Seasonal Flu Vaccine - Is it Right for You and Your Family?

With the current flu scares, deciding whether or not you and your family should get the seasonal flu vaccine is an important topic. If you're interested in holistic health and healthy living, you want to ensure that you make the best choice when it comes to the flu vaccine.

The seasonal flu vaccine is a vaccine, which is given with a needle, that includes a killed virus. These shots usually are given in your arm and they have been approved for those over the age of 6 months. Each year the flu vaccine changes a bit based on estimates by scientists of what strains and types of the flu virus are going to circulate.

Before you decide whether or not the seasonal flu vaccine is the right choice for you and your family, it's important that you learn the facts. Here is a look at the flu shot side effects that can occur, the effectiveness of these vaccines, the pros and cons flu vaccine to help you decide, and some holistic health natural alternatives available if you decide the flu vaccine isn't right for you.

Understanding Flu Shot Side Effects

There are some flu shot side effects that can occur when you get the seasonal flu vaccine. According to the CDC, you cannot actually get the flu from a flu shot, since the viruses are dead in the shot. There are some minor effects that occur when you get the shot, such as swelling of the vaccination site, redness, a low grade fever, and aches and pains. In some cases it has been known to cause several allergic reactions as well. Some people can develop headaches and chills within the first 24 hours as well.

How Effective is the Seasonal Flu Vaccine

As you are deciding whether or not to get a flu vaccine this season, you'll want to consider the effectiveness of the vaccine. The ability for this vaccine to keep people protected will depend on their health status and age. However, it also depends on whether or not the match between the viruses in the vaccine and those that are actually circulating is right. There have been times when the seasonal flu vaccine didn't even provide protection against the flu viruses circulating.

Pros and Cons of the Flu Vaccine

It's important to take a look at pros and cons flu vaccine before making your decision. On the pro side, those who support seasonal flu vaccines say that getting these vaccines can lower the risk of developing the flu. However, you do need to realize that getting the flu shot doesn't mean you'll be immune. The influenza virus changes on a regular basis, and experts really are only guessing about what will work each year.

One of the cons is that flu shots may not be as effective as we think. Studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and other studies in the British Medical Journal have shown that in reality, these vaccines don't have a big effect on preventing the flu. Other studies have suggested that in children, there is no evidence that the flu vaccine is more effective than taking a placebo.

There is newer evidence that is also showing that there can be some risks associated with getting a seasonal flu vaccine. Some believe that there can be adverse reactions that cause arthritis and reactions in the joints, some evidence points to the possibility that these vaccines can cause Alzheimer's, and the mercury in some vaccines can be dangerous as well.

Natural Alternatives to Consider

- always get at least 8 hours of sleep

- take extra vitamins and supplements, such as natural multivitamins, and extra vitamin C

- get exercise on a regular basis

- eat healthy foods

- wash your hands on a regular basis

- avoid touching your face with your hands

- try taking a low dose of Echinacea

- make use of essential oils known to help combat flu viruses

The above suggestions are the basics, the minimum steps we should all be taking every flu season to keep ourselves healthy. To learn about additional steps you can take to protect yourself from the swine flu as well as what, specifically you should do if you get swine flu, Click Here

Similar Articles

The following articles contain content that is similar to this article,Seasonal Flu Vaccine - Is it Right for You and Your Family?:

• Swine Flu Vaccine - A Look at the Pros and Cons
• Seasonal Flu and Flu Symptoms - What You Need to Know
• How to Prevent Swine Flu and What To Do If You Get Swine Flu
• Understanding The Swine Flu
  Return to Top Seasonal Flu Vaccine
  

  ---

  
  
  
  ADD TO YOUR SOCIAL BOOKMARKS: Blink Del.icio.us Digg
  Furl Google Simpy Spurl Technorati Y! MyWeb