Avian Flu Epidemic

[mlk_man]

Guess you could call this the "bearish" view:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-10-08-flu-pandemic_x.htm

And here is the "bullish" view:

Avian Flu Epidemic Scare is a Hoax

http://www.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2005/october/10.9flu.jpg"If you have been viewing the media you must have seen the scare the media and the president are seeking to orchestrate on you and the public. According to a draft of the government's plan to fight a potentially cataclysmic pandemic this newavian super-flu could killnearly TWO MILLION Americans.

But I nearly fell out of my seat in the airplane as I was flying back from a conference in Ft. Lauderdale when I read that in the BEST-case scenario, only 200,000 people might die.

Then they post the frightening picture from the 1918 flu epidemic to heighten the fear. It just amazes me how they can get away with this type of reporting that is so obviously manipulated by the government and drug companies to scare you into taking the flu vaccine.

The popular media continues to reinforce this unbased fear. In the editorial section of the October 17, 2005 issue of the Wall Street Journal, Dr. Henry Miller, former director of the Office of Biotechnology at the FDA, seeks to frighten the US public by telling us that the avian flu virus can jump from birds to humans and produce a fatal illness in 50% of those infected.

Ah there's the rub. 50% fatality rate sounds pretty scary to me. What Dr. Miller and the other experts fail to explain is how these numbers were derived. Did they examine everyone who contracted the avian flu and use those numbers or did they examine the sickest of the sick who had come down with the avian flu and determine the mortality from there?

Of course it was the later, and from the 60 people who have died from this in THIRD world countries we are being told that anywhere from 200,000 AT BEST to two million people at worst will die from the avian flu.

This is shody science at best and beyond belief that any reputable scientist could get away with such nonsense.

What Happened to Common Sense?

The avian flu epidemic hoax reminds me just how uncommon "common sense" is. Folks where is the sound basic science here? How do they make the giant leap of faith that 60 deaths will translate to 2 million or even 200,00 deaths in the US from a virus that does NOT readily spread from birds to humans or humans to humans?

Most of the people who acquired this infection were bird handlers who were in continuous contact with these sick birds. Does anyone in their right mind envision similar circumstances in the US?

Research like this would typically be thrown in the trash if it did not strongly support some ulterior purpose.

What might the purpose of these scare tactics be you ask?

Well how about the US purchasing huge quantities of antiviral drugs and an increase in flu vaccine production along with purchasing 20 million doses of the highly questionably effective Tamiflu. Guess how much one treatment of Tamiflu costs? Give yourself a slap on the back if you guessed $100.

Donald Rumsfeld to Profit Big Time

So those 20 million doses the government has authorized will cost US Taxpayers 2 BILLION dollars.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will likely profit handsomely from the announcement the government is purchasing $2 billion of Tamiflu, the drug developed by Gilead Sciences when Rumsfeld was president of the company. He is reported to hold major portions of stock in Gilead

Not very different from his previous experience with aspartame (http://www.mercola.com/blog/2005/oct/18/2005/jan/12/rumsfeld_aspartame.htm) where he was president of Searle and was able to get asparatame approved after being blocked by the FDA for more than a decade.

Now I think very few of us would mind if this drug actually worked and prevented even a few people from dying. But does it do that? Not really. About all anyone can expect from this drug is that it might make the symptoms a bit less severe. On the downside (aside from setting you back $100)Dr. Tenpenny explained in her Flu Tele Clinic (http://www.mercola.com/forms/seminars/teleclinic/flu/index.htm)last week Tamiflucan actually cause the virus to mutate into a more dangerous and potent viral strain.

YesterdayUS Congress asked Roche, the maker of Tamiflu to suspend its patent and have others make it because they could not likely keep up with the demand, but of course Roche refused (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-10-17-tamiflu-usat_x.htm) saying Tamiflu is hard to make and it would take another company three years to "get up to speed".

What they were really saying is they could care less about the public, what their primary focus on was to not share their windfall profits mandated by the US Congress.

Worthless Flu Shots

Of course let us not forget the flu shots which many will use get when they confuse avian flu with the regular flu. Please understand even if you believe the flu shots work, the flu shot you can now purchaseis in no way shape or form designed to protect you against the flu. They are completely different strains. (Avian flu is H5N1 strain).

