Flu Season -back again!

We have a bunch of articles about the flu in our Flu Series.  And at the end of this post, we have a Complementary Therapies section about flu prevention!!

So, the 2014 flu vaccine did not do well in protecting people from the 2014 flu.  The popular question is….will this 2015 vaccine be any better?  Good question!  “They” say it will be better and everyone is quite hopeful but really it is just hard to predict what flu strains need to be vaccinated against.  There are world-wide, year-round surveillance teams that monitor and chart flu virus trends and then ultimately guess which ones to create a vaccine against.

Why the guessing game?  There are a multitude of flu types and subtypes that are constantly shifting and changing.  Add on the amount of possible combinations and we are talking about some serious guess work!  Then throw in that it takes about 6 months to make the vaccines.  This means that in February 2015, it was decided what to put in the vaccine for the following flu season.

Imagine watching the Superbowl and having to pick what teams in the NFL would make it to the playoffs  for the NEXT season..then imagine instead of 32 teams to choose from, you have a thousand and the players on each team are constantly changing.  Kind of silly but those are the odds!

What is with all the different flu vaccines?

It is crazy how many flu vaccines are out there!  Let’s break it down…

1.  Is the vaccine quadrivalent or trivalent?  The flu vaccine covers either 3 (trivalent) or 4 (quadrivalent) flu virus strains.  The trivalent  vaccine will cover a strain of Influenza A H3N2, Influenza A H1N1 and a strain of B virus.  The quadrivalent covers the same plus an extra B strain.  The quadrivalent gives a little more coverage.    **Little hint here, if last year you got the quadrivalent flu vaccine, the extra B strain that is covered is the same so this year you can just get the trivalent –less $$ usually! If you don’t remember, the pharmacy should have it recorded! **  
2. Is the vaccine LIVE-ATTENUATED or INACTIVATED?   Live-attenuated vaccine means the vaccine is made up of live flu virus (that has been weakened).  It is only approved for healthy people ages 2-49 years old because there is a risk of infection (read more:  What are Live Attenuated Vaccines?).  There is only one live vaccine available -FluMist and it is the one that is given in the nose (no shot).  It was thought FluMist may be more effective then the shot but new studies show it is just as effective (not more).  The only benefit seems to be that it is NOT a shot!  Inactivated vaccine is a virus that has NO live virus -all of the virus has been inactivated.  So there should be no risk of infection.  
3. How is the vaccine given?  Most vaccines out there are given by an IM shot (into the muscle).  FluMist is given as a spray into the nostrils (no shot).  Fluzone Intradermal is given as an intradermal shot -it is a much smaller needle then the IM shot (90% smaller) because it doesn’t need to get all the way to the muscle.  
4. Are there any special circumstances? 
   • Latex allergy?  There are some vaccines that are latex free. Just be sure to tell the pharmacist.
   • Serious egg allergy?  FluBlok is latex and completely egg-free.
   • Low dose:  Fluzone Intradermal only has 9mcg of each virus strain (typical IM shots have 15mcg).  It has been shown as effective as the IM shots.
   • High dose:  Fluzone High-Dose has 60mcg of each virus strain (vs standard of 15mcg).  This vaccine is for people 65 years or older.  The idea is that the immune response decreases as we age, so if we give a higher level of virus the vaccine will work better.  However, in the drug package insert it states that this is just a theory and not known if the higher dose will actually work better.  And side effects were reported more often after the high dose vs the regular dose vaccine.  Obviously the choice is yours but I would not recommend this to my Dad.

What are the side effects of the flu vaccine:

There is a risk of infection with the Nasal FluMist because it is Live-attenuated virus.  There is no risk of infection according to conventional Western medicine because there is no live virus in the flu shot.  However, according to homeopathic medicine both vaccines can cause the flu because you are introducing the vibration of the virus into the body.

Reported  typical side effects include:

• Soreness, redness and swelling where the vaccine was given
• Low-grade fever
• Muscle aches
• Nasal FluMist -runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat, wheezing, vomiting

More severe reported side effects include:

• Steven Johnson’s Syndrome (severe allergic reaction)
• Guillian Barre Syndrome (disorder affecting the nervous system)
• anaphylaxis shock (life threatening allergic reaction)
• seizures, fainting, chest pain, inflammation

Complementary Therapies:

What can you do to help prevent the flu whether you chose to get the flu shot or not!

1.  Get plenty of rest!
2. Optimize your vitamin D levels.  Vitamin D plays a huge role in our immune system and most of us our vit D deficient.  We have a couple of articles you can read more about how to optimize:  Vitamin D  and Vitamin D for Kids.
3. Drink MORE water!  Water helps remove toxins from the body.  It also keeps your mucus membranes (nose, eyes, mouth) moist and more difficult for viruses to get into the body!  Don’t worry, we have an article all about How Much Water Should I Drink?
4. Eat some fish or take fish oil supplements and take some probiotics (good bacteria) -this will help your body fight off anything that shouldn’t be bothering it!
5. De-Stress as much as possible.  Deep breaths, meditation, naps, watch a funny movie, hula-hoop -do something super silly and LAUGH!  Stress sends out a signal to all germs saying -come get me! 🙂
6. Eat whole foods as much as possible.  Avoid super processed foods.  Add more veggies to your plate!
7. Wash your hands with real soap and water…not just that antibacterial foam alcohol stuff!
8. Walk around (preferably outside).  Walking helps move toxins out of the body and helps your immune system work wonderfully!  Getting some fresh air at the same time is even better!
9. Avoid being inside with stagnant dry air.  Winter time, how is this possible?!  Well take breathing breaks outside (the new smoke break 😉 but just with breathing fresh, crisp air instead!)  Think about getting a humidifier to help keep the air inside from getting crazy dry!
10.  Ask your kindergartner how to properly cover your mouth with your elbow when you cough and sneeze …this helps people around you avoid your germs!