Showing posts with label flu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flu. Show all posts

Friday, October 1, 2010

Get a Flu Shot, Get Cancer

Since this year the mainstream is pushing flu vaccine with the H1N1 and seasonal flu solutions combined, in an untested combination, consider that your risk is much greater. 

Make sure that you understand what informed consent is and how to protect your choice to say no.

This is especially important for women who are pregnant, a.s last year's experiment led to many miscarriages and still births. 
excerpt from FLU VACCINES AND THE RISK OF CANCER
"Much concern has been generated over the upcoming new swine flu H1N1 vaccines that are being rushed to market. Clinical trials will be short – less than three weeks – and the potential for the addition of toxic oil-in-water adjuvants to be added at the last minute to stretch the vaccine supply is disconcerting. However, the problems with flu shots go beyond current concerns. The new manufacturing process for flu shots, called cell-line technologies, are little understood and have the potential for serious, long term consequences."  Complete article
Remember that making sure your vitamin D level and vitamin C levels are adequate or higher, drinking adequate fluids, using good hand washing technique, getting good sleep, getting good nutrition - all are safer way s to stay flu free.

More about flu shots and cancer
HHS sees cell based flu vaccine in 2011, from dog kidney cells  
When you 'assume' vaccines are safe

Friday, September 10, 2010

Breaking FLU NEWS

17 September - 
CDC allegedly falsifies reports--ignoring up to 3,587 Miscarriages from H1N1 Vaccine
A shocking report from the National Coalition of Organized Women (NCOW) presented data from two different sources demonstrating that the 2009/10 H1N1 vaccines contributed to an estimated 1,588 miscarriages and stillbirths.  A corrected estimate may be as high as 3,587 cases.  NCOW also highlights the disturbing fact that the CDC failed to inform their vaccine providers of the incoming data of the reports of suspected H1N1 vaccine related fetal demise.
NCOW collected the data from pregnant women (age 17-45 years) that occurred after they were administered a 2009 A-H1N1 flu vaccine. The raw data is available on the website.
Using the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), including updates through July 11, 2010 as a second ascertainment source, capture-recapture statistical methods* were used to estimate the true number of miscarriages and stillbirths following A-H1N1 flu vaccination in the U.S. Typically, even so-called "complete" studies conducted by the CDC have been shown to miss from 10% to 90% of the actual cases because of under-reporting.
The statistical method employed is an expeditious and cost effective method of attempting to ascertain a complete count of all cases when two or more ascertainment sources (VAERS and NCOW survey) have failed to collect all the existing cases. Overall, this approach shows that approximately only 15% of the occurrences of a miscarriage or stillbirth were actually reported.
The corrected estimate for the total number of 2009-A-H1N1-flu-shot-associated miscarriages and stillbirths during the 2009/10-flu season is 1,588 (95% goodness-of-fit confidence interval, 946 to 3587). That is, the lower and upper range-probability of miscarriage and stillbirths due to the H1N1 vaccine was as low as 946 and as high as 3,587.
Eileen Dannemann, Director of NCOW, presented the findings for the second time to Dr. Marie McCormick, chair of the Vaccine Risk and Assessment Working Group, during the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines (ACCV) meeting, Sept 3, 2010. Just prior to Ms. Dannemann’s presentation Dr. McCormick, had pronounced that there were absolutely no H1N1 vaccine-related adverse events in pregnant women in 2009/10, directly contradicting the evidence publicly available. “This baseless and fallacious assessment by the CDC assessment group” says, Dannemann, “has given the green light to the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to continue their recommendation to give the 2010/11 flu shot to all people, including pregnant women. This upcoming 2010/11 flu vaccine contains the same elements that are implicated in the killing of these fetuses, the H1N1 viral component and the neurotoxin mercury (Thimerosal). Additionally, it contains 2 other viral strains- a 3 in 1 shot for all people”.
The very next week at the Sept 14th National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) meeting Dr. McCormick, (despite having been informed on two previous occasions of the VAERS data) pronounced, once again, that there were no adverse events in pregnant women. At the conclusion of the NVAC meeting, during public comment, Dannemann submitted the data for the 3rd time and concluded with, “Why hasn’t Dr. McCormick looked in the VAERS data base?”  “She looked where she knew she would not find”, a disquieting thought, Ms. Dannemann, said in retrospect. 

Excerpts and adaptation from speech delivered by Eileen Dannemann, Director, National Coalition of Organized Women Friday, September 3, 2010 to the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines (ACCV) meeting.

 

“Initially, at the beginning of the H1N1 pandemic consequence management drill there were allegedly 30 maternal deaths.  It was these deaths that the CDC used as the basis to initiate a strenuous and aggressive campaign to vaccinate the pregnant population with the untested H1N1 vaccine.  The CDC ascertained that there were eventually a total of 56 maternal deaths (assuming the fetuses died with them).  Dr. Alicia Siston’s JAMA study (CDC) acknowledged that most of these deaths were ‘unconfirmed’ H1N1 virus caused deaths despite the fact that the CDC had tests that could have verified, for certain, that these were H1N1 related deaths.
Vaccine-related fetal demise reports from VAERS increased 2,440%--from 7 cases in 2007/8 to 178 in 2009/10. Seventy deaths reported from another source had 7 overlapping cases with VAERS, yielding 241 unique cases.  Simplistically speaking, it would have been 85 to 192 times safer not to vaccinate from the perspective of the in-utero child.
Considering that the total of 56 maternal deaths in Dr. Alicia’s Siston’s study, allegedly due to the H1N1 virus itself, are unverified and in light of the overwhelming adverse events reported, we emphasize that inoculating pregnant women with another untested vaccine containing a combination of components found in the offending 2009 H1N1 vaccine is insupportable. Thus, it must be argued that the CDC was grossly negligent to fail to inform their vaccine providers of the incoming VAERS data, while providers blindly followed the CDC “standard of care” guidelines to vaccinate every pregnant woman in 2009/10.  Furthermore, in the face of these findings and the purposeful withholding of these findings by CDC’s Dr. Marie McCormick and her vaccine risk assessment group, for the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to recommend another iteration of the same vaccine to pregnant women in 2010/11 may be argued as more than gross negligence -but rather- an act of willful misconduct.
We strongly recommend that the CDC withdraws their continued recommendation to pregnant women, instead, strictly adhering to the FDA/manufacturers warning on the insert packages that the flu shot not be given to pregnant women unless clearly needed.  As well, we suggest that the CDC advise all Ob/Gyns, vaccine providers and the public this year, of last season’s VAERS reports on H1N1 vaccine-related fetal deaths” despite the fact that it may be contrary to CDC’s vaccine uptake performance goals”.
*Gary S. Goldman, Ph.D, author of various peer-reviewed medical journal publications, has verified the capture-recapture
 (C-R) figures published in the NCOW report.  Dr. Goldman previously worked for 8 years as a Research Analyst for the L.A. County Department of Health Services in an epidemiological study project funded by the CDC.
16 September - H1N1 May Have Mutated
Pandemic H1N1 RBD Change In Recent 2010 Isolates
Recombinomics Commentary 04:16
September 16, 2010
Recently released HA H1N1 sequences by Mahidol University in Bangkok, the US CDC, and the WHO collaborating center in Australia have the receptor binding domain (RBD) change S188T.  This change was first seen in samples from two patients (A/Thailand/34-9912/2010 and A/Thailand/34-9937/2010) in Thailand (which were collected July 14, 2010).  The only other pandemic H1N1 sequence with this change was a January 2010 sample collected from a 6 week old swine in Thailand, A/swine/Thailand/CU-RA75/2010. 
Most Medical Sites Now Pushing Combined Flu Vaccine for Pregnant Women

CDC admits the H1N1 performed in a high incidence of cases as an abortifacient drug.
H1N1-Vaccine-Related Miscarriages (updated August 24, 2010)

Friday, August 27, 2010

CDC Fudges FLU Data

Hoping that more people now see the misreported death rates are a scare tactic.  And interestingly, the CDC has so far lumped ALL respiratory illnesses in a single category so FLU data is not specifically reported based ONLY on FLU deaths.
Figures on flu deaths are misleading, usually too high, CDC says 
In a typical season, about 36,000 deaths are reported, but that number is too high and grossly misleading, analysts say. Depending on the influenza strain, actual rates vary widely from year to year.
By Thomas H. Maugh II, Los Angeles Times
August 27, 2010
Most reports about seasonal influenza cite an average of about 36,000 deaths in a typical season, but that number is too high and grossly misleading, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
The actual average is a little more than 23,000, the agency reported in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. But even that figure is misleading, the report added, because the numbers have ranged from as low as 3,300 deaths to nearly 50,000 over the last 30 years. The period in the analysis covers up to 2007 and does not include last year's H1N1 influenza pandemic.
"There is no average flu season," lead author Dr. David Shay of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases said in a news conference. The number of deaths "can vary dramatically" from year to year, he said.
The number of deaths in a given year depends on a variety of factors, including how long the flu season lasts, how many people get sick and who gets sick. But by far, the most important factor is the strain of flu that predominates in a given season.
When an H3N2 strain predominates, the number of deaths typically is about 2.7 times higher than in years when an H1N1 strain predominates. Researchers are not sure why that is, but it occurs at least in part because the H3N2 virus mutates more rapidly.
"Even if you have been sick with it in the past, you are more likely to get a subsequent infection," Shay said. It also tends to make more older people ill.
Shay noted that the 36,000 figure that is frequently quoted was an average for the decade of the 1990s, when H3N2 predominated in most years.
During the 30 years covered by the study, nearly 90% of flu-related deaths occurred in people over the age of 65, about 10% in those ages 19 to 64 and about 1% in those younger than 19. One thing that was dismaying about the recent swine flu outbreak: The majority of deaths linked to it occurred in the two younger age groups.
Shay noted that there is no way to tell before a flu season begins — or even a few weeks into the start of the season — which strain will predominate. "Flu really is unpredictable," he said. The best way to protect yourself, he added, is to follow the CDC's recommendation and get vaccinated every year.
thomas.maugh@latimes.com                                                    latimes.com/health/la-sci-flu-deaths-20100827,0,7767551.story

