Dr. John L. Turner Blog

 

In addition to Vitamin D, 2,000 IU to 4,000 IU/day, keep these tips in mind.

This was just sent to me by a friend, and I hope this blog entry will be a good way to pass this along to my friends:

Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS, DRM, DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital , Bombay Hospital , Saifee Hospital , Tata Memorial etc. Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W).

The following message given by him, I feel makes a lot of sense and is important for all to know

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water . *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*
Neti pots and sinus rinse kits are available at the drug store and relatively inexpensive....under $15.

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

Again, make sure you have enough Vit D, at locations above Atlanta, GA, in the Winter, there is not enough sunlight to help you in this regard.

To be continued . . .

 

 

I'm happy to see that you took the time to read this short blog entry.

The "why" you did, might be answered in this short paragraph from an interesting paper:

 

"The latest research explains phenomena such as clairvoyance, intuition, spontaneous and remote acts of healing, self healing, affirmation techniques, unusual light-auras around people (namely spiritual masters), mind's influence on weather-patterns and much more. The Russian scientists also found out that our DNA can cause disturbing patterns in the vacuum, thus producing magnetized wormholes! Wormholes are the microscopic equivalents of the so-called Einstein-Rosen bridges in the vicinity of black holes (left by burned-out stars). These are tunnel connections between entirely different areas in the universe through which information can be transmitted outside of space and time. The DNA attracts these bits of information and passes them on to our consciousness..."

 

Analogous to tuning a radio receiver, the trick is to recognize the station!

 

 

To be continued . . .

 

 

I would say that this is entirely accurate from what I have read. Something to keep in mind along with frequent hand washing, healthy diet and lifestyle to keep the immune system up, and avoidance of being in the line of cough, etc.

 Check this out, article from Medscape today:

 H1N1 Influenza Reverses Seasonal Flu Mortality Trend

Daniel J. DeNoon

October 20, 2009 - H1N1 influenza has turned flu death statistics upside down, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed today.

In a normal flu season, 90% of deaths are in elderly people. But since September, 88% of deaths have been in people under age 65 - with almost a quarter of the deaths in young people under age 25.

"It is almost completely reversed. Nearly 90% of our fatalities are occurring in people under 65," CDC respiratory disease chief Anne Schuchat, MD, said at a news conference. "This illustrates this H1N1 virus is disproportionally affecting the young."

As might be expected from the death toll, most people hospitalized with severe H1N1 swine flu are young. Surveillance data from 27 states show that more than half of swine flu hospitalizations - 53% - are in people under age 25. Only 7% of people hospitalized with swine flu are elderly.

While the majority of severe H1N1 swine flu cases are in people with conditions that put them at risk of flu complications, not all these conditions are severe. Well-treated asthma, for example, is common. And pregnancy isn't an illnesses at all. Yet the risk is there.

"Completely healthy pregnant women are coming down with horrible, horrible illnesses - and, tragically more deaths," Schuchat said. "And some conditions like asthma which is well controlled. So even if you have diabetes that's well controlled, if you have asthma that's well controlled, we want to you think of yourself as a higher risk and recommend that you be vaccinated."

H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Rollout Still Bumpy

If you're thinking of taking the CDC's advice and getting the H1N1 swine flu shot (or sniff), it's time to start making plans.

The flu.gov web site has a flu vaccine finder that links to each state. Most states have detailed information that show which providers near you will be offering the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.

The first vaccines are going to health care workers and people at risk of flu complications. So far, about 13 million doses have been available to states, more than half in the form of flu shots. States have placed orders for about 11 million of those doses; those orders are being filled quickly.

Spread nationwide, that means not everyone who should get the vaccine will be able to get it this week, or even next week. Availability is increasing, but it's unlikely that the vaccine will reach everyone who wants it before the end of November.

Will that be too late? The CDC's mantra is, "It's too early to say it's too late."

Schuchat points to what happened in 1957, when pandemic flu hit hard in the early fall - and was followed by a second wave of flu.

"In 1957, the pandemic hit early around September/October, like what we're seeing here. They had another big wave after the first of the year," Schuchat said. "And I think we have an opportunity right now to try to limit the disease and to protect as many people as we can with the vaccine as it becomes available."

Meanwhile, Schuchat said, the CDC is not planning to stop its H1N1 swine flu effort when all 250 million doses of the vaccine have been delivered.

"At CDC, we're planning a long response. We don't want to let our guard down too soon on this," she said.

SOURCES:

Anne Schuchat, MD, director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC, Atlanta.

 

 

 

 

It is something to keep in mind for those who want to avoid any type of flue vaccine shot and many of my other blogs address both sides of the flu-shot issue. However, NY may have ducked the bullet of forced vaccinations. 

It is time to remember suggestions about what to do if you are forced to take the shot and have doubts about its saftey~

 This is from today's Merilian Newletter

 

 

The Following was composed by Dr. Russell Blaylock as a method to reduce autoimmune reactions to the flu vaccines only. Do not use this if you have the flu itself. These are just general observations and not medical advice. You should work with your doctor for a specific program.

Treatment for Toxic Vaccine Exposure

1.

Place a cold compress on the site of the injection immediately after the injection and continue this as often as possible for at least two days. If symptoms of fever, irritability, fatigue or flu-like symptoms reoccur -- continue the cold compresses until they abate. A cold shower or bath will also help.
2.

Take fish oils -- I recommend the Norwegian fish oil made by Carlson Labs -- it has the correct balance of EPA and DHA to reduce the cytokine storm. The dose is one tablespoon a day -- if severe symptoms develop -- two tablespoons a day until well and then switch to one tablespoon a day. Children -- one teaspoon a day.
3.

