With the flu season coming up, I've been reading about flu shots, and whether or not they're safe. Now, I'm not a conspiracy theorist, like many people who oppose flu shots, and vaccines, but I do know that they could be used to do great harm if someone wanted to, and wonder whether or not I should be using them. I read up on a website that is strongly against flu shots, but this could be a biased website. So I searched elsewhere, about Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Autism, and more, and this is what I found. I am not going to make conclusions for you, as I feel like that is one way conspiracy theorists mislead people into a biased argument. But I'd like to provide some links and let you all make your own decisions, and if you have any more links to add I'll certainly add them here, whether they be for or against the flu shot, just please keep it as unbiased as possible. This is the first article that I read, that is obviously biased. So I decided to see if this bias was reasonable or not: Do you trust Flu shots? After that I decided to read up on a few points it made: Heavy Metal Toxicity and Parkinson's Disease - About Parkinson's Disease | About Parkinson's Disease PowerPoint Presentation - VACCINE MERCURY BURDEN AND AUTISM RISK (US) Autism Treatments: Heavy Metal Metabolism in Autistic Children The Effects of Heavy Metals on the Body | eHow.com http://www.infinitehealthresources.com/Store/Resource/Article/1-4/2/1156.html https://www.novapublishers.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=16952 HcG Vaccine for Population Control Does A Hormone Found In Some Vaccines, Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG), Cause Infertility In Humans? I am not trying to spread fear, convince you not to use it, or start a conspiracy theory, I am only providing facts and asking you to decide for yourself what you believe, and share what your beliefs are. Edit: Don't like this just yet, I've been provided a lot more information, just don't have more links to add at this time. The truth is, I do not KNOW enough about the flu shot, I'm not making any conclusions, like most people are making about me, I'm trying to get more awareness around the subject, mostly for myself, but also for you people too. Many people are concluding that because I question the flu shot I am against it, when simply I am questioning the flu shot, and not taking it for the mere fact that I do not NEED it. I take other vaccines, believe me. This thread is about the TRUTH about flu shots, and these links are just the first ones I found in the search engine. I do not have time to study this area thoroughly, that's why I am asking you all what your opinions are, because I do not KNOW. So please refrain from flaming me for not taking an unnecessary vaccine. I understand that it is necessary for many people, but for me it is not, which is the main reason I choose not to take it.
I've never had a flu shot and got the flu once, maybe. Could of been food poisoning cause it came on shortly after eating some meat lover's pizza and was sick with flu like symptoms for 3-4 days.
I would steer clear of any resource that does not come from a peer reviewed and reputable scientific journal. There is so much misinformation surrounding the issue of vaccination, it is astounding. There are very good reporting procedures in place to track any complications resulting from any vaccine. The bottom line is that the influenza vaccine is still the most effective measure available to protect against seasonal influenza. It is not 100% effective, given the segmented nature of the influenza genome and the low fidelity of RNA dependant RNA polymerases. The standard influenza vaccine is not recommended for children, it contains no live virus and cannot give you influenza. As with all vaccines, there are inherent risks. Some people do experience complications, in rare cases these complications can be serious. That said, the risk posed by seasonal influenza far outstrips the rare risk of complication posed by the vaccine itself. As for the risk of developing Autism from vaccination, this claim has been demonstrated to be false on many occasions.
I agree with Butch. Sites like the following are not reliable. HcG Vaccine for Population Control And none of the sites you've posted are reliable sources of information. If you would take the content of these sites seriously then by extension you would need to take seriously the content of other intellectually perverse websites... Like this one; The Flat Earth Society We should all have some reasonable standard of evidence that we use to distinguish between good and bad information, and ideally we ought to use the most rational standard with the greatest empirical support. You might say that it's arguable what such a standard might look like, but I think we can say with fair tenor that the standards set by science ought to be considered more preponderant than those set by fanatical woo heads running amateur home-made conspiracy websites. And when science is applied to questions of vaccine safety it seems clear that anti-vax woo heads have a lot to answer for with regard to the claims they make and how they attempt to support them.
