Posted on 05/01/2009 10:24:46 AM PDT by Scythian
Q: Dr. Manny: The reason that this flu pandemic seems to be less deadly than what we saw in Mexico is perhaps that the American population has some passive immunity to some portion of this new virus — and that indeed — one of the unintended benefits of the regular flu vaccine we have been administering over decades is that it’s created some protection — even from this latest virus that has popped up. Is there any truth to this?
A: Dr. Gross: In the flu vaccine — for more than the past 30 years — we’ve had an H1N1 strain in the standard flu vaccine that everyone gets… at least since 1976 when we had the last swine flu scare. So the theory goes that if you’ve had a vaccine that has a N1 in it... when you encounter a slightly different H1 (which is what the swine flu is) that you will be protected from severe illness and death, but not from getting a cold or a bad cold from that flu strain.
The other thing is we haven’t seen reports of a lot of older people getting H1N1 influenza A… so they must certainly be immune. An educated guess here would be that these older people may not be coming down with this new strain because most of them – particularly if they got the standard vaccine — would have some degree of immunity.
Click on the link for the rest of the story
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I've taken flu shots the past several years, and my health has benefited from it. Haven't had a cold or flu during that time. Then again, I'm sure my immune system benefitted from being exposed to whatever my son brought home from school.
I'm sure we'll see plenty of anecdotal evidence to support a particular position.
That’s probably a better explanation Scythian. In my case, I rarely get sick too — maybe have to stay in for a couple of days every 5 years or so — but then I grew up as an Army brat and lived in Europe for 6 years from 1977-1983. It’s likely that you have a excellent immune system and that coupled with previous exposure gives you a big advantage.
My wife doesn’t have as strong an immune system, and she’s a teacher, so she works in a communicable disease factory. Every time something gets brought into the school, she gets part or all of the symptoms.
This year, there was flu, strep, common cold, and pneumonia going around between my office and her school. I managed to dodge all of those bullets.
You sound like you have a similar immune system. You also probably grew up playing outside and getting into dirt and grass and all things in the environment, so you’re exposed to more.
I think a lot of kids today who live in air-conditioned environments and don’t spend as much time outside getting scrapes and cuts haven’t developed as robust an immune system.
I remember riding bikes, playground swings, merry-go-rounds, jungle gyms made out of pipes, dirt and grassy areas, hiking in the woods, eating wild berries, getting pricked by thorns, poison ivy, dirt clod fights, etc. I think it toughens those who are exposed to it.
“Do you guys buy this, that the reason the US isn’t getting hit so hard is years and years of prior flu vaccinations?”
Not really. The people in Mexico almost certainly have had the flu before, which is the same as a vaccination except you get sick as a dog.
What about the 12-20 million Illegal Mexicans in the country...not to even mention the legal and aboribinal Mexicans in the US.
My thoughts..
1. I would rather get this flu now then this winter, it’s milder and would provide immunitites without all the garbage they put in vaccines.
2. Doesn’t matter how good our health system is...if it is over loaded it will be no better than any other country. If they can’t get to you, you are on your own anyway.
3. I honestly think this thing will act like the Spanish Flu...mild first wave and come back with a vengence this winter. If not then the rush (EMERGENCY)to produce a vaccine will cause just as much damage.
SO..how do I go about getting this mild form of the Flu???
Well since we’re theorizing, here’s mine.
Most of the folks who brought this back were down there on spring break. Doing what? Swimming, sightseeing, hanging out on beaches...in other words, soaking up the sun. Which if the vit D theory is correct, would either provide prevention or greatly reduce the severity of a virus and speed recovery.
And it’s a fact that darker skinned people absorb less vitamin D than lighter skinned folks. What are the people in Mexico doing? Not vacationing, working indoors, etc. And when one gets sick, they take to their beds, further reducing their UV exposure.
Something pretty bad is happening there. Relatives just reported EVERYTHING is shut down. Period. No one is going much of anywhere right now and this is in all of the small towns too. So, something is pretty bad wrong or that wouldn’t be effecting the shutdown of all schools, businesses, etc. there.
Did the same thing back in the mid eighties. Thought I was gonna die. Same with my girlfriend. We haven't had another since.
You know, I was a teacher too. The first year I taught I did catch a lot (in fact, that was the last time I had flu!). But after that, completely healthy, EXCEPT I catch strep at the mere mention of the word!
BTW I let my sons play outside in the dirt. Indoors seemed like no place for healthy kids. 2 of them were sort of sickly (asthma) but they seem pretty healthy now except for seasonal allergies.
I only got a flu shot once; in 1995, and that’s because my wife was going through a stem cell transplant for breast cancer. I didn’t care whether I got sick or not, at that time I could risk making her sick.
I’m 49 and I’ll probably start getting flu shots when I’m 55 or so. However, I think diet, exercise, rest and environment are much more important than the shots. Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, maintain low body fat and keep up your energy, and keep a clean home. We use the expensive high-grade air filters on the furnace, and run a humidifier in the winter. Since we started using the humidifier, our illness rate dropped a lot.
Something pretty bad is happening there.
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Where are you?
There are some truly strange variables at work. For instance, a while back, the British made the utterly weird correlation between cold feet and the cold virus.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/URItheFlu/2136
“Dr. Eccles said the results of a randomized study bear out a two-pronged hypothesis: that many of us carry around a subclinical cold infection and that chilling the feet opens the door for it to become a full-blown cold.”
Later, it has been discovered that the human body has “backwaters”, where viruses may reside for years, almost in hibernation. It is known that the chickenpox virus does this, sometimes reemerging in middle age as shingles. The same with the polio virus, notorious for again victimizing its childhood victims when they are older, after decades of dormancy.
So why not influenza? Again, the flip side is the immune system, and how it maintains control over pathogenic viruses. But then for some reason, suddenly relinquishes that control, allowing them to reemerge.
Yep, played outside all the time, did all kinds of crazy stuff too, I have three children in school, they bring alot home, but I manage to dodge it, or begin to get it and shake it off, but then I’ll do some of my natural stuff when I feel it come on like colloidal silver, olive leaf, oxygen tabs, oregano oil or whatever, and bingo, it’s gone before it takes hold. Since going with all natural things my immune system is very strong, I take all kinds of things like Amino Acids, Digestive Enzymes, Probotics, CoQ10, Vitamin C and so on ....
I think you’re on the right track about being outside, but I don’t think dirt/cuts has anything to do with it. See post 47.
For instance, a while back, the British made the utterly weird correlation between cold feet and the cold virus.
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Didn’t your grandma tell you to keep your head covered and your feet warm?? Old folks saw the connection.
I just finished browsing the CDC's website. That number is 36,000 or appr. 100 deaths per day on average. Something's afoot here and it ain't good!
Hold on a sec while I blow my nose.
I'LL buy that but I would also offer that it's really no different than any other flu thats come done the pike for as long as I've been alive.
Plus, I would also ask how many people are going to call up the WHO or the CDC or whomever and say "I've got the flu"...........
If not the the total MSM media blitz, I would wager that nobody would care, people would get sick and recover in normal time.........just like every year past.
Several years ago they had everybody in a panic over the West Nile Virus that was killing birds around my state.
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