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Welcome to the May/June newsletter written by Alex Christie. For those of you who are new to this newsletter, Alex writes one bi monthly for Cph on a different subject or subjects. You are welcome to write to her and suggest a topic, as she has several that she is gradually working through already!
Welcome to the May /June newsletter. I realize there is a a lot of panic and misinformation about the so-called “swine flu” so I wanted to send out some information regarding this.
What is a Pandemic?
An epidemic that is geographically widespread; occurring throughout a region or even throughout the world.
One must keep in context that whilst there is clear concern the actual number of deaths due to swine flu are still very low. You can track them on this map.
Background and Current Information
Out of the blue, a novel influenza virus has emerged in Mexico. The virus seems to have been born from the combination of at least two pig viruses, that themselves carried gene segments that originated in viruses of other species such as birds or humans.
This new virus, although dubbed "swine flu", has not been identified from pigs in Mexico, nor is it caught directly from pigs, but has the ability to infect and transmit efficiently between humans. Read more…
The strain in most cases causes only mild symptoms and the infected person makes a full recovery without requiring medical attention and without the use of antiviral medications.
Swine flu has pushed the World Health Organization to raise its pandemic alert level to phase 5*, which means that a pandemic is imminent. (April 29th 2009). Note that all of those phases are about how the virus is (or isn't) spreading -- they're not about the severity of the disease.
Should I get myself and my family vaccinated?
It is hoped that, at best, Tamiflu may help avian flu victims in the first few days after catching the virus. It is specifically designed to treat symptoms of influenza A and B viruses. Nevertheless, while avian flu is an influenza A virus, each type has numerous subgroups that are determined by HA (haemagglutinin) and NA (neuraminidase) proteins. Altogether, there are 16 HA subtypes and nine NA subtypes, so an influenza A virus can have a unique chemical profile that makes it difficult to counteract with drugs.
When avian flu was the concern Japanese health authorities reported that 8 people died after being given the tamiflu vaccination and 64 cases of psychological disorders have been associated with the vaccine over the past 4 years, including a 14-year old boy jumping or falling from the 9th floor of an apartment building after taking the drug.
Tamiflu shouldn’t be taken by anyone with kidney or liver disease, or any chronic condition. Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are also not advised to take the drug as there are insufficient data from human studies to determine its safety.
Furthermore, although it is regularly given to children and adolescents, its safety has never been established in children younger than 18 years of age as a flu treatment, or among 13-year-olds as a preventative.
Natural Solutions Foundations reports that several Mexican doctors say colleagues were vaccinated and died subsequently. They don’t know what they were vaccinated with, as the vaccination for swine flu has not yet been made.
Should I be worried?
It is almost three years since we faced the hysteria of an avian flu epidemic, when governments bought billions of dollars of Tamiflu – the same anti-viral now being promoted to combat a supposed swine flu pandemic. The shelf life of Tamiflu also happens to be three years.
The World Health Organization has, at the time of writing, increased its threat level to five, which means governments can activate their pandemic plans – and start handing out Tamiflu drugs.
This is extremely convenient for governments that would have very soon have to dispose of billions of dollars of Tamiflu stock, which they bought to counter avian flu, or H5N1. The US government ordered 20 million doses, costing $2bn, in October, 2005, and around that time the UK government ordered 14.6 million doses. Tamiflu’s manufacturer, Roche, has confirmed that the shelf life of its anti-viral is three years.
England’s chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson has said that the UK is “well prepared” to counter swine flu – but only because it was well prepared to counter an avian flu pandemic that never happened.
The other worry is when, or if, medicine comes up with a specific anti-viral for swine flu. The last time they did – when we had the last swine flu scare in 1976 - health officials rushed through a vaccination programme that resulted in 1 out of 100,000 vaccinated Americans developing Guillain-Barre paralysis. The US government paid out $93 million in compensation.
Those of us who quaked in fear from the expected SARS epidemic and shook from the anticipated avian flu pandemic may feel they’ve been here before. Despite the dire warnings, at the time of writing just 2,600 cases of swine flu have been confirmed or suspected around the world , and there have been 160 deaths, and not all of these may turn out to be caused by swine flu. More people die on UK roads every month.
Meanwhile, while we’re blaming the Mexicans for starting the anticipated global pandemic of swine flu, who are the Mexicans blaming?
Several of their newspapers are pointing the finger at local plants of Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork packer and hog producer. Mexican journalists report on concerns from locals in Perote, Santa Cruz, Mexico – where the outbreak was believed to have started – that the pig breeding farm polluted the atmosphere and local water supplies. A municipal health official seems to support the locals’ concerns, and says the outbreak may have been started by flies that reproduced in the pig waste.
Seven - not 159 - swine flu deaths in Mexico
06 May 2009 WDDTY e-news broadcast
How many people have died from swine flu so far? If you believe what you read in the newspapers, you might think around 159 people have died in Mexico from the H1N1 virus. They haven’t – it’s just seven.
Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and Mexico’s own health minister Jose Angel Cordova have confirmed the figure. The WHO’s Vivienne Allan, from its patient safety program, says: “Unfortunately that (150-plus deaths) is incorrect information and it does happen, but that’s not information that’s come from the World Health Organization. I repeat, the death toll is seven and they are all from Mexico.”
Since her announcement, the first American citizen has died, but it’s hardly the stuff of a pandemic. Nonetheless, the WHO has now elevated swine flu to a ‘phase five’ pandemic, where there has been human-to-human spread in at least two countries.
Despite the facts, the UK government’s health officials have predicted that up to 750,000 Britons could die in a flu pandemic, and its health minister, Alan Johnson, has told the House of Commons that there have been 89 deaths from the virus in Mexico, so he’s off by a factor of 12.