Except most of those websites have no connection with flu shots, only heavy metals which flu shots contain, and they were the first links when I searched for information about Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and neurodegenerative diseases. But, like I said, feel free to add your links and I will update my list
Just a list of research relevant to common misinformation about vaccine safety. At a minimum abstracts are freely available for all of them. Most are available from Home - PubMed - NCBI otherwise you can just paste a title in to Google and I'm sure you'll find it available on another journal. Not all of this is related to each of the links you've posted, but I'll get to that. There's quite a few about the Autism Vaccine correlation (or lack thereof). I'll add some more about the flu shot and "heavy metal poisoning" specifically, these are just what I had on my PC already. A Broken Trust: Lessons from the Vaccine–Autism Wars Liza Gross Addressing parents concerns do vaccines contain harmful preservatives, adjuvants, or residuals Paul A. Offit, MD*, and Rita K. Jew, PharmD A population-based study of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination and autism Kreesten Meldgaard Madsen, Anders Hviid, Mogens Vestergaard, Diana Schendel, et al. The New England Journal of Medicine Are neuropathological conditions relevant to ethylmercury exposure Michael Aschner Æ Sandra Ceccatelli Association between Thimerosal containing vaccine and autism Anders Hviid Autism and measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine: no epidemiological evidence for a causal association Brent Taylor, Elizabeth Miller Decline of Haemophilus influenzae type b disease in Australia Ana Herceg Delays in Immunization Have Potentially Serious Health Consequences Fernando A. Guerra Geographic Clustering of Nonmedical Exemptions to School Immunization Requirements and Associations With Geographic Clustering of Pertussis Saad B. Omer, Kyle S. Enger, Lawrence H. Moulton, Neal A. Halsey, Shannon Stokley, and Daniel A. Salmon Impact of anti vaccine movements on pertussis control E J Gangarosa, A M Galazka Individual and Community Risks of Measles and Pertussis Associated With Personal Exemptions to Immunization Feikin, Daniel R. MD, MSPH; Lezotte, Dennis C. PhD; Hamman, Richard F. MD, DrPH; Salmon, Daniel A. MPH; Chen, Robert T. MD, MA; Hoffman, Richard E. MD, MPH MMR and Autism further evidence against a causal association C. Paddy Farrington MMR vaccine and autism: Is there a link? MELISSA L. KEMP, MPAS, PA-C; M. BETH HART, MD, FAAP Nonmedical Exemptions to School Immunization Requirements The age old strugle against the antivaccinationists Gregory A. Poland Saad B. Omer, William K. Y. Pan, Neal A. Halsey, Shannon Stokley, Lawrence H. Moulton Thimerosal and the Occurrence of Autism: Negative Ecological Evidence From Danish Population-Based Data Kreesten M. Madsen, Trends affecting the future of vaccine development Gregory A. Poland Understanding those who do not understand Gregory A. Poland
Thanks for the links, I'll be sure to read up when I have the time. In the meantime, I still wouldn't take a vaccine personally, I have a strong immune system and do not have to worry about the flu that much. Besides, they do use mercury in them and regardless of what scientific research there is saying it doesn't cause autism or anything else, I am all set with the mercury in my bloodstream.