Monday, January 11, 2010

IV Vitamin C Saves Man with Flu Damaged Lungs

If only US medicine was this open minded!
After 20 days of life-sustaining ECMO treatment and other critical care, the patient, who was unconscious by induced coma, had not responded. The ICU team advised the family of the likely outcome and had prepared them for the possibility of the patient’s death.
Family members approached Centre for Advanced Medicine Limited (CAM) for advice on the clinical use of intravenous vitamin C for such cases.
At the family’s request, information was provided to ICU doctors including ISO 9001:2008 registered protocols, safety data, dosages and access to vials of IV vitamin C under CAM’s license for wholesale medicines.
The ICU team agreed to administer intravenous vitamin C according to the family’s wishes. This decision acknowledged the family’s rights, in compliance with the New Zealand Health and Disability Act, 1997.
The patient received intravenous vitamin C starting on the evening of 21 July, continuing until 29 July. 25 grams was provided on the first day increasing over the first three days to 50 grams twice daily which was sustained for a further six days.
By 24 July x-rays indicated increasing lung function and ECMO external oxygenation was discontinued on 26 July. After several days of assisted ventilation and critical care for ongoing secondary conditions, the patient was able to commence his recovery and rehabilitation.
Read more about the benefits of Vitamin C by searching Natural Health News.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

More to consider surrounding flu and new antibiotics

Natural Health News has 9 other articles that reference peppermint -

Peppermint, a very helpful herb for flu and many health promoting applications

Peppermint is classed as a stimulant herb, the most pungent of all the mints. Dr. Christopher also recommended it as a marvelous antispasmodic, which can give tone to the entire body as well. It is a soothing sedative for nervous and restless people of all ages, promoting relaxation and sleep--a wonderful combination of characteristics. On top of all that, it is a very delicious and welcome tea.

HOME REMEDY

Peppermint is used for most of the minor ailments that plague people. It is a prime remedy for colds and flu. The classic formula for these ailments, which is said to break a fever quickly, is a combination of equal parts of peppermint and elder flowers. This is made in a tea and given hot to the sick person, who goes to bed and keeps warm until he begins to sweat. Sweating always breaks the fever (and that is why we hurry to make the patient sweat; dry fever kills, but a moist, sweating fever kills germs and brings the patient to better health than he was before the illness). You can also make hot cups of tea, as strong as you like, for the same purpose, without the elder flowers. The formula is soothing for restlessness and nervousness that often accompany the onset of illness; it can be used to calm people of any age no matter what reason their nervousness.

In place of aspirin or other inorganic, harmful painkilling drugs, take a cup of strong peppermint tea, lying down for a little while. It should relive the pain quickly; if need be, take two or three cups. This strengthens the nerves instead of weakening them as so many of the drugs do. Furthermore, it has been shown that aspirin destroys some of the bacteria-resistant protection in man; peppermint tea, on the other hand, only strengthens the person against disease.

For severe pain, Shook recommended a strong decoction of peppermint. This was made by mixing 3 ounces of peppermint leaves, cut, in 1 quart of hot distilled water. This was covered and let stand for two hours. Bring to a boil, then simmer slowly for five minutes. Add 4 ounces glycerine and again simmer for five minutes. Strain, cool, and bottle. This is given when a person suffers pains and feelings of discomfort in the stomach and abdominal region without knowing the cause.

This brings us to the other most common use of peppermint, the relief of gas in the system. Many people, because they lack sufficient enzymes, or do not chew their food properly, or eat improper combinations of foods or improper foods, suffer from flatulence. Some foods, such as the legumes, contain chemicals which cause gas formation in the system (although certain methods of cooking them can reduce the gas considerably). However, many people take a cup of Peppermint tea after meals as insurance against flatulence. Taken with meals, it will assist digestion generally and is much a preferable beverage for everyday use instead of coffee or tea, which hinder proper digestion and cause health problems generally. The mint will get rid of a queasy stomach and nausea; for this purpose it is often mixed with chamomile, which has pain reducing and relaxing properties as well. Many of us have experienced sudden, sharp pains in the abdomen, which are often caused by pockets of gas cramping in the system. Peppermint relieves these almost immediately; it is therefore a good remedy for colic in infants. The leaves can be slightly warmed and bound on the infant's abdomen, which is a good method especially in cases of small infants who cannot tolerate the proper amount of tea.

Peppermint is a powerful stimulant, and will bring the body to its natural warmth, helping in cases of sudden dizzy or fainting spells, with extreme coldness and a pale countenance.

It is given in cases of diarrhea, and some doctors consider that it is one of the surest, as well as the simplest, remedies for this complaint. As soon as the diarrhea appears, drop 15 drops of essence of Peppermint in a cup of hot water, and sip with a spoon as hot as can be borne. Repeat every three hours until cured. The essence of Peppermint is also valuable in a nervous sick headache, such as a migraine. To a cupful of water add one teaspoonful of the essence; saturate a cloth with it and apply to the head and temples. For many persons this gives quick relief. As soon as the cloth becomes dry, wet the cloth again. This is one of the few herbs that the oil and essence are used without danger of overdosing, although they should always be mixed with water for internal use.

The oil of Peppermint can be applied, straight, to an aching tooth while awaiting a trip to the dentist. It works, like oil of Cloves, to relieve the pain.

To make an excellent liniment for reducing the pains of rheumatism, sciatica, lumbago, stiff and swollen joints, congestion of the chest, sore throat, and so on, including sores, even purulent sores and gangrene, Dr. Shook recommended making Liniment of Peppermint. To do so, heat 1 pint of pure olive oil, and add to it 1 dram (teaspoonful) of oil of Peppermint, 1 dram, menthol crystals, and 1 dram of flowers of camphor. Mix in a warm jar or bottle, shaking until dissolved. Let stand until cool, then keep in a cool place. This can also be used to reduce varicose veins, clear up acne, boils, abscesses, eczema, etc.

Of course, one of the nicest uses of Peppermint is culinary. Euell Gibbons pointed out that to him Peppermint wasn't a medicine, but a delightful food. He had samples of wild mint analyzed for vitamins A and C and found that the freshly picked plant, had, on the average, approximately as much vitamin C as the same weight of oranges, and more carotene, or provitamin A, than do carrots, making this herb an excellent source of both vitamins (Gibbons:74). Instead of just an occasional garnish or flavoring you can use mint freely in your diet. In the near East, it is the main ingredient of salads, some of the best Gibbons has ever eaten, he said. Add a quantity of finely-chopped mint to almost any tossed salad, for it seemed (to him) to combine well with all salad materials. It must be chopped very fine, and the salad must be thoroughly tossed, but don't be afraid to add enough mint. When it is tempered by oil and vinegar and mingled with the flavors of other greens, it takes at least a half-cupful of chopped mint to properly flavor a big bowl of salad.

Peppermint vinegar is made by filling a bottle with clean, freshly picked peppermint. Cover with apple cider vinegar and let steep for two weeks; strain off the vinegar. A small fresh sprig of mint can be added to the final bottles for beauty and quick identification. In small, decorative bottles, this is a lovely Christmas gift.

A good beverage is made by mixing cold Peppermint tea with apple juice and chilling. Mint ice cubes, frozen with a small sprig of mint in the center, make this a party drink.

Some people add cold Peppermint tea to their pie crusts instead of using Ice water. It makes a good flavor, subtle but pleasant.

Finely-chopped mint is wonderful added to fresh-fruit salads. You can garnish the combination with a few mint leaves.
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ORIGINALLY POSTED 10/16/08 
I am a health care professional and I am not in favor of flu shots. Consistently I see that people who get them are the ones that get sick and when they do they are just plain more sick that others not having had the jabs.

If so few health care workers defer on the shots, perhaps the frustrated Dr. Schaffner might try thinking about just why that is rather than blindly following a CDC directive.

It is sort of the same in terms of the high percentage of health care workers who would not choose standard chemotherapy for cancer treatment.

The key point is to keep your immune system strong and healthy so you do not contract the flu. There are many effective ways to do this and starting with sound nutrition and proper hydration is the ground floor to your success.

Related to flu is not to get antibiotics if you think you are sick. Let you health care provider help you make this decision but remember that viruses do not respond to anti-biotics and it opens the door to your reduced immune function.

