Skip The Flu Shot Take Your Vitamins Instead

Prepare for Flu Season – Skip The Flu Shot - Take Your Vitamins Instead.
article below sourced from a former newsletter

We are approaching “Flu Season” again, and manufacturers are gearing up to collect more record profits. Their usual dis-information campaigns are in full swing.

A headline on the American College of Physicians Online website states that ”Influenza is the sixth leading cause of death for older Americans and infects 5% to 10% of elderly Americans every year. The flu leads to 300,000 hospitalizations and kills 30,000 to 40,000 Americans every year.” [1]

Not True.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) compiles yearly death rates, and categorizes those deaths by cause. For the year 2002, the ACTUAL number of deaths attributed to influenza was only 753 [2]

The author of the APC review may have mistakenly reported the number of deaths associated with pneumonia for that year. That’s a typical rationalization, stating that those who get flu may then succumb to pneumonia. That does not justify the claim that all pneumonia-related deaths were caused by the flu!

Many of these deaths occur in people with pre-existing conditions AND weakened immune systems among the elderly. In 2001, when only 257 people died from the flu, 59% nine percent of these deaths occurred in people 75 years or older.

To put these numbers in perspective, 3,454 Americans died from malnutrition in 2001 – 13 times more than the number of reported flu deaths!

It’s a shame we aren’t immunizing the poor for malnutrition. [3]

Even more significant, a study by Lone Simonsen, Ph.D., and his team at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease concluded that the shots had no impact on the death rate from flu complications in people over 65 from 1980, when 20 million people got shots, to recent years when around 80 million did.

Flu shots appear to be failing to achieve their major objective of lowering the death rate. [4]

The average person has the flu (fever, chills, runny nose, sore throat, cough, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, and decreased appetite) for about 3 days.

Certain “high risk” groups may have complications, such as pneumonia. However, these “high risk” groups are at risk because they suffer from immune deficiency and nutritional compromise. Have you looked at the food they serve in Nursing Homes lately?

Lastly, the adverse events associated with flu vaccines are usually worse than the flu itself. It’s  now almost impossible to file lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers for injuries sustained by those who receive the vaccine.

There is a term that describes an illness or injury you receive from medical care…it is called an iatrogenic (or adverse) event. You may want to explore the risks associated with relying on the “silver bullet” of medical care [5] [6] It makes a lot more sense to build health than to fight disease.

There is significant research now available, demonstrating improved immunity in older individuals who start simple supplement programs. [7]

[1] Should Vaccinations be Required for Health Care Workers?

[2] Actual Flu Death Statistics compiled by the CDC:

2002: 753 deaths from Flu p.16

2001: 267 deaths from Flu p.16

2000: 2,175 deaths from Flu p.15

1999:1,685 deaths from Flu p.28

[3] Annual Flu Deaths: The Big Lie ( Think Twice ~ Global Vaccine Institute )

[4] From a Report on Vaccines by MNNBC News

[5] The Iatrogenic Injury Page

[6] Death by Medicine

[7] The Nutrition and Immunity Page

It’s nice to know that there are plenty of referenced commentary that don’t agree with ”get the flu shot” mainstream thinking.

It also helps to get a different perspective, don’t you think?

Given a few good tools,like quality nutritional supplements, your body with its infinite wisdom builds it’s own health.

Say NO to the flu shot and boost your immunity instead!

The decisions of which nutrients to take and why are my area of expertise.

I’d love to help you strengthen your immune function.

No Impact Man Here!!

I am very very excited to share that Colin Beavan affectionately known as No Impact Man will be the convocation speaker here in MY very own community at Illinois Wesleyan University! The event is open to the public.  Note: Seating will be limited!

30,ooo college freshman have read Colin’s Book as part of their summer reading freshman orientation.  30,000 !!!!!!

Wesleyan turned the read into an opportunity for discussion and their very own version of No Impact Experiment.

