Flu Shot Dangers – What You Need to Know

Government health authorities made a big push this fall and winter to get Americans to get the flu shot. But does is really work? Dr. Erika Schwartz, a leading national expert on disease prevention and the author of four best-selling books, says not everyone needs a flu shot, and questions remain about its possible side effects.

“Some people need the flu shot — if they are older, they’re chronically ill, if their immune system is at risk,” she says. “But in general, most people do not need the flu shot.”

Flu Shot Dangers – What You Need to Know

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 8:00 AM

Government health authorities made a big push this fall and winter to get Americans to get the flu shot. But does is really work? Dr. Erika Schwartz, a leading national expert on disease prevention and the author of four best-selling books, says not everyone needs a flu shot, and questions remain about its possible side effects.

“Some people need the flu shot — if they are older, they’re chronically ill, if their immune system is at risk,” she says. “But in general, most people do not need the flu shot.”

Reports so far this winter show the flu season has been a mild one, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying flu activity is “relatively low.” Even if that changes and many more cases are reported, Dr. Schwartz advises people who are healthy not to panic and get a flu shot, especially because it takes six to 12 weeks for it to become fully effective, she says.

“If you’re going to run out the moment you hear somebody next door got the flu, then you’re actually not doing yourself a service,” she says. “You’re better off washing your hands, sleeping well, exercising, eating right, not drinking a lot of alcohol, not drinking a lot of caffeine, and really taking care of yourself because that’s more likely to prevent the flu than the flu shot.”

What’s more, people should know that there are questions about possible ill effects from the flu shot. About .35 percent of the flu vaccines made in the United States contain the preservative thimerosal, a stabilizer that has mercury in it. While other flu vaccines may not contain mercury, a potential neurotoxin, they do contain other stabilizers and not enough is known about their safety either, she says.

Some people may confuse colds with flu, but the flu is much more severe. A cold lasts about three to five days and causes coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and sometimes a low fever. Flu, on the other hand, is like a severe cold, she says, plus it causes terrible muscle aches, intense fatigue, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea. It usually lasts about five to seven days.

“It really affects your entire body and also it’s always associated with high fever,” she says. “But the treatment (for colds and flu) is all the same because it’s all caused by a virus, which is usually self-contained. So you want fluids, vitamin C, (the milk protein supplement) lactoferrin, and rest.”

Taking the flu remedy Tamiflu is not the answer, she says, because there is no scientific data proving it shortens flu duration. Also, studies have raised questions about whether Tamiflu results in more severe flu later in people who take it.

And while many of us would love a simple prescription for antibiotics to fight the flu, they do not treat the flu because it is caused by a virus. Antibiotics fight bacteria, parasites, and fungi, Dr. Schwartz notes, not viruses.

“We want to go get an antibiotic, but it’s actually going to make us sicker over the long run because antibiotics decrease our immune system’s reaction and response to any kind of viral infection.”