Obama declares swine flu a national emergency [Archive]

Sapiens

10-24-09, 01:52 PM

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hxNSbTBv3oDBbiqGXWiQvAK-0nkQD9BHLEA00

Obama declares swine flu a national emergency

By PHILIP ELLIOTT (AP) – 14 minutes ago

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency, giving his health chief the power to let hospitals move emergency rooms offsite to speed treatment and protect noninfected patients.

...

On April 26, the administration declared swine flu a public health emergency, allowing the shipment of roughly 12 million doses of flu-fighting medications from a federal stockpile to states in case they eventually needed them. At the time, there were 20 confirmed cases in the U.S. of people recovering easily. There was no vaccine against swine flu, but the CDC had taken the initial step necessary for producing one.

"As a nation, we have prepared at all levels of government, and as individuals and communities, taking unprecedented steps to counter the emerging pandemic," Obama wrote in Saturday's declaration.

He said the pandemic keeps evolving, the rates of illness are rising rapidly in many areas and there's a potential "to overburden health care resources."

...

God help you all.

Sapiens

10-24-09, 02:05 PM

Companies reap the swine flu windfall
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-SwineFlu/idUSTRE59M3TZ20091023

Companies reap the swine flu windfall
Fri Oct 23, 2009 12:43pm EDT

By Julie Steenhuysen - Analysis

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Healthcare companies are reaping the benefits of a global swine flu pandemic, brightening what might otherwise have been a dismal third quarter and bringing new focus on the market for vaccines.

Large European pharmaceutical companies are reporting windfall sales from flu drugs and H1N1 vaccines.

Small biotechs are winning fresh attention from investors and governments looking for quick, less expensive ways of making flu vaccines to protect their populations. And diagnostic companies have been growing revenues as doctors order more flu tests.

"Pretty much everyone who does something in influenza in has gained from it," said Hedwig Kresse, an infectious diseases analyst at Datamonitor in London.

"From a sales perspective, the big players certainly will see a very significant windfall of this pandemic this year," Kresse said in a telephone interview.

...

D-Mack

10-24-09, 02:11 PM

Army first in line to get cutting-edge swine flu shot

Published: 12 Oct 09 15:00 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20091012-22523.html
The German army has ordered a stock of special swine flu vaccine that does not contain controversial additives that will be given to the general public, the Defence Ministry confirmed on Monday.

http://www.thelocal.de/national/20091012-22523.html

Here in Germany the army and politicians will be getting the stuff without additives, while the peasants are left with the other stuff.

goadam1

10-24-09, 02:44 PM

Companies reap the swine flu windfall
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-SwineFlu/idUSTRE59M3TZ20091023

so what. If we invested in new infrastructure, then ibm, ge, alcoa, haliburton and others would benefit. Someone makes the stuff.

Meanwhile, I'll be looking for vaccine without mercury for my kids.

Master Shake

10-24-09, 02:48 PM

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed, and hence clamorous to be led to safety, by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

- H.L. Mencken

Chomsky

10-24-09, 02:48 PM

so what. If we invested in new infrastructure, then ibm, ge, alcoa, haliburton and others would benefit. Someone makes the stuff.

Meanwhile, I'll be looking for vaccine without mercury for my kids.

The CDC had mercury (thimerosal) eliminated from vaccines in 2001. Some vaccine stocks from before the measure was passed are still extant, so insist that your pediatrician use newer, non-thimerosal vaccines.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/updates/thimerosal.htm

audrey_girl

10-24-09, 02:55 PM

fyi:

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goadam1

10-24-09, 02:57 PM

The CDC had mercury (thimerosal) eliminated from vaccines in 2001. Some vaccine stocks from before the measure was passed are still extant, so insist that your pediatrician use newer, non-thimerosal vaccines.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/updates/thimerosal.htm

I do. I didn't know it was out of the new vaccines. Thanks

Now I can get back to the conspiracy to use the vaccine to make the masses sterile.

Best internet rumor. It would make a good Bond movie. Bond and Obama fisticuffs in the lincoln memorial.

Following the recommendation of his science advisor, John
Holdren, President Obama has ordered that the H1N1 Swine Flu
vaccine contain a reproductive sterilizing agent, as part of a
plan to depopulate the United States and other countries in an
attempt to protect the environment.

