Category Archives: Flu Virus

A Simple, Inexpensive Trick to Cure a Cold

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By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

Each year Americans catch more than one billion colds, making the cold virus the most common infectious disease in the United States.

It accounts for more school absences and missed work than any other illness, and it’s the number one reason people visit their physicians — even though most physicians have little to offer in the form of treatment.

It’s a widespread misconception that colds are caused by bacteria. Colds are actually triggered by a virus, which means if your physician prescribes you an antibiotic, it will be absolutely useless.

More on this shortly, but before I delve into simple prevention and treatment strategies it’s important you know how colds are contracted in the first place.

How Do You Catch a Cold?

The most common way cold viruses are spread is not from being around coughing or sneezing, or walking barefoot in the rain, but rather from hand-to-hand contact. For instance, someone with a cold blows their nose then shakes your hand or touches surfaces that you also touch.

Cold viruses can live on pens, computer keyboards, coffee mugs and other objects for hours, so it’s easy to come into contact with such viruses during daily life.

However, the key to remember is that just being exposed to a cold virus does not have to mean that you’ll catch a cold. If your immune system is operating at its peak, it should actually be quite easy for you to fend off the virus without ever getting sick.

If your immune system is impaired, on the other hand, it’s akin to having an open-door policy for viruses; they’ll easily take hold in your body. So the simple and short answer is, you catch a cold due to impairment in your immune system. There are many ways this can result, but the more common contributing factors are:

  1. Eating too much sugar and too many grains
  2. Not getting enough rest
  3. Using insufficient strategies to address emotional stressors in your life
  4. Vitamin D deficiency, as discussed below
  5. Any combination of the above

Vitamin D Deficiency: Another Reason You May “Catch” a Cold

It’s estimated that the average U.S. adult typically has two to four colds each year, while children may have up to 12! One reason for the widespread prevalence may be that vitamin D deficiency is incredibly common in the United States, especially during the winter months when cold (and flu) viruses are at their peak.

Research has confirmed that “catching” colds and flu may actually be a symptom of an underlying vitamin D deficiency. Less than optimal vitamin D levels will significantly impair your immune response and make you far more susceptible to contracting colds, influenza, and other respiratory infections.

In the largest and most nationally representative study of its kind to date, involving about 19,000 Americans, people with the lowest vitamin D levels reported having significantly more recent colds or cases of the flu – and the risk was even greater for those with chronic respiratory disorders like asthma.

At least five additional studies also show an inverse association between lower respiratory tract infections and vitamin D levels, and you can read about them in detail here. But the research is very clear, the higher your vitamin D level, the lower your risk of contracting colds, flu, and other respiratory tract infections.

It’s not surprising, then, that the average American gets so many colds each year, as current guidelines for optimal intake and normal vitamin D levels are far too low — and since most people do not get adequate sun exposure on a daily basis (which is what produces vitamin D in your skin) many are deficient. I strongly believe you could avoid colds and influenza entirely by maintaining your vitamin D level in the optimal range.

How Long Do Colds Last … and How Can You Make Your Cold Go Away Faster?

Most uncomplicated colds last between eight and nine days, but about 25 percent last two weeks, and 5-10 percent last three weeks. Even the most stubborn colds will typically resolve in a few weeks’ time; this is actually one of the ways you can distinguish a cold from allergies.

A cold will last, at most, a few weeks, but allergy symptoms can last all season.

How quickly you bounce back is typically defined by you and your collective lifestyle habits — and this does not mean popping over-the-counter cough and cold remedies or fever reducers. In fact, as long as your temperature remains below 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9 degrees Celsius) there is no need to lower it.

Cold viruses do not reproduce at higher body temperatures, so a slight fever should help you get rid of the virus quicker and help you to feel better much sooner.

You should avoid taking over-the-counter pain-relief medications as well, as a study showed that people who take aspirin and Tylenol (acetaminophen) suppress their body’s ability to produce antibodies to destroy the cold virus. Aspirin has even been linked to lung complications including pulmonary edema, an abnormal build up of fluid in your lungs, when taken in excess.

You should only use these medications when absolutely necessary, such as if you have a temperature greater than 105 degrees F (40.5 degrees C), severe muscle aches or weakness.

Hydrogen Peroxide: A Simple Trick to Beat a Cold

I don’t advise over-the-counter medications, but one simple treatment you can try that is surprisingly effective against upper respiratory infections is hydrogen peroxide.

Many patients at my Natural Health Center have had remarkable results in curing colds and flu within 12 to 14 hours when administering a few drops of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into each ear. You will hear some bubbling, which is completely normal, and possibly feel a slight stinging sensation.

Wait until the bubbling and stinging subside (usually 5 to 10 minutes), then drain onto a tissue and repeat with the other ear. A bottle of hydrogen peroxide in 3 percent solution is available at any drug store for a couple of dollars or less. It is simply amazing how many people respond to this simple, inexpensive treatment.

So What Else Can You do to Recover From a Cold, Quicker … and Prevent One in the First Place?

As I said above, the number one way to conquer a cold (or flu) is vitamin D. Vitamin D is an amazingly effective antimicrobial agent, producing 200 to 300 different antimicrobial peptides in your body that kill bacteria, viruses and fungi. So optimizing your levels will not only help send a cold virus packing … it will help ward off cold viruses in the first place.

The best source for vitamin D is direct sun exposure. But for many of us, this just isn’t practical during the winter. The next best option to sunlight is the use of a safe indoor tanning device. If neither natural nor artificial sunlight is an option, then using oral vitamin D3 supplements is your best bet.

Based on the latest research, many experts now agree you need about 35 IU’s of vitamin D per pound of body weight. This recommendation also includes children, the elderly and pregnant women.

However, keep in mind that vitamin D requirements are highly individual, as your vitamin D status is dependent on numerous factors, such as the color of your skin, your location, and how much sunshine you’re exposed to on a regular basis. So, although these recommendations may put you closer to the ballpark of what most people likely need, it is simply impossible to make a blanket recommendation that will cover everyone’s needs.

The only way to determine your optimal dose is to get your blood tested. Ideally, you’ll want to maintain a vitamin D level of 50-65 ng/ml year-round.

For an in-depth explanation of everything you need to know before you get tested, please read my latest updates in Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency.

Dietary Strategies to Kick a Cold

If you feel yourself coming down with a cold or flu, this is NOT the time to be eating ANY sugar, artificial sweeteners or processed foods. Sugar is particularly damaging to your immune system — which needs to be ramped up, not suppressed, in order to combat an emerging infection.

So if you are fighting a cold, you’ll want to avoid all sugar like the plague, and this includes sugar in the form of fruit juice and even grains (which break down as sugar in your body).

Ideally, you must address nutrition, sleep, exercise and stress issues the moment you first feel yourself getting a bug. This is when immune-enhancing strategies will be most effective.

