We don’t just catch a disease. We are full players in the game. If we have weakened our immune function in any number of ways, we are more likely to get sick. A fact is a fact. Similarly, if we keep ourselves strong and fighting, we can french kiss the world over and not get the flu (though we’d likely come down with a good dose of other stuff).
The point is that it is pretty much our own decision. So stop asking everyone you know whether you should get the vaccine. The decision is yours to make and yours alone. Sure, advice is helpful, research is imperative, but the responsibility is our own and no body else. Why? Because we are in control of how strong we keep ourselves.
Come on now. Step up. Take it upon yourself and do what is a-okay righty tighty for you.
Whether you get the vaccine or not, you still need to keep the immune system strong through the season. Here are some links that will help you do just that.
- How To Catch A Flu In 5 Easy Steps
- Meghan’s Vaccine For Health
- I (heart) Chicken Soup
- Probi-what?
- At Last Prevention Makes Headlines
- A Nutritionista’s First Aid Kit
- The Garlic Cure-All
Fantastic video Meghan. I really agree with your point of view that everyone needs to
a) do what’s best for themselves and
b) take preventative measures on an ongoing basis for good heath
Thank you for this! Finally some common sense!
No vaccine here!!! So many “crohn’s people” on twitter are being crazy about getting it because there docs told them too, they are in shock when I say I would NEVER get it and I NEVER have gotten a flu shot! Haha, so misinformed!
Ah Meghan… I love reading what you have to say… you always seem to say what I’ve been saying only better and funnier and with better sources;)
Thanks so much Meghan. As always- clear, well articulated, researched advice. I agree, everyone has to do what is right for them but I think it is vital to get out there that there are other ways to keep ourselves healthy and support our immune systems
[...] To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate [...]
I didn’t know that if you have Crohn’s that vaccines affect it.
So if I were to get the H1N1 vaccine, there would be a possibility of going into a flare up?
Wonderful video Meghan. People are just too freaked out about this. If I am living a lifestyle with great whole foods and taking care of my body I will not get sick. Our bodies were made to battle sickness and get the gross things out of our bodies. If my body is not working on other things like trying to break down a dead carcass then it can kill any bacteria or virus that it comes in contact with. People just don’t see that they can control how they feel through food and lifestyle!
well said again : )
No vaccine for THIS “crohn’s person” either
Wonderful insight and video, Meghan!
“Freak you the f-bomb out.” HAHAHA love it.
My question for you Meghan- when you say you don’t eat sugar, I hear this over and over again, I know sugar is bad for your immune system, but when you say no sugar you obviously mean no processed white sugar and adding sweeteners to things but does this include no fruits, say, a banana-strawberry smoothie? Or applesauce in my porridge with a drizzle of raw honey?
I agree with you 100% on this. Let’s all stay healthy! I need to work on the MORE sleep part.
nope. this means no processed refined nonsense. thoug h fruits are high in sugars, they are also high in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fibre, enzymes and other goodness.
It is recommened that those with Crohn’s should actually get the H1N1 vaccine due to their weakened immune system. From what I have heard, there has been no proof that the vacination triggers a flare up. Eating junk food may cause a flare up, but there has been no indication that this vaccine will have a similar effect.
Auto-immune is not a situation or condition of weakened immune but of an overactive immune response (unless you are in immune suppressive medications). Injecting a virus, live or dead, into someone with an over active immune system can most definitely trigger a flare-up. Studies are mixed on this, but medicine also claims not to know the cause or cure for these conditions.
Once again, I stress, that it is our own individual choice and our own responsibility. As with all issues of medical science, it is very easy to find references to support whichever side of the argument you are on.
Amen.
Thank you for a great, common sense video.
I love it! True words of wisdom, my sage nutritionista.
I agree with your point, but I’m definitely still trying to get people to side with the “don’t vaccinate yourself” argument. I’m afraid that if we say “do what’s best for you”, people are not going to be able to separate scary media stories from their own intuition. In a perfect world, everyone would be educated on their own health matters and would be able to make wise, independent choices, but in reality many people just defer to popular opinion because of a) laziness or b)lack of knowledge.
But yeah, vitamin D, garlic, and probiotics rock
I don’t disagree with most of the comments here. A healthy immune system should be enough to beat the H1N1 flu (should any of us fall victim to it). There is obviously no guarantee that it will prevent us from catching it, but it will certainly reduce the severity and symptoms.
That being said, the reason I will be getting the vaccination (and I have never had one before) is because of my concern for those with weakened immune systems. People are dying from this virus and I am really worried that many people won’t have the strength to beat it.
Let’s assume one of us “healthy types” catches the flu (healthy diet, vitamin D etc… but no vaccination) and are able to fight it off. While carrying the virus, we “pass it on” to someone who has a compromised immune system..a cancer patient, for example. Because of their health situation (not necessarily due to their poor diet), they become extremely sick or as a worst case, pass away.
Personally, I would be devasted to know that I “passed the virus on” to someone who didn’t have the strength to beat it. Some people are even saying it is selfish” not to get the vaccination.
Meghan – I would be intersted to know your thoughts on this? Thanks!
My immediate thought is that the vaccination does not guarantee that you won’t get sick, or even carry the virus. The medical field may be touting it as a preventative measure against the flu, my view is that it is a treatment strategy for the epidemic of compromised immune systems. I would be devastated to know that I carried the virus and passed it along to anyone else, but just like they do on airplanes putting your own mask on first, I would never compromise my own health for any ‘what if’ situations. And my feeling is that getting the vaccination is a greater health risk to me than getting the flu.