H1N1 More Information

In my e-mail this morning, was a good read by Dr. Mercola who advocates natural medicines and good common sense.  This one focused on H1N1 which is of great concern to me and most others given the heightened media attention and not to mention the escalation of a "national emergency" declaration by our President.  What I found interesting were some references to studies:

A thorough , comparative analysis of several flu pandemics has been published in the prestigious British Medical Journal, that gives evidence that the H1N1 swine flu is of "the same subtype as seasonal H1N1 that has been circulating since 1977."3 The author points out the substantial confusion between the high public attention the present H1N1 scare is receiving and the very low level of scientific certainty that H1N1 is more severe than other seasonal influenza.

For me, this is reassuring in itself as it's not a virus that has mutated into a vicous death squad.

Recent national polls have revealed that 30 to 50% in many communities are not planning to get a swine flu shot. Those who haven't made up their minds yet have lots of questions.

Again, I'm on the fence on this one.  Our county hasn't received the vaccinations yet but I worry about the flu mist variety as it's a live virus and from what I've read, it makes those around vulnerable to catch H1N1 from the vaccination one.  Note that this is the mist as the needle vaccination is not a live virus.

Additionally there was no reference made to the last swine flu epidemic in the US when 50 million people got the swine flu vaccine and more people died from the vaccine than the swine flu itself -- and that's not counting all those that developed permanent neurological damage.

I'm not sure where that statistic came from as there is no reference to show the proof but if true, that speaks a lot.

60 minutes segment acknowledges that many people born before 1950 have antibodies to the new H1N1 influenza and are naturally protected.

There is a new Canadian study that suggests those who have gotten seasonal influenza vaccines in the past may be at greater risk for getting H1N1 swine flu. This information reinforces NVIC's call for a comparison of the long term health outcomes of vaccinated and unvaccinated children.

There are more interesting facts, opinions and ways to prevent yourself from H1N1.  I think it's important that everyone read both sides of the pro versus con sides of this vaccine and flu.  I myself, am still pondering what to do.

To read more about Dr. Mercola's article, go here.  He has part of the 60 minutes interview, an interview with a vaccine organization person and more.

Importance of Vitamin D in Children: Get Out in the Sun!

I have posted before about my two youngest, who have chronic medical condition, and it was nearly a year ago on Halloween that my then, one year old caught a cold trick-or-treating and ended up intubated and on her death bed two hours away in Savannah, Georgia. Her condition still baffles her doctors and her every day medications are troubling to me as I can't fathom how it can be good for her to be on a twice a day inhaled steroids and a once a day dose of Singulair.  The six year old is on Keppra for Benign Rolandic Epilepsy. 

Both incurred the onset of these conditions in June of 2008 within two week's of one another so I've learned a lot about both conditions and in pursuit of finding out how to stop my littlest one from crashing everytime she got a cold, we kept up with our routine doctor visits and followed all advice.  One of the important orders he prescribed was Vitamin D exposure.  He told me to take BOTH of them outside for 15 minutes a day.  He told me how Americans are in a deficit for Vitamin D and especially children which can lead to all sorts of health implications. 

He explained with all the scares behind skin cancer and the use of sunblock and our growing inactive lives, we stay indoors more which makes sense as I remember being brown all summer long from the hours of play outside.  Unfortunately due to the fear of bad people, I never let them play outside alone and I certainly don't have the time to do so which 15 minutes minimally is a great compromise.

I think this exposure to the sun has helped as we have had no trips to the ER or hospitalizations.  This has been a GREAT relief because in the past year, we had well over 10 visits to the ER or were hospitalized between the two.   Vitamin D is a great defense against colds and boosts the body to ward off things or harsher symptoms with the flu or H1N1.

Here is a great article that just was released today on Vitamin D and the need for it to promote healthy kids.

H1N1 Over Estimated? According to CBS, YES

I'm a little on pins and needles one moment when I hear about H1N1 mostly because I have two children that fall into the higher risk category and I already experienced a nasty cold turn into pneumonia due to some medical mistakes whereas my youngest nearly died last November and was intubated for well over a week.  So when I hear all these pandemic reports, it puts fear into me and I try to tell myself that it's partly due to misinformation and an overhyped media.  Now I'm reading it's been categorized as a national emergency so my government is overhyping it perhaps.

According to a new study by CBS:

A three-month-long investigation by CBS News, released earlier this week that included state-by-state test results, revealed some very different facts. The CBS study found that H1N1 flu cases are NOT as prevalent as feared. A CBS article even states:

"If you've been diagnosed "probable" or "presumed" 2009 H1N1 or "swine flu" in recent months, you may be surprised to know this: odds are you didn't have H1N1 flu. In fact, you probably didn't have flu at all."

