Swine Flu Prevention

Without a doubt you are probably overwhelmed with information on swine flu prevention, but here’s a few things to keep in mind that you may not hear about very often.

If you’re an avid reader of natural health information you have probably seen a lot of information floating around that focuses on everything from the dangers of vaccines to conspiracy theories that believe the government is plotting to set us up to die, while the mainstream media is promoting vaccines and engaging in a lot of fear tactics.

In fact there’s so much information out there from mainstream media and natural health that it can be mind boggling, confusing and interfere in your ability to take action. Especially since what the mainstream media is telling us is often in complete contradiction to what natural health experts are telling us. Unfortunately I think that to some degree that some experts in the natural health field are just as guilty at engaging in alarmist practices as the mainstream media, from time to time.

I encourage you to take the middle ground and not go off the deep end in either direction. Although I find it hard to completely believe in some of the conspiracy theories, I do believe there is at least some truth behind them. The government, the pharmaceutical companies, the medical society etc. can and do lie to us about a variety of issues around nutrition, food safety, chemical toxicity, health care, pharmaceutical safety and effectiveness and much more.

Pfizer, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies, just plead guilty to felony fraudulent marketing practices and numerous medical studies have recently been found to be engaging in dishonesty practices to promote pharmaceutical products.

The FDA is often in cahoots with the pharmaceutical industry and when they get caught at something that we should be outraged about, they often get off with a simple slap on the hand.

It seems that we can safely assume that much of the hype around the swine flu , also known as the H1N1 virus, is probably motivated by the pharmaceutical companies who have a great deal of money to gain from their vaccines. They have embarked on a campaign to frighten everyone into believing they should have the swine flu vaccine.

The H1N1 vaccine has been rushed into use without adequate testing and contains a variety of harmful ingredients like squaline – an adjunctive designed to increase potency so less vaccine is needed, but reduces immune function and is linked to gulf war syndrome, and thimerosl – the controversial mercury preservative which is linked to autism – and may contain other ingredients that have no business being injected in the human body like formaldehyde, aluminum, phenol, formaldehyde, ethylene glycol – antifreeze.

This vaccine is particularly dangerous and has been linked to a variety of serious health conditions including a deadly nerve disease. In my mind there is no doubt that the pharmaceutical companies are behind this push to make billions of dollars. They are taking advantage of the fact that people are in a panic and not thinking clearly.

The consensus in the natural health field is that vaccines are not safe. Based on the data I have read over the years, it is my opinion that not only the h1n1 vaccine, but all vaccines should be avoided.

Here are five articles on the swine flu I think everyone should read and be aware of, particularly the ones that are written by Dr. Mercola:

Swine Flu Vaccine

Vitamin D and Influenza

Dirty Little Secrets of H1N1 Vaccine

Swine Flu Pandemic

H1N1 Vaccine Linked to Killer Nerve Disease

Personally, I think it’s very important to be aware of issues like these and acknowledge their possibility, but it is counterproductive to invest too much energy focusing on them. We should primarily be focusing on what steps we each can take personally for swine flu prevention.

Plan and prepare, but don’t obsess.

Be aware, but not paranoid.

Gather the facts, not the myths or fiction.

Don’t allow yourself to get got up in the hoopla on either end.

Be realistic.

Don’t get caught in the fear and panic.

Stay grounded.

Keep things in perspective.

Although it is tragic for even one person to lose their life, we must keep in mind that the common flu we have lived with for centuries kills approximately 30,000 people every year. The swine flu has not even come close to that number at this point – as of the the date this post was written there have been only about 2800 fatalities. Just like the common flu, most people who get the swine flu recover without any complications.

On the other hand, you don’t want to stick your head in the sand, do nothing and hope for the best. There is the possibility the H1N1 virus could mutate and become more virulent. Not only that, as anyone who’s ever had the flu knows that even the common flu is a pretty unpleasant and disruptive experience and can result in complications for vulnerable people. It has the potential to put you down for a couple weeks, which can mean missing work, inability to perform daily functions etc., so you definitely want to do everything you can for not only preventing the swine flu, but to enhance your health overall.