Curcumin, quercetin, ferulic acid and ellagic acid as a mixture -- the first two must be mixed with extravirgin olive in one teaspoon. Take the mix three times a day (500 mg of each)
4.

Vitamin E (natural form) 400 IU a day (high in gamma-E)
5.

Vitamin C 1000 mg four times a day
6.

Astaxanthin 4 mg a day
7.

Zinc 20 mg a day for one week then 5 mg a day
8.

Avoid all immune stimulating supplements (mushroom extracts, whey protein) except beta-glucan -- it has been shown to reduce inflammation, microglial activation and has a reduced risk of aggravating autoimmunity, while increasing antiviral cellular immunity.
9.

Take a multivitamin/mineral daily (one without iron -- Extend Core)
10.

Magnesium citrate/malate 500 mg of elemental magnesium two capsules three times a day
11.

Vitamin D3:
1.

All Children -- 5000 IU a day for two weeks after vaccine then 2000 IU a day thereafter
2.

Adults -- 20,000 IU a day after vaccine for two weeks then 10,000 IU a day thereafter
3.

Take 500 mg to 1000 mg of calcium citrate a day for adults and 250 mg a day for children under age 12 years.
12.

Avoid all mercury-containing seafood
13.

Avoid omega-6 oils (corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, canola and peanut oils)
14.

Blenderize parsley and celery and drink 8 ounces twice a day
15.

Take Jatoba tea extract (add 20 drops in on cup of tea) one day before the vaccine and the twice a day thereafter. (you can get it at www.iherb.com/Amazon-Therapeutics-Jatoba-1-oz-30-ml/14429?at=0 ) It is inexpensive.

Will This Vaccine Be Tested?

According to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 5 tests are planned. It is not clear as to the use of the squalene adjuvants, ASO3 and MF-59.

Because of concerns raised, the FDA is now hedging. Independent studies of squalene used as a vaccine adjuvant indicates that it is associated with a very high incidence of autoimmune diseases, such as an MS-like neurological syndrome, rheumatoid joint disease and especially Lupus.

The developer of MF-59 is Chiron pharmaceuticals, which was purchased by Novartis pharmaceutical company, who will be the main supplier of the swine flu vaccine for the world. According to Dr. Fauci, testing in both children and adults will be without this adjuvant and he admits that we have no data on the safety in children.(See Nature Vol 460/30 July 2009, p 562 for the interview.)

There are 5 tests scheduled for safety before mass vaccinations will resume. I looked up on clinicaltrials.gov the actual studies being done. It is instructive to note that the only studies actually being done do not contain any adjuvant (the immune booster) either for babies or adults. Yet, when the mass vaccinations begin, the vaccines will have adjuvant added, possibly squalene.

The real irony here is that this is the same bait and switch game they played in the 1976 swine flu vaccine disaster.

They tested one vaccine and gave a different one during the mass vaccinations.

Here we go again. Over 500 people were paralyzed with Guillain Barre disorder. The incidence was much higher, because it was not a reportable disease. And over 300 people died, which is also a very low figure.

Dr. Fauci admits that they have no idea what will happen when they mix the three viruses from the vaccines together or when they are given sequentially. When he was asked if the results of the studies would be reviewed by the health authorities, he answered, "yes, except for those done by the Novartis company."

He justified this secrecy by saying that Norvartis had a very advanced testing system, which was done "in-house" -- that is, in secrecy.

It is also important to appreciate that this vaccine has been fast-tracked, meaning that many of the usual safety precautions used to prevent contamination of the vaccines will be overlooked by the regulatory agencies.

According to a number of studies, vaccine contamination is widespread, with vaccines containing pestivirus, mycoplasma, viral fragments, DNA fragments and bacterial components, all of which can produce chronic systemic disorders, cancer, neurologic diseases and even slow brain degeneration.

...Behind the push to vaccinate the entire population are the pharmaceutical makers of the vaccines, who are working in conjunction with the government to make the vaccine mandatory.

Homeland security and FEMA are pushing for forced vaccinations and the medical experts, virologists and epidemiologists are calling for calm and resorting to voluntary vaccination only. The former have links with the vaccine manufacturers via political contacts. A great deal of money will be made by the manufacturers, should forced vaccinations be mandated.

For more information and to view the original article, please click here!

For other facts, please visit http://bestbiodefense.com/vaccine.htm

More articles on Dangerous Swine Flu Vaccination

Health Officials Admit Fast Tracked H1N1 Vaccines Will Not Be Tested for Safety

 Dr. Blaylock is a board certified neurosurgeon, author and lecturer. He attended the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans and completed his general surgical internship and neurosurgical residency at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. During his residency he ran the neurology program for one year and did a fellowship in neurosurgery after his residency. For the past 25 years he has practiced neurosurgery in addition to having a nutritional practice. He recently retired from both practices to devote full time to nutritional studies and research. Dr. Blaylock serves as the medical consultant for the Fluoride Toxicity Research Collaborative. He was recently awarded the Integrity in Science award by the Westin Price Foundation. 

Presently, Dr. Russell Blaylock is a visiting professor in the department of biological sciences at Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi. At present he is a member of the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons, the American Nutraceutical Association, the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutritionist, American College of Nutrition, American Association Health Freedom, National Health Federation, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation. He was recently appointed as a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel of the Life-Extension Foundation. For more information please visit www.russellblaylockmd.com

 

 

 

 

 

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Chapter 1

Divine Intervention-

God Giveth, God Taketh

Away: Mrs. Ibarra's Gift

Hold off your hands... and know that I am God.

