I am considering whether to get a flu jab. I am in my 30s and am reasonably healthy, but I would like to protect myself. Is there an alternative?
Conventional remedy
Influenza is one of the most common acute respiratory illnesses. It is estimated to affect between 10 and 15 per cent of the world population each year. UK statistics have shown that it kills between 3,000 and 4,000 people annually, mainly older people with chronic illness. It has significant economic implications, due to work absences, and strains the health system.
It is easy to contract the virus by inhaling atmospheric particles contaminated by the coughs and sneezes of infected people. The illness tends to develop very quickly. Symptoms, such as fever, headache, sore throat, lethargy and muscular aches, can last between six and 10 days.
Those most at risk from the complications of flu include those with underlying conditions such as asthma, diabetes, chronic respiratory illness, cardiac disease or renal disease; people with depressed immune systems; very young children; and anyone with HIV. If you are taking steroids, your immune system may be vulnerable. The at-risk group is prone to the complications of secondary bacterial infection. Flu can also worsen a pre-existing illness.
Vaccines are administered in the autumn, just before the annual outbreak is due. Developed using strains from the previous year, they are particularly recommended for those in the at-risk groups. Because of the mutating nature of the virus, however, the vaccine cannot guarantee total immunity from this year's new strain. Side effects of the vaccine are rare, but they can include Guillain-BarrΘ syndrome, a neurological condition. You should be vaccinated if the risks of flu are outweighed by the risk of the vaccine.
As a healthy 30-year-old, a dose of flu would likely make you quite ill for a few days, be a nuisance and leave you debilitated and a little depressed. In other words, it would not normally be dangerous.
You should try to boost your immune system before the flu season begins, so it is ready for the virus. Get plenty of rest, eat healthily and exercise regularly. Cut down on cigarettes if you smoke and try to reduce stress.
Dr Muiris Houston
Alternative remedy
Those whose health may already be compromised, such as the elderly and those suffering from chronic ill heath, should give serious consideration to the flu vaccine.
For those of us who enjoy good health, however, there are alternatives that will help not only to fight off the flu virus, but also to strengthen us against common winter ailments.
An essential starting point is ensuring that our immune systems are in peak condition.
A good diet is a prerequisite for resisting the viruses that come our way during the winter months.
Good, wholesome fresh foods, simply prepared, can make a vital contribution to a healthy immune system.
Plenty of raw or lightly cooked vegetables and fresh fruit, as part of a diet that does not rely too heavily on animal and dairy products, or on sugar, will go a long way to releasing the body's energy so it can fight off infection, instead of tying it up in the digestive process.
In terms of supplements, the herb echinacea will help to strengthen the immune system, while vitamin C will help to support it.
You can take echinacea for as long as you are at risk of infection, although you should stop for seven days every eight weeks. One thousand milligrams of vitamin C each day will also be helpful.
Ultimately, common sense dictates that, to prepare ourselves for the onslaught of winter, we must eat well, distress and get plenty of rest and exercise.
We also need to be conscious of the fact that stress, sugar and antibiotics are common suppressors of the immune system.
If the dreaded flu takes hold despite all our efforts, the best course of action is to take plenty of rest, drink copious amounts of water (preferably mineral water) and eat only if you have an appetite.
Increase the dosage of echinacea (which is best taken in liquid form) and vitamin C (up to four grams per day in the short term). Zinc lozenges may help to quell an initial sore throat.
The healthier we are at the onset of any infection, the quicker our recovery will be.
Erica Murray
Erica Murray is a partner in Hopsack Health Store, Swan Centre, Rathmines, Dublin