I am surrounded by brilliant idiots - grrr!

[naupakamama]

I am a professor in a biology department where a lot of the research that gets done is medical: molecular biology, genetics, cancer, etc. I was having a conversation with another faculty member about the fact that I have gotten several colds in the last 2 months (I am 6 months pregnant and several new babies just started at my DD's daycare - so you can do the math so to speak...). She said a little pompously that she hasn't gotten sick all year and that she got the FLU SHOT SO SHE DOESN'T GET SICK.

Ugh. I just kind of looked at her and then just said that, well I hadn't gotten the flu, just several colds.

How is there hope when PhD biologists don't understand that flu shots only protect (in theory) against the _FLU_?

[medusaatemydog]

anyone can read a book and pass a test, but few have the ability to reason.
I have heard it before and it just goes to show ignorance take many forms.

these are the differences between people who can read a book and people who can learn from it...

[emma1325]

Originally Posted by naupakamama

I am a professor in a biology department where a lot of the research that gets done is medical: molecular biology, genetics, cancer, etc. I was having a conversation with another faculty member about the fact that I have gotten several colds in the last 2 months (I am 6 months pregnant and several new babies just started at my DD's daycare - so you can do the math so to speak...). She said a little pompously that she hasn't gotten sick all year and that she got the FLU SHOT SO SHE DOESN'T GET SICK.

Ugh. I just kind of looked at her and then just said that, well I hadn't gotten the flu, just several colds.

How is there hope when PhD biologists don't understand that flu shots only protect (in theory) against the _FLU_?

You know, my cousin (who is a special education teacher and knows my stance on vaccines) told me that the one year she ever got a flu shot, she didn't get sick the entire winter, when she usually gets sick several time over the winter. She knows the flu shot is only supposed to protect against the flu, but she says she finds it interesting that it happened that way.

Who knows. My thoughts are, maybe in certain situations and for certain individuals, a shot can do some good. I wouldn't take the risks, personally, long-term or short.

[kriket]

I think a lot of the people who claim that the flu shot protects them from all illness over a season are looking at life through rose coloured glasses tinted by pharm companies and media :

Just like how everyone remembers snow on christmas. I live in a snowy climate, it only snows on christmas about 1/2 the time. Fifty percent, so that means it snowed, or it didn't.

[gr8blessings]

I've seen people use the opposite as a reason not to get a flu vax just as much.

"I got the flu vaccine and I've been sick all winter".

There is a lot of misinformation and misconceptions about vaccines. It drives me nuts too. Dr. Sears blog that was posted in another thread is just another example of someone who should know better and still gets it wrong.

gr8blessings

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by emma1325

You know, my cousin (who is a special education teacher and knows my stance on vaccine) told me that the one year she ever got a flu shot, she didn't get sick the entire winter, when she usually gets sick several time over the winter. She knows the flu shot is only supposed to protect against the flu, but she says she finds it interesting that it happened that way.

Who knows. My thoughts are, maybe in certain situations and for certain individuals, a shot can do some good. I wouldn't take the risks, personally, long-term or short.

Coincidence...just like it was a coincidence that the 1 year I did get the flu shot I have never been sicker in my life!

[k9sarchik]

Yea, that's a pretty stupid comment.

My MIL, who is a nurse in a private practice, told me this weekend that all sorts of people are coming in with the flu and they all had a flu shot. Go figure.

[emma1325]

Originally Posted by Marnica

Coincidence...just like it was a coincidence that the 1 year I did get the flu shot I have never been sicker in my life!

Yeah, probably. I got sick (right after the shot) the one time I got the flu shot.

[shuttlt]

It just goes to show. Confusing correlation and causation is pretty well hard wired into us.