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How to Protect Your Family Against the Coming Pandemic
Most dictionaries define pandemic as "an epidemic that is geographically widespread; occurring throughout a region or even throughout the world." Recently, Klaus Stohr, the coordinator of the global infuenza program at the World Health Organization predicted a bird flu pandemic that would take more lives than the Spanish Flu of 1918 wherein 20-to-40 million perished. He wasn't the only expert who pressed the panic button. United States Health and Human Secretary, Tommy Thompson, said "This is a bomb that could impact the world." Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, issued a warning to physicians to be on the lookout for symptoms of the avian influenza virus known as H5N1. Even CIDRAP, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota is alarmed. They have this statement posted on their webiste: "If the next pandemic strain is highly virulent (such as the 1918 strain) the global death toll could be dramatic." The current fatality rate in Southeast Asia is 73%. Now for the really bad news. There is no vaccine available. And there won't be for months. Probably six-to-twelve months. Maybe longer. Clinical trials take time. Usually a year. Then once it's available, the vaccine must be distributed worldwide. A logistical nightmare. So what can you do to protect yourself and your family? Three steps. And they should be done now, while the winds of pandemic are blowing in Southeast Asia. 1. Buy a supply of oseltamivir, the only antiviral available that seems to reduce the impact of the virus. It doesn't kill it, but it does give your body time to build immunity. 2. Buy the only filter mask that will block H5N1 and kill it dead -- no that mask is not the N95 series. You'd be wasting your money on a N95. Nanomask is the one I strongly recommend. 3. Buy a supply of immunolin, the only blood protein on the market that will strengthen your immune system against horrific challenges like H5N1. You can wait for your government to come up with a solution to protect you, or you can become proactive. My family has already taken the three steps outlined above, I hope you will too. Mr. Hart is the author of "H5N1 VIRUS: It's Coming, Are You Ready?" and is a member of the National Association of Science Writers (NASW). He hosts a blog titled "Pathogen Alert" that monitors H5N1 developments worldwide: http://www.urgentebooks.com/blog, where he can be reached.
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Alternative Medicine Cleansing Liver Herbal Teas When spring comes it is time for a liver cleanse. This is a good time to rejuvenate the liver for the coming year of work. One good way to cleanse the liver is to use herbal teas. They are easy to use and they provide a powerful punch to reawaken the liver. Taking Control of Your Health & Well-being Taking Control of Your Health & Well-being by Georgianna Donadio D.C., M.Sc., Ph.D. Do you ever wonder why, in spite of all your good intentions, you just cannot seem to take control over your health and wellness the way you really want to? The answer to that question can be found in the words of Albert Einstein, who reminded us "you cannot correct a problem with the same thinking that created it". In other words, you cannot change old behaviors without new information. The Institute of Medicine recently published a study that indicates ninety million Americans are "health illiterate", which means we do not know how to interpret or use health information to control or improve our health, or prevent chronic disease. Data compiled previously identified, "lack of information as the number one root cause of death". Understanding that there exists a cause and effect relationship between what we know and how we behave, we need a model of integrating this important information to change the behaviors that lead to chronic disease. According to a 7-year, 1996, Harvard Medical School study, approximately 70% of all cancers are preventable through lifestyle changes. Furthermore, our diseases and conditions are primarily a result of stress, food, environment, attitude, emotions or beliefs that keep us in behaviors that lead to illness. Which invites the question, are we consciously choosing to be unhealthy, or do we just not understand sufficiently the relationship between what we think, how we behave, what we put into our bodies and how we keep ourselves well or make ourselves sick? In a world exploding with health information, especially on the internet, we are caught in the dilemma of having abundant amounts of information, without a context through which we can understand and utilize this information in a way that is appropriate for our own unique personal health needs. There is, however, good news - making its way into the mainstream of health care is an integrated model of health information and education that provides a "whole picture of health" perspective, allowing each of us to discern and create our own unique approach to taking charge of our health and well-being. Whole Health Education, developed over the past 28 years, in cooperation with Boston physicians, nurses and educators, is an approach to understanding the cause and effect our behaviors and choices have on our state of health. Demystifying the five major factors that influence how sick or well we become, Whole Health Education provides a perspective on human anatomy and physiology, bio-chemistry, psycho-social, environmental and spiritual aspects which allows for an authentic understanding of what we need know to resolve chronic health problems or to stay healthy. Integrating evidence-based information with the wisdom of various spiritual teachings and a whole-person overview of behavioral options, Whole Health Education offers each of us a tool for personal health management by providing personalized health information that explains the physical, emotional, nutritional, environmental and spiritual aspects of a health concern.For example, Mature Onset Diabetes affects approximately 18.2 million Americans and is the leading health concern in our culture today. As all chronic conditions are, Mature Onset Diabetes is a multi-dimensional disease state and the unique Whole Health perspective, can facilitate the restoration