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The 5 Flu Shot Myths You Shouldn't Believe

November 13, 2016

You know it’s officially fall when the leaves start to change, you can finally feel a bit of chill in the air, and you start to see ads for flu shots popping up everywhere you look. Yes, for better or worse, it’s that time of year, again. It’s time to decide whether or not you’re going to believe all of the flu shot myths and skip it, or finally go ahead and get one. And, yes, there are plenty of myths out there to debunk so let’s get started.

Don’t Believe These Flu Shot Myths

If you got a flu shot last year, you don’t need one this year. 
There are actually two reasons this one is a myth. Since the shot formulation changes every year, last year’s shot won’t do you any good this year, plus the any immunity you gained from it has disappeared, anyway.

The vaccination itself gives you the flu. 
Since the virus portion of the vaccine is extremely weakened, it’s not strong enough to actually trigger the flu. What it does do, though, is stimulate the production of flu antibodies in your immune system.

Flu shots never work.
Flu shots actually do work, though since they are formulated based on a prediction of what researchers think will be a given year’s most common flu strain, their success is not a guarantee year in and year out.

If you’re already healthy, you don’t need a flu shot.
Healthy people are only healthy until they get the flu. Granted, children aged six months to 19 years, adults over 49 years, and pregnant women are the recommended demographics for immunization, but reducing your flu risk is an opportunity everyone should take advantage of.

Flu shots cause strokes, narcolepsy, heart attacks, and Alzheimer’s disease.
These are probably some of the newer flu shot myths, but they still very prevalent, nonetheless. Researchers have yet to find a link between getting vaccinated and any of these medical conditions. In fact, the flu shot actually reduces the risk of cardiovascular-related health problems.

In the end, the final decision to get a flu shot is yours, of course. But just be sure you base that decision on accurate, reliable information and not Internet rumors and myths. If you have any questions or concerns, please give us a call or stop in to one of our convenient clinics for more information.

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