This is why the media has been reporting that young people are
at higher risk for H1N1, and why they are encouraging all
children be vaccinated as soon as the vaccine becomes available
next month.

John Holdren has already suggested dosing the water supply with
such a sterilizing agent, but no suitable compound has been
found that would effectively sterilize humans without
side-effects, and without harming other animals. Such problems
could be avoided by administering the drug directly, such as by
injecting it along with a routine vaccination.

goadam1

10-24-09, 02:58 PM

Chomsky

10-24-09, 03:13 PM

Now I can get back to the conspiracy to use the vaccine to make the masses sterile.

But but -- but who would they tax in the future if the masses stopped reproducing?

goadam1

10-24-09, 03:38 PM

But but -- but who would they tax in the future if the masses stopped reproducing?
Tax the robots.

http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/coke_zero_robot.jpg

leegs

10-24-09, 04:17 PM

hayfield

10-24-09, 04:28 PM

Meanwhile, I'll be looking for vaccine without mercury for my kids.

I wish I could locate the research article, but I recall that absorption of mercury through Thimerosal orders of magnitude lower than the usual environmental form of mercury. Virtually all of the Thimerosal is eliminated in the "usual" way.

On the other hand, I didn't allow doctors to pump up my kids with immunizations until legally required at age 5 to enter school.

For H1N1, I've read the nasal delivery form is preservative free...

sn1p3r

10-24-09, 05:17 PM

Master Shake

10-24-09, 05:26 PM

My neighbors have three girls, 11 yo twins and a 9 yo. All had H1N1 the week before last. 2-3 days in bed, nowhere near as severe as seasonal flu. Big Whoop.

audrey_girl

10-24-09, 05:44 PM

You know, they make "infonews" like that because American is a Nation of idiots.

Wait, help me... I went to public school. Do I capitalize nation or not?

haha -

totally wrong:

...because American are a Nation of idiots.

its plural - you moron!

strittmatter

10-24-09, 08:20 PM

My neighbors have three girls, 11 yo twins and a 9 yo. All had H1N1 the week before last. 2-3 days in bed, nowhere near as severe as seasonal flu. Big Whoop.

Same here.

All three of our kids- ages 6, 11, and 13 had it at about that same time. The doc thought that the 6 year old was too far along for Tamiflu, the two older kids took it however and their recovery seemed much smoother and shorter. (you should have hit me up about 10 days ago Mr. President)

I have a sister-in-law who is a general practitioner - 90% of her flu cases to date were H1N1 - all three of her kids had it.

The local county newspaper printed an article 2 days ago talking about how H1N1 related hospitalization and overall documented cases in our area was on the decline.

WildspitzE

10-24-09, 09:34 PM

Also - keep an eye out for squalene (adjuvant), formaldehyde, phenol (carbolic acid), ethylene glycol (antifreeze), antibiotics, and aluminum (adjuvant).

Kadriana

10-25-09, 10:12 AM

Same here.

All three of our kids- ages 6, 11, and 13 had it at about that same time. The doc thought that the 6 year old was too far along for Tamiflu, the two older kids took it however and their recovery seemed much smoother and shorter. (you should have hit me up about 10 days ago Mr. President)

I have a sister-in-law who is a general practitioner - 90% of her flu cases to date were H1N1 - all three of her kids had it.

The local county newspaper printed an article 2 days ago talking about how H1N1 related hospitalization and overall documented cases in our area was on the decline.

My husband and I had to take both the kids to the ER because of influenza, assuming H1N1 since they tested positive for type A. My 1 year old needed an IV for dehydration. It happened very quickly and he barely had a fever. My daughter is on steroids for breathing issues. We all had been taking vitamin D and live fairly healthy lifestyles. The worst part is trying to keep my daughter's fever below 103. We're on day 5 of being sick and it's still pretty bad still for my daughter. My son and I seem to be doing better. My husband hasn't shown any signs of getting sick except a stuffy nose.

goadam1

10-25-09, 10:13 AM

I thought flu vaccines were given immunity from this ban? yup found it...

from the above link:

Since 2001, with the exception of some influenza (flu) vaccines, thimerosal is not used as a preservative in routinely recommended childhood vaccines.

