Swine flu shot alternative

[clockman]

For those of you who want to get a swine flu for yourself or members and
cant get one I may have an alternative for you.

Ive been taking an herb called elderberry for the last 3 winters and havent
even had a runny nose. The body has 72 trillion cells. Elderberry forms a
membrane around each of these cells that keeps out germs virsus etc.I take
1 capsule in the morning along with several other vitaminns and minerals.you
can find elderberry at health food stores.The directions on the bottle say
to take 2 or more 2 or 3 times but 1 once seems to work fine for me.

I found out about elderberry at seminar I went to at the health food store.
I start taking it(elderberry) in the fall when you close doors and stop in the
spring when doors and windows are opened.

[sarguy]

Was that what the French soldier meant when he said "your father smelt of elderberries!!"?


Kidding aside, the elderberry does seem to have some benefits. I'm not so sure about this "membrane" idea. Probably just an analogy...

[StangBang]

My family and I use Elderberry but in liquid concentrate form. Just mix a teaspoon of it in with some grape juice or cranberry juice and drink it once a day.

I would prefer a capsule method so I may have to check that out. ( I am always pretty rushed in the morning and have been slacking on taking it)

It does work quite well though. GREAT natural way to keep the body healthy. Of course exercise is needed as well

Thanks for sharing!

[Nifty_Nives]

actually you can do that, or something much less painful. You guys know those little squirter things for your nose that make a stuffy nose a runny nose? they have those same things for the flu. I am getting one on Friday, i will tell you guys if its painful. But i assume its just squirt, inhale, and you are done. it costs a bit of money, but its as good as it gets. i am EXTREMELY squeamish when it comes to needles, so kudos to my mom for finding this out. You have to go to a doctor to get one of these.

[thebestnoobcake]

I got swine flu during uni exams.. not fun, but closer to a bad cold than the normal flu.

might as well get it before it mutates into something dangerous

[D1omedes]

Well, I'm getting my swine flu vaccine on the 29th. I saw a story on 60 minutes of this healthy teenager who got it and nearly died. He's still in the ICU but he will recover. Scared the crap out of me.

Truth is, the disease is fatal in a small percentage of those who get it. Problem is that if you don't know you're in that percentage and you don't receive good care soon then you are in much more dangerous waters than you would be with the common flu.

In November my uni is having a regular flu vaccine. I might get that one too. Not sure yet.

[fret]

I was told by my allergist that I should not take the spray as I have asthma. But he did not know if I was in the correct age group to even get the shot? I don't want to get it but I will if the family doc recommends it. So far she hasn't. I'll going to check on it this week.

[sarguy]

The nasal insufflation is actually a weakened live virus instead of a dead one. Whether this translates to an increased risk of contracting swine flu is still being debated. The anxiety surrounding this "untested" vaccine is interesting considering that it's produced the same way that all flu vaccines are. Problem is, this one had TONS more press coverage of the production and any bumps along the way.

Did anyone else get a regular flu shot? Here at the hospital I work at, the fall 09 flu shot is listed as containing H1N1, albeit a different strain than swine flu. Unfortunately these shots are not a guarantee to prevent sickness anyway, as they're a "best guess" about what viruses will be prevalent in the coming season. Factoring in international travel, viral mutations, preventative measures taken or not taken, the price of tea in China, and whether a Yojimbo II is produced, my sense is that it's all a crap shoot anyway. :cool:

[Kuolema]

I had the 'swine' flu, piece of cake, 3 to 4 days and I was back in action.

My mother got her shot today, though, because she works for the Saskatoon Health Region, and all the so-called 'frontline' staff get it first (pretty much anyone who works in the hospital). She also got the normal one at the same time, like sarguy mentioned. She told me SHR was debating giving both shots to the workers, but I suppose they decided the benefits outweigh the risks.

As for me, I'm not getting no flu shot, I'll take my chances. Don't trust those vaccines...So thanks for this heads up, at least it'll provide some natural protection from this... H1N1 nonsense.

As for the research and information I've seen about this vaccine.... Well, let's just say I hope murphy's law doesn't kick in and doom us all.

[sarguy]

I had the 'swine' flu, piece of cake, 3 to 4 days and I was back in action.

My mother got her shot today, though, because she works for the Saskatoon Health Region, and all the so-called 'frontline' staff get it first (pretty much anyone who works in the hospital). She also got the normal one at the same time, like sarguy mentioned. She told me SHR was debating giving both shots to the workers, but I suppose they decided the benefits outweigh the risks.

As for me, I'm not getting no flu shot, I'll take my chances. Don't trust those vaccines...So thanks for this heads up, at least it'll provide some natural protection from this... H1N1 nonsense.

The H1N1 in the regular flu shot is NOT the "swine flu" strain, and won't provide any immunity against swine flu. I still haven't decided for sure about getting it, as I no longer work full time in the ER. I might go for it if I was still "frontline".

Saskatoon...such a nifty name. (it's 4-somthing in the AM here and I've been up all night. I'm easily amused when I'm tired)

[Sequimite]

Ive been taking an herb called elderberry for the last 3 winters and havent even had a runny nose.

Glad you're health has been good. In health matters I prefer to rely on empirical evidence rather than personal anecdote.

