H1N1 Flu pandemic - What Ya Gonna Do?

Try Vitamin D. A wimpy 400 IU/day gives little or no protection. 2000 IU/day or higher is recommended.
It is a well-known medical fact, of course, that influenza always gets worse during the winter months North of the equator and the summer months South of the equator (which are really called their "winter" months). This is because as sunlight hours lessen during the winter, the people living there become vitamin D deficient and are susceptible to influenza infections of all kinds.

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H1N1 - Sorry, You Lose - or - your government at work

Legal Immunity Set for Swine Flu Vaccine Makers

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius has not only given immunity to the makers of Tamiflu and Relenza for injuries stemming from their use against swine flu, she has granted immunity to future swine flu vaccines and “any associated adjuvants”.
The last time the government embarked on a major vaccine campaign against a new swine flu, thousands filed claims contending they suffered side effects from the shots. This time around, they will have no recourse.

The 2006 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (the PREP Act) allows the DHHS Secretary to invoke almost complete immunity from liability for manufacturers of vaccines and drugs used to combat a declared public health emergency.

The PREP Act removes the right to a trial jury unless a plaintiff can provide clear evidence of willful misconduct that resulted in death or serious physical injury -- and gets permission to sue from the DHHS Secretary.

But once the PREP Act is invoked to shield manufacturers from liability, the pharmaceutical firms have no financial incentive to make the safest product, and have a negative incentive to test it for safety. As long as they do not deliberately harm consumers of the product, they will not be liable for damages.

Meanwhile, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hoping to have 120 million doses of H1N1 swine flu virus vaccine ready before flu season this fall, some are raising concerns over what they see as an effort to rush the drug through safety trials.

The source of many of these concerns is the probability that the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal will be an ingredient in some of the doses of the new vaccine.

Groups opposed to current vaccination practices condemn thimerosal as a toxin responsible for the development of autism and related ailments in children. Additionally, the possibility that the swine flu vaccine could also contain an adjuvant, an ingredient that would allow more doses to be created from existing supplies of the vaccine, has also worried these groups.


Sources:

Anthrax Vaccine July 27, 2009
ABC News July 30, 2009
Prisonplanet.com July 30, 2009

Heart Health - Viscosity Test

Has your doctor ever mentioned this test? Does he know the significance of it? Probably not, as it is one of the tests one would like done BEFORE having a heart attack or stroke and as one of the indicators of cardiovascular health.

In the U.S. we deal largely in Sick-Care (don't do anything until there is a problem) rather than Health-Care (optimize health and prevent problems/illness). That is why putting a few trillion more bucks in our $ick-care system just isn't going to help! . . that's the commercial, now on with it.

From Wikipedia: "elevation of plasma viscosity correlates to the progression of coronary and peripheral vascular diseases. Anemia can lead to decrease blood viscosity, which may lead to heart failure."

From Vilastic Scientific: "Variations in blood viscoelasticity are seen in such conditions as cardiovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, sickle cell anemia, diabetes, stroke and other conditions." (Note: rather technical site - probably more than you want to know)

The double whammy of 'thick blood' and high iron levels leads to trouble! Experts say your ferritin (iron) level should be around 100 ug/ml or lower. Your blood viscosity and elasticity is a rather complicated test, best understood by a qualified cardiologist. At this point I'm not sure how you determine who is qualified - I would start with one that is F.A.C.C. trained.

So what if you have high iron and high viscosity. Best remedy is to give blood - it will lower both of them! And if you don't take a lot of meds, haven't been to certain countries, it should be free.
If you can't qualify as a donor, most blood banks (Red Cross, etc.) will take a pint and throw it away, but it will cost you..... "It makes sense for everyone over age fifty (or men over 30) to give blood one to four times per year." This doesn't apply to those who are anemic or iron deficient.

