Choosing a 2014-2015 flu vaccine

[Janelle205]

If all this were true, then wouldn't intradermal allergy testing be horribly dangerous and causing allergies left and right?

[APV]

If all this were true, then wouldn't intradermal allergy testing be horribly dangerous and causing allergies left and right?

Yes, it could.

[APV]

You chose which one?

Fluzone Intradermal.

That's an interesting flu shot. The intradermal is a little uncomfortable but I may try it next year.

Do you personally link GMO to food allergy as a cause?

No, I have not studied GMO.

[APV]

You are making connections with no evidence. Many people develop food allergies at various times in their lives.  I developed mine in my twenties. I had never had a flu shot.

I truly am sorry that your child has good allergies. They are horrible and no child should have to deal with them.

But, if you are going to post a "cause" that your research has led you to believe caused it, post it with your credentials in a recognized journal. Otherwise, you are putting lives at risk.

And the many kids I know with autism....none had received flu shots prior to showing signs of autism.  Some had never had any shots....because their parents believed it was what caused it in an older sibling.  And, I mean that NONE of them had received flu shots prior to showing signs of autism at 2-3 years old. NONE.

It is the flu season and I was researching flu shots and posted it. The allergy mechanism is the same for any vaccine or even injections.
Basically, for sensitization to occur, the allergen must come into contact with the bloodstream. If you had no vaccines or injections around the time you developed the allergy, the possibility as I wrote before could be acid reducing medication. If none of this applies, you have to think what mechanism could have caused your allergen to have come into contact with your bloodstream. If it is meat allergy of course, you have the possibility of tick bites as the cause. Did you have a skin allergy test for example?

Even if a kid had no vaccination, I don't know if they also avoided the Vitamin K1 shot given to all newborns.

I believe I have presented strong evidence for food allergies. As for skin/muscle protein allergies, it is a note of caution.
Think of it this way. If an aircraft pops a tire when it lands, would you check ALL the tires before it took off again?

It has been conclusively proven that gelatin in vaccines caused gelatin allergy development.
So given Charles Richet's findings and the gelatin result, every protein injected is a suspect.
Kuno-Sakai H, Kimura M. Removal of gelatin from live vaccines and DTaP-an ultimate solution for vaccine-related gelatin allergy.Biologicals 2003;31:245-9.

It is an extremely difficult subject I agonize over. How do you choose between vaccine-preventable deadly diseases vs. vaccine-induced life-threatening allergies?
No one should have to make that choice. But that is the choice presented to us.

After the autism controversy, few people want to perform vaccine safety research. This is not my profession. But if no one else will do the research, what option do you have?

[APV]

CMdeux,

"The injection-adjuvant theory of allergen sensitization went out of fashion in a pretty big way in the 1970's, btw. "

Could you please elaborate? Any references? Adjuvants are common today, so not sure what you mean.

"even highly atopic people-- safely receive vaccinations (and have for decades)"

By safely you mean without sensitization or without elicitation? Any references?

"less and less of the allergens in question, while at the same time, rates of food allergy have RISEN, rather than falling (which should be the case if your hypothesis here were correct)."

Two things to consider:
1. Up to 5 simultaneous vaccine shots in one sitting is a recent occurrence. More allergen proteins, more adjuvants at one time means more probability of sensitization. Total vaccine shots have gone up to 40-50.
2. C-section births prime for IgE. So rising C-section rates also contribute.

Was you daughter delivered via C-section? Did she get the Vitamin K1 shot or any vaccine containing Polysorbate 80?
Did you take acid reducing medications such as proton pump inhibitors? The only mechanism of sensitization I know is exposure of allergen to the bloodstream. So you have to think of all the possibilities that could have caused that.

In 2003:
Kuno-Sakai H, Kimura M. Removal of gelatin from live vaccines and DTaP-an ultimate solution for vaccine-related gelatin allergy.Biologicals 2003;31:245-9.

Today vaccines still contain gelatin.
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf

and here is the effect in 2013:

http://www.acaai.org/allergist/news/New/Pages/AllergictoGummyBearsBeCautiousGettingtheFluShot.aspx

So those entrusted with doing the research don't seem to be performing it. So what choice do you have but to do it yourself?

[Linden]

Unfortunately, you cannot do DIY research any more than you can do DIY brain surgery.  You need doctoral training, just as CMDeux said.  If I may elaborate on her points further:

1) You need a Ph.D.  in a related subject matter.  Otherwise you won't have the content knowledge to be able to fully understand the logic behind the hypothesis being tested or to assess whether the conclusions drawn by the author are supported by the study. 

2) You need methodological training.  Buckets of it.  You need to be trained on experimental methods and other research methodology so that you can assess whether the study's methodology is adequate to truly test what the authors claim to test.  And so that you can understand the *limitations* on the findings.  Many studies suffer from limited or poor design.

3) You need access to a Ph.D.level statistician.  Preferably one with training in the statistical methods being employed by the study.   I can't even tell you how frequently statisticians read published studies and shake their heads.  They find MAJOR flaws in the statistical methods used.  They use words like "all wrong" and "you can't do that with the data". 

Okay, so what can we laypeople do? Is there a role for us?  I think there is.  We can raise concerns, and we can ask questions.  We can wonder whether a particular line of research is suggesting something. We can talk to Congress and to NIH about what we think the research priorities should be.  And we can post on the "if you were an allergy researcher" thread.

[LinksEtc]

And we can post on the "if you were an allergy researcher" thread.

Linden, this is an awesome post ... would you mind if I copied it & put it in the "researcher" thread?

[Linden]

Oh, thanks LinksEtc!  I wouldn't mind at all.  I love that thread. It's like a playground...

[LinksEtc]

   Thanks!