The flu zoo

There has been a lot of activity lately in the news with stories of influenza and for the most part, it may very well be just a good story to break up the monotony of foreclosures and recession. Avian flu did not quite get off the ground, maybe Swine flu will get down and dirty and get the job done of scaring people. I am personally waiting for the mutated giraffe influenza virus now, that one has legs.

I am not saying that being infected with any of the above-mentioned viruses is something to take lightly however it has been blown somewhat out of proportion. If you want to talk pandemic then you could easily say that the common cold is pandemic or chicken pox and so on. I am sure these particular ailments have currently been spread from human to human in every country they just are not exciting news stories.

Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans. The strain in most cases causes only mild symptoms and the infected person makes a full recovery without requiring medical attention and without the use of antiviral medicines.

We should think before we all run out and get the flu vaccine that has been recommended by the “authority” the vaccine that is not even for that particular strain of flu. The current vaccine against the seasonal influenza strain H1N1 is unlikely to provide protection, you may want to prepare your immune system with other measures first.

Looking back on the history of homeopathic medicine one will find successful management of serious acute infections with homeopathy, particularly the flu. Homeopathic medicine proved extremely effective in the management of the 1918 flu epidemic, and it will prove itself in any future flu pandemic, just as it does every winter in the treatment of that year's flu cases. The Spanish flu pandemic killed an estimated 40 million people. In some primitive cultures the death rate was 100 percent. Fortunately, many patients in the United States had access to homeopathic medical care. A report to the American Institute of Homeopathy in 1921 documented the dramatic success of homeopathy in the worst flu pandemic in history. The death rate of 24,000 flu cases under conventional medical care in that study was 28.2 percent, while the death rate of 26,000 cases treated with homeopathy was a nearly miraculous 1.05 percent. Similarly, many homeopathic physicians each reported treating thousands of patients with very few deaths.
It is unfortunate that as a society we seem to want or need to use fear to gather control of the population and that tactic seems to work well in certain demographics such as the elderly and families with children. By no means am I suggesting that you do or do not go out and opt into any particular vaccination or fear mongering program. I am suggesting getting your information from reliable sources and arming yourself with the truth.

There are many ways to keep yourself healthy that are safe and non-invasive such as a healthy diet, homeopathic medicine, herbs, supplements and many other natural substances.

Beyond all that, it always has been a good idea to wash your hands frequently and not sneeze or cough on others and we learned that in kindergarten.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.