RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Community Discussions] >> Health and Safety



Message

UllrsIshtar -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/12/2016 10:51:09 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: crumpets

< I'm not gonna say nuthin! >


I had the same reaction, but based on a little research, it seems that that stuff actually works.
It also seems that it's not actually homeopathic, despite being advertised as such, considering that it's got actual measurable quantities of active ingredients.



Cinnamongirl67 -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/12/2016 11:25:43 AM)

I'm waiting for the vaccine where none of us get old and have all this creeping crud, aches and pains, and making life generally harder to get around!!!
You young people make me soooooooo mad[:D]

Peppermint I hope your husband gets out of the hospital soon and much much better. Sending you prayers.



peppermint -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/12/2016 2:29:19 PM)

He's much better today, thank you for asking, Cinnamongirl. They took the breathing tube off him after only having had it for 18 hours and he is better than he's been in 6 weeks.

How are you doing? Is the pain going away yet? I did those shingles in June. Don't want to go there again.



crumpets -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/12/2016 3:07:52 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Cinnamongirl67
You young people make me soooooooo mad[:D]


Youth is wasted on the young!



Cinnamongirl67 -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/12/2016 4:21:05 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: peppermint

He's much better today, thank you for asking, Cinnamongirl. They took the breathing tube off him after only having had it for 18 hours and he is better than he's been in 6 weeks.

How are you doing? Is the pain going away yet? I did those shingles in June. Don't want to go there again.


What wonderful news. Wow he truly was very sick. Good to know he is really getting better now.
Oh I'm fine. Just a mild case, it tingles with a burning sensation off and on but it's tolerable. Piece of cake compared to your husbands. Thank you.






Andalusite -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/12/2016 6:00:17 PM)

Cinnamongirl, I'm glad yours is pretty mild, and hope there are no lasting effects. Peppermint, I am so glad Gary is improving and off the breathing tube!



crumpets -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/12/2016 6:08:52 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Cinnamongirl67
I'm waiting for the vaccine where none of us get old

BTW, it's all supposedly in the telomeres...

  • Telomeres, Telomerase and Aging
  • A Genetic Solution to Slowing Aging and Preventing Disease

    [image]http://www.telomerance.com/images/cells-aging.png[/image]



    • TheUltimate4Him -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/12/2016 6:23:59 PM)

    You may consider using the cream to relieve the pain and scabs. The naturopath may not have even known this product exists.



    shiftyw -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/12/2016 6:28:17 PM)

    I'm glad Gary is feeling better peppermint! My continued thoughts to you both.



    Cinnamongirl67 -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/12/2016 8:24:42 PM)


    quote:

    ORIGINAL: crumpets


    quote:

    ORIGINAL: Cinnamongirl67
    I'm waiting for the vaccine where none of us get old

    BTW, it's all supposedly in the telomeres...

  • Telomeres, Telomerase and Aging
  • A Genetic Solution to Slowing Aging and Preventing Disease

    [image]http://www.telomerance.com/images/cells-aging.png[/image]

    • Well get to work Sheldon! (Aka crumpets)
    I'll be 50 in two years and I want the vaccine by then.



    crumpets -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/13/2016 8:27:16 AM)


    quote:

    ORIGINAL: Cinnamongirl67
    I'll be 50 in two years and I want the vaccine by then.


    Actually, just to clarify for those who have a lot of faith in vaccines, it probably won't be a "vaccine" most likely (at least not how we currently envision vaccines) that prevents aging.

    Without looking it up, but knowing the history of modern microbiology, the word "vaccine" almost certainly comes from the Latin word for "cow" which is almost certainly a reference to the fact that Edward Jenner realized that milkmaids who milked cows had beautiful skin because they were "vaccinated" against smallpox by being exposed to cowpox (which is a far less virulent strain of the virion).

    Basically a vaccine is the introduction of an antigenic material (cowpox in this case) so as to stimulate the immune system to get ready for the big battle. A vaccine is sort of like a boot camp which takes raw recruits and turns them into fighting machines.

    Aging, for the most part, doesn't seem to be an immune reaction, but more of a shortening and fraying of the chromosomal telomeres which occurs naturally as a result of the myriad multiple divisions during life.

    The telomere can be thought of as the ends of the chromosomes, sort of like how your shoelaces have small plastic or metal aglets at the ends. The chromosomal telomeres fray over time, just as your shoelace aglets fray, and THAT is commonly said to be a key component of aging.

    So, while I don't want to intimate I have any greater clue on how to solve aging than the experts do, I suspect it WON'T be a vaccine since the immune system is probably not greatly involved in the initiation of the inexorable aging process.