of health for those with chronic diseases such as diabetes. Physical/Structural What happens on a physical and structural level with Mature Onset Diabetes? The specialized beta cells of the pancreas, which produce insulin, become incapable of producing adequate amounts of the critically necessary secretion. This happens over a period of years and can begin in our bodies, over time, by eating large amounts of insulin-provoking foods. These insulin provocateurs, which are sugars and starches in the form of complex carbohydrates, require the pancreas to produce more insulin so that the sugars can be carried over the cell membranes to all parts of the body. Serious disturbances occur when we do not have enough insulin to carry the sugar over the cell membranes. Insulin hooks onto the sugar molecule and acts like a lock and key mechanism to bring that sugar into the cell which is then used in the energy cycle of cell metabolism. The nervous system, brain and the lungs cannot function without the proper metabolism of sugars. Emotional/Social Just as diabetes is a lack of nourishment on a chemical/nutritional level, so is it a lack of emotional nourishment on an emotional/mental level. It relates to the "feel good" nourishment component of your body. What do we know about carbohydrates and serotonin? Carbohydrates provoke the production of serotonin. Serotonin is a neuro-transmitter that produces a feeling of well-being. There is a direct relationship between what our body is doing chemically and how we feel emotionally. When we crave or build our diet around carbohydrates, this can be a way of "self-medicating" our emotional needs by eating carbohydrates to provoke insulin production. Sugar problems can affect us emotionally. Let's say you have a pancreas that is not working properly. What can happen somatic/psychically from the pancreas to the brain? If we are feeling the ups and downs of hypoglycemia, and its biochemical/neurological symptoms, it may undermine our sense of security, self esteem, and produce anxiety and fear. What is the emotional component of diabetes and the pancreas? Often, it can be a poor sense of self-esteem and a fear of not being "good enough" or not belonging. These feelings, medicated by the serotonin foods, can lead us to not look deeply enough into what is causing our health concerns and allow the feeling/feeding cycle to continue. Chemical/Nutritional On the nutritional side, the treatment for people with Mature Onset Diabetes is to decrease the stress on the pancreas by making changes in their diet -- decrease starches and sugars and decrease calories. Eat less, eat right. What kind of a diet would be best for preventing Mature Onset Diabetes? Vegetables, vegetables, and vegetables combined with lean proteins such as fish, chicken, water, a little fruit and a little fat. In a hypoglycemic situation, it is wise not to eat grain or sugar, but sprouted grain bread, and other substitutes can be healthy and satisfying. Because hormones are chemicals, diabetes and hypoglycemia are both hormonal-based problems. What we know about the hormone system is that it works as a balanced interdependent system. Diabetes is an endocrine-related, systemic problem. With a systemic problem like diabetes, you have a body system problem--you do not just have a condition by itself. It is known that the pancreas is related, through hormone interaction, to the adrenals, and the adrenals are in turn related to the reproductive system. It is known that these glands are related through hormone interactions to the pituitary and the pituitary is related to the thyroid gland, the thyroid is related to the thymus, and the thymus is related to the immune system. Environmental/Internal & External The environment that we work in, live in, walk through, live near -- how does that environment have an impact on the way that we feel and the way we feel about ourselves? How do we learn to trust in the order of the universe? By behaviors that come from trusting the order inside ourselves. We do this by setting boundaries -- codes of conduct of how we are going to behave, eat, work exercise and live. If we don't violate our own boundaries, we are less likely to let anybody else violate our boundaries. We have to start with ourselves. Our experience of victimization can begin with our own self-victimizing behavior. Spiritual/World View A Hindu Vendata truth is that "the whole world is one family". It is said that there is only one disease, the disease of separateness, separating oneself from the awareness that we are one living organism. Competition creates isolation. The spiritual challenge presented by hypoglycemia and diabetes appears to be involved with over- or under-valuing the self: judgment of self and then others. Where are we in the process of getting to the truth that we are all equally important? The drama created by a one-up or one-down dynamic that we may allow to be part of our experience can lead to psychophysiology and the behavioral issues which can contribute to and create Mature Onset Diabetes.Whole Health Education can transform our experience of taking care of ourselves. It can provide an understanding of our health concerns and conditions from this multi-dimensional perspective that makes sense in a way we can utilize the information directly and in a meaningful way. In addition, having the information provided in a mindful, respectful way that invites each of us to discern what we know about our health and condition, how to choose to resolve the problem and what kind of care we choose to have, allows each of us to experience whole-person health care through whole health information. Then, WE become the center of our health and healing process, rather than the doctors or practitioners we go to for guidance. Our New Years Resolution Get Rid of The Toxins in our Lives It is hard to believe, almost unthinkable. Everyday we are exposed to so many toxins in our lives. Some are so common and ordinary that we never know or fail to remember how toxic these familiar things can be. For example, most common household cleaners we use everyday contain harsh toxic chemicals. We breathe them, touch them and could accidentally be ingesting them just by cleaning the home we live in. Why are we exposing ourselves and our children and pets to these products everyday? Hypnotherapy Does It Really Work? Okay, so some of you are familiar with hypnotherapy. You've heard it can be used for curing a number of ailments including stress, alcoholism and the like. But, if I were to ask, how many people do you know who've been treated by a hypnotherapist, it's possible you may not recall any! Of course, you would know those, who regularly visit a shrink or associations like the Alcoholics Anonymous. So, why don't people make a beeline for hypnotherapy? To find out the answer to this question, and also about what hypnotherapy has to offer, just read on. Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, Hypnotism, and the Truth about the Funky Chicken! Over two hundred years after this momentous event the world is still saying WOW in amazement to this gracious art. Hypnotherapy has come so far and I believe that we are now in an age where we now know so much of how the mind works and what makes us tick, that it is possible to successfully change our lives into the dreams that we wish them to be! During my time as a Quiet Discoveries Lead to Fast Sinus Relief It's amazing what you can find when you start your search a little outside the bulls eye. While clicking through Magnetic Resonance Imaging research online, my colleagues and I found some intriguing scientific studies completely by accident! Snoring - A Small Change Can Make A Big Difference We all know how annoying snoring can be, both for the snorer and the partner. The effects and seriousness of snoring are becoming more apparent with snoring being linked to conditions like high blood pressure and coronary disease. The different types of snoring, range from a simple puff to a full on roar and there isn't one school of thought on the reasons behind snoring. Snoring, I believe, is a signal that the body's systems are out of balance. Finding which system is the difficult part. But correcting the balance may not take a huge change, take the example of Andy. The Basics of Hypnosis You've seen the stage acts where a hypnotist selects someone out of the audience and when he claps his hands, the unwilling participant struts around the stage clucking like a chicken. You've also seen movies where the hypnotist waves the pocket watch in front of the subject as he utters, "you are getting sleepy very sleepy." Hypnosis is a little more than what Hollywood or Vegas make it out to be. Below is a brief overview. Some Smells Cause Headache Did you know that some smells cause headache? A Grounded Look at the Nature of Healing In "Evidence for the Sixth Sense", Hazel Courteney interviews an American scientist, Gary Schwartz, regarding the nature of energy and its relationship with the physical world. He explains three worldviews; one, that matter produces energy, it is a side effect of the physical world. For example, the sun is a physical object, and it produces energy in the form of light. The second theory was put forward by Einstein, theorises that energy and matter are both sides of the same coin, neither of them being before the other. Energy can create matter and matter can create energy. Regarding this theory, Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955), a French Catholic Priest and Philosopher, theorised that matter is the outward manifestation and conscious energy is the inward manifestation of the world. This implies that everything is conscious regardless of how basic or apparently 'lifeless' it is. Using Carrot Juice for Relieving Constipation Carrot Juice How to Use the Subconscious to Cope with Lifestyle Triggers of Your Pain Emotions, food and lack of sleep can all be potent triggers of pain signals in your body. Here's a way to use your subconscious mind to try to lessen the impact of those triggers. Alternative Treatments For Arthritis Pain Relief Natural, herbal remedies can help arthritis sufferers who have tried traditional pain medications without success. Many natural remedies and supplements have been found to actually reduce cartilage deterioration and even rebuild a patient's lost cartilage. Constipation Relief With Fruits Part III Here's another group of fruits that you can use to get constipation relief. Use these every day for desert or in between meal. Use more than normal to get rid of constipation. The Secret Weapon To Beat SARS Is In Your Head Just when you thought you had all the fun you could possibly handle with Saddam Hussein, North Korea, Al Quaeda and the winter that just won't die, along comes SARS severe-acute respiratory syndrome. Have you Fed Your Good Bugs Today? Most consumers have heard of probiotics and know that they are foods containing live, beneficial bacteria. Foods such as yogurt, buttermilk, miso or kefir are the most recognized foods providing 'good' bacteria for the gut. Natural Medicine--Finding a Qualified Naturopath Naturopathic medicine is currently the fastest growing segment of the alternative health movement but not everyone practicing this branch of "natural" medicine is qualified to do so. I like to group naturopaths according to their educational backgrounds because I believe that the quality of your naturopath's education directly affects the quality of care you'll receive. Naturopaths fall into one of three categories: How to Clean-up Your Allergies with 2 Easy Home Tips It's that time of year again when people who have allergies complain about nasal congestion, coughing, and wheezing, itching, shortness of breath, headache, fatigue, hives and other skin rashes. Many people experience allergies due to pollens from outdoors combined with foods and indoor stagnant air carrying dust, mold, and other air pollutants. Six Smoothie Recipes for Constipation and Acne Relief I recommend drinking a morning smoothie if you have constipation or if you have skin problems like acne. Drinking a high fiber smoothie relieves and prevents constipation. It will also provide the nutrients that are necessary for having or keeping a nice clean and smooth skin. Eucalyptus: The Way to Smoother Breathing The eucalyptus is a popular Australian remedy that was first introduced to the world by the aborigines as a treatment for many kinds of ailments. Its uses range from treating wounds, suppressing colds, relaxing the mind to repelling insects.
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