{"id":1677,"date":"2008-09-23T14:30:12","date_gmt":"2008-09-23T19:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/?p=1677"},"modified":"2021-10-17T02:23:55","modified_gmt":"2021-10-17T07:23:55","slug":"flu-shot-do-i-need-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2008\/09\/23\/flu-shot-do-i-need-one","title":{"rendered":"Flu Shot: Do I Need One?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Posted 09\/23\/2008<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quick answer is, probably yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Influenza (Italian: influence, a reference to the fact that the disease has always occurred in recognizable epidemics) makes its appearance virtually every winter and may last as long as spring. The biggest believers in flu immunization are those who\u2019ve been through one bad flu episode. No one wants a second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best time to get your flu shot<\/a> is right now–mid-September, October, and November–to be protected if the flu peaks with its usual timing in January and February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A flu epidemic is triggered by a specific virus, usually named for where the virus first appeared. Because of international air travel, infections spread around the globe at jet speed. The virus itself changes just enough each year to outsmart the previous year\u2019s vaccine, so the formula you receive in your 2008 flu shot is based on the work of scientists trying to second guess Mother Nature. Some years, their guess is better than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once an urban area is hit, flu spreads quickly. If it infects someone in your office, dorm, or family, you may awaken one morning with a little sore throat and muscle achiness that progress, often in just a few hours, to a fever, deep cough, headache, shaking chills, fiery sore throat, and profound sense of fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The difference between a bad cold and the flu is one of degree. With a bad cold, symptoms are surface–runny nose, scratchy throat, congestion–but never anything internal. You\u2019re annoyed but rarely wiped out by a cold. No fever or chills, no muscle aches. Generally, with a cold, if you weren\u2019t spraying mucous over your keyboard and your throat didn\u2019t hurt, you could function. With the flu, you can barely read a book, the Home Shopping Network is too complicated to watch, and you just want to remain immobile except for a few sips of hot tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can probably tell that I\u2019ve had the flu. That\u2019s why I always get a flu shot. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) lists groups that should be immunized, but as broad as their list is it\u2019s still too restrictive in my view. In a nutshell, the HHS includes every child over 6 months and under 18, adults over 50, and anyone in between who might get pregnant or who has a long-term health problem (heart disease, lung disease, etc). Their list also includes caregivers and household contacts of children under five and people over 50.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To that list, I would add:
\u2022 Those with weak immune systems<\/strong> If you know your immune system isn\u2019t as strong as you\u2019d like it to be — maybe you get every cold going around — get a flu shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Patients with susceptibility to low-serotonin disorders,<\/strong> such as depression, generalized anxiety, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and chronic headaches. Remember, serotonin acts as a stress buffer. Low-serotonin people are more susceptible to the ravages of stress, which damps down your immune system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 People who are simply stressed out<\/strong> If you\u2019re under a lot of stress (economic, relationship, anything), your immune system is probably not at its peak. Get a flu shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Living\/working with a lot of exposure to other human beings,<\/strong> remembering that most of them occasionally forget to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze. When patients ask me how they got the flu, I ask if they\u2019d ridden on a full elevator, been on a packed bus, or shopped a crowded store. Flu spreads easily via droplet transmission, which is a nice way of saying all it takes is one person to cough or sneeze in your direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just about everyone can tolerate the flu shot. The ubiquitous \u201cegg warning\u201d refers to serious egg allergies (hives, asthma), not an egg sensitivity in which your digestive system is upset by eating eggs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get your shot wherever it\u2019s convenient. We administer the same vaccine you get at work and in many drug stores. WholeHealth Chicago patients can pop into the office anytime Monday through Thursday for a shot–ask for my assistant Liz. Please call first, just to make sure we haven\u2019t exhausted our supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be well,
David Edelberg, MD<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posted 09\/23\/2008 The quick answer is, probably yes. Influenza (Italian: influence, a reference to the fact that the disease has always occurred in recognizable epidemics) makes its appearance virtually every winter and may last as long as spring. The biggest believers in flu immunization are those who\u2019ve been through one bad flu episode. 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