> > This is a little long, but well worth reading, especially the > recommendations at the end, for avoiding infection. > Critical Alert: The Swine Flu Pandemic - Fact or Fiction? > By Dr. Mercola > > American health officials declared a public health emergency as > cases of > swine flu were confirmed in the U.S. Health officials across the > world fear > this could be the leading edge of a global pandemic emerging from > Mexico, > where seven people are confirmed dead as a result of the new virus. > > On Monday April 27th, the World > <http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/ > index.html> Health > Organization (WHO) raised its pandemic alert level to four on its > six-level > threat scale, > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_edn1> 1 which means they've determined that the virus is capable of > human-to-human transmission. The initial outbreaks across North > America > reveal an infection already traveling at higher velocity than did > the last > official pandemic strain, the 1968 Hong Kong flu. > > The number of fatalities, and suspected and confirmed cases across > the world > change depending on the source, so your best bet -- if you want the > latest > numbers -- is to use Google > <http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=106484775090296 > 685271.0004681a37b713f6b5950 > &ll=32.639375,-110.390625&spn=15.738151,25.48828 > 1&z=5> Maps' Swine Flu Tracker. > > Several nations have imposed travel bans, or made plans to > quarantine air > travelers > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_edn2> 2 that present symptoms of the swine flu, such as: > > * Fever of more than 100 > * Coughing > * Runny nose and/or sore throat > * Joint aches > * Severe headache > * Vomiting and/or diarrhea > * Lethargy > * Lack of appetite > > Top global flu experts are trying to predict how dangerous the new > swine flu > strain will be, as it became clear that they had little information > about > Mexico's outbreak. It is as yet unclear how many cases occurred in > the month > or so before the outbreak was detected. It's also unknown whether > the virus > was mutating to be more lethal, or less. > > Much Fear Mongering Being Promoted > > I suspect you have likely been alarmed by the media's coverage of > the swine > flu scare. It has a noticeable subplot - preparing you for draconian > measures to combat a future pandemic as well as forcing you to > accept the > idea of mandatory vaccinations. > > On <http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1894129,00.html> > April > 27, Time magazine published an article which discusses how dozens > died and > hundreds were injured from vaccines as a result of the 1976 swine flu > fiasco, when the Ford administration attempted to use the infection of > soldiers at Fort Dix as a pretext for a mass vaccination of the entire > country. > > Despite acknowledging that the 1976 farce was an example of "how not > to > handle a flu outbreak", the article still introduces the notion that > officials "may soon have to consider whether to institute draconian > measures > to combat the disease". > > WHO and CDC Pandemic Preparedness Seriously Broken > > The pandemic warning system has failed as it simply doesn't exist, > even in > North America and Europe. To improve the system, massive new > investments in > surveillance, scientific and regulatory infrastructure, basic public > health, > and global access to common sense interventions like vitamin D > optimization > are required. > > According to the Washington Post, the CDC did not learn about the > outbreak > until six days after Mexico had begun to impose emergency measures. > There > should be no excuses. The paradox of this swine flu panic is that, > while > totally unexpected, it was accurately predicted. Six years ago, > Science > dedicated a major story to evidence that "after years of stability, > the > North American swine flu virus has jumped onto an evolutionary > fasttrack". > > However, maybe this is precisely what public health authorities > desire. > > This is NOT the First Swine Flu Panic > > My guess is that you can expect to see a lot of panic over this > issue in the > near future. But the key is to remain calm -- this isn't the first > time the > public has been warned about swine flu. The last time was in 1976, > right > before I entered medical school and I remember it very clearly. It > resulted > in the massive swine flu vaccine campaign. > > Do you happen to recall the result of this massive campaign? > > Within a few months, claims totaling $1.3 billion had been filed by > victims > who had suffered paralysis from the vaccine. The vaccine was also > blamed for > 25 deaths. > > However, several hundred people developed crippling Guillain-Barré > Syndrome > after they were injected with the swine flu vaccine. Even healthy > 20-year-olds ended up as paraplegics. > > And the swine flu pandemic itself? It never materialized. > > More People Died From the Swine Flu Vaccine than Swine Flu! > > It is very difficult to forecast > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/08/26/states-still- > reserving-vaccines-for-an-imaginary-pandemic.aspx> a pandemic, and > a rash > response can be extremely damaging. > > As of Monday April 27, the worldwide total number of confirmed cases > was 82, > according to WHO, which included 40 cases in the U.S., confirmed by > the > Centers for Disease Control. But does that truly warrant the > feverish news > headlines? > > To put things into perspective, malaria kills 3,000 people EVERY > DAY, and > it's considered "a health problem"... But of course, there are no > fancy > vaccines for malaria that can rake in billions of dollars in a short > amount > of time. > > One Australian news source, > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_edn3> 3 for example, states that even a mild swine flu epidemic > could > lead to the deaths of 1.4 million people and would reduce economic > growth by > nearly $5 trillion dollars. > > Give me a break, if this doesn't sound like the outlandish cries of > the > pandemic bird-flu I don't know what does. Do you remember when > President > Bush said two > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/10/25/avian-flu-epi > demic-is-a-hoax.aspx> million Americans would die as a result of > the bird > flu? > > In 2005 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/11/15/finally-medic > al-journal-admits-the-truth-about-bird-flu.aspx> , in 2006 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/05/27/what-happened > -to-that-imaginary-avian-flu-epidemic.aspx> , 2007 > <http://blogs.mercola.com/sites/vitalvotes/archive/2007/03/26/More-Evidence- > Bird-Flu-is-a-Hoax.aspx> , and again in 2008 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/02/14/i-was-right-a > bout-the-bird-flu-hoax.aspx> , those fears were exposed as little > more than > a cruel hoax, designed to instill fear, and line > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/09/12/rumsfeld-to-p > rofit-from-bird-flu-hoax.aspx> the pocketbooks of various > individuals and > industry. I became so convinced by the evidence AGAINST the > possibility of a > bird flu pandemic that I wrote a New York Times bestselling book, > <http://www.greatbirdfluhoax.com/> The Bird Flu Hoax, all about the > massive > fraud involved with the epidemic that never happened.. > > What is the Swine Flu? > > Regular swine flu is a contagious respiratory disease, caused by a > type-A > influenza virus that affects pigs. The current strain, A(H1N1), is > a new > variation of an H1N1 virus -- which causes seasonal flu outbreaks in > humans > -- that also contains genetic material of bird and pig versions of > the flu. > > Interestingly enough, this version has never before been seen in > neither > human nor animal, which I will discuss a bit later. > > This does sound bad. But not so fast. There are a few reasons to not > rush to > conclusions that this is the deadly pandemic we've been told would > occur in > the near future (as if anyone could predict it without having some > sort of > inside knowledge). > > Why a True Bird- or Swine Flu Pandemic is HIGHLY Unlikely > > While in my opinion it is highly likely factory farming is > responsible for > producing this viral strain, I believe there is still no cause for > concern. > > You may not know this, but all H1N1 flu's are descendants of the 1918 > pandemic strain. The reason why the flu shot may or may not work, > however, > from year to year, is due to mutations. Therefore, there's no vaccine > available for this current hybrid flu strain, and naturally, this is > feeding > the fear that millions of people will die before a vaccine can be > made. > > However, let me remind you of one very important fact here. > > Just a couple of months ago, scientists concluded that the 1918 flu > pandemic > that killed between 50-100 million people worldwide in a matter of > 18 months > -- which all these worst case scenarios are built upon -- was NOT > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/02/28/Flu-Was-Not-t > he-Real-Killer-in-the-1918-Pandemic.aspx> due to the flu itself! > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_edn4> 4 > > Instead, they discovered the real culprit was strep infections. > > People with influenza often get what is known as a "superinfection" > with a > bacterial agent. In 1918 it appears to have been Streptococcus > pneumoniae. > > Since strep is much easier to treat than the flu using modern > medicine, a > new pandemic would likely be much less dire than it was in the early > 20th > century, the researchers concluded. > > Others, such as evolutionary biologist Paul Ewald, > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_edn5> 5 claim that a pandemic of this sort simply cannot happen, > because > in order for it to occur, the world has to change. Not the virus > itself, but > the world. > > In a previous interview for Esquire magazine, in which he discusses > the > possibility of a bird flu pandemic, he states: > > "They think that if a virus mutates, it's an evolutionary event. > Well, the > virus is mutating because that is what viruses and other pathogens > do. But > evolution is not just random mutation. It is random mutation coupled > with > natural selection; it is a battle for competitive advantage among > different > strains generated by random