Guillain-Barre Syndrome: The Truth

[eagleseven]

With the recent H1N1 vaccinations, Guillain-Barre Syndrome hysteria has hit the nation again.

Just what is Guillain-Barre Syndrome? In short, it is the body's over-reaction to antigens. When your body encounters foreign particles (known as antigens), it produces antibodies and a series of other cells to fight the infection.

The production process of antibodies, however, often makes mistakes. Most "mistaken" antibodies are destroyed. But what happens if an antibody accidentally targets human nerve tissue, and survives?

Why, the person develops Guillain-Barre Syndrome, where the body attacks its own brain and nerve cells. This often results in paralysis and death, and is virtually uncurable.

So what does Guillain-Barre Syndrome have to do with vaccines? Well, as you can see above, Guillain-Barre Syndrome can occur anytime the body is exposed to antigens. You can develop Guillain-Barre Syndrome from an everyday cold, from being sneezed on, or from a life-threatening illness.The more antigen in your body, the sicker you are, and the more likely you are to develop Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Vaccines also expose you to small amounts of antigen, and so carry some risk of developing the syndrome. Still, there are thousands of times more antigen in a sick person than in a vaccine, and so you are far more likely to develop the syndrome from being ill.

So why all the hype? To put it bluntly, when a seriously ill person develops Guillain-Barre Syndrome, nobody cares. It's chalked up as an unfortunate development, makes no headlines, and the victim dies surrounded by family.

However, when the one-in-a-million healthy person develops Guillain-Barre from a vaccine, the press goes nuts, and conspiracy theorists have a field day. They then talk about how vaccines are dangerous, and how the government is secretly hiding Guillain-Barre Syndrome statistics from the public.

This couldn't be further from the truth, because as you can see, Guillain-Barre Syndrome affects primarily the already-ill. Unfortunately, the hype spreads, because people don't understand what Guillain-Barre Syndrome is all about.

So, hopefully you've learned something from this post, and can make an informed decision for you and your family regarding this year's vaccinations.

(Note to Mods: If you wish to move this to the Health and Lifestyle board, could you please wait a day or so because, with H1N1, this is very much a current event?)

 

[eots]

when I was a kid no one I ever knew died of the flu..in fact most kind of enjoyed it for the most part some extra attention..my mom would always buy me some comic books..you got a few days off school you appreciated feeling well again..it is all part of the human experience..for the most part all this fuss is so junior doesn't need to get a fever ..throw up..gain a natural immunity and carry on..it is stupid and if it was about saving lives I am sure statistically there are a thousand better ways to save children's lives with the money time and effort spent on this nonsense

 

[kyzr]

One of our better HS athletes developed a mysterious disease from the regular flu vaccine. It took months for them to even diagnose the disease. He's fine now, but he nearly died from the flu vaccination. I'm always going to take my chances with the flu instead of the vaccine.

 

[editec]

when I was a kid no one I ever knew died of the flu..in fact most kind of enjoyed it for the most part some extra attention..my mom would always buy me some comic books..you got a few days off school you appreciated feeling well again..it is all part of the human experience..for the most part all this fuss is so junior doesn't need to get a fever ..throw up..gain a natural immunity and carry on..it is stupid and if it was about saving lives I am sure statistically there are a thousand better ways to save children's lives with the money time and effort spent on this nonsense

When you were a kid people died of the flu every year, just like they do now.

The flu has always killed the old and weak.

Every once in a while some new enflueza pathogen comes down the pike that kills healthier people, too.

But putting that aside, the common average every-year-types flu has always been one of those common disases which kills of thousands of Americans every year.

 

[judyd]

I had Guillain Barre when I was in high school in the 60's, and at that time the neurologist had said that I probably had a slight case of the flu or other illness which caused this to settle in my spinal fluid. Obviously that was his layman explanation.

Although that has been many years ago, I have always been advised not to get a flu shot since I had it in the past, and since the memory of the many months until I felt strong again is still there, I am not willing to take a chance.

 

[American Horse]

when I was a kid no one I ever knew died of the flu..in fact most kind of enjoyed it for the most part some extra attention..my mom would always buy me some comic books..you got a few days off school you appreciated feeling well again..it is all part of the human experience..for the most part all this fuss is so junior doesn't need to get a fever ..throw up..gain a natural immunity and carry on..it is stupid and if it was about saving lives I am sure statistically there are a thousand better ways to save children's lives with the money time and effort spent on this nonsense

When you were a kid people died of the flu every year, just like they do now.