-Psalm 46:10

In operating room 3, the only audible sounds were the soft wheeze of the anesthesiologist's respirator and the occasional soft click of instruments being passed between rubber-gloved

hands. Through the lenses of the operating microscope, I could clearly see the magnified stereoscopic images of Mrs. Ibarra's brain tumor, a large peach-sized outgrowth of the dura (a thin leather- like membrane) that covers the brain. This benign lesion was behind this 72-year-old woman's right eye; total removal would be a cure. For the past four hours I had been slowly, but steadily, removing the growth piecemeal-the hard way-with electric forceps and wire-cutting loops (small circular heated wires on the end of a plastic wand). As the loop sliced through the tumor, smoke and vapor obscured the field. My assistant, Dr. Peterson,sucked the smoke away with his metal suction tip. I longed for the ultrasonic aspirator that I had used in training; it would have made this job much easier.

Four hours had elapsed since Mrs. Ibarra's surgery began and I had one remaining portion of tumor left-a small, scraggly clump of cells at the bottom of the operative field hardly bigger than a pencil eraser.

 

"Just one little piece remaining," I told Dr. Peterson. He could see it too; he had an excellent view through his observer's eye­pieces. I easily sliced through the remaining tumor with the cut­ting loops and then suddenly, like an explosion, the field of view turned bright red.

 

"Suction!"

 

Eventually, through the process of suctioning away the ob­scuring blood, I came to a startling realization: the last small piece of tumor had invaded the carotid artery, the major artery supplying the right side of the brain. The overlying tumor cells hid this fact from me. Removal of that final portion had taken out a section of the artery's wall; without applying pressure to seal it off, the vessel would bleed profusely. I initiated repair of the vessel.

 

"Silver clip," I commanded. The nurse handed me long- handled clip-applying forceps.

 

Because of the invasion by the tumor, the clips would not take a solid grasp; no matter how many times I tried, they didn't work.

Dr. Flower, the anesthesiologist, said, "Are you going to get it? I've given her three units of blood.

 

Divine Intervention-God Giveth, God Taketh

The carotid artery has cut loose; I have to repair the arterial wall," I replied. Dr. Flower returned to his position at the head of the table behind the drapes.

 

"Suture, eight zero," I requested as I continued to peer into the microscope lenses. I began the slow and tedious process of sewing the vessel, but was confronted with another problem: the walls of the artery were softened by the tumor, and the suture would not take a solid grip but merely pull through when tightened, causing further injury to the vessel.

 

I repeated my efforts with clips and sutures while minutes multiplied. I had spent four hours trying to stop the blood loss. Dr. Flower replaced the woman's entire blood volume with do­nor blood; she was now a candidate for developing dreaded com­plications that can result after massive blood transfusion. My patient had been under general anesthesia for more than eight hours and had received 10 pints of blood. I was nowhere close to being finished. It appeared as through I were about to experience my first loss of a patient during surgery, and would be intro­duced to the feeling of having caused a patient's death. I should have foreseen the possibility that the last remaining piece of tu­mor was a sticky wicket and just left it alone.

 

All eyes in the operating room were on me. All ears waited. What was I to do? I had exhausted all of my options... all but one! I never thought of praying before this day. Although I had been an acolyte in the Episcopal Church as a youth, I had no interest in religion. Having trained in physics, I doubted the sig­nificance of prayer and was skeptical about the existence of God. I had been too busy with academics during the past 21 years to allow time for religion. But today I prayed with sincerity. I would have fallen to my knees if I had not been scrubbed in and sterile.

I felt incapable of saving the life of this patient. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I needed to connect with that force. As I looked through the scope, I prayed silently: If there is a God, a higher power, then I need your help. It is not Mrs. Ibarra's fault that she may die. I have done all that I can do. I am asking for help. Don't let her die on the table; help me to repair this damaged artery. Please!

 

I took a second deep breath... and went back into the breech.

"Suture," I said. For what seemed to be the umpteenth time, the scrub nurse obeyed my request. Once more, I carefully tried to approximate the torn vessel's walls.

 

"Clip," I said. She handed me clip after clip until, after 15 minutes, I had applied several clips and snippets of suture, trying to bring the remaining walls of the artery together without oc­cluding the vessel. To my amazement, the operative field remained as dry as a bone! No bleeding. I was pleasantly stunned. I'd done nothing out of the ordinary during that last 15 minutes except to repeat the previous attempts of the past few hours. But this time, the sutures and clips held firm. The prayer-the silent plea-had worked. The damaged artery showed no sign of bleed­ing. Everything at the base of the skull looked perfect.

 

"We're out of here," I told the scrub nurse and my assistant. All that remained was to close the operative site. This took 45 minutes, but it was a walk in the park compared to the ordeal I had faced over the past nine hours. Now, believing that my prayers had produced the miracle, I put forth another silent request: I have one more favor to ask. Please do not let her be comatose. Let her wake up and heal quickly. Do not let her become stroked out and paralyzed, but instead let her speech and strength be normal.

Divine Intervention-God Giveth, God Taketh

Let her come out of this in the best possible way. If you do this, I'll be as good a person as I can possibly be.

 

When helping to move her from the operating table for the trip to the Intensive Care Unit, Dr. Flower said, "You know, you have to learn that you can't make ‘good enough' better."