So when you’re coming down with a cold, it’s time to address ALL of the contributing factors immediately, which includes tweaking your diet in favor of foods that will strengthen your immune response. Good choices include:

  • Raw, grass-fed organic milk, and/or high-quality whey protein
  • Fermented foods such as raw kefir, kimchee, miso, pickles, sauerkraut, etc, which are rich in probiotics, or good bacteria. Scientific research shows that 80 percent of your immune system resides inside your digestive tract, so eating probiotic-rich foods, or taking a high-quality probiotic, will help support your immune system health.
  • Raw, organic eggs from free-ranging, preferably local, chickens
  • Grass-fed beef
  • Coconuts and coconut oil
  • Animal-based omega-3 fats, such as krill oil
  • Locally grown fruits and vegetables, appropriate for your nutritional type
  • Mushrooms, especially Reishi, Shiitake, and Maitake, which contain beta glucans (which have immune-enhancing properties)
  • Garlic, a potent antimicrobial that kills bacteria, viruses and fungi. Ideally this should be in fresh form, eaten raw and crushed with a spoon just before eating.
  • Herbs and spices with high ORAC scores: Turmeric, oregano, cinnamon, cloves (for more on ORAC, visit www.oracvalues.com)
  • Make sure you are drinking plenty of fresh, pure water. Water is essential for the optimal function of every system in your body and will help with nose stuffiness and loosening secretions. You should drink enough water so that your urine is a light, pale yellow.

And what about the old wives’ tale of chicken soup for your cold?

Chicken soup can help reduce your symptoms. Chicken contains a natural amino acid called cysteine, which can thin the mucus in your lungs and make it less sticky so you can expel it more easily.

Processed, canned soups won’t work as well as the homemade version, however.

For best results, make up a fresh batch yourself (or ask a friend or family member to do so) and make the soup hot and spicy with plenty of pepper. The spices will trigger a sudden release of watery fluids in your mouth, throat, and lungs, which will help thin down the respiratory mucus so it’s easier to cough up and expel.

Three Cold-Busting Lifestyle Strategies

Vitamin D, check! Hydrogen peroxide, check! Healthy diet, check! We’ve covered several of the primary “weapons” you should have in your cold-fighting arsenal, but there are others, too.

  1. High-Quality Sleep, and Plenty of It Pay attention to how you are sleeping. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, or enough restorative sleep, you’ll be at increased risk for a hostile viral takeover. Your immune system is also the most effective when you’re not sleep-deprived, so the more rested you are the quicker you’ll recover. You can find 33 secrets for a good night’s sleep here.
  2. Regular Exercise Regular exercise is a crucial strategy for increasing your resistance to illness. There is evidence that regular, moderate exercise can reduce your risk for respiratory illness by boosting your immune system. In fact, one study found that people who exercised regularly (five or more days a week) cut their risk of having a cold by close to 50 percent. And, in the event they did catch a cold, their symptoms were much less severe than among those who did not exercise.Exercise likely cuts your risk of colds so significantly because it triggers a rise in immune system cells that can attack any potential invaders. Each time you exercise you can benefit from this boost to your immune system.Ideally, establish a regular fitness program, such as Peak Fitness, now, to help you ward off colds and other illness.However, if you’re already feeling sick don’t overdo it. Over-exercising can actually place more stress on your body, which can suppress your immune system — and you don’t want that either. You might just go for a walk if you are coming down with a cold, or simply tone down your regular workout.Any rise in body temperature will be an unwelcome climate for a viral invader, though, so some exercise is likely to be beneficial.
  3. Address Your Emotional Stress Emotional stressors can also predispose you to an infection while making cold symptoms worse. Finding ways to manage daily stress as well as your reactions to circumstances beyond your control will contribute to a strong and resilient immune system.My favorite tool for this is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a system that helps balance your body’s subtle energies and repair emotional “short-circuits.” EFT may even help you overcome cold symptoms.

Supplements That Send Pathogens Packin’

Supplements can be beneficial for colds, but they should be used only as an adjunct to the lifestyle measures already discussed.

Some of the more helpful options for cold (and flu) — above and beyond vitamin D — are:

  • Vitamin C: A very potent antioxidant; use a natural form such as acerola, which contains associated micronutrients. You can take several grams every hour till you are better unless you start developing loose stools
  • Oregano Oil: The higher the carvacrol concentration, the more effective it is. Carvacrol is the most active antimicrobial agent in oregano oil.
  • Propolis: A bee resin and one of the most broad-spectrum antimicrobial compounds in the world; propolis is also the richest source of caffeic acid and apigenin, two very important compounds that aid in immune response and even fight cancer.
  • A tea made from a combination of elderflower, yarrow, boneset, linden, peppermint and ginger; drink it hot and often for combating a cold or flu. It causes you to sweat, which is helpful for eradicating a virus from your system.
  • Olive leaf extract: Ancient Egyptians and Mediterranean cultures used it for a variety of health-promoting uses and it is widely known as a natural, non-toxic immune system builder.

Remember This Tip: Wash Your Hands Sensibly

Washing your hands frequently is one of the easiest ways to wipe out germs and viruses and reduce your chances of becoming sickened by them. Thorough hand-washing truly is an important step, as you are at far greater risk of passing on an infection by shaking someone’s hand than even by sharing a kiss.

One report even found that regular hand washing may be more effective than drugs in preventing the spread of respiratory viruses such as influenza.

When you wash up, plain soap and water will do. Do not make the mistake of using antibacterial cleansers, as their widespread use is leading to strains of resistant bacteria, or “superbugs,” which cause the ingredients to lose effectiveness for the times when they really are needed, such as for surgeons prior to surgery.

Further, the active ingredient in most antibacterial products is triclosan, an antibacterial agent that kills bacteria and inhibits bacterial growth. But not only does triclosan kill bacteria, it also has been shown to kill human cells.

Antibacterial soaps are also no more effective than regular soaps. One study found people who used antibacterial soaps and cleansersdeveloped a cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms just as often as people who used products that did not contain antibacterial ingredients. So please avoid making the mistake of using antibacterial liquids and soaps.

Too Much Hand-Washing Can Backfire …

There is another important caveat to remember, and that is your skin is actually your primary defense against bacteria — not the soap.

So resist the urge to become obsessive about washing your hands. If you wash them too frequently you can actually extract many of the protective oils in your skin, which can cause your skin to crack and bleed.

It is rare for a germ on your skin to cause a problem — it is typically only an issue when you transfer that to your nose, mouth or an open wound like cracked skin. So obsessive-compulsive washing can actually increase your risk of getting sick by providing an entryway for potentially dangerous pathogens.

So mild to moderate washing is wise, but excessive washing, especially with harsh soaps, will actually be highly counterproductive.

Avoid the Antibiotics!

More than 300 different viruses can cause colds, so each time you have a cold it is caused by a distinct virus (i.e. adenovirus, rhinovirus, parainfluenza virus, coronavirus). A virus is much smaller than a bacteria; it is a tiny cluster of genetic material surrounded by a protein wrapper.

There are currently NO drugs available that can kill these viruses. Antibiotics, including penicillin, do not have any effect on viruses, but unfortunately have been vastly over-prescribed for this very (useless) purpose. That, coupled with the excessive use of antibiotics in agriculture, has contributed to a steep rise in antibiotic-resistant diseases.

Antibiotic-resistant infections now claim more lives each year than the “modern plague” of AIDS, and cost the American health care system some $20 billion a year!

Further, according to one meta-analysis, the health risk from over-use of antibiotics is also a very personal one, as opposed to simply raising the occurrence of antibiotic resistance in the general population over time.

Whenever you use an antibiotic, you’re increasing your susceptibility to developing infections with resistance to that antibiotic — and you can become the carrier of this resistant bug, and spread it to others.

