Is it true that taking the flu shot for 5 consecutive years gives a 10x increase of developing Alz?

My dad takes the flu shot every year. I've noticed his memory degrade over the last several. I've been concerned about this for a while. My mom says he's always been like that, but I'm not so sure.

I read a post here on ATS, stating that taking the flu shot for five years in a row increased the chances of getting Alzheimer's by 10x.
Link


Supposidely the guy who made this claim is Hugh Fudenburg, MD. Well he was a practicing MD, until his license expired in 2003. I tried to find some documentation on this claim. What I came up with is that he was an eminent doctor for his time, publishing over 850 articles.
Link

It seems one of two situations happened, and I'm trying to get to the bottom of it.

1) The doctor became delusional as a result of a mental illness, and began doing questionable resarch and making out-there claims. This is according to a couple of websites that seem to be very black and white, skeptical minded. And siding with the establishment very much.

2) The doctor spoke the truth, and paid the price. His integrity and sanity was wrongly discredited. His license was essentially stripped from him.

I'm really interested in this. I think there is no debate on whether there is mercury in the flu shot, correct?

What I want to know is if this statement was really made by him, and if it is credible. It really does matter to the many people who take this yearly.

If it is true, I'm drilling my paps on this until he decides to never get another one.

edit for: spelling

[edit on 17-12-2008 by unityemissions]

[edit on 17-12-2008 by unityemissions]

[edit on 17-12-2008 by unityemissions]

[edit on 17-12-2008 by unityemissions]

I was under the impression being a carnivore lead to Alzheimer's (you know, prion infected cows). Could be flu shots increase exposure to and damage done by prions. Or, maybe the injections themselves contain prions. I hear prions can be found even drinking water now because of contamination. I gave up the meat as food thing awhile back and opted out of the food chain, and I never get any flu shots (I prefer to simply keep the germs away from my face instead).

These flu shots are worrisome because they rush them to market as soon as they are developed, totally without any long term study. These shots, in combination with other unknowns, could lead to some pretty serious potential problems 10 or 20 years down the road. It's simply not worth the risks to merely avoid catching the flu every once in a great while. And, they aren't even that affective. You stand a better chance of avoiding the flu by simply keeping your fingers out of your nose and keeping your distance from those that are sick and keeping your hands clean.

This is a very good cause to look into.

Not fair to the older ones because they are the targets of the campaign, as well as the immune compromised and small children.

Alzheimers comes along enough without a known pathogen, Mercury to settle in an older person who might aleady be comprimsed.

Then we have those who start out young taking the shots and year after year they could retain a buildup of the mercury and other Invaders.

Interesting post. I recommend to my patients that they receive the flu shot every year... but I only recommend the inhaled one ( it is thimersol free). There are some risks associated with the inhaled version, and it can't be given to those under 2 or over the age of 49, but it is an excellent choice for most. While I do agree somewhat with the lack of testing for flu vaccines.. I also know of the flu pandemics of the early 20th century that killed scores of millions. Flu can and does kill people, even in this age of medicine. Unfortunately, medicine is not a science... and the best we can do is make something as safe as possible for as many people as possible. It won't be safe for everyone. If you are healthy and want to chance contracting the flu, chances are you will survive it with no problem (other than feeling atrocious and missing 2-3 weeks of work). For those that are immunocompromised, I highly encourage vaccination.

As far as I know, we still have no definite idea what causes Alzeheimer's. We have some intriguing theories, but theories are not enough. I feel that much more research needs to be done on this horrific disease.

i was wondering that myself after reading that in the other thread


could very well explain my grandfather,,, since as a senior my gramma runs to get them the flu shot each year

I suppose it's possible, but I don't do shots unless I have to and flu shots I don't have to.

Nope, I think Alzheimer's might be caused by something else - we all have some contact with.

My Grandfather died pretty early in life (60's) and he suffered from Alzheimer's.

He was a Chemist that formulated gasoline & other products at a refinery for one of the big oil companies. I remember that he use to always have strange lesions on his hands for many years off and on from exposure to the chemicals (I believe) - even though he had awards for safety.

I wouldn't be surprised if gasoline or something in it really caused Alzheimer's disease, but as we have seen, these greedy corporations seem to pretty much run our planet these days - it will be kept secret whatever way possible so they can maximize their profits - regardless of the real costs.

No surprises - greed is evil - greed = Alzheimer's.

Either way - if we're all exposed to prions from our food supply and become mad cows or chemicals that do the same were all doomed.

[edit on 18-12-2008 by verylowfrequency]

The actual cause of alzheimer's is still uncertain but metallic ions injested over a lifetime (particularly aluminium) are still heavily implicated in accelerating a natural deterioration of the brain and nervous system with age. The fact that we are living longer could explain the apparent higher occurence of such ailments related to age. Flu shots have also been loosely associated with chronic fatique syndrome.

If it comes down to having a flushot or risking being exposed to a deadly strain unprotected, well I choose to have the shot. You see, I contracted a very bad case of influenza about 9 years ago and it literally very nearly killed me. I'm not talking about a bit of a sniffle and a cough, fullblown influenza is vastly more serious than that and just check out the casualties in the outbreak of 'spanish influenza' in 1918 - it killed at least 4 times the number of people who died in WW1. I've had a flu shot every year since my close call with no ill affects. It's just a choice of getting your antibodies the natural way by surviving a strain of flu or getting them injected.

Story about the epidemic here

If it's a choice of die now or die later (which is one of the few certainties in life), I'll take the 2nd choice every time

my uncle was a plumber and got it bad in his late 50's leadf pipes, iron pipes,,, metal metal metal

got it is terrible to watch strong vibrant people eventually waste away to little children,, then worse,,,,,

reply to post by unityemissions

According to Hugh Fudenberg, MD, the world's leading immunogeneticist and 13th most quoted biologist of our times (nearly 850 papers in peer review journals): If an individual has had 5 consecutive flu shots between 1970 and 1980 (the years studied) his/her chances of getting Alzheimer's Disease is 10 times higher than if he/she had one, 2 or no shots. Dr. Fudenberg said it was so and that it was due to mercury and aluminum that is in every flu shot. The gradual mercury and aluminum buildup in the brain causes cognitive dysfunction.

source

I would recommend looking to see if there is more recent evidence of this link if you are concerned. I don't know this, but it is quite possible that the composition of flu shots has been significantly changed since the 1970's, so Dr. Fudenberg's research, whether it was valid or not, may no longer apply.

This also offers no evidence beyond Dr. Fudenberg's opinion that the link he found was caused by mercury and aluminum rather than some other agent.

As amniodarone mentioned, there is also an inhaled flu vaccine available that contains no thimerosal. And it's always important to weigh the potential risk of a vaccination against the potential risk of going unvaccinated.

Personally, as a healthy adult with no particular risk factors and no close contacts with immuno-compromised people, I wouldn't get a flu vaccine, preferring to risk three weeks of misery.