Reference Books

Correction for those at the meeting my favorite reference books are:

Prescription for Nutritional Healing (Katie brought this in to show)



AND


Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child by Janet Zand

Why I Avoid the Flu Shot

Each year enormous effort goes into producing that year's vaccine and delivering it to appropriate sections of the population.
And yet, year after year there are studies showing that flu vaccines DO NOT provide any benefit.
Article from Dr.Mercola's web site.

Flu Prevention Strategy Repeatedly Called Into Question

• Two years ago a study in the British Medical Journal concluded that the effectiveness of annual flu shots has been exaggerated, and that in reality they have little or no effect on influenza campaign objectives, including reducing the number of hospital stays, time off work, and death from influenza and its complications.
  
• Other studies, done prior and subsequently, also confirm these findings.
  However, preventing flu-related deaths in the elderly has been, and still is, the primary argument for recommending flu shots each year. And, according to the theory of “herd immunity,” a majority of the population must be vaccinated in order to protect the lives of the elderly and other categories of people susceptible to flu-related complications.
  However, the flu prevention strategy set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been called into serious question time and again.
• Another study from 2005, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine also could not find support for the use of flu vaccine to prevent deaths in the elderly. The report highlights that although immunization rates in people over 65 have increased dramatically in the past 20 years, there has not been a consequent decline in flu-related deaths.

Do You Know What the Risks are?
Instead, there is emerging evidence that flu shots cause Alzheimer’s disease, most likely as a result of combining mercury with aluminum and formaldehyde. Mercury in vaccines has also been shown to be a contributing factor in autism.
Other serious, and potentially deadly, adverse reactions to the flu vaccine include joint inflammation and arthritis, anaphylactic shock (and other life-threatening allergic reactions), and Guillain-Barré syndrome, a paralytic autoimmune disease.
And, in the case of Tamiflu, thousands of cases of abnormal behavior, neuropsychiatric problems like convulsions, delirium or delusions, and brain infections, have been reported.
(Tamiflu is approved for treatment of uncomplicated influenza A and B in children 1 year of age or older. It is also approved for prevention of influenza in people 13 years or older.)

• More Scientific Research Backing Up Recommendation to Avoid Flu Vaccines Like the Plague
  For those of you who are still unconvinced, there’s plenty of scientific evidence available to back up the recommendation to avoid flu vaccines – if not for their potentially serious or deadly side effects, then for the simple reason that they don’t work, and don’t offer any real benefit to offset their potential health risks.
  A sampling of these studies include:
  
• A recent study published in the October 2008 issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine found that vaccinating young children against the flu had no impact on flu-related hospitalizations or doctor visits during two recent flu seasons. The researchers concluded that "significant influenza vaccine effectiveness could not be demonstrated for any season, age, or setting" examined.
  
• A study published in the Lancet just two months ago found that influenza vaccination was NOT associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia in older people. Vaccination coverage among the elderly increased from 15 percent in 1980 to 65 percent now, yet there has been no decrease in deaths from influenza or pneumonia.
  
• That Lancet study supports a similar study done five years ago, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, which concluded that vaccination against pneumonia does not reduce your risk of contracting the disease.
  
• Research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine last month also confirms that there has been no decrease in deaths from influenza and pneumonia, despite the fact that vaccination coverage among the elderly has increased from 15 percent in 1980 to 65 percent now.
  
• Last year, researchers with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the National Institutes of Health published this conclusion in the Lancet Infectious Diseases: “We conclude that frailty selection bias and use of non-specific endpoints such as all-cause mortality have led cohort studies to greatly exaggerate vaccine benefits.”
  
• A large-scale, systematic review of 51 studies, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2006, found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo in children. The studies involved 260,000 children, age 6 to 23 months.

New Theory May Explain the True Nature of the Flu, and Why Vaccines Don’t Work
One credible hypothesis that explains the seasonal nature of flu is that influenza is a vitamin D deficiency disease.
Vitamin D, “the sunshine vitamin,” may very well be one of the most beneficial vitamins there is for disease prevention. Unfortunately it’s also one of the vitamins that a vast majority of people across the world are deficient in due to lack of regular exposure to sunshine.
This hypothesis was presented by Dr. John Cannell and colleagues in the journal Epidemiology and Infection in 2006, and again, more recently, in the Virology Journal.
This explanation actually makes perfect sense.
The vitamin D formed when your skin is exposed to sunlight regulates the expression of more than 2,000 genes throughout your body, including ones that influence your immune system to attack and destroy bacteria and viruses. Hence, being overwhelmed by the “flu bug” could signal that your vitamin D levels are too low, allowing the flu virus to overtake your immune system.
For most people, the flu shot does not prevent illness, but actually does the polar opposite--it weakens your immune system and makes you more predisposed to the illness.
The people who actually die after contracting the flu do so because they are already sick and have compromised immune systems, and that certainly doesn't have to include you.

In addition to making sure your vitamin D levels are in the optimal range, the following tips are surefire ways to improve the function of your immune system and greatly reduce your chances of getting the flu this winter:

• Avoid sugar.
• Get plenty of sleep.
• Exercise regularly.
• Eat according to your nutritional type.
• Eat garlic regularly.
• Support yourself during stressful times

Fighting it away!

My favorite things this season (I've tried many others) to ward off those wicked viruses that creep through our homes our:
Kyolic garlic capsules
Emergen - C -raspberry, pink lemonade and tropical are my fave

I like the emergen-c for a quick pick -me-up or some security when all i've eaten that day is cookies and a salted pretzel :)

When i feel that yuckiness coming on I load up on the garlic caps several times throughout the day and 2 packets of the emergen-c 2-3 times a day. So far so good - came down with 1 yucky cold for an evening and next day gone (knocking on wood now).

