Everytime I have had the flu shot I've been asked if I am allergic to eggs? For those of us who may be intolerant to eggs should we avoid the shot this fall?
Pat
Up To Date Information On The CDC Swine Flu Investigation
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Interesting thought, Pat. I have no idea, but I did want to share this story: My mom told me that a great-uncle of mine, who had grown up on a farm eating several eggs (farm-fresh, of course) a day his whole life suddenly went into anaphalactic (sp?) shock when he had a flu shot. I don't know when the flu shot became available, but I would guess that this happened sometime around mid-century. He could never eat eggs again. I guess if he had some sort of sensitivity or allergy, it didn't show up when the eggs went through his digestive system, but when they went straight into the muscle tissue, they triggered a reaction. FWIW.
Courtney
Courtney
Hypothyroid 05/05
LC/CC 07/08
Celiac 07/08
LC/CC 07/08
Celiac 07/08
Polly,
I think you're probably right about the timing. This stuff will have to be recycled a while, for it to show it's true potential. About the time that everyone decides that H1N1 was just a false alarm, it may be back with some "real teeth".
Love,
Tex
I think you're probably right about the timing. This stuff will have to be recycled a while, for it to show it's true potential. About the time that everyone decides that H1N1 was just a false alarm, it may be back with some "real teeth".
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Pat,
The vaccine contains egg protein, because virtually all flu vaccines are grown in eggs. This is a very old method, and out of date, of course, but our government seems to be unwilling to approve the use of newer technology. Because of this, it will be six months or more, before they can even get a vaccine for this strain developed and approved, and another three months, before they would be able to produce any substantial quantities, (which would probably be too late to save most of us, if this strain should turn out to be the "big one"). IOW, our vaccine development machinery is still based on a "stone age" design, (so to speak).
Newer technology is available, but it remains to be seen if it will even be allowed to be utilized. Here's some up to date info on that:
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/ ... onths-away
Courtney,
Wow! That's quite a story. We never really know what we're getting into, anytime we take meds, do we.
Tex
The vaccine contains egg protein, because virtually all flu vaccines are grown in eggs. This is a very old method, and out of date, of course, but our government seems to be unwilling to approve the use of newer technology. Because of this, it will be six months or more, before they can even get a vaccine for this strain developed and approved, and another three months, before they would be able to produce any substantial quantities, (which would probably be too late to save most of us, if this strain should turn out to be the "big one"). IOW, our vaccine development machinery is still based on a "stone age" design, (so to speak).
Newer technology is available, but it remains to be seen if it will even be allowed to be utilized. Here's some up to date info on that:
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/ ... onths-away
Courtney,
Wow! That's quite a story. We never really know what we're getting into, anytime we take meds, do we.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Pat,
I was asked the same question when I got my flu shot. I said I was intolerant to eggs, but not allergic to them and she said it would be OK. I haven't had any problems after getting the flu shot.
Someone sent me this link http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51913.php, which supports the theory that vitamin D may be helpful.
Gloria
I was asked the same question when I got my flu shot. I said I was intolerant to eggs, but not allergic to them and she said it would be OK. I haven't had any problems after getting the flu shot.
Someone sent me this link http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51913.php, which supports the theory that vitamin D may be helpful.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Tex, I've been reading about the healthy immune system thing too, and wonder what exactly that means. Would a healthy immune system react in such a way to create the cytokine storm that seem to be the reason these viruses become deadly, or does it take an overactive one like ours? Like you, I've been speculating if our overactive immune systems would take care of the virus before it had an opportunity to have that cascading reaction to get the cytokine storm, or if ours would be more likely to. And if it did happen, what are drugs and herbs and vitamins that can discourage or decrease that reaction? I've read something about ACE inhibitors, but didn't really understand a lot of what I was reading. Apparently, there's a list floating around the net about herbs and vitamins that help/hinder TNF-a and IL-6 production/action, but I'm not sure it's correct as I found no studies to back up some of the claims. I think they may be right about anything that enhances the immune rxns possibly causing a problem, like echinacea and the elderberry that seems to be effective against the plain ole flu (whatever that is), but they say that vitamin C megadoses will decrease TNF-a and IL-6, but I thought it enhanced those.