But rest assuredthe makers of flu vaccines will not lose this unusal opportunity to rape the American public of even more profits. Today we learned thatthose getting the flu shots may see a 25% increase in prices at clinics, doctors' offices and medical centers (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-10-17-flu-shots-usat_x.htm) because of increases in the wholesale cost of the vaccines.

History Repeats Itself

Investigative journalist Ida Honorof for decades published a consumer newsletter and broadcast a regular radio program. Honorof received a first prize award from Associated Press for investigative journalism. The Los Angeles Times and other publications credited her with breaking some of the biggest horror stories of our time.

Ida Honorof wrote, "the most brazen, obscene electioneering ploy" ever and added that it was proposed by the President "and his coterie of scientific hacks, fabricated to cause pure unadulterated panic and guarantee political capital, rammed through without consideration of people's health and lives and approved by a band-wagon Congress" eager to make the nation's "health" a bipartisan concern.

The above quote was not written about the avian flu epidemic but the 5 million swine-flu vaccine program of 30 years ago. The hastily contrived program for swine flu resulted in hundreds of Guillain Barre Syndrome paralysis victims as well as countless deaths for a flu pandemic that never materialized.

The pocketbook purloining proposed by the Senate is more than 3,000 per cent greater than that of 30 years ago! Has your paycheck increased 3,000 per cent in the last 30 years?

Practical Options

First step for anyone caught up in this avianflu hype nonsense is to take a deep breath and relax and realize the truth here. Unless you are full time bird handler in a third world country that has a seriously challenged immune system you probably have a much better chance of wining the lottery than dying from the proposed avian flu epidemic.

Dr. Joseph Mercola

[Wimpy]

It doesn't seem more than a couple of years ago the big threat was smallpox along with ashortage of the smallpoxvaccine.Then all of the sudden its asquiet as amouse a peein' on cotton. Iremember reading articles about a number of healthcare workers who were refusing the vaccine. That got my attention!

I think most of that stuff isdesigned to sell rather than take. I thinksanitation engineering has probablydonemuch more to eradicate disease than vaccinations have, but the engineers seem to be a much more humble group andavoid the limelight and accolades which leaves a perfect opening for the huffers and puffers to jump in and take the credit and the money. If it was just water in those vaccinesit wouldn't be so bad, but some of that stuffthey put in there will hurt you.

What I find a little weird is that they want to give it to theold and sick first. If I had to take that stuff, I would want to be in the prime of mylife and in perfect health. But, maybe the vaccinationplan is part ofa biggerplan to save Social Security...i.e., thinning the herd a little.

I think I'll take a pass on this one and just avoid the crowds.

[mlk_man]

Thanks for the input Wimpy, I'm with you. :^

If I worked on a chicken farm, I might think otherwise.............

[mlk_man]

Here's Matt's take on the issue:






Hi Michael,

Last night I was watching FOX News and - ya know - this
whole Bird Flu scare caused me to flip the t.v. the middle
digit - also known as "the bird."

I find it incredible that this so-called pandemic has progressed
from a bit of concern to full out vaccination procedures to the
possibility of restricting international flights - all because some
chickens in Cambodia MIGHT be contagious to humans - and
this unknown contagion just might then spread from human to
human.

Wow.

A lot of mights in this scenario.

How about this: The vaccine they're getting ready to pitch just
might kill more people than it helps. We only need to look back
at the so-called Swine Flu dealie bopper that emerged a couple
decades ago.

The vaccination for Swine Flu - and how was that spread - killed
far more people than it helped. In fact, I doubt there is a shred
of evidence that the vaccine helped anyone. Afterall, how can
you prove it did. It wasn't really much of a problem to begin with.

I spoke with some friends in China two days ago. I asked them
about their chickens. I don't want to go to China unless I can eat
chickens. So I wanted to be sure that these chickens don't have
bird flu.

Well, these friends who watch the news daily in China, had no
idea about what I was talking about. And believe me, that's not
because the government is controlling the news. Uh hm - like
our government has NOTHING to do with the daily bird flu b.s.
we're watching or listening to.

So today's message is a message of positivity. Don't listen to
all the b.s. about bird flu. Take your daily dose of anti-oxidants,
especially those in the form of dark berries - chokeberry, elderberry,
and so on - and I'm betting you ain't a gonna have no bird flu
problem.