mutation. > > For bird flu to evolve into a human pandemic, the strain that finds > a home > in humanity has to be a strain that is both highly virulent and highly > transmissible. Deadliness has to translate somehow into popularity; > H5N1 has > to find a way to kill or immobilize its human hosts, and still find > other > hosts to infect. Usually that doesn't happen." > > Ewald goes on to explain that evolution in general is all about > trade-offs, > and in the evolution of infections the trade-off is between > virulence and > transmissibility. > > What this means is that in order for a "bird flu" or "swine flu" to > turn > into a human pandemic, it has to find an environment that favors > both deadly > virulence and ease of transmission. > > People living in squalor on the Western Front at the end of World > War I > generated such an environment, from which the epidemic of 1918 could > arise. > > Likewise, crowded chicken farms, slaughterhouses, and jam-packed > markets of > eastern Asia provide another such environment, and that environment > gave > rise to the bird flu -- a pathogen that both kills and spreads, in > birds, > but not in humans. > > Says Ewald: > > "We know that H5N1 is well adapted to birds. We also know that it > has a hard > time becoming a virus that can move from person to person. It has a > hard > time without our doing anything. But we can make it harder. We can > make sure > it has no human population in which to evolve transmissibility. > There is no > need to rely on the mass extermination of chickens. There is no need > to > stockpile vaccines for everyone. > > By vaccinating just the people most at risk -- the people who work > with > chickens and the caregivers -- we can prevent it from becoming > transmissible > among humans. Then it doesn't matter what it does in chickens." > > Please remember that, despite the fantastic headlines and > projections of > MILLIONS of deaths, the H5N1 bird flu virus killed a mere 257 people > worldwide since late 2003. As unfortunate as those deaths are, 257 > deaths > worldwide from any disease, over the course of five years, simply > does not > constitute an emergency worthy of much attention, let alone fear! > > Honestly, your risk of being killed by a lightning strike in the > last five > years was about 2,300 percent higher than your risk of contracting > and dying > from the bird flu. > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_edn6> 6 I'm not kidding! In just one year (2004), more than 1,170 > people > died from lighting strikes, worldwide. > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_edn7> 7 > > So please, as the numbers of confirmed swine flu cases are released, > keep a > level head and don't let fear run away with your brains. > > So is the Swine Flu Getting More or Less Dangerous? > > On Sunday, April 26, The Independent reported that more than 1,000 > people > had contracted the swine flu virus in Mexico, > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_edn8> 8 but by the afternoon that same day, Mexican President > Calderon > declared that more than two-thirds of the 1,300 thought to have > contracted > the disease had been given a clean bill of health and sent home. > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_edn9> 9 > > Additionally, the number of actual confirmed cases appears to be far > lower > than reported in many media outlets, leading me to believe that many > reporters are interchanging the terms "suspected cases" and "confirmed > cases." > > Interestingly Mexico is the ONLY country in the world where someone > has > actually died from this disease. Mexico has reported 152 fatalities in > flu-like cases in recent days, seven of which have been confirmed as > swine > flu. Another 19 patients have been confirmed as having swine flu but > surviving. About 2,000 people have been hospitalized with symptoms. > > By contrast, the United States has had 64 confirmed cases, five > hospitalizations and no deaths from US Citizens. On April 29th CNN > <http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/29/swine.flu/index.html> > reported the > first swine fatality in the US, however this was actually a child from > Mexico that died in Texas. > > According to the World Health > <http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_27/en/index.html> Organization's > Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response site; as of April 27, there > are: > > * 64 laboratory confirmed cases in U.S. -- 0 deaths (reported > by CDC > as of April 29) <http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/> > * 26 confirmed cases in Mexico -- 7 deaths > * 6 confirmed cases in Canada -- 0 deaths > * 1 confirmed case in Spain -- 0 deaths > > Additionally, nearly all suspected new cases have been reported as > mild. > > Personally, I am highly skeptical. It simply doesn't add up to a real > pandemic. > > But it does raise serious questions about where this brand new, > never before > seen virus came from, especially since it cannot be contracted from > eating > pork products, and has never before been seen in pigs, and contains > traits > from the bird flu -- and which, so far, only seems to respond to > Tamiflu. > Are we just that lucky, or... what? > > Your Fear Will Make Some People VERY Rich in Today's Crumbling Economy > > According to the Associated Press at least one financial analyst > estimates > up to $388 million worth of Tamiflu sales in the near future > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_edn10> 10 -- and that's without a pandemic outbreak. > > More than half a dozen pharmaceutical companies, including Gilead > Sciences > Inc., Roche, GlaxoSmithKline and other companies with a stake in flu > treatments and detection, have seen a rise in their shares in a > matter of > days, and will likely see revenue boosts if the swine flu outbreak > continues > to spread. > > As soon as Homeland Security declared a health emergency, 25 percent > -- > about 12 million doses -- of Tamiflu and Relenza treatment courses > were > released from the nation's stockpile. However, beware that the > declaration > also allows unapproved tests and drugs to be administered to > children. Many > health- and government officials are more than willing to take that > chance > with your life, and the life of your child. But are you? > > Remember, Tamiflu went through some rough times not too long ago, as > the > dangers of this drug came to light when, in 2007, the FDA > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/03/15/tamiflu-s-eff > ects-on-your-brain.aspx> finally began investigating some 1,800 > adverse > event reports related to the drug. Common side effects of Tamiflu > include: > > * Nausea > * Vomiting > * Diarrhea > * Headache > * Dizziness > * Fatigue > * Cough > > All in all, the very symptoms you're trying to avoid. > > More serious symptoms included convulsions, delirium or delusions, > and 14 > deaths in children and teens as a result of neuropsychiatric > problems and > brain infections (which led Japan to ban Tamiflu for children in > 2007). And > that's for a drug that, when used as directed, only reduces the > duration of > influenza symptoms by 1 to 1 ½ days, according to the official data. > > But making matters worse, some patients with influenza are at HIGHER > risk > for secondary bacterial infections when on Tamiflu. And secondary > bacterial > infections, as I mentioned earlier, was likely the REAL cause of the > mass > fatalities during the 1918 pandemic! > > Where did This Mysterious New Animal-Human Flu Strain Come From? > > Alongside the fear-mongering headlines, I've also seen increasing > numbers of > reports questioning the true nature of this virus. And rightfully so. > > Could a mixed animal-human mutant like this occur naturally? And if > not, who > made it, and how was it released? > > Not one to dabble too deep in conspiracy theories, I don't have to > strain > very hard to find actual facts to support the notion that this may > not be a > natural mutation, and that those who stand to gain have the > wherewithal to > pull off such a stunt. > > Just last month I reported on the story > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/03/26/Were-Tainted- > Vaccines-a-Conspiracy-to-Provoke-a-Pandemic.aspx> that the American > pharmaceutical company Baxter was under investigation for > distributing the > deadly avian flu virus to 18 different countries as part of a > seasonal flu > vaccine shipment. Czech reporters were probing to see if it may have > been > part of a deliberate attempt to start a pandemic; as such a > "mistake" would > be virtually impossible under the security protocols of that virus. > > The H5N1 virus on its own is not very airborne. However, when > combined with > seasonal flu viruses, which are more easily spread, the effect could > be a > potent, airborne, deadly, biological weapon. If this batch of live > bird flu > and seasonal flu viruses had reached the public, it could have > resulted in > dire consequences. > > There is a name for this mixing of viruses; it's called > "reassortment," and > it is one of two ways pandemic viruses are created in the lab. Some > scientists say the most recent global outbreak -- the 1977 Russian > flu -- > was started by a virus created and leaked from a laboratory. > > Another example of the less sterling integrity of Big Pharma is the > case of > Bayer, who sold millions of dollars worth of an injectable blood- > clotting > medicine to Asian, Latin American, and some European countries in the > mid-1980s, even though they knew it was tainted > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/08/05/bayer-sells-a > ids-infected-drug-banned-in-us-in-europe-asia.aspx> with the AIDS > virus. > > So while it is morally unthinkable that a drug company would knowingly > contaminate flu vaccines with a deadly flu virus such as the bird- > or swine > flu, it is certainly not impossible. It has already happened more > than once. > > But there seems to be no repercussions or hard feelings when industry > oversteps the boundaries of morality and integrity and enters the > arena of > obscenity. Because, lo and behold, which company has been chosen to > head up > efforts, along with WHO, to produce a vaccine against the Mexican > swine flu? > > > Baxter! > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_edn11> 11 Despite the