I'm confused.
Shonda
I'm confused.
Shonda
Shonda,
The truly deadly flu strains cause normal, healthy immune systems to produce cytokine "storms", that can have devastating effects. We have speculated that because our immune systems seem to be hyperactive, we might be more vulnerable to that sort of reaction. So far, though, to the best of my knowledge, history has not borne that out. (Of course, that could be because no one with a hyperactive immune system has been in the right spot, at the right time, so the theory has never been tested, or if it has been tested, the results were not noted, and the data were lost).
If our "overactive" immune systems are "dangerous", one would think that anytime we get an ordinary case of the flu, we might run a risk of being sicker than "normal' people, because our immune systems might overreact, and cause all sorts of dire consequences, or even kill us with "friendly fire", so to speak. In reality, though, while we are reacting, at least, we seem to catch fewer viruses than normal, and when we do catch one, it is usually milder than normal. That, of course, suggests a stronger immune system, but not one that's out of control.
On the other hand, those members taking a corticosteroid, or one of the other immune system suppressing meds, such as Humira, Remicade, etc., usually do have a higher risk of catching a virus, and if they catch one, it can be more difficult to get rid of, also.
Here's something else to consider. No one has ever proven that MC is an autoimmune reaction directed at the colonic fauna, even though that is the presumed cause. Likewise, no one has ever proven that Crohn's or UC are caused by an autoimmune reaction, even though that is the presumed cause. Some of us believe that an unknown pathogen is the cause of these diseases, and if that should turn out to be true, then obviously, our immune systems are not corrupt, after all, because they are simply doing what they were designed to do.
Also, consider that for those of us who react to certain peptides in wheat, and other foods, those peptides actually are toxic, (to us, at least). That implies that when our immune system correctly identifies them as toxic, again, it is merely performing it's job, correctly. Could it be that so called "normal" digestive systems, that are incapable of identifying these toxic amino acid sequences, and therefore fail to respond to them, are actually "corrupt"? Archaeological history shows many examples of species that benefited from "devolvement", when an existing trait was lost in later descendants of a species. (This is how most superbugs have come about - they have devolved, not evolved, as is commonly thought).
Of course, those with immune systems incapable of detecting those "toxic" gliadins, etc., are at an advantage, since they avoid an immune reaction altogether, and the "toxic" substances simply pass through their digestive systems without effect. In the case of an influenza virus, though, simply ignoring the virus is not an option, since it will tend to suppress the immune system, so that other opportunistic infections can become deadly.
If you want to become even more confused, consider this article, which discusses the theory that flu can become deadly due to the fact that it tends to paralyze the immune system. If that's true, then it may not matter what kind of immune system we have.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/ ... 050409.php
Tex
P. S. I guess what I'm saying, is that I'm just as confused as you are.
The truly deadly flu strains cause normal, healthy immune systems to produce cytokine "storms", that can have devastating effects. We have speculated that because our immune systems seem to be hyperactive, we might be more vulnerable to that sort of reaction. So far, though, to the best of my knowledge, history has not borne that out. (Of course, that could be because no one with a hyperactive immune system has been in the right spot, at the right time, so the theory has never been tested, or if it has been tested, the results were not noted, and the data were lost).
If our "overactive" immune systems are "dangerous", one would think that anytime we get an ordinary case of the flu, we might run a risk of being sicker than "normal' people, because our immune systems might overreact, and cause all sorts of dire consequences, or even kill us with "friendly fire", so to speak. In reality, though, while we are reacting, at least, we seem to catch fewer viruses than normal, and when we do catch one, it is usually milder than normal. That, of course, suggests a stronger immune system, but not one that's out of control.
On the other hand, those members taking a corticosteroid, or one of the other immune system suppressing meds, such as Humira, Remicade, etc., usually do have a higher risk of catching a virus, and if they catch one, it can be more difficult to get rid of, also.
