Homeopathy Effective for FLU

"Ohio reported that 24,000 cases of flu treated allopathically had a mortality rate of 28.2% while 26,000 cases of flu treated homeopathically had a mortality rate of 1.05%."

Here's a good resource for more infomation.

Read more about homeopathy and FLU

Natural Ways to Help Stop Smoking

A reader was looking for natural alternatives to Chantix/Champix, so I thought I'd provide some information based on methods I've suggested to people over the years that have been very helpful.

I generally suggest that if you are a smoker you add vitamin C to your daily routine. Each cigarette you smoke causes you to lose 100 mg to 500 mg. Vitamin C does help protect your lungs and your health in general.

I also suggest vitamin A (a combined A/beta-carotene product because many cannot convert beta-c to A) because it protects the mining of your respiratory system.

And of course vitamin E (natural only, not soy based or the artificial type, dl tocopherol acetate) because it helps oxygen cross the from the lungs to blood.

Start with a switch to no-chemicals-added tobacco. Many reservation tobacco stores offer these cigarettes under tribal brands. American Spirit is a commercial and pricey brand sold in most stores.

Smokers who use menthol cigarettes do seem to have a harder time quitting according to studies I have read.

We have offered a variety of products:

Homeopathic tablets or drops

Herbal liquid drops and Herbal capsules

Light-activated drops and soaks to help remove the nicotine from the body

If you're interested in learning more about any of the options we have available, just get in touch with us for more information.

Read More...

How To Develope Healthy Eating Habits

By Dan Beckwith

Good carbs, bad carbs, protein, nutrients...It can all get
pretty heavy duty. Healthy eating facts abound and can get
very confusing.

Today, let's put away the latest calorie counting charts and
discuss a tactic that is incredibly easy and is guaranteed
to help you lose weight, and eat more healthy. It is truly
one of the best healthy eating facts around.

Consider this, when was the last time you ordered a pizza or
went through the drive through at the local fast food place?

You know the super deluxe pizza, or the hamburger and fries
are bad for you... so, why? Why did you go there?

I'm sure there are exceptions, but my guess would be that
most of you grabbed the burger or pizza for no reason other
than - you didn't know what to fix for dinner. The fast food
place was on the way home, and it offered a simple solution.

To a surprising extent, our unhealthy diets exist for no
reason other than convenience. It's a fact - but, not one
of the healthy eating facts. The last thing we want to do
after a long day at work, is create a menu for our dinner.
We are tired! Then, when you consider the minefield of good
carbs, bad carbs and so on... it's even worse. BTW - it's
just as bad to toss a frozen pizza into the oven as it is to
order one.

Here's how to solve that problem...On your next day off (or
whenever you can) set aside a couple hours and plan your
dinner menu for each day in the coming week! Go two weeks if
you are feeling ambitious.

Put each meal plan on a separate sheet of paper in a 3 ring
binder. If you want to go all out, you can even separate the
days with pretty, multicolored tabs. Eventually, you will
probably want to laminate the pages.

Every night, when you get home, open your binder to that
days menu and prepare it. Here's the important part, we want
to make this a habit so never deviate from this daily plan.

You will totally stop the impulse buying from the local fast
food place, save a lot of money, and never have to worry
about what to fix for dinner.

It may seem overly simple, but it works and it will save you
quite a bit of money too!

If you had a personal chef, and their job was to fix you
healthy, nutritious, low-calorie meals, you would expect
them to pre-plan the menu. If they always waited until the
last minute for inspiration, you would most likely fire
them. Think of yourself in the same way, pre-plan your
meals. Then, don't change your plans during the week.

Right now, it may seem like a boring chore, but once this
becomes a habit you will learn to truly love your binder.

If you plan all your meals to be healthy ones, it MUST
eventually improve your health. It has to!

At the end of your first week, sit down and do it again.
Make up a new meal plan for the next week. Try to make them
all different recipes than the ones you had before. By the
end of the first month, you will have a months worth of
different recipes you can call on.

Every meal, for four weeks, will be different. This way you
will never get tired of eating the same meals over and over
again. They will all be tasty, nutritious and low calorie.
Once you've gotten this far, you can stop your weekly
planning and just continuously rotate the recipes in your
binder.

I think that's one of the best healthy eating facts out
there, and it will help you save a bundle at the grocery
store.

Check out my website for a bunch of additional information
and a free subscription to my " Fast Weight Loss" mini
course.

Dan Beckwith is an author and geek who's done all the weight
loss research and studies, so you don't have to. To discover
bunches of
(http://www.weightloss-2.org/Healthy-Eating-Facts.html)
Healthy Eating Facts, read bunches of interesting articles
and get your copy of a free (http://www.weightloss-2.org/)
"Fast Weight Loss Tips" mini-course, check out his website
IMMEDIATELY!

What is a Virus

Virus information

Dr. Niman

Dr. Levy on Vitamin C

Viral Poppycock - "For a population of seven million people, Hong Kong has stockpiled 20 million treatment courses of Tamiflu, a medicine to which the new swine flu virus has not yet developed resistance but it’s a toss up which is more dangerous, the swine flu or Tamiflu. Dr. Russell Blaylock writes, “I was in the military during the first swine flu scare in 1976. At the time it became policy that all soldiers would be vaccinated for swine flu. As a medical officer I refused and almost faced a court martial, but the military didn't want the bad publicity. Despite the assurance by all the experts in virology, including Dr. Sabin, the epidemic never materialized. What did materialize were 500 cases of Gullian-Barre paralysis, including 25 deaths-not due to the swine flu itself, but as a direct result of the vaccine.”Courtesy Mark Sircus

Originally posted: Saturday, October 28, 2006

VITAMIN C AGAINST THE FLU (and bird flu) SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY©

Dr. Thomas Levy is one of the world’s experts in effects of vitamin C on viruses. Here’s what he says “Regarding the bird flu, I have not found any virus for which vitamin C does not exert a virucidal effect, as long as enough vitamin C reaches the virus, such as in any acute infection. I don't know about Tamiflu, but the vitamin C is virtually devoid of negative side effects.”

Although there no studies yet published specifically treating Asian bird flu with vitamin C, immune expert Dr Robert Cathcart, who has treated thousands of cases of life threatening infectious diseases with high dose vitamin C says “Treatment of the bird flu with massive doses of ascorbate would be the same as any other flu except that the severity of the disease indicates that it may take unusually massive doses of ascorbic acid orally or even intravenous sodium ascorbate. I have not seen any flu yet that was not cured or markedly ameliorated by massive doses of vitamin C.”

Antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu, work by inhibiting something called neuraminidase, produced by viruses and essential for their ability to replicate. So too does vitamin C but this is only one of more than ten ways that vitamin C knocks out viruses, both by inhibiting the virus itself, and by strengthening the body’s own immune response, for example by improving the number of function of immune cells (eg macrophages, lymphocytes and neutrophils), upping interferon and nitric oxide and making more antibodies which target viruses. Vitamin C also has direct antiviral effects and has been shown to inhibit viral replication in laboratory studies, such as HIV-infected immune cells. In the case of HIV viral infection was inhibited by 99% within four days, according to research published by the National Academy of Sciences. (It is really a tragedy that this research hasn’t been followed up with a large scale human trials, but the sad truth is that, even though vitamin C has been shown to outperform AZT in lab studies , there’s no money in it. So it appears that there is sufficient biological plausibility for its role against the flu, but since we don't have the controlled human trials, it’s not proven. It’s a tragedy that these studies aren’t done for life-threatening diseases such as HIV and bird flu, but the sad truth is there’s no money in it because vitamin C is cheap to make and not patentable – unlike drugs such as Tamiflu. Vitamin C, in high doses, has been well proven to be non-toxic in both adults and children over many years. The same cannot be said for this new generation of antiviral drugs.

However, we do know that vitamin C reduces the severitiy of colds and flu. Over 20 controlled trials using at least 1 gram a day against the common cold have been published, showing that the duration is typically decreased by about 25% and symptoms are much less severe. You are going to need much more than this if you contract any kind of flu. One recent human trial found that students who took hourly doses of 1,000 mg of vitamin C for the first 6 hours and then 3 times daily had a decrease in symptoms of 85% compared to students in the control group. In the case of bird flu that might well be the difference between life and death.