Discovering new anti-biotics in the lab is of course the standard approach, and while this may be effective, we are not addressing the core issue that's been around as long as I can remember since I join the health professionals in the 1960s.

The core issue is how do you change the culture of over exposure to anti-biotics and leading to resistance, one more time.

Think about what you can do for your health. Maybe you should ask why it is that that want you to keep getting additional shots when years ago only one was sufficient for life.

Consider too that the inhaled vaccines, especially flu, make you contagious for about 10-14 days so you really have to quarantine yourself as not to expose others to the risk of contracting flu.

There is a lot you aren't told.

But thank goodness some one other than me decided Airborne was not beneficial. Things that are really helpful include vitamin C, vitamin A, echinacea, peppermint, ginger, garlic, oregon grape root, high quality nutritional yeast, Millenium CF, and other natural remedies. Sound nutrition and more than average hydration count too.
Flu shots a tough sell to health care workers
By Associated Press Writer Melanie S. Welte, Thu Oct 16, 2008
DES MOINES, Iowa – Operating room nurse Pauline Taylor knows her refusal to get a flu shot is based on faulty logic.

But ever since she got sick after getting a shot a few years ago, she's sworn off the vaccine.

"I rarely get sick. The only thing I could narrow it down to is that I had gotten this shot," said Taylor, who works at University Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. "I know that it's not a live virus. It just seemed pretty coincidental."

Such stories frustrate Dr. William Schaffner.

As chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University, he hears that kind of talk frequently and knows it's in part to blame for a surprising statistic — nearly 60 percent of health care workers fail to get a flu shot.

That's despite recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that all health care workers get vaccinated, from hospital volunteers to doctors.

"It is a professional obligation on the part of health care workers to make sure that they are as protected against influenza as possible," Schaffner said.

Schaffner argues that getting vaccinated for the flu should be standard for doctors and nurses, just like washing their hands. That's because the flu virus can be spread so easily.

"Being in close proximity to patients, having conversations with them, bending over their bed, seeing them in the clinic while you're doing procedures, you would be breathing out viruses and spreading influenza into your patients," said Schaffner, who is also president-elect of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

The nonprofit group educates the public and health care industry about the causes, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. It gets about 75 percent of its budget from major vaccine makers, but executive director Len Novick said the money comes with no strings attached.

Despite the attention given to the problem, there are few well documented cases of flu outbreaks caused by health care workers.

Schaffner said that's because it's tough to prove sick health care workers are to blame for hospital outbreak.

According to the foundation, likely cases of flu outbreaks between health care workers and patients include:

• 19 babies in a neonatal intensive care unit in Ontario, Canada, infected in 2000; one died. Health care workers, only 15 percent of whom were immunized, were the likely source.

• 65 residents of a nursing home in New York got the flu during the 1991-1992 flu season, and two died. Only 10 percent of health care workers had been vaccinated before the outbreak, according to a report by the CDC.

Schaffner said health care workers opt not to get vaccinated for the same reasons others are hesitant. Some also don't realize how easily they can spread the disease, sometimes before they know they're infected or even if they have only a mild case.

And, he said, there's the "myth" that you can get flu from the vaccine.

The CDC recommends that health care facilities offer free flu vaccines to employees annually at work, and that hospitals obtain signed statements from workers who refuse.

The CDC also recommends a flu shot for people age 50 and over, the chronically ill, and women who will be pregnant during the flu season. This year virtually all children from 6 months to 18 years were added to the list.

Several states have laws requiring hospitals to make the vaccines available.

In Iowa, University Hospitals requires documentation that all health care workers were offered the vaccine, but workers are free to decline, as Taylor, the ER nurse, did. Dr. Patrick Hartley, who heads the hospital's employee health clinic, said in the last flu season, 84 percent of employees got their flu shots.

At Allen Hospital in Waterloo, Iowa, the flu shot is mandatory for those with direct patient contact and recommended for everyone else. Those with allergies to the vaccine or other conditions can take a pass, but they must supply a note from their doctor. The hospital says the vaccination rate is 93 percent.

Some hospitals take a tougher stand on vaccinations.

In Seattle, at Virginia Mason Medical Center, even sales reps, vendors and volunteers must be vaccinated unless they seek exceptions for religious or medical reasons. Even then, those who don't get a shot must wear a mask whenever they are in the hospital during the flu season.

About 99 percent of the hospital's more than 5,000 employees were vaccinated.

Dr. Joyce Lammert, the hospital's chief of medicine, said they lost around seven employees when the policy took effect four years ago.

"A lot of reasons we heard about people not wanting flu shots was all about them — it's my freedom, I don't want to get it, I get sick when I get it," Lammert said. "Now, the culture has really changed to thinking about patients. This is what we do to protect our patients."

Lammert said patients should ask their doctors if they've gotten their flu shot.

"I wouldn't go to anybody who didn't," she said.
___
On the net: CDC flu information: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/index.htm
U.S. study points to strong new class of antibioticsThu Oct 16, 2008
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Three naturally occurring antibacterial compounds hold promise for a new class of antibiotics, offering hope for fresh weapons against infection at a time when older drugs are losing their punch, researchers said on Thursday.

The new agents, reported in the journal Cell, may even provide a quicker cure for tuberculosis, which could help people stick to the prescribed therapy better and reduce the development of resistant strains.

"The three antibiotics are attractive candidates for development as broad spectrum antibacterial agents," said Richard Ebright of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Ebright and colleagues showed how the three antibiotic compounds -- myxopyronin, corallopyronin and ripostatin -- block the action of bacterial RNA polymerase, an enzyme needed by bacteria to unlock genetic information from DNA needed to make proteins.

Blocking this enzyme kills the bacteria, they said.

All three compounds are naturally produced by some bacteria for use in a kind of chemical warfare against other bacteria. The agents work by taking advantage of a design flaw in bacterial RNA polymerase.

"RNA polymerase has a shape reminiscent of a crab claw, with two prominent pincer-like projections," Ebright said in a statement.

"Just as with a real crab claw, one pincer stays fixed and one pincer moves -- opening and closing to keep DNA in place."

All three antibiotics work by jamming the pincer hinge, keeping the bacteria from letting DNA into the enzyme. Without the needed genetic code, the bacteria cannot make proteins.

This understanding has allowed the researchers to find ways to tinker with the chemical structure of the antibiotic targets to make them even more potent.

The compounds appear to work against a broad range of bacteria, including the bacteria that causes tuberculosis, which infects about a third of the world's population.

Current TB drugs known as rifamycins also act on RNA polymerase, but they do it in a different way.

"As a result, these antibiotics can function simultaneously with rifamycins and can be co-administered with rifamycins for more rapid clearance of infection," Ebright said.

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen, editing by Will Dunham)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters Limited

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Tamiflu effectiveness questioned again

See this one of nine other articles here at Natural Health News -
BOSTON, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Researchers in Italy, Australia and the United States want to pin down whether tamiflu is effective against pandemic influenza in otherwise adults.

Tom Jefferson of the Cochrane Collaboration in Rome, Mark Jones of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, doctoral student Peter Doshi of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Chris Del Mar, coordinating editor of Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections at Bond University updated a 2005 review of oseltamivir in pandemic influenza.

The public evidence base for this global public health drug -- oseltamivir -- is fragmented and inconsistent, Doshi said.

"Neuraminidase inhibitors -- a class of antiviral drugs targeting influenza A and influenza B -- have modest effectiveness against the symptoms of influenza in otherwise healthy adults. The drugs are effective post-exposure against laboratory confirmed influenza, but this is a small component of influenza-like illness, so for this outcome neuraminidase inhibitors are not effective," the study said.

"Neuraminidase inhibitors might be regarded as optional for reducing the symptoms of seasonal influenza. Paucity of good data has undermined previous findings for oseltamivir's prevention of complications from influenza. Independent randomized trials to resolve these uncertainties are needed."

The Cochrane review is published in the British Medical Journal.
find this here
-  Apr 21, 2003 -  Prof C. Alan Clemetson's 1989 3 volume textbook "Vitamin C" contains a mass of scientific evidence proving how ascorbate could not only prevent but also cure all the then known viral infections, including pneumonia. Unfortunately, this reference source is long out of print and any rare copies exorbitantly expensive.  However, a new 2002 reference book by Thomas Levy MD with 1200 scientific references is available (ISBN 1-4010-6964-9 hardcover or -0 for softback). Levy references many of the earlier pioneers in this field. Notably, Klenner's (1948) first (already cyanotic) case of pneumonia responded within 30 minutes to 2G I/V. Klenner published several papers in the 1950s and others such as Dalton (1962) followed with similar rapid and effective results. Klenner routinely administered 1G ascorbate every hour I/V and with the current easily obtainable vials containing 25G, an I/V infusion in 250ml water or dextrose is within the reach of any competent doctor or nurse. There appears to be no scientific or ethical reason for withholding this highly cost-effective and safe treatment. It would be even more relevant in situations of high stress and/or (endo)toxaemia when ascorbate reserves would be greatly depleted.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Yearly influenza vaccinations: a double-edged sword?