    [image]https://www.tasciences.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/DNA-telemere-img_29102013.jpg[/image]



    peppermint -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/13/2016 10:07:27 PM)


    quote:

    ORIGINAL: shiftyw

    I'm glad Gary is feeling better peppermint! My continued thoughts to you both.


    Thank you very much. I really appreciate those thoughts that come our way.




    crumpets -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/14/2016 5:38:31 PM)

    FR

    On a note related to vaccines, in general (not shingles, in particular), I'm feeling very much under the weather this VD day, and since I never get a flu shot, I was looking up what the predominant flu virus is that's going around lately...


    Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report
  • 2015-2016 Influenza Season Week 5 ending February 6, 2016

    Based on that report, I'm statistically most likely to be suffering from influenza A, with the influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 viruses predominating.

    Comparing that most-likely virion with the current vaccine, I see that last year's vaccine handled that Swine Flu variant:
  • What You Should Know for the 2014-2015 Influenza Season
  • an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus
  • an A/Texas/50/2012 (H3N2)-like virus
  • a B/Massachusetts/2/2012-like virus.

    So, had I gotten that vaccine last year, I'd be 56% less likely to seek medical help than I am now.
  • Think This Year's Flu Was Bad? Next Year May Be Worse
    quote:

    the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the vaccine was 62 percent effective against the flu. Which means that if you got the vaccine, you’d be 62 percent less likely to get a flu that forces you to go to the doctor. The CDC later revised the effectiveness rate to 56 percent.


    Looking for the current report, I find it here:
  • What You Should Know for the 2015-2016 Influenza Season

    Which shows that "I" would again, have had a roughly 56% chance of not needing to go to the doctor (which I'm not at that point yet anyway), had I gotten a flu shot last October, because this year's vaccine protects against:
  • an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus
  • an A/Switzerland/9715293/2013 (H3N2)-like virus
  • a B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus. (This is a B/Yamagata lineage virus)

    It's all a numbers game, so, this is only a quick off-the-cuff analysis based purely on gross statistics, which would indicate that for two years running, the Swine Flu predominates, which, is most likely then, what I have - and - which a vaccine would have given me roughly a 60:40 chance of not needing to go to the doctor (which I'm not needing at this point in time anyway).

    Given those numbers, it was smart of me NOT to get the vaccine, two years in a row, as long as the virus doesn't kill me (then it would have been stupid). I'll take my chances with those numbers though ...

    [image]http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/weeklyarchives2015-2016/images/WHONPHL05_small.gif[/image]

    Bonus question: Why do you think the flu affects people mostly during the winter months?



    • Cinnamongirl67 -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/14/2016 6:47:41 PM)

    Is your husband completely well yet peppermint?

    And To Crumpets.

    Happy Valentine's Day! And to answer your question, I believe it is because we are all indoors breathing stagnant air which harbors constant germs.



    crumpets -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/14/2016 6:58:18 PM)


    quote:

    ORIGINAL: Cinnamongirl67
    I believe it is because we are all indoors breathing stagnant air which harbors constant germs.


    Yup. We're indoors. It's not because it's cold but because we are closer with people so we touch their spit more often (via door knobs, coughing, keyboards, whatever).

    You get an A with a red star and a Valentine's Day heart sticker for that!

    :)



    UllrsIshtar -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/15/2016 9:20:50 AM)

    quote:

    ORIGINAL: crumpets


    quote:

    ORIGINAL: Cinnamongirl67
    I believe it is because we are all indoors breathing stagnant air which harbors constant germs.


    Yup. We're indoors. It's not because it's cold but because we are closer with people so we touch their spit more often (via door knobs, coughing, keyboards, whatever).

    You get an A with a red star and a Valentine's Day heart sticker for that!

    :)


    Nope, it has nothing to do with being indoors (most people working in office buildings, etc, don't spend significantly more time indoors in winter than in summer anyways, especially in northern climates) it has to do with the humidity.
    Winter air, both indoors and outdoors is dryer. Influenza gets deformed, and killed, by contact with moist air, and transfers more easily when the air is dry. Dry air also dries out our mucus membranes, making it easier for a virus to infect us once it makes contact.
    Influenza outbreaks in the Northern hemisphere always follow a dip in humidity. Keep an eye on weather charts and avoid people when possible when the air gets dryer.

    If you want to protect yourself against the flu, convince your boss to get a humidifier, and get one at home.
    Merely running it for an hour can kill as much as 30% of airborne influenza.