It’s highly likely that vitamin C would be effective against bird flu if you can get the dose high enough. Dr Mark Levine, who works for the National Institutes of Health in the US, has shown that you can get plasma levels up to 200mcmol/l with 3 grams of vitamin C six times a day, at which point vitamin C becomes profoundly anti-viral. However, with intravenous infusion of 100g a day concentration goes up to 15,000mcmol/l. No virus has yet been shown to survive at that level.

The ideal amount of vitamin C for any flu is up to ‘bowel tolerance’. Start with 1 gram an hour. If you get diarrhoea halve this dose. If you don’t, double it. There are some forms of vitamin C, notably sodium ascorbate with riboperine, and lipospheric vitamin C that allow even more to be absorbed without reaching bowel tolerance. They are marginally better than straight ascorbic acid. Some people find ascorbic acid too acidic, in which case an ascorbate, such as sodium ascorbate, can be taken. It might be useful to have a supply at hand if an epidemic does break out. There is no harm in having 100 grams a day short-term, stopping once all symptoms are gone. If even this didn’t stop the flu I’d find a doctor who could administer intravenous sodium ascorbate. The trick with any infection is not to get it in the first place by keeping your immune system strong. I take 1 gram of vitamin C twice a day. If Asian flu breaks out I’m doubling that to 4 grams – one every 6 or so hours, and taking 1 gram an hour if I get any symptoms.

Patrick Holford interviews Dr. Thomas Levy –

Despite hundreds of published studies, the true power of vitamin C as an infection fighter is vastly under-appreciated. Dr Thomas Levy, a doctor from Colorado, has painstakingly reviewed all of the research in his book Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins: Curing the Incurable. Here, he tells me of the true proven power of vitamin C.

PH For which infectious diseases has vitamin C been proven to both cure and prevent, if given in sufficient amounts?

TL In the medical literature, more than enough evidence and data has been published to conclude that vitamin C, administered properly, has cured and can continue to cure acute viral hepatitis, measles, mumps, viral encephalitis, chickenpox and herpes infections, viral pneumonia, influenza, diphtheria, tetanus, streptococcal infections, pseudomonas infections and staphylococcal infections. Prevention against the contraction of these infections and other infections involves the daily dosing of lower amounts of vitamin C than the amounts needed to cure a given infection. This prevention can almost always be overwhelmed, however, when a large enough acute exposure of an infectious agent is encountered.

PH Let's take a look at mumps, for example, which is very much in the news as more parents choose not to have their children given the MMR vaccination. What would you recommend?

TL This is a subject of great controversy. In general, I am opposed to vaccinations, since it is clear to me that the proper use of vitamin C can easily cope with the many different agents for which vaccination is offered. However, having a good specific, antibody-armed immune system is desirable as well. Therefore, when the vaccine is preservative-free (particularly from methylmercury in the form of thimerosol), the child is old enough to have a reasonably mature immune system (2 years or older), and the child is not acutely ill and has not recently been ill, then immunisation may be of benefit. However, before the vaccination, I would give the child a gram of vitamin C a day per year of life (2 grams or more) for at least a week before the vaccination and continuing for at least a week after the vaccination. This has the effect of protecting against any acute toxic insults associated with the vaccination, while maximizing the vitamin C-augmented antibody response to the vaccine.

PH How strong is the scientific evidence to support what you are saying and why is this evidence not being acted on?

TL The scientific evidence is very strong. I can only speculate as to why it seems to be ignored, but the entire medical system worldwide is based on doctors regarding very specific and limited sources of information as being the only reliable sources of medical information. Insurance companies generally only cover mainstream treatments. A great deal of money is spent, directly and indirectly, to convince doctors and the public that anything not learned directly in medical school or later provided through very specific channels is simply not to be trusted, much less even properly evaluated.

PH If a person, or child, contracts any of these diseases, how does one know how much vitamin C to take?

TL As Dr Klenner repeatedly described in his many papers, vitamin C must continue to be administered in appropriately high doses until a positive clinical response is seen, and then lower doses can be given. In other words, Dr Klenner would use whatever dose necessary to see a positive clinical response. This meant anything from 35 to 65 grams for a first dose, given intravenously. In terms of oral supplementation, take as much as you can tolerate, starting with 2 or 3 grams every three to four hours.

PH Is there any danger in taking these kinds of amounts?

TL Unless you are a patient with advanced renal failure, the answer appears to be no. In fact, very large studies have clearly defined that vitamin C not only does not cause kidney stones in patients with normal kidney function, it will often help to dissolve stones that were already present before the vitamin C administration began.

PH Your book is immensely thorough and well researched. How are we going to get this vital, life-saving and inexpensive treatment taken seriously? How many more people have to suffer and die unnecessarily?

TL I wish I knew. I wrote the book from both a medical and a legal perspective. I wanted physicians who are brave enough to do what is best for their patients to have as much scientific backing as possible for the vitamin C-based therapies that they choose, especially if they end up having to defend what they are doing in a court of law.

PH What types of vitamin C should be taken?

TL Vitamin C comes as mineral ascorbates, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, and in a liposome-encapsulated form. If administered intravenously, the sodium ascorbate form is always desirable for an acute illness. When not available, the liposome-coated form, called lipospheric vitamin C, appears to have a very high bioavailability with virtually no bowel tolerance dose [ie diarrhoea inducing], which typically impedes the very high oral dosing of vitamin C.

What Does It Really Take To Reach Your Muscle Building Goals?

The goal setting is one thing that I've often been excited
about, but I haven't always kept up with it the way I should
have. I've recently decided that I need to become more
consistent, and I've been reviewing my goals carefully. I
started to think about what it would take to achieve these
goals, and they got me thinking about what it really takes
to reach your fitness destination.

After reading quite a bit about the subject, I've realized
that desire and passion are essential components of reaching
your goals. In addition, you have to ask yourself if you are
really ready to work hard. Ask yourself what level of
sacrifice you're prepared to make in order to reach your
destination.

What does this have to do with building muscle? Well, I hope
you realize that building muscle is not a new one day or one
week thing. It takes a long commitment and diligence to
reach your goals, including building a muscular frame. So if
you really want to build a more muscular body, you're going
to have to give some things up in exchange for this.

You may think that you've heard all this before, and maybe
that's true. But hearing something a number of times and
actually putting it into practice are two completely
different things. Without action, that knowledge is
worthless.

Whether we're talking about a strength training program or
anything else in your life, achieving a big goal is going to
require a long commitment. It isn't going to happen
overnight, and you're probably going to have to give up some
other activities in order to achieve that.

So are you willing to do what it takes to reach your fitness
goals? Which do you prefer, watching that favorite TV show or
working on a solid strength training program? Can you give
up the incredibly tempting ice cream sundaes you eat every
day in exchange for a healthier and better looking body?

As much as we may try to deny it, you won't reach your goals
overnight with one single action. It's going to be a series
of small choices, probably hundreds or thousands of choices,
that decide whether or not you will be successful..

Remember that a little bit at a time is far better than a
big change all at once. Stick with your plan step by step
and you'll soon reach your muscle building goals.

SWINE FLU PRECAUTIONS

UPDATE: 10 August - Since this article was posted in April we have added numerous articles regarding this issue so please that the time to look for these new and important posts: Search for Flu, Swine Flu, Vitamin C, Dr. Levy, FluMist, Tamiflu, Relenza, Flu Shot or related titles.
---------------------------
Suggestion from orthomolecular expert Dr Phil Bate -

SWINE FLU PRECAUTIONS AND POSSIBLE AID TO RECOVERY

Besides washing your hands and wearing a mask (which isn't much good).

Vitamin C is a viricide, but it has to be taken often and in amounts to kill the virus. That means that it has to be taken at least every four hours if you are possibly exposed, and in at least 2000 mg to saturate the bloodstream.

Of course, avoid places with lots of people during this period. If you are going out during the day, take 2000 mg of C before any exposure. During exposure and immediately exposure, take C every two hours, and at the end of possible exposure.

If you get any flu symptoms, start taking 2000 mg every two hours until you get diarrhea, and then back off to just below this amount for that time until the diarrhea stops. (Start with 2 every 3-4 hours, etc)

Masks get moist and this creates a breeding ground for bacteria.