That's what I thought.

swgprop

10-25-09, 11:11 AM

My husband and I had to take both the kids to the ER because of influenza, assuming H1N1 since they tested positive for type A. My 1 year old needed an IV for dehydration. It happened very quickly and he barely had a fever. My daughter is on steroids for breathing issues. We all had been taking vitamin D and live fairly healthy lifestyles. The worst part is trying to keep my daughter's fever below 103. We're on day 5 of being sick and it's still pretty bad still for my daughter. My son and I seem to be doing better. My husband hasn't shown any signs of getting sick except a stuffy nose.

Sorry to hear it Kadriana, hope you all recover quickly and completely. Been reading quite a bit about D3 and influenza, can I ask what dosage you all were taking?

Serge_Tomiko

10-25-09, 11:39 AM

My neighbors have three girls, 11 yo twins and a 9 yo. All had H1N1 the week before last. 2-3 days in bed, nowhere near as severe as seasonal flu. Big Whoop.

Every time this thread pops up, I like to point out that NYC was apparently the epicenter with news outlets suggesting 10% or more of the population was infected.

I don't know anyone who has been sick more than usual. The subway is filled with the same wretches as always. I simply don't understand what the big deal is.

BrianL

10-25-09, 12:07 PM

Friends who work at the hospital or clinics on college campuses are getting slammed. One of the college clinics were only treating flu for the rest of the year and referring everything else to the hospital.

The fatality rate may not be much different, but it sounds like the number of people requiring serious treatment/overnight stays at the hospital is much higher than usual. Anecdotally at least, in the Seattle area.

Sapiens

10-25-09, 09:04 PM

Did anyone think this was a joke?

Read what the National Emergencies Act is all about:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/98-505.pdf

goadam1

10-25-09, 09:38 PM

Every time this thread pops up, I like to point out that NYC was apparently the epicenter with news outlets suggesting 10% or more of the population was infected.

I don't know anyone who has been sick more than usual. The subway is filled with the same wretches as always. I simply don't understand what the big deal is.

Some estimates say nyc had a 40% infection rate in Spring. Not one kid out with flu this year at School. In Spring almost the whole class had a flu but no one knows if it was h1n1

goadam1

10-25-09, 09:40 PM

Did anyone think this was a joke?

Read what the National Emergencies Act is all about:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/98-505.pdf

Okay, so what is our Prison Planet moment. I've been waiting a long time for FEMA police to start shooting looters or something exciting. So far the only cool stuff I've been in were NYC on 9/11 and the LA riots.

http://thetruthorthefight.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/camp_fema.jpg

goadam1

10-25-09, 09:45 PM

Did anyone think this was a joke?

Read what the National Emergencies Act is all about:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/98-505.pdf

I for one am glad we have a proactive government. A bad flu and a recession and they are (gasp!) going to do what it take to treat sick people.
From reuters:

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius now has authority to bypass federal rules when opening alternative care sites, such as offsite hospital centers at schools or community centers if hospitals seek permission.
Some hospitals have opened drive-thrus and drive-up tent clinics to screen and treat swine flu patients. The idea is to keep infectious people out of regular emergency rooms and away from other sick patients.
Hospitals could modify patient rules — for example, requiring them to give less information during a hectic time — to quicken access to treatment, with government approval, under the declaration.
It also addresses a financial question for hospitals — reimbursement for treating people at sites not typically approved. For instance, federal rules do not allow hospitals to put up treatment tents more than 250 yards away from the doors; if the tents are 300 yards or more away, typically federal dollars won't go to pay for treatment.
Administration officials said those rules might not make sense while fighting the swine flu, especially if the best piece of pavement is in the middle of a parking lot and some medical centers already are putting in place parts of their emergency plans.
"I think the term emergency declaration sounds more dramatic than it really is," said Dr. Peter Hotez, a research professor and chairman of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine at George Washington University. "It's largely an administrative move that's more preemptive ..." He said such a step would give emergency rooms and hospitals the flexibility they need.
The national emergency declaration was the second of two steps needed to give Sebelius extraordinary powers during a crisis.

ER59

10-26-09, 12:40 AM

Good article about vaccines and antivirals in the atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200911/brownlee-h1n1

jiimbergin

10-26-09, 04:05 AM

Good article about vaccines and antivirals in the atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200911/brownlee-h1n1

Thanks, reminds me a lot of the AGW group. Here there seems to be a reasonable amount of evidence that says vacinations do not reduce mortality rates but mainstream medicine refuses to even consider that point.:D

Kadriana

10-26-09, 07:13 AM

Sorry to hear it Kadriana, hope you all recover quickly and completely. Been reading quite a bit about D3 and influenza, can I ask what dosage you all were taking?