According to Amy Homes on one of your websites Autism may be caused by heavy metal exposure since Autistic children appear to have deficient genes that are involved with metabolising certain heavy metals, like Mercury. The most recent article she has available on her website was published 2002. Below is a 2011 study looking at variations in four genes that are associated with Mercury transport. Read their conclusion. I loved that they offer highlights. "Despite the fact that the analysis failed to show association with autism for any variant, we believe that given the debate (and unfounded theories on the role of thimerosal in the etiology of autism and related disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder) the results presented herein are highly important and will dispel some of the myths on Hg and these disorders" http://0-www.sciencedirect.com.prospero.murdoch.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0161813X11001215 Lack of association between autism and four heavy metal regulatory genes Sarah E. Owensa, Marshall L. Summarb, , , Kelli K. Ryckmanb, Jonathan L. Hainesb, Sara Reissb, Samantha R. Summarb, Michael Aschnera, Abstract Autism is a common neurodevelopmental disorder with genetic and environmental components. Though unproven, genetic susceptibility to high mercury (Hg) body burden has been suggested as an autism risk factor in a subset of children. We hypothesized that exposure to “safe” Hg levels could be implicated in the etiology of autism if genetic susceptibility altered Hg's metabolism or intracellular compartmentalization. Genetic sequences of four genes implicated in the transport and response to Hg were screened for variation and association with autism. LAT1 and DMT1 function in Hg transport, and Hg exposure induces MTF1 and MT1a. We identified and characterized 74 variants in MT1a, DMT1, LAT1 and MTF1. Polymorphisms identified through screening 48 unrelated individuals from the general and autistic populations were evaluated for differences in allele frequencies using Fisher's exact test. Three variants with suggestive p-values <0.1 and four variants with significant p-values <0.05 were followed-up with TaqMan genotyping in a larger cohort of 204 patients and 323 control samples. The pedigree disequilibrium test was used to examine linkage and association. Analysis failed to show association with autism for any variant evaluated in both the initial screening set and the expanded cohort, suggesting that variations in the ability of the four genes studied to process and transport Hg may not play a significant role in the etiology of autism. Highlights ► Polymorphisms identified through screening 48 unrelated individuals from the general and autistic populations were evaluated for differences in allele frequencies. ► Overall, we identified and characterized 75 variants in MT1a, DMT1, LAT1 and MTF1. ► Despite the fact that the analysis failed to show association with autism for any variant, we believe that given the debate (and unfounded theories on the role of thimerosal in the etiology of autism and related disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder) the results presented herein are highly important and will dispel some of the myths on Hg and these disorders.
You probably actually have a fairly standard immune system like most other people. I doubt yours is special in anyway, and I'm sure that you would benefit from vaccination as much as anyone else that shares a similar environment. Besides, vaccination isn't just about your safety. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herd_immunity You do realize that there's such a thing as safe levels of Mercury in your bloodstream? Also, you are exposed to Mercury in your environment often, along with Aluminium and other scary sounding crap. Do you eat Salmon or Tuna? Then you've likely ingested methyl-mercury, a different form than the ethyl-mercury used in vaccines. Ethyl-mercury metabolises fast (in about one week) which means that it doesn't build up in your body very easily. Methyl-mercury on the other hand takes much longer and is more dangerous. So if you wouldn't have a vaccine because you would be exposed to ethyl-mercury then you shouldn't eat Salmon or Tuna any more either.
Any risk vaccines pose, is far outweighed by the repercussions of not administering them. Personally I haven't had a flu shot in probably 10 years and haven't had the flu. I do have a good immune system but hygiene goes a long way, as does staying home instead of bringing your crap with you everywhere you go.
Again, I'm not biased in any way, and I'm not really going one way or another, but for me taking the vaccine is downright unnecessary, for the same reason stated by other people. I'm not saying my immune system is special, but it is strong, considering I'm a young, healthy adult. I've kept myself around sick people all my life, eaten food that was clearly exposed to bacteria frequently, to build up my immunities to such things. I've rarely been sick in my life, and have gotten a flu shot once in my lifetime total, which is more times than I've had the flu, so I'm not worried about getting the flu, much less dieing from it. I think those who advocate the flu shot because of all these deaths are just as bad as the conspiracy theorists. I do appreciate the input though, because this is a very new topic for me, and I have only had time to do a little reading, which was enough for me to make a firm decision on what not to do. So thank you Dave for providing good information, and I'll definitely read more, but there's so much that I DON'T know about it that I'm just not gonna roll the dice one way or another. Just gonna let my immune system handle this one. Edit: And yes, I know there's safe levels of mercury, I actually eat a lot of tuna and do not worry about excessive levels of what they say is safe and what isn't, but something composed of mercury sounds like it could be a high concentration, and I would rather let my digestive system deal with that than my circulatory system.
I would have to take issue with this statement. Working in the healthcare sector, I'm required to have the influenza vaccine. This is not done for my own wellbeing, but to reduce the risk of infection for others. By not being vaccinated, individuals reduce the effectiveness of herd immunity. In doing so, individuals place the most vulnerable members of society at risk, the elderly, the sick, the very young and the immunocompromised. There is a very good reason why young, otherwise healthy individuals should receive the influenza vaccine. It is not some ideologically motivated crusade. Herd immunity limits the spread of infectious disease and protects those who are unable to be vaccinated, as well as those who receive the vaccine but do not seroconvert successfully.