Both vitamin C and vitamin A are good to have on hand. Vitamin A in the proper high dose range for short periods will protect you from pneumonia that often accompanies flu.

Otherwise, take all precautions and avoid using Tamiflu and Relenza

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2007/11/warning-tamiflu-and-relenza-hazards.html

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2005/10/beware-tamiflu.html

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/flu-news.html

Meanwhile the FDA and CDC are pushing Tamiflu and Relenza as reported in Medscape News.

FDA Okays Emergency Use of Antiviral Drugs, Diagnostic Test for Swine Flu
by Robert Lowes

April 28, 2009 — State and local public health agencies will have more leeway to treat swine influenza with antiviral medications under an emergency order issued yesterday by the US Food and Drug Administration. The order also will authorize and widen the use of a diagnostic test that, unlike others in use, can precisely identify the new strain of swine flu.

To date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed 64 cases of swine flu in the United States. Worldwide, confirmed cases have emerged in Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, Israel, Spain, and Mexico, which appears to be epicenter, since travel to Mexico figures into many infections elsewhere. In addition, Mexico is the only country where the influenza has resulted in death; authorities there say 152 deaths were likely caused by the virus. In the 6 other countries, infected patients generally have experienced only mild symptoms.

The FDA's Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) relaxes current restrictions on 2 antiviral medications — zanamivir (Relenza) and oseltamivir (Tamiflu) — that the CDC recommends for preventing and treating swine influenza A (H1N1). Oseltamivir currently is approved for patients aged 1 year and older. Under the EAU, healthcare providers can administer oseltamivir to patients younger than 1 year and provide alternate dosing to patients aged 1 year and older.

The EAU did not alter the age parameters for zanamivir, approved to treat acute, uncomplicated cases of influenza in adults and children older than 7 years who have been symptomatic for fewer than 2 days, as well as prevent influenza in adults and children aged 5 years and older.

However, the FDA order allows both drugs to be distributed by a wider range of healthcare workers, including volunteers, in accordance with state and local law. In addition, both medications can be distributed without complying with the usual label requirements.

The FDA order follows a decision by the Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday to distribute one fourth of its stockpile of oseltamivir and zanamivir to state governments.

The EUA also authorizes the use of a diagnostic test called a reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) swine influenza panel to test for the virus and allows the CDC to distribute it to public health agencies. Two other available tests — rapid influenza antigen and immunofluroscence — can detect the new swine influenza virus, but they only identify probable cases because they cannot distinguish between seasonal influenza A and swine influenza, which is a subtype of A. In contrast, RT-PCR can conclusively confirm a case of swine influenza.

Journalist Robert Lowes is a freelance writer for Medscape.
Medscape Medical News © 2009 Medscape, LLC

Muscle Building - Tips For Faster Results

Muscle growth is not just about lifting weights and going to
the gym everyday but there is a science behind it. You have
to remember that the body has certain ways of dealing with
stress. Every person also has different metabolic rates,
and because of this, they may need different exercise
programs.

When it comes to body building, you should be able to know
about the different theories concerning it. By knowing about
the theories, you will be able to apply it in your exercise
regime and get the results you want at a much faster rate.

For building muscles, you have to remember that resting is
very important if you lift weights at the gym. Never ever
exercise the same muscle group everyday unless you are
concentrating on fat loss. However, if you want to gain
muscle, resting the muscles is a very important part of it.

For example, if you exercise your chest today, don't
exercise it tomorrow. This means no bench presses tomorrow.

You have to consider the fact that whenever we lift weights,
we injure our muscles. Therefore, the body will react by
fixing it with bigger and much stronger muscles. And, in
order to promote muscle repair, we need to get some sleep
and let the muscle we injure rest for at least two days.

Diet is also an important factor when you want to gain
muscle mass. Always remember that protein is very important
when it comes to muscle growth. Protein helps in rebuilding
muscles and promote muscle repair. So, how much protein
should you eat? Basically, the rule of thumb is that for every
pound you weigh, you need at least 1.5 grams of protein.
This means that if you weigh 200 pounds, you need to take in
300 grams of protein a day. That is if you work out
regularly.

There are supplements that you may want to try. Some are
rich in amino acids that also promote protein production and
muscle growth, while there is also whey protein that
directly introduces the needed daily protein intake in your
body.

If you want to gain muscle, another key is proper execution
of exercises and the right exercises.

The right exercises for muscle gain are usually free weight
exercises. As much as possible, you should do free weight
exercises and minimize the use of machines. Although
machines do lower the risk of injury, you have to remember
that free weight is much more effective in promoting muscle
growth. Always remember that in order to promote muscle
growth, you also need to strengthen the supporting muscles.
For example, if you want to promote muscle growth on your
biceps, you also need to strengthen the muscles that
surround the biceps.

And, only free weight exercises can do this. Machine
exercises virtually does not put any strain on the
supporting muscles, which means that it will not promote the
growth of your primary muscles as well as free weight
exercises can.

Proper execution of the exercise is also very important. By
doing the exercises slowly and in a controlled and smooth
motion, you will promote maximum muscle contractions which
means that it will promote muscle growth.

These are just some of the many body building muscle gain
tips that you need to keep in mind. There are quite a lot of
techniques that will be able to help you gain muscle. With
these tips, you will be able to get the body you want in no
time at all.

Shirtless male model Chad White

Chad White is an American model and has appeared in the June 2006 issue of L'Uomo Vogue photographed by world-renown photographer Steven Klein.

On the runways, he is one of the favorites of Versace, D&G and Dsquared2. Chad is 6' foot 2 and he loves sports having played baseball in college (and was drafted for Major League Baseball but injured his hand) he turned to modeling.

Cad has also appeared on the cover of Tetu magazine on a number of occasions:

Chad White wallpapers

What's Keeping You Healthy and Protected from the Flu?

“There is no evidence that any influenza vaccine thus far developed is effective in preventing or mitigating any attack of influenza. The producers of these vaccines know that they are worthless, but they go on selling them anyway.”- Dr. J. Anthony Morris (former Chief Vaccine Control Officer of FDA)

Here are some helpful things I suggest -

Homemade chicken soup with garlic and carrots is a very good food.

We are also suggesting the following use of the ALLI-C and ALLI-DERM garlic products we use and recommend - ORDER ALLI-C AND ALLI-DERM ON REFERRAL FROM DR. GAYLE EVERSOLE VIA THE LINK IN THE RIGHT COLUMN ON THIS PAGE.

“Although this is a new flu virus strain it appears to be related to a simple H1N1 virus line. Symptoms in patients infected in the USA and Europe appear to be relatively mild and include a sore throat, sneezing and coughing. Swine flu appears to be very easily spread by coughing, sneezing or coming into contact with someone who is already infected. Stabilised Allicin as found in Alli-C is an excellent natural antiviral agent that has been proven in double-blind placebo controlled studies to both PREVENT the onset of viral disease and to remove symptoms in people already infected.

I would ask people to supplement with 4 Alli-C capsules daily to act as a preventative. Try to avoid contact with those who are showing active infection and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and then apply a protective layer of Alliderm gel. This has been proven to prevent infectious organisms from populating the hands and face. You may also take some Alliderm gel and rub it around your nose and then insert a little into each nostril for further protection. Taking these simple and cost effective actions each day should prevent the onset of infection and keep your immune system boosted whilst this pernicious virus is trying to infect us all.”

Peter Josling
Director and formulator of Alli-C and Alliderm

and from Randall Neustaedter OMD

The flu is in the news again. This time it's the swine flu, scarier sounding than bird flu. Scary enough to cause worldwide panic. The news is brimming over with dire reports. And mega-pharmacy Hoffman-La Roche is ready in the wings with millions of doses of its drug Tamiflu to sell for a hefty profit.

The best preventive for the flu is to eat a healthy diet of whole foods and to take a few supplements that maintain a strong immune system.

For children - Immune System Supplements for Kids

Children can take a few simple, specific supplements to maintain a strong and vital immune system during the fall and winter months when colds and flus predominate.

An omega-3 fat supplement in the form of fish oil capsules or liquid fish oil will establish healthy cell membranes that prevent inflammation and resist toxins and attack by pathogens.