My husband and I were taking 800. My daughter was on 200 and my son was getting half a flinstones so 100. I was also making sure I drank rice milk every day which is fortified with D. My daughter drinks a lot of milk and my son also drinks rice milk. We were also trying to get plently of son so we could get vitamin D the most natural way. Between my two kids, I would say my daughter is the healthier one and gets more vitamin D through milk and sunshine and she was hit the worst. My son has tubes in his ears and allergy issues and his fever never really got over 99 where I had a horrible time trying to keep my daughter's under 103.

ETA: I must be pretty sick if I'm typing son instead of sun. :/

swgprop

10-26-09, 08:05 AM

My husband and I were taking 800. My daughter was on 200 and my son was getting half a flinstones so 100. I was also making sure I drank rice milk every day which is fortified with D. My daughter drinks a lot of milk and my son also drinks rice milk. We were also trying to get plently of son so we could get vitamin D the most natural way. Between my two kids, I would say my daughter is the healthier one and gets more vitamin D through milk and sunshine and she was hit the worst. My son has tubes in his ears and allergy issues and his fever never really got over 99 where I had a horrible time trying to keep my daughter's under 103.

Those levels were probably inadequate to provide protection (depending on the sunshine component). Take a look at information here (http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/) and here (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51913.php).

Best of luck.

strittmatter

10-26-09, 08:30 AM

This is one bizarre video!

What is the likelihood/validity of this woman's situation being related to her vaccination? Or is it a fake?

2:18 min.
Girl Gets Flu Shot and Can Now Only Walk Backwards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR5p_bD3uLc

er...........good thing this thread is already in the "I've Lost My Mind Just Now" forum.

Kadriana

10-26-09, 08:38 AM

Those levels were probably inadequate to provide protection (depending on the sunshine component). Take a look at information here (http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/) and here (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51913.php).

Best of luck.

That's why I was trying to make sure they got plenty of sun. They had started harvesting the week before we got sick and it was too loud and dusty to go outside so maybe that was enough to put us over. We're all extremely pale so it doesn't take much for us to get vitamin D from the sun. This is the first time I think I've ever gotten the flu, might have had a mild version once, and definitely the first time for both my kids. My husband had been working on a project outside for the last couple weeks and he's still healthy. My daughter was getting the most sun out of the two kids and she was the worst so I don't know how much of a difference it makes. My son just weaned a couple months ago so maybe that helped him.

thedanimal

10-26-09, 10:10 AM

ThePythonicCow

10-26-09, 10:39 AM

swgprop, what is the best form to take Vitamin D in? I know there are probably many delivery methods like other vitamins. Thanks.
I recommend the information and product at http://products.mercola.com/vitamin-d-spray/. It recommends, in order, (1) sunshine, if at sufficiently low latitude and with adequate exposure, (2) safe tanning beds, or (3) sublingual Vitamin D spray. If supplementing Vitamin D, it recommends testing one's Vitamin D levels, as it can be quite difficult to get the dose right otherwise.

I also recommend raw milk from a trusted local farmer, and Carlsons cod liver oil (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LF39MY), which has a good balance of Vitamin's A and D.

swgprop

10-26-09, 11:00 AM

swgprop, what is the best form to take Vitamin D in? I know there are probably many delivery methods like other vitamins. Thanks.

I haven't researched the efficacies of different delivery methods, but the Mercola link TPC posted below provides great information on Vitamin D and a variety of other health matters. The key is whatever method you decide - pill, spray, sunshine - you'd be best served by ordering a test to ensure you are hitting target levels of 25-OH Vitamin D.

Here is a link (http://directlabs.com/Resources/Vitamins/VitaminD/tabid/273/language/en-US/Default.aspx) to one provider of tests.

thedanimal

10-26-09, 12:13 PM

Thank you to you both.

swgprop

10-26-09, 03:45 PM

Good article in The Atlantic (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200911/brownlee-h1n1)

Does the Vaccine Matter?