To quote IWU’s press release:

To celebrate Beavan’s visit to campus, the University Wellness Center is encouraging all faculty, staff and students to participate in a “No Impact Experiment” from Sept. 12-19. It will be one week of cutting consumption, and rethinking a disposable way of life. Each day of the week, participants will attempt to reduce their impact on the environment with steps such as taking public transportation, reviewing what goes into the trash, not buying any new items, powering down unused items and giving back to their community. “Each day builds on the next,” said Illinois Wesleyan’s Visiting Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Health Laurine Brown, “so that ideally, by week’s end, participants have stopped consuming new goods and making trash, switched to a non-polluting transportation, and all while discovering hidden lessons about what is important in your life.”

I personally think that this is not only admirable, character building and a remarkable way to build campus community.

I think it’s really cool!! Way to go IWU.

Colin Beaven


Pearly Eggplant

photograph by karen hanrahan

I am so taken with the beauty of fruits and vegetables.

This stunning pearly lavender gem is an eggplant from Prairierth Farm.

Katie authors a delightful blog that shares her very full life as an employee, student, farmer and soon to be wife!

I didn’t purchase the above eggplant, because eggplant is one vegetable that I am not fond of,  however I did take a picture of it because LOOK at it!!

It is so beautiful!!

Shiso

This richly pigmented leafy wonder is called Shiso

Shiso is Japanese

In Korea they call it Ghatnip

it is a cross between mint and basil

it smells absolutely heavenly

I have been adding it to my salad-centric evening meals

I am very drawn to it’s color and rugged texture

Nanam at Epiphany Farms introduced me

(smile)

photograph by karen hanrahan

Back To School Thoughts From Green Moms!

I can’t believe that it’s our THIRD annual back to school carnival with green moms!

What a gathering of remarkable GREEN minded back to school information. Please mark this post as a resource for you and share it with those you might know!

Happy Back To School!!

photograph by Karen Hanrahan

Reduce Stormwater Runoff With A Rain Barrel!

Stormwater Runoff Pollution

In your neighborhood, water from rain, snow melt or sprinklers flows over yards and pavement into storm drains. The water is not treated as it flows directly to our creeks, rivers and lakes. As water moves, it picks up natural and human-made pollutants. Your help is needed to prevent pollution of water that we use for swimming, fishing or drinking.

What are Sources of Pollution?
• Motor Oil
• Antifreeze
• Soap from washing vehicles
• Paint
• Fertilizers and pesticides
• Yard debris
• Trash
• Pet wast
e

The Ecology Action Center, City of Bloomington, Town of Normal, McLean County Highway Department, and Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District are working together to protect our local waterways.

We All Live Downstream – Let’s Keep Our Water Clean

Don’t Dump
• Recycle and dispose of hazardous wastes properly. Not sure how? Call 309-454-3169 for detailed information.
• Many service stations will recycle your motor oil.

Keep Storm Drains Clear
• Don’t rake or sweep leaves, grass or soil into the street
• Vegetate bare or erosion-prone spots
• Do not litter. Help pick up litter.

Be Yard Smart
• Avoid fertilizing before storms
• Minimize use of pesticides and lawn chemicals
• Compost yard waste and use a mulching mower for grass clippings
• If you live near a waterway, do not mow your grass up to the waterfront as increased vegetation will help filter out pollutants contained in runoff
• Use native plants in your landscaping as they require no fertilizers, little to no watering, and are pest-resistant

Around the House
• Direct downspouts away from paved surfaces on your propert.
• During home improvement projects sweep up all debris and clean paintbrushes inside
• Use a commercial car wash or wash your car on a lawn instead of the driveway
• Install rain barrels or a rain garden to help keep rain water onsite

Pick Up after Pooch
• Clean up pet waste frequently and dispose of properly

What is Point-Source and Non-Point Source Pollution?

Stormwater can include water from both point-sources and from non-point sources. Point-source locations can create such pollutants as chemical runoff, oil leaks, sewage and bulk trash. Non-point sources cause pollution from car fluid leaks, fertilizers from farms, pesticides from gardens, paint, if dumped into the sink or toilet in your home, trash from littering, and “natural” litter, such as grass clippings, leaves or animal feces.