Vitamin D is essential for kids as well as adults to maintain immune function. Vitamin E will ensure that fatty acids are maintained at optimum efficiency once they are absorbed into cells. In addition, vitamin E has anti-inflammatory effects and increases resistance to infection. Use only natural vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol), not the synthetic form (dl-alpha-tocopherol). A mixed tocopherol form of vitamin E is best because children need the gamma as well as the alpha forms. An appropriate dose is 100 mg for children under two and 200 mg for children aged 2-12.

Vitamin A is needed for proper mucous membrane function. It is essential for the growth and repair of body tissues, and for efficient digestion of protein. Vitamin A promotes good eyesight, strong bones and teeth, and a vital immune system. White blood cells, T -lymphocytes, and every cell in the important mucosal barriers of the respiratory, digestive, and urinary tracts require vitamin A.

A diet containing significant amounts of fruit and fat will help ensure adequate vitamin A intake. Whole milk products, butter, and free range eggs will help maintain necessary levels of this important nutrient. Use organic sources. For those who may not be getting enough vitamin A, a supplement is essential.

The recommended daily amount (RDA) of vitamin A is 1,000-2,000 IU for children, depending on their age (1,000 at one year of age, 2,000 by age nine). Primitive diets probably maintained 10 times that amount. One egg contains 300 IU, one cup of whole milk or whole milk yogurt contains about 225-250 IU of vitamin A. One tablespoon of butter contains 350 IU of A. The amount of vitamin A may vary by the season and the feed of the animals.

Colostrum is great for children as well as adults.

Zinc stimulates immune function, prevents infections, and acts as a cofactor in many enzyme reactions, including the creation of antioxidants. Normal dosage is 10-20 mg. per day. If zinc supplementation is continued over a prolonged period of time, it should be given in conjunction with copper in a ratio of ten to one to prevent copper deficiency.

Vitamin C has anti-inflammatory effects, antioxidant activity, and antibiotic qualities. A daily supplement of vitamin C during the winter months will round out the immune system prevention program. Use 500 mg for children under 3 years old and 1,000 mg for older children.

The easiest way to give supplements to children is through powdered sources mixed in a blender with fruit, fruit juice, yogurt or milk (rice milk for younger children and children with milk sensitivities), and honey (for children over 12 months old). Capsules can be opened and dumped into the blender. Children can chew oil-based supplements in soft gels or you can stick a pin into them and squirt out the contents onto something they will eat.

Immune Supplements for Children—Daily Dosage

1- to 2-year-olds, 3 to 12-year-olds

Fish oil 1 tsp per 50 pounds body weight
Vitamin D 1,000, IU 2,000 IU
Colostrum ½ teaspoon, 1 tsp
Zinc 10 mg, 20 mg
Copper 1 mg, 2 mg
Vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol or mixed tocopherols)
100 IU, 200 IU
Vitamin C 500 mg, 1,000 mg

Profiteering from Flu Pandemonium

Swine Flu: Bringing Home the Bacon
— By James Ridgeway | Mon April 27, 2009 Mother Jones

As the world gears up once again for a flu pandemic that may or may not arrive (it actually seems possible this time), we might want to remember some of the lessons of the last flu scare. One of these is that there are winners as well as losers in every high-profile outbreak of infectious disease. First and foremost among them, of course, is Big Pharma, which can always be counted on to have its hand out wherever human misery presents an opportunity to rake in some cash.

In 2005, I reported on the bird flu scare for the Village Voice in a piece called “Capitalizing on the Flu.” We can realistically hope that our current federal government will improve upon the bungled effort made by the Bush Administration to prepare for the onslaught of avian flu—which fortunately didn’t materialize. But certain aspects of the crisis are likely to be repeated, and profiteers will surely waste no time in gathering at the trough.

Then, as now, one of the two effective antidotes was a drug called Tamiflu. But this silver bullet came with side effects, as well as a high price tag. As I reported in 2005:

With no vaccine in sight, the U.S. government, along with others, is belatedly stocking up on Tamiflu, a drug that supposedly offers some defense against bird flu. But last week Japanese newspapers told how children who were administered Tamiflu went mad and tried to kill themselves by jumping out of windows. In a cautionary statement the FDA noted 12 deaths among children, and said there are reports of psychiatric disturbances, including hallucinations, along with heart and lung disorders. Roche, the manufacturer, is quoted by the BBC as stating that the rate of deaths and psychiatric problems is no higher among those taking its medication than among those with flu. The company is increasing Tamiflu production to 300 million doses a year to meet demand.

There are other reasons people are leery of Tamiflu. Given the rip-offs in Iraq and after the hurricanes, people are understandably interested in knowing just who is going to get rich off the plague. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, himself former CEO of drug company Searle, currently owns stock in the one company that owns Tamiflu patents—to the tune of at least $18 million. Rumsfeld says he understands why people might question his holdings, but selling them would raise even more questions. So he is hanging on to what he’s got.

A report by Citicorp at the time described which pharmaceutical manufacturers and other comapnies stood to make money:

Winners could include drug makers such as Gilead Sciences, Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, and Sanofi-Aventis. Other possible winners are hospital chains such as Rhoen Klinikum, cleaning-products makers such as Henkel, Ecolab, and Clorox, as well as home entertainment companies such as Blockbuster and Nintendo….

In order for the pharmaceutical companies to profit from making flu vaccine in the administration’s $7.1 billion pandemic flu plan, Bush now is proposing to ban liability suits against them except in cases of willful misconduct. As for those injured by a flu vaccine, possible lawsuits remain an open question….

With a worldwide market estimated at more than $1 billion, there’s big money in a flu plague. Kimberly-Clark’s Chinese subsidiary is already ramping up manufacture of new lines of medical masks, wipes, and hand-washing liquids, according to Business Week, with consulting firms Kroll and Booz Allen Hamilton selling flu preparedness advice to companies and governments. “Crisis is an opportunity as long as you see it first,” Pitney Bowes’s Christian Crews tells the magazine.

Of course, that was then, and this is now. In the coming days we’re bound to discover who’s pulling in the pork this time. But even before the U.S. markets open this morning, early indications aren’t hard to find: “Fears of a potential pandemic are bringing down stock markets around the world today,” public radio’s “Marketplace” reports from London, ”but two big pharmaceutical companies are getting a boost from the news”:

Shares in Switzerland’s leading drug maker, Roche, are up nearly 4 percent this morning. The company says it’s scaling up production of Tamiflu. The drug’s been show to be an effective vaccine against the virus.

In the U.K., GlaxoSmithKline, which manufacturers its own vaccine against deadly flu viruses, is also gaining in the markets. Glaxo’s drug is called Relenza….

Both drug makers have been approached by the World Health Organization about their readiness to deploy stocks in the case of a pandemic. Roche says it stands ready with 3 million treatments, but warned further production could take up to eight months.

http://www.motherjones.com/print/23404

FLU: Recombinant Preparedness Alert

We suggest you consider keeping lemon and thyme essential oils for diffusion in your home and at work, you may contact us to purcahse high quality pure therapeutic essential oils. Keep adequately hydrated.

Use the SEARCH window to locate the many articles we have posted on flu and flu vaccines at Natural Health News

Swine Flu Epidemic & Avianized Flu Pandemic
Dr Bill Deagle MD DABFP AAEM A4M
4-26-9
Zoonotic Vectors of Swine and Avian Flu

The swine flu is common in the agribusiness, and antibodies to swine flu are present in 20% of vetenarians and 5% of pig farm workes, and rarely kills pigs. However, this swine flu that has presented in Mexico, Texas, California, Queens NYC, London, Italy, etc. has genes of swine, avian, human, and asian flu.

This is without any doubt a pandemic flu with a current case fatality estimated at
10% plus, and rapidly is leaping across North America and to Europe.

Since 1997, the H5N1 flu has spread to all continents. Genetics showed that six strains had high pathogenic case fatality rates in the range of 70% average from 25% to 100% case fatality rates in humans, with some clusters of human to human spread, with close physical contact.

Defiencies in two amino acids needed to allow rapid attachment to human cells was found in all strains, but can be acquired by recombinants with H9N2 or H7N3 or H3N2 etc. endemic human stains that can also coinfect pigs, birds, agricultural animals, and animals in the wild.