Yes, that's right. Give the bird to bird flu. Screw all those nit-wits
that don't have anything good to report. Turn the idiot-box off,
pick up a copy of Combat Conditioning and I think it'll do you far more good than listening to the scare tactics
of a beauracracy run amok.

Kick butt - esp. the bird's butt - and take names,

Matt Furey

[Wimpy]

I think Matt is right and me being a Wimp and all, I wouldn't want to get crosswise with Matt.

This whole thing with the bird flu, vaccinations, gun confiscaton, and martial law (all spoken in one breath), has me thinking the feds (is that us?) just want to exercise their crisis management muscle a little...or a lot.

They arrive in N'Oleans a day late and a dollar short and the first thing they want to do is take everyone's guns away. Those guns were the only thing standing between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' since many of the police were otherwise occupied dealing with their own internal issues.

Since the whole N'Oleans thing was such a disaster, I think thecurrent Administration is overly obsessed with and eager to prove themselves. A whole lotta insecurity is starting to show-up with all the hullabalooover Avian Flu and it has me a bit concerned.

I like a good rodeo but these 'people round-ups'and having to check yourguns at the door ofa large stadium,filled with all sorts of societal misfits and roving gangs, is not my idea of yehaaaw!

[mlk_man]

This really gets my dander up:



Former FEMA Chief's E-Mails Reveal Lack of Urgency
From Associated Press





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"I got it at Nordstroms," Brown writes back. "Are you proud of me? Can I quit now? Can I go home?" An hour later, Brown adds: "If you'll look at my lovely FEMA attire, you'll really vomit. I am a fashion god."

A week later, Brown's aide, Sharon Worthy, reminds him to pay heed to his image on TV. "In this crises and on TV you just need to look more hardworking ... ROLL UP THE SLEEVES!" Worthy wrote, noting that even President Bush "rolled his sleeves to just below the elbow."

Some lawmakers immediately decried the e-mails.

The e-mails "depict a leader who seemed overwhelmed and rarely made key decisions," said U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La. He criticized Brown for addressing "superficial subjects -- such as Mr. Brown's appearance or reputation -- rather than the pressing response needs of Louisiana and Mississippi."

[Wimpy]

I'm not really sure we can expect more. Most of those appointments are politicalfavors repaid. Many of the appointees are lawyers and the worst crisis or disaster they've ever had to deal with was a dead battery or flat tire. I can almostsee thestory on their resume..."Once upon a time in Topeka, in the middle of the night...there I was..."

[grandma]

"They arrive in N'Oleans a day late and a dollar short ... "

Let's not perpetuate the lie- they nearly had to force themselves in because the LA/NO governments did nothing.... reaped what they sowed: corruption & greed. ..waiting for someone else to take care of them - don't tell me that those people in front of the TV cameras screaming at theTV crewto help them were the ill & debilitated.

... He criticized Brown for addressing "superficial subjects ...

And forcrying-out-loud,do not ever have an OT comment whenin a crises, or even in your addressing of urgent matters in your daily work.

The disaster propagated disaters and bad judgement calls, even in Houston, did not help when the feds did get in. Let's get the mayors, the govenors, their agency heads educated. Question: did the governor of Arkansas have any trouble calling in his Nat'l Guard when the Federal Gov moved in at Central school in Little Rock? The LA govenor would have had no problem calling in his militia, either, had the Feds been moving in on him under different circumstances....state rights, you know. If we want to keep them, then we had better shape up and tend to our own and in a way that is exemplary to all. The Fed Gov is supposed to be the binder of the states, not the father of the prodigal son.

[grandma]

This just came in the mail - for some reason it seems quite appropriate here, tho off the track from MM's original Health Forum - read & laugh -:l

Subject: Indian Wisdom
An Indian walks into a cafe with a shotgun in one hand pulling a male
buffalo with the other. He says to the waiter, "Want coffee."
The waiter says, "Sure chief, coming right up." He gets the
Indiana tall mug of coffee.
The Indian drinks the coffee down in one gulp, turns and blasts
the buffalo with the shotgun, causing parts of the animal to splatter
everywhere, then just walks out.
The next morning the Indian returns. He has his shotgun in one
hand pulling another male buffalo with the other. He walks up to the
counter and says to the waiter, "Want coffee."
The waiter says, "Whoa! We're still cleaning up your
messfrom yesterday. What was all that about, anyway?"
(hang on, this is really good......)
The Indian smiles and proudly says, "Training for upper
managementposition in United States Government: Come in, drink coffee, shoot the
bull, leave mess for others to clean up, disappear for rest of day.

