Re: [pct-l] Belly Beasties

[Brick Robbins <brick@ix.netcom.com>]

>He exposed himself to the bug in small amounts - like training -
>in the months before one of his later hikes, and reported no 
>problems for the entire hike. If you think about it, this is
>the same way we build resistance to disease, as well as 
>being similar to how vaccines work. 

YOU DO NOT VACCINATE  BY INFECTING YOURSELF!!!
Vaccines work by using a DEAD or IMPARED organisms to stimulate your immune
system. 

As few as 10 Giardia cycts can infect you. These buggers can ONLY breed and
grow inside your gut. They LIKE to be there. Just a few can turn into
millions in a couple of weeks.

That being said, I don't filter water for Giardia. I am resistant to it, or
at least they symptoms don't bother me (that much). Some folks get laid out
flat with it. You won't know till you get it first.

That doesn't mean that the only problems with water (especially in So-Cal)
are from Giardia. If you get hit hard and fast, it is probably bacteria,
not Giardia.

I wrote a web page about this and other PCT medical concerns. Instead of
wasting bandwidth, if you're interested you can read it at
http://pw1.netcom.com/~brick/pct_med.html
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