 

This case taught me that there is a higher power. It had seemed to flow through me when called upon. Was this the God who created us in His image? Alternatively, was it a force, an energy that is available when summoned to supercharge our meager hu­man efforts? At the time, I was unsure just what to call it. It was there waiting for my call, and when asked, it came to my assis­tance. Although signs pointed to God, a nagging question both­ered me. Was it something within me that required the slow, deep breathing and mental refocusing for its activation? What­ever the mechanism, it was now a moot point-Mrs. Ibarra was going to at least make it to the ICU and I would be forever thankful. Now if she could just pull through intact, I would be the second-happiest person on the island.

Mrs. Ibarra not only survived the surgery, but she healed quickly with little neurological sequelae. She was discharged in seemingly normal condition one week later. Besides ptosis (a slight droop) of her right eyelid, she had a second problem. I found out about it three months after surgery when she came to my office for a final post-operative checkup.

 

"How is your eye?" I asked.

 

"Oh about the same, doc," she replied, "I've learned to live with it, and it's not bad at all. But I have a problem. My husband will not give me enough sex!" She smiled at me, and I smiled back. That was a great complaint for a woman in her seventh decade of life.

 

"I don't think I can help you with that," I replied. "Are there any other physical problems?"

 

"Not really. Say, I have something for you, doctor." She pulled a large piece of lacquered wood from her shopping bag. On it were two engraved Japanese kanji. The patient, however, was from the Philippines. I was confused. The Japanese characters must be of special importance.

 

"What is this?" I asked. "What does it say?"

 

"Oh, I don't really know, I'm not Japanese. But when I found it, I had the feeling that somehow, in some way, doctor, it was for you. This is what you need."

"Well, thank you very much. I will treasure it and think of you often."

 

She smiled again, and I returned her smile in kind.

 

"This is your last visit with me, Mrs. Ibarra. You have done well; the scan we did last week reveals no further tumor growth; in fact, the scan was normal. I will recommend to your doctor that he perform a follow-up scan in six months to confirm that everything is still okay. If you have a question or would like to see me, please call anytime."

 

Later on, I asked a few of my surgical colleagues if they had experienced a case where they could not stop the bleeding. The response was uniformly, "Yes, why?"

"What did you do?"

And again, the reply was always the same: "What can you do?"

At the end of the year, I hosted a Christmas party at my office. During the festivities, I pulled my friend Dr. Nagashima aside and showed him the calligraphy that Mrs. Ibarra had given me. "What does that mean?" I asked.

He peered at it for a moment through his thick eyeglasses.

 

 

"Heiwa," he said.

"Roughly translated, it means peace."

 

And indeed, as a result of my intraoperative prayer, Mrs. Ibarra survived. Now that I knew a higher power was with me, I was at peace, confident that I could over-come any difficulties either on my own or with help, on those rare occasions when good enough truly needs to be made better.

 

 

 

Every life has dark tracts and long stretches of somber tint, and no representation is true to fact which dips its pencil only in light, and flings no shadows on the canvas.

-Alexander MacLaren

 

 

I continued to bask in the blissful feeling of serenity that resulted from the prayerful experience that ostensibly saved the life of Mrs. Ibarra. I augmented my budding conviction in the unseen spiritual world (and a higher power) when I became "born again" at a local Pentecostal church.

Medicine, Miracles, and Manifestations

I'd connected with the uni­versal force (that I now called God), and felt as if I could ask it to aid me at any time. I became filled with the Holy Spirit. Time passed, until an otherwise routine day changed dramatically into one of the saddest days of my life. It was an experience that caused me to rethink my recent religious conversion and to search for another answer to the mysteries of life and death.

 

Sara DeAngelo came with her parents for a consultation. Nine years old, she radiated great beauty and spirit. Her smile was adorable and by her appearance and manner, I could tell that one day she could potentially be a fashion model. She had been blessed with great looks. I was struck by her natural charm and her soft- spoken, friendly nature, seemingly years beyond her age. Her parents worked in the sugar industry and had recently moved to Hawaii. The girl had a ventriculoperitoneal shunt-a bypass tube with a valve that drains cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the brain to the abdomen to treat hydrocephalus (enlargement of the fluid spaces of the brain). The shunt was performed in the first days of her life. There had been no problems with the device since its insertion, but in time, she would outgrow the length of tubing in her abdomen and it would have to be replaced. Shunts also can become obstructed.

 

Shunts come in many varieties. The most common type is a flexible silicone catheter that is inserted into the brain. This is done by placing a small hole in the back of the head and inserting the catheter into the ventricular fluid system deep within the brain. A valve mechanism allows one-way flow of CSF from brain to abdomen. Tunneled under the skin, a discharge tube allows drainage into the abdominal cavity. Babies born with "water on the brain" suffer from CSF buildup when egress from the ventricular cavities of the brain is blocked. A pressure-relieving procedure must be performed quickly. Sara had such a shunting procedure after birth and had done well.

 

Divine Intervention-God Giveth, God Taketh

Sara conversed with me easily and submitted to a neurologi­cal examination without duress. Her parents were pleased as they observed our interaction, and at the end of the consultation they requested that I be available should the shunt require surgical treatment. I agreed and told them how to contact me in case of emergency. I scheduled an X-ray to estimate the remaining length of tubing. As a result, I determined that she could grow a few more inches in height before modification would be necessary. I admired this little girl and mused about someday having a child of my own as sweet as Sara DeAngelo.

 

Everything stayed quiet for many months. Then one day, the emergency room called. Sara had suddenly become seriously ill with complaints of severe headache and came to the emer­gency department for treatment. A CAT scan showed obstruc­tive hydrocephalus with her ventricular system under high pressure. The shunt was blocked. I arrived at the hospital within minutes to find the mother holding her retching child over a sink in the X-ray department, suffering from the increased pres­sure in her head that, if untreated, would soon lead to brain her­niation as pressure forced brain tissue through the opening at the base of the skull. Coma and death would quickly follow. My evaluation showed the shunt to be occluded at the valve; I planned to insert a new system. I explained the procedure and its risks to the parents and they requested that surgery be done. Within the hour, I was scrubbing for surgery.