Influenza vaccinations
Summary - Yearly vaccination against seasonal influenza viruses is recommended for certain individuals at high risk of complications associated with influenza. It has been recommended in some countries, including the USA, that all children aged 6—59 months are vaccinated against seasonal influenza. However, it has been shown—mainly in animals—that infection with influenza A viruses can induce protective immunity to influenza A viruses of other unrelated subtypes. This so-called heterosubtypic immunity does not provide full protection, but can limit virus replication and reduce morbidity and mortality of the host. This type of immunity might be relevant to human beings when a new subtype of influenza A virus is introduced into the population, such as the new influenza A H1N1 virus responsible for the present influenza pandemic and the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses that are causing an ever increasing number of human infections with high mortality rates. Preventing infection with seasonal influenza viruses by vaccination might prevent the induction of heterosubtypic immunity to pandemic strains, which might be a disadvantage to immunologically naive people—eg, infants.
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(09)70263-4/fulltext
 
CDC Estimates of 2009 H1N1 Influenza Cases, Hospitalizations and Deaths in the United States, April – October 17, 2009
 
"Ever wonder why reports of the number of H1N1 cases, deaths and hospitalizations are all over the boards? It is because the CDC uses a "statistical modeling" method to estimate total numbers! These are ESTIMATES, and by their own admission, "It may never be possible to validate the accuracy of these figures."
http://cdc.gov/h1n1flu/estimates_2009_h1n1.htm

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Comment on Flu Data Double Speak

This comment just arrived from a journalistic colleague, and it makes some very good sense.
There is an astounding figure that keeps popping up in regards to the seasonal flu: you are half as likely to die – of any cause – if you submit to the flu vaccine. Wow, with numbers like that, I may just get vaccinated every week! How could anyone pass up a shot that cuts your chance of dying in half?

Because when things seem too good to be true, they usually are.

This figure is at best misleading, and at worst flat out wrong. In the words of Tom Jefferson, head of the Vaccines Field at the Cochrane Collaboration, "For a vaccine to reduce mortality by 50%…means it has to prevent deaths not just from influenza, but also from falls, fires, heart disease, strokes, and car accidents. That's not a vaccine, it's a miracle."

One big problem with figures like these is that they tend to ignore factors like education and lifestyle – "confounding" factors that are difficult to measure and predict.

A study from Alberta, Canada aimed to eliminate some of these confounding factors. They split 704 elderly patients into two groups, one of which had gotten a flu shot and one had not. They adjusted for criteria that had been ignored in other studies – like education, income and social status – and concluded that the vaccine's ability to keep the elderly alive was, "if present at all...very small and statistically non-significant and may simply be a healthy- user artifact that they were unable to identify".

This "healthy user effect" is attributed to those people who eat right, don't smoke, get regular check ups and – in keeping with the conventional doctor's dogma – consistently get vaccinated. So they tend to be in better health and live longer, skewing the vaccinations efficacy stats.

There is another group that distorts the studies as well: people who are simply too sick to get the vaccine, but are still counted in the non-vaccinated group. Given their weakened condition, they are much more likely to pass away – so up goes the non-vaccinated death toll, skewing the results even further!

Results like those in the Alberta study may begin to challenge the "double your survival" stats touted by vaccine proponents.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Research Shows Antioxidants Beneficial in Flu Treatment

Every time I hear of a death related to the respiratory problems associated with the current flu situation I ask "Why aren't these doctors using key supplements known to heal you from viruses, especially vitamin A for people getting the bacterial pneumonia?"

Well it seems while not high dose vitamin C or high dose vitamin A along with vitamin D, some researcher are seeing thelight on the benfit of antioxidants for people with flu, and consider it for other viral maladies as well.

High dose of vitamin C has been shown to relieve respiratory health issues as has vitamin A.  While I don't recall to many vitamin C drips in ICU in the 60s and 70s, we routinely used multi-vitamins and vitamin A in IVs.  Certainly there are other substances that have anti-oxidant benefit, this article points to glutathione and resveratrol.

Also note that nettle is one of the best herbs to calm cytokine storm. Nettle is rich in chlorophyll, vitamins A-C-D-E plus protein, iron, potassium, silica, calcium, sulfur, sodium, copper, manganese, chromium and zinc, along with fiber and essential fat  Just think about all the healing packed into this one this wonderfully green herb. And it contains tannins that reduce swelling.
A report published in the November 2009 issue of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal revealed the discovery of researchers at the University of Alabama and Southern Research Institute in Birmingham of a protective effect for antioxidants against lung damage caused by the influenza virus.
Sadis Matalon of the University of Alabama's Department of Anesthesiology Pulmonary Injury and Repair Center and colleagues demonstrated that the virus damages the lungs via its M2 protein, which attacks the cells of the lungs' inner lining by disrupting their ability to remove fluid, resulting in increased susceptibility to pneumonia and other conditions. The M2 protein accomplishes this by decreasing the expression and function of ameloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channels (ENaCs).
The researchers conducted a series of experiments using frog eggs and human airway cells. Airway cells transfected with M2 revealed increased levels of damaging molecules known as reactive oxygen species. Co-administration of M2 with glutathione ester (an antioxidant compound) prevented M2 from causing damage. "In this study we show for the first time that an influenza virus type A protein, M2, down-regulates the function of a major epithelial ion channel, ENaC, both in oocytes microinjected with human ENaCs and in human airway cells . . . by increasing levels of reactive species and activating specific isoforms of protein kinase C," the authors write. "These novel findings suggest a mechanism for the influenza-induced rhinorrhea and life-threatening alveolar edema in humans."

"The recent outbreak of H1N1 influenza and the rapid spread of this strain across the world highlights the need to better understand how this virus damages the lungs and to find new treatments," Dr Matalon remarked. "Additionally, our research shows that antioxidants may prove beneficial in the treatment of flu."

"Although vaccines will remain the first line of intervention against the flu for a long time to come, this study opens the door for entirely new treatments geared toward stopping the virus after you're sick," added Gerald Weissmann, MD, who is the Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal. "As Thanksgiving approaches, this discovery is another reason to drink red wine to your health."
And on another note, here's a place for anti-oxidants.  Not only will vitamin A help treat pneumonia, it is also benficial in malaria.
UN: $39 billion needed for pneumonia


AP – Mon Nov 2,
LONDON - To fight pneumonia, the world's top killer of children, United Nations officials say they need $39 billion (euro26.35 billion) over the next six years. 

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Hand Sanitizers: UPDATE

NEW: Compilation of antimicrobial posts

Here are two articles about alcohol based hand sanitizers.  Please note that you can make your own with pure essential oils and aloe vera in order to avoid some of the reported side effects of the alcohol containing products.  Pure essential oils are well known to kill bacteria, fungi and viruses.

Alcohol will dry your skin so just as with mild soap and water washing, use a high quality natural skin lubricant to prevent problems from dry skin such as chapping and cracking where viruses and bacteria can find thier way into your body.

Some alcohol based sanitizers have been known to cause headache, dizziness, nausea and other complaints because in order to be effective they must be 60% alcohol.

If the product contains Triclosan, also be cautious: Researchers who added triclosan to water and exposed it to ultra-violet light found that a significant portion of the triclosan was converted to dioxin. Triclosan reacts with chlorine molecules in tap water to form chlorinated dioxins, highly toxic forms of dioxin. The same study found that the combination of water and triclosan produces significant quantities of chloroform, which is a probable human carcinogen. Many recent studies have raised serious concerns that triclosan may promote the emergence of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. So while alcohol based sanitizers may not cause super bacteria. Research indcates that hand sanitizers containing triclosan can.

Triclosan has been found to kill off the protective bacteria on your skin and lead to a greater rate of infection and risk of MRSA.

The best method to reduce risk of disease is hand washing with natural, non-triclosan containing soap.
Hand Sanitizers: What You Don't Know
By Stephanie Tweito Jacob
We all know that having clean hands is one way to prevent seasonal cold and flu viruses, including H1N1 swine flu. But should you wash with soap and water, or coat your hands with disinfecting gel from one of those dispensers that seem to be appearing in more and more restrooms, offices, hallways and stores?

If your hands aren't actually grimy, the best way to clean them is to use hand sanitizer, James Scott, a microbiologist at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health told "Best Health Magazine." "It reduces the bacterial burden to a greater extent than soap and water," he said. "And your hands stay cleaner longer than if you were to use soap and water."

The waterless gels and foams have also been found to be effective in preventing the spread of viral and bacterial-based diseases like seasonal colds and flus. One study found that college students with hand-sanitizer dispensers in their dorms had fewer complaints of coughs, chest congestion and fever. Plus their risk of getting sick was 20 percent lower than students whose dorms did not have the dispensers.

But the hand sanitzers must contain 60 percent or more alcohol, according to the FDA. Skim past the "kills 99.9% of bacteria" claim on the package and instead be certain that the active ingredient listed is either ethanol or isopropanol, at a percentage over 60.

They also must be used correctly. Make sure hands are free of visible grime and dirt and then apply a palm-full of product and rub vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds, making sure to distribute the sanitizer between your fingers, under your nails and jewelry, on your wrists and on the backs of each hand.

Never rinse your hands with water or wipe them with a towel after using a hand sanitizer -- this will counteract the effect of the product.