So please, if you have a simple cold remember that an antibiotic will do far more harm than good.

When Should You Call Your Physician?

Sinus, ear and lung infections (bronchitis and pneumonia) are examples of bacterial infections that do respond to antibiotics. If you develop any of the following symptoms, these are signs you may be suffering from a bacterial infection rather than a cold virus, and you should call your physician’s office:

  • Fever over 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9 degrees Celsius)
  • Ear pain
  • Pain around your eyes, especially with a green nasal discharge
  • Shortness of breath or a persistent uncontrollable cough
  • Persistently coughing up green and yellow sputum

Generally speaking, however, if you have a cold medical care is not necessary. Rest and attention to the lifestyle factors noted above will help you to recover quickly and, if you stick to them, will significantly reduce your chances of catching another one anytime soon.

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Alarming New “Flu” Treatment — A Serious Health Mistake in the Making

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By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com 

A new study has led to what is perhaps the most ludicrous recommendation for flu treatment ever — statin drugs!

The researchers reported that statin use may reduce death risk in people hospitalized with the flu, and the media is reporting sensational headlines like “Statins reduce flu death risk by half.”

This is particularly outrageous, because the study was seriously flawed and designed to make statin drugs useful for another condition while they do nothing to address the underlying cause.

To validly determine if statin drugs are effective for flu they need to compare it to placebo, not a poison.

So what did they do?

They compared statin drugs to other toxic drugs, this time antiviral medications. So what the study actually found was that, more than likely, antiviral drugs were killing people twice as quickly as the statins!

What did the Study Really Show?

In the observational study published in The Journal of Infectious Disease, researchers examined data from 3,000 patients hospitalized with the flu, 33 percent of whom were given statins while the rest received antiviral drugs. The results showed that people who did not receive statins were twice as likely to die.

Another way of saying this, of course, is that people who received antiviral drugs were twice as likely to die as those given statins. And what this really means is that the antiviral medications were exceptionally harmful, not that statins were beneficial.

Still, it is not surprising that the drug’s manufacturer and the media are reporting favorable results for statin drugs, even though the researchers themselves pointed out the many limitations to their study, noting, for example:

” … it was difficult to ascertain the underlying functional health status of these patients, which may potentially confound the relationship between statins and severity of influenza.”

Further, one of the study’s authors has been a consultant to numerous drug companies, including Sanofi Pasteur, Novartis, Pfizer, Dynavax, and GlaxoSmithKline, whereas the study itself was funded by the Emerging Infections Program Cooperative Agreement of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which also has worrisome ties to the drug industry.

Statins are Not Wonder Drugs

The drug companies started pushing their statin drugs, which are ordinarily prescribed to lower cholesterol levels, for the flu back in 2009 during the swine flu scare, and they are working hard to get the accepted as “wonder drugs” for the treatment of everything from pneumonia to Alzheimer’s disease.

However, as Dr. Stephanie Seneff, a senior scientist at MIT, explains, statins are dangerous because they suppress the synthesis of a true biological wonder drug, namely cholesterol. And she believes it is actually cholesterol (in high amounts prior to patients’ starting statin therapy) that is responsible for many of the statins’ alleged benefits:

“Statin drugs are particularly problematic because they suppress the synthesis of a biological wonder drug, namely cholesterol. Repeatedly, retrospective studies have shown an alleged benefit for statins, which is actually a benefit derived from the many years of high cholesterol that preceded statin treatment. This game has been played out for sepsis, pneumonia, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s, and these are just the ones I’m aware of. When the proper placebo-controlled study is done, the effect reverses — statins make the situation worse. But these negative results are kept well concealed from the public’s eyes. This is how the myth has been kept alive that statins, instead of cholesterol, are the wonder drug.”

There are, in fact, 304 adverse health effects that may be associated with statin drugs, and this may only be the tip of the iceberg.

The Truth About Antiviral Flu Drugs

Anti-viral flu drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza are conventional medicine’s go-to option for treating the flu, but you should know that they carry serious side effects — and may only shorten the time you are sick by one to two days. These drugs are part of a group of anti-influenza drugs called neuraminidase inhibitors, which work by blocking a viral enzyme that helps the influenza virus to invade cells in your respiratory tract.

The problem is that your nervous system also contains neuraminidase enzymes essential for proper brain functioning, and when blocked with these dangerous drugs, severe neurotoxicity may ensue (especially in the infants and children whose blood-brain barrier has not yet developed sufficiently).

Serious side effects include convulsions, delirium or delusions, suicidal behavior and 14 deaths in children and teens have been reported as a result of neuropsychiatric problems and brain infections. Japan actually banned Tamiflu for children in 2007 because of the steep risks.

It was also around this time that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began reviewing reports of abnormal behavior and otherbrain effects in more than 1,800 children who had taken Tamiflu. Further, the drug commonly causes a myriad of side effects that, ironically, resemble the flu symptoms the drug claims to treat. You can decide for yourself whether these risks are worth a measly one- or two-day reduction in your flu symptoms:

Statin Study Highlights Flu Shot Ineffectiveness

Whenever I address the topic of influenza, I like to mention flu shots, simply because the propaganda supporting them is so widespread — and the truth deserves to be heard. Not only is there a shocking lack of evidence supporting the use of the flu vaccine, but a number of studies have actually confirmed the danger and ineffectiveness of the shots.

One major study determined that the best the flu vaccine could do during a season where, in the rare case, the vaccine actually matched the wild-type strains in circulation, was to reduce the risk of influenza infection by a paltry 1 percent relative to unvaccinated controls. This means that despite receiving the shot – riddled, as it is, with side effects such as the debilitating and potentially deadly nerve disease Guillain-Barre Syndrome — there is still an overwhelming likelihood that you will not be protected from the flu as a result of receiving the vaccine.

The reason for this has to do with how flu strains work. Along with the faulty science behind the creation of the vaccine, the act of determining which flu strains will affect your area is pretty much a guessing game. Mainstream medical officials urge you to receive the shot, but health officials are fully aware that it is truly impossible to know for sure which strain to vaccinate against.

With such a wide selection of strains (hundreds, if not thousands), it is very rare for officials to actually pick the correct strains – the best case scenario is that an appropriate match will occur 10 percent of the time, according to the study. Interestingly, as it was not the researchers’ intent, the statin-flu study also highlighted the striking lack of effectiveness of the flu vaccine in preventing flu deaths:

“Our finding that vaccine was not effective in preventing mortality from influenza is likely explained by the timing of our study. We evaluated the impact of statins on influenza mortality in 2007–2008, a year in which the vaccine was not well matched to the circulating viruses … In addition, vaccination status may not impact mortality in the event of vaccine failure regardless of match to circulating strains; 50% of our patients were over the age of 70, an age group in which influenza vaccine is known to be less effective.”

Why Doesn’t the CDC Fund a Study on Vitamin D for Flu Treatment?

Apparently the CDC would rather throw money at a potential cash cow for the drug makers than promote the real natural alternatives that can stop the flu in its tracks without any side effects. Where is the CDC-sponsored study on vitamin D and the flu, for instance?  According to the findings from a 2010 study that didn’t get any widespread attention, vitamin D is a highly effective way to avoid influenza.  In fact, children taking low doses of vitamin D3 were shown to be 42 percent less likely to come down with the flu.