But what if everything we think we know about fighting influenza is wrong? What if flu vaccines do not protect people from dying—particularly the elderly, who account for 90 percent of deaths from seasonal flu? And what if the expensive antiviral drugs that the government has stockpiled over the past few years also have little, if any, power to reduce the number of people who die or are hospitalized? The U.S. government—with the support of leaders in the public-health and medical communities—has put its faith in the power of vaccines and antiviral drugs to limit the spread and lethality of swine flu. Other plans to contain the pandemic seem anemic by comparison. Yet some top flu researchers are deeply skeptical of both flu vaccines and antivirals. Like the engineers who warned for years about the levees of New Orleans, these experts caution that our defenses may be flawed, and quite possibly useless against a truly lethal flu. And that unless we are willing to ask fundamental questions about the science behind flu vaccines and antiviral drugs, we could find ourselves, in a bad epidemic, as helpless as the citizens of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. . . .Such comparisons have shown a dramatic difference in mortality between these two groups: study after study has found that people who get a flu shot in the fall are about half as likely to die that winter—from any cause—as people who do not. Get your flu shot each year, the literature suggests, and you will dramatically reduce your chance of dying during flu season. . . .

Tom Jefferson, a physician based in Rome and the head of the Vaccines Field at the Cochrane Collaboration, a highly respected international network of researchers who appraise medical evidence, says: “For a vaccine to reduce mortality by 50 percent and up to 90 percent in some studies means it has to prevent deaths not just from influenza, but also from falls, fires, heart disease, strokes, and car accidents. That’s not a vaccine, that’s a miracle.”

ThePythonicCow

10-27-09, 11:08 PM

Ah - I see at least one reason for Obama declaring this a national emergency. By law, the FDA cannot approve a vaccine for use until and unless it is tested. The swine flu vaccine has not been tested. There is an exception to this law: in a national emergency, the testing can be skipped. By declaring this emergency, Obama has put the kibosh on lawsuits such as the following, from http://www.physorg.com/news174847447.html :
Lawsuit seeks to halt US swine flu vaccination campaign

October 15th, 2009

New York medical workers took legal action Thursday to halt a massive swine flu inoculation program being rolled out across the United States, claiming the vaccines have not been properly tested.

Lawyers for the group filed a temporary restraining order in a Washington federal court against government medical regulators they claim rushed H1N1 vaccines to the public without adequately testing their safety and efficacy.

"None of the vaccines against H1N1 have been properly tested," attorney Jim Turner, one of half a dozen lawyers working on the case, told AFP.

The complaint filed Thursday argued that far from preventing a massive outbreak of swine flu, the "live attenuated influenza virus (http://www.physorg.com/tags/influenza+virus/) nasal mist vaccine (http://www.physorg.com/tags/vaccine/) could trigger" an H1N1 pandemic.
"I don't know of another live vaccine for flu. So you have immediately a new problem you don't have with a killed vaccine," Turner told AFP.

Officials at the National Institutes of Health have said that trials of swine flu vaccine (http://www.physorg.com/tags/swine+flu+vaccine/) began in August and delivered results last month, showing that the vaccine was well tolerated and produced a robust immune response (http://www.physorg.com/tags/immune+response/) in older children and adults in good health with just a single dose.

But Turner insisted that "the FDA (http://www.physorg.com/tags/fda/) did not do the proper testing to show safety and efficacy of this vaccine, which is under the law a new drug.

"When I say test data, I don't mean some professor at some medical school somewhere infected some students and said 'I don't see any problems.'

"What I mean is carefully conducted double blind placebo controlled studies trials done in accordance with FDA regulations, and a whole series of them to look at dosing... which are then reviewed by FDA scientists.

"None of that has been done on this vaccination and we're saying the law requires it to be done," Turner said.

The suit was brought on behalf of a group of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel in New York, where health care professionals who see patients are required to be vaccinated against H1N1, Turner said.

If the complaint is upheld, it would stop the roll-out of the H1N1 vaccine nationwide, said Turner, who accused public health officials of hyping the swine flu outbreak.
"Officials have said the virus is so much like the ordinary flu virus that they don't need to do special new drug testing on it because it's just the same old virus with a minor change to it," he said.

"We're saying, if that's the case, then all the hype about this thing being a worldwide threat is misplaced and they've stampeded the state of New York into taking an action they never would have taken if it were just another flu."