 

Medicine, Miracles, and Manifestations

In the operating room I glanced at the monitor; her respira­tory and heart rates were normal. The anesthesiologist waited for me to begin. I put on gown and gloves and went to the table.

 

"Knife," I said. The nurse gave me the necessary scalpel and I opened the old incision, disconnected the valve and-suddenly, without warning, the ventricular catheter fractured and disap­peared into the brain.

 

"Damn it!" I exclaimed, perhaps a little too loud.

 

It had been old and brittle. To retrieve it could cause injury to the brain and might stir up bleeding that could be difficult or impossible to control. It was better to let it float forever within the ventricular chamber. I inserted a new system without diffi­culty and made sure that it properly drained the fluid drop by drop. I closed both incisions and applied sterile dressings. Sara went to recovery and then to the pediatrics unit, her room di­rectly across from the nursing station. The nurses would keep a close eye on her. Sara's father planned to spend the night in her room. I told him of the difficulty with the old tubing breaking off and disappearing within the brain, and of my decision not to try and recover it. He understood.

I returned home that evening feeling good about the surgery. Before retiring, I called the pediatric floor. Sara was reported to be sleeping comfortably with normal vital signs.

 

"Remember to check on her routinely as ordered."

 

"Of course doctor," the nurse replied, "she's doing just fine." I awoke with a start at 6 a.m., rubbed my eyes, and wondered about Sara. I had slept through the night without a phone call, so apparently she was doing well. Showering, I mentally reviewed my schedule for the day: office appointments were the only tasks after morning rounds. I would have preferred surgery, as office evaluations tend to be tedious, although nec­essary, drudgeries.

 

Suddenly, the phone rang. It was my answering service. "Code Blue Pediatrics, doctor, your patient!"

 

I could not believe it. I threw on a scrub suit and ran to my car. I lived only a mile or two from the hospital and I arrived within minutes to face a flurry of activity in Sara's room. The on-call anesthesiologist was there with several nurses and a crash cart of medical supplies. The child was intubated; a machine ven­tilated her lungs.

I grabbed a hypodermic needle from the cart and inserted it quickly through the scalp and into the shunt valve. Maybe the new shunt had malfunctioned or the old ventricular catheter had caused an obstruction and buildup of fluid pressure. To my amaze­ment, there was no sign of high pressure. Only a few small drops of fluid came from the needle. The valve has a plastic portion that can be pumped with using thumb pressure-it operated normally. I lifted her eyelids; her pupils were fully dilated and did not respond to light. This was an ominous sign of brain death. Sara was transferred to the intensive care unit. I spoke with her dad, who had just walked into the room.

 

"What happened?" he cried.

 

"I'm not sure. Can you tell me how it went during the night? The nurses report that she had a peaceful sleep until just before six this morning when they found her comatose and unresponsive."

 

Medicine, Miracles, and Manifestations

"I spent the entire night with her," he said slowly, crushed by the rapidity of recent events and the now critical condition of his daughter. "She whimpered occasionally and complained of mild pain where you made the incisions, but all in all, I was quite pleased with her progress. I thought it would be okay to run down for a cup of coffee. When I returned, the room was filled with doctors and nurses. They said her heart stopped."

 

As we walked to the ICU, I told Sara's distraught father that I wanted to do a brain scan to see if the shunt was decompressing the ventricles and if the old tube had somehow caused damage, bleeding, or obstruction. He consented, and we went from the ICU to the CT scan with Sara. The scan was normal. Sara re­mained comatose with fixed and dilated pupils. She had no his­tory of cardiac or any disease other than the aforementioned hydrocephalus at birth.

I sat by the bedside holding her hand, thinking and rethink­ing this case. Would I have done anything differently? Should I have sent her to the ICU after surgery with a special monitor in case her breathing stopped? No, the pediatric nurses were always on top of things, and her room was directly across from their station. There was really no need for special monitoring. Should I have tried to recover the lost tubing from the ventricle? No, that may have caused more problems.

 

"Doctor, may I begin?" said Thomas Bearden, the brain-wave technician, as he prepared to wheel his electroencephalograph (EEG) into the room. This test would confirm brain death.

 

"Of course," I said. As he attached the scalp electrodes using conductive paste, I turned to look out the window. The parking lot was slowly filling up as doctors arrived to begin their daily ritual of morning rounds. It was quiet in the room except for the occasional hiss of the ventilator as it kept Sara's lungs and blood well oxygenated.

 

Divine Intervention-God Giveth, God Taketh

After Thomas finished, I saw that the recording was flat line (no electrical activity) at the highest sensitivity setting of the ma­chine. There could be no question about brain death, an irrevers­ible condition in spite of the continued beating of her heart and mechanical inflation of her lungs.

I gave the parents the sad news. I told them I had no idea how or why their daughter died suddenly. I requested an au­topsy. Maybe it would reveal if the catheter was the cause of her death. In addition, it might have disclosed an unknown heart condition that could have led to cardiac arrest. I needed to know the etiology of her demise.

 

"Doctor," the father said, "we understand your concern and your pain. It may be that we will never know what happened. Although an autopsy may help you to understand, we have care­fully thought this out. We would prefer, as would Sara, that she be an organ donor. Her heart, liver, kidneys, and eyes may give someone else a better life. My wife and I sincerely believe this would be her wish."