Dr. John Cannell, founder of the Vitamin D Council, was one of the first to introduce the idea that vitamin D deficiency may actually be an underlying cause of influenza, which would help explain its apparent benefits as a flu-fighter. His hypothesis was published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection in 2006, which was followed up with another study published in the Virology Journal in 2008.

Dr. Cannell’s hypothesis received further support and confirmation when, in the following year, the largest and most nationally representative study of its kind to date discovered that people with the lowest blood vitamin D levels reported having significantly more recent colds or cases of the flu. You can find my full recommendations for how to optimize your vitamin D levels in this past article.

There are Effective Natural Options for Beating the Flu

I have not caught the flu in over two decades, and you can avoid it too, without using drugs or getting vaccinated. Following these guidelines will help to keep your immune system in optimal working order so that you’re far less likely to acquire the infection to begin with — and if you do, these strategies will help you to get better, faster.

  • Optimize your vitamin D levels. As I’ve previously reported, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin 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.If you are coming down with flu-like symptoms and have not optimized your levels, you can take doses of 50,000 units a day a vitamin D3 for three days to treat the acute infection.
  • Avoid 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.In fact, the first thing you want to do when you feel yourself coming down with a cold or flu is to avoid ALL sugars, artificial sweeteners, and processed foods.
  • Get 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 for some great tips to help you get quality rest.
  • Implement effective tools to address your 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 effective energy psychology tool such as the Emotional Freedom Technique, which is remarkably effective in relieving stress associated with all kinds of events, from work to family to trauma.
  • Exercise. 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 guidelines for some great tips on how to get started.
  • Take a good source of 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 like trans fats found in most processed foods, as it will seriously damage your immune response.
  • Wash 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 garlic regularly. Garlic works like a broad-spectrum antibiotic against bacteria, virus, and protozoa in your 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 whenever possible. I’d recommend you stay away from hospitals unless you have 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 flu bugs.

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Flu shot fantasies: How influenza vaccines halt flu infections (even when they don’t)

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By: Mike Adams
Source: NaturalNews.com

Vaccines are so effective at halting disease that they confer total immunity, say vaccine advocates. “Take a flu shot and you won’t get the flu!” Both flu shots and MMR vaccines are so safe and effective that everybody should be forced to take them, they insist.

And why? Because they claim all those un-vaccinated people will spread disease to the vaccinated people!

(Insert vinyl record screeching sound here.)

Hold on just a minute. Wasn’t their whole argument about vaccines based on the idea that they confer total immunity to those who take them? Well, if that’s true then they should have no fear whatsoever of un-vaccinated people!

According to vaccine promoters, if you take a flu shot vaccine, that means you can run around and drench yourself in flu viruses with total immunity. You can lick dirty doorknobs, shake hands with people who just wiped their runny noses, and even touch filthy drooling babies right before you eat a sandwich with your contaminated hands. Thanks to the vaccine, you’re now bulletproof!

So why worry at all about un-vaccinated people infecting you?

Vaccines cause brain damage

See, the vaccine logic just doesn’t add up. There’s a reason for that, of course: Vaccines make you stupid. The chemical adjuvants added to vaccines actually cause neurological damage and interfere with healthy cognitive function. That’s why brain-damaged people who take vaccines — also known as Vaccine Zombies — can’t work out the simple logic explained above.

It’s also why people who take vaccines are easily fooled into taking yet more vaccines. The critical thinking parts of their brains have been impaired, and they also have trouble with math and finances. Did you know that two-thirds of Americans cannot explain how compound interest works? Try to explain fundamental concepts of fractional-reserve banking to your average vaccine consumer and you’ll quickly discover just how brain damaged they really are.

Vaccines, fluoride, MSG and toxic heavy metals all work together in our modern world to chemically lobotomize the masses, turning them into drooling (useful) idiots who are just barely smart enough to punch a clock and operate some machinery on the job, but not nearly smart enough to realize how much they’re all being ripped off by the Fed’s money creation schemes that devalue the currency.

In fact, you might say that a vaccine-impaired population is absolutely essential for the existence of a police state government that relies on the poor cognitive function of its own citizens to maintain power and control over them. If people could actually do math, for example, they’d be marching in Washington right now — just over the national debt if nothing else.

Vaccine zealots are time travelers (in their own minds)

Another especially hilarious truism about flu shots is that they only work if you go back in time to the year before and expose yourself to last year’s flu viruses. That’s because each year’s flu shot is made from the circulating viral strains found last year, not this year.

Viruses mutate rapidly, resulting in structural changes that often circumvent immune system antibodies, especially if those antibodies were created in response to exposure of a different strain. So getting injected with last year’s viral strains is only useful if you’re a time traveler with a time machine in your living room. Wanna relive the flu season of 2007? No problem! The vaccine companies have those strains readily available for you. Just crank up your time-traveling gizmo that you bought on eBay and you’re ready to roll!

But if you’re looking to protect yourself in the present (or the near future), getting injected with last year’s influenza strain is about as idiotic as thinking you can beat the stock market by buying a crystal ball off eBay.

Vaccines need no proof that they work

The best part about the total morons who get vaccinated every year with flu shots is watching them try to explain why they always get sick anyway!

Me: “Hi, Cathy. Merry Christmas. Oh, you’re sick again this year? What happened?”

Cathy: “I don’t know, I just started feeling tired and achy again, and now I’m vomiting every four hours and can’t eat.”

Me: “Huh, sounds like the flu. But that’s weird, don’t you get the flu shot every year?”

Cathy: “Yeah, and it’s a good thing, too, because if I didn’t, this flu would have been even worse.”

This is, of course, the very kind of loopy “quackery” logic that mainstream medicine invokes when attacking holistic medicine or homeopathy. Notice that Cathy has now justified her vaccine injections by believing they offered her flu protection even when she’s the one who’s sick? Furthermore, she mistakenly believes that flu shots reduce the severity of her influenza infection, even when that’s pure bunk as well.

It’s a curious behavioral tendency in humans, of course, to rationalize their decisions with irrational thinking. This is especially true in the vaccine industry where people have been brainwashed into thinking vaccines are effective whether or not they actually work.

Option #1) Did you avoid the flu this winter? Must have been the flu shot!

Option #2) Catch a flu this winter? Oh, it “could have been worse” without the flu shot.

So, in the minds of the flu shot takers, there is no scenario in which the flu shot fails. It ALWAYS works in their minds, regardless of the outcome. That’s a sure sign that somebody at the medical clinic is quacking like a duck… Quack! Quack!

99% of the vaccine-taking public are delusional

What makes this all so hilarious? Well, for starters, flu shots only prevent flu symptoms in 1 out of 100 people who take them.

This means that 99% of flu take takers are delusional, living in a medical wonderland complete with fairies, unicorns and leprechauns who magically appear to defend them against influenza infections.

Perhaps more hilariously, 99% of the doctors and pharmacists are also delusional because they promote flu shots even when there is absolutely no scientific evidence to support the idea that they really work. There are no credible clinical trials performed on any flu vaccines before they are rolled out, did you know? Sure, the drug companies inject a few dozen volunteers with the shot and watch for symptoms over a period of 14 days or so, but that’s not a real clinical trial (too small, too short, and it’s all funded by the vaccine companies anyway). Not surprisingly, nobody in the field of medicine bothers to test the efficacy of flu shots versus vitamin D supplements, because they know vitamin D would vastly out-perform flu shots in its ability to prevent influenza infections.

