At a family reunion last week, a cousin asked what I thought about giving the HPV vaccine (Gardasil) to adolescents. At 10 years old, our kids are getting close to the recommended age for this shot and there’s a lot of hype. I gave her an unqualified answer: DON’T DO IT. The risks of getting […]
As much as we might try to avoid it, anyone can come down with the flu after exposure to the virus, even if you got the flu vaccine (now thought to be around 60% effective for this year). Sometimes it’s good to get a reminder of how hygienic you can keep your your immediate environment […]
While concerned parents have lobbied successfully to remove mercury (thimerosal) from routine childhood vaccinations, no one is mentioning that the widely-advised flu shot still contains thimerosal. Mercury poisoning has been linked to harm in the nervous system, heart, lungs, kidneys, and immune system. It can cause mental dysfunction in growing children and dementia and malaise […]
The December, 2009, issue of Consumer Reports offers a couple tips for prevention of flu and swine flu. In their poll a few months ago, CR learned that only 34% of respondents intended to get the swine flu vaccine, so it behooves us all to practice good hygiene during this flu season. While they recommended […]
Are you feeling the pressure to get the untested H1N1 vaccine in order to prevent swine flu? Any time a vaccine is rushed to market the way this one was there is a greater risk to the general population, besides having little proof of its efficacy. We are holding firm in our family and are […]