H1N1, cytokine storm, autoimmune response and your body's home-grown terrorists!

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Thursday October 15, 2009 · 6:14 PM PDT

2009/10/15 · 18:14

Caveat. This diary is for informational purposesa only. Please consult your doctor before acting on anything you read in this diary.

There's alot of misinformation and hysteria about H1N1. The facts about this flu -- H1N1 -- is that it is most likely related to and a descendent of the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. The striking feature of that pandemic was that it disproportionately killed the very humans who should have survived the flu. Namely, the Spanish Flu of 1918 killed the young and the healthy.

Comic Bill Mahar has weighed-in on whether or not to get the H1N1 flu vaccine. While I am ambivalent about all vaccinations, I would not get my medical advice from comics, Christian Scientists/Scientologists, or anonymous bloggers. So this diary if for informational purposes only.

I hope this wiki link, with its basic information about a phenomena called "cytokine storm" will help educate you and keep you safer during this flu season and this anticipated H1N1 flu pandemic.

The body has an internal defense system called the immune system. The body's immune system is like the DOD (Department of Defense), collecting intelligence, building and maintaining a fighting force. The body's immune system rallies the immune cells, creating all manner of defense cells, (T-cells, etc.,) to protect the integrity of your body.

The cytokines are an integral part of your body's immune DOD and they create an army to fight to keep you alive.

What happens whem your body's DOD -- cytokine recruiters build an army that's too large? The body's own immune DOD attacks itself! Your body turns against itself, your body creates its owna terrorists.

A young and healthy organism has more capacity to fight disease because it has a greater capacity to create the cellular-warriors to fight disease. A young and healthy body has MORE cytokines!

Why would too much of a good thing, cytokines - to fight the flu, be a problem? Normally, it would not. However, when it is activated as in an autoimmune responsea, the army of disease fighting cells stops distinquishing between the invader-flu-virus and the cells of the body.

In autoimmune diseases the body has too many immune cells. It may be that the H1N1 is like autoimmune disease in that too many cytokines are created and end up attacking the body they are supposed to defend.

Here's the wiki on "cytokine storm" http://en.wikipedia.org/...

Poll
129 votes Show Results
I will get

the usual flu shot and this year's H1N1 flu shot.

only the usual flue shot.

only the H1N1 flu shot.

neither of the shots

I haven't decided yet.

129 votes Vote Now!
I will get

the usual flu shot and this year's H1N1 flu shot.

76 votes

only the usual flue shot.

9%

11 votes

only the H1N1 flu shot.

4%

5 votes

neither of the shots

25 votes

I haven't decided yet.

9%

12 votes

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H1N1, cytokine storm, autoimmune response and your body's home-grown terrorists!

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