is it best to take the flu shot or not? please give your reasons.

I've never had a flu shot, and whilst I did have full-blown flu a few times when I was a kid (really horrible illness), I wouldn't opt to have the flu vaccine. The more people who have the flu vaccine, the more virulent the strains of flu which develop. If I were to get the flu, I'd rather suffer through it, treating the symptoms, and let my body become stronger and better at fighting it by itself. There's also the fact that a healthy balanced diet, getting a good amount of sleep, and taking care of yourself, is a good way of staying flu-free. I'd rather tackle illness in this way, making sure I don't run myself down which would make me more vulnerable to illness, rather than not being healthy and trying to avoid illness through endless vaccinations. By staying healthy, this is also more likely to make me stronger and more illness-resistant when I'm older too.

I was not given a choice this year. After being shot and in the hospital I had to get the flu and the pneumonia shots this year so that I could stay healthy during the illness season. I just hope they work or I will be out of work for longer.

I have not had a flu shot in decades. I maybe get the flu once every five or ten years. I am afraid to break my streak.

I've had a flu shot every year for at least the last 5 years. I work in health care, and am around a lot of people carrying lots of germs! I want to be protected from anything that I can be. It is not required at my place of employment, but it is offered for free. Read this FAQ, it gives a lot of info. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/flushot.htm