That’s the beauty of flu shots: They need no proof! Because the people who take them will convince themselves that the flu shots are working, even when they’re the ones getting sick all the time.

Meanwhile, the people who are NOT getting sick tend to be the people who are taking vitamin D supplements, who are drinking immune-boosting herbal tea, and who lead healthy lifestyles. That’s what really works to prevent the flu… no vaccine necessary!

So watch out for the loopy logic and twisted minds of flu shot promoters. These people are a bit lacking in the brains department, with a few shelves missing from their cognitive library. A few fries short of a Happy Meal. In a room full of chimpanzees, they’d be the last to escape.

These are not the best and brightest that humanity has to offer, that’s for sure. No wonder vaccines are now being used to promote infertility, because even Bill Gates admits that the globalists don’t want these people to reproduce.

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Green Tea Supplements Prevent Flu Better Than Vaccination

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By: Ethan Evers
Source: NaturalNews.com

Flu season is now in full swing and seasonal vaccinations are being pushed from every corner. Nonetheless, a recent clinical trial showed that green tea-based supplements reduced the risk of flu by 75%. This is far better than the 60% risk reduction recently reported in the Lancet for vaccinations. Given that green tea provides a host of other health benefits and none of the risks of injections, it would appear to be a far superior alternative to vaccination.

Green Tea: Natural Antiviral and Immune Enhancer

For many years it has been known that green tea polyphenols actively suppress many bacterial, fungal and viral species. On the virus front, green tea suppresses the adenovirus, Epstein-Barr, herpes simplex, HIV-1 and influenza viruses. EGCG, one of the main polyphenols in green tea, is mainly responsible for this suppression. Specifically, ECGC binds to the hemagglutinin of the influenza virus, which blocks it from attaching to (and infecting) target receptor cells. EGCG also alters the virus cell membrane, which further inhibits its ability to infect other cells. Another important component of green tea is the amino acid L-theanine, which has been shown to activate human gamma-delta-T lymphocytes to proliferate and make interferon-gamma, a potent antimicrobial cytokine. These lymphocytes are considered to be the body’s first line of defence against infection. Green tea therefore offers a two-pronged protection from the flu which vaccination simply cannot match. But for final proof, we need clinical trials.

Green Tea Lowers Flu Risk: Early Clinical Evidence

One early trial using green tea against the flu involved gargling three times daily with a weak solution of green tea (50 mg of catechins per cup, of which 60% was EGCG). The theory was that since the throat was a major infection site of influenza, gargling could stop the flu virus there. The theory was right: 1.3% of garglers contracted the flu vs. 10% of the control group. In another more sophisticated trial on 97 healthy adults, a proprietary blend of theanine and green tea polyphenols (apparently worth about 10 cups of green tea per day, but exact amounts were not disclosed) was used for three months during flu season. This trial was randomized, double-blind and placebo controlled. The supplement takers experienced 32% less illnesses and 35% fewer “symptom days.” However, participants were included in the statistical analysis even if their compliance (actually taking the green tea pills) was only 70%.

Latest Clinical Trial Provides Stunning Results: 75% Less Illness

More recently, a better controlled trial was performed on 198 health care workers. This was randomized, double-blind and placebo controlled: the gold standard in clinical trials. The treatment group was each given a daily dose of 378 mg green tea catechins (containing 270 mg EGCG) and 210 mg of theanine from November 2009 to April 2010. The compliance rate in this trial was better: 93% took their pills according to plan. Those taking the green tea experienced 75% less clinically defined flu infection and this was statistically significant (P=0.022). But not all observed sicknesses were bona fide flu. When laboratory tests were used to confirm real influenza infection, it showed that green tea provided a stunning 83% reduction in flu risk, however this was not statistically significant (P=0.112) due to the small number of actual flu cases.

This latest trial shows that green tea supplements easily outperform flu vaccination for preventing illness. This may be a shocker to most people’s vaccine-indoctrinated mind-set, but for those who already study, understand and practice the principles of natural health, it’s really no surprise at all.

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Protect Yourself Against the Flu Vaccine!

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By Andreas Moritz

The vaccine industry insists that their vaccines against the flu serve as the key to a healthy winter. Although there has not been a serious flu epidemic for 38 years, their vaccines are prescribed to millions of people each year. You may wonder why perfectly healthy people are injected with a normally harmless bug whose strains mutate from year to year? Although flu vaccines can never be accurate, encouraged by their employers, millions of employees submit to a flu jab each year, trying to avoid the loss of working days.

Influenza always starts in the Far East, and then spreads to the West in early winter, reaching its peak during February and March. It may come in either of three types, A, B, or C. During the last several years, type A has been the dominant version. What makes vaccination against the flu so unsuccessful is that the strains of the flu virus are different every year and the so-called protection lasts for only six months. So each autumn you require a new vaccination for a different virus. The trouble is, drug companies have no way of knowing in summer which new strain of the flu virus is going to hit the Western Hemisphere during the winter months.

The vaccine producers grow the vaccines, consisting of live viruses, in hen’s eggs, which when injected into the body can cause side effects such as redness and soreness at the injection site and a mild form of flu. Very serious complications arise in people who are taking immune-suppressing drugs or who have a heart condition. If you are allergic to eggs, having a flu-shot may also endanger your health.

For the average healthy person, coming down with the flu is not serious at all. On the contrary, it can build up natural immunity even against future encounters with new strains of the flu virus. The very reason why nature creates these new forms of virus every year and spreads them with accurate timing is to ensure continued ecological balance and strong immunity in plants, animals, and humans alike. Anyone prone to repeated infections is likely to have a toxic liver with many hundreds of stones accumulated in the liver and gallbladder. Gallstones, which harbor many types of infectious bacteria and viruses, are a constant source of immune suppression. Cleansing the liver of all gallstones is about the best prevention against any type of infection. People who have cleansed their liver in this way have reported that they never catch a cold or the flu anymore.

Flu virus vaccines used until 2002 contained “live” viruses and produced so many serious, adverse reactions that new vaccines had to be concocted. The new formula for flu vaccines is called the “subvirion,” which basically is a mutilated virus “blended, spliced and macerated” until just bits and pieces of the original virus are left. This in no way makes the virus less dangerous. In fact, the antigens or foreign proteins in the vaccine, for which the body is forced to produce antibodies against, are still as poisonous and harmful as live virus.

Besides the subvirion, there are plenty of other substances added to the flu vaccine, most of which you would never want to consciously ingest. These include:

* Hemagglutinin antigens that cause clumping of the red blood cells, leading to cardiovascular disease.
* The enzyme neuraminidase, which cuts out neuraminic acid from the cell membrane, weakening all of the trillions of cell membranes in the body.
* White crystalline substance called allantoin, a toxic animal waste product. Due to its high nitrogen content, allantoin is used as fertilizer; leads to kidneys and bladder stones.
* Gentamicin, a broad spectrum antibiotic, is added to each embryonated chicken egg to inhibit the growth of bacteria (vaccine is grown in chicken eggs).
* Formaldehyde (carcinogenic), used as a preservative and to inactivate the virus.
* The toxic chemicals, tri butylphosphate and Polysorbate 80, USP.
* Resin, to eliminate “substantial portions” of tri butylphosphate and Polysorbate 80
* Thimerosal, a mercury derivative, to preserve the vaccine cocktail.
* Polyethylene glycol, a relative of ethylene glycol (antifreeze); often used to poison dogs and other predators of sheep.
* Isocctylphenyl ether, a compound of ether; has anesthetic properties; a teratogen, causing abnormal prenatal development. It also induces testicular atrophy in animals.