Another gold star for hand sanitizers: They tend to be gentler on skin than soap and water. Despite their high alcohol content, which is often thought to make creams and gels drying, one study found alcohol-based hand sanitizers left skin in better condition than antibacterial soap. "Most of the modern hand sanitizers have emollients in them that will actually improve skin condition," Scott said.

But, don't toss your soap dispenser just yet. While the high alcohol content of hand sanitizers can kill bacteria, it doesn't necessarily clean your hands. That is, it does not cut thorough grime like dirt, blood, feces or other bodily fluids. Therefore, soap and water must be the first choice in restrooms. It is also essential in the kitchen as alcohol doesn't kill the foodborne bacteria E. Coli as well as soap and water does.

The best way to wash your hands with soap and water is to rub hands vigorously for at least 20 seconds, scrubbing front and backs of hands, wrists, and between fingers and under fingernails, according to the Mayo Clinic. Rinse well, dry hands with a clean or disposable towel or air dryer and, if possible, use your towel to turn off the faucet.
4 things you should know about hand sanitizers4 things you should know about hand sanitizers

Curious about the hand-sanitizing products that are popping up in public places across the country? Here’s what you should know about hand sanitizers and your health

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), 80 percent of common infections, including the H1N1 flu virus, can be spread through contaminated hands. That’s why the PHAC and the World Health Organization (WHO) are stressing proper hand hygiene as an important first-line defense against the spread of swine flu.

While proper handwashing technique is a vital part of keeping yourself healthy, good old soap and water aren’t always around when you need them (say, when you get an unexpected hug from a runny-nosed preschooler on the playground). That’s where alcohol-based sanitizers come to the rescue. The PHAC recommends hand sanitizers that contain between 60 and 80 percent alcohol as “an excellent” way to clean your hands when you’re not near a sink. Here’s what you should know about them.

1. Hand sanitizers are effective

If your hands aren’t actually grimy, the best way to clean them is to use hand sanitizer, says James Scott, a microbiologist at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.“[A sanitizer] cleans your hands much better than soap and water, so it reduces the bacterial burden to a much greater extent than soap and water,” he says. “And your hands tend to stay cleaner longer than if you were to use soap and water.”

Not convinced that a bottle of gel can really get your paws squeaky clean? Scott was also doubtful. “For a long time, I was a skeptic about them, but as evidence started to emerge on the effectiveness of these alcohol-based hand sanitizers, I’m sold on them,” he says. Take the 1991 study cited by the WHO in their guidelines on hand hygiene in health care that found that alcohol-based hand sanitizer was more effective than plain soap and water in preventing the transmission of bacteria from the hands of healthcare workers to patients’ catheters.

2. Hand sanitizers don’t cause super-bacteria

The idea that frequent use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers will make bacteria resistant to treatment is bogus, Scott stresses. “The [way sanitizers work] is based on cell-membrane disruption by the alcohol, and that’s not something that bacterium can acquire resistance to. It’s not physically possible,” he says.

3. Hand sanitizers are easier on your skin than soap and water

“Most of the modern hand sanitizers have emollients in them that will actually improve skin condition,” says Scott. While that may seem counterintuitive because effective sanitizers contain so much alcohol, several studies have proven that these formulas are actually better for skin than soap. For instance, a 2004 study compared the effectiveness of alcohol-based hand sanitizers and antibacterial soap for nurses who worked in neonatal intensive care units in New York. The study found that while nurses were using the hand sanitizer, their skin condition was much better than when they used the antibacterial soap to clean their hands.

4. There’s a correct way to use hand sanitizers

To use a hand sanitizer effectively, make sure your hands are free of visible grime and dirt before applying the product. Then, apply a palm-full of product and rub vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds, making sure to distribute the sanitizer between your fingers, under your nails and jewelry, on your wrists and on the backs of each hand. When your hands are dry, you’re good to go.

Never rinse your hands with water or wipe them with a towel after using a hand sanitizer—this will counteract the effect of the product.


NHN May 2008
Another "Green Living"© writer warns of hand sanitizers

NHN Nov 2008
Early on use of immune boosting mineral fights cold and flu bug

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Important FLU Data

UPDATE: 10/17/09
Swine Flu Biowapon Connection?
------------------------------
10/6/09
Last evening on the CBS news Dr. John LaPook reported that there are 36,000 deaths each year from flu. His statement is not accurate and you can see some of those facts below in the excerpt from CDC data as reported by Russell Blaylock, MD.

This analysis shows data far different than that perpetuated by the media and CDC.

Please think clearly in this situation and in doing so you will better be able to protect your health.

Complete article
Analysis of material by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by Dr. Russell Blaylock. (September 5, 2009)

Critical Observations:
•Doctor visits for flu are down from the level in April

•Total flu hospitalizations are similar or lower than for seasonal flu (yearly flu)

•The number of death secondary to flu and pneumonia is unchanged from yearly rate

•Only two states are reporting widespread infections—Georgia and Alaska. Other states report only regional or sporadic activity, meaning it’s not very contagious.

•There is no evidence that the virus has mutated at all anywhere in the world

•The virus remains susceptible to the drugs Tamiflu and Relenza.

•Only 43,771 cases have been reported in the United States. Because of poor reporting the CDC estimates that true numbers indicate that one million have been infected. Many people did not get sick enough to go to a doctor. Likewise, not all people are tested who go to a doctor.

•Of these 5,011 have been hospitalized and 302 have died.

Death Rates From the H1N1 Flu

•If we use the 43,771 figure and 302 deaths that means the death rate is 0.6%, an extremely low death rate for any flu.

•The percentage of hospitalized patients who died was 6%, again a very low incidence of death.

•Since the CDC estimates that one million have been infected, we must recalculate death rates. Using this more accurate figure, the death rate is in truth 0.03%, which means 99.97% will not die from this flu. Your chances of dying are incredibly low.

Age and Death Rates

We hear a lot about the unusual age distribution with this virus, especially as regards death rates, with the young being more affected than, as with seasonal flu, the elderly (90% of deaths are usually among those greater than 65 years old). The risks of becoming infected are as follows:

•Ages 5 to 24 y/o--------26.7 per 100,000 (0.027%)
•Ages 0 to 4 y/o ---------22.9 per 100,000 (0.023%)
•Ages 25 to 49-----------6.97 per 100,000 (0.0069%)
•Ages 50 to 64 y/o------3.9 per 100,000 (0.0039)
•Over 65 y/o-------------1.3 per 1000,000 (0.00013%)

And the risk of needing to be hospitalized are:

•Ages 0 to 4 y/o---------0.0045%
•Ages 5 to 24 y/o--------0.0021%
•Ages 25 to 45 y/o------0.0011%
•Over 65 y/o-------------0.0017%

This indicates that for all age groups, the risk of being hospitalized are far less than 1% and well over 99% of people will not need hospitalization. This explains why this infection is being downplayed by the virologists themselves, the ones who know most about the dangers of viruses.

The distributions of death also vary considerably by age. Below is the distribution of deaths according to age.

•Ages 25-49 y/o---------41%
•Ages 50 to 64 y/o-----24%
•Ages 5 to 24 y/o------16%
•Over age 65 y/o------- 9%
•Ages 0 to 4 y/o-------- 2%

So, we see that the greatest death rates in the extremely small fraction that die are between ages 25 to 49 and 65% are between ages 25 to 64. The least likely to die are babies up to age 4 years, yet they are targeted for vaccination and as we see from the above data, children below age 2 years get absolutely no protection from the flu vaccines.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Is There Really a Pandemic?

Please see this information from Dr. Andrew Moulden

I have a great deal of respect for Dr. Jefferson and appreciate his insight being included in this excerpt from Dana Ullman's article. It is worth reading the complete article.
Is There Really a Pandemic?

Something “fishy” seems to be going on at the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO has declared a “flu pandemic,” in part because they changed their definition of the word “pandemic” in May, 2009.

The earlier version defined pandemic as: “An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus appears against which the human population has no immunity, resulting in epidemics worldwide with enormous numbers of deaths and illness [emphasis in the original document].” The NEW definition of pandemic was changed to: “A disease epidemic occurs when there are more cases of that disease than normal. A pandemic is a worldwide epidemic of a disease. An influenza pandemic may occur when a new influenza virus appears against which the human population has no immunity.”

Because flu viruses change on a regular basis, the WHO will declare a new “pandemic” when simply one more death than the “normal” is observed. Big Pharma “warn” people about the yearly possible pandemic, pumping more fear into the hearts and minds of the susceptible and gullible public.

When Jefferson was asked about the “flu pandemic,” he responded directly: “this pandemic really is a commercial operation.”


Dana Ullman

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Beware TAMIFLU

UPDATE: September 2009
Following on reports of dosing and packaging problems with children's Tamiflu, we now learn that water treatment is unable to keep your water free from another drug that may have harmful side effects.

It certainly appears that makers of Tamiflu failed to include water quality considerations as they promote their product, with problematic issues.
Tamiflu Detected in Sewage Discharge and River Water in Japan

Another Comment on Swine Flu Vax Of 2009 - Unlicensed And Untested
--------------------------------------------------
Originally posted October 2005 -

For several years I have posted information on the risks of flu vaccines and medical treatment related to flu. This year (2006-present) we seem to have a high alert to drive citizens to the jab by fear more so that in the past. I would encourage you to take the following information under serious consideration.

