Flu Shot - Yorkville,IL

vactruth.com will give you ingredients and the side effects.

Vitamin D and influenza:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/2007-feb.shtml

Educate before you vaccinate.

No- don't get it... here's why... Autism. See the link below.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/0...

My kids and I did receive the shot and none of us had the flu, although we had a whole host of other things all winter long. I am not doing the N1H1 though, i'm too nervous about it being too new.

Debbie -

I know that it is a very confusing situation - as you have experienced getting the shot, then getting the flu - and thinking it wasn't worth it, etc....however having been in the medical profession and dealing with these questions - this is what I can tell you:

1) "The flu shot makes you sick" - No - the flu vaccine is actually a form of the virus that has been killed. So it's not actually the living germ - which is what can make you ill. The virus in the shot - activates your system against whatever the 2-3 strains of influenza that it contains. Your immune system then responds by building antibodies against those particular strains and "remembers" them so if your body is exposed again - it's ready to fight the virus off.

2) "The shot doesn't work" or "I've gotten the flu during the winter - after taking the shot": Remember - the vaccine contains 2-3 strains that the experts have identified as those that will be the most prevalent during the flu season. They cannot possibly inlcude ALL of the strains - so they try to make an "educated" guess - and many times they are right - but sometimes - they aren't.

3) For those that receive the injection - and then are exposed to the virus - their body does it's best to fight off the bug without becoming ill. However depending upon the "state" of your body - are you currently healthy; do you have underlying medical conditiona that weaken your body; are you under a lot of stress; not sleeping well; have a poor diet; drink alcohol excessively or use drugs - then your body is already compromised and may not be able to fight the disease off completely - so you become ill. However - the vaccine will generally help to limit the duration and severity of the illness - and hopefully you won't be sick as long as you would without having received the shot.

4) Especially for children - schools are breeding grounds of germs and illnesses. Children are not the best at remembering to cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing; or washing their hands after coughing; sneezing or blowing their noses; they share food and drinks; and are in very close, closed contact with poor ventilation for hours every day. Unfortunately - there are many parents out there that still send their children to school if they are displaying any signs of illness - or that give their children tylenol or motrin to lower a fever -send the child to school - and buy themselves a few hours at work before having to pick up their sick child. This is bad enough that they are now exposing everyone else to their germs - but on the flip side - they are now being exposed to even more germs - and since their resistance is down - are good candidates for coming down with the flu. The shot is just one more layer of protection that we can offer our children and ourselves - as many of us also know people that we work with who will come in if they are ill.

I can say from experience - that over the years - as we have seen more and more people - adults and children - receiving their flu shots - we have seen fewer and fewer cases of the actual flu coming into the office to be seen. I would urge you to consider the flu shots if anyone in your family has any type of chronic illness - or if they spend any extended time around family or friends that do have chronic illnesses. I started getting the shots for my children after my oldest was diagnosed with a seizure disorder at 3yrs old. I've also noticed over time - that they haven't gotten as many colds or upper respiratory illnesses - but that could also be their age and maturity.

Yes - its a hard decision to make - but it's also a virus that can have serious implications for some people. Good luck with your decision.

P.

Do NOT do it!!! Just because you get the shot there are thousands of flus and you can still get the flu. Also you do not know what kind of vaccines are in that shot.

Here is what a friend sent me today...Angelo's mother got her flu shot on Monday. On Thursday night she was the sickest she's ever been. Now she's in the hospital. Yeah flu shot!"

Its not worth it!!

the only year i had the flu was the one i had the shot...why dont you read some research on it and read the package inserts that show what is in them and exactly how testing was done, they look intimidating at first but believe me they arent difficult to read at all. Read it all as the info is spread out into different sections to make them look more harmless. Also dont be fooled by the preservative free = mercury free because that is not true ....go to fda.gov for more info on the mercury/preservative free info and to read each package insert. then you can make a proper informed decision

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/current.aspx

http://www.homefirst.com/

Here are two links to information about the flu shot and the other H1N1 shot. I can't tell you what to decide but I am sending this information to you so it may help you.

Be blessed!

My family is vaccinated each year, because the flu freaks me out!!!! I worked as n elementary school teacher before becoming a SAHM, and we lost two students in our building to the flu over two consecutive years. They were healthy childen who were not vaccinated and fell ill with the flu and it killed them. I swore that I would protect my own children with seasonal flu shots, because I never want to go through what the families at my school did.

