On the flu vaccine & boosting your immune system

There hasn't been much for me to write about lately, except for the [lousy] weather and it's contribution to my feeling of malaise (which I'm not going to bore you with today), but now that the winter season is upon us, and with it the heightened awareness of the greater potential for getting sick, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to post some information I think might help us all get through this season in far better shape.

If you have cancer, the question of the efficacy of the flu vaccine has always been a controversial one. Most oncologists will tell you to get vaccinated, because it won't do any harm, and it may be effective, but now there is evidence to support that belief.

The available literature shows that patients with cancer do mount an immune response to influenza immunization. It is unclear, however, whether this response is as robust as that seen in otherwise healthy persons. The CDC recommends annual influenza vaccination for this patient population. Preliminary data suggest that influenza vaccination between cycles of chemotherapy may be more effective than vaccination on day 1 of chemotherapy. Larger, well-designed prospective studies are needed to assess the efficacy of the influenza vaccination in patients with cancer, and the optimal timing of vaccination relative to chemotherapy administration.

There was also this article from the New England Journal of Medicine, on why everyone should get the flu vaccine, which I unfortunately am unable to fully access (the link is only for the first 100 words), but to paraphrase:

.....vaccination decreases the likelihood that an exposed person will pass virus on to others. If sufficient numbers of people can be vaccinated in time, an epidemic can be slowed or even stopped in its tracks.

And finally from the NY Times on how not to fight a cold. This article was published on the op-ed page, but there is a lot of evidence to support this theory (including the two links in the side bar of this blog on why boosting your immune system is not a good idea).

[A] susceptibility to cold symptoms is not a sign of a weakened immune system, but quite the opposite. And if you’re looking to quell those symptoms, strengthening your immune system may be counterproductive. It could aggravate the symptoms by amplifying the very inflammatory agents that cause them.

The green tea phenomenon

Despite being a heavy drinker of green tea since my diagnosis, mainly for its cancer prevention, and hopefully cancer curing qualities, I recently have developed a new found enthusiasm for green tea. Now whether it has been the green tea I have been drinking for the past 6+ years, my heavy exercise routine, or just pure chance that has kept my MCL stable, or at least [very] slow progressing, for the past 7+ years is certainly open to debate, but based on past research, I have chosen to believe green tea has at least helped to some degree. So what has given me this new found enthusiasm? Well, a friend of mine, and cycling buddy, was recently diagnosed with bladder cancer, and knowing my daily regimen called to ask my advice on green tea. He had already done a lot of research on the subject, so when I told him my obsession with green tea consisted principally of drinking the least expensive, decaffeinated green tea available (Trader Joe's brand of 18 tea bags for $3, and more recentl...

Alternative treatment blowback

I received some interesting criticism the other day for my stance on alternative therapies. I ......... cannot for the life of me understand why you would not use supplementation and then use an over the counter poisonous liquid which has proven liver toxicity. Especially while taking a statin. She was referring to the use of an over the counter cough medication, I have been taking to help ease the symptoms of my upper respiratory infection. I did this once and vow to never use it again! I have gotten off Lipitor by using Nicotinic Acid and getting much better results but still use COQ10 to protect Liver as you must do while taking Statins. If you are not using CoQ10, I urge you to research this issue. MCL reduces your D3 and should be taken everyday! I use 5000mgs a day. I was sorta taken aback. She was partially correct. I'm against taking supplements, but when necessary I don't have a problem taking over the counter medication, when my ailments finally get the better of me. ...

When is enough, enough?

Today I learned, Lance Armstrong, the most drug tested athlete in the history of sport, is being accused of doping, again . This time by the US Anti Doping Agency (USADA), who claim they have collected blood samples from him in 2009 and 2010 that were “fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions.” Really! What took them so long? The French have been trying to make allegations of drug doping stick for years, ever since he won his first Tour d'France, but to no avail. And now the USADA claims to have evidence to support that claim, and they've waited almost 3 years before releasing this evidence. Needless to say, I am skeptical. Then there's this from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO): Increasing the federal excise tax on cigarettes by 50 cents per pack eventually would increase Medicare and Social Security spending, slightly. Eventually? What is the CBO suggesting here? That we should encourage smoking, because if we don't, in...

LIVING WITH MCL

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