[Spaf]

:? Health? *Try to stay on topic if you can. Rgds! Spaf

PS: Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die. ;)

[mlk_man]

Spaf, stop nit picking..................:^

[Spaf]

Mlk, FYI It was at member(s) request.............:)

[mlk_man]

A member asked you to nit pick? Just kidding. ;)

[mlk_man]

Flu Plan Omits Compensation


Bush's proposal would limit liability lawsuits against vaccine makers, but critics say users should be protected too.
By Myron Levin, Times Staff Writer





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An existing federal tribunal, the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, already provides lawsuit protection for companies and compensation for the small minority of children and adults who suffer severe reactions to routine immunizations. However, the White House plan does not authorize the filing of claims in the program for injuries linked to pandemic flu vaccines.

In a letter to the White House early last month, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and 14 other House Democrats urged the president to include in a pandemic flu plan "appropriate liability protection" for vaccine makers, along with "a compensation program for those injured by taking the vaccine."

Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles), who was among the signers, said Thursday that he was "reluctant to agree to immunization of the manufacturers at all, but if there's going to be something like that, there's got to be some sort of compensation system."

White House spokesman Trent Duffy said Thursday that the president's proposal was not the last word on the subject. "We anticipate a healthy discussion with Capitol Hill … on a compensation mechanism," he said. He offered no specifics.

Critics already have called the plan one-sided. "It would not be fair if it was only a one-way street," said Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor and expert on tort reform. "Congress ought to make some compensation available so individual members of the public would not have to absorb the harm."

A Senate bill that would create a biomedical research agency to thwart bioterror and pandemic disease attacks includes legal protections for vaccine makers similar to those in the White House plan. And the bill also provides no recourse for people seeking injury compensation. Although already approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, negotiations are continuing on including some means of compensation, say members of the committee staff.

The issue also has rekindled debate on whether liability concerns are responsible for the small number of U.S. vaccine producers.

In outlining his pandemic flu plan Tuesday, Bush called "the growing burden of litigation" one of the greatest obstacles to vaccine production.

"In the past three decades, the number of vaccine manufacturers in America has plummeted as the industry has been flooded with lawsuits," he said.

But critics have called the statement misleading, saying lawsuits have become relatively rare and do not keep drug makers out of the vaccine business.

"He's totally misinformed," said Peter H. Meyers, a George Washington University law professor. He added that litigation against vaccine makers has been "drastically reduced" by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

Others said the low profitability of vaccines and uncertain demand were the main reasons there were few companies in the market.

"The industry hates tort, and whenever they can take a whack at it, they will," said Frank A. Sloan, a health economist at Duke University. But "the prices of vaccines are not sufficiently high, and vaccines are not profitable relative to other pharmaceuticals, and that is the problem."

A study published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. challenged claims by the Bush administration and others that liability fears were a contributing cause to last year's flu vaccine shortage.

Until last year, when the flu vaccine was added to the vaccine compensation program, people with injury claims had to take them to court.

But the study's authors, Michelle M. Mello and Troyen A. Brennan of the Harvard School of Public Health, said their search for all flu-vaccine-related lawsuits over the previous 20 years turned up just 10 cases.

"By all appearances, the situation is not one in which a rational observer would conclude that litigation is a substantial burden" on makers of flu vaccines, the study said.

Mello said she decided to investigate the matter after a presidential debate last fall when Bush used "almost identical language" to his remarks this week.

"We were just unable to find any evidence that would buttress this claim."

[mlk_man]

Editorial
Bird flu and pandemic flu What's the message for GPs and hospital doctors?