Apple Cider Vinegar

Dr. Christopher (founder of the School of Natural Healing)recommended you take three tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar every day because of its amazing healing properties. Here are some of its health benefits:
· dissolves mucus
· has antiseptic qualities
· aids in proper coagulation of blood
· builds healthy blood vessels
· aids in digestion
· is rich in enzymes and potassium
· supports a healthy immune system
· helps control weight
· promotes digestion and ph balance
· helps soothe dry throats
· helps remove body sludge and toxins
· helps maintain healthy skin
· helps promote youthful, healthy bodies
· soothes irritated skin
· relieves muscle pain from exercise
· gives you increased energy

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) can also help with a number of other ailments - here is a sample:
Headaches: Add two tablespoons ACV and 1 teaspoon honey to a glass of distilled water and drink it.
Nosebleeds: Put some ACV on a cotton ball and put it in your nose.Sunburn: Apply ACV directly to skin or put 1-2 cups of ACV in a tub full of water.
Corns, Calluses and Warts: Put ACV on a cotton ball or gauze - bandage it down.
Laryngitis: Add 1/3 cup ACV to a glassful of water - gargle it, swish it and spit it out. This draws toxins right out of your throat.
Skin Blemishes and Acne: Boil some water in a pot - add a few tablespoons of ACV, then place a towel over your head and the pot and breathe the steam in for a few minutes. Next, put some ACV on cotton ball and rub it over your face. Do this twice. Finally, pat cold ACV diluted with an equal amount of ACV on your face. Repeat 1-2 times per week as needed. Do for 90 days and you will have completely new, clear skin.
Dandruff: Massage into scalp an hour prior to shampooing

For most of the above ailments apple cider vinegar is simply an aid to help when you have had unhealthy eating habits, but it is not a cure-all if you are unwilling to change your diet. If you continue to eat pizza and soda pop you are still going to have skin blemishes and acne. If you are ready to change your habits then apple cider vinegar can help take care of these problems.

We recommend you use Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar - it is the best raw, organic vinegar. Never use dead, distilled vinegar because the natural enzymes, minerals, and nutrients are destroyed in the distilling process. Any vinegar that is clear and has no "mother" (the strand-like substance in the bottom of the bottle) has no nutritional value. White distilled or white wine vinegar contains harmful acetic acid. Natural raw vinegar should be pungent, with a rich, brownish color and a visible "mother."

How Dr. Christopher recommended you take Apple Cider Vinegar
Place one tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar in warm water, so that the honey will liquefy. Sip this amount three times a day so that at the end of the day a total of three tablespoons of each is consumed.

In Case You Didn't Know. . .

Is Corn Syrup “the Same as Sugar”? (abstracted from an article on Mercola.com)
The Corn Refiners Association has launched TV commericials and a web site that claim corn syrup is no worse for you than sugar. To imply that artificial products containing corn syrup are in any way OK for your health is beyond a stretch. So let’s set the record straight. If anyone asks you why high fructose corn syrup(HFCS) is unhealthy, you can tell them:
• HFCS is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar, and, because most fructose is consumed in liquid form (soda), its negative metabolic effects are significantly magnified.
• HFCS is almost always made from genetically modified corn, which is fraught with its own well documented side effects and health concerns, such as increasing your risk of developing a food allergy to corn.You can also let anyone who believes corn syrup is safe to eat know that there are over 35 years of hard empirical evidence that refined man-made fructose like HFCS metabolizes to triglycerides and adipose tissue, not blood glucose. The downside of this is that fructose does not stimulate your insulin secretion, nor enhance leptin production. Because insulin and leptin act as key signals in regulating how much food you eat, as well as your body weight, this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased food intake and weight gain.
**How to Cut HFCS Out of Your Diet**
If you are eating a healthy diet, a little bit of corn syrup here or there isn’t going to cause any catastrophes. However, most people are not eating corn syrup in moderation. In 2007, Americans consumed an average of 56 pounds of HFCS each, according to CBS! A large part of this was undoubtedly from soda, which is the number one source of calories in the United States. So the first step for many people is to stop drinking soda, This is because drinking soda leads to elevated insulin levels, the foundation of nearly every chronic disease known to man -- cancer, heart disease, diabetes, aging, arthritis, osteoporosis, you name it, and you will find elevated insulin levels as a primary factor.
Aside from soda, corn syrup is also in many processed foods and fruit juices, so to avoid it completely you need to focus your diet on whole foods. And if you do purchase any processed foods, make sure you read the label … and put it back on the shelf if it lists high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient.

Home Remedies

In the news lately much has been said about the ineffectiveness and harm that can be caused by over the counter children's cold medications. I'd like to share with you a simple homemade remedy that can help alleviate symptoms of the common cold and such ailments.

Make your own Cough Syrup by chopping up an onion in small pieces to extract the juice from it. Mix 1 teaspoon of onion juice with 1 teaspoon of honey, let it sit for 5hours. Mix with some lemon if you like and take twice a day. Onions help break up phlegm.
If the cough is croup like at nightime, cover chest with olive oil or vaseline and place chopped up onions wrapped in cloth over chest and keep warm with hot water bottle or covers. This will aid further in alleviating the coughing. The oil is used to protect the skin from the onions burning it.

Tiny Tip for Tuesday - sleep like a baby :D

Take your calcium supplements - or that warm glass of milk - before bed. It will help you sleep better at night. It can help your body produce melatonin and your body will absorb more of the calcium at night.