I really don't understand the rampant cynicism in our society,...

My background and training is that of a research chemist, and as such, I learned to properly develop a program of research to accurately make assumptions and develop testing that would test those questions. Unfortunately, just like political surveys that can have a spin to obtain the answers they want to be able to present as "accurate," not all research studies are created equal. I do not take a research conclusion as acceptable until I have read the original design study. As technical liaison to marketing in the company I worked for, I had to constantly push back on their interpretation of my research projects, reigning in the statements they wanted to make with regard to the products I developed with a terse, "That is not what the study showed."

I am not vaccine phobic, and indeed have had both shingles vaccines given an experience with shingles that I desired NEVER to repeat. That said, the flu vaccine I avoid, particularly after the pushback on the reported "death rate" from the flu that was published during Covid. It resulted in ER doctors calling BS, as they should certainly have seen some flu deaths during their career had it been that high. The CDC finally admitted that the death rate had been extrapolated from the number of those getting the flu, not an actual count, but hey, if it resulted in more people getting vaccinated then all the better. They are actively confusing science with marketing, which should not be one and the same. Perhaps OK for the general public, but none actually are average and some of us have adverse reactions to the vaccines themselves, so scaring us without foundation into taking greater risks is unconscionable. I for one resent being treated like a child and want my science properly executed rather than a way to manipulate me into what THEY think is right for ME. Many meds have adverse effects on me, my mom and my son, and I have been told by my Dr not to get mRNA vaccines anymore, as they make me quite ill. (Other meds, like opioids, simply don't work for us at all, and we get our pain relief from Advil and Tylenol.) Ironically, DH gets the flu vaccine every year, and he seems to come down with it often, while unvaccinated me does not.

Studies on meds give doctors an overall picture of what will probably work well for a good portion of civilization, but it is up to you to figure out what works for you. Most meds are tested on younger white men. If you are not one of those, your chance of deviating from the "norm" are higher.

IP