Thursday September 10, 2009, 11:38 am
To learn what I do to prevent illness, please check out the link. It may save you from illness and possibly help you live longer. Your tips are welcome!

Thursday September 10, 2009, 12:15 pm
I DID wake up looking like this. But, then, I always look like this.

Thursday September 10, 2009, 12:18 pm
This is too funny Barry.....

Marion, I dont think we shud be afraid, we have a choice and you are the one in control of who makes that decision of fear.

Thursday September 10, 2009, 12:18 pm
Ha! Thanks for the laugh, Barry. I've been considering learning "OINK" as a second language, myself...

Thursday September 10, 2009, 12:20 pm
I agree, Yvonne. Fear has a negative effect on the body. I still think good nutrition, exercise and other tools help keep us well.

Thursday September 10, 2009, 12:24 pm
It is true that people forget about the basics- WASH YOU HANDS!!!!!!!!

Thursday September 10, 2009, 12:35 pm
Just do all the normal things: wash you hands often; stay away from sick people; don't cough on others or let them cough on you; get a shot if you're in a high-risk group; etc., etc. Above all, don't panic. It's a bad flu, yes, but not an ebola outbreak.

Thursday September 10, 2009, 12:55 pm
Thanks Marion-I have pushed the needle away from me everytime I go to my GP. They will never shoot me with that and I trust to my herbs, colloidal silver and melaleuca to clear everything away. Then, of course, yes-wash your hands.

Thursday September 10, 2009, 1:08 pm
Heckeva a picture...

Some good points on the list. Sadly to say, my habits in eating foods are not the greatest. I have, however, done much over the years. I stay away from fast foods as I have done for a long time.

As for the Swine Flu itself, I do not plan on getting any shots including the "new" vaccine. I worked in the health field for many years and was exposed to all kinds of bugs. I rarely got sick. I did get a flu shot one time early in my career and it made me very ill. I quit getting flu shots from that point on even though the shots were free to the staff people.

Washing hands is a good rule and watching out for the "coughs" too. Diet is important.

And lastly, stay away from the republicans least they infect you with their "something"... lol...

TY, Marion.

Thursday September 10, 2009, 1:18 pm
JIm, that last one was great!

Thursday September 10, 2009, 1:20 pm
Nancy, Barry, Rafael and Jim...Excellent tips!!

Some other tips...

Love
Sun
Laughter
Share
Care

Jim...I've been innoculated against the republican virus...lol!

Thursday September 10, 2009, 2:16 pm
Jim...I've heard others in the health care industry won't be getting the swine flu shot either. That's not incentive for the rest of us to NOT get the shot.

My friend Hussain J sent this info to me... explaining the difference between a cold and the flu. This is good to know...

The Difference between Cold and Swine Flu Symptoms

Fever

Fever is rare with a cold.
Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.

Coughing

A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold.
A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).

Aches

Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.
Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.

Stuffy Nose

Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.
Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.

Chills

Chills are uncommon with a cold.
60% of people who have the flu experience chills.

Tiredness

Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.
Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.

Sneezing

Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.
Sneezing is not common with the flu.

Sudden Symptoms

Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.
The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.

Headache

A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.
A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases.

Sore Throat

Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.
Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.

Chest Discomfort

Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.
Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.

Thursday September 10, 2009, 2:17 pm
"That's not incentive for the rest of us to NOT get the shot."

I meant to say "That's not incentive for the rest of us to get the shot."

Thursday September 10, 2009, 2:22 pm
Good common sense - thanks, Marion. A well-rounded Rx fro health.

Thursday September 10, 2009, 2:30 pm
Thank you for the info!
BB
Mary

Thursday September 10, 2009, 2:31 pm
W#ash your hands Wash your hands (sing the ABC song ) What concerns me that different strains/alresdy being sick with something eles.

Thursday September 10, 2009, 3:43 pm
Great tips from everyone. Thanks for this great and informative post Marion. Love the picture.

Thursday September 10, 2009, 3:56 pm
The comparison of the symptoms of cold and flu are very important to me. In particular, the description of onset of symptoms.. I had a flu two years ago, I was swimming and having a good time during the morning but in the hospital by evening. The onset was swift and severe.. The other distinctions between the two diseases are valuable to have if I have a less severe flu than the one that put me in the hospital.