    BTW, your chances of catching a cold are likewise also really increased when you're cold/wet in winter (your mom was right after all, don't go out with wet hair or feet) because your blood vessels constrict in an attempt to warm you up again, making you much more susceptible to a cold getting established. Basically, while you're cold and wet, your body's main focus is on warming you up, not on warding off viruses, and so until you're warmed up, viruses have a higher infection chance.



    crumpets -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/15/2016 8:33:56 PM)

    I never mind being shown wrong, although I am also very rarely wrong.

    So, I am taking a long hard look at the URLs you kindly mailed:
  • The real reason germs spread in the winter
  • Study: Flu likes weather cold and dry or humid and rainy
  • Unraveling the Key to a Cold Virus’s Effectiveness
  • Will wet hair give you a cold

    The first URL started off well by explaining how the flu virus replicates badly, thereby mutating (which I knew to be a fact), and then the article dutifully acknowledges previous theory in saying "Previous theories had centred on our behaviour. We spend more time indoors in the winter, meaning that we’re in closer contact with other people who may be carrying germs."

    That's always a good sign because many articles don't have a clue that there might be competing theories, so, one that recognizes a long-standing competing theory is more likely to be correct.

    That first article even covers the second-most common misconception, which is that "the cold weather wears down your body’s defences against infection".

    That first article suggests "flu epidemics almost always followed a drop in air humidity". Their argument is that small aerosols stay in suspension longer and in smaller sizes than in more humid air. Also, the virus protein coat, the article suggests, tends to denature in moist air.

    Of course, it's never a free lunch: “Though higher humidity is associated with lower survival rates for influenza, there are other pathogens, such as pathogenic mould, that thrive at higher humidity,”



    • crumpets -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/15/2016 8:41:42 PM)

    Looking at the second article, dated relatively recently, Mar 8, 2013, the authors rely on work by James D. Tamerius of Columbia, who concluded "Flu epidemics strike during the winter in temperate regions, but the seasonality of flu is less clear in the tropics, where outbreaks tend to occur during rainy seasons or year-round."

    The found a bipolar frequency of flu incidence:
    1. in temperate regions, flu was more common 1 month after periods of the lowest specific humidity, which coincided with the coldest months.
    2. In contrast, tropical regions "were generally characterized by influenza epidemics during the most humid and rainy months of the year,"

    In summary, they found the following two predictors:
    1. cold dry
    2. humid rainy



    crumpets -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/15/2016 8:51:09 PM)

    Reading the third article for effect, I like that they explain the long-standing theory of why we have a fever (this is always a good sign when a study mentions the long-standing theories).

    To its detriment, we note that this article is about the rhinovirus, which is a set of cold viruses (and not a flu virus).
    And, this study is in vitro, not in vivo (which can change everything).

    Still, given that it's hard for a layman to separate a flu from a cold, the in vitro results may still be interesting.

    In general, the layman says a cold is above the neck where a flu is the whole body, and a cold has a runny nose and is fast, while a flu lingers and has far more than just nasal congestion.

    The last study was from Columbia; this one is from Yale, where they conclude the rhinovirus takes advantage of the cold air in our noses.

    These Yale researchers found that, at 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit, infected cells did a terrible job of notifying nearby cells of the invading rhinovirus.



    crumpets -> RE: Please get the shingles vaccine (2/15/2016 9:34:32 PM)

    The fourth suggested article also starts off well, discussing the long-standing theory that "you will develop a cold if you are exposed to low temperatures, particularly if you get wet as well", which is always a good sign that they know there is a controversy.

    Again we see a difference between the tropics and the northern temperate regioun:
    quote:

    Studies in Germany and Argentina have found a higher incidence of colds in the winter, while in warmer countries such as Guinea, Malaysia and the Gambia peaks have been found during the rainy season.


    This study was done in Cardiff, UK, and, to me, this was the least scientific of the four studies quoted above:
    quote:

    Half of Eccles’ volunteers had to sit with their feet in cold water for twenty minutes, while the other half kept their socks and shoes on, but sat with their feet in an empty bowl for the same length of time. There was no difference in the cold symptoms reported between the two groups in the first few days, but four to five days later twice as many people in the cold-water group said they had developed a cold.


    The problem with this study was that I see (far) too many variables without even looking all that hard for them, so, I'd mostly concentrate on the first two and basically throw out the second two for lack of conclusivity (although they all bring up good points).





    Page: <<   < prev  2 3 4 [5] 6   next >   >>

    Valid CSS!




    Collarchat.com © 2024
    Terms of Service Privacy Policy Spam Policy
    0.1538086