San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Vaccines do not lower resistance to other viruses
Q: A person who works in the medical field told me that she is against vaccinations. The reason she gave is that when you put a specific vaccine into your body, your resistance to any other virus or bacteria is severely diminished. Thus, if you get a COVID vaccination, you are then much more susceptible to the flu.
She says that your body naturally builds up resistance to whatever virus or bacteria is going around, and that resistance is reduced by the injection of particular vaccines. Is there any truth to this concept?
A: No, the immune system is definitely able to fight off multiple infections or respond to multiple vaccines at once. The vaccine doesn’t reduce the body’s ability to fight off other infections.
The amount of antigens (specific parts of viruses or bacteria) in a vaccine is very small compared to what our bodies are exposed to every day through the environment. Both theoretical and observed results from clinical trials show that vaccines help you prepare for the specific infection the vaccine is protecting you from, but they do not weaken the immune system for other germs.
Had there been weakening of the body’s response to influenza (the flu), we would expect to see more flu infections, since more than 80% of Americans (and 91% of Canadians) have had at least one COVID vaccine.
However, since the COVID pandemic, we have had historically small numbers of flu infections. This was mostly due to mask-wearing and people not getting together as much as we did before the pandemic,
but this data does not support the idea that the COVID vaccine worsens susceptibility to the flu.
Q: I am a 70-year-old male in good physical shape, but I do have minor, annoying muscle aches and pains in both shoulders and my neck. I have done physical therapy for this, but it hasn’t really helped.
When I take two ibuprofen tablets, my aches and pains basically go away for the day, which is a godsend. Is it medically acceptable for me to take two ibuprofen tablets every day for the rest of my life?
A: Ibuprofen and similar drugs (collectively known as NSAIDs) can be very helpful for many conditions. When used at high doses every day, they do have risks of side effects. But at the very low dose of 400 mg a day (the over-the-counter ibuprofen is 200 mg per tablet or capsule), the risks are small. Stomach upset is probably the most common, but there are still small risks of other issues.
Any medicine, whether it’s prescribed, over-the-counter or a supplement, has the risk of adverse effects. Physicians and other health professionals need to exercise their judgment in recommending them, making sure to weigh the risks and benefits.
Unless you have a medical condition that you haven’t told me about (history of bleeding ulcers from NSAIDs or severe kidney disease, for example), then the benefit (“godsend” is a pretty strong word) seems to greatly outweigh the small risks from such a modest dose of ibuprofen.
Q: For four years, I have been taking 2 mg of alprazolam at night to sleep. For the past six months, I have noticed that if I take it at 10:30 p.m., I usually cannot fall asleep until 2:30 a.m. Is it safe to simply stop taking this, as it has lost its effectiveness and 2 mg is a small dose? Or should I taper off ? I am 72.
A: Alprazolam (Xanax) is a sedative in the benzodiazepine class. Recently, a research article highlighted the dangers of chronic use of these medications. The study was survey-based and didn’t answer how often side effects can occur, but low energy, difficulty concentrating, memory loss and anxiety were the most commonly reported side effects. The authors proposed the term “benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction” to describe the problems chronic users may get over the long term and while tapering or discontinuing the use of these drugs.
Two mg of alprazolam is not a small dose. People who are not used to this dose could be highly sedated for many hours.
I strongly urge you not to suddenly discontinue this dose. When I treat my own patients who want to stop diazepines, I slowly taper the dose over six to 10 weeks. Some people can go a bit faster, while others need even more time. Since you are using the medication only at night, you can probably taper down your dose a bit faster.
I also strongly recommend you discuss your plans to stop taking alprazolam with the doctor who has been prescribing it (although, unfortunately, not all physicians are aware of how dangerous long-term use of benzodiazepines can be).
I recommend behavioral treatments for most people suffering from insomnia, with cognitive behavioral therapy being a safer and more effective treatment for most people than daily prescription medications.
I should note that not everyone on benzodiazepines suffers side effects, and some people do well with this treatment. Occasional use of alprazolam or other sleep medicines is unlikely to cause harm. It’s the long-term daily use that is most concerning.
Q: I’m an almost 83-yearold woman who is still active and relatively healthy. Should I be taking a fruit and vegetable supplement? The ads seem to say that miraculous things happen when you take it. But it is expensive! If I stick to a good, balanced diet, do I need to use this product as a supplement?
A: No! If you put the money you would have spent on these products into buying fresh fruits and vegetables, you’d be much better off, in my opinion. Supplements have some, but by no means all, of the nutrients of fresh fruits and vegetables.
If fresh fruits or vegetables aren’t available to you, use frozen ones, which provide the same benefits, rather than canned, which lose the micronutrients over time and often have excess amounts of sodium.
Fruits and vegetables also have fiber, which makes you feel full, so you are less likely to eat other foods that aren’t as healthy for you.