Thursday September 10, 2009, 4:10 pm
Pamylle, Mary, Mamabear, Joycey and Betsy...Thank you all for your comments!

Mamabear...Yes, washing hands does more to keep bugs away than anything else. Several others mentioned this, so it's good this is on our minds.

Ladies...Have you ever thought about your purse and where you sit it down? We tend to put it on the floor of the car, on floors, on countertops and places where germs reside. Then we handle our purses. We exchange money and other things. We touch doors and shopping carts where germs live. Where does it end?

I think it's very hard to prevent getting germs. This is why building a strong immune system is so important. Just my two cents.

Thursday September 10, 2009, 5:46 pm
I am far more wary of the 'vaccine' than i am of the flu itself.

Thursday September 10, 2009, 6:06 pm
My first rule for health:
- don't eat anything my grandma won't recognize;
and second:
- minimum preparations, just wash and boil (IF it has to be boiled).
optional:
- online friend contacts only

Thursday September 10, 2009, 6:27 pm
Sir...Good point. And what about needles? There's a small percentage of people who get infected by dirty needles every year. Small risk, but reason to reduce the use of needles.

"online friend contacts only"

I saw that comment, Jelica. :) :)

I like your rules.

Thursday September 10, 2009, 7:41 pm
Thank you Marion. You covered great stuff. On hand washing....I do not recommend synthetic antibacterial soaps. Maybe Dr Bonner's tea tree soap. It is the abrasion and scrubbing that cleans yours hands. Link fingers and wash in between, curl fingers and scrub fingernails on palm of hand or better use a nail brush. Sing happy birthday while washing to guide how long to wash.
Another thing I do is swab my nares ( nostrils) with oil. Viruses have harder time attaching.
Airborne works! When I do feel a bug coming on dosing with airborne every 3 hrs really helps! The pink grapefruit is good.
Sleep and rest.
Nutrition: Ditto Marion. You are what you eat!!
I like probiotics, nothing like lots of good little bugs running around in your gut.
Lastly, germs are what builds up your immune system. It has to have practice in order to work efficiently.
I do not mean to run around people infected with flu's; rather in general not to be a "germaphob" like my grandson calls it. ( He is 9 yrs old and has never had an immunization. Excellent health.)
I am a nurse ( not practicing) and I have NEVER gotten a flu shot. The majority of my co workers did not either.
On website Organic Consumers Association they cover how to help with avoiding flu in natural way, I have not read it entirely but am going to right now....
Peace ~ love~ and be well
Thank you Marion, really nice lady with an "infectious" smile. This is what we could all catch is Marion's smile. Start an epidemic!

Thursday September 10, 2009, 9:09 pm
A doctor once told me to keep your hands clean and mostly away from your face if you know whai i mean

Friday September 11, 2009, 1:28 am
Thank you Marion!

Friday September 11, 2009, 3:32 am
Basics are best - wash your hands!

Friday September 11, 2009, 5:18 am
"You cannot currently send a star to Marion because you have done so within the last week."

Friday September 11, 2009, 5:22 am
And BTW ... very, very good comments.

Friday September 11, 2009, 6:53 am
I will be getting the regular flu shot. It is required of me too, in order to continue with a discount I get for being healthy. I get slighly cheaper rates on my insurance and prescriptions and procedures. I will probably not get the swine flu shot if it becomes available. Unless I have too, in order to keep the cheaper rates going. I clean in a hospital, and I clean a pulmonary office. They have already had a few test positive for the flu. Nobody said swine flu though. I remember the flu. I wish I did not have to take the shot, but, being the only working person in my family I have to get thrifty. If I die, you all know why.

Friday September 11, 2009, 8:28 am
Marion, you rock! If only more people took these preventative measures... Here is another means of prevention that I have come to swear by:

Quercetin, a bioflavinoid, has been praised widely in lowering your risk of catching the flu. You can find quercetin in Emergen-C, red onions, apples, and broccoli. Ever since I have included quercetin-rich foods in my daily diet, I have been dodging the flu bullet, despite being surrounded by people who cough and hack without covering their mouths. (Knock on wood!)