The extensive media coverage of avian influenza (bird flu) over recent weeks has caused confusion and increasing concern that bird flu will imminently cause a human pandemic. This has been fuelled by the report of a parrot infected by the H5N1 strain of avian influenza in the United Kingdom this week. Is such a pandemic a flight of fantasy or a dead cert?
The influenza pandemic contingency plan presented by the chief medical officer1 (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7523/975#REF1) is clear and comprehensive, but at nearly 450 pages, 11 downloadable documents, and many web links, it may not be ready reading for busy health professionals.
Everyone is familiar with seasonal human flu, which typically affects 10-15% of the UK population each winter and leads to around 12 000 excess deaths. Although minor antigenic drift in the human influenza virus A occurs continuously, a major shift in its surface protein antigens H or N can trigger a worldwide influenza pandemic because of absence of population immunity. Fortunately, this happens only rarely—"Spanish" flu in 1918-9 (H1N1 virus) with an estimated 250 000 excess deaths in the UK, "Asian" flu in 1957-8 (H2N2) with 33 000 deaths, and "Hong Kong" flu in 1968-9 (H3N2) with 30 000 deaths. Many scientists believe that another pandemic is overdue.
Influenza A viruses also infect birds and animals, mostly pigs and horses. Avian influenza viruses do not usually infect humans, hence the grave concern when 18 human cases of influenza caused by bird-to-human transmission of AH5N1 avian influenza occurred in Hong Kong in May 1997 with six deaths.2 (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7523/975#REF2) Given the large number of infected chickens then in the Hong Kong markets, bird-to-human clinical infection was clearly rare. Public concern waned when culling of more than 1.5 million chickens halted the epidemic.
Since 2003, however, this highly pathogenic AH5N1 virus has spread rapidly to poultry in 17 countries in Asia and Eastern Europe and is now endemic in some.3 (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7523/975#REF3) Most of the resulting 118 human cases have been healthy young children or adults in close contact with infected flocks, with a mortality of over 50% (mostly from viral pneumonia and multiorgan failure).4 (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7523/975#REF4) 5 (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7523/975#REF5)
The lack of sustained human-to-human transmission suggests that this AH5N1 avian virus does not currently have the capacity to cause a human pandemic. But, given the known potential for antigenic shift—either from a gradual process of adaptive genetic mutation within the virus or by a snap gene reassortment with a human influenza A virus6 (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7523/975#REF6)—the virus could acquire the mechanism for rapid human transmission and cause explosive global spread, facilitated by current air travel. Pigs and humans seem to be the "mixing vessels" for genetic exchange when coinfected by both animal and human flu viruses. Close domestic proximity of fowl, pigs, and people facilitates this, a situation common in Asia.
The optimistic alternative to this apocalyptic viewpoint is that the appearance of a modified avian virus capable of triggering a human pandemic is unlikely: there have been more than 3300 flu outbreaks in birds with 150 million killed and only 118 human cases,3 (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7523/975#REF3) 5 (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7523/975#REF5) and the disease in birds is proving containable with good surveillance and prompt action. Early mass use of neuraminidase antiviral drugs has also been recommended as a containment strategy for any local nascent human pandemic in Asia.7 (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7523/975#REF7) So a pandemic may occur some time in the future, but not necessarily linked to bird flu.
How would doctors and nurses manage during a pandemic? Conservative modelling suggests that a quarter of the UK population (over 14 million people) would become ill, with 50 000 excess deaths, during successive pandemic waves. Until a pandemic strain vaccine has been developed, clinical guidelines produced by the British Thoracic Society, British Infection Society, and Health Protection Agency for the Department of Health for consultation with professional bodies, propose targeted treatment with neuraminidase antiviral drugs for patients seen within 48 hours of developing fever and influenza-like illness.8 (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7523/975#REF8) The aim is to shorten symptom duration, reduce infectivity, and prevent complications. Oseltamivir has been chosen by the Department of Health as the treatment to stockpile and use during a pandemic in the UK (probably because it is taken as a tablet whereas the other neuraminidase inhibitor, zanamivir, can only be inhaled, and because recent human AH5N1 isolates seem to be resistant to the M2 inhibitors amantadine and rimantadine9 (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7523/975#REF9)). The guidelines also recommend early treatment with prophylactic antibiotics for high risk patients with influenza-like illness to prevent or ameliorate secondary bacterial lung infection.
Delivering health care would be a considerable challenge, not least because illness among NHS and other essential staff would diminish the workforce. During a 15 week pandemic in the UK there would be an estimated additional 1.5 million consultations in primary care, 0.75 million visits to accident and emergency departments, and more than 82 000 admissions to hospital.10 (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7523/975#REF10) Infection control would be challenging too because, unlike SARS, flu is highly infectious before patients develop definite symptoms. The public would be told that "coughs and sneezes spread diseases" and advised on hand washing, using paper tissues rather than handkerchiefs, and social distancing.10 (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7523/975#REF10)
The epidemic of bird flu has stimulated countries to develop plans for a future human pandemic. The spectrum of clinical illness from pandemic flu cannot be predicted accurately, and guidelines for the public and health services will probably change with experience. Doctors should visit the Department of Health website now and at least read the advice relevant to them. They may not have time when a pandemic starts.
John T Macfarlane, professor of respiratory medicine[/b]
Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham NG5 1PB (jmacfar1@ncht.trent.nhs.uk (mailto:jmacfar1@ncht.trent.nhs.uk)

