that bad? No. A live vaccine is more effective, but much more risky.
Bottom line: The flu vaccine varies in effectiveness from year-to-year. Even in a best-case scenario, it won't always protect against the flu. The CDC study didn't say that the vaccine didn't work; it says the vaccine didn't protect people from getting sick. Even with imperfect effectiveness, the vaccine is indicated for certain people. In my opinion, however, the vaccine isn't for everyone and certainly shouldn't be required for otherwise healthy people.
Boyz of 4d wrote:Flu vaccine does not cover ALL strains of the flu, it covers the most common ones. Some possible explanaitons include; you got a strain of flu that you were not vaccinated against, you didn't develop antibodies quick enough, or you didn't actually get the flu, but possibly a different viral illness (did you actually have a positive rapid flu test or do you just think you had the flu...the only way to truly confirm the flu is a positive viral test)
Boyz of 4d wrote:a PhD is a different type of doctor than an MD (not that being a PhD discredits what she says).
Boyz of 4d wrote:My view on the flu vaccine is kind of how I have alluded to in my prior posts.
It does not guarantee 100% that you will not obtain the flu, however it may decrease the chance (depending on the strain that is prevalent in your area/that year) that you get it. In my opinion, there is little downside in getting it, however the potential benefits may be huge.
A way to think about it (this is not a perfect example), is similar to wearing a seatbelt.:
Could you wear a seatbelt and never need it? Sure.
Could you be in an accident while wearing a seatbelt and still have a bad outcome/die? Yup.
Could you be in an accident and have your life saved because of it. Most definately.
I view the vaccine as Low risk, high reward. That's why I advise it to my family and friends. BTW I have no other accounts, and you probably wont see me post much anymore unless it relates to medicine or a school I went to in the past. Have a good night
duetta wrote:Got a Flu shot in September, got the flu in October (came down with serious symptoms the day after the Hurricane)...but it mercifully wasn't a long one, and I was able to be back at work by Monday (when downtown Manhattan reopened).
My co-worker got his flu shot on Saturday - and by Monday he had symptoms, and he's been out ever since!
Boy, this flu shot stuff can be hit or miss!
Falstaffxx wrote:For the last couple days I've had a fever of almost 103. I went to the doctor and she said I had a throat infection and gave me antibiotics. It's both though - flu + throat infection.
You're the same guy who was urging I'mcominghome to rush to the ER for some stomach pain... and when they checked him out they told him he had "impacted fecal matter"...
MaseInYourFace wrote:Falstaffxx wrote:For the last couple days I've had a fever of almost 103. I went to the doctor and she said I had a throat infection and gave me antibiotics. It's both though - flu + throat infection.
So you have a pretty bad bacterial infection and a flu virus attacking your body at same time? Damn, rough going...