Heartburn? If you want it, take a PPI med

(NaturalNews) Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid, Aciphex. These and a dozen more drugs known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have quickly become superstars of Big Pharma. As recently reported by US News and World Report, last year people worldwide shelled out some $ 25.6 billion for these drugs that are supposed to alleviate heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Although hailed by most doctors as safe, reports have started cropping up that side effects may include everything from dizziness to osteoporosis, increased risk of heart attacks, pneumonia and more. Article

Now comes research that shows the drugs actually cause the symptoms they are supposed to treat. A new study just published in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, found that taking a PPI drug for eight weeks induced acid-related symptoms including heartburn, acid regurgitation and dyspepsia in healthy individuals soon after they stopped taking the pills.

"The observation that more than 40 percent of healthy volunteers, who have never been bothered by heartburn, acid regurgitation or dyspepsia, develop such symptoms in the weeks after cessation of PPIs is remarkable and has potentially important clinical and economic implications," Christina Reimer, MD, of Copenhagen University and lead author of the study, said in a statement to the media. "This study indicates unrecognized aspects of PPI withdrawal and is a very strong indication of a clinically significant acid rebound phenomenon that needs to be investigated in proper patient populations."

In the randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial, the scientists investigated whether long-term treatment with a PPI could cause a dependency state. Specifically, they wanted to see if patients would need non-stop, continuous treatment with the drugs due to rebound acid hypersecretion when the medications were stopped. In all, 120 healthy participants were randomized to about three months of taking inactive placebo pills or 40 mg. of the PPI drug esomeprazole (brand names: Nexium, Esotrex) daily. This was followed by having all the research subjects take a placebo for another four weeks. A Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) was filled out weekly by those participating in the study.

During the first two weeks after withdrawal of the PPI, the majority of research participants began to have mild to moderate indigestion discomfort. What's more, the GSRS scores for acid-related symptoms were significantly higher in the PPI group during weeks 10, 11 and 12 of the study. In fact, 44 percent of the people taking the PPI experienced at least one worrisome acid-related symptom in weeks nine through 12 compared to only 15 percent in the control taking placebo pills. About 22 percent of people in the PPI group complained of dyspepsia, heartburn or acid regurgitation in week 10 and 11; around 21 percent of the research subjects had indigestion problems in week 12 of the study. However, those in the placebo group reported indigestion and reflux symptoms at a far lower rate. Only about seven, five and two percent of them had heartburn or other related problems during weeks 10, 11 and 12 of the study.

"We find it highly likely that the symptoms observed in this trial are caused by rebound acid hypersecretion and that this phenomenon is equally relevant in patients treated long term with PPIs. If rebound acid hypersecretion induces acid-related symptoms, this might lead to PPI dependency. Our results justify the speculation that PPI dependency could be one of the explanations for the rapidly and continuously increasing use of PPIs," Dr. Reimer stated.

In the media statement, the researchers noted previous research has have shown that about 33 percent of patients who start taking PPI drugs keep on refilling their prescriptions. So why do they need maintenance therapy if these drugs are supposed to successfully treat GERD and related conditions? Reimer's research strongly indicates it's because when people try to stop taking PPIs, they experience an increase in gastric acid secretion that soars beyond their pre-treatment levels. Within two weeks after withdrawal from treatment, they experience even worse heartburn, regurgitation and other GERD symptoms than ever -- so they have to go right back on the expensive PPI drug therapy.

Phthalates - Danger to unborns and infants

(NaturalNews) Chemicals called phthalates are frequently used in vinyl and other plastic products, including personal care products, children's toys, and medical devices -- despite the fact research has suggested these compounds can play havoc with the function of the human endocrine system and potentially cause a host of health problems, especially in children. Because phthalates are hormone disrupters they have been linked to childhood obesity and now to low birth weight - the leading cause of death in children under five years of age.

"Even careful reading of labels can be confusing because some manufacturers use various chemical names when they list phthalates. For example, DEHP, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate or Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate are forms of phthalates often used in as medical devices such as IV bags and tubing. DBP stands for di-n-butyl phthalate and is found in nail polish products while DEP, or diethyl phthalate, is often an ingredient in deodorants, hair gels and other personal care products."