 

"Are you sure? There is a chance the old tubing may have-"

 

"Please doctor," he interrupted. "I really do understand your concern, and we empathize with you, but we feel the most ben­efit will be to donate her organs."

I wiped a tear away. It was indeed a sad day to see this beautiful child gone from the world. Yesterday, she had been her normal cheerful self, dressing for school, when she began to com­plain of a headache. By the afternoon she had started to vomit, a result of the pressure developing within her brain. Now it was over. I was dumbfounded and unable to understand this fatal series of events.

 

The organ harvest team took Sara to the operating room. Her heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys were deemed suitable for donation, as were the corneas of her eyes. As she was wheeled from the room, I sighed in grief, lowered my head and gave Sara a silent farewell.

 

A few days later, the parents called to invite me to a funeral event for Sara, which they called a "Celebration of Life." As I drove the 50 miles to the small church, I again pondered the case. If I had to do it over I would do the same thing: leave the old tube, nurse the patient on the pediatrics floor, and leave the same routine orders for post-op nursing assessment. I would feel comfortable, even if it were my child. Would this ever happen a second time? It could, as medicine is an art as well as a practice. But I sincerely hoped that I would not have to face such a tragic situation again. I arrived at the church in time for the celebration of life.

 

"We thank all of our family and friends for coming today," the mother said. About 50 or more friends and relatives had gathered for the event. "We want to say how fortunate we feel to have had Sara in our lives for the past nine years. She was truly a gift from God and provided us with untold joy and happiness." Her remarks were followed by a message from the father and brief remarks from a few friends of the family. The service ended with a meal of local-style food and drink. I offered my condo­lences to the family and left.

 

Divine Intervention-God Giveth, God Taketh

The universal force, the higher power that came through with Mrs. Ibarra, was unaccountably absent in Sara's case. I was more than disappointed. I felt deeply saddened and baffled. I decided to continue my investigation of a spiritual world to determine if there was such a thing as a universal force. It is of note that years later, when I observe my 3-year-old son laughing and playing, and when seeing how he fondly looks at me, I can't help but wonder, could this be Sara?

 

NB: I hope this sample chapter had stimulated your interest in this book. I might add, that after publication in March 2009, by a strange series of events, I was drawn to a second volume which I plan to title:

Beyond Medicine, Miracles and Manifestaions :Beyond A Reasonable Doubt

It will go deeper into the explanation of "The Afterlife."

 

 

 

"Before we allow ourselves to be consumed by our regrets, we should remember that our mistakes we make in life are not so important as are the lessons we draw from them. Events in our past seem to slip further away with time. But what happens when they com back and meet us head on in the present?"

                                                     ~  The Outer Limits, Season 3, Vol 1, 1997

 

 Previous blogs dealt with both sides of the coin. The edge was neglected and with enough flips of a coin, it will land on neither side, but the edge!

 

EDGE EFFECT

 

We all know how it feels to walk the razor's edge. It cam be rembembered the it feels like to look over the edge such as that pic of the high plateau.

But what do we do about the swine flu and seasoal flu and the injections that many doctors and experts recommend? Do we trust their advice or do we consider it misguided trust? As most of you know, the forced vaccinations in some states (NY in particular) did not meet a warm reception.

Here is a case that shows that the coin I have discussed may have a very sharp and razor-like edge. For this unfortunate person, it may have cut deeply and perhaps  permanently!

 

 One Ashburn woman wants you to hear her story before you line up to get your seasonal flu shot.

ASHBURN, Va. (WUSA) -- Many of you have been lining up to get the seasonal flu shot. But there is one Ashburn woman who wants you to hear her story before you do.

Desiree Jennings is trapped in her body. Intellectually she's all there, but her muscles are fighting each other. She's been diagnosed with dystonia, an extremely rare and debilitating neurological disease.
FOLLOW UP: Doctors Agree
She says after taking the seasonal flu shot she witnessed her body's rapid decline. She doesn't know what else it could be but she has serious questions about the seasonal flu shot. The Centers for Disease Control cannot comment on her case.

Desiree was a healthy 25-year-old up until two months ago, working at AOL and as a Redskins cheerleading ambassador.

But her world has now been turned upside down.

Desiree has trouble talking and speaks in a staccato rhythm.

She says, "It's a battle every day because when I wake up I think it's going to be normal, but then I'm quickly reminded that's not going to be the case."

She says 10 days after getting a seasonal flu shot at a Reston grocery store in August, and on her second wedding anniversary, she got sick. First, she came down with flu like symptoms, then convulsions and blacking out.

She's seen more than 60 doctors. She says all of them were stumped until Johns Hopkins diagnosed her with dystonia. She believes her seasonal flu shot triggered it.

Desiree says, "Nothing else explains such a fast moving neurological damage. The medical hospitals ruled out everything, CAT scans normal, blood normal, MRI normal. The only thing that explains it is the shot caused the neurologic damage."

She says it is a strange disorder where muscles work against each other. She can't walk forward, only backwards. She can run, but she can't stop without help. She can whisper but has difficulty speaking. Noises can cause convulsions. Her resting heart rate is 90. When she runs her blood pressure dips to 58. She gets exhausted walking a few steps but she could run for hours.

Drugs such as valium and klonopin that make other people sleepy give her energy for hours.

Simple exercises become nearly impossible.

Desiree's husband, Brendan, says, "It gets worse everyday. It's heartbreaking to see."

Desiree says the disease is irreversible. Once she loses an ability it doesn't come back. She says there are only three ways you can get dystonia as an adult and they include head trauma, drug use, and poisoning. She says she has not experienced any of that.

