No to the flu shot.

I have a master's degree in public health, and my strategies for staying healthy include a whole foods diet (whole grains, etc.) as much as possible; zero intake of refined sugars - including honey -- because these sugars are known to suppress the immune system; moderate exercise (walking for one hour) 3 to 4 times a week; green tea (hot) if I start to feel subpar (these also come in capsule form if you are on the go and cannot stop for hot tea); and last but actually most important -- especially if you have children in daycare or school -- wash your hands very frequently ... hygiene makes a huge difference.

BS microbiology
MS molecular biology

No and here is the reason why.

The surface proteins of the flu mutate so rapidly, and are so numerous now there is not one vaccine that covers all. Instead, the CDC and WHO look at statistics, and guess which strains might be the most prevalent in any given year... and those are the strains they build the vaccine for.

Unfortunately, no one can tell which flu will be most prevalent, or if (as in this year) a new strain will appear. Everyone who got a flu shot this year is SOL as an undocumented strain so far has been the most prevalent.

They're free for a reason people.

I just occurred to me that it's probably within the parameters of this thread (or at least the OP's intent) to discuss other ways of NOT getting the flu besides getting a flu shot.

1. Do wash your hands a lot, but avoid antibacterial soaps and sterilizing cleaners. Your immune system needs exposure to microorganisms in order to stay healthy.
2. At the beginning of flu season, take some echinacea for about 3 weeks. It boosts your immune system naturally.
3. Eat a healthy diet and make sure you're getting enough of the essential vitamins such as C, E, and the B complex.
4. Stress can not be underestimated as a cause of illness. Getting worried, upset, "stressed out", frustrated, etc. is very likely to lead to physical illness such as a cold or the flu. Try to avoid stress or deal with it, don't allow yourself to be stressed, especially not for days or weeks at a time.
5. Investigate herbal remedies and keep them on hand for when you feel a flu or cold "coming on." Many of them really work, and quite well. Large doses of Echinacea and garlic, taken together, can often ward off a virus before it gets a good foothold in the body, and products such as Zinc lozenges and Zicam can help, too. I have gotten the flu within the past few years, but I was only "down" with it for about 36 hours and then I switched over to the "getting over it" stage - due, I'm absolutely certain, to the stuff (echinacea, garlic, zinc, stress vitamins) I took at the first twinge of symptoms.

My Doctor keeps encouraging me to get the Flu shot. haven't yet as there are too many strains out there and the shot doesn't cover em all.

As of last week I finally recovered from all of the side effects that the nasty and evil flu shot gave me. I don't care if my doc says the vaccine is 'dead' and can't 'give' me the flu. It did something horrible to me and now, nearly two months later, I'm FINALLY feeling human again.

When I hear "just say 'no' to drugs" I'm going to add "and just say 'no' to flu shots".

Jemison