Here's something else to consider. No one has ever proven that MC is an autoimmune reaction directed at the colonic fauna, even though that is the presumed cause. Likewise, no one has ever proven that Crohn's or UC are caused by an autoimmune reaction, even though that is the presumed cause. Some of us believe that an unknown pathogen is the cause of these diseases, and if that should turn out to be true, then obviously, our immune systems are not corrupt, after all, because they are simply doing what they were designed to do.
Also, consider that for those of us who react to certain peptides in wheat, and other foods, those peptides actually are toxic, (to us, at least). That implies that when our immune system correctly identifies them as toxic, again, it is merely performing it's job, correctly. Could it be that so called "normal" digestive systems, that are incapable of identifying these toxic amino acid sequences, and therefore fail to respond to them, are actually "corrupt"? Archaeological history shows many examples of species that benefited from "devolvement", when an existing trait was lost in later descendants of a species. (This is how most superbugs have come about - they have devolved, not evolved, as is commonly thought).
Of course, those with immune systems incapable of detecting those "toxic" gliadins, etc., are at an advantage, since they avoid an immune reaction altogether, and the "toxic" substances simply pass through their digestive systems without effect. In the case of an influenza virus, though, simply ignoring the virus is not an option, since it will tend to suppress the immune system, so that other opportunistic infections can become deadly.
If you want to become even more confused, consider this article, which discusses the theory that flu can become deadly due to the fact that it tends to paralyze the immune system. If that's true, then it may not matter what kind of immune system we have.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/ ... 050409.php
Tex
P. S. I guess what I'm saying, is that I'm just as confused as you are.
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex, that is really interesting -- and... of course confusing .
I've wondered about the pathogen theory of inflammatory bowel diseases myself. It seems we do get some autoimmune-like symptoms, but they may just be mimicks and not actually be autoimmune and like you said be normal reactions to something that shouldn't be there, just chronic.
This especially interests me after reading about Dr. Weston Price's work with root canals as they relate to illness and focal infections in the body. (I know, it's more dental stuff, but it's what's on my brain right now ). As an animal lover it was hard to read about, but the results were still interesting. I read about it in a book explaining Dr. Price's work, called Root Canal Coverup by George Meinig, DDS. He was one of the founders of endodontics and used to teach people how to perform root canals when the procedure was in it's infancy. He talked about how root canals can never be properly disinfected due to the nature of dentin tubules and the tooth being dead, so after the root canal, the tooth sets up a small, chronic infection that leaks this pathogen into the bloodstream and eventually leads to a focal infection or multiple focal infections throughout the body. Different strains of strep were particularly implicated. There are some dentists who also look for cavitations left from incorrectly extracted teeth and clean them out saying that they create the same kind of infectious set up. (In other words, the dentist did not scrape out the periodontal ligament. And it seems that dentists rarely do, so the socket never healed fully.)
I know there are thousands of other potential ways to get infected with something, but I'm just adding the ones I've read about to the mix. Again, more thinking out loud.
Sorry this is off topic.
Shonda
. I've wondered about the pathogen theory of inflammatory bowel diseases myself. It seems we do get some autoimmune-like symptoms, but they may just be mimicks and not actually be autoimmune and like you said be normal reactions to something that shouldn't be there, just chronic.
This especially interests me after reading about Dr. Weston Price's work with root canals as they relate to illness and focal infections in the body. (I know, it's more dental stuff, but it's what's on my brain right now
). As an animal lover it was hard to read about, but the results were still interesting. I read about it in a book explaining Dr. Price's work, called Root Canal Coverup by George Meinig, DDS. He was one of the founders of endodontics and used to teach people how to perform root canals when the procedure was in it's infancy. He talked about how root canals can never be properly disinfected due to the nature of dentin tubules and the tooth being dead, so after the root canal, the tooth sets up a small, chronic infection that leaks this pathogen into the bloodstream and eventually leads to a focal infection or multiple focal infections throughout the body. Different strains of strep were particularly implicated. There are some dentists who also look for cavitations left from incorrectly extracted teeth and clean them out saying that they create the same kind of infectious set up. (In other words, the dentist did not scrape out the periodontal ligament. And it seems that dentists rarely do, so the socket never healed fully.)I know there are thousands of other potential ways to get infected with something, but I'm just adding the ones I've read about to the mix. Again, more thinking out loud.