)
Wei Shen Lim, consultant respiratory physician[/b]

[Wimpy]

I think many physical and mental ailments could be alleviated with simple breathing exercises to help flush toxins from the body. So many people breathe soshallow and therefore exhibit symptoms of oxygen deprivation.

I think these medical practicioners who exhibit symptoms of paranoia or anxiety over the bird flu should simply breathe in and out in equal amounts. The equal part is the most difficult to achieve and therefore they often become unbalanced. Breathing is sovery basic to life and so few people do it properly:(.

[mlk_man]

"Prevention is better than cure."
- Erasmus
How to Protect Yourself From the Avian Flu
By Jon Herring
If you have picked up a newspaper or turned on the news in the past several months, you've surely been exposed to the climate of fear surrounding the avian flu. The hysteria is rampant, with some public health officials predicting 150 million deaths worldwide. But is the avian flu as serious a threat as it's been cracked up to be? Well, yes ... and no.
The virus is dangerous in the sense that no one has natural protection against the bird flu. And when it does infect humans, it can be fatal. However, it is extremely rare for bird flu to infect humans. According to the World Health Organization, there have been 124 confirmed human cases of the H5N1 strain of the avian flu in the last eight years (and half of those people died). That's an average of 15 cases a year ... out of a world population of 6 billion people.
For the bird flu to have a serious impact on us, it would have to mutate to a strain that easily passes from birds to humans. Then it would have to mutate again - to a strain that easily passes from one person to another.
While this is highly unlikely, it is possible. Historically, pandemics occur about every 25 years. Severe pandemics happen about once per century. So whether it's bird flu or some other pathogen, there is a good chance that you will see a pandemic in your lifetime.
If this were to happen with the avian flu, the most pessimistic disease models put the U.S. death toll at 10 million people out of a population of 295 million. Strictly for the sake of discussion, let's assume this will happen. There are two ways to look at these numbers:
1. You can focus on the possibility that 10 million people might die ... or
2. You can focus on the fact that at least 285 million people will NOT die.
The question then becomes: How can you make sure that you and your family are among the 285 million survivors?
Here is what I suggest you don't do:

Don't rely on a vaccine for prevention. For it to work, you would have to be vaccinated against the actual strain going around. Besides, many vaccines contain mercury, formaldehyde, aluminum, and ethylene glycol (anti-freeze). Not exactly immune-boosting ingredients.
Don't put your faith in Tamiflu.
Tamiflu is an antiviral drug that is being touted as a treatment for the bird flu. And though the government is asking people not to, many Americans are buying up supplies and stockpiling it.
Tamiflu does NOT prevent you from becoming infected with the flu. What it can do is reduce the severity of the symptoms and the number of days you suffer from them (by one or two days). It can also help inhibit the spread of a virus.
Will Tamiflu work against a future, mutated strain of avian flu? Many strains of flu are already resistant to it. And, in this case, "close" doesn't cut it. If the drug you are taking does not target the specific strain you're faced with ... you have no protection. So stockpiling a drug that is currently available is a crapshoot, at best.
In the event of an outbreak of the bird flu, here's my advice:
1. For prevention, rely on your own immune system.
Your immune system has the extraordinary ability to neutralize and destroy invaders and restore your body to health. For it to function optimally, you must consume the vital nutrients and antioxidants your system needs. This means a diet rich in a variety of vegetables and fruits. You should eat plenty of protein, which is necessary to make white blood cells and antibodies. And cut out the sugar and refined carbohydrates. They depress your immune system. You should also focus on exercises that build muscle. Studies have shown that the number of antibodies and Natural Killer cells of the immune system are proportional to muscle mass.
2. If you do fall ill (or know you have been exposed to avian flu), give your immune system some support.
Fortunately, there are many safe, natural medicines that can help your body recover. I would group these in two basic categories: immune boosters and pathogen destroyers.
First, some proven immune boosters:

Vitamin D - Growing evidence suggests that colds and flu are, in large part, due to a winter-time vitamin D deficiency - which compromises the immune system. Take cod liver oil in winter months if you are not able to spend time in the sun.
Selenium - Studies show that people who are deficient in selenium are more susceptible to viruses. (Viruses also readily mutate in selenium-deficient individuals.) This mineral is scarce in the food supply. Brazil nuts are the richest natural source.
Lomatium - This is an anti-viral herb used extensively by Native American Indians for upper respiratory infections. During the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918, doctors discovered that the Indians who used this remedy recovered rapidly.
Astragalus - The best-known immune-boosting herb in Chinese medicine, research now shows that astragalus increases the production of Natural Killer cells and lymphocytes.
Reishi mushrooms - The Chinese refer to these as "the mushrooms of immortality." They are widely recognized for their ability to promote resistance to flu-causing viruses.
Beta glucan - Hundreds of studies have shown that this substance, derived from yeast and mushrooms, stimulates the production and activity of immune cells.
And here are some proven pathogen destroyers:

Oil of oregano - This has been shown to effectively kill pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. It also has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Garlic - Stimulates your immune system and inhibits the proliferation of viruses, bacteria, and fungi. For optimal immune benefits, garlic should be crushed and eaten raw. (See It's Good to Know, below.)
Olive leaf extract - A powerful anti-bacterial and anti-viral compound.
Pau d'arco - This herb, which comes from the South American rainforest, has been used for centuries to boost immunity and protect against pathogens. Research shows that it kills bacteria and viruses.
Colloidal silver - In the event of an epidemic, I would not be without a colloidal silver solution. It has been shown to kill ALL viruses and is known to be effective against more than 650 disease-causing organisms. There is NO known superbug that is resistant to it.
Colloidal silver is safe to take internally and it can be highly effective in situations where drugs don't work. However, I would never use this product on a daily basis (as some manufacturers recommend). It should be used only as an occasional prophylactic (see Word to the Wise, below) or to combat an illness.
Keep in mind that silver is not selective in its anti-bacterial and anti-viral activity. This means that it will kill your friendly intestinal bacteria as well as the pathogens in your body. So if you do take colloidal silver, you should also supplement with pro-biotics to restore your digestive flora.
Unlike most antibiotic and anti-viral medicines which target a particular strain of bacteria or virus, all of the above natural compounds can safely destroy a wide range of microbes and pathogens. In other words, they are far more effective than their pharmaceutical alternatives, with far less risk.
Use them to support your own natural immunity - and if the great depopulating plague of the ages ever does materialize, you and your loved ones will be among those who live to tell about it.

[Wimpy]

I agree with Jon's take on building the immune system, but I believe he took a wrong turn re: anti-biotics and colloidal silver.

Bio means life and anti means against. Most antibiotics DON'T distinguish between the good guys and the bad guys on their search and destroy missions. Antibiotics are a shotgun approach versus precision shooting. Matter of fact, pharmacists will sometimes recommend acidophulus (sp?)or yogurt be taken with antibiotics to help replenish the good stomach bacteria that is destroyed, as a side effect,of takingantibiotics.

The info I've read on colloidal silver, on the other hand,suggestsonly positive effects with the exception of an initial reactionas toxins are being flushed. I personally take twoounces a day andafter swishing let it sit under the tongue for about five minutes before swallowing. I make my own brew andalways keep a 12-16 week supply on hand.

[mlk_man]

Do you have experience with Chlorella?

http://www.healingdaily.com/oral-chelation/health-benefits-of-chlorella.htm

[grandma]

Wimpy wrote:
I personally take twoounces a day andafter swishing let it sit under the tongue for about five minutes before swallowing.
That is amazing! I have trouble holding the periodontal rinse for one minute w/o swallowing!! Question: do you have any problems w/skin coloring? I knew a fellow about 15 years ago in Oregon who had silver poisoning, and he was blue; but I don't recall how he got poisoned.

[Wimpy]

Grandma,

Thanks for catching that mistake. I got my Kombucha tea and my colloidal silver mixed up.

It is two tablespoons of colloidal silver swished and held under the tongue for 5 minutes before swallowing. There have beencases where people haveconsumed a quart of colloidal silver a day without any apparent side effects....but, itis suspected that amount (a quart a day) could destroy the good bacteria in the stomach. Generally, two tablespoons a day for generalmaintenance is recommended and four tablespoonsif there is a specific issue being addressed. I haven't turned blue yet :)

I drink two ounces of Kombucha tea a day.

