So many people ask me or make mentions to me about their weak immune system. Or that they use Vitamins to pump-up / enhance their immune system and I have to constantly tell them that this is NOT good for them. That our immune system is hyper-active and running in over-drive, which is why our immune system is attacking itself. It attacks itself when their is nothing else to attack. This is why when we do get sick, that we need to knock it out of our bodies quickly, before it re-activates the intense hyper activity..
Have questions about this, then write back to me.
Meanwhile, let me get into Julie's blog and about the question found in the subject of the post.
Wednesday November 4, 2009 - By Julie Stachowiak, Ph.D., About.com Guide to Multiple Sclerosis
I recently got the following e-mail: "I have MS and I guess that means that I have a weak immune system because I seem to catch every cold that is going around. Once I get a cold, it turns into something worse and I end up coughing for a long time. Does this mean that I should not get the H1N1 vaccine, because is it dangerous to me with my compromised immune system?"
A. There are a couple of things going on here and I will try to clarify some points:
1. People with MS do NOT have weak or compromised immune systems. Quite the opposite, actually - our immune systems are overactive and are attacking our myelin.
2. It probably seems like you are getting sick more often than most people because of the symptoms that you are experiencing from minor infections. People with MS tend to havedecreased lung function. Even people with very little noticeable disability can have lung function that is only 60 to 70% of normal. As a result, even little respiratory bugs can cause us to cough for much longer than someone without MS as these infections "settle in" to cause bronchitis or even pneumonia.
3. You absolutely SHOULD get the H1N1 vaccine. As mentioned, people with MS do not have compromised immune systems (for the record, immunocompromised people should also get the vaccine). The H1N1 virus is very dangerous to anyone who could easily develop pneumonia, which is our big risk factor due to the decreased lung function that I mentioned.
Here are a couple additional points about the H1N1 vaccine for people with MS:
- People with MS should NOT get the nasal mist version of the vaccine, as it contains live virus.
- If you are concerned about thimerosal, avoid the vaccine that comes from multi-dose vials. The single-dose syringes do NOT contain thimerosal.
- Adjuvants are not included in the flu vaccines that are used in the United States.
Read more: Should I Get the Flu Shot if I Have MS?
Source url: http://ms.about.com/b/2009/11/04/q-am-i-more-susceptible-to-h1n1-because-i-have-multiple-sclerosis.htm==========================
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1 comments:
I am hoping that the person you are responding to does not take one of the current 5 choices of medicines to help control their MS. As I am sure you are aware they work by keeping the immune system busy and therefore not attacking your own body. If they are on one of these treatments, then yes they do have a weakened immune system.
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