# Flu shots



## bahaboyga (Nov 10, 2008)

I went to the doc to get my annual physical yesterday. He suggested I get a flu and pneumonia vaccination. The nurse gave me the shots and I went home feeling pretty good. Today I feel sick with flu like symtoms and my arm feels like my wife was punching on it with a sledge hammer. The last flue shot I got was 5 years ago, I dont remember any adverse reactions. 

.Anyone else have the same reaction?


----------



## Nomad (Nov 2, 2008)

*Flu Shot*

I got both shots recently. No problems. Each person reacts differently. It will all go away eventually...........


----------



## bahaboyga (Nov 10, 2008)

*Flu shot*

Thanks Nomad,

I amost feel human this morning. I not sure the pain was worth the gain!


----------



## wetbandit (Nov 17, 2008)

Probably being that it has been so long since your last flu shot, you felt the symptoms quite hard. A bit of the flu virus is injected into with the vaccine so your body can become immune to the flu. So it is very normal to feel fluish the next day. It is also normal for the injected area to sore for a day or 2. I get a flu shot every year and I hardly feel the symptoms of it when I get it now.


----------



## rainbowgardens (Oct 29, 2008)

I just read an interesting report on Dr. Mercola's website. Studies are now showing that influenza epidemics, (flu) is caused by a Vitamin D deficiency. The report also said that you can lesson the severity and speed up your recovery of the flu if you take appropriate doses of vitamin D.
Just another glowing report on the benifits of vitamin D . Most people are deficient.


----------



## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

What's really rich in Vitamin D?


----------



## Washkeeton (Oct 18, 2008)

Ya that is a major problem up here for us dark dwellers... interesting thought.. cant hurt to increase it some... what harm can happen to those of us who are severly deficient anyway  They say most alaskans are very deficient in Vit d because of the lack of sunshine in this state.. even when there is sunshine we dont get enough for our bodies to manufacure sufficient quantities of vit d up here. 

Dean---Sunshine, milk, cod liver oil... but you have to be careful it is one of the fat soluable vitamins.. it is one that your body will keep on board and you can become toxic with...ADEK are the 4 you have to be careful with. It isn like vit c that you get too much and pee out the rest.


----------



## rainbowgardens (Oct 29, 2008)

If you use artificial supplimentation, get vitamin D3. It is used by the body better and has a longer shelf life.
An interesting side note that you can research... Vitamin D helps prevent skin cancer, but people avoid the sun and slather on sunscreen that prevents the body from making vitamin d from the sun.
About vitamin D toxicity, you can ask your doctor to test you if you are concerned about too much D. Usually, unless you suppliment faithfully with a quality D that your body can absorb, you won't have a problem with it. 
Check out Dr. Mercola's website for lots of info.
Also, be aware that lots of cod liver oils sold today are rancid and have had the Vitamin D removed in order to make it taste better. You lose the D but you'll still get the omega 3s. Also, the better brands have been tested to assure that there isn't mercury contamination.


----------



## Washkeeton (Oct 18, 2008)

I get the Cod Liver Oil from the naturalpath... they are very careful to make sure their products pure and top quality. I just dont like the taste....ickkkkk.


----------



## ZeeDeveel (Nov 18, 2008)

30 minutes a day out in the sunlight is supposed to be a good source of Vitamin D.


----------



## rainbowgardens (Oct 29, 2008)

Right ZeeDeveel, and without sunscreen, as much of your skin uncovered as possible. Also, those with darker skin will need more time because the darker skin pigments block out the sun. Ever thought about the fact that those cultures that adapted to living nearer to the equator have darker skin and those further away have lighter? Pale skin lets in more of the suns rays, causing problems, (cancer,) in higher sunlight areas. In fact, dark skinned people moving to regions further from the equator have more problems with vitamin D deficiency than those near the equator. People living further north needed lighter skin to absorb enough rays for health.


----------



## 3libras (Nov 18, 2008)

Great stuff, thanks rainbowgardens. Nobody thinks much about sunlight being something you need to survive.


----------



## Washkeeton (Oct 18, 2008)

ZeeDeveel said:


> 30 minutes a day out in the sunlight is supposed to be a good source of Vitamin D.


That is unless you live in Alaska where there hardly is no sunlight...


----------



## Ebin (Nov 20, 2008)

That is true, Washkeeton. Bummer. I don't know what I would do with out my sunlight!
My neighbor has a skin condition that gets red and bumpy but clears up alot when she's had a good amount of Vitamin D. I cannot remember what her skin condition was called though. Does anybody think they know what I'm describing sounds like?


----------



## rainbowgardens (Oct 29, 2008)

Ebin, could her problem be rosacea? I get it in the winter. I think it's also linked to Seasonal Affective Disorder, (winter blues.) I only have the problem when I don't get sun exposure that day.


----------



## Avarice (Oct 3, 2008)

Rainbowgardens, have you found any lotions to help heal your Rosacea? I have heard that Eucerin Calming Creme and Lupriderm really help calm irritation. Also, does a hot bath irritate your skin further? Especially if you did not get any sunlight that day?