The flu has always killed the old and weak.

Every once in a while some new enflueza pathogen comes down the pike that kills healthier people, too.

But putting that aside, the common average every-year-types flu has always been one of those common disases which kills of thousands of Americans every year.

I think people tend to call any bad cold "the flu" these days. I remember several flu events from the past: 1957 my mother got the Asian flu, and I remember being worried that she would die from it. In 1967 I got the flu and after that so did my young wife. For me it seemed I was barely conscious for almost two weeks and could barely pry myself out of bed to take care of my needs. It was the same for my wife. To reduce the alarm it would be helpful if people knew the difference between the symptoms of a flu and a cold:

 

[Neser Boha]

With the recent H1N1 vaccinations, Guillain-Barre Syndrome hysteria has hit the nation again.

Just what is Guillain-Barre Syndrome? In short, it is the body's over-reaction to antigens. When your body encounters foreign particles (known as antigens), it produces antibodies and a series of other cells to fight the infection.

The production process of antibodies, however, often makes mistakes. Most "mistaken" antibodies are destroyed. But what happens if an antibody accidentally targets human nerve tissue, and survives?

Why, the person develops Guillain-Barre Syndrome, where the body attacks its own brain and nerve cells. This often results in paralysis and death, and is virtually uncurable.

So what does Guillain-Barre Syndrome have to do with vaccines? Well, as you can see above, Guillain-Barre Syndrome can occur anytime the body is exposed to antigens. You can develop Guillain-Barre Syndrome from an everyday cold, from being sneezed on, or from a life-threatening illness.The more antigen in your body, the sicker you are, and the more likely you are to develop Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Vaccines also expose you to small amounts of antigen, and so carry some risk of developing the syndrome. Still, there are thousands of times more antigen in a sick person than in a vaccine, and so you are far more likely to develop the syndrome from being ill.

So why all the hype? To put it bluntly, when a seriously ill person develops Guillain-Barre Syndrome, nobody cares. It's chalked up as an unfortunate development, makes no headlines, and the victim dies surrounded by family.

However, when the one-in-a-million healthy person develops Guillain-Barre from a vaccine, the press goes nuts, and conspiracy theorists have a field day. They then talk about how vaccines are dangerous, and how the government is secretly hiding Guillain-Barre Syndrome statistics from the public.

This couldn't be further from the truth, because as you can see, Guillain-Barre Syndrome affects primarily the already-ill. Unfortunately, the hype spreads, because people don't understand what Guillain-Barre Syndrome is all about.

So, hopefully you've learned something from this post, and can make an informed decision for you and your family regarding this year's vaccinations.

(Note to Mods: If you wish to move this to the Health and Lifestyle board, could you please wait a day or so because, with H1N1, this is very much a current event?)

Thanks for the info, eagleseven. It is very helpful and educative. However, I would prefer if you included a link to a source from which you gathered this information. It is not that I am disputing the truthfulness of your post, it is just something I wish everyone would do every time they post information on the board.

Please?

 

[eagleseven]

Thanks for the info, eagleseven. It is very helpful and educative. However, I would prefer if you included a link to a source from which you gathered this information. It is not that I am disputing the truthfulness of your post, it is just something I wish everyone would do every time they post information on the board.

Please?

Certainly. The information I presented was primarily off memory, but can be readily verified at the following links.

Guillain-Barre syndrome - MayoClinic.com
Guillain-Barre Syndrome: MedlinePlus
Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) - Autoimmune Nerve Disorder - Causes, Symptoms & Treatment on MedicineNet.com
CDC - Seasonal Influenza (Flu) - Q & A: Seasonal Flu and Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC303980/

 

[Luissa]

With the recent H1N1 vaccinations, Guillain-Barre Syndrome hysteria has hit the nation again.

Just what is Guillain-Barre Syndrome? In short, it is the body's over-reaction to antigens. When your body encounters foreign particles (known as antigens), it produces antibodies and a series of other cells to fight the infection.

The production process of antibodies, however, often makes mistakes. Most "mistaken" antibodies are destroyed. But what happens if an antibody accidentally targets human nerve tissue, and survives?