fact that ink has barely dried on the > investigative > reports from their should-be-criminal "mistake" against humanity. > > According to other sources, > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_edn12> 12 a top scientist for the United Nations, who has > examined the > outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Africa, as well as HIV/AIDS > victims, > has concluded that the current swine flu virus possesses certain > transmission "vectors" that suggest the new strain has been > genetically-manufactured as a military biological warfare weapon. > > The UN expert believes that Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and the current A-H1N1 > swine > flu virus are biological warfare agents. > > In addition, Army criminal investigators are looking into the > possibility > that disease samples are missing from biolabs at Fort Detrick -- the > same > Army research lab from which the 2001 anthrax strain was released, > according > to a recent article in the Fredrick News Post. > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_edn13> 13 In February, the top biodefense lab halted all its > research > into Ebola, anthrax, plague, and other diseases known as "select > agents," > after they discovered virus samples that weren't listed in its > inventory and > might have been switched with something else. > > Factory Farming Maybe Source of Swine Flu > > Another theory as to the cause of Swine Flu might be factory > farming. In the > United States, pigs travel coast to coast. They can be bred in North > Carolina, fattened in the corn belt of Iowa, and slaughtered in > California. > > While this may reduce short-term costs for the pork industry, the > highly > contagious nature of diseases like influenza (perhaps made further > infectious by the stresses of transport) needs to be considered when > calculating the true cost of long-distance live animal transport. > > The majority of U.S. pig farms now confine more than 5,000 animals > each. > With a group of 5,000 animals, if a novel virus shows up it will > have more > opportunity to replicate and potentially spread than in a group of > 100 pigs > on a small farm. > > With massive concentrations of farm animals within which to mutate, > these > new swine flu viruses in North America seem to be on an evolutionary > fast > track, jumping and reassorting between species at an unprecedented > rate. > > Should You Accept a Flu Vaccine -- Just to be Safe? > > As stated in the New York Times > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_edn14> 14 and elsewhere, flu experts have no idea whether the > current > seasonal flu vaccine would offer any protection whatsoever against > this > exotic mutant, and it will take months to create a new one. > > But let me tell you, getting vaccinated now would not only offer no > protection and potentially cause great harm, it would most likely be > loaded > with toxic mercury which is used as a preservative in most flu > vaccines.. > > I've written extensively about the numerous > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/11/18/do-flu-shots- > work-ask-a-vaccine-manufacturer.aspx> dangers (and ineffectiveness) > of flu > vaccines, and why I do not recommend them to anyone. So no matter > what you > hear -- even if it comes from your doctor -- don't get a regular flu > shot. > They rarely work against seasonal flu...and certainly can't offer > protection > against a never-before- seen strain. > > Currently, the antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza are the only > drugs that > appear effective against the (human flu) H1N1 virus, and I strongly > believe > taking Tamiflu to protect yourself against this new virus could be a > serious > mistake -- for all the reasons I already mentioned above. > > But in addition to the dangerous side effects of Tamiflu, there is > also > growing evidence of resistance against the drug. In February, the > pre-publication and preliminary findings journal called Nature > Precedings > published a paper on this concern, stating > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_edn15> 15: > > The dramatic rise of oseltamivir [Tamiflu] resistance in the H1N1 > serotype > in the 2007/2008 season and the fixing of H274Y in the 2008/2009 > season has > raised concerns regarding individuals at risk for seasonal > influenza, as > well as development of similar resistance in the H5N1 serotype [bird > flu]. > > Previously, oseltamivir resistance produced changes in H1N1 and H3N2 > at > multiple positions in treated patients. In contrast, the recently > reported > resistance involved patients who had not recently taken oseltamivir. > > It's one more reason not to bother with this potentially dangerous > drug. > > And, once a specific swine flu drug is created, you can be sure that > it has > not had the time to be tested in clinical trials to determine safety > and > effectiveness, which puts us right back where I started this article > -- with > a potential repeat of the last dangerous swine flu vaccine, which > destroyed > the lives of hundreds of people. > > Topping the whole mess off, of course, is the fact that if the new > vaccine > turns out to be