----------



## SurvivalNut (Nov 13, 2008)

*Immunizations for Pneumonia*

On the subject of Pneumonia. I highly recommend these for everyone. I was always very prone to upper respiratory infections, and had 2-3 cases of walking Pneumonia and 2 cases of full blown Pneumonia. Walking thru Costco one day, they were giving the shots over the counter (I was 43 then). For $10 I got the shot, that was 7 years ago. Last year I took it again. Have been frree of infection for 7 years, I swear by them. (different Drs/Ins companies have different protocols for the re-immunization date, I read up on it and pushed the issue with my provider)


----------



## JennieV. (Dec 4, 2008)

Really? I have never heard of any over the counter shots. Do they sell them to just anybody? I find that so crazy seeing as a few years ago they were so low that doctors were only vaccinating infants and the elderly.


----------



## CVORNurse (Oct 19, 2008)

JennieV. said:


> Really? I have never heard of any over the counter shots. Do they sell them to just anybody? I find that so crazy seeing as a few years ago they were so low that doctors were only vaccinating infants and the elderly.


What he means is they were having a flu shot/ pneumonia shot clinic that day. He just happened to be there, and anyone that shows up can get a shot. Lots of the pharmacies around here, and even the grocery stores, banks, etc will do this for the benefit of their customers. My hospital had a flu shot clinic geared towards family of employees today, but I guarantee they shot <g> anyone that walked in and wanted one.


----------



## Samoan (Nov 26, 2008)

I don't think shots will ever be available over the counter! That would be a bad idea for sure.

My mother-in-law works in a doctor's office and they offer flu shot drives about once a year. Mostly family members of employees and the elderly come in. It's a nice thing.


----------



## SurvivalNut (Nov 13, 2008)

*Tetanus shots*

Off subject, but don't forget to update your tetanus booster as well. I did last year, it now has an updated whooping cough booster in it. My grandkids brought a terrible cough home from school, their mother and my wife and daughter picked it up as well. I walked away without it. It pays to have your shot records looked over from time to time.


----------



## rainbowgardens (Oct 29, 2008)

Oops, sorry Avarice for not answering your question.
I haven't found anything to help heal my rosacea. Hot showers make my rosacea flare up if I haven't gotten enough sun exposure for a few days. The longer it's cloudy or I can't get out, the worse it gets. It's not fair! I love soaking away the winter chills in a hot shower.
I also can't sit too close to the fire or the heat gets to me. 
I have never found anything online linking sun exposure to rosacea, but I know without a doubt that it is what causes mine.


----------



## Taylor335G (Dec 8, 2008)

SurvivalNut said:


> Off subject, but don't forget to update your tetanus booster as well. I did last year, it now has an updated whooping cough booster in it.


Really? I am going to have to go get my shots updated. I caught whooping cough last year. It was absolutely horrible! That kind of coughing takes the life out of you and lasts for months. I heard though, that you could only get it once in your life. Has anyone heard otherwise? I would hate to get it again. Anytime that I have a cold or my allergies are bothering me, my cough is close to what it was when I had whooping cough. I think my lungs were damaged after coughing continuously for months. Not many doctors have much information on it here in the U.S. as it is not a common disease in adults since we get vaccinated as an infant for it.


----------



## resqdoc (Dec 15, 2008)

Influenza vaccination (shot) uses a killed virus. Flu-Mist nasal spray vaccination uses a weakened live virus. For the injection most reactions are a local 'arthus' reaction, which is a local irritation response. It is not an allergy, etc. You cannot get influenza from the vaccination, although you can get minor 'cold' upper respiratory symptoms.

Influenza vaccination is indeed done over the counter, by medical professionals, as noted above. You fill out a short screening questionnaire and have at it. 35,000 people will die in the US in 2008 from Influenza.

Pertussis/whooping cough is actually quite common in the US, due to a) parents not getting their kids vaccinated; and b) the interesting fact we have only appreciated for about the last three years: immunity is not life long in many individuals as previously thought.

30-something women and older are the highest risk for whooping cough as they have not had the 'opportunity' for a DTaP (Diphtheria/acellular Pertussis/Tetanus) or similar booster due to not sticking crap in themselves and going to the doc for a repair, LOL...

Somewhere between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people in the US can't be vaccinated due to being on chemo, steroids, etc. They are at huge risk from unvaccinated patients who become ill, and disease carriers. Vaccination prevents pandemics by 'herd immunity' that is having the vast majority of the herd immune to the disease at any given time, thus making it much harder for epidemics and pandemics to spread. 

Porn stars telling you their kids 'got' autism from their vaccines need to go back to smoking their crack and bufu'ing groups of ex-cons. That 'theory' has been definitively dismissed by twenty years of global research. Anyone that is still selling this snake oil will also no doubt have success selling the idea that inter-colon ultraviolet light therapy will cure brain cancer, and that Jewish refuges from non-existent extermination camps conspired with Chi-Com HIV activists to create 9/11 by brainwashing Peace Corp volunteers into planting 1,000,000,000 pounds of non-seismic shock wave creating explosives in the twin towers and pentagon + 100,000,000,000,000 magnesium fire starters to insure that the buildings achieved the mythical melting temperature to destroy the buildings. Then, they had aircraft hulls & parts towed in and planted at the scenes, when no one was looking.

Vitamin D is VERY important, we IMO do not yet know all the roles it plays in the body, and ensuring adequate levels of Vitamin d should be a goal. Consider having a level drawn when you need some other blood tests done anyway... levels below 18 ng/ml are too low. 30 is about right, above 50 ng/ml and you MAY lose protective effect - studies are on-going. Most folks do well with supplements of 200-400 IU's per day.


----------



## Schoolyards (Oct 27, 2008)

Very normal, the flu shot is a minor amount of the virus injected into your body. Your body then builds antibodies to fight it off, don't stress, you are fine.


----------