Sorry this is off topic.
Shonda
Shonda,
Please don't apologize for being off topic. First of all, nothing is off topic in this forum, and secondly, after reading what Dr. Meinig has to say about Dr. Weston's work, that line of reasoning appears to be closely related to what we are discussing here, namely immune system issues.
In fact, while I have no idea whether or not root canal infections might have anything to do with the onset of an IBD, (such as MC), the qualifying parameters certainly fit, don't they. Just as Dr. Weston found, (concerning the mestastasis of root canal infections to other focal points in the body), MC begins the same way, by some source of added stress on the body, (such as the flu, parasites, bacteria, medications, stopping smoking, a traumatic event, etc.). The criteria certainly match. This might possibly be another trigger source for MC, for all we know.
Tex
Please don't apologize for being off topic. First of all, nothing is off topic in this forum, and secondly, after reading what Dr. Meinig has to say about Dr. Weston's work, that line of reasoning appears to be closely related to what we are discussing here, namely immune system issues.
In fact, while I have no idea whether or not root canal infections might have anything to do with the onset of an IBD, (such as MC), the qualifying parameters certainly fit, don't they. Just as Dr. Weston found, (concerning the mestastasis of root canal infections to other focal points in the body), MC begins the same way, by some source of added stress on the body, (such as the flu, parasites, bacteria, medications, stopping smoking, a traumatic event, etc.). The criteria certainly match. This might possibly be another trigger source for MC, for all we know.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
THAT is one scary post!!! Can't decide if I want to look into it further or ignore it completely. I have had way too much dental work and even ongoing work to think about it!!Shirley,
Here are a couple of articles that I read:
http://www.mizar5.com/coverup.htm
http://www.notdoctors.com/crci3.html
I definitely had dental issues when my symptoms began, (still do, for that matter).
Love,
Tex
Here are a couple of articles that I read:
http://www.mizar5.com/coverup.htm
http://www.notdoctors.com/crci3.html
I definitely had dental issues when my symptoms began, (still do, for that matter).
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
This is very interesting. I've had a few root canals, but even more interesting is that my daughter, diagnosed with IBS, had root canals when she was living in Brazil. She never had any bowel problems prior to living there.
She was diagnosed with IBS shortly after she returned to the U.S. I always thought she picked up a parasite from Brazil, but she insists that they gave her a spectrum of antibiotics designed to kill any parasites before returning to the U.S. Apparently the U.S. isn't familiar with all of the possible parasites in South America and can't treat them as well as the South American countries.
I never associated her IBS with the root canals until now. Nor have I connected my problems with them. We need to take a survey of members to see how many have had root canals. Sadly, it sounds like anyone who has had a root canal is an incubator for infections.
Gloria
She was diagnosed with IBS shortly after she returned to the U.S. I always thought she picked up a parasite from Brazil, but she insists that they gave her a spectrum of antibiotics designed to kill any parasites before returning to the U.S. Apparently the U.S. isn't familiar with all of the possible parasites in South America and can't treat them as well as the South American countries.
I never associated her IBS with the root canals until now. Nor have I connected my problems with them. We need to take a survey of members to see how many have had root canals. Sadly, it sounds like anyone who has had a root canal is an incubator for infections.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
I've had several Root Canals done over the years. Can't remember the age I was with the first one but I think early thirties. I'm 66 now, and just had another one late last year.
Sounds like the only treatment is extraction but since I've had some of them for so long I would think the bacteria have already "escaped" from most of them (all but the last one actually). If it's already excaped then why have the tooth pulled.
I just can't deal with this right now. "shrug" I guess it is what it is.
Love, Shirley
Sounds like the only treatment is extraction but since I've had some of them for so long I would think the bacteria have already "escaped" from most of them (all but the last one actually). If it's already excaped then why have the tooth pulled.
I just can't deal with this right now. "shrug" I guess it is what it is.
Love, Shirley
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
-- Winston Churchill