Flu Shots

[whiterosethorn]

What is your opinion on flu shots?

Have you heard anything about them weakening your immune system?

I'm trying to decide on whether to get one or not. I never have before...

Comments

[paradox13]

Eeeeeeh....

My personal experience is that they make me sicker than I ever get without them.

That being said, unless you're in a high risk category, they actually recommend not getting one. High risk would be young, old, work in the health care field, have chronic illness, work around children and things like that.

Anything that innoculates you against some illness weakens your immune system. The trade-off is in the risk of how bad of an illness it is. For most healthy people, the risk of the flu isn't worth the reduced immune strength.

My .02 worth :p

[whiterosethorn]

Thank you so much! :-)

[p3rlm0nk]

I've had to get one every year since 1998. (transplant recipient) Relatively painless, cheap, and I haven't had the flu in seven years. No side effects that I've ever noted other than a slightly sore arm the next day (sometimes, maybe one time in three or so).

[xkookykrysx]

As paradox13 said, you really don't need them unless you are very young, very old, or have a problem with your immune system.

Let your body build up it's own immune system. Part of the problem with the flu virus is that the more we try to fight it, the more it mutates. That's why they have a new vaccine every yesr. Just let your own immune system do its job. ;)