[quattrokid73]

Yesterday I find out my lady friend and all her roommates have H1N1 and I had kissed her the day before.

I've been zinc-ing to try and avoid sickness during midterms!!

My mom uses Elderberry and she has great luck with it also. I may too jump on the band wagon.

[thebestnoobcake]

I've been zinc-ing to try and avoid sickness during midterms!!

Hope you don't get sick! I got the swine flu during my exams in July, and that really sucked big time. Deferred exams are no fun, especially in uni.

[sarguy]

Glad you're health has been good. In health matters I prefer to rely on empirical evidence rather than personal anecdote.

I'm with you, and considered spending the time looking for pubmed or NEJM articles. Unfortunately college is too time consuming to do extensive research on things I'm not being graded on. Or on Spydercos...in fact, the use of Spydies and the magical healing powers of the :spyder: symbol are all I'm relying on this flu season. :P

...Come to think of it, I haven't been sick since buying my first Endura. Coincidence? I think not. :cool:

[Michael Cook]

:spyder: Wash your hands. Wash your hands. 20 seconds under hot water with soap. turn off water with paper towel. :o H1N1 can live 3-8 hours on a doorknob or banister. You can use any other wellness method you find rewarding as long as you... Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands. :spyder:

[spyderHS08]

actually you can do that, or something much less painful. You guys know those little squirter things for your nose that make a stuffy nose a runny nose? they have those same things for the flu. I am getting one on Friday, i will tell you guys if its painful. But i assume its just squirt, inhale, and you are done. it costs a bit of money, but its as good as it gets. i am EXTREMELY squeamish when it comes to needles, so kudos to my mom for finding this out. You have to go to a doctor to get one of these.

Thats what I got last week, totally painless and quick as two squirts two sniffs and done! :)
I hear its more effective as well, we shall see...

[DrBlade]

Looks like I'm going to buy some Elderberry tonight. It's not that I think the flu shot is bad(never had one) I just don't like the idea of putting the flu into my body.

[*Cho*]

I got swine flu during uni exams.. not fun, but closer to a bad cold than the normal flu.

might as well get it before it mutates into something dangerous

If it mutates into something more dangerous, you won't be immune anymore...cause it mutated :p

I plan on getting both vaccinations (h1n1 and the seasonal flu) when they are out. In BC, specifically the VCH region, the vaccinations are being set up in stages. First week is suppose to be for pregnant women, people under the age of 65 with a chronic illness, and people from isolated communites. Nov 9th is when I can get mine since I'm a health care worker. One week after that everyone else is good to get theres.

The only problem I have this schedule is that the media have done such a wonderful job of blowing this pandemic out of proportion regular people have been jumping their times and taking the shots when they shouldn't have been.

That just really rubs me the wrong way because it is selfish. To me it is stealing. You are physically taking the vaccination away from someone who really needs it because their immunesystem is compromised or their baby's health is at risk...disgusting...and I'm not blowing it out of proportion because VCH actually ran out of shots since too many regular people freaked out.

[Kuolema]

If it mutates into something more dangerous, you won't be immune anymore...cause it mutated :p

I plan on getting both vaccinations (h1n1 and the seasonal flu) when they are out. In BC, specifically the VCH region, the vaccinations are being set up in stages. First week is suppose to be for pregnant women, people under the age of 65 with a chronic illness, and people from isolated communites. Nov 9th is when I can get mine since I'm a health care worker. One week after that everyone else is good to get theres.

The only problem I have this schedule is that the media have done such a wonderful job of blowing this pandemic out of proportion regular people have been jumping their times and taking the shots when they shouldn't have been.

That just really rubs me the wrong way because it is selfish. To me it is stealing. You are physically taking the vaccination away from someone who really needs it because their immunesystem is compromised or their baby's health is at risk...disgusting...and I'm not blowing it out of proportion because VCH actually ran out of shots since too many regular people freaked out.

I totally agree with you! The stages were created to protect the most vulnerable, being the sick, the pregnant, etc. The chances of a healthy individual dying from H1N1 is so small, but for someone who is in one of the aforementioned groups, their risk is considerably greater.

But people are too ignorant to realize this and instead try to save their own skin. It's more the medias fault though, even here at the University of Saskatchewan, I keep getting emails from our Health Centre telling me there's a huge outbreak coming, etc. It's just causing such a mass hysteria, causing more problems than good.

Just my two cents though, I hope people will wise up.

[Clawhammer]

my two cents;

The real alternative to swine flu shots is avoiding getting sick in the first place! As Michael Cook said... wash your hands.

Symptoms of swine flu are not much more than a sore throat and cold (i.e. it's more contagious than virulent).

The numbers dying from H1N1 are on par with normal demographics for cold flu season fatalities (very old/very young/people with underlying medical conditions) If those numbers have you worried, look up your country's pedestrian/car crash fatality statistics

And what idiot invented a nasal spray for people suffering from a cold/flu in the first place? :)

p.s.

I'm worried about what the media's beat-up of these last few 'pandemics' will cost us. Sure it sold newspapers and advertising airspace.. but the public are becoming blase about this hysterical reporting. And then what'll happen when the next Spanish Flu arrives?