You can also search online - just enter 'phthalates in baby products' in your search engine and browse what comes up.

Cancer and Grapeseed Extract

"An extract from grape seeds forces laboratory leukemia cells to commit cell suicide, according to researchers from the University of Kentucky. They found that within 24 hours, 76 percent of leukemia cells had died after being exposed to the extract." For more of this article, go to University of Kentucky. You can also read a little more at NaturalNews.

Cancer - and Bayer vitamins

Take it for what it's worth. The following from CSPI:

If you are a man over 50, you've likely seen ads for Bayer One A Day men's multivitamins that claimed the mineral selenium helps reduce risk of prostate cancer or otherwise promotes "prostate health."

There's a big problem however: It's not true.

In fact, for most men, taking too much selenium may actually promote more aggressive forms of prostate cancer. And, previous studies warned against supplementing with selenium since men taking selenium developed more cases of diabetes than men in control groups who did not.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has threatened Bayer with a lawsuit over those claims, and just last month, asked the Food and Drug Administration to seize existing stockpiles of One A Day Men's Health Formula and One A Day Men's 50+ Advantage.

As CSPI senior nutritionist David Schardt said at the time, "Bayer is exploiting men's fear of prostate cancer just to sell more pills." And, a group of some of the most prominent prostate cancer researchers in the country wrote that "Bayer Healthcare is doing a disservice to men by misleading them about a protective role for selenium in prostate cancer."

Fluoride Update

Here is a rather long (1-hr, 49-min) audio interview illuminating the health risks and exposure to fluoride. You now get it on lettuce, onions, potatoes, etc. You also get it from pesticides. A very interesting listen. Dr. Bill Osmunson. Also see my previous Post on fluoride.

There is also a very dangerous class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones. Over ten years ago I took several prescriptions for Cipro and suffered irreversable nervous system damage, partial loss of smell, numbness in my feet, tinnitus, panic attacts and depression.
According to Bob Patton, one of many fighting to get the truth out about these antibiotics, about half of the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics that were once on the market have been removed from clinical practice due to their horrific side effects: Omniflox, Raxar, Trovan, Zagam, and Tequin have all been banned.

However, Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, and Floxin continue to be prescribed for a variety of infections, both major and minor. Cipro and Levaquin are by far the favorites.

Although they are admittedly powerful anti-infectives, they are too often prescribed as a first-line defense for minor problems such as sinus, bladder, and prostate infections. These super-antibiotics should be used as a last line of defense, not handed out like candy for every patient with a sore throat, which has unfortunately become the norm.

And with devastating results.

In most cases, adverse reactions occur very quickly, sometimes after just a few pills. Reactions are usually multiple and involve many body systems.

In Dr. Cohen’s 2001 study, the following reaction rates were documented:

o Nervous system symptoms occurred in 91 percent of patients (pain, tingling and numbness, dizziness, malaise, weakness, headaches, anxiety and panic, loss of memory, psychosis)
o Musculoskeletal symptoms in 73 percent of patients (tendon ruptures, tendonitis, weakness, joint swelling)
o Sensory symptoms in 42 percent of patients (tinnitus, altered visual, olfactory, and auditory function)
o Cardiovascular symptoms in 36 percent of patients (tachycardia, shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations)
o Skin reactions in 29 percent of patients (rashes, hair loss, sweating, intolerance to heat or cold)
o Gastrointestinal symptoms in 18 percent of patients (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain).

Patient BEWARE (I found out too late!) You may also want to read Wikipedia for some additional background.

CoQ10 Update

CoQ10 is necessary for energy production in every cell in your body, and is particularly critical in the heart muscle. It is also one of the key enzymes that regenerate the antioxidant vitamins in your body, such as Vit-C & E that become oxidized as they neutralize free radicals.
However, recent research (reference?) shows that most of your store bought CoQ-10 comes in the oxidized form and is useless in this role of re-energizing. How can you tell? Just poke a little hole in the capsule and squeeze a little out onto something white. If it is bright orange, it is the oxidized (or useless) form. Did you get it at a 'bargan price'? For sure you will find it oxidized.
Another fact is that your body produces CoQ-10, but this production starts decreasing after age 25 or so. By your 50's it is dramatically less.