Until fall 2008, the avian flu did not optimally replicate unless it was at 106 degrees or higher, but now it has acquired the capacity to replicate easily at 98.6 Farhenheit.

Drug resistance to Amantadine, Tamiflu also are the predominant strains. The current swine flu is analagous to a early 20th century steamer trunk, with stickers showing the visited countries and coastal cities. It has stamps from Asia, North America, Avian, Swine and Human genetics. This is a "Lab Creation".

Now, we must understand that this virus is behaving as if it is more lethal per case that usual flu, and can recombine in pigs, wild and domestic birds, and other animals and can thus acquire PB2 deletions, NS1 gene polymorphisms, and the polybasic six amino acids that allow it to grow in brain and CNS as well as any other target organ in human and animal hosts.

The NS1 deletion of four amino acids bypasses IL4, and thus is much more lethal with massive cytokine release at end stages. Because Avian H5N1 and the 1918 Swine Flu targeted young healthy people, the release of cytokines was more violent in the most healthy.

This first wave is likely to recombine and after Phase 1 gene to population insertion, Phase 2 will result in new superstrains with additional genetic polymorphisms allow transfer efficiently to humans. Phase 2 is the bioreactor phase.

In the emergent or Phase 3, new viral Clades of Swine /Avian hybrids will then have more efficient spreading and higher spontaneous lethality.

WHO Watchdog and Author of Pandemic FLU!
Human Life International invited Dr Bill Deagle MD to speak, March 1997, to the International Board of Doctors and Scientists. After a two hour talk, the board sat me down for a presentation of a foot of documents. Included were three distinct biological programs. The first was a plasmid anti-HCG contaminated Tetanus Vaccine, to cause first trimester sterility by spontaneous induced miscarriage in the target populations of Subsharan Africa, Phillipines, and other target WHO UN high density population countries. The second program was the US Special Virus Project, with mycoplasma RNA oncogenic viruses to cause immune failure, and premature death. It was knows as the AIDS syndrome, and was a recombinant of Visna, Green Monkey and Feline leukemia retro-RNA viruses carried by host mycobacteria. Most important as the large packet of documents on the Avian Flu Project, funded by the Rothchilds and oversean by the WHO and UN. They were in process of obtaining gene fragments from deceased whalers in Alaska with the CDC and Natl Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, supercomputer remodeled and bioengineered resurrection of the 1918 Swine Flu. They planned to insert into the genome Avian genes and spray into Asian bird populations, which would later be a gene pool when spread was complete to all continents for a new Swine-Avian Flu Pandemic.

We now see the H1N1 flu in Mexico, Canada, UK, Italy, USA and perhaps other locations, rapidly evolving. This wave is quite lethal, but with the H5N1 genetics in the wild, it is likely to come in future waves with yet more lethal genes and more rapid spread. Certainly, in the next 7 days, the presence in multiple countries, US Pandemic Flu Alert, WHO raised from 3rd to 4th level, and the pronouncements for a decade plus of coming Pandemic Flu, this was totally a UN WHO plot to release a virus that would cull the human herd.

This is - Global 2000, NSSM 1974 population threat alerts, 1996 UN Population control documents - all calling for massive reduction in World Human Populations. Last week, the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for a reduction from 60 to 30 million.

Some Typical Causes Of Childhood Obesity

Being concerned with the causes of childhood obesity is a
very good idea for any parent. It's only when you
recognize the true causes of this condition that you can
truly work toward fixing it. Dismissing the situation will
not make it disappear. And when a youngster grows up heavy
or obese it's far more difficult to control the weight
as an adult. So, what are the common causes of childhood
obesity and what may a family do to come to grips with these
causes?

Think of the typical lifestyle that many people lead today
and you may get your first clue as to the typical causes of
childhood obesity. Children just don't go outdoors and have
fun anymore. They usually spend their free time playing
video games or computer games or watching the television
set. Physical inactivity is one of the reasons for
childhood obesity. The body must burn the calories it takes
in from eating. Any extra calories not burned off are stored
as fat.

Today people also typically drive everywhere rather than
walk. Children ride the bus to school and are often driven
to the bus stop itself. They're driven to their friend's
house and to the corner store. And when it's time to do
chores around the house we have many labor-saving devices
that limit physical activity as well. Power lawn mowers,
snow blowers, and leaf blowers mean that even when doing
work around the house there is very little exertion
expended. All of this lack of activity and lack of physical
exertion is another one of the causes of childhood
obesity.

The diet that many people follow is another part of those
causes of childhood obesity. Most food that people consume
is very unhealthy. It is commonly cooked with added oil,
butter, and sugar to heighten the flavor. Unfortunately, this
also enhances the calorie count! Fast food and junk food are
two prime culprits. Hamburgers, fries, potato chips, and
items like these are very calorie heavy, meaning they have a
lot of calories for the amount of food you get. Fast food
restaurants are definitely a large part of the common causes
of childhood obesity! Enclosed in this are the numerous
vending machines that are just about everywhere, including
the schools. Most of their contents contain sugary foods and
sodas. It's not strange for youngsters to eat literally
thousands and thousands of surplus calories every week.
This, even if it doesn't appear as if anyone is overeating.

These common causes of childhood obesity can be treated by
any responsible parent. There's no need to go to extremes
or to never have a hamburger again. But being balanced and
moderate can go a long way in this respect. Addressing these
causes of childhood obesity may be as simple as walking
after dinner as a family or going for bike rides on a
regular basis. Serve healthy and nourishing foods at home to
balance out the excess calories children consume when on
their own, and your child should maintain a healthy weight.

A Few Simple Ideas To Stop Heartburn In Its Tracks

If you experience heartburn, easing your symptoms might be
as simple as changing a few habits. Read on for a few ideas
to stop heartburn in its tracks.

Lots of people experience heartburn discomfort while they're
trying to sleep. But just by cutting out your bedtime snack,
you can get a lot of relief. Aim to keep from eating for at
least two hours before you go to bed. This can be hard if
you're inclined to be a late-night snacker. But keep in mind
that you won't have a restful night if you give in to
temptation.

When you eat is important, but what you eat is equally
critical. For example, foods that are acidic like coffee,
alcohol, citrus juices and tomato products all raise the
chances of experiencing heartburn. Excess production of
stomach acids can be caused by even seemingly harmless food
items. Foods that are highly spiced or high in fat will also
set off an incident of heartburn.

Another factor in warding off severe heartburn is to limit the
amount of food that you eat. This means that you shouldn't
overeat during a meal. If your stomach becomes too stuffed,
the food is forced back up into your esophagus. And since it's
already absorbed some of the acids in your stomach, it fuels
that burning pain in your chest.

If you're overweight, try dropping a few pounds. If they do
so, a number of heartburn sufferers experience a reduction
in their symptoms. They often discover that there's less
pressure on their stomachs and they have more space in which
to digest their food. Therefore it isn't quite as likely
that it will be returned up the esophagus.

Occasionally you might give in and eat too much or choose
the wrong foods. When that happens, it's critical that you
stand or sit upright and avoid lying down. This makes it
easier for the food to stay in your stomach and not in the
esophagus, and speeds up digestion.

It's not just those who are overweight who need to make some
lifestyle changes to avoid heartburn. Smokers are also at
higher risk of experiencing this condition. The esophagus
muscles of those who smoke aren't as efficient. This means
it's more difficult to prevent food from leaving the stomach
by way of the esophagus. Also, the chemicals that smokers
ingest make their stomach acids even more toxic. Each puff
of a cigarette raises your chances of experiencing
heartburn.

Keep in mind that changes to your lifestyle might not be the
cure for severe heartburn. Some will still require a visit
to their physician before they get any relief.

Just about everyone experiences heartburn at one time or
another. Learn more about the symptoms, prevention and
treatment of this uncomfortable condition at
(http://heartburnreliefadvice.com/) Heartburn Relief.

Vitamin D and Viral Protection

Vitamin D Prevents Common Cold, Flu
by Jeffrey Dach MD

Are you sneezing, with a runny nose, and aches and pains? You may have the common cold. Rather than go through a week of misery, better to prevent Colds with Vitamin D.