FLU VACCINE HAS RISKS.

You can find more on leaflady.org about immunity, colds, flu, prevention and help. If you need further information send your request here: http://www.leaflady.org/feedback.htm


Human-To-Human H5N1 Transmission During Tamiflu Prophylaxis

By Dr. Henry L. Niman, PhD
Recombinomics.com

"An H5N1 influenza virus, A/Hanoi/30408/2005, was isolated on 27 February 2005 from a 14-year-old Vietnamese girl (patient 1) who had received a prophylactic dose (75mg once a day) of oseltamivir from 24 to 27 February and was given a therapeutic dose (75mg twice daily) for 7 days starting on 28 February. No virus was isolated from specimens after the administration of increased doses of oseltamivir. The patient recovered and was discharged from hospital on 14 March 2005.

The timing of infection in these two patients, together with the lack of known interaction of the girl with poultry, raises the possibility that the virus could have been transmitted from brother to sister."

The above comments from a pre-released Nature paper raise serious questions about the prophalactic use of Tamiflu and human-to-human (H2H) of H5N1. The sister, Nguyen Thi Ngoan, of the index case, Nguyen Si Tuan, was taking the FDA approved prophylactic dose of Tamiflu, 1 pill per day. However, even while on Tamiflu, she developed H5N1 bird flu symptoms. Genetic analysis of the virus suggested that she was infected by her brother, even though she was taking Tamiflu.

The above paper focuses on resistance markers in isolated clones from the sister. However, the brother and sister were part of a large case cluster of H5N1 infections. The grandfather of the two patients also tested positive for H5N1 antibodies. Although H5N1 was not isolated, it is not clear if the grandfather was taking Tamiflu when his grandson was in the hospital.

Similarly, the index case's nurse developed avian influenza. He maintained that he had no exposure to poultry, yet developed laboratory confirmed H5N1. It is not clear if the nurse was taking Tamiflu at the time of his infection.

There was a second nurse who developed bird flu symptoms. She tested negative for H5N1 by PCR. Results from serum tests were not disclosed.

The effectiveness of Tamiflu against H5N1 was also raised in in vivo mice experiments. Mice were given the equivalent of 20 pills of Tamiflu per day. This high level was justified by observations on species specific differences in metabolism. However, even after correcting for species differences, the mice were treated with an equivalent of two pills per day. However, the dose was based on treatment, even though the mice were give the drug four hours before infection. However, even with these favorable conditions, 50% of the mice died if treated for 5 days. If treated for 8 days, the percentage dead fell to 20%..These mice studies raised dosing questions for oseltamivir against H5N1. Use at the FDA approved level, priced less than ideal results.

Similarly, the cluster of human cases described above raises dosing question. The H5N1 appeared to be susceptible to a doubled dose of Tamiflu and the isolated H5n1 was sensitive to Relenza. However, nations are stockpiling Tamiflu, and the above results suggest that the FDA approved dose for prophylaxis may be inadequate.

Similarly, Tamiflu resistance is another concern. The number of H5N1 cases in Vietnam is still relatively small. It is unclear how many people in Vietnam are on Tamiflu. The identification of a Tamiflu resistant variant in the small number of people being treated is cause for concern. Similarly, prophylactic treatment in health care workers and family members may not have been sufficiently high to prevent H5N1 infections.

Thus, the proper dose of Tamiflu and the frequency of resistance in Vietnam remains unclear. Similarly, the impact of wider use of Tamiflu in Indonesia is another area of concern.

webmaster@recombinomics.com ©2005 Recombinomics. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Tamiflu dangers reported
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada has asked Swiss drug maker Roche AG to warn consumers of possible health risks linked to its influenza drug Tamiflu, the health department said on Wednesday.

Ottawa took the step after receiving international reports of side-effects such as hallucinations and abnormal behavior, including self-harm. The reports include cases involving children and teenagers, primarily in Japan.

"Health Canada has requested that the manufacturer ... update the Canadian prescribing information for Tamiflu to include this new information," the department said in a statement.

According to Health Canada, there have been 84 reports as of November 11 of Canadian patients having adverse effects when using Tamiflu. Ten of those cases involved fatalities...


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Saturday, August 15, 2009

Nature Cures: More Herbs for Flu

The tradition of Ayurveda offers us yet another natural, herbal approach to stave off flu and "swine" flu.
Indian herb: Tulsi (basil) can help keep swine flu away: Ayurvedic experts

Lucknow, May 27: Wonder herb Tulsi can not only keep the dreaded swine flu at bay but also help in fast recovery of an afflicted person, Ayurvedic practitioners claim.

"The anti-flu property of Tulsi has been discovered by medical experts across the world quite recently. Tulsi improves the body's overall defence mechanism including its ability to fight viral diseases. It was successfully used in combating Japanese Encephalitis and the same theory applies to swine flu," Dr U K Tiwari, a herbal medicine practitioner says.

Apart from acting as a preventive medicine in case of swine flu, Tulsi can help the patient recover faster.

"Even when a person has already contracted swine flu, Tulsi can help in speeding up the recovery process and also help in strengthening the immune system of the body," he claims.

Dr Bhupesh Patel, a lecturer at Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar is also of the view that Tulsi can play an important role in controlling swine flu.

"Tulsi can control swine flu and it should be taken in fresh form. Juice or paste of at least 20-25 medium sized leaves should be consumed twice a day on an empty stomach."

This increases the resistance of the body and, thereby, reduces the chances of inviting swine flu," believes Patel.

Polio Vaccine Backfires in Nigeria; It Can Be Cured

In Canada, in the 40s, 50s, 60s, when polio was a major public health concern, MDs were curing it with iodine. This surely is a very inexpensive way to address this crisis currently if one could get the information to the right place.

People in the US who did receive live vaccine, just as the one currently creating the problem in Africa, have died or now, years later, live with post-polio syndrome or other severe diseases known to be related to the vaccine.

This information is important to in regard to the current flu situation. Surely it is safer than an untested vaccine when the government provides a risk free status to the manufacturers.

Vitamin C Treatment of Polio

Looks like instant replay...
Polio surge in Nigeria after vaccine virus mutates
LONDON (AP) — Polio, a dreaded paralyzing disease stamped out in the industrialized world, is spreading in Nigeria despite efforts to stamp it out. And health officials say in some cases, it's caused by the vaccine used to fight it.

In July, the World Health Organization issued a warning that this vaccine-spread virus might extend beyond Africa. So far, 124 Nigerian children have been paralyzed this year — about twice those afflicted in 2008.

The polio problem is just the latest challenge to global health authorities trying to convince wary citizens that vaccines can save them from dreaded disease. For years, myths have abounded about vaccines — that they were the Western world's plan to sterilize Africans or give them AIDS. The sad polio reality fuels misguided fears and underscores the challenges authorities face using a flawed vaccine. complete article
More information about the benefits of iodine...

Read comment by Dr. Patricia Doyle

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Misleading Flu News

UPDATE: August 13 See LABVIRUS

Please read the complete article via the above link and look at another of Ms. Kidd's articles reporting on the lack of legal authority of the FED to engage in health care. See the numerous case law citations.

We encourage you to learn what you can do to take back control or your own health. We are here to help you with this important action.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Flu and Mixed Messages

UPDATE: August 14 - Czech Republic takes Baxter to task for not guaranteeing swine flu vaccine safety.
Prague – The U.S. pharmaceutical firm Baxter which manufactures a vaccine against the swine flu in its Czech branch will not ensure the vaccine for the Czech Republic in the case of a pandemic, Baxter media representative Jana Cechova told CTK today. The Czech Republic has relied on the factory in Bohumil, Central Bohemia. In its original pandemic plan, the Czech Republic reckoned with vaccines for 60 percent of the population, while the updated plan involves vaccines for 25 percent and the Tamiflu and Relenza antivirotics for the same number.

“No contract for the delivery of the vaccines A(H1N1) between Baxter and the Czech Republic has been concluded,” Cechova said.

The websit tn.cz writes that the Czech Health Ministry has explained its stopping the talks with Baxter by the firm’s inability to guarantee that the vaccine is safe and who will bear the risks for possible side-effects.

“It is a pity, but, unfortunately, at the moment when we accepted the bids, Baxter was unable to confirm that it will deliver a registered vaccine,” Health Minister Dana Juraskova said.

Over 60 Czechs have caught the swine flu, but no fatality has been registered.”

http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/domov/zpravy/pri-pandemii-nebude-mit-cr-vakciny-od-baxtera/391208?id=391210

UPDATE: CDC lumps all pneumonia deaths in the same category as flu. WSJ reported that CDC inflates statistics 1500% when covering this topic.
-----------------------------------------------------------
While its full steam ahead on the swine flu and vaccine manufacturing insanity a recent article exposes a critical issue supporting the views opposing the pandemic propaganda, the need for a vaccine, and its news you need to hear.

