welcome to the organic green doctor blog

i am a family physician who was diagnosed with
early mild cognitive impairment(mci) amnestic type on december 21, 2010
this is a precursor to alzheimers disease
because of this diagnosis i have opted to stop practicing medicine
this blog will be about my journey with this disease
please feel free to follow me along this path
i will continue blogging on organic gardening, green living,
solar power, rainwater collection, and healthy living
i will blog on these plus other things noted to be interesting

Monday, September 30, 2019

the flu is here

THE FLU IS HERE
Image result for cdc flu shots
i read an article this morning online that said the flu was here
in small numbers so far
it will last the flu season until around april of 2020

so

when should you get the flu shot
now

why
it takes about 2 weeks for the shot to reach its full effect in preventing the flu
and
it should last until the end of the flu season ie april 2020

who should get the flu shot
everyone

why everyone
there is a term herd immunity
you immunize the herd ie all of us so the flu germ isnt getting spread around as we go to school
go to church go to sporting events go around the world etc
coughing and touching things easily spreads the germs
the less folks get the flu the less flu we see

where is the easiest place to catch the flu
school
the pit of infectious diseases
all teachers can answer that one

who
you

so
when do you get your flu shot
now

why
i am over 65
i volunteer at a school
schoolteachers yall are at hi risk for getting the flu
i am around someone who cant afford to get the flu
the rule is
if you want to be around mr h with his chronic renal failure being on steroids waiting for a transplant mr h
then you 100% have to have the flu shot
no exceptions
i was on an experimental drug aducanumab that can make you prone to getting infections

will mr h get his shot 
yes he will get his shot or he may have already got it
he may have to get 2 shots 1 month apart
sorry mr h
he cant afford to get the flu

did his great grandma grandmas grandpas parents aunts uncles who are around them get theirs
yes and they all plan to get theirs soon

cant you get the flu from the flu shot
no
despite what folks say its impossible to get the flu from the flu shot

why
its not a live virus
its like riding a dead horse
you cant

but ive got sick after getting my shot
but it wasnt the flu from the flu shot
when you get the flu shot proteins called antigens that are broken off and given to us
these antigens are like the fingers of the virus
when you are exposed to these fingers you start to build antibodies to the viruses
this reaction can cause low grade fever body aches
when i get my flu shot i expect to get that reaction
i want that reaction
it means the flu shot is working

i got the flu shot but got the flu
if you got exposed to the flu before or just after you got the flu shot you might still get the flu
it is not a 100% shot
its a 40-60% effective shot                     
so
that means a certain % of folks who got the shot wont be protected
but
remember that herd thing
if everyone gets the flu shot there will not be as many folks getting the flu

who should get it
you
as i wrote everyone over 6 months old

who really should get the shot
anyone around someone with a chronic illness
anyone with diseases like mr h has and those on steroids and immunsuppressive drugs like those with crohns disease ulcerative colitis rheumatoid arthrits psoriatic arthritis psoriasis lupus asthma heart disease kidney disease diabetes all kids over 65ers chemo patients pregnant ladies those in the family where someone is pregnant or has a new baby and many other chronic diseases

do kids have to get 2 shots
yes some kids have to get 2 flu shots 1 month apart

around 1000+- kids die each year from the flu
around 50000+- adults die each year from the flu
the sickest patients of mine who had the flu many ended up on ventilators
were kids and young adult females
the vaccine has 3 different strands
if the scientists guess right then it will be an effective vaccine
sometimes like with the h1n1 virus a few years ago a new strand pops up and makes things worse

wash your hands
cough into your elbow
get your flu shot
stay away from susceptible folks if you get the flu
stay at home

so really how well the us responds to the flu each year is usually determined by how many of us go out and get our flu shot

get yours today
save a live
maybe yours

the organicgreen doctor


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