Last week, some 2.4 million doses of nasal spray vaccine made of greatly weakened, but live, H1N1 virus were delivered to state and local health authorities around the United States.

Karen Lancaster, a spokeswoman for the MedImmune, which manufactures the nasal spray H1N1 vaccine, told AFP that the the company has had a seasonal flu vaccine made with weakened live virus on the market since 2003.

This week, millions of doses stocks of injectable vaccine were delivered and administered to people in groups deemed to be at particular risk from swine flu, including children and health care professionals.

US public health officials want to vaccinate tens of millions of Americans by year's end against swine flu (http://www.physorg.com/tags/swine+flu/), which has claimed more than 4,500 lives worldwide since an outbreak of H1N1 was first reported in Mexico in April.
(c) 2009 AFP

lurker

10-28-09, 09:32 AM

I found this quote to be the best from the Atlantic article:

Studies show that young, healthy people mount a glorious immune response to seasonal flu vaccine, and their response reduces their chances of getting the flu and may lessen the severity of symptoms if they do get it. But they aren’t the people who die from seasonal flu. By contrast, the elderly, particularly those over age70, don’t have a good immune response to vaccine—and they’re the ones who account for most flu deaths. (Infants with severe disabilities, such as leukemia and congenital lung disease, and people who are immune-compromised—from AIDS, or diabetes, or cancer treatment—make up the rest. As of August8, only 36 deaths from swine flu had been confirmed among children in the U.S., and the overwhelming majority of those children had multiple, severe health disorders.)
In Jefferson’s view, this raises a troubling conundrum: Is vaccine necessary for those in whom it is effective, namely the young and healthy? Conversely, is it effective in those for whom it seems to be necessary, namely the old, the very young, and the infirm? These questions have led to the most controversial aspect of Jefferson’s work: his call for placebo-controlled trials, studies that would randomly give half the test subjects vaccine and the other half a dummy shot, or placebo. Only such large, well-constructed, randomized trials can show with any precision how effective vaccine really is, and for whom.

In other words the vaccines may only work as intended in those who would be healthy enough to fight off the flu with little consequence.

This tends to confirm another line in the article that the only flu vaccine study that really showed a benefit to vaccination was in healthy school aged children.

WildspitzE

10-28-09, 10:15 AM

Thank you to you both.

Our itulip friend rogermexico has covered vit d on his blog as well.

paleonu.com
e.g. http://www.paleonu.com/panu-weblog/2009/8/9/vitamin-d.html

(he has other posts but that was the first one re: vit d that i can recall)

To complement the information that TPC and swgprop posted, on mercola's website (the one that TPC recommended) you'll find the following video (which discusses optimal levels, based on bloodwork):

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/10/Vitamin-D-Experts-Reveal-the-Truth.aspx

To reiterate, each person is different, so if you're supplementing make sure that you test over time (and seasons, due to sun exposure) to target supplementation (to reach ideal based on blood work levels).

WildspitzE

10-28-09, 10:59 AM

I also recommend raw milk from a trusted local farmer, and Carlsons cod liver oil (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LF39MY), which has a good balance of Vitamin's A and D.

Check out the video I posted in this thread, re: cod liver oil. When you get to the guy, he talks about intake methods. He highlights (25:02ish) how Vit A and Vit D depend on the same receptors, which reduces the effect or absorption of Vit D. I think that it may be relevant with high levels of Vit A only, but still important info.

ThePythonicCow

10-28-09, 07:09 PM

Check out the video I posted in this thread, re: cod liver oil. When you get to the guy, he talks about intake methods. He highlights (25:02ish) how Vit A and Vit D depend on the same receptors, which reduces the effect or absorption of Vit D. I think that it may be relevant with high levels of Vit A only, but still important info.
My understanding is that one should have both Vitamins A & D, and avoid excess of either, as too much of one interferes with the other. See for example http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/2008-december.shtml . That's one reason I mentioned Carlson's Cod Liver Oil in particular, as it has a closer to equal amount (700 IU Vit A, 400 IU Vit D, on the bottle in front of me.) Many brands of cod liver oil have too much Vit A. I suspect (not sure though) that the video you posted overstates this when recommending no Vit A supplementation in order to maximize Vit D receptivity.