Unless you’re a drug company, you have to wonder why governments – and the media - are acting so irresponsibly.
If you’re interested in a conspiracy theory, look no further than Indonesia and its health minister Siti Faldilah Supari who says she has not ruled out the possibility that the H1N1 virus is man-made.
What can I Do to Protect Myself and My Family?
Innate immunity vs Virus. Our innate immune response to the influenza virus is well understood, relying on the supportive action of innate and adaptive immune responses to manage a controlled eradication of the virus rather than the potentially fatal cytokine storm that can occur.
The health of the human host is also an important factor as well as the aggressiveness of the response. Sensible simple precautions are recommended as well as considering a few nutritional support products.
Wash hands often with soap and water. Use waterless alcohol-based hand gels (containing at least 60 percent alcohol) when soap is not available. Cover mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze; if you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands. To keep germs from spreading, don't touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.
Define contagious: The process by which one person infected with a disease passes it to another, either through direct skin contact or via inhaled droplets.
Information on the effectiveness of facemasks and respirators for the control of influenza in community settings is extremely limited. Thus, it is difficult to assess their potential effectiveness in controlling swine influenza A (H1N1) virus transmission in these settings. Guidelines have been prepared by the CDC for the use of masks.
Nutritional Supplements
The addition to the diet of 2 different supplements at this stage of comprehension seems viable and is worth considering for personal and client recommendation.
Saccharomyces Boulardii increases sIgA production. This is an effective inhibitor of viral invasion and sIgA may be suppressed when there are changes to the intestinal ecology and/or anxiety is increased.
Vit D levels have been linked to altered immune resistance and resolution of viral invasion. It has also been implicated in managing appropriate innate to adaptive immune reactivity, and in the production of cathelicidin which appears to limit risk of secondary bacterial infection and destroy influenza virus.
Preventative Measure You Can Take:
Supplements:
Vitamin D – one Metabolics capsule daily or Nutri-Link Bio-D-Mulsion Forte 2,000 IU
Saccharomyces Boulardi – 1-2 capsules daily
Herbs:
Echinacea and Uncaria tincture 3–4 drops in water (from Vital Homeopathics)
Homeopathy:
Oscillococcinum 30C combined with previous flu nosodes 2 – 3 times a week increasing if flu symptoms start.
Flu Symptoms:
Increase Vitamin D to 4 capsules daily / Bio-D-Mulsion Forte increase to 50,000IU for adults and 30,000 for children.
Increase herbs to 3-4 drops 3 times daily
Homeopathy: Increase to 3 times a day. If a fever presents also take fever remedies as indicated or a combination of Narayani Fever or Vital Homeopathics Fever combination every 10 minutes during the acute phase until the fever subsides, then reduce to 3 times daily until the fever goes.
Disclaimer: This information is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material provided is provided for information purposes only. Always seek the advice of your qualified health care provider or physician with any questions you have regarding a medical condition, before undertaking any diet, exercise, other health program, or other procedure set out on this Site.
References
Suppliers
Individual Supplier:
- Vitamin D – Metabolics 0 1 3 8 0 - 8 1 2 7 9 9 or Nutri-Link 0 8 7 0 - 4 0 5 4 - 0 0 2 (Bio-D-Mulsion Forte liquid drops)
- Saccharomyces Boulardi Nutri-Link 0 8 7 0 - 4 0 5 4 - 0 0 2
- Echinacea and Uncaria tincture Vital Homeopathics 0 1 4 8 4 - 5 4 0 - 9 2 5
- Flu combination Vital Homeopathics 0 1 4 8 4 - 5 4 0 - 9 2 5
- Fever combination Vital Homeoapthics 0 1 4 8 4 - 5 4 0 - 9 2 5
References:
- Nutri-Link Swine-Flu Mailing May 2009
- WDDTY F-News April 2009
- Natural Solutions Foundations eAlert April 2009
Recommendations
- Acupuncture Karen Cohen (experienced in treating fatigue / adrenal exhaustion / ME) 0 7 9 6 1 - 4 5 4 - 9 2 4 (works in Waterloo and Kilburn)
- Metabolics (for the names of kinesiologists in your area and for pure supplements) Tel: 0 1 3 8 0 - 8 1 2 - 7 9 9.
- The British Institute for Allergy and Environmental Therapy (for the names of Allergy Therapists in your area who can test for allergies and prescribe the appropriate desensitizing remedies for you.) Phone 0 1 9 7 4 - 2 4 1 - 3 7 6
- Books: Your Healthy Child with Homeopathy by Tricia Allen, Metro Publishing (available from Amazon.co.uk). This book will enable you to treat the whole family for most common ailments and injuries.
- Helios Remedy Kits: Available from Helios Homeopathic Suppliers, 8 New Row, London, WC2N 4LJ . Phone 7 3 7 9 7 4 3 4, or from Neal’s Yard Remedies, or www.helios.co.uk.
- Vaccinations: Become Informed. The Informed Parent will let you know the dates and venues of talks on what vaccinations really do to your children. If you have or are going to have children and you want to find out how to safeguard their health this is an absolute must. Contact them before your child is born if possible as you will come under huge pressure to conform once your baby is born. Phone 0 1 9 0 3 - 2 1 2 - 9 6 9.
- Spectrum Therapy Organisation for highly skilled person-centered psychotherapy 0 2 0 - 8 3 4 1 - 2 2 7 7
- Alex Christie is a qualified Homeopath (LCHE), a member of the Alliance of Registered Homeopaths (ARH) and a member of the British Complementary Medicine Association (BCMA). Alex specializes in Candida and Allergy relief treatment and can be contacted or visited at her Barnsbury Studio or Neals Yard Practice in London. E-mail Alex for a consultation or visit her web site for more information.
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