Forums > Health and Nutrition > Flu shot heresy
We've Got Big Hills
A long private talk with your doc sounds right.
BTW, the mercury dose is substantially less than what a can of tuna contains.
I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.
Poor baby
How about, "I'm healthy and as soon as the vaccine comes available, I will get it to keep myself healthy"?
This is me. I will do what I can to avoid getting it, and I'll get the vaccine when it's here. I'll admit to being a little hesitant before reading this thread--just because I didn't have the facts. I've never even had a flu shot--had the flu once as a child, but not again since. I've been sort of indifferent about it in the past since I've stayed healthy all these years, but why take the chance?
Bridges in the sky
Until there's enough vaccine available for everybody in real life and not just in theory, "I'm healthy and I won't get sick" seems a better coping strategy for getting through the day than, "the sky is falling." But hey that's just me.
I agree with so much that was said on this thread - but Mike's statement is a good mantra to get through the day. We ran out of vaccine here as well. When it becomes available, will I get the shot? Probably.
But I will stand behind those in line that might need it more than I currently do. I.e. the nurses in the hospitals taking care of the H1N1 patients. The school teachers with half their classes out sick ...
It is undeniable that H1N1 is different than the yearly 'run of the mill' flu. But the media hype accentuates is nicely and freaks people out more than needed.
Oh yeah - and I wash my hands way more these days.
Sun, come shine my way.
May healing waters bury all my pain.
Wind, carry me home.
The fabric of reality is tearing apart.
The piece of me that died will return to live again.
John Petrucci, Dream Theater
Goals 2012:
No offense.
The county just to the north of me (Snohomish County) received 30,000 doses this week and therefore set up 10 clinic locations today for free vaccinations from 9a until ???. People started lining up at 3a. Mind you, overnight we had a huge windstorm (with 70 mph gusts)... and people were outside standing in it.
At 8a, the clinic doctors were brought in to see if maybe they should open up early. The crowd was apparently getting unruly.
I know all of this because it was reported breathlessly by our morning news, which then started with the 20 minute recurring update regarding how much vaccine was left. "As of 9a, the location at so-and-so has 2,200 left!"
Damn, it's almost like the frenzy in Soylent Green.
None of this has anything to do with whether I will get the vaccine (of course I will) or if I believe the quackery (no I do not).
But crap on a cracker... the situation is bad, the situation will likely get worse, but yeah, we've crossed some kind of line or tipping point. The swine flu has killed people. Others have gotten through it. We do not need to start whacking each other to get the vaccine now! dammit! now! It is going to work out. It sucks that we don't have enough to go around for everybody today. But we don't. And we will be ok.
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A Saucy Wench
I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets
"It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds" - Captain Hammer
"I don't care how old I live! I just want to be LIVING while I am living - Jack LaLanne. "When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7I failed the 12 minute run at 15...BQ'd at 38
I know all of this because it was reported breathlessly by our morning news, which then started with the 20 minute recurring update regarding how much vaccine was left. "As of 9a, the location at so-and-so has 2,200 left!" Damn, it's almost like the frenzy in Soylent Green. But crap on a cracker... the situation is bad, the situation will likely get worse, but yeah, we've crossed some kind of line or tipping point. The swine flu has killed people. Others have gotten through it. We do not need to start whacking each other to get the vaccine now! dammit! now! It is going to work out. It sucks that we don't have enough to go around for everybody today. But we don't. And we will be ok.
EXACTLY. This type of media hype makes it appear worse than it is. I wonder how many people watched the news this morning and packed up their kids to hurry to the clinics.
WA state news are funny to begin with - very rarely do the local news stations report world news. It is always WA news. And if there is nothing to report, they resort to randomness. Seriously - sometimes in the winter they report live from Stevens or Snoqualmie pass. Because it snows. They point the camera at their boots and shuffle around in the snow...
Best Present Ever
A long private talk with your doc sounds right. BTW, the mercury dose is substantially less than what a can of tuna contains.
also, what's in the vax is ethyl mercuy, tuna is methyl mercury. My friend the toxicologist tells me there are good reasons to be less concerned about the tiny does of ethyl mercury in vaccinations vs what's in the tuna. On a side note, we've actually switched to eating only alaskan salmon (in the pouches, not cans, just to bypass the whole BPa issue) instead of tuna, just because it makes it easier to not have to keep track of how much the kids have eaten in a week.
Mercury content in fish.
Mercury content in vaccines.
Note that a single dose of the H1N1 vaccine has <1 mcg per single 0.5 mL dose. A can of tuna has an average 0.118 ppm of mercury (and a maximum of 0.852 ppm), which translates to 20.06 mcg per 6 oz tuna. That is, a single can of tuna has more than 20 times the mercury content of the vaccine AND contains a more dangerous form of mercury.
bon appetit!
We have had H1N1 deaths of otherwise healthy people, and our hospital critical care facilities were very stretched, but there was very high public awareness of flu. When we went through the peak of our winter flu season there was no vaccine so the only defences we had were social and personal hygiene. There was more public acceptance of people taking time off work (and school) if they felt "off", and lots more regular hand washing.
The generally accepted theory is that social & personal hygiene awareness actually helped prevent people getting regular flu (as well as H1N1) - and saved the lives of lots of people who did not get a regular flu shot.
Do not attempt.
If the anti-vax folks get their way, we'll be back to those days.
Footnote: June Middleton died on November 1, after 60 years in the "iron lung".
"Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"
"The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.
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I du! (+CX +Mtn.)
Also...just read that a cat in Iowa has tested positive for H1N1, so now an added concern is keeping from bringing the virus to our 4 pets. Our eldest kitty is 16 and already on meds for her thyroid. I doubt she would survive the flu. I would feel absolutely horrible if I got sick and it led to illness or death to one of our pets.
Kirsten
'07: 1324.5 ••• '08: 1561 ••• '09: 1810.9 run ~ 208.7 bike ••• '10: 1,000.3 run ~ 3513.5 bike ••• '11: 710.3 run ~ 4157.9 bike
run 750 mi
bike 3500 mi
• more off-road
• gain proficiency @ CX mounts and dismounts (ie stop leap-frogging w/people who ride slower after every obstacle -- finish further up the field)
Question for the medical types: Flu mist is contraindicated for asthmatics. But if that's the only available vaccine wouldn't that be less risky to an asthmatic than actually getting the flu?
First, do no harm.
Meaning...? So is the recommendation against the mist because it would likely cause harm, but not being vaccinated might not cause harm? Which would be the lesser evil? I'm thinking I might take my chances with the flu mist, since my PCP has it.
Asthma/Recurrent WheezingFluMist should not be administered to any individuals with asthma or children <5 years of age with recurrent wheezing, because of the potential for increased risk of wheezing post-vaccination, unless the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks.
Do not administer FluMist to individuals with severe asthma or active wheezing because these individuals have not been studied in clinical trials.
~~~~~
I do not have SEVERE asthma. IMO the potential benefits DO outweigh the risks. I think I will ask my doc what he thinks. It's kind of nuts that I am considered "at risk," but I cannot get the injectable vaccine anywhere in my county, even though the mist is pretty readily available.
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