Flu Shots Are They Necesary

From a Doctor...

Why Flu Shots For Kids Don't Work
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/1...

Avoid Flu Shots With the One Vitamin that Will Stop Flu in Its Tracks
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/1...

YES! they are necessary. Children this young can die of complications from the flu. I knew a woman who lost a 22 month old to complications from the flu, and two seasons ago in Seattle a little girl from Laurelhurst elementary school, who was 6, died of complications from the flu.

I want to give my opinion on this because all so far seem to be PRO flu shot. I am against (quick story...last year I got the flu shot for the first time ever because the doctor was very worried about our son getting sick...my husband and I decided to get the shot instead of the kids...*main reason I stayed home we didn't go very many places last winter so if anyone was going to bring home the flu it would have been us" I was miserable for a week could barely function. We never did get the flu but I am 24 and have only had the flu one time in my life so to me and my family the shot is not worth it at all. We just take our vitamins (all of us) and go flu shot free! From what I understand the shot that you receive may not even be for the strain of flu that is going around so you are really just chancing it anyway.

Now if you or one of your family members has an illness that would be really really affected if they get the flu then it would be a good idea to get the shot because their are some illnesses or things like asthma...that can be devastating if that person gets the flu.

To give you a little background No I am NOT anti shots my kids have gotten pretty much all of the required shots I am just anti flu. But all of my side of the family seems to react very bad to the shot(I was sick for over a week and very weak, my husband on the other hand didn't feel any affect from the shot).

I hope you are able to make a peaceful decision. If you have time to research it, my researching has helped me make a strong decision to NOT have our family get the flu shot.

Hi there,

Last year I took my daughter in to get the first of two shots (they need two the first time they get it). The first time I was seeing the naturopath at the clinic who advised for the shot. On the second appointment I saw the MD. She promptly asked me why I was giving my two year old the flu shot. She then advised against it saying that they have not had the flu shot "right" in over six years and it really does not offer the type of protection one thinks it does.

I have to say this is an MD who is not anti shots, and has privileges at Children's hospital. Interestingly, her intern who is right out of med school agrees with her and told me that the docs have to advise you to get the shot but that not one provider in their clinic is themselves vaccinated (nor are their children). This is probably why the naturopath told me to do it (and because yes, we did lose two girls from complications in the Seattle area the year before).

Additionally, I recently read an article that elderly people vaccinated with flu shot do not have a lower death rate during the winter season than those who are not vaccinated. I believe the shot was originally created for them and immune compromised individuals. If this research is sound I think the American Academy of Pediatrics needs to take another look because a flu shot every year (and everything in it) is really going to add up over a lifetime.

Good luck in your decision. My kids are only selectively vaccinated, but this is the one that really scares me (I think because of those two deaths). However, when I have a well respected pediatrician and an intern (who tend to be pro-vacc), counsel me against it, I have to think twice.

Talk with your pediatrician. Flu shots for kids is a relatively new program, but as each strain of flu and the associated complications gets stronger, along with the ease of contagion, nipping it in the bud by getting a flu shot is a good idea. Daycares, pre-schools, schools, playgrounds are all great places to catch the latest bug and you'll find you get sick more often once your kids start going to places like those I mentioned. Flu epidemics are serious stuff, complications for those very young and the elderly or those who have compromised immune systems. Get her the shot, it's the best thing for all of us. And the flu vaccine is made with dead viruses, no harm of her 'catching' the flu from the shot. That's an old wives' tale.

I think flu shots are a good idea.. I have 2 girls age almost 3 and 6.. They have the flu mist which the doctor puts in the nose so no shot :) no you do not get sicker from the shot.. 2 years ago both my girls had the flu mist and did not get sick... but my husband and I got so sick at the same time :( and it lasted for over a week.. (we didn't get the shot) The flu may be ife threating to the young and older. My doctor is very pro flu mist/shot so I trust her advice.. Everyone has different thoughts on this issue..
Lenc

My husband and I have both never had the flu shot and both never had the flu. I have several friends who never had the flu until the year they first got the flu shot. If your daughter is healthy and eating well (mostly real foods rather than processed) then there's no reason to be worried about her getting the flu. Even if she did get it, her body would be able to handle it.

Like Veronica R, the more I research, the more comfortable I am with not getting this shot for myself or for my children (who have also never had the flu). So, do your research and then whichever way you decide you can feel confident that you've made the best decision.

Best wishes!
~B.

My personal opinion aside, I can tell you that I have been dealing with many people who are very ill after the flu shot, some with serious complications. That is not a good sign.
There are options: Eat a lot of garlic, doses of Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate or ascorbic acid powder), eat organic food as much as possible.
If something should occur homeopathic remedies have the most solid & successful history in influenza/cold treatment. The remedies are inexpensive, effective and safe.
There are remedies that are preventative such as oscillo or influenzinum for those with very weak systems.
I created a cold/flu kit which addresses a broad range of these sicknesses. They are a 'life saver' I'm told to have in-hand.
Wishing you a safe decision,
Liz

no it is not true. It's important to get your child immunized because if she were to get sick with the flu at such a young age it could be life threatening. If she gets the flu shot and still gets the flu then she will not be as sick as if she didn't get the shot. You should get the shot too. If you were to get the flu than it is likely that you would pass that onto your daughter. Talk to your pediatrician about this.