Just consider these components from of Mike Stobbe's AP Article "Ouch! Early flu shot season comes with 3 jabs"

Ouch! is the operative word here, and please let me know if this isn't confusing:

> Experts suggest you get that first shot as early as this month (August)

> Scientists believe the swine flu vaccine will be most effective if given in two doses, about three weeks apart, although testing is still under way to check that.

> Scientists are just beginning to test the safety and effectiveness of the new swine flu vaccine, work that is expected to take months.

> "I think it's safe to say we expect some confusion," said Kristine Sheedy, a CDC communications specialist.

Well, my suggestion is that you skip the Flu Folly and read more here, here, here, here, and here before you readily give up your body to experimentation.

Retired Vax Scientist Would Never Vaccinate His Kids

Monday, August 3, 2009

2005 "Swine" Flu

Emerging Infectious Diseses, Volume 14, Number 9–September 2008
Dispatch
Human Case of Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Triple Reassortant Virus Infection, Wisconsin
Alexandra P. Newman,1 Erik Reisdorf, Jeanne Beinemann, Timothy M. Uyeki, Amanda Balish, Bo Shu, Stephen Lindstrom, Jenna Achenbach, Catherine Smith, and Jeffrey P. Davis
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (A.P. Newman, T.M. Uyeki, A. Balish, B. Shu, S. Lindstrom, J. Achenbach, C. Smith); Wisconsin Division of Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA (A.P. Newman, J.P. Davis); Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, Madison (E. Reisdorf); and Sheboygan County Health and Human Services, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA (J. Beinemann)

Abstract
Zoonotic infections with swine influenza A viruses are reported sporadically. Triple reassortant swine influenza viruses have been isolated from pigs in the United States since 1998. We report a human case of upper respiratory illness associated with swine influenza A (H1N1) triple reassortant virus infection that occurred during 2005 following exposure to freshly killed pigs.

http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/14/9/1470.htm
Suggested citation for this article
Newman AP, Reisdorf E, Beinemann J, Uyeki TM, Balish A, Shu B, et al. Human case of swine influenza A (H1N1) triple reassortant virus infection, Wisconsin. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2008 Sep [date cited]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/14/9/1470.htm

DOI: 10.3201/eid1409.080305
1Current affiliation: New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA.

Find more articles by entering 'Tamiflu' or 'Flu' in the search window.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Tamiflu dangers reported
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada has asked Swiss drug maker Roche AG to warn consumers of possible health risks linked to its influenza drug Tamiflu, the health department said on Wednesday.

Ottawa took the step after receiving international reports of side-effects such as hallucinations and abnormal behavior, including self-harm. The reports include cases involving children and teenagers, primarily in Japan.

"Health Canada has requested that the manufacturer ... update the Canadian prescribing information for Tamiflu to include this new information," the department said in a statement.

According to Health Canada, there have been 84 reports as of November 11 of Canadian patients having adverse effects when using Tamiflu. Ten of those cases involved fatalities...


Tamiflu not effective
Relenza, Tamiflu
Tamiflu

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Flu Vaccine Man-Made

August 1, 2009
New Evidence: That The ‘Swine Flu’ Pandemic Is Man-Made
Filed under: World — Tags: flu, Pandemic, swine flu — Satinder SINGH @ 7:36 am

Murder suspects are either convicted or acquitted at trial based on the prosecution’s presentation of EVIDENCE which usually hinges on MOTIVE, OPPORTUNITY, and TIME-LINES combined with physical documents. To gather such hard evidence, detectives and/or federal agents often spend months following leads and interviewing witnesses. In the trial phase, re-creating the sequence of events is essential. I submit this paper will provide more than enough hard evidence to at least result in a series of criminal indictments of charges of MASS MURDER, and CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT WORLD GENOCIDE against Novartis Pharmaceutical principals and agents and others.

PRIMARY MOTIVE

The Primary Motive behind this alleged criminal activity is also the primary cause of most murders in the world today, and that motivation is simply: BIG MONEY. Billions of Dollars of windfall profits from government contracts worldwide, as a matter of fact.
I will provide evidence that will show that Novartis Pharmaceuticals of Basel, Switzerland has conspired with corrupt “scientists” at the U.S. Army Institute of Pathology Ft. Detrick, Maryland, to create a “novel” strain of weaponized “influenza” virus by means of “reverse engineering” the deadly 1918 killer strain which strain was maliciously and surreptitiously released upon the world in March and April of 2009 for the primary purpose of creating a panic-stricken world-wide demand for Novartis vaccine material.

The evidence will also clearly show that the Novartis vaccine material is in reality designed to facilitate the further mutation of the pandemic into more lethal waves of increasingly virulent and deadly disease, rather than to curtail and limit the existing outbreak. The evidence will show that Novartis is willingly being used, (and extremely well-paid) to facilitate the edicts of the global elite’s Club of Rome; which edicts clearly call for a massive and sudden depopulation of certain segments of the earth’s human population.

PRIMARY EVIDENCE

To realize such windfall profits on an engineered, global flu pandemic, detailed covert planning must take place of course.
Patents protecting the proprietary flu vaccine must be applied for and secured before the pandemic virus is released in order to minimize the competition and maximize the profit potentials. In a biological attack of this nature, timing is extremely critical.
Indeed, the evidence is clear Novartis applied for just such a patent on Nov. 4, 2005, and the U.S. Patent Office accepted this application and granted US 20090047353A1 for a “Split Influenza Vaccine with Adjuvants” on February 19, 2009. (See bottom of page).

With this patent now secured, the conspirators were now free to create the demand for their “novel” split influenza vaccine by releasing a “novel” split-influenza (combining multiple viruses) pandemic virus from a weapons lab test-tube into unsuspecting human hosts. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/17/AR2009061703271.html

The so-called “Swine Flu” grabbing headlines today is actually a recombinant, or “split-influenza” virus consisting of A-strain Bird-Flu (H5N1), Swine Flu (H1N1) and multiple strains of human flu (H3N2). Likewise, the 1918 Killer Flu that killed untold millions of people was a recombinant or “split-influenza” virus composed of Bird flu, Swine Flu, and multiple strains of human flu.

CRIMINAL TIMELINE

The criminal timeline begins in 1997, when Dr. Jeffrey Taubenberger assembled a team of geneticists and microbiologists to analyze the genome structure, and then to REPRODUCE (i.e. reverse engineer) what is arguably one of the most deadly viral structures the world has ever been cursed with the 1918 killer flu virus. According to numerous published stories and reports, Taubenberger and his team utilized super-computers to map the complex RNA and DNA structures of the killer virus, then utilized human plasmids to successfully re-create the 1918 killer. Taubenberger completed his work in early 2005, then immediately left the employ of the U.S. Army at Ft. Detrick to take a much more lucrative position with the National Institutes of Health. His new focus was to create a VACCINE against the very same 1918 killer flu that he and his team had, just months earlier, successfully “reverse engineered” and created.

This researcher is very confident that a focused criminal investigation would likely reveal prima facia evidence that Taubenberger was in reality working for Novartis while employed with the N.I.H. and was quite likely the primary author of Novartis’ Nov. 6, 2005 “provisional” patent application. On page 2, paragraph 32 of the patent publication we read, quote: “The influenza virus [that the 'invention vaccine' is designed to protect against] may be a reassortant strain, and may have been obtained by reverse genetics techniques. Reverse genetics techniques allow influenza viruses with desired genome segments to be prepared in vitro using plasmids.” The remnant of the paragraph then goes into very specific detail as to the actual mechanics of how the pandemic virus was actually created by Taubenberger’s Ft. Detrick team. At the very least, the author of the patent application had to have studied Taubenberger’s various published reports on his work at Detrick, for the wording and science is virtually verbatim.

Furthermore, this paragraph is even more damning by the words “may have been obtained”. Who “obtained” this virus and for what reason was it “obtained”? Keep in mind the CDC and HHS would have Americans believe that the pandemic viral outbreak is totally a “natural” occurrence if so then how could Novartis have such an incredible advance knowledge to the point of developing a vaccine with such absolutely PERFECT TIMING???

WHO EXACTLY IS “NOVARTIS”??

Novartis International AG is simply the world’s largest, multi-national pharmaceutical company with over $53 Billion USD revenue generated in 2008. It’s headquarters is located in Basel, Switzerland, home of the vaunted “Swiss Guards” who provide all security measures for the Vatican and the Club of Rome. The company logo symbolizes the “eternal flame” of the Illuminati “enlightened ones”. Dig into Novartis International AG’s long history, and one finds that it began as a component of the infamous I.G. Farben combine, which in turn was primarily responsible for the rise of Adolph Hitler and the German/Austrian Third Reich.

Dig a bit deeper and you find that Novartis also wholly owns a company called Sandoz which was the inventor of LSD and other strong hallucinogenic “truth” drugs, and was the supplier of LSD to the CIA allowing them to scale new heights with their covert “MK ULTRA” mind control experiments. Documents released to U.S. Congressional investigators in 1977 show that Sandoz Labs had arranged for certain Nazi scientists to gain new identities in Allen Dulles’ CIA at the conclusion of WWII. This was accomplished under a secret extraction program called “Operation Paper Clip”.

