Arjun
IPCT Contributor
The two times, many years ago, I said ok I will try the Flu shot, I got the Flu, Whatha? or symptoms as I was told. One of those times I was out of work for two weeks. Both shots I was perfectly healthy, not sick when taking them, just doing a preventive. Was a bit of peer pressure, listening to others, Oh you need the Flu Shot.I never had a flu, shingles, etc., etc, shot, or any of the other that I'm "supposed" to have. I got really pissed about a decade ago when I went for a tetanus shot, only to find a straight tetanus shot wasn't available, it was available only in a multi-whatever shot. The wife and I both had nasty flu last Christmas. For a couple of days I felt like I'd never recover from it. Not enough incentive to get this stuff injected into me, while conveniently helping the insurance companies and big pharma profits as a side-effect.

More GOP hypocrisy incoming....
This looks like one of many places medical costs could be lowered, but it's not possible politically. It's a pretty clear track record of money being funneled to big pharma: (1) Invent a problem, (2) Make a drug to treat it, (3) Make insurance cover the drug, guaranteeing demand in spite of high price. I fact checked a few of the numbers and they passed. I'll note that the numbers for cholesterol are specifically for LDL.
Even when the condition is real, in most cases it can be successfully treated with changes in diet and activity. The lazy Americans prefer pills, and the political-pharma complex is happy to oblige, side effects be damned.
While doing the fact check I ran across a study that shows a strong correlation between lower cholesterol and increased dementia. I've read elsewhere that the brain needs cholesterol. With the cholesterol-lowering pills are we trading one disease for another, giving big pharma an opportunity to increase healthcare costs even more with yet another new treatment?
I have no informed opinion on the childhood vaccine schedule. Posting for information only.
That said, I have seen evidence that some vaccines (measles comes to mind) where the “epidemic” declined dramatically far before the introduction of the vaccine. I tend to think many of them are garbage but profitable