WildspitzE

10-29-09, 07:04 AM

I think that they say no supplementation past 6000IU, hence my "I think that it may be relevant with high levels of Vit A only, but still important info." Wasn't poopoo'ing your cod liver oil, just highlighting the receptor overlap. Wasn't sure if you or anybody here knew that. 6000IU can be found in 3 airbornes, which I've seen people take 3 a day (the recommended max) when they fear that they're getting the flu/cold. This may inadvertently be working against their efforts bc it may be crowding out any vit d that they may be taking/ingesting.

I don't think that 400IU of Vit D is enough (for the typical office rat, unless you work outside) , but as we both have stated everybody should check their blood levels to get to the right amount (for each time of year).

FWIW - I don't supplement Vit A, as I eat enough foods w/ Vit A or beta carotene. That said, there are times (when I have long business trips/flights, etc) where I do supplement Vit A but I do so in the form of beta carotene.

c1ue

10-29-09, 08:35 AM

Diarmuid

10-29-09, 09:05 AM

I posted recently that someone I met who works in the company that makes the vaccines - via a recent acquisition - told me the following:

1) every employee was given over a dozen doses
2) The company strongly recommended NOT taking the dose unless seriously sick. The side effects would be dramatic

Hmm!

strange recommendation - Should a vaccine not be taken before the onset of the illness, in order for the body to build the necessary antibodies to fight a full blown infection.

What benefit would accrue to taking a vaccine if one is already ill with the virus; the vaccine is supposed to protect against?

I might understand a recommendation like this if it is referring to a product like Tamiflu and some data, studies, cases were provided.

Appreciate if you could extrapolate.

ThePythonicCow

10-29-09, 10:01 AM

1) every employee was given over a dozen dosesA dozen doses of what -- some flu vaccine? That's strange, unless perhaps for the purposes of some testing for toxicity, in which case I wouldn't force such testing on every employee.

Kadriana

10-29-09, 11:35 AM

A dozen doses of what -- some flu vaccine? That's strange, unless perhaps for the purposes of some testing for toxicity, in which case I wouldn't force such testing on every employee.

According to Dr. Sears, the US H1N1 flu shots have the same exact ingredients as the seasonal flu shot. The risks should be similar. I'm not a big fan of the seasonal flu shot because I'm not confident about it's effectiveness but there shouldn't be all this fear that the government is trying to kill us with the H1N1 shot either. Link to Doctor Sears website.

http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/

ThePythonicCow

10-29-09, 11:39 AM

According to Dr. Sears, the US H1N1 flu shots have the same exact ingredients as the seasonal flu shot. The risks should be similar. I'm not a big fan of the seasonal flu shot because I'm not confident about it's effectiveness but there shouldn't be all this fear that the government is trying to kill us with the H1N1 shot either. Link to Doctor Sears website.

http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/
You posted this in response to a post of mine, though I see no particular connection between your post and my post other than we're both talking about swine flu vaccine. Did I miss something in your post?

c1ue

10-29-09, 11:49 AM

A dozen doses of what -- some flu vaccine? That's strange, unless perhaps for the purposes of some testing for toxicity, in which case I wouldn't force such testing on every employee.

Yes, upon further reflection what was probably talked about was not a vaccine so much as an antiviral.

The substance of the conversation was that unless you were really really sick, you were better off not taking the dose. Because taking the dose would make you really really sick.

Given that the person speaking (and their co-workers) were in the 30 to 35 age group, seemed interesting that our government would stockpile so much.

ThePythonicCow

10-29-09, 11:51 AM

Yes, upon further reflection what was probably talked about was not a vaccine so much as an antiviral.Ok - that makes more sense. Something such as Tamiflu I suppose. Yes, I agree that Tamiflu has its problems, as you describe.

Kadriana

10-29-09, 11:52 AM

You posted this in response to a post of mine, though I see no particular connection between your post and my post other than we're both talking about swine flu vaccine. Did I miss something in your post?

No, I was just kind of throwing it on the end of the vaccine conversation. I was just wanting to throw up the link for people curious about the vaccine. Dr. Sears is selective about vaccines so I like him as a source. I think some European countries did add adjunctives to theirs and they're seeing more reactions. Now I am going to crawl back in bed since I'm still fighting the flu.