A new study published Feb 23 in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that Vitamin D prevents the common cold. In this study, patients with low vitamin D levels had 40% more flu episodes.

These findings suggest Vitamin D helps the immune system fight off viral illness like the flu. Vitamin D is actually a hormone which attaches directly to cellular DNA and is involved in prevention of autoimmune diseases. Low vitamin D levels have been linked to multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and increased rate of cancer. In fact, low vitamin D levels have been associated with increased over-all mortality. Read more about Vitamin D, click here:

Vitamin D Deficiency, the Ignored Epidemic of the Developed World
by Jeffrey Dach MD

References and Links
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/169/4/384 Association Between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level and Upper Respiratory Tract Infection in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Adit A. Ginde, MD, MPH; Jonathan M. Mansbach, MD; Carlos A. Camargo Jr, MD, DrPH Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(4):384-390.

Background Recent studies suggest a role for vitamin D in innate immunity, including the prevention of respiratory tract infections (RTIs). We hypothesize that serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels are inversely associated with self-reported recent upper RTI (URTI).

Methods We performed a secondary analysis of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a probability survey of the US population conducted between 1988 and 1994. We examined the association between 25(OH)D level and recent URTI in 18 883 participants 12 years and older. The analysis adjusted for demographics and clinical factors (season, body mass index, smoking history, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

Results The median serum 25(OH)D level was 29 ng/mL (to convert to nanomoles per liter, multiply by 2.496) (interquartile range, 21-37 ng/mL), and 19% (95% confidence interval [CI], 18%-20%) of participants reported a recent URTI. Recent URTI was reported by 24% of participants with 25(OH)D levels less than 10 ng/mL, by 20% with levels of 10 to less than 30 ng/mL, and by 17% with levels of 30 ng/mL or more (P < .001). Even after adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics, lower 25(OH)D levels were independently associated with recent URTI (compared with 25[OH]D levels of 30 ng/mL: odds ratio [OR], 1.36; 95% CI, 1.01-1.84 for <10 ng/mL and 1.24; 1.07-1.43 for 10 to <30 ng/mL). The association between 25(OH)D level and URTI seemed to be stronger in individuals with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR, 5.67 and 2.26, respectively).

Conclusions Serum 25(OH)D levels are inversely associated with recent URTI. This association may be stronger in those with respiratory tract diseases. Randomized controlled trials are warranted to explore the effects of vitamin D supplementation on RTI.

Adit A. Ginde; Jonathan M. Mansbach; Carlos A. Camargo Jr.
Association Between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level and Upper Respiratory Tract Infection in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2009; 169 (4): 384 DOI: 10.1001/archinternmed.2008.560

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223221242.htm
Vitamin D Deficiency May Increase Risk Of Colds, Flu
ScienceDaily (Feb. 24, 2009) — Vitamin D may be an important way to arm the immune system against disorders like the common cold, report investigators from the University of Colorado Denver (UC Denver) School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Children's Hospital Boston.

Study participants with the lowest vitamin D blood levels – less than 10 ng per milliliter of blood – were about 40 percent more likely to report having a recent respiratory infection than were those with vitamin D levels of 30 or higher. The association was present in all seasons and even stronger among participants with a history of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema. Asthma patients with the lowest vitamin D levels were five times more likely to have had a recent respiratory infection; while among COPD patients, respiratory infections were twice as common among those with vitamin D deficiency.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/02/24/health.vitamind.cold/
Vitamin D may protect against common cold.
Deficiency of vitamin D is common, particularly in winter. People with low blood levels of vitamin D more likely to report a recent cold By Theresa Tamkins,Vitamin D may protect people -- especially those with asthma and other chronic lung conditions -- from colds and other respiratory tract infections, according to the largest study to date to look at the link.
People with low blood levels of vitamin D were more likely to have had a recent cold.

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/cold-and-flu/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100233622
Too Little Vitamin D May Mean More Colds and Flu
By Alan Mozes, HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) --
Forget the apple. The largest study of its kind to date shows that vitamin D each and every day is what will keep the doctor away when it comes to the common cold or the flu.

http://jeffreydach.com/2007/06/10/vitamin-d-deficiency--by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx
Vitamin D Deficiency, the Ignored Epidemic of the Developed World
by Jeffrey Dach MD

Supplements 'reduce malaria toll'

UPDATE: Stephen Fisher, a missionary in Zambia is very successful using iodine to treat people with malaria. He used 20 drops of Iodine in a half glass of water given 4 or 5 times during the first day and then decreased the dose to 10 drops of Iodine 4 times a day for 3 more days. Higher dosages can be administered for much longer since iodine is a nutritional medicine that is needed by the body. Such a protocol can be used for the swine flu or any other type of influenza. Many natural and integrative providers use higher dosages of other iodine forms, namely Lugol’s and Iodoral for cancer treatment.
------------------------------------------------------------
Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Quincy Jones, Oprah, Ryan Seacrest, Ted Turner and CNN all chipped in to purchase mosquito nets. Nets have been known for a very long time to be very useful in the prevention of malaria. The One World Campaign against malaria is underway, yet there is an important missing piece.

In addition to mosquito nets, two inexpensive vitamin and mineral supplements reduce the incidence of malaria by one-third.

Think of how much impact mosquito nets along with vitamin A and zinc could have.

Note that vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin and it is rare that it is taken in large enough quantities to be poisonous to the human body. In certain instances very high doses of vitamin A are used to fight lung infections and pneumonia or other similar health issues. This can actually be up to 250,000 units daily over no more than 3 days. In excess, zinc may have untoward effects. Because it is a difficult mineral to absorb, it is best taken with food and in frequent small doses, usually up to about 50-60 mg a day.

Originally posted February 2008

This report caught my interest because we are sponsoring a Veteran's Resource project and one of the items we report is that Lariam, a fluoride based drug our young men and women in Iraq are forced to take.

We also read about how Bill Gates is spending millions on vaccines that are really worthless in this fight, yet makes no allowances for the real science behind supplements for health, including the ones that help in HIV/AIDS.

Wouldn't it be great if we gave all our military folks vitamins instead of deadly drugs...and the same for the children of Africa.

Malaria is spread by mosquitoes
Cheap dietary supplements could protect young children from malaria, research suggests.
The study, published in Nutrition Journal, found giving children vitamin A and zinc cut incidence of illness by a third.

Malaria remains a major killer in many parts of the world - in sub-Saharan Africa it is estimated to account for a million child deaths a year.

Resistance to drug treatments is an increasing problem.

And efforts to kill the infected mosquitoes that spread the disease have been hampered by the use of ineffective insecticides.

Many people living in malaria endemic areas suffer from malnutrition so researchers in Burkina Faso experimented with adding vitamin A and zinc supplements to the diets of children aged from six months to six years.

Half of the children were given a placebo. After six months the scientists observed a 34% decrease in incidence of malaria in those children taking the supplements.

Among those children who did catch the illness, those taking supplements were more resistant to the disease and suffered fewer fever episodes.

The researchers, from Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, believe the combined supplements boosted the children's immune system, making them more naturally resistant to malaria.

They believe the supplements could be an effective long term strategy to reduce the impact of malaria.

Caution required

Dr Ron Behrens, an expert in tropical diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said zinc supplementation had also been shown to have a positive impact on respiratory disease and cholera.

However, he said use of supplements might only work in communities with specific nutritional deficiencies - and those deficiencies might only exist at certain times of year.

For instance, vitamin A deficiency was a problem in West Africa during the rainy season, but not when palm oil was in plentiful supply.

Dr Behrens also warned that too much zinc could have a negative impact on the body's ability to make use of other minerals, such as copper and selenium.

Vitamin A in excess had been shown to be toxic, he said, causing brain swelling and other complications.

"Neither of these micro-nutrients is totally safe. They should be used like pharmaceuticals, and not seen as cure alls," he said. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7231096.stm

FLU News

UPDATE: US declares public health emergency for swine flu
Tamiflu Caution
Tamiflu/Relenza Hazards
Thieves Vinegar
Millenium CF
The important thing in a pandemic: DON'T PANIC. PREPARE. BE SMART.