Fair enough. I just want to comment on this though. What do you mean when you say "something composed of mercury sounds like it could be a high concentration"? The vaccines aren't "composed" of mercury, they used to contain an anti fungal called Thimerosal that contained mercury. And I'm not sure how you conclude that it must be in high concentration. The reason I used Salmon and Tuna as examples is because you are likely to be exposed to more mercury via those sources than any vaccine. The mercury you are exposed to from your day to day environment is worse than that of vaccines. If you avoid vaccines because they contain scary sounding compounds that can be dangerous in high enough levels, then you should also avoid almost every aspect of normal life. Did you know that Cauliflower can contains up to 26.9 mg/kg of Formaldehyde, Pears 38.7-60 mg/kg, Potato 19.5 (World Health Organisation). Often you will be exposed to scary shit like Formaldehyde and Mercury in higher concentrations from foods than you would from a vaccine. Now, I'm rushing to work and have like 100 browser tabs open, so I'll post my sources later. But a lot of this stuff you can get from the FDA, CDC, and the World Health Organisation.
Composed of, composed with, containing, the end result is mercury. And I did not said it DID have high concentration, I said it COULD have high concentration. I don't like putting things into my body when I do not know what they are. And again, I'd rather let my digestive system take care of the toxins that I put into my body rather than my circulatory system. The digestive system was meant for that, the introduction of it to our circulatory system is new, and there is too much that I don't know for me to consider it worth the shot, when the adverse effects of the flu will not affect me greatly. That's just my choice. I didn't say you shouldn't, or anyone else shouldn't. I know flu shots are very helpful for the young, and the old, who could suffer greatly from the flu, even fatally, but that is not me. I do not work in the medical field treating the sick, who could be harmed substantially from another illness, but I am glad that you, who does, takes flu shots. They're just simply unnecessary for me, and so I choose not to take them, because honestly, injecting that kind of stuff into my body does not sound like a good idea to do on a regular basis, no matter how many people say it's okay. I'll stick to the necessary vaccines. I do not jump to conclusions, I only make speculation, and as much of that speculation that is for the flu shot, a lot of it is also against the flu shot, and since the flu is no major threat to me, I am staying away from it. I never made any conclusions here. Thanks again for all the input.
I think his point was that flu vaccines unquestionably do not contain a significant amount of mercury. The vaccines contain around 25 micrograms of mercury per dose. There are no toxic effects until you get into milligrams of mercury which is over 1,000 times more than you get in a vaccine. The toxins will be removed one way or another, whether by the liver or the kidneys. The circulatory system is connected to both the kidneys and liver. Therefore there is no reason to prefer one particular method as they were both meant to detoxify. I'm not sure what you mean by "regular basis" as flu shots are a once per year type deal which technically is on a regular basis but isn't very often at all. As has been mentioned flu vaccines could be considered necessary vaccines if it continues to spread at this rate. I get your basic idea but I think you should choose your terms more carefully as saying you only make speculations is nothing to be proud of. While you shouldn't jump to conclusions, you should look at the preponderance of evidence and use logic and reason to come to a reasonable conclusion. This should lead you to the conclusion that vaccines are safe and effective.
My girlfriend has a really shitty immune system and needs a flu shot every year. She's gotten one always and has luckily never had the flu. She would LITERALLY DIE without getting one, so Yes I trust them
Yes, I will. I'm like a sponge for the flu, and I WILL get it without the vaccine. I've been getting vaccines for over a decade and there is a clear trend of me getting a flu when I miss the shot. I haven't been crippled or succumbed to mercury poisoning yet, and I'll be going another round when winter approaches. The poll results here are an indication of how blown out chemophobia is becoming.
But, there's mercury. It kills mannnnnn. Every day, and probably is responsible for cancer too. Oh wat, I'm making illogical speculation and assumptions It's sad when people fear vaccines so much that pertussis is on the rise again.