flu

[Jack]

I have it.

[lixnaw]

this realy works http://www.oscillo.com/ and it's harmless

[Jack]

Even though it says it has no drug interactions, I still can't take it.

I'm on a lot of psychiatric medicines and I'm not allowed to take anything, or the interaction may make me go insane (again). I'm supposed to ask my doctor before I take even a tylenol, and he's out of the office till at least Monday, so I get to just suffer endlessly till then, and probably after, because he doesn't want me to be taking anything.

[Miwokhill]

I don't know if the flu has hit yet around here but I've had a pretty gnarly cold the last week. It almost seems like the flu because each day it goes into a different phase of aches, pains, excessive kleenex use etc. -I never get sick, not much that is, and I hate to take cold medicines because I don't think they really help. Anyway, hope you feel better fast Cranberry. -mike

[Darwin]

I don't know if the flu has hit yet around here but I've had a pretty gnarly cold the last week. It almost seems like the flu because each day it goes into a different phase of aches, pains, excessive kleenex use etc. -I never get sick, not much that is, and I hate to take cold medicines because I don't think they really help. Anyway, hope you feel better fast Cranberry. -mike

My granddaughter missed three days of school last week due to fever, upchucking, sore throat, and something else she'd rather not have mentioned in public (I'm such a good Grandpa!). I'm not sure whether it was the flu or bad kimchi, but she seems to be okay already, except for a slight cough.

Get better, Harold.

[Jack]

Get better, Harold.

Excuse me? My name is Maude.

[izzarina]

I have it.

Is that why you'd been gone for a bit, Cran? I hope you're feeling better soon!

[Jack]

I have it.

Is that why you'd been gone for a bit, Cran? I hope you're feeling better soon!

Not entirely... I had keyboard issues with my computer, too. I could sign online and read, but not type. It really got on my nerves, especially when people would message me and I'd have no way to respond besides copying and pasting letter for letter.

[Daniel_Bingamon]

I'd have no way to respond besides copying and pasting letter for letter.

Oh my, that must take some time. I know when writing a long response to someone just to see that the modem timed out and hung up the phone is frustrating. I usually save my messages before hitting submit -- as some software looses the message if you don't have 'perfect' connection.

DSL is just too expensive for whistlemakers.

So did you have one of those 'Flu Shots' that everyone talks about in the news. I've never had any of them.

Here's medical question: With people getting different Flu vaccines every year and other forms of vaccine or antibiotics. It is possible that the bodies ability to gather antibodies on it's own could be affected because of it's storage of antibodies is overfilled with stuff the person might not need. After all, the white cells can hold so much in anti-viral sequences.

[SirNick]

I'd have no way to respond besides copying and pasting letter for letter.

Oh my, that must take some time. I know when writing a long response to someone just to see that the modem timed out and hung up the phone is frustrating. I usually save my messages before hitting submit -- as some software looses the message if you don't have 'perfect' connection.

DSL is just too expensive for whistlemakers.

So did you have one of those 'Flu Shots' that everyone talks about in the news. I've never had any of them.

Here's medical question: With people getting different Flu vaccines every year and other forms of vaccine or antibiotics. It is possible that the bodies ability to gather antibodies on it's own could be affected because of it's storage of antibodies is overfilled with stuff the person might not need. After all, the white cells can hold so much in anti-viral sequences.

Exactly!! I don't believe anyone that doesn't have health problems or a weak immune system should get the flu shot. Our bodies need to be able to fight off illnesses naturally and not be tricked into it. The same goes for antibiotics. I don't take antibiotics for every little thing like a large portion of people (U.S. people is all I can speak for) do. It seems like we're daring nature to come up with a super flu or super infection. Sorry, I just artificially stimulated myself with coffee and didn't mean to rant.

I hope you can rest and get better Cranberry. I don't like to even blow a flute or whistle when I'm sick. Yucko!

[Darwin]

Here's medical question: With people getting different Flu vaccines every year and other forms of vaccine or antibiotics. It is possible that the bodies ability to gather antibodies on it's own could be affected because of it's storage of antibodies is overfilled with stuff the person might not need. After all, the white cells can hold so much in anti-viral sequences.

