What Are Your Thoughts On The Shingles Vaccine?

[RWilly]

I have some family members that just got the new shingrix vaccine, and are putting on the pressure for me to get the vaccine too.

Having had shingles twice (plus chicken pox when I was young), I should be self-vaccinated by now I would think, but I can feel that it still wants to rear it's painful ugly head again. The last time I had it on the side of the nose, very close to the eye. It left scars. Sometimes it still throbs, and my left eye often gets red, which I believe is still related.

I'm not normally someone who takes vaccines, so my initial thought is no. But having gone through shingles several times, I know it's something I don't want to experience again.

They say that you should get vaccinated even if you have had shingles before. My mind immediately goes to big Pharma profits, and of course they'll say that.

Still... I don't want shingles again either.

There are 2 vaccines:

Zostavax is a live vaccine, containing a weakened form of the virus.

And then there is a new one called Shingrix. "Shingrix vaccine is a recombinant vaccine. This means vaccine manufacturers created it by altering and purifying DNA that codes for an antigen to produce an immune response to fight the virus."

Anyhow, thought I'd see what some of you think. Have any of you had the vaccine and gotten shingles anyhow?

 

[ecstatichamster]

I would not get the vaccine. I have not had shingles. I think that a good metabolism can protect you against getting it again.

 

[tankasnowgod]

I have some family members that just got the new shingrix vaccine, and are putting on the pressure for me to get the vaccine too.

Having had shingles twice (plus chicken pox when I was young), I should be self-vaccinated by now I would think, but I can feel that it still wants to rear it's painful ugly head again. The last time I had it on the side of the nose, very close to the eye. It left scars. Sometimes it still throbs, and my left eye often gets red, which I believe is still related.

I'm not normally someone who takes vaccines, so my initial thought is no. But having gone through shingles several times, I know it's something I don't want to experience again.

They say that you should get vaccinated even if you have had shingles before. My mind immediately goes to big Pharma profits, and of course they'll say that.

Still... I don't want shingles again either.

There are 2 vaccines:

Zostavax is a live vaccine, containing a weakened form of the virus.

And then there is a new one called Shingrix. "Shingrix vaccine is a recombinant vaccine. This means vaccine manufacturers created it by altering and purifying DNA that codes for an antigen to produce an immune response to fight the virus."

Anyhow, thought I'd see what some of you think. Have any of you had the vaccine and gotten shingles anyhow?

Personally, I wouldn't get it (although I wouldn't get any vaccine now).

But the big question with the Shingles vaccine that I have is......... how is it even SUPPOSED to work? I have heard that if you had the chicken pox, that "the virus" is already inside you (and I think that was for the commercial advertising a Shingles vaccine). So, if that's the case......... how would injecting MORE of "the virus" (even if in a weakened or dead form) have any positive effect?

If you are considering it, I would demand an in depth answer to that question. Especially since you have had shingles multiple times already.

Side note, my mother got shingles recently, and she had opted for the Shingles vaccine a few years ago. So, don't even know how effective it would be regardless of the above answer.

 

[boris]

Is there any science that it protects you from shingles?

I searched and saw they both have adjuvants based on endotoxin and saponins. Never again would I voluntarily get something like that injected into my body.

 

[S-VV]

Vaccines as a medical device are very overused. Sure, they generate immunity, but at a very heavy price, especially if you are injecting a toddler.

If you get bitten by a dog with rabies, a vaccine can save your life. Or if you have a congenital Complement deficiency, some vaccines against Complement-killed bacteria make sense.

But for most people, most of the time, the possible side effects are far worse that the immunity, which by the way, usually fades after 10 to 15 years.

 

[S-VV]

The main problem with vaccines is :
- just antigen => no immune response, the body doesn't care. It silently eliminatates the antigen like it's no big deal.

- antigen + adjuvant => overblown immunne response, possible autoantibodies, macrophages take up the heavy metals (Aluminum) and distribute them to the body, long term inflammatory changes etc...

 

[Dolomite]

I don’t have a reference but it was my understanding that so many people were getting shingles because they were taking statins. So if you aren’t taking statins it shouldn’t be a problem.

 

[S-VV]

I have is......... how is it even SUPPOSED to work? I have heard that if you had the chicken pox, that "the virus" is already inside you (and I think that was for the commercial advertising a Shingles vaccine). So, if that's the case......... how would injecting MORE of "the virus" (even if in a weakened or dead form) have any positive effect?

The shingles virus (VZV) inserts itself into the genome of the sensory neurons, but the body mostly silences it's expression, so there will be no viral proteins to target.

On the other hand the vaccine has the viral proteins preformed.

 

[InChristAlone]

"stress causes retroviruses to explode into the bloodstream" Ray Peat

 

[Recoen]

Being boosted by someone with the chicken pox is protective against shingles.

 

[Peater Piper]

The efficacy rate is supposed to be quite high, but I've had several family members develop shingles despite receiving the vaccine. I don't know which version of the vaccine they received.

 

[RWilly]

Thanks everyone for your input!! Very helpful.

 

[Sefton10]

I agree with the sentiments in most of the other replies. The virus is already there once you’ve had chicken pox, the key is to focus on metabolism and lowering stress to stop the chance of it flaring up again. I had a brutal case of shingles around 2 years ago, it coincided with ridiculous amounts of intense exercise, fasting and a zero carb diet - in other words a stress nightmare! Lysine is good to have on hand in an emergency.

 

[Don]

Thanks for the great info on this thread everyone !