Yikes...that might be the biggest post ever on pianotech... David Ilvedson, RPT Pacifica, CA 94044 ----- Original message ---------------------------------------- From: "David Andersen" <david at davidandersenpianos.com> To: pianotech at ptg.org Received: 4/30/2009 12:19:40 PM Subject: [pianotech] OT: Important information RE: the Swine Flu Scare >> >> 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=106484775 >090296 >> 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=Se >arc >> 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 >> >> >> >>
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