Swine Flu Pandemic--Digging Even Deeper

How does a series of 3 shots sound as a way to possibly keep you from getting the flu? According to a 'Swine Flu' article in the June 12, 2009 Arizona Republic, people would need more than one shot & possibly as many as 3 to 'fully protect' them. Two shots of the swine flu vaccine may be needed because the vaccine's development is still in early stages. That basically means that it's not a solid solution at this point---and it could have problems and side effects associated with it.

Please take the time to learn about vaccines such as these before consenting to them for yourself and for your family members (including small children!)
Some points to consider:

**Two years ago (in 2006) a study in the British Medical Journal concluded that the effectiveness of annual flu shots has been exaggerated, and that in reality they have little or no effect on influenza campaign objectives, including reducing the number of hospital stays, time off work, and death from influenza and its complications.
**Another study from 2005, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine also could not find support for the use of flu vaccine to prevent deaths in the elderly. The report highlights that although immunization rates in people over 65 have increased dramatically in the past 20 years, there has not been a consequent decline in flu-related deaths.
**A study published in the October 2008 issue of the 'Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine' found that vaccinating young children against the flu had no impact on flu-related hospitalizations or doctor visits during two recent flu seasons. The researchers concluded that "significant influenza vaccine effectiveness could not be demonstrated for any season, age, or setting" examined.
**A recent study published in the Lancet found that influenza vaccination was NOT associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia in older people. Vaccination coverage among the elderly increased from 15 percent in 1980 to 65 percent now, yet there has been no decrease in deaths from influenza or pneumonia.
**A similar study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, concluded that vaccination against pneumonia does not reduce your risk of contracting the disease.
**Research published in the American Journal of Respiratory Care and Critical Care Medicine also confirmed that there has been no decrease in deaths from influenza and pneumonia, despite the fact that vaccination coverage among the elderly has increased from 15 percent in 1980 to 65 percent now.
**A large-scale, systematic review of 51 studies, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2006, found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo in children. The studies involved 260,000 children, age 6 to 23 months.

Why am I still on my soapbox about this? Because there are SAFE and EFFECTIVE ways to protect yourself and your family from viruses like this. Keeping our immune systems strong so they can fight off infections like this is the simple, logical, most cost-effective longterm approach out there. We impact our immune systems through our sleep, basic nutrition, the air we breathe...just what we find in a Wellness Home!

I look forward to your questions and comments---
Be well...
Sana

Swine Flu Pandemic--EFFECTIVE Measures To Take

The New York Times' headline today is that the World Health Organization has declared that the swine flu outbreak is a pandemic. According to the article, this announcement does not mean that the illness, which has been mild in most people, has become any worse. The term pandemic reflects only the geographic spread of a new disease, not its severity. Pandemics typically infect about a third of the world in a year or two, and sometimes strike in successive waves.

It also means that the health organization is asking drug makers to start making vaccine as quickly as possible, with the hope of having some batches ready by September. Efforts to make a vaccine are under way, and stockpiles of antiviral drugs have been opened.

Let's stop right there and dig a little deeper...

Vaccines are big business for many pharmaceutical companies. Vaccines will generate $21.5 billion in annual sales for their makers by 2012. Time magazine published an article (4/27/2009) reminding us of the huge problems that resulted from vaccines given during the 1976 swine flu fiasco. After several soldiers at Fort Dix had gotten the flu, the Ford administration attempted to use 'flu scare' at Fort Dix as a good reason for a mass vaccination of the entire country. Within a few months, claims totaling $1.3 billion had been filed by victims who had suffered paralysis (Guillain-Barre Syndrome) from the vaccine. Healthy young people ended up as paraplegics. The vaccine was also blamed for 25 deaths. The swine flu epidemic never materialized.

I'll have more info on the effectiveness of specific swine flu vaccines very soon. For now, let's look at one of the highly touted medications recommended for those who may possibly have the flu: Tamiflu.

The timing of this swine flu pandemic is quite convenient for governments that would soon have to dispose of billions of dollars of Tamiflu stock, which they bought to counter avian flu (H5N1). The US government ordered 20 million doses, costing $2 billion, in October, 2005, and the UK government ordered 14 million doses. The shelf life of the anti-viral, Tamiflu is three years.

Tamiflu is NOT a safe drug Serious side effects include convulsions, delirium or delusions. Tamiflu is blamed for 14 deaths in kids. Japan banned Tamiflu for children in 2007. This is when the FDA began investigating over 1,800 adverse (bad) reactions to the drug. When Tamiflu is used as prescribed, it can only reduce the duration of symptoms by 24-36 hours, according to the official data---with a cost of over $100.

Wouldn’t it make more sense to practice basic health measures, such as getting adequate sleep each night, supplementing our healthy eating with basic nutrition that promotes a healthy immune system (like the whole food mushroom blend I described yesterday!), drinking adequate amounts of filtered water, and frequent hand washing? As “Owners” of our health, it’s our responsibility to gather adequate information before making decisions that can have a big impact on our health.

Thank you for taking time to learn how to best protect yourself and your family. Here's to a 'flu-less' season...a 'flu-less' year!
Sana