Why, the person develops Guillain-Barre Syndrome, where the body attacks its own brain and nerve cells. This often results in paralysis and death, and is virtually uncurable.

So what does Guillain-Barre Syndrome have to do with vaccines? Well, as you can see above, Guillain-Barre Syndrome can occur anytime the body is exposed to antigens. You can develop Guillain-Barre Syndrome from an everyday cold, from being sneezed on, or from a life-threatening illness.The more antigen in your body, the sicker you are, and the more likely you are to develop Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Vaccines also expose you to small amounts of antigen, and so carry some risk of developing the syndrome. Still, there are thousands of times more antigen in a sick person than in a vaccine, and so you are far more likely to develop the syndrome from being ill.

So why all the hype? To put it bluntly, when a seriously ill person develops Guillain-Barre Syndrome, nobody cares. It's chalked up as an unfortunate development, makes no headlines, and the victim dies surrounded by family.

However, when the one-in-a-million healthy person develops Guillain-Barre from a vaccine, the press goes nuts, and conspiracy theorists have a field day. They then talk about how vaccines are dangerous, and how the government is secretly hiding Guillain-Barre Syndrome statistics from the public.

This couldn't be further from the truth, because as you can see, Guillain-Barre Syndrome affects primarily the already-ill. Unfortunately, the hype spreads, because people don't understand what Guillain-Barre Syndrome is all about.

So, hopefully you've learned something from this post, and can make an informed decision for you and your family regarding this year's vaccinations.

(Note to Mods: If you wish to move this to the Health and Lifestyle board, could you please wait a day or so because, with H1N1, this is very much a current event?)

I know someone who died of this at the beginning of this last summer, he was sick for month and was put in a nursing home and was thought to be getting better and then took another turn from the worse and never recovered.

 

[MaggieMae]

when I was a kid no one I ever knew died of the flu..in fact most kind of enjoyed it for the most part some extra attention..my mom would always buy me some comic books..you got a few days off school you appreciated feeling well again..it is all part of the human experience..for the most part all this fuss is so junior doesn't need to get a fever ..throw up..gain a natural immunity and carry on..it is stupid and if it was about saving lives I am sure statistically there are a thousand better ways to save children's lives with the money time and effort spent on this nonsense

You're talking about a fast-moving flu, not one that causes a fever and vomiting for a week or more, which can seriously dehydrate your entire system. The way I understand this current flu virus is that it resembles salmonella poisoning, only lasts longer. If you want to go through that, then knock yourself out.

There's also growing evidence that many of the "new" health problems, such as AIDS and even autism are the result of the old vaccine regimine us old folk had as children stopped being used somewhere along the line, and that those "bugs" were allowed to slowly reemerge and mutate into other viruses. The seven-vaccine procedure of 40-50 years ago wiped out small pox, measles and mumps as potential killers of thousands.

 

[judyd]

when I was a kid no one I ever knew died of the flu..in fact most kind of enjoyed it for the most part some extra attention..my mom would always buy me some comic books..you got a few days off school you appreciated feeling well again..it is all part of the human experience..for the most part all this fuss is so junior doesn't need to get a fever ..throw up..gain a natural immunity and carry on..it is stupid and if it was about saving lives I am sure statistically there are a thousand better ways to save children's lives with the money time and effort spent on this nonsense

You're talking about a fast-moving flu, not one that causes a fever and vomiting for a week or more, which can seriously dehydrate your entire system. The way I understand this current flu virus is that it resembles salmonella poisoning, only lasts longer. If you want to go through that, then knock yourself out.

There's also growing evidence that many of the "new" health problems, such as AIDS and even autism are the result of the old vaccine regimine us old folk had as children stopped being used somewhere along the line, and that those "bugs" were allowed to slowly reemerge and mutate into other viruses. The seven-vaccine procedure of 40-50 years ago wiped out small pox, measles and mumps as potential killers of thousands.

We only had vaccines for smallpox and whooping cough when I was a kid in the 50's and 60's (and of course we received the polio vaccine in the late 50's). Kids were still getting measles, mumps and chicken pox, although except for measles I avoided the others, although my sisters and friends got them. I did get all the vaccinations for my child in the late 70's, which except for chicken pox, included the others.