The address listed on the Novartis Patent applications is a P.O. Box in Emeryville, California. Up until the summer of 2005, this Emeryville California address belonged to Chiron Inc. the world’s second-largest INFLUENZA VACCINE MANUFACTURER. Chiron was doing very well, with reported sales of $357 million in fiscal 2002. Chiron’s sales nearly doubled, peaking at a whopping $678 million in 2003 and it was mostly due to the marketing and sale of FLU VACCINE CONTRACTS to the federal government. Novartis, which owned much of Chiron’s stock, was very pleased, until disaster struck in 2004 — the entire year’s stock of flu vaccine was found to be contaminated and was condemned.

Stock values plummeted on the news. With the stock at a historic low, Novartis quickly purchased the remainder of Chiron’s stock and began immediately to work on the massive “novel pandemic flu” vaccine that they somehow knew would soon have worldwide demand especially if they controlled the exclusive patent they could effectively “corner the pandemic flu vaccine market”!!

OTHER CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES

I would submit that killing tens of thousands of innocent humans via the systemic creation of a “pandemic” in order to make billions of dollars is vile enough, but there is also evidence that there is an even more heinous hidden agenda at work here, and it is spelled GENOCIDE.

It is no mystery that Adolph Hitler advocated the elevation of a Nordic “Master Race” that would rule the world in a “New Order of the Ages” called the “Third Reich”. Sadly, not all of the EUGENIC/GENOCIDAL National Socialists were executed at Nuremburg.
In reality, the elite financiers that actually dictated the agenda to Hitler, merely went underground, willing to bide their time until their godless agenda to liquidate BILLIONS of people could be successfully implemented.

The evidence that the Novartis-controlled “Pandemic Vaccine” may well be a tool of mass genocide, is actually quite overwhelming.
At this point, some readers may scoff and ask: “Why would any company want to kill off their customers?” The answer is that these “customers” control large blocks of assets and equity. As Kissinger’s “NSSM-200″ report outlines, the “spoils” of genocide include controlling large tracts of land and mineral assets. This is secondary, of course, to their warped dream of creating a Utopian World Order with only 500 million “worthy” humans allowed to share in it.

WHAT’S THE EVIDENCE?

While George H.W. Bush was busy saving the world from the evil dictator Saddam Hussein in 1991, pursuant to his U.N. speech to create a “new world order” an agenda for an “Initiative for Eco-92 Earth Charter” elitist meeting happened to fall into honest, Christian hands. This agenda basically reiterated the genocide outlined in Henry Kissinger’s infamous NSSM-200 report of 1974, and called for “the immediate reduction of world population.” The entire report can be downloaded at:

My extensive research shows that by 1992, the massive death rate of AIDS had simply not materialized to the Elite’s satisfaction, and a more efficient mass killer had to be engineered in order to fulfill the edicts cut into the “Georgia Guidestones”.

Evidence shows that like the 2009 “Novel” Flu Virus the HIV virus was also engineered and manufactured in the labs of Ft. Detrick.

In 1969, during a House Appropriations Committee hearing, the Defense Department’s Biological Warfare (BW) division at Ft. Detrick requested funds to develop, through complex gene-splicing (i.e. genetic engineering) a “novel” new disease that would both be resistant to, and break down a victim’s immune system. The Congressional Record reads:

“Within the next 5 to 10 years it would probably be possible to make a new infective micro-organism which could differ in certain important respects from any known disease-causing organisms. Most important of these is that it might be refractory to the immunological and therapeutic processes upon which we depend to maintain our relative freedom from infectious diseases.”

The funds for this “Dr. Strangelove” project were somehow approved. AIDS “magically” appeared within the requested time frame, and of course, just happens to exhibit the exact characteristics specified by the Ft. Detrick scientists.

Three years later, in 1972, the fledgling World Health Organization (WHO) published a very similar proposal to the one submitted to the U.S. House Appropriations Committee in 1969. The WHO proposed that: “An attempt should be made to ascertain whether viruses can in fact exert selective effects on immune function, e.g., by …affecting T cell function as opposed to B cell function. The possibility should also be looked into that the immune response to the virus itself may be impaired if the infecting virus damages more or less selectively the immune cells responding to the viral antigens.” (Bulletin of the W.H.O., vol. 47, p 257- 274.) This is a “textbook” clinical description of the function of the HIV/AIDS virus.

The W.H.O. shortly thereafter begins a massive “smallpox vaccination” program in Africa in 1975. Within two years, millions of smallpox vaccines are provided by Novartis et. al, under U.N.I.C.E.F. funding. A decade later, it is determined by independent journalists in the U.K. that the incidence of AIDS infections’ MAPPED AND GRAPHED EPICENTERS in Africa coincided exactly with the locations of the W.H.O. smallpox vaccination program centers in the mid-1970’s (Source, The London Times, May 11, 1987). Some 14,000 Haitians then on UN ‘humanitarian missions’ to Central Africa were also vaccinated in this campaign, and soon contracted HIV. Personnel actually conducting the vaccinations of the Haitians maintain they had been completely unaware that the vaccine was anything other than a routine shot.

In 1987, Dr. Hilleman, head of all vaccine production of Merck Pharmaceuticals stunned the world with his public admissions that the mass vaccination campaigns of the 1950s and ’60s likely caused thousands of cancer deaths each year. This was due to the presence of a cancer-causing virus that contaminated the first polio vaccine, according to Dr. Hilleman. Known as SV40, the virus originated from dead monkeys whose kidney cells were used to culture the first Salk vaccines. Doctors estimate that the virus was injected into tens of millions during the vaccination campaigns, including several million in Canada, before being detected and screened out in 1963. Those born between 1941 and 1961 are thought to be most at risk of having been infected with SV40, and are estimated to have a 300% greater chance of developing cancer. According to Hilleman MERCK KNEW THE VACCINES WERE INFECTED WITH SV40, but distributed them anyway. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edikv0zbAlU

Furthermore, research doctors in New Orleans reported in 1963 that a percentage of the Salk polio vaccines were found to have attenuated, (live) viruses, which actually CAUSED tens of thousands of polio cases during the 1950’s.

Following the successful liberation of Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm, hundreds of thousands of victorious American troops are suddenly stricken with a wide variety of auto-immune disorders that doctors named the Gulf War Syndrome, (GWS). After a decade of medical investigation, the culprit is finally determined to be an ingredient in the anthrax vaccinations mandatorily given to the troops. This offending “adjuvant” is a synthetic material known as squalene aka, oil-in-water adjuvant. Writer and Gulf War correspondent Gary Matsumoto documents this entire, tragic saga in his seminal book, “Vaccine-A”. See www.vaccine-a.com.

Understanding these historical facts is very important for this reason: Those that ignore history are doomed to repeat it. This is doubly true when it comes to blindly accepting a “novel” mass vaccination for a weaponized, “reverse engineered” virus.

The historical record is very clear attenuated, live viruses in vaccines SPREAD the disease very effectively. When combined with SQUALENE ADJUVANT ­ the virus becomes many times more potent and lethal. When given to CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS, millions of “typhoid Matts and Marys” will be spreading the disease exponentially.

Chillingly, the Novartis patent for the “novel pandemic flu” declares that “African green monkey kidney cells” will be used for the “viral growth substrate” ­ i.e. the carrier medium.
(Page 3, paragraph 0037) We also see that “oil-in-water” squalene-based adjuvants will also be included (page 8 0098) but most incredible of all, because this is a “recombinant” and “novel” split vaccine, it is deemed necessary to include fragments of attenuated viruses (i.e. live pathogens) in the vaccine medium.

On July 13, 2009, the W.H.O. sanctioned this lunacy by declaring: “In view of the anticipated limited vaccine availability at global level and the potential need to protect against “drifted” strains of virus, it is recommended that promoting production and use of vaccines such as those that are formulated with oil-in-water adjuvants and live attenuated influenza vaccines is important.”

In conclusion and summation, it should be evident that the “2009 Swine Flu” could just as easily be called the “Bird Flu” because it is as much H5N1 (bird flu) as H1N1 (pig flu.) Novartis knew this in 2005 when it received hundreds of millions of dollars from Mike Leavitt’s HHS to develop and patent the “bird flu” vaccine. I publicly charge that Novartis had advance knowledge of this “combination” because they had been in consultation with Jeffrey Taubenberger for years.

It is further evident that Novartis’ patent provides for “influenza vaccine kits” to be provided to other pharmaceutical manufacturers as well. These “kits” are the basic raw ingredients needed for the other companies to build their own vaccines under their own label.

In 2005, this “jobbing” of separate ingredients by multiple companies would never have been allowed because of the legal liability issues involved. However, in 2009, all liabilities for death and disability from faulty or contaminated vaccines have been stripped away. Any wrongful death or disability lawsuits against Novartis or any other company will today be summarily dismissed.
Novartis today has carte blanche blanket immunity for their actions and any large pharmaceutical company who so desires, can join them at the feeding troughs just by paying millions for their “kits”.

If this isn’t the pinnacle of criminality, then I don’t know what is.

Novartis, if this “novel split vaccine” is so wonderful and safe, why do you require such blanket protection from litigation?
http://www.daily.pk/7780/new-evidence-that-the-‘swine-flu’-pandemic-is-man-made/