Here is a list of common medications that lower levels of C0Q10 in the body:

Statins for cholesterol , including atorvastatin (Lipitor), lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol, and simvastatin (Zocor).

Fibric acid derivatives for cholesterol, including gemfibrozil (Lopid).

Beta-blockers for high blood pressure, such as atenolol (Tenormin), labetolol (Normodyne), metoprolol (Lopressor or Toprol), and propranolol (Inderal).
Tricyclic antidepressant medications, including amitriptyline (Elavil), doxepin (Sinequan), and imipramine (Tofranil).

Also see Univ of Maryland and Wikipedia

Baby Formula . . . food for thought

This is just a quickie. For those pregnant moms out there. Here is something to become more informed about - the hazards of baby formula.

Another hazard to children and particularly the developing fetus is MSG. More later...

pH and body chemistry

The topic of acid-alkaline foods and how the relate to our health has been studied for almost a century. Keeping your body pH slightly alkaline is important to your health and is one of the many failings of the modern western diet. Want to know more? Her is a good read on the subject: The pH Nutrition Guide . But, if you search further you will find different foods listed differently. Here is an article that gives some balance to the subject of pH and foods: whfoods.
Enjoy

Information on Drugs

Want to know what the drug interactions are with supplements and herbs?
Here is an excellent resource
Enjoy!

More on Genetically Modified Food - Sugar Beets

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) has just released a statement regarding the Dangers of GMO substances. Here is the Original Statement, should you desire to get it from the source. The recent proliferation of GMO foods for human consumption has been associated with the rise in early puberty as well as reproductive disorders and infertility.

A related issue: (NaturalNews for complete story) More than 70 companies have signed a pledge promising to avoid using sugar from genetically modified sugar beets "wherever possible."Genetically modified sugar beets, engineered by the Monsanto Corporation to be resistant to its herbicide Roundup, were first harvested in fall 2008. By now, sugar from those beets has likely entered the food stream. Critics of genetic engineering have raised concerns that the modified beets could produce food allergies, threaten wildlife and spread herbicide resistance or other modified traits to closely related species, including chard or table beets."We need to avoid the all-too-common situation of finding out a product is harmful after it has been approved and widely distributed," said Jeffrey Smith of the Institute for Responsible Technology, one of the organizations sponsoring the pledge. "Requiring that GM foods be labeled is the only protection consumers have if they want to avoid eating GM foods."

For more links and information on GM foods and related articles, see this post.

MSG and obesity

A good friend sent me a link to the dangers of MSG. That lead me down a path to discover some of the stuff in PubMed that was interesting. I'll only mention one article here: MSG & Obesity

This is a direct quote of the last line in that article: "This research provides data that MSG intake may be associated with increased risk of overweight independent of physical activity and total energy intake in humans."

For more on MSG, check out my other posts on the subject:
MSG-1

MSG-2

Irradiated food

The FDA is likely to push us in the direction of irradiating food with the recent problems with contaminated peanuts and other foods. Sounds good doesn't it? But what else does it 'rearrange' at a molecular level? Well . . . . . they aren't really sure. So once again we will become the guinea pigs. Here is an interesting study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison that reveals there may be some danger with irradiated foods.

Magnesium Stearate controversy

This one just came up from Dr. Mercola. He says Magnesium Stearate is not so good for you: it can coat your intestines and cut down on absorbtion of food and nutrients - but go look in your vitamin cupboard and look at the list of ingredients of the bottles there. Don't be too suprised if you find magnesium stearate in the list. Unfortunately I didn't notice any reference in Dr. Mercola's article, so I went hunting. Here is just one of the articles that was more explanatory but again - lacked decent references. Or this One.