 

[MaggieMae]

when I was a kid no one I ever knew died of the flu..in fact most kind of enjoyed it for the most part some extra attention..my mom would always buy me some comic books..you got a few days off school you appreciated feeling well again..it is all part of the human experience..for the most part all this fuss is so junior doesn't need to get a fever ..throw up..gain a natural immunity and carry on..it is stupid and if it was about saving lives I am sure statistically there are a thousand better ways to save children's lives with the money time and effort spent on this nonsense

You're talking about a fast-moving flu, not one that causes a fever and vomiting for a week or more, which can seriously dehydrate your entire system. The way I understand this current flu virus is that it resembles salmonella poisoning, only lasts longer. If you want to go through that, then knock yourself out.

There's also growing evidence that many of the "new" health problems, such as AIDS and even autism are the result of the old vaccine regimine us old folk had as children stopped being used somewhere along the line, and that those "bugs" were allowed to slowly reemerge and mutate into other viruses. The seven-vaccine procedure of 40-50 years ago wiped out small pox, measles and mumps as potential killers of thousands.

We only had vaccines for smallpox and whooping cough when I was a kid in the 50's and 60's (and of course we received the polio vaccine in the late 50's). Kids were still getting measles, mumps and chicken pox, although except for measles I avoided the others, although my sisters and friends got them. I did get all the vaccinations for my child in the late 70's, which except for chicken pox, included the others.

As I recall, mine (in the late 40's) covered small pox, diphtheria (another killer), and chicken pox. The scar(s) on my leg are still visible, the size and shape of which are indicative of how chicken pox would scar if you actually got it. There was more than one vaccine, a series of them, as I recall. I do remember having mumps, but not measles though.

 

[Contessa_Sharra]

You're talking about a fast-moving flu, not one that causes a fever and vomiting for a week or more, which can seriously dehydrate your entire system. The way I understand this current flu virus is that it resembles salmonella poisoning, only lasts longer. If you want to go through that, then knock yourself out.

There's also growing evidence that many of the "new" health problems, such as AIDS and even autism are the result of the old vaccine regimine us old folk had as children stopped being used somewhere along the line, and that those "bugs" were allowed to slowly reemerge and mutate into other viruses. The seven-vaccine procedure of 40-50 years ago wiped out small pox, measles and mumps as potential killers of thousands.

We only had vaccines for smallpox and whooping cough when I was a kid in the 50's and 60's (and of course we received the polio vaccine in the late 50's). Kids were still getting measles, mumps and chicken pox, although except for measles I avoided the others, although my sisters and friends got them. I did get all the vaccinations for my child in the late 70's, which except for chicken pox, included the others.

As I recall, mine (in the late 40's) covered small pox, diphtheria (another killer), and chicken pox. The scar(s) on my leg are still visible, the size and shape of which are indicative of how chicken pox would scar if you actually got it. There was more than one vaccine, a series of them, as I recall. I do remember having mumps, but not measles though.

Smallpox vaccination only, and the rest was that we got the diseases! I was the first in 1st grade, and it was just before Christmas, so my whole class had chicken pox for the Christmas vacation. We were exposed to mumps, measles, both kinds, and for others, it was considered important that little boys have mumps as a child, young, because in adolescence or adulthood, the disease was thought to cause sterility in some males. My chicken "pops" scars were on my face, because I scratched. Just little, but there. Better that than shingles --- Measles required a dark room, and all, because of blindness....

I didn't get over-vaccinated until I went overseas as a Navy wife... Pregnant didn't matter, and it was either take the shots or go back to ConUS ---Cholera, Typhus, Typhoid, revacinnation for Smallpox, and depending on where you had lived or traveled, or last duty station there were other things many other things. Also, everyone who is or was active duty military gets a whole bunch of stuff, "just in case," even now!

And I guess there are no stats available about how many military die from taking the shots.

 

[judyd]

We only had vaccines for smallpox and whooping cough when I was a kid in the 50's and 60's (and of course we received the polio vaccine in the late 50's). Kids were still getting measles, mumps and chicken pox, although except for measles I avoided the others, although my sisters and friends got them. I did get all the vaccinations for my child in the late 70's, which except for chicken pox, included the others.

