Flu Shot

[Kerry F]

I am curious how many of you get the flu shot and how much you think it helps to keep you from catching the flu.  I have never gotten them and I do seem to catch the flu, although knock on wood, I seem to get lighter cases of it.  I have just always been of the opinion that immunizations, while they have certainly protected against awful diseases back in history, they ultimately weaken the immune system. 

[Laurie H.]

I have to agree with you.  I have never and don't plan on ever getting the shot.  Heck, I haven't taken an antibiotic of any kind in over 25 years.  Playing in all that horse *#$* every day must be good for me.  LOL!!!  I do, however, keep my tetanus current.

[Deborah M.]

I have gotten a flu shot every year since I was pregnant 13 years ago and they insisted on it, and I have never gotten the flu.  My daughter, now 12, also gets it every year.  As a matter of fact, I only get a cold or sore throat once every 1.5-2 years.  I firmly believe in the flu shot and we get it within a couple weeks of it being offered.  I don't see any reason to be miserable or end up in the hospital if I can avoid it.

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

Sometimes I get the flu shot and sometimes I don't  Just depends if it's convenient.  Ever since I started taking grape seed extract from Trader Joe's, I don't get colds or the flu anymore.  Maybe that's why I'm not all that concerned with getting the flu shot now. 

[Kerry F]

Kelly, that's really interesting about the grape seed extract.  What milligram do you take every day?

[Mary Jo Cochran]

What others didn't mention is what type of environment are you in on a regular basis?  Before I got into the teacher stuff and started subbing I rarely got sick.  After I started subbing I was constantly sick, practically all the time, from feeling like crap, having fluid in my eardrums, and my lungs filled (I could hear it when breathing and it felt like I was drowning) - for four years!!!  And you can't take Mucinex and Sudafed every day.  Funny benefit from not subbing, it took about two months before I realized I was getting better.  That was back in June.  Of course the teachers got free flue shots.  The subs are insignificant.

If you are in a building that is closed up, same building every day (courthouse), around mommys - get a flu shot.

 

[Marge Teilhaber (TILE hobber)]

I've never gotten the flu shot and don't anticipate changing course.  Here's what I'm doing to try to avoid the flu. I've been doing it for a month now and am afraid to stop! You won't believe all the benefits that this supposedly has. If I get even one benefit, it's worth the 15 minutes a day.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/08/cocon...

http://simplehomemade.net/my-attempt-at-this-crazy-thing-called-oil...

http://lifewithoutsweets.blogspot.com/p/oil-pulling-101.html instructions 

http://www.oilpulling.org/oil-pulling/

Oil Pulling 101
In summary, the steps are as follows:
1. Start on an empty stomach, a drink of water beforehand is okay and actually encouraged. (I drink a lot, 2 cups because I’m always dry in the morning, and swish a little with water and spit out).
2. Take 1-2 teaspoons of liquid coconut oil into your mouth. (I use 2 teaspoons.)
3. Suck, push, and pull the oil through the teeth and gums. The solution will turn a milky white.
4. Swish the oil continually in the mouth for 15-20 minutes (I do 16 right now.)
5. Discard the oil in the trash.
6. Rinse out the mouth and follow with a drink of water (I rinse/swish for a minute to get all the supposedly bacteria-laden oil out of my mouth)
7. Follow this procedure at least once a day. (I do it first thing in the morning). If you have an active infection in your mouth or another serious health problem, you can pull two, three, or more times a day to speed the healing process. (I assume “other serious health problem” means cold or flu. I use organic coconut oil: http://www.iherb.com/Nutiva-Organic-Extra-Virgin-Coconut-Oil-54-fl-...)

I agree it sounds nuts but read the links. Can it possibly be half as good as they're saying? If so, I want in!!

[Marge Teilhaber (TILE hobber)]

Good point about environment.  There's lots of little kids living in my building but I can go for days without seeing one.  And I live by myself so I can do what I please as far as opening the window (fresh air being an important component of avoiding the flu I read recently), etc etc.   So for me, no flu shot works and hopefully continues to do so!

[Kerry F]

Marge,

These links of yours are fascinating!!!!  Thank you so much.  Never heard of it.  I have really liked the Black Elderberry syrup antiviral this past year.  I've been so careful in washing my hands and wearing gloves in the stores, but I think this is my second flu I've caught this season. I don't get it really bad so it's hard to say it's the flu, but it's not a cold.  I get a bad headache, a little bit achy muscles and very tired.  I heard on the news though that if someone sneezes six feet away from you and you breathe the air you can catch it that way.  Jeez, need to wear a face mask, too.   

Also, Marge, I don't have many cavity/gum problems.  Just old fillings wearing out and losing the tooth which for me means an implant.  I use that Soylicious coconut creamer in my coffee/tea instead of half and half now.  It really tastes great.  Do you really think coconut does what it claims for your immune system?

[Marge Teilhaber (TILE hobber)]

I had never heard a peep about oil pulling until reading Dr. Mercola's daily email about a month ago.  I really like him so I googled it for more info.  I even saw a youtube video of that cute show that I don't watch, The Doctors, the morning show, and they had a segment on it.     

The black elderberry syrup, did you use this when you had a cough?   Home-made ginger & honey tea is great for that.  There's something about the sharpness of that fresh ginger that is so soothing on a scratchy throat.

Yeah, the hand-washing is huge.  Someone made a comment about the potential peril of all the anti-bacterial stuff people use, I agree.  I use plain old soap & water and use it often.  I'm going to see Joan Rivers tomorrow night at a club in NYC.  Hoping my streak doesn't get broken by being in the line of fire of someone's cough or sneeze.  I think I'll put a mask in my purse right now and be ready.

I've got a lot of old fillings, too, the black amalgam, and that's one of my motivations in doing the oil pulling. No way would I get one of those taken out and replaced with a nice white filling because drill out the filling and some of the tooth goes with it.  But if the oil pulling would cause one of them to loosen and fall out, wow, I would be thrilled.  For me, I'd think, that process would leave the tooth intact and fine but I'll ask my dentist about that next time I'm there.

I can't find the Soylicious coconut creamer on the internet but can't comment but I'm suspicious of anything that has "coffee creamer" in its name because of the potential of partially hydrogenated oil being one of the ingredients.  From what I've read, coconut oil is a great thing to know about.  Speaking of which, never ever buy microwave popcorn.  Buy organic kernels and cook them in a big covered pot with coconut oil.  

I attached a PDF of my Word coconut document.  If you want the Word doc so you can keep it in Word and edit and add stuff, I'll be happy to share that, too.  

[Kerry F]

Black Elderberry is a great antiviral, not at all just for coughs.

It's So Delicious, sorry.

http://www.foodservicedirect.com/product.cfm/p/1924206/Original-Coc...

Popcorn - I buy organic kernals and air pop them, drizzle safflower oil and salt on it.  Tastes great!

[Marge Teilhaber (TILE hobber)]

The coconut milk I'm sure is great but I don't buy that stuff anymore.  I even make my own almond milk to avoid ingredients like carrageenan.     After reading this, I pause more:

http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/15-scariest-food-additives?...

If you get sick of having an air popper in the house or it breaks, remember that a pot with cover does the trick perfectly.  I used to have one of those, too, and liked it a lot.

[Kerry F]

What's wrong with carrageenan?  It's a natural emulsifier that comes from seaweed.  What I read about it just now it seems okay.  I can't imagine the health food store I buy this coconut creamer from would sell something with a bad ingredient.  They don't sell anything with partially hydrogenated oils.  This link says the caro.
 in it is an okay form.

http://todaysmama.com/2012/09/worried-about-carrageenan-in-food/.