4 Responses to “Aricept For Sale”

1. Jean M.
   November 2nd, 2009 @ 2:06 am

   Allan,
   Glad you are feeling better.
   Be well,
   Jean

2. Marnie
   November 4th, 2009 @ 10:46 pm

   So glad you are feeling better.

   I do think it’s worth noting, though, that getting the flu shot does not give you the flu. It is easy to assume as causal link because the flu shot will protect you from a single strain of flu and may heighten your defenses against certain similar flu strains but people who are regularly exposed to a great number of other people (such as teachers) are bound to be exposed to a variety of strains of flu and cold which happen to be spreading right around the time that shots become available. That is, the cold or flu you had may be unrelated to the strain you were inoculated against.

   http://www.cdc.gov/Flu/about/qa/misconceptions.htm

   I’m with you on being critical of hype and I think that’s true on all sides of the debate. But thousands of people die of flu a year and anything we can do to mitigate that is good. It is interesting that the seasonal flu tends to target the very old and the very young while the H1N1 strain tends to target healthy kids and young adults, which makes this a particularly concerning year. Luckily, while it is highly contagious, it doesn’t have the severity of the 1918 flu so hopefully all the extra measures governments are making will be unneeded, but I’m glad that they are preparing for the worst, just in case.

   I think the bigger problem is that many of us have more exposure to sensationalism than we do to good science, which can make it hard to distinguish good information from bad. When you hear that your choice is between having a deadly disease mixed with mercury injected in you or dying of a flu, it becomes hard make a reasoned decisions, and that’s often the message you hear. There’s a lot of money in fear.

   Sorry to be so disagreeable I’m listening to the audio book, The Great Influenza, and it’s absolutely wonderful, but also makes me somewhat overly aware of the potential risks of a pandemic. I really hope I never live to see one the likes of it. I do recommend the book, though.

3. Allan Hunter
   November 5th, 2009 @ 1:08 pm

   Dear Marnie,
   Thanks so much for your reply - with its careful research into things flu-related. I suppose I can’t claim the vaccination ‘gave’ me the flu as there are too many variables to create an iron-clad link. I can say it made me feel unwell enough to notice; and then, within a short amount of time I was stricken. Perhaps the jab weakened me enough to allow something else to take over. I don’t know. Still, I don’t think I’ll be getting another such jab any time soon…. And I’ll be very cautious around hype of a similar sort.
   A friend writing from Holland tells me that their ‘mexican flu’ outbreak sent many scurrying for vaccinations. Now there is a court case because the person who was the prime mover in whipping up public panic turns out to have been in the pay of the company that makes the vaccinations.

   Fun fun fun.

   With a big smile, Allan

4. Marnie
   November 5th, 2009 @ 3:54 pm

   I believe it. There have been some really seedy cases of people making wild and scary claims to further their own financial gain.

   There’s no easy answer but I think it’s good to question everything.

   Stay well and best wishes!

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