Nope, it doesn't work that way. In fact, the way it does work is pretty fascinating (to me, at least).

Antibodies are proteins that are produced by special cells called "lymphocytes". Depending on species and age, animals have between 1 billion and 100 billion different lymphocytes. Humans have 30 to 40 billion.

When properly stimulated, each of these cells has the genetic information to make a specific antibody. What a vaccine for a specific disease does is to stimulate the production of the antibody for that disease, using dead or weakened bacteria cells, so that antibodies are produced without our having to suffer the disease. In effect, we are stocking up on antibodies in anticipation of being exposed to the disease.

However, the production of lots of one kind of antibody at one point in time does not interfere with the production of a different kind of antibody in the future.

Here's the most current info on how the process works:

A lymphocyte produces antibodies that stay lodged on the surface of its cell membrane. When a foreign antigen (bacterial or other foreign protein) comes into contact with a lymphocyte, it combines with the lymphocyte cell surface. This reaction triggers the cell to divide and thereby produce copies of that original lymphocyte. These daughter cells produce more free-floating antibodies, in addition to the antibodies already lodged in the cell's own surface. These free-floating antibodies will destroy any antigens of that type that they come in contact with.

Different lymphocytes have slightly different genetic stuctures, causing them to produce antibodies with slightly different molecular structure. As a result, they will react more or less strongly to any specific antigen. Because contact with an antigen stimulates increased reproduction of those lymphocytes that are most sensitive to that particular antigen, an invading bacteria, in effect, causes the increased production of the antibodies that will destroy it.

During this process, because there is increased reproduction of lymphocytes, there is also increased mutation. Because of the link between reaction to antigens and rate of reproduction, any lymphocyte that produces antibodies that react more strongly to a common antigen will increase in number, thus increasing the bodies resistance to that particular antigen.

Needless to say, this is a very superficial description of the process. The main point is that our bodies are prepared to increase their resistance to a wide variety of antigens without having to keep a large store of antibodies for every disease that might occur. I'm no expert, but it seems unlikely that we have to worry about overloading our immune systems through vaccination for different diseases or different forms of the "same" disease.

The 1984 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for work in this area: http://nobelprize.org/medicine/laureates/1984/

[caniadafallon]

Cran, even if you didn't have to worry about drug interactions, you'd probably want to avoid the Oscillococcinum-- even though it does work very well, most vegetarians won't use it. I doubt you would want to consume even a homeopathic dose of duck heart and liver. Just thought I'd warn you.

Feel better soon!! Gary the Snail says hi.

~Ad

[izzarina]

Cran, even if you didn't have to worry about drug interactions, you'd probably want to avoid the Oscillococcinum-- even though it does work very well, most vegetarians won't use it. I doubt you would want to consume even a homeopathic dose of duck heart and liver. Just thought I'd warn you.

eewwww! is that what they are made from??????

[Lambchop]

Here's medical question: With people getting different Flu vaccines every year and other forms of vaccine or antibiotics. It is possible that the bodies ability to gather antibodies on it's own could be affected because of it's storage of antibodies is overfilled with stuff the person might not need. After all, the white cells can hold so much in anti-viral sequences.

Nope, it doesn't work that way. In fact, the way it does work is pretty fascinating (to me, at least).

What Darwin said!

The vaccine is just a way to provide your body with some antigens, or bits of bugs, to make antibody against. Your body is constantly encountering foreign stuff and making antibodies to it . . . constantly. The vaccine just presents a few specific ones so that you can get a head start on things.

[Jack]

Cran, even if you didn't have to worry about drug interactions, you'd probably want to avoid the Oscillococcinum-- even though it does work very well, most vegetarians won't use it. I doubt you would want to consume even a homeopathic dose of duck heart and liver. Just thought I'd warn you.

Feel better soon!! Gary the Snail says hi.

~Ad

Thanks, and tell the snail I said howdy, too.

Gary's a cool snail name. I used to have a snail named Gary (who turned out to be female) and a snail named Mary (who ended up being male).