THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

[Deleted User]

Having the flu vaccine or not having the flu vaccine is a personal choice and has been debated every year that I can remember on various threads. Whether it IS effective or not has also been debated and I can only speak from personal experience in that since I've been having the vaccination I've been well apart from colds in the winter. It may have no relevance to having the vaccine and I may just be very lucky. I do use public transport regularly several times a week and do visit shops and supermarkets and am inclined to feel that it DOES give some protection. We wouldn't consider NOT having the vaccination as long as it is available as both of us would rather not be part of a problem like the lack of capacity currently in the HNS if we can possibly avoid it. A personal conviction and a personal choice!

There is some indication that the current situation with Influenza has been designated as an epidemic, certainly numbers are up and hospitals are full to bursting and as Fuddle points out more people are visiting GPs but they don't necessarily all have the flu, we all live huddled on top of each other in our cities and towns and we all have centrally heated and sealed homes these days and I'm convinced that is part of the reason so many of us succumb to so many viruses and illnesses along with the adulteration of food stuffs with so many chemicals for shelf life and flavour enhancement. Perhaps a simpler life all round might be better for the human race and make us hardier and less likely to be ill so often?

dreaming

Karmacat wrote: »

I'm really interested in the bit I've bolded, dreaming, do you have a linkie for that, please?
.

Karmacat - I don't have a link exactly but if you look up Public Health England (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england) you should find plenty of information. One of the problems is that many people see newspaper headlines that flu is increasing, but when you read the reports it is only the "reported" cases that have increased. This leads more people to think they have to go to the doctor with the first sign of illness (which may or may not be flu) but that increases the reported cases, which gets headlines again and so the cycle continues. Of course, it is impossible to ascertain the real number of cases of flu, and whether or not it is the "Aussie" strain or any other form which is always present to some degree, as many people do not go to doctors.
I'm not minimising the dangers of the illness for some people by the way. I have had flu in the past and know how debilitating it can be for several weeks in someone who is (was) healthy. I now have an auto-immune condition so try to avoid certain situations (no cheek kissing for me, or even hand shakes at the moment) and follow handwashing guidelines etc. However, I am also aware that this is a seasonal, cyclical illness which happens every year to a greater or lesser degree. Unfortunately I have met people who have had a heavy cold who have insisted that they have Aussie flu, but they have still managed to make it to the pub (if not to work)!

mardatha

This does bug me. People on ME groups or Addisons groups who talk as if they are at death's door 98% of the time, moaning on about all their symptoms - then causally mention they were out at the pub/restaurant or on a day out. Ill people don't do anything - they can't because they haven't the energy. And people with flu are bloody lucky if they can make it to the loo unassisted.

DigForVictory

Much intrigued by the idea of thieves oil...
Have had my annual round of quinsy/tonsilitis/pus on the tonsils (antibiotics over Christmas made timing meals a chore & of course no alcohol, but I got a swig of champagne in for New Year) - round here you have to have 5 documented rounds in 3 years before they'll consider surgery so I wait til the sore throat goes splodgy, rock up & get the script.

We need to sharpen up our prep for water. I may send son with shovel out to investigate the spring shown on the map. Warm enough to get a shovel in and find water running at present, but a few passes with the divining rods first might be kinder. (I believe & it works for me, others don't & it doesn't. It's possible that may be how some people feel about vaccines etc!)

I dimly remember having pneumonia as a child. I was too weak to leave my bed but just able to turn a page, so the local library was credited with my recovery by mum. She was doing book runs alongside the school run of little sibs, & with my curiosity blazing, as long as I was supplied with books, she reckoned it was a reasonable bet I'd stay still & let my body get on with the recovering. (It worked, but I can't stick Enid Blyton now!)

Karmacat

dreaming wrote: »

Karmacat - I don't have a link exactly but if you look up Public Health England (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england) you should find plenty of information.

Thanks for this, dreaming - I'll check it out. I like your explanation of "reported" and the circular effect of that.

mardatha wrote: »

This does bug me. People on ME groups or Addisons groups who talk as if they are at death's door 98% of the time, moaning on about all their symptoms - then causally mention they were out at the pub/restaurant or on a day out. Ill people don't do anything - they can't because they haven't the energy. And people with flu are bloody lucky if they can make it to the loo unassisted.

Absolutely. Even on an ordinary day, when I'm not ill and supposedly "healthy", I don't eat out for meals. And a day out, again when healthy, is a huge deal. I leave two days free afterwards so I can rest.

GreyQueen

Yeah, I do two hrs of archery (with a tea break in the middle) most weeks and am home by 19.30 hrs, and still feel the after-effects two days later. Some weeks I'm just not well enough to do archery at all.

No way could I be out two days on the trot even if 'out' was a simple as sitting in a pub on the next street for one half pint of cider, or lounging on a pal's couch for a couple of hours having a natter.

[Deleted User]

I seem to recall, someone (apologies but I can't remember the member's name) asking about a microscope for one of their children/grandchildren for Christmas. I suggested this:-

Well, I was in Home Bargains today, and spotted this:-

Price £9-99.

It doesn't have the portability of the Smartphone microscope, but you can plug this one into a TV/monitor (it requires a phono type socket), and view the objects on a much larger screen.

jk0

Someone on Zerohedge recommended this article: http://whale.to/c/hiddenyyranny.pdf

I'm only half way through it but, O.M.G!

thriftwizard

Snowdrops are coming out! DD1 & I found a couple of decent-sized patches of snowdrops flowering whilst walking the byways round our local ancient monument yesterday. We'd already seen that lots of our bulbs are coming up, and the garden day-lilies are throwing out shoots now too, but but it's pretty early for snowdrops although if course it's quite warm for January down here at the moment.

I'm sure there's plenty of winter left. But - spring is on its way! :j

ivyleaf

How lovely, thriftwizard!

I'd like to visit one of the gardens that has a good show of snowdrops every year (I mean the ones you have to pay to go into), but they are all too far away from us to go there and back in one day.