We have never gotten the flu with the exception of this past spring. My six year old contracted the H1N1 flu at school and everyone but my husband got sick. It was a horrible illness; we were sick for a solid two weeks. My six year old has asthma and I had to nebulize her meds and increase her normal doses. My six month old contracted it as well and she too needed albuterol nebulized every four hours around the clock to relieve her respiratory symptoms.

It's terribly scary when an illness effects your childs respiratory system so badly. You pray the meds work and that it passes. I just would not be able to live with myself if one of my kids died of an illness I could have vaccinated them for.

Personally, everytime I've gotten the Flu shot, I get the Flu and stay sick for weeks, last time I got it, I was pregnant and it caused problems during my pregnancy, so I won't get the Flu nor the new H1N1 Flu shot. Good Luck!!

Just another view on the swine flu thing...under 1500 have died worldwide from the swine flu..more will die of the regular flu. The regular flu vaccine contains about 2-3 out of the 200 flu viruses out there...so you are not going to be 100% protected and you are not guarenteed that you will not get a flu. 25 Americans have died from the swine flu vaccine...but we don't hear about it (I read about it in my public health stuff).

In Canada, they are going to test the vitamin d3 levels for all that get the swine flu; they will test to see how deficient they are in d3 then give them the appropiate amount needed to boost their immunity.

I have a family health column that I write for here is the link http://www.examiner.com/x-7158-Chicago-Family-Health-Exam...

Feel free to go to anything I have written about "swine flu" "probiotics" and "Vitamin D3" all will be helpful on ways you can boost your family's immunity. You can and should ask for your child's d3 levels to be checked, I explain this thoroughly in my vitamin d3 article. It should become a routine annual test for our kids...it will eventually, they are coming to a more concrete decision in May 2010.

While I understand why people vaccinate, however, I feel the flu vaccine is one that is wasteful; but any vaccine we get is not protective of or a guarentee that we will not get the offending disease or illness.

I hope that helps a bit.
J. W. MPH
Maternal and Child Health Educator

My child will be getting the flu shot for two main reasons:

First of all he attends a daycare center and anytime you get 100 kids together, it doesn't matter how well they wash their hands or how many vitamins they take, they spread germs. That's just how it is.

Secondly, I work at a high school that houses a few thousand students and employees. See above for germ-spreading concept :)

Finally, I have only gotten the flu shot one other time but will get it this year because I'm pregnant. Additionally, I will also get the H1N1 shot because pregnant and elderly are at the top of the list or risk. If I were not pregnant at this time, I would not be getting either the flu or the H1N1 shot.

Here's a couple of resources that I recommend...

http://drtenpenny.com/the_truth_about_the_flu_Shot.aspx

http://www.homefirst.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp...

http://medicalvoices.org/en/events.html

http://mothering.com/vaccines

They list the reasons for not getting or giving either one of the flu shots.

I hope that they help as you think about this issue.

Best wishes,
J.

Don't do it, don't pursue it. The virus has mutated. Taking the shot weakens your immune system and the next virus comes along, you get it. My son is in the military and required to take it. 2 days later he was in bed fro 4 days. Work on building your immune system. Reduce intake of sugar and white flour. If interested I know of an immune system builder that has clinical evidence that it will help your body create more killer cells to protect your body against these viruses.

Hi Debbie, this is an annual debate in our household too, and we typically forego the shots. Mostly, I believe that it would be my luck to get the shot and then STILL get the flu becuase it was a different strain than last year, so why inject extra antibodies into my body? I have been blessed to have a job where I work at home as a daycare provider and therefore have the freedom of controlling the environment within my home. I use non-toxic, non-bleach cleaners and keep up with changing furnace filters to maintain the air quailty we breathe which is important as we close up our homes for the winter months. I disinfect surfaces daily and we wash hands before/after eating. My children are now 7 & 9 have these habits ingrained in them and I am trusting that they are following these healthy habits at school. I also have them wash their hands or use hand sanitizer immediately upon arriving home. To take an extra caution this year, I am putting a small travel size sanitizer in their lunch boxes for them to use before/after eating lunch. We also pay attention to nutrition and all members of my family take a daily vitamin and I plan meals that ensure we are eating from all 4 food groups daily. Ultimately, this is a personal choice and after reading about my approach/reasons and others, you can review your own situation and make the right choice for you and your family.
All the best to you and your family--Jenn Voss (Jenn's Home Daycare in Rolling Meadows)

Here is another site with some helpful info...
http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/archives/2009_09...
I am still on the fence too about what to do.
Good Luck.