Other Articles Of Interest:

Aquatic Ecosystems

Rain Barrels

Rain Gardens

Water Conservation

Stormwater Education/Resources

When I bought my home a year ago, I added a rain barrel to my green list of things to do.   Being able to build one’s own is pretty darn cool and the Ecology Action Center makes it possible and very affordable too.  I attended this workshop recently with my neighbor.  I created this image essay to share the story. Click the image below and it will take you to a slide show at Flickr.

photographs by Karen Hanrahan

Funny  – I was also interviewed by the local TV station that day.

the text and resources above are sourced directly from Ecology Action Center w/ permission

Killer Cells Are Not Particular.

The summary below was shared in a field email sent from our highly regarded sales leader and Professer of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill   Dr. Stephan Chaney

While clinical studies are the gold standard for determining the effectiveness of a drug or a nutrient, it is sometimes difficult to avoid animal studies if you want to determine how that drug or nutrient works. Those those basic “mechanism of action” studies are often a necessary prelude to the clinical studies.

That is why my companies commitment not to use any animal studies in the testing of their products is so important.

If you are passionate about reducing the use of animals in research, you will be particularly impressed with my companies latest research project.

My company wanted to do some basic research on how our natural interferon works to prevent viral infections in the lung. So they contacted scientists at Cornell University to do those experiments.

They contacted those particular scientists to do the experiments because they were world experts in thefield of immunology, and they were world experts in the development of model systems that can be used in the place of animal studies.

The scientists asked our company if they would first support their research in developing an animal-free model system for determining how the airway epithelium (in layman’s terms this refers to the layers of cells that line the lungs and windpipe) responds to viral infections.

We of course agreed to support the research at Cornell in developing a model of the human airway epithelium – even though that research itself did not involve any of our wellness products and was, therefore, of no direct benefit to our company.

The Cornell scientists have published their first paper using this human airway epithelium (HAE) model system.
(Palmero et al., Journal of Virology, 83: 6900-6908).

That particular paper showed how the lungs respond to a particular type of parainfluenza virus that is responsible for croup and bronchitis in children

Our companies
support in the development of the HAE model system was acknowledged in that paper and will be acknowledged in all future papers using that model system.

Of course, the research didn’t stop there. Our company also supported a research project by the same scientists to determine how our natural interferon helps the lungs resist infection by flu viruses.

I can’t release all of the results of that study yet because the study has not yet been published. But I can tell you that the study showed that our natural interferon activates “natural killer cells” when a flu virus
infects lung tissue.

This is a significant finding because, as their name suggests, natural killer cells play an important role in “killing” the flu virus.  We already knew that our natural interferon helped fight viral infections, but we didn’t know how. This research is an important part of the proof that our product is effective.

In Summary:

1) My company has supported fundamental research at Cornell University into the development of a model system that allows scientists to test how human lung tissue responds to viral infections – and without the use of animals.

2) This study is significant in itself because it will allow scientists across the world to answer important scientific questions that can not be addressed in
clinical trials – and the lives of many thousands of laboratory animals will be spared in the process.

3) This is yet another example of our companiescommitment to supporting research that advances scientific knowledge - not just research that can be used in the marketing of their products. This commitment to true
science is unique among food supplement companies.

4) These same scientist went on to use this model system to show that our natural interferon protects human lung tissue from viral infection by activating natural killer cells which destroy the virus.

5) This provides even stronger evidence of the effectiveness of our product by showing how it works.

P. S. I’m sure that some of you are going to ask me about the swine flu.

This study was not done with swine flu virus, so it does not provide direct evidence that natural inteferon will protect against the swine flu.

However, you should know that natural killer cells are not particularly choosy. They destroy every virus that they come across.

Thus, I consider our natural interferon to be an important part of everyone’s health plan to reduce the risk of coming down with the swine flu.

