This statement was recently released by the World Health Organization (WHO):
"The world is moving into the early days of its first influenza pandemic in the 21st century. The swine flu virus is now unstoppable."-World Health Organization Chief Dr. Margaret Chan
While the whole swine flu is a scary thing, there's no reason for angst. I've copied an article here from Master Herbalist David Christopher which speaks common sense to an uncommon problem. Enjoy!
"So…. we are having a PANDEMIC!
With the announcement by WHO that the swine flu (or H1N1 flu) is a pandemic many people are in a panic and looking for answers. In fact, in Argentina the health care system was essentially shut down by hordes of people rushing to the hospitals to find out if they had swine flu.
Every article in the media indicates something different; from how many cases there are worldwide; to how soon a vaccine will be ready for the general public, to when it is predicted to get worse (after all, WHO has declared it unstoppable). Who and what are we supposed to believe?
First – what is the flu? Influenza (or flu) is a respiratory infection caused by any number of viruses. More than 200,000 people are hospitalized each year from the seasonal flu and about 36,000 die each year. Flu season happens during bad weather when people stay indoors and the therefore don’t get the fresh air, exercise, or sunshine with its accompanying vitamin D production. In other words, we create a personal environment conducive for viral invasion.
Influenza becomes pandemic when many people are subjected to a weakened or polluted personal or communal environment. A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that spreads through populations across a large region; for instance a continent, or even worldwide.
Here are a few examples of Pandemics you may have heard about:
The Plague - middle ages-1347 AD
The Spanish Flu – 1918
HIV/Aids virus – 1980’s +
Swine Flu – 1976
Gulf War Syndrome -1990’s
Swine/ Avian (H1N1) - present
Avian Flu – it has been predicted that this will be a pandemic in the future
The pandemic of 1918 was devastating to the population at large. It is estimated that it killed 50-100 million people worldwide (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandemic). However, there was one simple home remedy that was not only effective in curing people; it also prevented others from contracting it. What is that simple remedy? It is something that can be found anywhere in the world and is often overlooked by the medical profession. We can easily purchase it in any grocery store for under $1.00! Many of us already have it in our homes and use it in cooking but don’t realize the medicinal qualities it contains. This easy home remedy is simply ………garlic.
How does it work? Garlic has over 28 sulphide compounds, one of which is created when garlic is crushed. The amino acid Alliin is in a compartment and the enzyme Allinase is in a separate compartment. The crushing combines these two ingredients and creates a new substance named Allicin. This smelly, unstable sulphide is more powerful than any antibiotic and is potent in crushed fresh garlic. This super herb has appeared in close to 1,000 published papers and has been shown to kill bacteria in concentrations as low as 1 part extract in 50,000 parts water. The odor kills bacteria in Petri dishes at 20 centimeters distance and killed bacteria that were resistant to the antibiotic chloramphenicol. Garlic is the only antibiotic that also promotes healthy digestion and protects the body from toxins produced by the infection.
The best insurance in the world against the “predicted coming plagues” and “killing diseases” is to have the body in a good healthy condition. Disease germs are merely scavengers and can only live on toxins, mucous and residue from junk foods. They cannot and will not damage healthy cell structure. Therein lies the key! Have a healthy, clean body and disease germs will by-pass you - wanting nothing to do with your body, because it would be “obnoxiously clean” (in their language) and have no filth for them to live on.
If you do get sick, however, you should not be around other people. You should stay home and take care of yourself.
Avoid all animal products (especially dairy) and go on a liquid diet of fresh juices and plenty of distilled water and red raspberry tea. Make sure the bowels are moving so as to eliminate toxins quickly.
Next, lubricate the body liberally with garlic oil (fresh garlic pressed into olive oil) – especially the chest and soles of the feet. This is an easy way to take in a lot of garlic.
One woman called because many at her work had been out with a flu that was lasting about two weeks. She came home from work feeling sick and called to see what she could do. She wasn’t up to going to the store so I questioned her to see what she had in the house that she could use. I told her about this simple remedy which includes the juice from two apples, four stalks of celery, and one inch square of ginger.
The Chinese have done studies that show that effectiveness of ginger in killing viruses. She drank this juice all day along with water. She also stayed down and rested. The next day she was back at work.
To complete the process of healing, we suggest you stay on fresh juices, fruits and vegetables, and drink plenty of distilled water."
He was always the clown, singing for his dinner every night with a sort of howl that was distinctly his when Michael would sing the "Dinner time Song".
