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Old 12-28-2007, 02:52 PM  
kane
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Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: portland, OR
Posts: 20,684
I stopped getting them about 10 years ago when my doctor told me that they are a scam. The flu virus mutates fast and is different almost every year. The flu shot they give you this year are for last year's flu so it's level of effectiveness is lower than it should be to work properly. For some people that have naturally low immune systems they can help because it gives you the virus in a small dose and helps you learn to fight it, but for many it doesn't do much of anything other than give you a reason to go to the doctor and pay whatever company made the shot and possibly get the flu. If you have a reasonable healthy diet, wash your hands with soap a few times a day and are in decent health you can avoid the flu better than any shot would.

I used to get the flu about once a year and was told the shot helped make it not as bad as it would have been. In the 10 years since I stopped taking it I have gotten it once.
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