The vaccine producers are unable to guarantee that the vaccine will protect you against the flu. So they carefully tell you that the vaccine “reduces the likelihood of infection; or if you do develop the disease it will be a milder case.” Some express the same uncertainly about their product in this way: “It is known definitely that influenza virus vaccine, as now constituted, is not effective against all possible strains of influenza virus.”

Why would you want to entrust your health to a cocktail of poisonous chemicals when even a somewhat weakened immune system stands a far better chance to protect you against harm from a bout of influenza. Our body’s sophisticated immune system, which has evolved over millions of years, can certainly do a better job of protecting you against the flu than anything man-made. All it needs is some basic care taking on your part. With each new flu shot, on the other hand, your immune system becomes more depleted and side-effects become more pronounced and severe. And, you may still get the flu anyway. The following list includes the possible consequences you can expect if you go down the road of vaccination:

The most frequent side effects of vaccination:

* Soreness at the site of the vaccination
* Pain or tenderness
* Erythema
* Inflammation
* Skin discoloration
* Induration
* A mass or lump
* Hypersensitivity reactions incl. puritus and urticaria
* Fever
* Malaise
* Myalgia
* Arthralgia
* Asthenia
* Chills
* Headache
* Lymphadenopathy
* Rash
* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Diarrhea
* Pharyngitis
* Angiopathy
* Vasculiltis
* Anaphylaxis in asthmatics, with possible death
* Anaphylactic shock, with possible death

Vaccination certainly does not create immunity. You cannot become immune by ingesting poisons that destroy the immune system. Studies by a group of Italian scientists showed that the flu vaccine reduced the occurrence of clinical episodes of influenza by only 6 percent in adults, and effectiveness tended to decrease with age. They concluded that universal immunization wasn’t warranted. Stated simply, hand washing and other hygienic and nutritional measures are far superior to the flu vaccine in effectiveness. When cared for hygienically, and by eating nutritious foods and keeping one’s intestines and liver clean, influenza never becomes a deadly disease. Getting vaccinated against the flu, on the other hand, is a sure way to sow the seeds for new illnesses in the body. All vaccines are poisonous, and as such act like time bombs that will explode in due time.

Why People Get the Flu

Flu jabs lower natural immunity by injecting alien and toxic substances directly into the blood stream. No other animal in the world takes recourse to such unnatural, superficial and crude means to defend itself against invading viruses. The normal route of contact with a viral particle is via the lungs. The vast majority of the population has a normal, healthy immune system and is perfectly capable of dealing with the invaders without getting sick. But if the body’s infection fighters have temporarily gone “on strike” for reasons other than the lack of a vaccine, the flu virus can gain unrestricted access into the body and cause an infection.

Regular vaccination (of any kind) is one of the major causes of depleted immunity. The yearly-administered flu jabs burden the immune system and cells of the body with foreign toxic material without giving them a chance to remove them again. The toxic viral particles can remain latent in the cells and gallstones for as long as 20 years; when they emerge they can cause serious cell damage. With each new vaccination the immune system becomes more and more restricted in its effort to neutralize the live virus that suddenly appears in the blood. It may produce antibodies for the virus (although in many cases the immune system fails to do even that), which is finally subdued, but this encounter leaves the host’s immune system unnecessarily tired and weak.

Besides immune damage, vaccines of all kinds produce alterations in genetic material and thereby cause a whole range of malfunctions in the body. Vaccines may even be the cause of the increasing incidence of malignant diseases in children. Mass immunization programs have created such weak immune systems that they are even susceptible to such harmless viruses as the one causing the flu. We may have gone as far as to replace mumps and measles with cancer, leukemia, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Flu vaccinations are mainly targeted at the older generation and young children. In the United Kingdom, about 10,000 people, most of them are of very advanced age, (supposedly) die from flu-related illnesses. It may, therefore, sound reasonable to vaccinate the older people to protect them against the flu virus. But there is no total protection even among those vaccinated. Around 20 percent or more of the elderly people who get the vaccine still get a more virulent strain of flu, and many others get a lighter form of the flu. The same is true for the people in the same age group who haven’t been immunized. The weak and elderly people are more likely among those who die from the flu, regardless whether they have been immunized or not. The bottom line is that there is no real advantage in having a flu jab. And certainly, given the frailty of so many of the oldest members of society, there is absolutely no reliable way of telling whether the flu or something else may lead to their death. According to several studies released in February 2005 and reported by major news media such as CNN, the death rate in and out of the flu season among the elderly remains unchanged. In a statement commenting on the results of the new research, a CDC spokesman reiterated they still hold the strong belief that vaccinating the elderly and young is necessary. It is scary to entrust the life of millions of adults and children in the hands of people who base their decisions on mere personal belief, instead of on facts. As we have seen with AIDS (chapter 12), statistics can be manipulated in ways that support theories which have only one objective, to keep the medical business going. When a person who is about to die anyway also catches the flu, he will be automatically listed as a flu victim. This statistical deception will justify the use of vaccines in the rest of the elderly population, and the children.

Instead of giving the elderly population vaccines – in the misguided belief that this would take care of them – we could help them much more by improving their general resistance to disease through good diet, social engagements and exercise programs. Many old people don’t have adequate nutrition and suffer from depression; both these factors work as powerful immune suppressants. Others don’t have a warm home or they live alone. Research has shown that these are the major risk factors for illness and death in the older generation. A series of liver cleanses alone can strengthen natural immunity, improve digestion, retard the aging process, restore health, and foremost of all, enhance mental functions.

In developing countries, where the elderly play an important role in society, general illness is low, provided there is enough food available. In these countries it is more likely that old people die from malnutrition than from a strain of virus.

There are an increasing number of reports that indicate a worsening of high blood pressure, diabetes, gout, and Parkinson’s disease as well as an increase in all kinds of allergic complaints in adults who regularly receive flu jabs. In 1976 an extensive flu vaccination program in America led to a massive outbreak of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disease affecting the nervous system. The outbreak, known as the “Great Swine Flue Fiasco,” paralyzed 656 people and 30 elderly persons were found dead within hours after they were vaccinated. Compensation claims were enormous, which helped slowing down the program, but only for a while.

What about the other high-risk group, young children? Japanese researchers have shown that infants under one year of age fail to even generate a good antibody response following the vaccine. There is no point pumping children full with vaccine poisons, except enriching the pharmaceutical companies.

Seniors, of course, are one of the core target groups for the flu vaccine program. So every year we’re told how older people are particularly vulnerable to the flu. We’re also told that government officials are holding their breath over their fear of a devastating flu pandemic. We’re even told that about 36,000 people die of flu related complications in the United States each year, and most of those deaths are elderly people. The reality of the matter is quite different, though. How many people do you think died of the flu last year? Less than 175, according to Sherri J. Tenpenny, D.O., an internationally known leader in vaccine research! And yet, the official line propagated by media campaigns is to be prepared for another wave of deadly flu epidemic, killing thousands of people each new season.