Swine Flu Prevention Tips

1. The single most important step you can take for swine flu prevention or to protect yourself from infections of any kind is to increase the amount of vitamin D in your body.Our society is severely depleted in adequate levels of vitamin D largely because we spend too much time indoors and don’t get enough sunshine and because we’ve falsely been conditioned to believe we should wear sunscreen at all times.It is believed the reason that influenza becomes such a problem in the winter months is because we have less sunshine and thus less vitamin D in the body.

   You can increase your vitamin D levels by getting more sunshine without using a sunscreen – 15 minutes of sun exposure daily is considered adequate, taking a nutritional supplement or eating salmon, herring or cod liver oil.

   Besides being beneficial for swine flu prevention and influenza, vitamin D plays a crucial role in bone health and development, enhancing the immune system and preventing autoimmune diseases as well.

   Vitamin D should be taken now to build up immune health before the swine flu strikes in full force.

   Dr. Mercola, and most other natural health experts recommend at least 5000 IUs for an adult for the goal of swine flu prevention. However, you should talk with your health care provider about which dosage is best for you. For children he recommends:

   “35 IU’s of vitamin D per pound of body weight. So for a child weighing 40 pounds, the recommended average dose would be 1,400 IU’s daily, and for a 170-pound adult, the dose would be nearly 6,000 IU’s.”

   He also tells us that these are only guidelines and that there are a variety of other factors to take into consideration that impact how much vitamin D you need, such as where you live, how much exposure to the sun you receive, how much vitamin D is already in your diet and the color of your skin. Vitamin D needs vary greatly from individual to individual and he recommends testing. I don’t know that I agree that testing is necessary, but that’s an option you can look into. I encourage you to read:
   Dr. Mercola’s – How Much Vitamin D You Need

2. Going hand in hand with increasing vitamin D, washing the hands properly and frequently is equally important.The hands should be washed in warm water for at least 20 seconds. You should rub the hands together vigorously underneath the flowing water.Many people are not aware that the length of time the hands is in the water and the amount of friction when rubbing them together is much more important than the amount of soap for removing germs.Rinse your hands good and dry them with a clean towel. If you’re in a public restroom, don’t use the automatic hand dryers. They have been found to spread germs.

   Do not use antibacterial soap. First of all, the swine flu and influenza in general is a virus, antibacterial soap kills bacteria, not viruses. It’s ineffective. Not only that, it’s dangerous and unhealthy. It will weaken your immune system and endocrine system, which could ultimately make you more vulnerable to the swine flu. It contains Triclosan, which is a toxic pesticide, a neurotoxin that is linked to immune system and endocrine system damage. It is also believed that using antibacterial soap contributes to making resistant strains of bacteria.

3. Keep your hands out of your eyes, nose and mouth. Avoid your face altogether as much as possible.
4. Don’t eat sugar – sugar weakens the immune system and leaves you vulnerable to viruses, bacteria etc. Additionally, viruses and bacteria thrive on sugar.
5. Boost the immune system with exercise, eating lots of vegetables, taking high doses of vitamin c, herbs, and getting enough sleep.
6. Manage stress with exercise, meditation, deep breathing exercises etc. Excessive levels of stress weaken the immune system.
7. If you want to be extra cautious, you could take it a little further and consider not eating out while the outbreak is severe, limiting your time in public and not shaking hands with other people or washing your hands immediately after.

So as we can see there are a variety of steps we can take that will help us prepare for swine flu prevention and avoid using the H1N1 vaccine. Although we can’t guarantee this will provide us with 100 percent protection, if you follow these tips, you should drastically reduce your chances of infection. Keep in mind that panicking only leads to actions that are based on fear and probably are not in our best interest.