We encourage to to think carefully and cautiously before you consider flu vaccines. Ask questions and get all the information as required by informed consent laws. Flu vaccines have been related to greater incidence of the viruses and extremely serious side effects. We do not support vaccination as our personal choice based on the evidence. Viruses are always changing. Act to build and keep your immune system strong.

What Does The Swine Flu Outbreak Mean?
by DemFromCT (dailykos.com)
Sat Apr 25, 2009

Well, that's a loaded question, and the short answer is, we don't know yet. But here's a little that we do know about pandemics.

A pandemic is defined as: a new virus to which everybody is susceptible; the ability to readily spread from person to person; and the capability of causing significant disease in humans, said Dr. Jay Steinberg, an infectious disease specialist at Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta. The new strain of swine flu meets only one of the criteria: novelty.

History indicates that flu pandemics tend to occur once every 20 years or so, so we're due for one, Steinberg said.

"I can say with 100 percent confidence that a pandemic of a new flu strain will spread in humans," he said. "What I can't say is when it will occur."

Point number one: this is a novel, never before seen virus. Humans do not have protection, though there may be some cross protection. So, that makes it dangerous and worth watching.

Point number two: we don't know anything about how easily this particular virus spreads from person to person. That's partly because we know more about the few US cases and less about the many Mexican cases. We don't know how many reported suspected cases in Mexico are actually swine flu. Only a handful of cases in Mexico have been confirmed by US and Canadian laboratories. That still leaves us with worry, but not hard fact.

Point number three: that's about how much illness it causes. In the US, not much. For Mexico:

"Public health officials in Mexico began actively looking for cases of respiratory illness upon noticing that the seasonal peak of influenza extended into April, when cases usually decline in number," the medical alert said. "They found two outbreaks of illness — one centered around Distrito Federal (Mexico City), involving about 120 cases with 13 deaths. The other is in San Luis Potosi, with 14 cases and four deaths."

Authorities also detected one death in Oaxaca, in the south, and two in Baja California Norte, near San Diego, California.

So what do the authorities say? They say this:

"Our concern has grown since yesterday in light of what we've learned since then," said Richard Besser, acting director of the CDC, during a conference call today with reporters. "This is something we're worried about and taking very seriously. We are moving quickly, being very aggressive in our approach."

and

"This has a sense of urgency about it," [William] Schaffner, chief of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt, said in a telephone interview today. "They are asking us who work in hospitals to go to our emergency rooms and our pediatric wards to gather specimens and start testing them."

But none of that means this will develop into a pandemic. It does mean we are closer now than at any time in recent memory (and it could still fizzle out. Remember, we still don't know a lot about Mexico's cases, the vast majority of which have not been analyzed.) So, as we follow the news, let's review our flu and pandemic prep advice. Here's the basics: avoidance.

~Avoid close contact. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

~Stay home when you are sick. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

~Cover your mouth and nose. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

~Clean your hands. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. (Natural Health News note: Avoid using anti-bacterial soap and alcohol based hand sanitizers, use plain castile soap like Dr. Bronner's super baby mild, and keep skin lubricated with toxin-free natural lotion.)

~Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

~Practice other good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

You can always add

~Don't travel to countries in the midst of a novel flu outbreak. (of course, the official CDC advice is go, but practice 1-6).

Here's a status note from Reuters:
The experts will not necessarily issue firm recommendations on Saturday. Once more details are clear about the virus and its risks, the emergency panel could recommend a change in the WHO's pandemic alert level — currently at 3 on a scale of 1 to 6 — or recommend travel advisories to control the flu's spread.

and from Bloomberg:
The World Health Organization is set to declare the deadly swine flu virus outbreak in Mexico and the U.S. a global concern, potentially prompting travel restrictions, said a person familiar with the matter.

An emergency committee of the WHO in Geneva will declare the outbreak "a public health event of international concern" in a 4 p.m. teleconference today, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting is confidential. In response, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan may raise the level of pandemic alert, which could lead to travel restrictions aimed at curbing the disease's spread.

You can take a look at the CDC and WHO visualization of how pandemics develop and are classified. Take a look, just so you're more familiar with it, as it may come up in the weeks ahead.

Along the top are the WHO phases. We are currently in phase 3, and that corresponds with the Pandemic Alert Period. Skip the USG stages because they are not widely used. At the bottom, CDC has corresponding "intervals" for the graph, and they correspond to functional "what do I do and when" information about a potential pandemic. Moving from WHO phase 3 to 4 ("you are here") means moving from CDC interval "investigation" to "recognition". That's exactly where we are — investigation. But even so, should something untoward develop there'd be time do some preparation before we moved into the "initiation" and the "acceleration" interval, even if this goes sour some time in the near future.

However, moving from investigation to recognition (i.e., WHO phase 3 to 4, or moving to the right of the big red line) would trigger all sorts of changes and alarms and trip wires in pandemic plans developed by companies and countries, and that might have an effect on travel advisories. Some multinationals might call for ex-pats to return home, just as one example. Airlines and tourism might take an economic hit (that happened to Canada during the SARS epidemic in 2003, and Canadians are still sore at WHO for acting (in their view) too precipitously in issuing travel advisories.

All this is given to give you a flavor of the complex decision making that needs to go on. WHO will be meeting in emergency session to do just that, but it's not as easy as simply saying "be cautious", not when so many factors come into play. And for a look at school closures, I refer you to this previous post when we talked about exercises and seasonal cases in Hong Kong that closed their schools.

In the meantime, we'll be tracking it here, along with the rest of the country, and we'll update periodically as needed. And if you want to know what preparations you can take, go here. get pandemic ready.

It's a site we set up with Idaho's Emergency management team exactly for that reason.

Or download this flu prep manual.

Pandemic Influenza
Preparation and Response: A Citizen's Guide

We put it there so you could. This is an excellent opportunity to think about the unthinkable. And if nothing develops, you'll be better prepped for the next natural disaster that does happen.

† † †

UPDATE
WHO warns of flu pandemic as Mexico City frets
Sat Apr 25, 2009 9:05pm BST

By Catherine Bremer and Stephanie Nebehay

MEXICO CITY/GENEVA (Reuters) - A new flu strain that has killed up to 68 people in Mexico could become a pandemic, the World Health Organisation warned on Saturday, as Mexico's crowded capital hunkered down in fear of the disease. . . .

"It has pandemic potential because it is infecting people," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in Geneva.

"However, we cannot say on the basis of currently available laboratory, epidemiological and clinical evidence whether or not it will indeed cause a pandemic. . . .

The new flu strain — a mixture of swine, human and avian flu viruses — is still poorly understood and the situation is evolving quickly, Chan said.

As far away as Hong Kong and Japan, health officials stepped up surveillance of travellers for flu-like symptoms, and the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said it was actively looking for new infections in the United States.

"We are worried and because we are worried we are acting aggressively on a number of fronts," the CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat told reporters. "The situation is serious."

Courtesy: Perelandra

Read how sauerkraut, a valuable fermented food, can help fight flu and build your immune system.

7 Tips To Get Rid Of Fat While Staying Healthy

If you're hoping to lose fat, there's a pretty good chance
you've tried a lot of methods. Unfortunately, the vast
majority of people who are unhappy with their bodies don't
succeed in their fat loss goals. That's because they're
often using gimmicky weight loss plans that can actually
damage their bodies! If you're in this boat, and you don't
know how to get rid of the fat while staying healthy, here
are a few tips that might get you on the right track.

1. Go easy on tea and coffee. Tea and coffee are harmless by
themselves. It's when you add the cream and sugar that they
become fattening. Did you know that having a cup of tea or
coffee that has cream and at least two cubes of sugar is as
bad as having a big piece of rich chocolate cake?

2. If you must have your tea and coffee, try to drink it
black. Black tea or coffee actually has health benefits to
it as long as you counteract the caffeine in your body with
a nice big glass of water. Caffeine is also not good for you
because it affects functions in your body, like your
metabolism. Another type of tea that you can drink freely is
green tea. Green tea has been used as a medicine in China
for over 4,000 years. It aids the digestive system and can
help ease an overly full stomach and it has been linked to a
reduction in cancer risk.

