Vaccines - Part 2 - Types of Vaccines

Vaccines are classified in two categories. They're either prophylactic (offset or prevent a future infection), or therapeutic (a treatment or remedy after a problem has occurred).

Prophylactic vaccines are for prevention of childhood or adult dis-eases, like measles, mumps, chicken pox, the flu, or hepatitis.

Therapeutic vaccines are like those used to help treat cocaine addiction. Research is currently being conducted for cancer vaccines, as well. The intent is to be able to give the vaccine to a cancer patient while they already have cancer, to prevent it from growing and/or metastasizing.

Both types of vaccines have known risks and side effects, which each person needs to fully evaluate before being vaccinated.

Stay tuned for: Vaccines - Part 3 - Ingredients, Part 4 - Side Effects, and Part 5 - What You Can Do.

Sources: www.wikipedia.org, www.webmd.com, and www.cdc.gov.

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The information contained on this site is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure. Nor is it intended to replace the advice of your primary care provider. No liability is assumed by the owner of this site, the author, or editor, related to use or misuse of any information contained herein.

Vaccines - Part 1 - What They Are

A vaccine is a biological product used to stimulate an immune response. This means researchers and manufacturers take a substance that resembles a microorganism and mix it with other ingredients, so it can be swallowed, injected, applied, or inhaled into the body.

The initial substance can either be living or dead, natural or synthetic. Parts of it can be (and usually is) combined with something else, like other types of proteins or DNA, whether human, plant, or animal. The most common of these proteins/DNA are from horses, chickens, and ducks, and occasionally from beef or pork.

Other substances in the vaccine are designed to both provoke the immune system, as well as neutralize allergic responses. They also act as the carrier (the means to get it into the body), and, more importantly, as preservatives to prolong shelf life.

Vaccines have been used since the late 1700's, originally for smallpox, and are now designed for everything from measles and mumps, to cancer, and cocaine addictions.

Vaccines - Part 2 - Types of Vaccines, Part 3 - Ingredients, Part 4 - Side Effects, and Part 5 - What You Can Do.

All rights reserved. All blogs and photos on this site are copyrighted, and may not be stored, retrieved, copied, or sold in any form without express permission.

Sources: www.wikipedia.org, www.webmd.com, and www.cdc.gov.

The information contained on this site is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure. Nor is it intended to replace the advice of your primary care provider. No liability is assumed by the owner of this site, the author, or editor, related to use or misuse of any information contained herein.