Just out of curiosity -
How many vegans here have gotten the flu since going vegan? I used to get it fairly frequently as a kid, but I also grew up in the USA where dairy (at that time especially) was promoted all the time. I remember coming home after school and draining 1/4 or more of a gallon of milk in a single sitting. Then there was ice cream, lots of it.
As mentioned before, I haven't gotten the flu in many years, and that seemed to coincide with a great reduction in dairy in particular (although I still used small amounts of it before going vegan, like in coffee), and also pork and shellfish, although I think dairy was the biggest culprit. I also have friends who get the flu yearly or nearly yearly and even though I've been around them while they were sick, I've never "caught it" from them.
Since I've experienced this and also because of various reading I've come to doubt the germ theory of disease (at least as it relates to things like the flu, I still believe in various STD's ) - and this theory of traveling germs taking up residence in people and then spreading through hand to hand/ air contact is the whole basis of the current "crisis".
So anyway, how many vegans have gotten the flu since becoming vegan (and not counting times where they may have cheated on their diet)?
I DID get the flu last year, and it nearly cost me my hearing ability!!! (Well, sounds dumb, i know, but it's a complicated and sad story). I'd never gotten any flu since childhood. I occured to have a vaccine only once (during my 3rd year at the Conservatoire). But no more vaccines were performed on me. Since then i met a lot of people who really had flu, but it never affected me (i wasn't kissing them though or staying by their side for too long,- long enough for my immune system to surrender).
But last year (on Feb.13th), i was at work, where i usually have to sit and play (like a robot). Students always stand at the bar and make exercise, and then dance "in the middle". The one who stands closer to me, usually exhales his saliva (pardon me) right into my face, and i've got nothing to do about it. So, one boy came to school being very very sick (he had a new variety of flu, - a very fierce strain), and he was breathing me in the face for 2.5 hrs. So i got contaminated eventually. First, i had fever (not very awful, but only because i was using "Tera Flu" powder). I couldn't stay at home and had to go to work with this fever, 5 days in a row (from Monday to Friday)! Then, on Saturday, early in the morning, i realized that the fever was gone, but a severe conjunctivitis appeared (i'd never ever had conjunctivitis before that case, so i was kinda shocked). I "killed" this conjunctivitis with Ciprofloxacine drops. I decided that my ordeal were over... but on Sunday morning, a severe tonsillitis and otitis appeared! First, i would pour Ciprofloxacine drops into my inner ears (because both ears hurt fiercely, and i could barely hear something!!!). It helped a few times (at least, i managed to play at the competition!) But, very soon it wouldn't help anymore, and i started panicking. My entire life (including my career) was at risk. So i obtained A LOT of Ciprofloxacine pills (of the highest doze possible), - don't ask me how i did it without any prescription, - and began taking them. When the time to stop came, it didn't work! My ears would hurt again, and again, and again! So i was taking antibiotics for more than 2.5 months (maybe 3 months, i'm not sure). I was doomed. But "higher power" intervened and saved me. Since then, i'm afraid that tonsillitis might come back. And it happened this year, just a few days ago! (It wasn't severe though). I devoured tons of "Grammidine neo" tablets, and it was gone, thankfully, uggghhh. Slight signs of tonsillitis remained, but i'm working on it.
Why am i telling this? Because, even relatively strong individuals, like me, might get into an unlucky dangerous situation, where just a "bad luck" may have an impact on their health, and ALL preventive measures, ALL their strength and splendid immune system will be helpless against some aggressive new strain of *insert a name*, which will attack an individual and merely make a breach in one's immune system, that will become a doorgate for malicious bacteriae that permanently dwell inside the body, or yet want to penetrate there.
In a nutshell, this year, i went to our local clinic, and had a vaccine shot done (against common flu strains that had been expected this year). I'm not a huge fan of vaccination METHODS, but... i have had every vaccine that was possible in my life, including anti-Hep.B, and measles, etc., and i don't regret.
All that i've said, doesn't mean that being vegan is useless for the immunity health. Since i went vegan, i became more cold-proof (people stare at me in awe, when i'm walking in my summer top only, while others are wearing fur coats).
But you know, better safe than sorry...
Can you imagine that? Other countries, that receive russian oil constantly, and those that are deprived of normal volumes of russian oil now, are suffering because of that son of a b*tсн, Lukashenko (and all Belarus' government). Because in January, Belarus' government (and LukashenkA) decided to raise the payment for oil delivery through the territory of Belarus. He (LukashenkA) wanted to take a ridiculous price from Russia. Putin disagreed. (That's why LukashenkA called Putin a "very unpleasant and rough negotiator"). But what else could Putin do? He's somewhat defending his country's interests. Anyway, it's a never ending story.
, afterward, I was wet!