ThePythonicCow

10-29-09, 12:07 PM

Now I am going to crawl back in bed since I'm still fighting the flu.I wish you well. Thanks for the clarification.

D-Mack

10-29-09, 12:08 PM

Billy Corgan Blogs About Swine Flu, Refuses to Get Vaccinated (http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/10/29/billy-corgan-blogs-about-swine-flu-refuses-to-get-vaccinated/)

10/29/09, 1:22 pm EST
“I am not a doctor, and I am in no way suggesting that you should follow any medical advice from me,” Billy Corgan writes at the top of a blog post about swine flu. What follows is nearly 850 words of Corgan spitting conspiracy theories on his Everything From Here to There (http://www.everythingfromheretothere.com/2009/10/27/health-and-a-well-being/) blog regarding the H1N1 virus.
Smashing Pumpkins’ frontman has a central thesis — that the illness was “created by man” and driven by a “propaganda machine” powered by fear. “I for one will not be taking the vaccine. I do not trust those who make the vaccines, or the apparatus behind it all to push it on us thru fear,” Corgan writes.

..

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/10/29/billy-corgan-blogs-about-swine-flu-refuses-to-get-vaccinated/

thinking musicians ?

Sapiens

10-30-09, 07:44 AM

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/Swine_flu/article6896172.ece

Medical chief warns of extremists’ attacking flu vaccination campaign

Extremists are attempting to derail the introduction of a national swine flu vaccination campaign, the country’s top doctor has warned.

Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer for England, spoke out against protests aimed at deterring people from having the jab. In one case, a Birmingham hospital had already been flyposted with anti-vaccination messages as its immunisation campaign started.

Estimates suggest that 78,000 people in England fell ill with swine flu last week, an increase on the 53,000 new cases in the week before.

...

He added that the vaccine against the H1N1 virus offered the chance to prevent vulnerable people developing serious illness, and spoke out against a poster campaign that depicted the jab as a “weapon of mass destruction”.

“We have had a lot of unfair public criticism and attacks in an attempt to scare people about a vaccine that’s potentially life-saving,” he added.

“We have seen it before with vaccines like MMR [the combined jab for measles, mumps and rubella], and now extremists are doing the same thing again.”

Many doctors have not yet received the first doses of the Pandemrix vaccine, made by GlaxoSmithKline

...

lurker

10-30-09, 04:29 PM

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/Swine_flu/article6896172.ece

"Pandemrix" ... is that really the name of GSK's H1N1 vaccine ?

I wonder what they'll call the H5N1 vaccine if (God forbid) we ever need one to counter a REAL pandemic.

"ThisTimeIt'sARealPandemrix" ?

I'll be interested to see if the WHO advise that children only need 1 dose will be heeded by the CDC or whether they'll continue to insist on 2.

ocelotl

11-05-09, 01:02 PM

Been there, seen that, got the T shirt. Check how the emergency is dealt down here in ol' Mexico.

babbittd

11-06-09, 05:43 AM

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=ArY0Duiya7tRU.0opFaLFoeLvLYF?slug=ap-athletes-swineflu&prov=ap&type=lgns

TORONTO (AP)—Ontario health minister Deb Matthews vowed Thursday to investigate whether Toronto’s NBA and NHL players jumped the line for the swine flu shot while other groups are being forced to wait as the province’s supply dwindles.

Matthews said she shares the outrage sparked by reports that Maple Leafs and Raptors players got the shot even though the province doesn’t have enough yet to vaccinate school-age children.

“I don’t care who you are, how rich you are, how famous you are,” she said. “If you’re not in the priority group, get out of the line and let the people who are in the priority groups get their vaccination.”

Matthews expects Ontario to run out of the regular H1N1 vaccine at the end of the week due to Ottawa’s dramatic supply slowdown.

The province has enough vaccine to immunize 2.2 million people, which is intended only for the estimated 3.4 million Ontarians who fall under the province’s high-priority groups, she said.

They include pregnant women, children between 6 months and 5 years of age, people who care for infants and other people who can’t get the vaccine, people under the age of 65 with chronic conditions and those living in remote communities. The government wants to add school-age children as a priority group, but Matthews said it doesn’t have enough vaccine.

She doesn’t yet know how the Maple Leafs and Raptors players got the shot.

A health employee in Alberta was fired after letting the Calgary Flames jump the swine flu shot line.