There is no cure. One in a million are diagnosed with the disease. She says she just wants healthy people to talk to their doctors and weigh the risk.

While the Centers for Disease Control cannot comment directly on this case, they say they have no knowledge of a link between the seasonal flu shot and dystonia.

Written by Surae Chinn
9NEWS NOW & wusa9.com

Read read the important, interesting and insightful comments posted about this article.

This link takes you to there.

Click HERE

 

In order to know what to do (especially for your children), you must look at both sides of the argument. I have presently mostly facts from the standpoint of the H1N1 vaccine not being a very good thing to accept.

To decide, one must be objective, weigh the evidence from both sides, and then decide what to accept that is beyond a reasonable doubt.

 This is from October 12, 2009 Medscape Daily News report:

 

 H1N1 Critical Illness Mostly Affects Young Patients and Is Often Fatal

Laurie Barclay, MD

October 12, 2009 - H1N1 critical illness mostly affects young patients and is often fatal, according to the results of a Canadian and Mexican study and an editorial published online October 12 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

"Between March and July 2009, the largest number of confirmed cases of 2009 influenza A(H1N1) infection occurred in North America," write Anand Kumar, MD, from the Health Sciences Centre and St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and colleagues with the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group H1N1 Collaborative.

The goal of this prospective observational study was to evaluate clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of critically ill patients who had 2009 influenza A (H1N1) infection in Canada. Between April 16 and August 12, 2009, 168 critically ill patients with 2009 influenza A (H1N1) infection in 38 adult and pediatric intensive care units (ICUs) in Canada were followed up for 28-day and 90-day mortality. Secondary study endpoints included frequency and duration of mechanical ventilation and duration of ICU stay.

Of 215 patients with critical illness, 162 had confirmed, 6 had probable, and 47 had suspected community-acquired 2009 influenza A (H1N1) infection. Mean age was 32.3 ± 21.4 years in the 168 patients with confirmed or probable 2009 influenza A (H1N1); 113 patients (67.3%) were women and girls, 50 patients (29.8%) were children, and 43 patients (25.6%) were aboriginal Canadians.

Among critically ill patients, overall 28-day mortality was 14.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.5% - 20.7%), and shock and nonpulmonary acute organ dysfunction were common (sequential organ failure assessment mean score 6.8 ± 3.6 on day 1). At 90 days, overall mortality was 17.3% (95% CI, 12.0% - 24.0%; n = 29).

At ICU admission, all patients were severely hypoxemic (mean ratio of partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood [PaO2] to fraction of inspired oxygen [FIO2] of 147 ± 128 mm Hg). Median time from symptom onset to hospital admission was 4 days (interquartile range [IQR], 2 - 7 days) and from hospitalization to ICU admission was 1 day (IQR, 0 - 2 days).

Most critically ill patients received neuraminidase inhibitors (n = 152 [90.5%]) and mechanical ventilation (n = 136 [81.0%]). Median duration of ventilation was 12 days (IQR, 6 - 20 days) and of ICU stay was 12 days (IQR, 5 - 20 days). Some patients also required lung rescue therapies, including neuromuscular blockade in 28% of patients, inhaled nitric oxide in 13.7%, high-frequency oscillatory ventilation in 11.9%, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in 4.2%, and prone positioning ventilation in 3.0%.

"Critical illness due to 2009 influenza A(H1N1) in Canada occurred rapidly after hospital admission, often in young adults, and was associated with severe hypoxemia, multisystem organ failure, a requirement for prolonged mechanical ventilation, and the frequent use of rescue therapies," the study authors write. "Our data suggest that severe disease and mortality in the current outbreak is concentrated in relatively healthy adolescents and adults between the ages of 10 and 60 years, a pattern reminiscent of the W-shaped curve previously seen only during the 1918 H1N1 Spanish pandemic."

Limitations of this study include focus on severe disease requiring ICU admission, possible late deaths occurring after the observation period, and possible overrepresentation or underrepresentation of certain comorbidities and clinical features.

"We have demonstrated that 2009 influenza A(H1N1) infection-related critical illness predominantly affects young patients with few major comorbidities and is associated with severe hypoxemic respiratory failure, often requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation and rescue therapies," the study authors conclude. "With such therapy, we found that most patients can be supported through their critical illness."

Mexican Study

The goal of the second observational study was to describe baseline characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of critically ill patients with confirmed, probable, or suspected 2009 influenza A (H1N1) in 6 Mexico hospitals. Between March 24 and June 1, 2009, the investigators collected demographic data, symptoms, comorbid conditions, illness progression, treatments, and clinical outcomes from 58 critically ill patients with 2009 influenza A (H1N1). The main study endpoint was mortality, and secondary endpoints were rate of 2009 influenza A (H1N1)-related critical illness and mechanical ventilation and length of stay in the hospital and ICU.

Of 899 patients hospitalized with confirmed, probable, or suspected 2009 influenza (A) H1N1, 58 (6.5%) were critically ill. All presented with fever, and 57 of 58 presented with respiratory symptoms; median age was 44.0 years (range, 10 - 83 years). Although comorbid respiratory disorders occurred in few patients, 21 patients (36%) were obese. Median time from hospital to ICU admission was 1 day (IQR, 0 - 3 days). Mechanical ventilation for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome and refractory hypoxemia was needed in 56 of 58 patients. Median day 1 ratio of PaO2 to FIO2 was 83 mm Hg (IQR, 59 - 145).

