I grew up in a medical household where Asprin and Tylenol cured everything, and if your fever wasn’t over 103 it wasn’t really impressive enough to warrant medical attention. Â (By no means am I advocating this approach to your family’s health!) Â I was raised to believe that all beings need to build up their natural antibodies and as such, antibiotics were a last resort for really nasty stuff. Â Fortunately I also come from fairly hearty stock and have never been prone to illnesses, including common colds. (I get things like appendicitis and shingles)
I must have passed the lucky health gene along to my children, because in 16+ years we have had no major illnesses, and colds and flus seem to pass fleetingly over our house. Â Even when one of my children was felled by Swine Flu in the “Swine ’09 Epidemic”, the other two never got so much as a body ache or sniffle. Â
I have never gotten a flu shot, nor have any of my children. Â And fortunately we have dodged the flu in all its fury this past decade (except for the Swine Flu episode.) Â I don’t have an opinion one way or the other about flu shots, and have to admit that it is probably laziness that has prevented me from getting myself and my children vaccinated. Â However, my informal polling seems to be split on the ABSOLUTELY vs: Nah when it comes to people getting flu shots. Â I guess flu shots are like brussel sprouts; you either believe in them totally or completely eschew them. Â I see lots of signs for flu shot clinics at Target and Walgreens and CVS, but I’ve never actually seen anyone waiting for an appointment.
What are you and your family doing this flu season? Â Getting a shot or hoping that you don’t get sick? Â Send us a comment and let us know.
