So the time when everyone gets rolling on the vaccine kick.  “Do I get a flu shot? Should my kids or my elderly grandparents get one?”  I usually answer with the politically correct answer, “Well, Mrs. Jones, I don’t get them myself, and I don’t advise my family to get one, but you should probably do your own research, consult with your primary care provider and make your own decision.  Make your decision based on risk vs. benefit.”  I’m not sure if I want to answer that way anymore.  

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/09/18/flu-shot-increases-flu-illness.aspx

Yes, I understand this article talks a lot about the H1N1 vaccine, which isn’t a big deal right now.  However, toward the bottom of the article is what I have really been making my own decisions based on.  I have seen this clinically for years.  Flu vaccines (even though they are not live or whole cell vaccines) compromise natural immunity.  They create an immune response targeted towards the “best guess” of what the CDC and drug companies feel will be this years influenza strain.  A 2011 article in The Lancet questions the effectiveness of the vaccine.  

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099%2811%2970295-X/abstract

Guess what, there are side effects, too, that getting the flu doesn’t have!  Guillaine-Barre syndrome is a possibility, side effects from the preservatives, decreased t-cell function, inflammatory conditions, etc.  The fact is this… There is no accountability in vaccine safety in many cases, and I’m not willing to risk my or my family’s health to avoid the sniffles and some coughs.  We’re healthy individuals and would not be seriously adversely affected by the flu.  Again, it’s risk vs. benefit.  If I get HIV or AIDS (which I won’t) then maybe we’ll think about it again.  Until then, no thanks.