3. Calculate the calories when you eat, however do not
overdo it. It is a sound idea to know the calories that most
food items contain. Whenever it's a packed thing then the
label is certain to give the calories it has. Just don't
become obsessed about it.

4. Be sure to burn out those extra calories by the end of
the week. If you feel that you have consumed more calories
than you should have during the week, it happens you know,
then make sure that you work off those extra calories by
the end of the week.

5. Stand back from deep-fried things. These are a complete
no-no. The more deep-fried things that you ward off, the
lesser pounds you'll gain. Deep-fried things are called so
as they're fried in oil or fat. And even when the external
oil is drained off, there's still lots of hidden oil in it
therefore avoid it.

6. Do not skip meals. The worst thing you can do while
watching you diet is skip a meal. It has just the opposite
effect of what you want. You need to have at least four
regular meals every day.

7. Just like fruits, fresh vegetables are better than those
that are canned. It is even better if you can eat your
veggies raw. When you cook them, you cook away the
nutrients. If you must cook them, try to boil them to the
point that there is still some crispness to them. Also,
don't soak them in butter. If you can buy organic and
pesticide free veggies, that is even better.

How To Clear Acne With Natural Acne Treatments

By Greg McNaughton

Millions of people buy various acne products each year in
the hopes that they can say goodbye to their acne forever.
Sadly, hardly anything actually works and many people are
left worrying that they will never get rid of pimples.
Fortunately, there are natural acne treatments that will
clear your skin completely - you just need to make sure they
follow the "special rule" of treating acne.

Ever wondered why the acne products you find in the stores
don't work? It's actually quite simple - they are not designed
to treat your acne at the actual root of the problem.

Rather than treating the causes of acne, they try to "zap
zits" that are already on your skin. However, they don't do
anything to prevent new acne breakouts from happening.
What's the point in getting rid of one pimple if you know
another one is just around the corner?

There's only one way to truly cure your acne - you have to
treat all of the causes of acne. It's a simple "secret" that
hardly any of the acne products seem to follow.

It's important to know the major causes of acne breakouts -
let's take a quick look:

1) Specific Acne-Causing Bacteria

2) Excess Oil on your Skin

3) Clogged-Up Skin Pores

4) Skin Inflammation

In order to get rid of pimples for good, you need to make
sure you are treating all of these causes. To do this you
will need to find an acne treatment solution that works as a
system to address each one.

If you have tried acne products in the past that didn't
work, don't let that get you down. Almost everyone who has
had acne has tried something that failed to clear their
skin.

Just make sure that from now on you are using a treatment
that treats all of the causes of acne. It's amazing how
quickly you will see results once you are treating your skin
this way.

It's a great feeling to look in the mirror and see clear
skin when you wake up. By looking for natural acne
treatments that attack acne at the root of the problem, you
will clear your skin quickly and say goodbye to acne once
and for all.

Looking for the (http://www.fastacnetreatments.com) best
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how to clear your acne completely and permanently.

Use Current Standards for Accurate Diagnosing

Read More about thyroid, radiation exposure and cancer: Keep in mind that your mobile phone radiates the region in your neck surrounding the very important thyroid gland.

Originally posted 9/23/08 -

From time to time people are searching for information on results of the TSH
(thyroid stimulating hormone) test.

The correct range currently and for the last several years for TSH is 0.3 to 3 or 3.2 mU/L. Even some whose TSH result is in this narrowed range may still be suffering with symptoms realted to abberation in thyroid function.

One medical naturopath overlooked low thyroid in a client and focused on getting cholesterol down, not the low thyroid that raises cholesterol.

A reader of NHN this morning seems to have been told a level of 6+ is "normal".

The old range used to be up to 8, some have been using 5. Both are invalid.

From this article, ranges not current with ACCE recommendations. "Normal thyroid function (euthyroid; TSH 0.45 - 4.5 mU/L), those with subclinical hypothyroidism (divided into moderate, TSH 4.5 - 9.9 mU/L, and severe, ≥ 10.0 mU/L), and those with subclinical hyperthyroidism (TSH < 0.45 mU/L)"

From Heartwire — a professional news service of WebMD

September 22, 2008 — A new study has found that older adults with severe subclinical hypothyroidism had almost double the risk of developing heart failure (HF) compared with those with normal thyroid function over a 12-year follow-up period [1]. Dr Nicolas Rodondi (University of Lausanne, Switzerland) and colleagues report their findings in the September 30, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Rodondi told heartwire that these results were in line with those of the only other study to have looked at subclinical hypothyroidism and HF incidence, which also found an increased HF risk only in those with high levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).

The findings are important to inform the debate about subclinical hypothyroidism, he says. "There is a big controversy about whether we should screen and treat people with subclinical hypothyroidism. We know that people with overt hypothyroidism with symptoms need to get treated, but about those with no symptoms and just subclinical disease, there is debate. And within this debate about whether to treat or not is another controversy about the threshold at which you should treat."

These and other results from prior studies support the recommendations of several guidelines that those with subclinical hypothyroidism and no symptoms should be treated with thyroxine only if their TSH is 10.0 mU/L or more, Rodondi says. However, he points out that some endocrinologists disagree and advocate treating such patients at lower TSH levels. The debate is important, he says, because it is has been shown that monitoring of TSH levels under thyroxine is not always accurate in clinical practice, with overtreatment having its own attendant risks.

"Indirect evidence" that thyroxine might prevent HF

Rodondi and colleagues studied 3044 adults who were 65 or older participating in the Cardiovascular Health Study, all of whom were free of HF at baseline. They compared adjudicated HF events over a mean of 12 years of follow-up and changes in cardiac function over the course of five years among those with normal thyroid function (euthyroid; TSH 0.45 - 4.5 mU/L), those with subclinical hypothyroidism (divided into moderate, TSH 4.5 - 9.9 mU/L, and severe, ≥ 10.0 mU/L), and those with subclinical hyperthyroidism (TSH < 0.45 mU/L).

Over the follow-up period, 736 people developed HF events. Those with TSH 10.0 mU/L or more had a greater incidence of HF compared with euthyroid participants (adjusted HR 1.88, p=0.01). No such increased risk was seen in those with TSH 4.5 - 9.9 mU/L or in those with subclinical hyperthyroidism compared with euthyroid participants.

Baseline peak E velocity — an echocardiographic measure of diastolic function associated with incident heart failure in the cohort — was also greater in those with TSH 10.0 mU/L or more compared with euthyroid participants (0.80 m/s vs 0.72 m/s; p=0.002). And over the course of five years, left ventricular mass increased among those with TSH 10.0 mU/L or more, although other echocardiographic measures were unchanged.

In a further exploratory analysis, the researchers stratified people with TSH 10.0 mU/L or more into those who received thyroxine replacement therapy and those who didn't. They found that those who got thyroxine did not have an increased risk of HF, "providing indirect evidence that [thyroxine] might work to prevent development of HF in those with TSH 10.0 mU/L or more," said Rodondi.

He stressed, however, that "to definitively prove a link between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and HF, a randomized clinical trial would be needed in which one group is treated with thyroxine vs placebo to see if the former reduces the risk. That would be proof of concept, but it has not been done as yet."

Overtreatment with thyroxine has risks too

Rodondi said their findings — that those with less severe subclinical hypothyroidism do not seem to be at risk of HF — are "important," because a high proportion of older adults fit into this category and are treated with thyroxine in clinical practice, without consistent evidence that this is of benefit.

Monitoring of TSH levels under thyroxine is not always accurate in clinical practice, he explains, and it is estimated that around 20% to 30% of people receiving thyroxine are overtreated. This in itself has risks, as subclinical hyperthyroidism has been associated with atrial fibrillation and increased fracture risk.

"In aggregate, our findings might help refine a treatment threshold at which clinical benefit would be expected and demonstrate a subpopulation at risk for a life-threatening condition," he and his colleagues say in their paper.

"Clinical trials should examine the efficacy of screening for and treating subclinical thyroid dysfunction and assess whether the risk of HF might be ameliorated by thyroxine replacement in individuals with TSH levels above 10 mU/L," they conclude.

Source: Rodondi N, Bauer DC, Cappola AR, et al. Subclinical thyroid dysfunction, cardiac function and the risk of heart failure. The Cardiovascular Health Study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2008;52:1152-1159.