Friday September 11, 2009, 8:30 am
And you should use tissues and throw them away, rather than a cloth handerkershief.

Friday September 11, 2009, 10:13 am
Thank you ALL for your comments and tips!!!

Emagin Peace...thank you, my friend, for the tips and compliment. Yes, antibacterials should be used minimally or not at all. Probiotics...Organic Consumers Assn...all good information!

Jessica...Excellent tip on Quercetin!

Nancy...I agree. We can toss each tissue, but most would reuse a handkerchief which would spread the germs.

Friday September 11, 2009, 10:23 am
Something few of us think about are that women's purses and makeup are breeding grounds for germs. Check out this video. Men can learn something from it too.

"Oz suggests disinfecting all of your cosmetics every three weeks, including using alcohol or freezing them.

Because money constantly goes in and out of your wallet, it can pick up germs as it changes hands.

Scientists say a flu virus can live on money for approximately an hour. However, should the virus mix with nasal mucus it could live up to 17 days on paper bills, according to Oz.

Oz suggests cleaning out your purse once a week:

Wipe everything in your purse with antibacterial wipes and throw out the things you don't need.
Avoid putting shoes in your purse because they can track up the germs in the environment and pass them into your purse and personal items.

Leave your purse at your door so you don't contaminate your home with what your bag picked up from the environment outside. "

Friday September 11, 2009, 10:25 am
"antibacterial wipes"- use the alcohol kind, and avoid triclosan.

Friday September 11, 2009, 12:09 pm
Nancy...great tip! Scientists say that triclosan spreads rather than inhibits bacteria.

Friday September 11, 2009, 6:13 pm
Thanks for all the tips! I didn't know that germs could live on money, purses, and other items so long. Another reason to wash your hands frequently.

Tip: If you do decide to get a flu shot, ask for the kind without mercury. You might need to say you're allergic.

Friday September 11, 2009, 9:13 pm
A simple tip from me, use vinegar to clean your home. I have been using it for years now and dont get any disinfectants which hurt the lungs, adding more injury to ourselves. You can also check out the tips for cleaning the home right here on care2 the best site.

Saturday September 12, 2009, 6:26 am
Val...EXCELLENT tip!! I was not aware that Thimerosal, a mercury based preservative, is in the vaccine. If I am forced to get the vaccine, I will definitely say I'm allergic. Until then, I'm not getting it.

Yvonne...Another excellent tip!! So glad you mentioned vinegar!! I use distilled white vinegar throughout the house. It's easy to see why vinegar has been around for thousands of years—it has 1001 uses! From cooking and cleaning with vinegar, to gardening and home remedies ... Vinegar is a far better and natural disinfectant than chemicals which strip healthy bacteria and harm the immune system.

I use it to clean my floors and countertops; make a paste with baking soda and vinegar to clean tubs, toliets and sinks; pour it down the sinks to deodorize and clear drains; put it in the rinse for washing clothes; for salads and cooking; and for so many other uses. It's natural, biodegradable, doesn't harm the environment, and you can safely store it in the home without worry of toxins. Bugs hate vinegar. Another plus: it's cheap if you buy it in bulk. I shop at Costco and get 1.32 gallons for $2.77. We go through two jugs every month.

More vinegar tips...

Saturday September 12, 2009, 5:23 pm
“The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states, “Every year in the United States, on average, 36,000 people die from flu.”" (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm)

“Below are the actual number of flu associated deaths in 2006 from the CDC National Vital Statistic Reports"

(http://www.cdc.gov/NCHS/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_14.pdf):

849 deaths in 2006 (page 34 of report)

“How does the CDC get from 849 flu deaths to its statement that, on average, 36,000 flu deaths occur annually?

“By combining flu deaths with pneumonia deaths. The CDC National Vital Statistic Report for 2006 lists Influenza and Pneumonia as the 8th leading cause of death in 2006. Only 849 of those deaths were flu-associated and the rest of the 55,477 were pneumonia-associated. If all flu-associated deaths are removed, pneumonia associated deaths still ranks number 8 by itself. The media uses the false 36,000 average deaths/year number in its coverage – 42 times the actual 2006 number."

