Ingredients In Flu Vaccine
Ingredients In Flu Vaccine
A good part of the ingredients of a flu shot are dead influenza viruses. There are many strains of the flu virus in the air at any given time but pharmaceutical companies typically focus on only 3 of them. This is why a flu shot is no guarantee that you will not catch the flu.
At best you are playing with statistics because if the vaccine protects you from three strains there are more strains being recognized every year as the virus mutates. The best protection in such a scenario is to keep your immune system as strong as you can and keep yourself generally fit.
Because of the ingredients, a common flu shot can cause many side effects like body ache, fever, pain and soreness at the point of injection. These are just some of the side effects that people go through after taking the flu shot.
Besides the vaccine related ingredients, manufacturers also tend to include preservatives in the vaccine. Until recently there were simply no vaccines available without preservatives. This meant that the presence of thermisol, a commonly used vaccine preservative, could cause illness or injury. Thermisol is based on mercury and that makes it toxic in nature.
Other studies have also indicated a strong link between thermisol and other disorders resulting from its use. Autism is now believed to be linked to thermisol, since it is a neurotoxin. This is why you should be careful when giving a child a flu vaccine.
Some doctors are also of the opinion that ingredients like thermisol and aluminum increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. However, you should not that this is a very rare condition and cannot be directly linked to a flu vaccine because of the time lapse involved. It is a claim based in numbers.
For example, one physician has demonstrated that people who take regular flu shots for ten years are at 10 times the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Though the body is quick to rid itself of toxins it does not work equally well in all people. The result is that in some individuals, mercury tends to accumulate and this can lead to nerve and brain damage.
Allergy is another thermisol related problem. Some people tend to have a serious allergic reaction to flu vaccine if it contains thermisol. Some states have already placed a ban mercury in flu vaccines that are meant for pregnant women or children.
Health advocates have already petitions the FDA to ban thermisol from flu vaccines but so far no action has been taken. Most vaccines continue to use thermisol so you should be careful.
The dead influenza viruses mentioned earlier are grown in chicken eggs. This is why people with egg allergies are warned against flu vaccines.
Though fatigue and some other side effects are often blamed on the flu vaccine there is no supporting evidence for that claim. The nasal spray vaccine contains live influenza virus that has been weakened.
Though free of preservatives, it is only recommended for people between 5-49 years of age and in good health.