Here is another article that addresses 'inactive ingredients' in generic drugs and the possible effects of these ingredients. Hmmm, the FDA and strange bedfellow again!

Please - if anyone has some well documented source for the detrimental effects of magnesium stearate, please let me know!

Despite Controversy, Lexapro Approved for Kids’ Depression

Watch out, here we go again, I wonder how many injuries, deaths, etc., (and profit$$), it will take before Lexapro gets removed from the list of kiddy-meds! If your child is depressed, you may want to check what they are eating first.

Colds, Flu and Vit-D

In the largest study yet of the association between vitamin D and respiratory infections, people with the lowest blood vitamin D levels reported having significantly more recent colds or cases of the flu. The risks were even higher for those with chronic respiratory disorders such as asthma.

Vitamin C has been used for the prevention of colds for decades, but little scientific evidence supports its effectiveness. In contrast, evidence has accumulated that vitamin D plays a key role in the immune system.

The wintertime deficiency of vitamin D, which the body produces in response to sunlight, has been implicated in the seasonal increase in colds and flu, and previous small studies have suggested an association between low blood levels of vitamin D and a higher risk of respiratory infections.

The newest study analyzed blood levels of vitamin D from almost 19,000 adult and adolescents, selected to be representative of the overall U.S. population.

Sources:
Archives of Internal Medicine 2009; 169 (4): 384-390
Life Extension Magazine February 25, 2009
Scientific American February 23, 2009
Dr. Mercola

BigPharma, Junk Science, and Cherry Picking

Here are multiple stories about the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and how they fund multiple studies on their anti psychotic drug, Seroquel, then suppress those studies that are unfavorable and show a link between the drug and diabetes, and only send to the FDA those studies that show a favorable outcome - this practice is called 'cherry picking' and is apparently quite common in the industry. [I just read an abstract (Medical Care [Med Care] 2008 May; Vol. 46 (5), pp. 467-75. ) indicating specialty hospitals may engage in the same practice of cherry picking: "Patients with more generous insurance are significantly more likely to gain admission to specialty hospitals."]
Why do these pharmaceutical companies purposefully promote a product that is harmful?! Why is this country drowning in drugs only to be falling behind most other industrialized nations in every standard of wellness and measure of effectiveness of our $ick care $ystem? Follow the money and the greed! How many people have sold their soul (and the health of others) for that which corrupts?

Don't wait for President Obama or your elected officials to turn it around! YOU can do it by learning how to eat healthy, live healthy, and STAY healthy! Stay away from the soda, refined foods, corn syrup, sugar, 'low fat' products, MSG, fake sweeteners and Omega-6 fats. Educate yourself about yourself - instead of wasting that hour watching TV or some other nonproductive activity, pray for guidance and get smart.

Another example of (strongly) suspected Junk Science: HIV=AIDS

Sick Care - a broken system

I just found this interesting paper from Cornell University on how broke our Sick Care System is - your politicians apparently know something about this - yet the system just keeps getting worse and more expensive!
As for me, I'd rather put my bucks in healthy living and good nutrition and supplements. . . . Did you know that the US spends 45% of the world's money on drugs even though we are only 5% of the worlds population? But are we better off? Nope, just broke - and the quality of our Sick Care system ranks 37th in industrialized countries and we are 72nd in overall health!

Here is a publication from the National Coalition on Health Care (HCHC) about the ever increasing cost of Sick Care in the U.S. "Health Insurance Costs"

And surely you would want to go to Who'$ Running Wa$hington

More . . . .

Part of the problem is that sick care is a 'for profit' business in this country. Profit for the insurance companies (Medicare Advantage programs), profit for hospitals (Fla), and for sure - profit for the pharmaceutical industry!

Please feel free to view a very revealing documentary. You may also want to look up my post on Medecine in Other Countries and Shady Beginnings.

Is there hope? This quote by President John Adams may be an indication: "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion... Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."