WITH SUCH A LOW MORTALITY RATE, WHY IS THE CDC, UN, MEDIA & PHARMA PUSHING UNTESTED VACCINES DOWN OUR THROAT WITH SUCH HYSTERIA??

Sunday September 13, 2009, 9:39 am
Thank you Marion, and everyone for all this wonderful information. I haven't had a flu shot in 7 years and don't plan to get any this year. Keep washing your hands. As soon as I come home from being outside I head for the sink and wash my hands ... keep rubbing the soap over them; it's the rubbing that dislodges germs/dirt, etc. ... that's why you see surgeons and nurses SCRUBBING before the enter the ER; try to "wash" and "scrub" for at least 30 seconds or 60 seconds before rinsing! Don't forget those fingernails; keep a nail brush nearby and get all those germs out from under those fingernails!

Wednesday September 16, 2009, 5:53 am
I have also managed not to get flu for years... one just needs to be proacative and look after themselves

Friday September 18, 2009, 10:10 am
Yes, the hysteria is nutz and very political when talking swine flue talk. Vinegar is great to sterilize your hands, but just washing them with regular pump soap or almost as good is thorough vigorous rinse with just water. Germs are not sticky and on the surface of the skin they are easily removed. If they get into the pores, no amount of washing can get them out.

Inside the body there are several immune system boosters that directly relate to how the body reacts to invading viruses or bacteria.

Alpha Lipoic acid regulates Vitamin C and other anti oxidants. Taking these with a B- Complex 100mg or 50mg - I like Jarrow B-Right because it is balanced and not a mega dose. Zinc is related to immune system performance and skin health, so don't neglect taking an absorb able form: 'zinc bound to the natural and more bioavailable "L" form of methionine (l-methionine), the amino acid best absorbed by the body."

Fish oil omega 3's are essential to all kinds of metabolic functions including immune system health, as are tropical Tocotrienols and wheat extracted Tocopherols.

Boost your system with ginseng extract instead of caffeine from tea or coffee. Take Kelp for Iodine, that dietary sources of are almost nonexistent, and take Chlorella a fractured cell wall algae for beta carotene and the cell wall absorbs heavy metals like lead, mercury, radioactive materials, and other toxins and then leaves your body with the metals and toxins. Great stuff!

I like Vitacost.com for buying supplements because NSI is a very high quality lab and Jarrow products like the B-Right and Japanese chlorella are at the cheapest or best prices I have found on the internet.

I have not had the flue for years, I get some kind of bug and I slow down a day or two, but never in bed or throwing up for years. The point is, with good nutrition, you illnesses are shorter and less severe, IF YOU GET SICK AT ALL!!!

Proactive consumers are proactive nutritionists in today's high tech science based information rich and product availability rich environment. You have to find your own balance for your own body, but trying what is available after reading about the relationships between the nutrient and your body is a wonderful opportunity to optimize your health.

More info on bone, brain, stress, and aging nutrition upon request.

Hope this finds your well,
Casey

Friday September 18, 2009, 2:19 pm
Blue and Chaz...Good advice!

Casey...You have provided a WEALTH of information on immune building nutrients. Thank you! Ginseng instead of caffeine is news for me and I will look into it. I will also look into Vitacost.com. I see the savings are tremendous for the quality! I signed up for their newsletter as a reminder. This helps much!

Friday September 18, 2009, 2:27 pm
"WITH SUCH A LOW MORTALITY RATE, WHY IS THE CDC, UN, MEDIA & PHARMA PUSHING UNTESTED VACCINES DOWN OUR THROAT WITH SUCH HYSTERIA??"

Thanks for this data, Barbara. Statistics and data are frequently manipulated to suit the agenda of corporations. Research studies are frequently created by the very scientists who work for these corporations. These organizations and government are all in bed with each other. Best to use natural, alternative methods to build the immune system and leave these vaccines to those who want to risk it.

Friday September 18, 2009, 2:41 pm
The swine-flu is a paper tiger. It is the ingredients in the vaccine that are the danger.