The latest scare campaign about a possible bird-flu pandemic that recently swept the mass media and was written about in the a February issue of the New Yorker magazine is not justified, according to most research experts in the field. That 180 million people are projected to die from the bird-flu if it spreads is based on guess work, without any real scientific proof. It is like forecasting the long-awaited massive earthquake in California. At this time, there is no reason to believe that such a pandemic will occur.

In the Name of Prevention

The pharmaceutical companies producing the vaccines seem to have a more powerful effect on the population than the scientists have who invented them. As early as 1980, Dr Albert Sabin, one of the world’s leading virologists and pioneer of the polio vaccine, spoke vehemently against the use of the flu vaccine, claiming that it was unnecessary for over 90 percent of the population. This, however, has not discouraged the vaccination industry to endorse vaccination for all in the name of health and protection against disease.

What makes matters worse is that there has never been a properly controlled clinical trial with the flu vaccine. Because we don’t know anything about it’s its long-term effects, we may be unknowingly producing generations of people with debilitated immune systems and chronic diseases. Flu vaccination is an unproved and unscientific practice and there is nothing in the scientific literature that can certify or guarantee its safety. The most effective way to fight infections, including the flu, is to prevent it. There is no substitute for a health-increasing regimen. Vaccination, on the other hand, offers no real protection. Injecting the body with foreign and poisonous viral material is counterproductive to improving our well being. Dr. John Seal from the American National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases warned that we have to assume that every flu vaccination can cause the Guillain-Barre Syndrome. In this sense, prevention is not better than cure.

Help From Mother Nature

For those who are concerned about the flu and its possible effects, there is a remarkable herbal extract (andrographis paniculata) that has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic (traditional Indian) therapies and traditional Chinese Medicine. It is used to treat everything from isolated cases of the sniffles to full-blown outbreaks of influenza. Apparently, Andrographis is believed to have halted the spread of the 1919 Indian flu pandemic.

There is scientific evidence to support that theory. Researchers at the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth in the UK conducted a survey of medical databases, herbal manufacturer information and World Health Organization reports to select seven studies that met the criteria for double-blind, controlled trials. The combined studies tested the use of andrographis as a treatment for respiratory tract infection in nearly 900 subjects.
In all seven of these studies, subjects who took andrographis after the onset of cold symptoms reported faster recovery, compared to subjects who took placeboes or medication.

Researchers concluded that andrographis may be effective in treating “uncomplicated” infection in the upper respiratory tract (throat, sinuses and ears). According to previous laboratory trials andrographis extract doesn’t actually kill the organisms that make you sick – at least not directly. Instead, the herbal compound boosts your immune system and stimulates natural antibodies.

Animal research also showed that andrographis may help prevent myocardial ischemia (inadequate blood circulation in the heart caused by coronary artery disease), inhibit the formation of blood clots, lower blood sugar levels in diabetics, lowered systolic blood pressure, and protect the liver against damage.

Kan Jang is a brand of standardized extract of andrographis that has consistently outsold all other cold medications in Scandinavia for 13 years running. The Swedish Herbal Institute, the formulator of Kan Jang, recommends that you take one tablet four times daily to fight colds or the flu. Kan Jang can be purchased at dietary supplement stores and through Internet sites.

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This is an excerpt from my book TIMELESS SECRETS OF HEALTH AND REJUVENATION

                                     

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Baxter, the Same Company that Unleashed Tainted Avian Flu Vaccines, Recalls 300,000 Flu Vaccines for Serious Adverse Reactions

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By: Jonathan Benson
Source: NaturalNews.com

Baxter Healthcare Corp. has announced it is recalling roughly 300,000 doses of its Preflucel influenza vaccine due to what it says is an excessive number of adverse events. Baxter is the same drug company that was caught inserting Avian Flu Virus into flu vaccines back in 2009.

The UK’s Daily Mail reports that a high number of individuals injected with an apparently tainted batch of Preflucel have been reporting side effects like fatigue, muscle pain, and headaches. The vaccine, which was crafted specifically for those with egg allergies, has only been in use since March when it was first approved for use in the UK.

“The vaccine is being recalled because these side effects have been reported more frequently with this specific batch,” said a Baxter spokesmen. This spokesman also attempted to reassure the public that those who have already been vaccinated with Preflucel “should not be concerned (for their safety).”

At the same time, however, Baxter has instructed healthcare providers not to administer any more Preflucel, no matter what batch it came from, to patients. And since this announcement, many European countries where the vaccine was distributed have ceased using it, and have instead switched to various alternatives.

“[Preflucel] should no longer be used and any remaining stock [of the recalled batches] should be returned to the original supplier for credit,” announced the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. “No further Preflucel of any batch should be administered at this time.”

Conveniently for Baxter, no further information has been provided to the public as to what might be the cause of the uptick in adverse reactions. And if the vaccine is so harmful that the company has decided to recall several hundred thousand doses of it and cease all further administration of it, how can officials say that those who have already been injected with it are safe?

The 2009 scandal involving the US division of Baxter essentially exposed the company as a purveyor of biological terrorism. After all, the company’s Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) facility where the tainted vaccine was produced would have prevented unintentional contamination, which implies an intentional conspiracy So what dirty little secret might Baxter be trying to hide with its current recall ?

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New Study Shows Only Half of People Infected with Flu Virus Actually Get Sick – Why?

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By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

It’s a common misconception that the only way to avoid getting the flu is to make sure you don’t come into contact with the virus, or if you do to wash it off your hands quickly before you touch your eyes or your mouth and allow the virus to invade your system. As a result, a large number of hand sanitizers and antibacterial soaps are heavily promoted each flu season as your best defense against the flu virus.

Now, washing your hands properly is certainly a good idea to reduce your risk of infection (plain soap and water are all you need to accomplish this, there’s no need to use antibacterial varieties).

In fact, Americans actually touch about 300 different surfaces every 30 minutes … but it’s rather unrealistic to think that you can avoid ever coming into contact with an infectious virus like the flu. But this needn’t send you into panic mode, as just because you’re exposed to a virus does not mean you will get sick! The determining factor? The health of your immune system!

You Can be Exposed to the Flu Virus and Not Get Sick

A new study by University of Michigan researchers may help put to rest the myth that you have to avoid the flu virus in order to avoid getting sick, as when they infected 17 healthy people with the flu, only half of them got sick. The other half? They felt perfectly fine.

Interestingly, even if you don’t notice the flu your immune system does. The researchers found changes in blood took place 36 hours before flu symptoms showed up, and everyone had an immune response, regardless of whether or not they felt sick. Study author Alfred Hero, professor at the University of Michigan College of Engineering, told MSNBC:

“Many people might conclude that if you are exposed to a virus and you don’t get sick, it’s because the virus didn’t stick or it was so weak, it just passed right through your system and your system didn’t notice. That’s not a correct notion … There is an active immune response which accounts for the resistance of certain people getting sick, and that response is just as active as the response we all know and hate, which is being sick with the sniffles, fever, coughing and sneezing. It’s just that the responses are different.”

There were differences in both gene expression and biological metabolism among those who got sick versus those who didn’t, and the differences were related to antioxidants.