Please Help Pediatric Allergist Dr. Doris Rapp

Perhaps you recall that I am going to be featured in Pediatric Allergist Dr.Doris Rapp’s newest book. I admire her work tremendously. Dr. Rapp has had a profound health impact on thousands of children who suffer from allergies, and yet if you read below she feels frustrated.

Perhaps you could help …

The following is a letter from pediatric allergist, Dr. Doris Rapp M.D.

Dear Friends,

I wonder if you would be willing to help me. Together we might be able to help tens of thousands of children. Alone I seem to do able to do very little.

We Need To Get The Following Information To Our Schools:

Dear ——,

  • Dust, mold, pollen, foods and chemicals certainly can cause much more than cause asthma and hay fever. As you all know allergies can take on many forms and often affects how children feel, act, behave, walk, talk, write, draw, and especially learn. Many different areas of the brain can be affected.
  • There is no doubt that it is possible to raise academic performance and attendance, while lowering infection, allergies, hyperactivity, behavior problems and drop outs. This can all be done while the expenditures of the schools are being reduced. This is a win/win for students, teachers.
  • As many know, when children can’t or won’t learn, there is a tendency to blame the teachers or mothers or the children for being “inadequate, dumb, bad and lazy.” Actually the answer could simply be a missed diagnosis of allergy. If the schools would recognize and attempt to reduce the major environmental allergens interfering with student performance, we could really do a vast amount of good.

What Can We Do To Educate Those In Power To Make Changes?

  • If we could figure out some way to encourage Mrs. Michelle Obama, with my DVD entitled Environmentally Sick Schools (ESS), to spearhead the message, she could absolutely change the future of a vast numbers of children, all over the world. The ESS DVD shows how affected children look, write, act, behave, and has specific examples of children of various ages reacting to dust, mold, pollen, foods and chemicals. Some suggestions are as simple as asking all children to write before and after each class, or lunch, at school. If the writing changes, what exposure caused the change? Some answers are that simple. I have already sent Mrs. Obama the ESS DVD and my books without any response.

I have many testimonials of children successes; one boy was told he could not get through grammar school, and he went to college! Another had an IQ of 57 that rose to over 125 after her allergies were found and treated, and she completed college. I have prayed and thought about it and finally decided to see if everyone on my mailing list would write a letter, come up with other ideas, and send the above information to everyone on their personal mailing lists, we might be able to move some mountains and get the information out. My web site is too small to do much and Facebook is really not a place to get information of this type out.

  • I will also try to send the ESS tape and my book “The Impossible Child at School and Home” to the Commissioners of Education of all the states, if it is not too costly.
  • I cannot afford to send the DVD and book to all if you, but if you pay for postage and mailing, I can have the DVD’s made and I’ll also send you the book, until the books are all gone. Just E- mail me that you want the DVD and I will arrange it. I can E-mail you a PowerPoint Presentation, with DVD’s inserted showing writing changes and the effects of dust, mold, pollen, foods, and chemicals, however, if the videos will transfer to your operating system.

I am most anxious to hear from you. Send mail to drrapp.assistant (at) gmail. Please send me a copy of any letter you decide to send to your own e-mail “family”. You can cut and paste from this letter as you like.

When I look at all the proof I have that absolutely documents that allergies are a big piece of the present day education problem, I feel immensely discouraged. Since 1975, when I learned about Provocation/Neutralization allergy testing and treatment, I have videotaped thousands of children and absolutely can show how common allergens, including foods and chemicals, can adversely affect how children feel and learn. If I asked 1000 doctors, mothers or teachers, however, I doubt if any would be aware of the immense role allergies plays in a the chances of children being able to reach their full academic or physical potential.

Allergies are typically due to foods, dust, mold, pollen, and chemicals. Here is how fast and easy it can sometimes be to resolve some children’s problems.

  1. To find food problems in 5-7 days, many children would be better if they did the Multiple Food Elimination Allergy Diet in any of Dr. Rapp’s books. www.drrapp.com.
  2. To resolve the dust, mold, pollen and chemical problems, in one or very few days, an air purifier can often help. There is one that takes out 3000 chemicals. Call 1.800.787.8780 for more details.