a killer, the pharmaceutical > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/01/03/vaccine-maker > s-getting-inoculated-from-lawsuits.aspx> companies responsible are > immune > from lawsuits -- something I've also warned about before on numerous > occasions. > > Unfortunately, those prospects won't stop the governments of the > world from > mandating > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/12/04/parents-told- > to-get-kids-vaccinated-or-go-to-jail.aspx> the vaccine -- a > scenario I hope > we can all avoid. > > How to Protect Yourself Without Dangerous Drugs and Vaccinations > > For now, my point is that there are always going to be threats of flu > pandemics, real or created, and there will always be potentially toxic > vaccines that are peddled as the solution. But you can break free of > that > whole drug-solution trap by following some natural health principles. > > I have not caught a flu in over two decades, and you can avoid it too, > without getting vaccinated, by following these simple guidelines, > which will > keep your immune system in optimal working order so that you're far > less > likely to acquire the infection to begin with. > > * Optimize > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/02/23/vitamin-d-def > iciency-part-one.aspx> your vitamin D levels. As I've previously > reported, > optimizing > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/11/29/new-research- > on-how-sunshine-decreases-infections.aspx> your vitamin D levels is > one of > the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and > vitamin > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/10/21/avoid-flu-sho > ts-vitamin-d-is-a-better-way.aspx> D deficiency is likely the TRUE > culprit > behind the seasonality of the flu -- not the flu virus itself. > > This is probably the single most important and least expensive > action you > can take. I would STRONGLY urge you to have your vitamin > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/02/23/vitamin-d-def > iciency-part-one.aspx> D level monitored to confirm your levels are > therapeutic at 50-70 ng.ml and done by a reliable vitamin D lab like > Lab > Corp. > > For those of you in the US we hope to launch a vitamin D testing > service > through Lab Corp that allows you to have your vitamin D levels > checked at > your local blood drawing facility, and relatively inexpensively. We > hope to > offer this service by June 2009. > > If you are coming down with flu like symptoms and have not been on > vitamin D > you can take doses of 50,000 units a day for three days to treat the > acute > infection. Some researchers like Dr. Cannell, believe the dose could > even be > as high as 1000 units per pound of body weight for three days. > > · Avoid > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/07/14/insulin-part- > one.aspx> Sugar and Processed Foods. Sugar decreases the function > of your > immune system almost immediately, and as you likely know, a strong > immune > system is key to fighting off viruses and other illness. Be aware > that sugar > is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice. > > · Get > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/03/08/sleep-diabete > s.aspx> Enough Rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get > your daily > tasks done if you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be > harder for it to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my article > Guide to a > Good Night's Sleep <http://www.mercola.com/article/sleep.htm> for > some > great tips to help you get quality rest. > > · Have > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/07/24/stress-immune > -system-part-two.aspx> Effective Tools to Address Stress . We all > face some > stress every day, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body > will be > less able to fight off the flu and other illness. > > If you feel that stress is taking a toll on your health, consider > using an > energy psychology tool such as the Emotional Freedom Technique > (EFT), which > is remarkably effective in relieving stress associated with all > kinds of > events, from work to family to trauma. You can check out my free, 25- > page > EFT manual <http://www.mercola.com/forms/eftcourse.htm> for some > guidelines > on how to perform EFT. > > · Exercise <http://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/ > exercise.htm> . > When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow > throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also > better > circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of > finding an > illness before it spreads. You can review my exercise > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/11/20/exercise-part > -sixteen.aspx> guidelines for some great tips on how to get started. > > · Take a good source of > <http://www.mercola.com/products/krill-oil.aspx> animal based > omega-3 fats > like Krill Oil. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats > like the > omega-3 found in krill oil, which is crucial for maintaining health. > It is > also vitally important to avoid damaged omega-6 oils that are trans > fats and > in processed foods as it will seriously damage your immune response. > > · Wash > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/09/25/flu-hygiene.a > spx> Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of > spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you > don't use > antibacterial soap for this -- antibacterial soaps are completely > unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, > identify a > simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to. > > · Eat > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/02/28/garlic-health > .aspx> Garlic Regularly. Garlic works like a broad-spectrum > antibiotic > against bacteria, virus, and protozoa in the body. And unlike with > antibiotics, no resistance can be built up so it is an absolutely safe > product to use. However, if you are allergic or don't enjoy garlic > it would > be best to avoid as it will likely cause more harm than good. > > * Avoid Hospitals and Vaccines In this particular case, I'd also > recommend you stay away from hospitals unless you're having an > emergency, as > hospitals are prime breeding grounds for infections of all kinds, > and could > be one of the likeliest places you could be exposed to this new bug. > Vaccines will not be available for six months at the minimum but when > available they will be ineffective and can lead to crippling > paralysis like > Guillain-Barré Syndrome just as it did in the 70s. > > REFERENCES > > > > 1 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_ednref1> World Health Organization, Epidemic and Pandemic Alert > Response, Current WHO Phase of Pandemic Alert, > http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/index.html > > 2 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_ednref2> Welt Online, April 28, 2009, > http://www.welt.de/english-news/article3625539/Asian-countries-take-measures > -against-outbreak.html > > 3 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_ednref3> News.com.au, April 27, 2009, > http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,25392380-2,00.html > > 4 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_ednref4> Emerging Infectious Diseases February 2009; 15(2):346-7, > http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?orig_db=PubMed > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?orig_db=PubMed&db=pubmed&cmd=Searc > h&term=%22Emerging%20infectious%20diseases%22%5BJour%5D%20AND > %202009%5Bpdat% > 5D%20AND%20Klugman%5Bauthor%5D> > &db=pubmed&cmd=Search&term=%22Emerging%20infectious%20diseases > %22%5BJour%5D% > 20AND%202009%5Bpdat%5D%20AND%20Klugman%5Bauthor%5D > > 5 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_ednref5> Esquire, April 26, 2009, > http://www.esquire.com/features/best-n-brightest-2005/ESQ1205B > <http://www.esquire.com/features/best-n-brightest-2005/ESQ1205B&BEWALD_244?s > rc=digg> &BEWALD_244?src=digg > > 6 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_ednref6> CDC, Lightning-Associated Deaths 1980-1995, > http://wonder.cdc.gov/wonder/PrevGuid/m0052833/m0052833.asp > > 7 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_ednref7> NationMaster.com, Mortality--Lighting, > http://www.nationmaster.com/red/pie/mor_vic_of_lig-mortality-victim-of-light > ning > > 8 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_ednref8> The Independent, April 26, 2009, > http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/pan > demic-fears-as-flu-kills-68-1674368.html > > 9 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_ednref9> Reuters, April 26, 2009, > http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE53P23920090426 > > 10 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_ednref10> Associated Press, April 27, 2009, > http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hceWV2_Cu7yoSvw9iNYZ90-qnC > yQD97R2FVG3 > > 11 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_ednref11> Infowars.net, April 27, 2009, > http://www.infowars.net/articles/april2009/270409Baxter.htm > > 12 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_ednref12> Online Journal, April 27, 2009 > http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_4631.shtml > > 13 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_ednref13> FredrickNewsPost.com, April 22, 2009, > http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=89293 > > 14 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_ednref14> The New York Times, April 26, 2009, > http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/world/27flu.html?_r=3 > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/world/27flu.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1> > &pagewanted=1 > > 15 > <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.asp > x#_ednref15> Nature Precedings, hdl:10101/npre.2009.2832.1, > Emergence and > Fixing of Antiviral Resistance in Influenza A Via Recombination and > Hitch > Hiking, Henry L. Niman > <http://precedings.nature.com/users/ > 3db4cfbe45d033a1b5ffeb29dc49a780> , > http://precedings.nature.com/documents/2832/version/1 > > > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech_ptg.org/attachments/20090430/0fc1df1a/attachment-0001.html>
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