Everyone has opinions on flu shot. I agree with you when it comes to giving our kids or us for that matter any more shots. I have never given my kids the flu shots. I only had the flu shot once in my life, I was pregnant with my first. I became so sick within a day 1/2 that I thought I was going to loose the baby. It was both ends bad. (didn't mean to be gross) I swore then that I would never have another flu shot again. Everyone (experts) will tell you that you can't get the flu from the flu shot, but that was enough for me to disagree with them. I will definitely not give any of my family the H1N1 shot because it has not been tested. I have read different things on this as well, but that is a no. People get the flu shot all of the time and still get sick, then they come out and tell you that the shot was not effective for the bug that is going around now. That's a good one. Best thing to do is to wash your hands often all day long,(hand sanitizer is fine but nothing beats soap and water) sneeze/ cough into your elbow only! Use lysol on all your door knobs and phones and you should have a good winter. You just have to hope that moms who have kids that are sick... KEEP THEM HOME! Nothing worse then kids coming to school sick.

We are on the fence in my household, leaning toward my daughter and me getting the shots:

1. My daughter has expressive speech delays and will not tell me when she is not feeling well. Sometimes we don't know until she's running a fever or it's otherwise "too late" to use home remedies to stave it off.
2. Herd mentality. Our family is good friends with another whose boy has reacted negatively to vaccinations; yet, he is also vulnerable to whatever is going around. So, for his sake and that of other children like him, I'd like to get my kid the shot.
3. I hate to say this, but whether we get the shots may depend on our insurance. For the girl, we don't care, we'll find a way to pay for hers. If we don't have the money for Mom to get one, then so be it.
4. The one year I pooh-poohed a flu shot, I got what could only be described as ill as I could remember being in my adult life. It took me a month to get over the flu part, followed by two months of secondary respiratory infections. No thanks.

I'll probably do some research online, weed out the junk science and anecdotal stuff, and then see what insurance will cover. Good luck.

If money is a concern (one mom posted something about whether insurance will cover it) for anyone - Walgreens gives the standard flu shot for $24.99 and the preservative (Thimersol/Mercury)- Free one for an extra 5 bucks. My insurance did not cover flu shots for adults but did for the kids --go figure! I got the preservative free one while pregnant last year from Walgreens and also this year as I am nursing (it made me feel better to get the preservative free one while providing for my little one). Our pediatrician ONLY gives the preservative-free one.

I got the flu while pregnant with baby #2 (and YES, I had gotten the flu shot that year for 2007-2008 winter...that is the year they "chose the wrong strains") and so did my 7 month daughter -- we were BOTH extremely ill for over a week with 103 fevers. She was too young to get the flu shot that year...since then, she has been vaccinated and I just had the baby vaccinated as well.

Good luck!

i say get the shot. the experts reccomend getting it it takes up to two weeks for it to work, maybe that is why your husband got sick still or maybe he was sick from a different strand. i think anything that can help my kids avoid the pain of vomiting and the likes, i am going to give them. in my view, it cant hurt and with the convenience of the clinics at local drug stores, its easy. re. the h1n1 i am not sure what i am doing with that shot. it is very new and i feel it may have been rushed to get out in time i may take my chances with that. i worry about being a guinea pig! stay well!

Hi, such a debatable topic - (I am glad to see no one was mean and forceful with their beliefs)! Heck, we are just trying to do what is best for our families, especially our children.... That said, I personally have never had the flu shot (I do not believe in it), and my hubby doesn't either, so we don't give our children it either. Our Pediatrician always asks us every year, and I really love and respect her - she always errs on the side of caution, etc., and really wants my kids to get it. I smile and say "thank you" but we decide against it... Now, my best friend completely agrees with it, and she, her hubby and 2 kids all get the flu shot. Now the last couple years, her whole family got the flu. Now she seems to think it would have been worse if they wouldn't have gotten the shot. I kind of think, heck, if you are going to get it anyway, why subject yourself to another shot... It only protects you from 1 strain (out of lots more that our out there)...from what I understand... Anyway, do what YOU think is best, and that will be BEST for you and your family. Since we are not mindreaders, who knows what the year ahead of us will bring! :)
(Alittle prayer I think does wonders though).