Thanks again for catching that.

[Wimpy]

Mlk_Man,

Re: Chlorella -- No, I don't have any personal experience but I do know it is classed as a superfood. Just looked it up in my wife's Nourishing Traditions book written by Sally Fallon.

Her book follows closely the work of West Price, D.D.S. There is also a Westin Price Foundation that is dedicated to nutrition. Very interesting stuff! And we are implementing that strategy in our eating plans. After reading that book, we realize how very little real food is in grocery stores these days. Wintertime produce is about all we get there and we still wince a lot about it. We get our beef from a private rancher who grass feeds only. We get our raw milk from a private source as well as our eggs. We make our own live cultured yogurt, kefir, cheese, Kombucha tea, and sauerkraut. We are very pumped about the concept of eating 'living' foods versus the dead stuff.

I enjoy your thread...

[mlk_man]

Sounds like your on your way to a long and happy life. I didn't really pay much attention to all this stuff until I hit 40. I hope Ididn't abuse my body toooooo much in my youth! :shock:

My grandparents lived on a ranch most of their lives and were married for 71 years. He passed away at 90 and she is still hanging on 4 years later. They ate eggs every day, raised and slaughtered their own beef, made their own butter, and cooked with Crisco shortening. This made me realize it's most likely all this processed crap that's killing us. Of course the fresh country air doesn't hurt either.............:^

M_M

[Wimpy]

mlk_man wrote:
I didn't really pay much attention to all this stuff until I hit 40. I hope Ididn't abuse my body toooooo much in my youth! :shock:




The stuff in the past is spilt milk:). I believe the body has an almost miraculousability to heal itself if we make even the most humblest of efforts to reduce the introduction of harmful substances to it.

I've heard tell that smoker's lungs clear up at an amazing rate once they quit smoking.

[grandma]

mlk_man wrote:
I hope Ididn't abuse my body toooooo much in my youth! :shock:
Actually,Wimpy, Mlk read the `important safety information' in that article about Penxa - so that makes him safe now !:u

[grandma]

Wimpy wrote:
I drink two ounces of Kombucha tea a day.

Wimp, does this come from somewhere in the Far East area, like Thailand? Are you familiar w/a fellow by the name of Dr. Hin Hiong Khoo? Heworks out of Singapore, tho, down at the end of the peninsula; it looks close on the map, but I guess it is - what , 1000 miles? Likea third of the wayacross the US. Anyway, he worksw/the Sumatra people and their rebuilding homes & churches since last Christmas' disaster.

[Wimpy]

Kombucha Tea supposedly originated in the Ural Mountains of Russia. A number of villages grouped together in the mountains were experiencing exceptionally high cancer rates. One village among this group had zero cancer. The common factor among those without cancer and not shared by the other villages was...Kombucha Tea.

Re: Dr. Hin Hiong Khoo -- No, I haven't heard of him.

[Show-me]

http://tinyurl.com/dxspn

Sounds like you need to use some caution.

[Wimpy]

Yes, caution and due diligence is required in most activities.

Most alternative approaches to health care are sought by those who've tried conventional medicine without success. They've essentially been told to go home and die after they been cut, burned, and chemo'd. And there have been amazing turnarounds that don't make conventional wisdom look too good.

If a person dies in a hospital, all is well but, if they die at home, while under an alternative plan, everyone gasps.

[mlk_man]

Oh great! Don't get on a plane if you have a cold or allergies!!

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-04-24-flu-quarantine_x.htm

[mlk_man]

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/121/114487.htm

[mlk_man]

I love the comment "better than nothing"................:blink:


A bird flu vaccine won federal approval for the first time Tuesday as a stopgap measure against a potential pandemic until more effective vaccines can be developed.The vaccine is the first to win Food and Drug Administration approval for use in protecting humans against the H5N1 influenza virus. It would be used if the strain mutated into a form that spread easily from person to person, sparking a pandemic.
The Sanofi Aventis SA vaccine already is being stockpiled for use in an outbreak of bird flu. It will not be commercially available. Approval came on the recommendation of FDA advisers, who in February said the vaccine would be better than nothing.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/04/17/bird.flu.vaccine.ap/index.html