In symptomatic participants, the immune response included antiviral and inflammatory responses that may be related to virus-induced oxidative stress. But in the non-symptomatic participants, these responses were tightly regulated. The asymptomatic group also had elevated expression of genes that function in antioxidant responses and cell-mediated responses.

Your Lifestyle is One of the Greatest Predictors of Whether or Not You’ll Get the Flu

You can greatly lower your risk of coming down with a cold, flu or other illness by modifying your daily lifestyle habits. I haven’t missed a day of work due to illness in over 30 years, so I speak from personal experience. I’ve also seen my health-conscious friends and colleagues enjoy similar benefits. This is clearly not because we have never been exposed to a flu virus … it’s a direct result of healthy lifestyle choices.

I like to use the analogy of disease to darkness and health to light. If you shine a light in a dark room it is not dark anymore. Darkness and light simply can’t coexist. Similarly if you are healthy you can have massive exposure to infectious agents and you simply will NOT get sick.

Just like light and darkness, it is very difficult, if not impossible in most cases, for a strong immune system and infectious disease to exist together. It is the state of your immune system — not the bacteria or virus itself — that determines whether or not you will get sick, even if you come in contact with the germ.

Where do Flu Shots Come In?

If a healthy immune system is capable of keeping you flu-free year after year, is it necessary for you to get a flu shot? The choice is yours, but keep these four important factors in mind:

  • All vaccines are immune suppressive — that is, they suppress your immune system, which may not return to normal for weeks to months. This could increase your risk of contracting the flu or another infectious disease.
  • Flu vaccinations are notoriously ineffective and keep coming up short in study after study when it comes to having any measurable impact on what matters most, which is reducing illness and mortality from the flu.After the largest flu-vaccination campaign in Canadian history, a Canadian-led study (through the Cochrane Collaboration, a highly respected international network of researchers who analyze the scientific evidence, including the methodology, used in clinical trials) concluded that vaccinating nursing home workers had no effect on confirmed influenza cases among the homes’ elderly residents.
  • Only about 20 percent of flu-like illnesses are actually caused by influenza type A or B, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The other 80 percent are caused by more than 200 other bugs that can make you feel just as sick — respiratory syncytial virus, bocavirus, coronavirus, and rhinovirus, to name a few. The flu shot will do virtually nothing to prevent those latter viruses that cause 80 percent of flu-like symptoms. Only a healthy immune system can do that!
  • If you do come down with influenza and have a good immune response, you will likely quickly recover without serious complications, as well as obtain natural immunity to that strain of influenza and to similar ones.Since vaccines bypass your natural first-line defense (your lgA immune system), they are never 100 percent protective because they provide only temporary, typically inferior immunity compared to that your body would receive from naturally contracting and recovering from a disease.

5 Top Ways to Boost Your Immune Health and Stay Flu-Free

If you want to join the ranks of “those people” who rarely get sick, start with the strategies listed below. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it does give you a general idea of how to live healthy and avoid getting sick. Other factors, like getting high-quality sleep and avoiding exposure to environmental toxins, are important too, but if you’re looking for a few simple “secrets” to get started on today … start with these …

  1. Optimize Your Vitamin D
    This takes the number one position for a reason: if you’re vitamin-D-deficient, and many are, your immune system will not activate to do its job. Just one example of an important gene that vitamin D up-regulates is your ability to fight infections, including the flu. It produces over 200 antimicrobial peptides, the most important of which is cathelicidin, a naturally occurring broad-spectrum antibiotic.At least five studies show an inverse association between lower respiratory tract infections and vitamin D levels. That is, the higher your vitamin D level, the lower your risk of contracting colds, flu, and other respiratory tract infections. To find out more, including your best sources of vitamin D, dosing and what proper levels should be, please watch my free one-hour lecture.The best way to increase your vitamin D level is by sun exposure but that is difficult for most people in the fall and winter, so next best would be to use a safe tanning bed. Neither of these methods require blood testing as long as you are getting enough exposure to get a tan. The least best way to increase your vitamin D level is by swallowing it, which will require a blood test to confirm your level is correct. Most adults require 8,000 units to reach therapeutic levels and some much more. Although that may sound too high to some, remember you can get up to 20,000 units through sun or tanning bed exposures.
  2. Optimize Your Insulin and Leptin Levelsby Avoiding Sugar, Fructose
    Eating sugar, fructose and grains will increase your insulin level, which is one of the fastest ways to get sick and also experience premature aging. Leptinis another heavyweight hormone associated with disease and the aging process.Like your insulin levels, if your leptin levels become elevated, your body systems will develop a resistance to this hormone, which will wreak havoc in your body.My nutrition plan, based on natural whole foods, is your first step toward optimizing your insulin and leptin levels and increasing your chances of living a longer, healthier life. The heart of my program is the elimination, or at the very least, drastic reduction of fructose, grains and sugar in your diet, which is also important for flu prevention because sugar decreases the function of your immune system.
  3. Exercise
    If you are exercising regularly, just as if your vitamin D levels are optimized, the likelihood of your acquiring the flu or other viral illness decreases quite dramatically, and studies have clearly shown this.In one such study, staying active cut the risk of having a cold by 50 percent, and cut the severity of symptoms by 31 percent among those who did catch a cold. The researchers noted that each round of exercise may lead to a boost in circulating immune system cells that could help ward off a virus.It’s a well-known fact that exercise improves the circulation of immune cells in your blood. The job of these cells is to neutralize pathogens throughout your body. The better these cells circulate, the more efficient your immune system is at locating and defending against viruses and diseases trying to attack your body.Since exercise has repeatedly been proven to benefit your immune system over the long haul, it’s crucial to treat exercise like a drug that must be properly prescribed, monitored and maintained for you to enjoy the most benefits. Essentially, you need to have a varied, routine that includes high-intensity interval exercises like Peak Fitness.
  4. Eat Plenty of Raw Food
    One of the most important aspects of a healthy diet that is frequently overlooked is the issue of eating your food uncooked, in its natural raw state.Unfortunately, as you may be aware, over 90 percent of the food purchased by Americans is processed. And when you’re consuming these kinds of denatured and chemically altered foods, it’s no surprise we have an epidemic of chronic and degenerative diseases, not to mention way too many cases of colds and flu.Ideally you’ll want to eat as many foods as possible in their unprocessed state; typically organic, biodynamic foods that have been grown locally, and are therefore in season. But even when you choose the best foods available you can destroy most of the nutrition if you cook them. I believe it’s really wise to strive to get as much raw food in your diet as possible.I personally try to eat about 80 percent of my food raw, including raw eggs and organic, naturally raised meats.
  5. Learn How to Effectively Cope With Stress
    Stress has a major influence on the function of your immune system, which is why you’ve probably noticed you’re more likely to catch a cold or the flu when you’re under a lot of stress. This is true for both acute stressful episodes, such as preparing a big project for work, and chronic stress, such as relationship troubles or grief. Both will deteriorate your immune system and leave it less able to fight off infectious agents.And, in the event you do get sick, emotional stressors can actually make your cold and flu symptoms worse. So be sure you take time in life to de-stress and unwind using stress management tools like exercise, meditation, massage, and solid social support.

Following these guidelines will help you optimize both your health and immune function, and by doing so minimize your risk of the flu and other infectious disease.

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