Take care,

The flu shot wont give you the flu, but it carries a very small risk of making you ill for other reasons, one being not well tolerating the aluminum and in the case of multidose given to adults, the mercury.

Regardless of what you decide, you would be best to insure your family takes a vitamin D supplement in the fall/winter and get pleanty of antioxidants including Vitamins A, C, E. These are your best protection to minimize flu and cold infections and severity. Good luck!

Hi Debbie,

It's still a good idea to get flu shots. Flu can be deadly in some cases, and really awful in others. Getting one (or two) shots is putting up with a small amount of pain for a short amount of time. Getting a serious case of the flu can be very painful and last a while. And there are few (if any) side effects. Why not protect your family and those around you?

R.

I do know that over-vaccinating in people as well as animals can cause auto-immune diseases in the future. Hope that helps!

This is a tough one, but we will be getting our flu shots this year. I have had the flu shot once and no problems. That was the year I was pregnant. Last year I skipped it only because I was nursing and there was no details that my doc office could find to ya or na it, so I skipped it since my son was not 6 months old. This year me, my son and my husband will be getting it.

Good luck with your decision. Remember that your gut will not steer you wrong.

I just wanted to say that 1st of all the flu shot doesnot cover the stomach flu. It is respiratory in nature only. The stomach flu is not really the flu.

2nd. My friend went to a conference on the swine flu. They said it has not mutated since the 70s...same flu. People vacc. in the 70s do not need to be again. She said her kids will be getting the shot.

I too am on the fence. We have gotten the reg. flu shot and no one has gotten it, knock on wood! I too am nervous about the swine flu vacc b/c it requires 2 shots, so I heard. I have not discussed it with my Dr. yet. But plan to next week to hear his opinion on it.
Good luck

I always get the flu shot and have never had the flu. I am very thankful for the flu shot!

The flu shot is not based on the current flu. It's based on whatever was out last year or the year before. The flu is constantly mutating so it's hard to keep up. If you got the flu anyway with no major issues, why bother with the shot? It's just introducing junk into your body. If your body is healthy and strong it will naturally fight the flu and win. Try an immune boosting supplement, multi-vitamin and vitamin C. Avoid stress - HA! And eat well. There's also a homeopathic remedy called Oscillocum that helps fight colds and flues when taken at first symptoms.
P.S. This goes for the H1N1 too.

Hi Debbie,
The flu shot only covers the viruses that are expected in the coming flu season. That said, this is why you can still get the flu anyway but it still reduces your chance of getting the other viruses. My son and I just got the flu shot. He is six. We got the thermerasol free version (some people have a sensitivity to it). There is a shot for H1N1 but so far it will only be available for health care workers. I recommend getting the shots and washing hands often especially before eating and after the kids come home from school and/or play groups.

First, you want to make sure you have all the information before you make the decision, & that includes investigating what's IN the vaccine (includes aluminum, formaldehyde, and antifreeze, just to name a few). Secondly, the side effects that could occur from the vaccine are grossly underreported and trivialized, but they happen and you should definitely be aware of them. You should also consider that they do not give a separate flu shot for children, who really should be receiving a smaller dose. Also, the numbers of people who contract and/or die from the flu are greatly exaggerated. If you have a good diet & live a healthy lifestyle, then you don't need much more than to give your immune system a boost. Our family takes Vitamin D supplements (we also go to Homefirst--you should definitely check out his webinars on the flu shot & on the benefits of Vitamin D) and have not been sick ONCE since February when we started them. Most people are Vitamin D deficient, especially during the winter months, when our sun exposure is limited. Here's an article you may find helpful:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller27.html
And a great video on the benefits of Vitamin D:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--NqqB2nhBE
And a very informative video on swine flu vaccine, by the President of the National Vaccine Institute:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQZpm4-6YfM

Please do your research before you vaccinate! It's not right for everyone. Good luck to you!