As I recall, mine (in the late 40's) covered small pox, diphtheria (another killer), and chicken pox. The scar(s) on my leg are still visible, the size and shape of which are indicative of how chicken pox would scar if you actually got it. There was more than one vaccine, a series of them, as I recall. I do remember having mumps, but not measles though.

Smallpox vaccination only, and the rest was that we got the diseases! I was the first in 1st grade, and it was just before Christmas, so my whole class had chicken pox for the Christmas vacation. We were exposed to mumps, measles, both kinds, and for others, it was considered important that little boys have mumps as a child, young, because in adolescence or adulthood, the disease was thought to cause sterility in some males. My chicken "pops" scars were on my face, because I scratched. Just little, but there. Better that than shingles --- Measles required a dark room, and all, because of blindness....

I didn't get over-vaccinated until I went overseas as a Navy wife... Pregnant didn't matter, and it was either take the shots or go back to ConUS ---Cholera, Typhus, Typhoid, revacinnation for Smallpox, and depending on where you had lived or traveled, or last duty station there were other things many other things. Also, everyone who is or was active duty military gets a whole bunch of stuff, "just in case," even now!

And I guess there are no stats available about how many military die from taking the shots.

That reminded me of how my father used to have to travel to Europe several times a year for his job. This would require many shots beforehand, and as a little girl, I thought he had the worst job in the world!

 

[garyd]

There exists at this time no proven link between autism, AIDS, and vaccines. The latter is primarily an urban legend if you want to give it even that much street cred.

 

[eots]

There exists at this time no proven link between autism, AIDS, and vaccines. The latter is primarily an urban legend if you want to give it even that much street cred.

not long ago that is what they said about anti depressants and suicide or micro waves and brain cancer

 

[Fatality]

There exists at this time no proven link between autism, AIDS, and vaccines. The latter is primarily an urban legend if you want to give it even that much street cred.

not long ago that is what they said about anti depressants and suicide or micro waves and brain cancer

indeed they did.

the link is not from "vaccines" but from what is in the vaccine, namely themerisol which simpletons and pinheads will say is all safe and cool, but the research is showing something completly different. fortunately not all swine flu vaccines contain thimerosal, however...

growing number of scientists and researchers believe that a relationship between the increase in neurodevelopmental disorders of autism, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, and speech or language delay, and the increased use of thimerosal in vaccines is plausible and deserves more scrutiny. In 2001, the Institute of Medicine determined that such a relationship is biologically plausible, but that not enough evidence exists to support or reject this hypothesis. Recent studies have confirmed the association between the use of thimerosal and autism has moved from "biologically plausible" to a "biological certainty" (Boyd Haley). Recent work by Dr. Mark Geier and David Geier in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons and Experimental Biology and Medicine have shown strong epidemiological evidence for a causal relationship between thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders in children.

What Causes Autism

they used to say Thalidomide was safe too.

 

[garyd]

Your link is broken. And that definition does not Include AIDS which has nothing to do with the nervous system that we know of. Human AIDS is simply a derivative of simian AIDS the bug made the jump first in Afica because for the last several thousand years Chimp Brains were something of a delicacy in West Africa. The only suprise is that it took this long for the bug to make the jump from chimp to human given the similarity in the DNA between chimp and man.

 

[Fatality]

Your link is broken. And that definition does not Include AIDS which has nothing to do with the nervous system that we know of. Human AIDS is simply a derivative of simian AIDS the bug made the jump first in Afica because for the last several thousand years Chimp Brains were something of a delicacy in West Africa. The only suprise is that it took this long for the bug to make the jump from chimp to human given the similarity in the DNA between chimp and man.

i just clicked the link and it worked, dont know why its not working for you. I wasnt including AIDS, neither does the article, its pretty clear AIDS does not come from a vaccine.

 

[Fatality]

Your link is broken. And that definition does not Include AIDS which has nothing to do with the nervous system that we know of. Human AIDS is simply a derivative of simian AIDS the bug made the jump first in Afica because for the last several thousand years Chimp Brains were something of a delicacy in West Africa. The only suprise is that it took this long for the bug to make the jump from chimp to human given the similarity in the DNA between chimp and man.

i just clicked the link and it worked, dont know why its not working for you. I wasnt including AIDS, neither does the article, its pretty clear AIDS does not come from a vaccine.