I am most anxious to hear from you if you have some any other creative, original ideas to figure out how we can get the information out to the educational systems in the USA, please let me know.

Many thanks,

Doris J. Rapp M.D.

Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (emeritus) at SUNYAB

Board Certified in Pediatrics, Allergy and Environmental Medicine

Fax: 480.659.9500

Franceska Zweifler

Assistant to Doris J Rapp M.D.

8040 E. Morgan Trail, Suite 13

Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Tel: 480-905-9195

Fax:480-659-9500

For more info please visit: http://www.drrapp.com/

E-mail us at: drrapp.assistant (at) gmail.com

Echinacea Boosts Immunity During This Shift Of Season

One of my absolutely favorite herbal nutritional products is Echinacea.

Taken intermittently in times of stress, changes in weather temperature or when exposed to something germy.

( Like travel or NOW when the seasons are shifting, exposure in your child’s kindergarten class or family gatherings. )

I feel it gives my body the bit of kick it needs to fight that stuff off.

Our superb Echinacea product additionally has black elderberry, larch tree and zinc in it.

This herbal multiplicity supercharges the immune system giving you the maximum cold and or flu fighting power.

If you have these symptoms or concerns Echinacea can help:

Colds and Flu
Sore Throat and Cough
Swollen Glands
Wounds and Ulcers
Bacterial Infection
Viral Infection
Fever
Herpes
Boils and Skin Eruptions ie: poison ivy
Tonsillitis

Look for these benefits when taking Echinacea:

Stimulates the body’s natural resistance
Pumps up the immune response
promotes production of white blood cells
stops viruses from duplicating
anti-inflammatory
anti-cancer properties
attacks foreign invaders

Our high quality safe and effective herbal product can be swallowed, crushed, made into a soothing tea or sucked on for relief of a sore throat, without comprimising the benefits of the herb

Echinacea should not be taken daily. Children 4 years or older can also benefit from this product.

Not all herbal products have standardized extracts. We do, giving you consistent beneficial dosages each and every time

the above was sourced from nutrition and you

Are you ready for Seasonal Allergeis or the Cold and Flu Season? Stock your natural medicine cabinet now!


echinacea – purple coneflowers flickr image

Your Mucousal Lining Needs Its Beta

When one thinks of anti-oxidants they typically think of  the super trio Vita C, E and Beta Carotene.

I have always known Beta Carotene to be the all mighty carrot!

We all know carrots are good for you.

However, as nutritional sciences advanced so did the advent of anti-oxidant discoveries.

While Carrots or Vitamin A are wonderfully valid, they were found to be even more significant paired with carotenoids!

Perhaps you have heard of your lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, alpha caroten, and astaxanthins.

These carotenoids are found in  richly pigmented fruits and vegetables. They are of great benefit to your health.

Our product is the only product on the market to offer this optimum blend of nature’s carotenoids.

These fat soluble antioxidants have been implicated in the long term health of the eyes, prostate, cervix, lungs and heart

Caratenoids working together support a strong immune system

Woman with low levels of beta carotene double the risk of developing breast cancer.

If you are not eating 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily than this product is for you.

You may be in need of carotenoid supplementation if you have:

age related macular degeneration
are involved in a high stressed life
have a diet that isn’t well balanced
have lung problems
are at risk for prostate cancer
cervical dysplacia
a body full of toxins
heart problems
are exposed to the sun
have a family history of cancer

Benefits include:

promotes proper night vision and eye health
is an anti-oxidant – contributes to overall wellness
increases immunity
reduces risk of heart disease, prostate and cervical cancer
promotes lung health
aids in the detoxification of the liver

above sourced from nutrition and you


Your mucousal lining, also known as your inside skin is made up of carotenoids, when you have issues with your sinus’s often we look at strengthening your inside skin with therapeutic dosages of carotenoid supplemention.

flickr image credit