My take on this is:
I am very much pro vaccines, but I believe we give way too many vaccines way too early in life so you have to weigh your risks and benefits.
There is no one-size-fits-all, since everyone's circumstances are different. That's why I really hate the whole vaccination schedule pressure.
For all vaccines, ask yourself how likely it is that your daughter will be exposed to the illness you are vaccinating for.
We have started our vaccines late (just before we were taking an international trip by plane), I talked about it with our Pedi and he had no objections at all.

This year my daughter for example goes to daycare, so we will do the flu vaccine because I believe she has a high risk of exposure.
If I stayed at home with her, only me and my husband would get vaccinated (like last year), so we don't bring the flu home from work.
If you have a pediatrician that is open for discussion, I would review it with him.

Oh jeez, you have a great Mother's concern. This question kills me because flu shots were actually marketed as adult vaccines. They contain mercury preservative, which is a neurotoxin to which children's developing brains are sensitive. The results are that especially sensitive kids can get autism-like symptoms after the shot. I know an MD who says a kid died from the flu. It really depends on the circumstances of your life whether you are willing to take risks. If you don't teach your kids to exercise and eat vegetables, you are increasing their risk for cancer. Yet it's the M.O. of our whole country that eats crappy non-organic food "products", watches a screen instead of moving, and western medicine adds more toxins. Our whole country as well as the sick individual pays the price.

Seattle will have a Children's Environmnetal Health conference October 1,2,3, 2009, and as of yet we don't plan to include vaccines, because the issue is so very controversial. Nobody wants a kid to die because they get the flu. Most people would rather have and/or are willing to risk having a disabled kiddo, tougher as that road may be.
We make fun of engineers on prime time TV in this country. We may be proud of the high school senior who goes to MIT, and we appreciate that Obama can speak so well and has such a huge brain. But we can't really put in the effort to do what it takes to provide perfect health and mental health for our own kids. It takes a village, so that's why I'm pleading with you.
Mercury in the environment is a huge issue, along with lead, along with all the other heavy metals that farmers are dumping on crops along with zinc fertlizer. Sorry to use this as a soapbox, but if mothers don't get active about heavy metal toxic waste on American farmland, legal dumping in almost every state that ends up in babyfood and breastmilk, who will? (Babies are at the bottom of the toxic food chain, and breastmilk is still the most perfect food for all babies.)

If we are concerned about vaccines, we might wonder if kids are "more sensitive" to the mercury in the vaccines, or if they're just full up with the limit that causes NOTICEABLE brain damage. But all the new research points to ANY tiny amount of mercury to be toxic to the brain and nerves. That's why you can't buy a glass/mercury thermometer anymore. They broke and exposed enough people to that small amount, causing lifelong mercury damage problems. Thank you for your interest and support of only the best environment for all children.

I can get you more info on the farmland dumping thing through Patti Martin, the former Mayor of Quincy, WA, who outed the fertilizer companies. Actually, Seattle Investigative reporter Duff Wilson wrote a book about her called Fateful Harvest. In order to get it published quickly, it did not mention that this sort of dumping in WA state was illegal at the time of the book. The WA legislature has since strengthened the position of fertlizer companies by first making it legal, and recently, making it impossible to sue the companies when we start experiencing health effects, which many many farmers' disfigured and disabled children definitely are. Her website is:
http://www.safefoodandfertilizer.org/

Also, here’s a link to Bi-Monthly Bulletins, listed by date, informing of the science behind many issues in children's / environmental health:

http://www.washington.chenw.org/bulletins.html

Every two weeks there's a new bulletin, and this week here's the new one:

http://www.washington.chenw.org/bulletins/CHEWAbulletin11...

And the Seattle Oct 1,2,3 '08 conference will have "What you can do to reduce toxic exposures" built in for the public health fair portion on Saturday the 3rd.

I don't know if your daughter got a flu shot last year (usually the first one is given in two sessions), but our daughter has gotten the nose spray the last two years. It has been proven to work better in children and works differently because it contains a live, weakened strain of the virus(es). Our daughter has never gotten sick from it and doesn't mind them putting it in both nostrils at all (I do hear that it bugs many kids when the nurse does it, however).

The main thing to know is that each year the medical community has to guess which strains of the flu are going to be the worst that year and they make the shot accordingly. Well, last year, there were more reports of horrible flues going around (and Washington state was one of the worst hit states). Unfortunately, the viruses they tried to cover in the flu shot last year, really only ended up protecting about 40% of people - basically, they didn't cover the right viruses. Our entire family got the flu and my daughter and I got two different strains (and that was with her getting the nose spray). We were hit hard! So, just because you got the flu shot, doesn't mean to can't get the flu. It just means that you're protected for the strains they covered that year.