Obviously CBS News and the CDC are completely contradicting each other. So who is right?

Well, CBS reports that in late July 2009 the CDC advised states to STOP testing for H1N1 flu, and they also stopped counting individual cases.

Their rationale for this, according to CBS News, was that it was a waste of resources to test for H1N1 flu because it was already confirmed as an epidemic.

So just like that virtually every person who visited their physician with flu-like symptoms since late July was assumed to have H1N1, with no testing necessary because, after all, there's an epidemic.

It's interesting to note that at the same time as the CDC decided the H1N1 epidemic warranted no further testing for cases due to its epidemic status, Finnish health authorities actually downgraded the threat of swine flu.

In late July the health ministry and the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) in Finland actually removed swine flu from a list of diseases considered dangerous to the public because the majority of cases recovered without medication or hospital care!

And, as the CDC continues to use fear to motivate and control Americans with their worst-case swine flu scenarios, they say nothing of the experience of those in the southern hemisphere, which just finished their flu season and found it was not as bad as expected.

I also just read a poll on another news outlet that shows that most Americans believe it's mostly hyped.  Tonight, Mike Huckabee is even talking about it on his show.

To read more on the CBS story, go HERE.

What do you think?  Are you scared or is it overhyped?

Fall Into Good Health Series: Homeopathy Medicines for Children

As part of my series in getting healthier and having two children with chronic medical conditions both linked to elevated risks with H1N1, I am definitely in tuned to alternative methods of safeguarding them.  The homeopathic drugs allow another alternative to treating illnesses and diseases without the worry of contraindications.  With epilepsy, Keppra has warnings and with severe asthma, the same holds true.  As I approach this winter and all the reports of an increase risk with H1N1, this appears to be a good approach for me. 

These are some of the ways I'm safeguarding my family:

1. Everyone washes their hands frequently and in particularly, after a sneeze or blowing of the nose. 
2. Hand sanitizer is used when washing hands is not viable.  We go through a lot of hand sanitizer!  I don't bombard the house with an abundance of anti-bacterial products as I feel too much of a good thing could be bad.
3. Vitamins are taken by both myself and my husband as well as my children. 
4. Ensuring everyone is getting good sound sleep and eating a well balanced, healthy meal is also critical.
5. Light therapy via playing outside in the sun.  This was actually prescribed by one of my daughter's allergist for both girls as he was telling me how lack of Vitamin D is increasingly becoming an issue in the US and kids need to spend more time outside.

If you aren't aware of what homeopathy is, it's a therapeutic method to help the body and heal itself.  This type of medicine has been around since the beginning of time and with more and more people becoming concerned about what we are putting in our bodies, homeopathic medicine is a great alternative.  More and more practicing physicians are incorporating natural ways into their routine with patients.

Current homeopathic medicinces are used for many conditions such as allergies, flu-like symptoms, coughs and colds, arthritis pain, depression and the list goes on.  As a parent, I've been very attuned to the recent reports warning of over the counter medications and the dangers associated with them.  In fact, many aren't available any longer due to this concern mostly because of human error in administration.  I felt I was without choices other than Vicks and a vaporizer and really felt compassion towards the little one as they have no relief from symptoms.  To me, it's going to be more difficult to get better if they can't sleep and are too busy crying out of frustration and feeling miserable.

I just learned from the One2One Network that there are choices and I can't be more thrilled!  Boiron, been around for more than 65 years, just introduced three new homeopathic medicines for children!

1. Children's Oscilloccinum helps to nip flu-like symptoms.
2. Children's Coldcalm Pellets is a multi-symptom cold reliever.
3. Children's Chestal is for all types of coughs. 

These homeopathic medicines work naturally and safely without nasty side effects or drug interactions which means I can administer this with the six year old's Keppra and the two year old's allergy/asthma medications.  Another bonus is they are apparently sweet tasting and kid-friendly.

Bioron recommends having the Children's Oscilloccinum on hand since it works the best at the first onset of symptoms of a cold.  All of the Bioron line can be purchased without a prescription and are available at most major drug stores and other retail outlets.  Click HERE to find a retail location near you.

Because Bioron is a pharmaceutical company, they strive to maintain the highest standards in manufacturing and other areas of quality.  If you would like to learn more about homeopathic medicine, Bioron has a host of resources by clicking HERE.

For a $1 off coupon, click HERE.

After all, happy kids make happy parents!

*I was not paid nor compensated for this entry.