Squalene: The Swine Flu Vaccine’s Dirty Little Secret Exposed

"
According to Dr. Viera Scheibner, Ph.D., a former principle research scientist for the government of Australia:

“… this adjuvant [squalene] contributed to the cascade of reactions called "Gulf War Syndrome," documented in the soldiers involved in the Gulf War.

The symptoms they developed included arthritis, fibromyalgia, lymphadenopathy, rashes, photosensitive rashes, malar rashes, chronic fatigue, chronic headaches, abnormal body hair loss, non-healing skin lesions, aphthous ulcers, dizziness, weakness, memory loss, seizures, mood changes, neuropsychiatric problems, anti-thyroid effects, anaemia, elevated ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate), systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Raynaud’s phenomenon, Sjorgren’s syndrome, chronic diarrhoea, night sweats and low-grade fevers.”[xii]"

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/04/Squalene-The-Swine-Flu-Vaccines-Dirty-Little-Secret-Exposed.aspx

The yearly flu shot has only a 6% efficacy, but 3 shots over a 5 year period led to a 100% increase in Alzheimers due to the mercury.

Friday September 18, 2009, 3:01 pm
Judy...That squalene is some nasty stuff! Getting the vaccine is like playing russian roullette. Thanks for the info!

Sunday September 20, 2009, 10:12 am
"Immunologist Dr. Pamela Asa first recognized autoimmune diseases showing up in GIs that mirrored those in lab animals injected with oil formulated squalene adjuvants. By 1997, hundreds of millions of dollars had been spent testing vaccines containing them, in animal studies since 1988 and human clinical trials since 1991 - by leading research institutes like NIH, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

According to Matsumoto (a New York-based award-winning investigative journalist), today, "Squalene adjuvants are a key ingredient in a whole new generation of vaccines intended for mass immunization around the globe" even though researchers at Tulane Medical School and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research proved "that the immune system responds specifically to the squalene molecule."

The immune system "see(s) and recognizes it as an oil molecule native to the body. Squalene is not just a molecule found in a knee or elbow - it is found throughout the nervous system and the brain." When injected in the body, the immune system attacks it as an enemy to be eliminated. Eating and digesting squalene isn't a problem. But injecting it "galvanize(s) the immune system into attacking it, which can produce self-destructive cross reactions against the same molecule in the places where it occurs naturally in the body - and where it is critical to the health of the nervous system."

Once self-destruction begins, it doesn't stop as the body keeps making the molecule that the immune system is trained to attack and destroy."

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=13925

... A CYTOKINE STORM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytokine_storm

Friday September 25, 2009, 4:22 pm
noted and thanks marion.
Actually I am a retired nurse although that really doesn't make me an expert in this area it does give me some incite .

Some doctors are all for the swine flu shot and others say it is absolutely useless for the swine flu.

IMHO if you maintain a healthy ammune system you have nothing to worry about but if your immune system is compromised by disease then I would suggest you at least get a pnuemonia shot .

Now as far as this diet that prevents disease well it could but so could a different diet . Edgar Casey wrote that if you maintain an alkaline system you will never have a cold or the flu. He is right bacteria can't grow in an alkaline system and I would venture to guess that also means viruses can't grow in an alkaline system.
So eat plenty of foods that are alkaline and not acidic .

Friday September 25, 2009, 4:37 pm
Oh one important tip ! It is not a good idea to always use these antibiotic soaps and hand washes because it eventually will prevent your own immune system from doing the job it was meant to do,you can't build up an immunity to something until you have been exposed to it . Kinda like using too many anti-biotics can cause anti-biotics to lose their effectiveness .

Sunday September 27, 2009, 1:53 pm
Barbara...Fascinating and scary!! This has been quite an education. Thank you!

Linda...Great information! I eat a primarily alkaline diet, but was not aware of the acidic association with the immune system. I found a chart that outlines alkaline vs. acidic foods. I notice I have problems with some acidic foods, but none with alkaline. Thanks for the antibiotic soap tip.

Thursday October 8, 2009, 1:35 pm
good points , and sure take always aday nap and sleep early avoiding waking too late
thansk marion