Is Tamiflu any good against swine flu or is it worthless? December 14, 2009
Posted by healthandsurvival in Diseases, Herbal Medicine, Society, Wellness.Tags: health, medicine, news, prevention, swine flu, tamiflu
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A major controversy about the efficacy of the antiviral agent Tamiflu in treating influenza has erupted in the online version of BMJ, formerly known as the British Medical Journal. A team from the prestigious Cochrane Review says that its analysis of published data about clinical trials of the drug, known generically as oseltamivir, shows that the drug is able to reduce the course of an influenza infection by a day but that they are unable to conclude that the drug is effective at reducing complications and hospitalizations caused by flu because they do not have access to key data from eight clinical trials sponsored by the drug’s manufacturer, Roche Laboratories Inc. In acommentary accompanying the report, BMJ editor Fiona Godlee said, “Governments around the world have spent billions of pounds on a drug that the scientific community now finds itself unable to judge.”
In a response, Roche officials said that the data from the eight trials simply duplicated the results from published trials and did not provide enough new information to justify publication. The company also said that all of the data were submitted to the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies when the company sought approval to market the drug and that those agencies found it convincing. Roche also said it would post the eight disputed trials on a pasword-protected website so that researchers would have access to it — although that has not occurred yet…read more here…
Seasonal Affective Disorder treatment with Negative Ions and Vitamin D December 1, 2009
Posted by healthandsurvival in Home Health, Wellness, health, medicine.Tags: depression, ions, Negative Ions, SAD
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Bright Ideas for Treating the Winter Blues
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By MELINDA BECK
It’s that time of year when darkness descends like a heavy blanket beginning in mid-afternoon in much of the country. For some people, it also brings a desire to stay in bed and wait for spring.
Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, affects an estimated 6% of Americans, causing depression, lethargy, irritability and a desire to avoid social situations. It can also create an urge to overeat, particularly carbohydrates. As many as 15% of people in the U.S. may have a milder version that includes only some of these symptoms. The incidence rises along with the distance from the equator: Roughly 8% of Canadians, 10% of Britons and as many as 20% of Scandinavians suffer from SAD this time of year.
Light therapy, using beams many times more intense than normal light, is the most common treatment. But a host of new therapies—from simulating dawn in your bedroom and changing your thoughts through cognitive-behavioral therapy to taking mega doses of vitamin D—are having success in some patients.
Despite decades of study, experts still aren’t sure exactly what causes SAD, which is officially recognized as a form of major depression that remits in spring and summer. The seasonal and geographic patterns provide strong clues that it’s related to the diminishing daylight in the fall and winter. One theory suggests that the reduced light disrupts peoples’ circadian rhythms, the 24-hour biological clock that governs waking, sleeping and many other body functions. Another theory holds that the darkness wreaks havoc with neurotransmitters—brain chemicals that affect mood. Some experts believe the reduced sun exacerbates vitamin D deficiencies. It may also be that SAD has several different causes.
There are other mysteries, too. Why do SAD symptoms tend to peak in January and February, even though days are lengthening by then? Why does it hit most prominently between the ages of 18 and 30, and why are women three times as likely as men to be affected? The incidence of SAD is also surprisingly low in Iceland, where the homogenous population leads experts to surmise that genetic factors may also play a role...read more here…
-Read more about the Wein VI-2500 High Intensity Negative Ionizer
Flu Vaccine Side Effect in Young Woman October 15, 2009
Posted by healthandsurvival in vaccines.Tags: dystonia, flu, vaccine
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Studies have also shown that optimizing Vitamin D can help minimize risk of swine flu infection. Read more about it, Vitamin D Prescription by Dr. Eric Madrid
Text And Driving New Report September 30, 2009
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Studies show that texting or talking on the cell phone is the equivalent of drinking and driving.
Swine Flu Masks in Big Demand September 30, 2009
Posted by healthandsurvival in Diseases, Infectious Disease.2 comments
There are various manufacturers of flu masks that can help minimize risk of infection with swine flu. I personally recommend the Wein ViraMask self adhesive mask. This mask (N99 or N95) has a great seal and provides maximal protection. They also produce masks which fit a child’s face for about $2.95 each. This child sized mask will help minimize a child’s risk against contracting swine flu infections.
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Workers are fighting the flu around the clock at the Alpha Pro Tech factory in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Since last spring’s outbreak of the H1N1 Influenza Virus, also known as swine flu, orders for the company’s N95 respirator masks have soared, and demand is growing with the onset of the fall flu season.
“We expect sales to continue to be much stronger than normal for the foreseeable future,” Al Millar, president of Alpha Pro Tech , said.
Buy back orders are expected be made up quickly, with production expanded threefold, Millar said. With every machine operating 24 hours a day, seven days week, the company is now producing 240 per minute, about 1,000 cases per day.
It’s a big undertaking for a small company, but its second-quarter revenues were up 63 percent to a record $14.5 million from the first wave of the pandemic, led by a 184 percent increase in its mask sales.
Millar said he sees their work as an important line of defense in the reaction to the pandemic. As flu season progresses, his biggest challenge may be maintaining staffing levels if his workers or members of their families fall ill.
Alpha Pro Tech last ramped up production like this with the SARS outbreak of 2006. Back then, the contingency plan for an outbreak in Utah was to house workers who were willing in the production facility so they could keep working, he said...read more here…
