Complementary Medicine

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Jacob Teitelbaum MD, internist and author of From Fatigued to Fantastic!, researches treatments for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and fibromyalgia. See full bio

October 15, 2009, Health

Should I Take the Swine Flu Vaccine?

Should I take the Swine Flu vaccine?

Swine Flu vaccine There has been a lot of publicity regarding the Swine Flu. Unfortunately, most of it has been sensationalistic nonsense, instead of educational and helpful. It is important to put the Swine Flu in perspective.

The Swine Flu has been MUCH milder than the usual flu virus that hits the world each winter, which normally kills about 30,000- 50,000 Americans — almost all elderly and chronically ill each year. Because of this, there is the usual yearly recommendation to get the flu vaccine. As of September 2009, the Swine Flu had caused a little over 500 deaths — or only about 1% as many as the normal flu — though it would be hard to tell this from the news stories. Sadly, the news media is learning that "fear sells." On the other hand, truth is liberating.

The bottom line? It is reasonable for people with CFS and/or FMS to get the flu vaccine, including the Swine Flu vaccine, but not critical. For those who get severely ill when they get the flu, it is reasonable to get the vaccine. For those who get sick from vaccines or prefer to avoid them, it is best to skip them. For everyone else, it is simply a matter of personal preference. Still on the fence? Overall, I think the flu vaccine is a good idea for those with CFS/FMS who frequently get the flu (at least 1 year out of 3). Unfortunately, taking the swine flu may lower the effectiveness of the regular flu vaccine (and vice versa), so I would still simply get the regular flu vaccine instead.

Most important to avoid the flu?

When it is going around, wash your hands after getting home from public places. The flu travels by "hitch hiking" a ride on your hands (when you touch surfaces touched by those with the flu) to catch a ride to your mouth or nose. Wash your hands when you get home to send the virus down the drain.
Get your 8 hours of sleep a night and take a good multivitamin to optimize your immune system. Especially important would be the zinc and vitamin C. These not only help strengthen your immune system, but may even determine if the vaccine works (optimal zinc is important for vaccines to work).
If you catch a virus, take a Thymic Protein supplement as early in the infection as you can to jump start your immune defenses. This is good for children or adults, and I recommend keeping some in everyone's medicine cabinet (the earlier in an infection you start it the better).
Another excellent treatment, if begun at the first sign of the flu symptoms (day 1), is a homeopathic remedy called "Oscillococcinum." This can be found not only in health food stores, but even in many supermarkets and drug stores.
Meanwhile, avoid excess stress — like watching over sensationalized news reports. Remember, these are often geared to entertain and sensationalize (which is what sells ads) — not to give an accurate perspective.