Mortality by 60 days was 41.4% (24 deaths; 95% CI, 28.9% - 55.0%), with 19 deaths occurring within the first 2 weeks. Factors associated with mortality were greater initial severity of illness, worse hypoxemia, higher creatine kinase levels, higher creatinine levels, and ongoing organ dysfunction. Neuraminidase inhibitor treatment (vs no treatment) was associated with better survival, after adjustment for a reduced opportunity to receive neuraminidase inhibitors among patients dying early (odds ratio, 7.4; 95% CI, 1.8 - 31.0).

"Critical illness from 2009 influenza A(H1N1) in Mexico occurred in young individuals, was associated with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock, and had a high case-fatality rate," write Guillermo Domínguez-Cherit, MD, from Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición "Salvador Zubirán," Mexico City, and colleagues. "Fever and respiratory symptoms were harbingers of disease in almost all cases. There was a relatively long period of illness prior to presentation to the hospital, followed by a short period of acute and severe respiratory deterioration."

Study limitations include relatively early examination of the epidemiology of a severe infectious disease with possible overestimation of case-fatality rate.

"Early recognition of disease by the consistent symptoms of fever and a respiratory illness during times of outbreak, with prompt medical attention including neuraminidase inhibitors and aggressive support of oxygenation failure and subsequent organ dysfunction, may provide opportunities to mitigate the progression of illness and mortality observed in Mexico," the study authors conclude.

In an accompanying editorial, Douglas B. White, MD, MAS, and JAMA Contributing Editor Derek C. Angus, MD, MPH, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pennsylvania, note that many US hospitals may be inadequately staffed to provide treatment of the most seriously ill patients with 2009 influenza A (H1N1) in a timely fashion.

"Hospitals must develop explicit policies to equitably determine who will and will not receive life support should absolute scarcity occur," Dr. White and Dr. Angus write. "Any deaths from 2009 influenza A(H1N1) will be regrettable, but those that result from insufficient planning and inadequate preparation will be especially tragic."

The Canadian Public Health Agency of Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Longterm Care, the Heart and Stroke Foundation Canada, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research supported the Canadian study. The authors of both studies have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

JAMA. Published online October 12, 2009.

 

To be continued . . . .

 
Dr. Frank Lipman
The Huffington Post
September 25, 2009


Summer is over and the question I am being asked most frequently in my
practice is, "what do I do about Swine flu?" My patients are wondering
whether or not they should get vaccinated and the simple answer I give most
of the time is ..NO!

From what you may have read, you might think that the swine flu vaccine is
the answer to swine flu. Unfortunately this is not true and until we know
that the vaccine is safe, I cannot in good conscience recommend it to most
of my patients.

From the outset, let me say, I am not anti all vaccinations, rather I am pro
vaccine safety and freedom of choice.

This is why am I not recommending the swine flu vaccine.

1) At this stage, for the most part the swine flu seems benign.

Over a million people in the US have already come down with swine flu, many
of them without even knowing that they had it. The vast majority of people
who get the swine flu recover after a week or so of high fever, aches, and
respiratory distress. It's not pleasant, but except in rare circumstances,
it is not fatal. Most people who've been infected by swine flu think so
little of it, they believe they just had a really bad cold or a regular flu.
So unless the swine flu evolves to a much more virulent form, there's no
need for mass vaccination.

2) We don't know if the vaccine will be effective.

Vaccines are only useful against the specific viral strain that was
available at the time of their manufacture. But influenza viruses mutate
quickly, and as the WHO has already said, the real concern with H1N1 swine
flu is that it will combine with seasonal flu in the Fall, creating a new
strain that will of course be immune to all available vaccines.

3) We don't know if the vaccine is safe.

The FDA has authorized an expedited approval process for the swine flu
vaccine but we don't know yet if it is safe. Even GlaxoSmithKline, one of
the vaccine manufacturers has said, "The total population studied in
clinical trials will be limited, due to the need to provide the vaccine to
governments as quickly as possible. Additional studies will therefore be
required and conducted after the vaccine is made available."

In other words, the only thing that is safe, is to say that no one knows.
Since it's never been used before and they have not had time to conduct any
sufficient human testing, by getting vaccinated you are being a human guinea
pig.

4) Vaccine manufacturers have been insulated from liability by the
government.

The Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius has
granted legal immunity not only to the makers of the 2 drugs being used to
treat swine flu, Tamiflu and Relenza, but also to the swine flu vaccine
makers, for damages due to their use against swine flu. By effectively
manipulating the legal system, the Pharmaceutical Industry through their
powerful lobbyists have acquired almost complete and total insulation from
any liability for their vaccines and adjuvants, which are additives added to
generate a stronger immune response. It is believed that it is these
adjuvants which often cause the problems. The last time the government
embarked on a major vaccine campaign against a new swine flu was in 1976.
Thousands filed claims for side effects such as paralysis caused by the
vaccine and a number of people died. I am sure that the researchers know
more now than they did last time and no one can say for certain that bad
things will happen again or that you will suffer dire consequences if you
get vaccinated. But this time you have no legal recourse even though this
vaccine involves new factors, which makes it therefore experimental and
unpredictable.

By shielding the manufacturers from any responsibility for any harm caused,
the pharmaceutical firms have no financial incentive to make the safest
product. In fact, they have a negative incentive to test it for safety,
because if they are aware of problems, then they could potentially be held
liable for willful misconduct.

Instead I advise my patients to build up and strengthen their immune systems
to prevent viral infections.

HERE ARE MY TOP 10 RECOMMENDATIONS:

1) Optimize your vit D level

Adequate levels of Vitamin D are essential for our immune systems to
function optimally. Unfortunately there are no significant dietary sources
of Vitamin D, most of our intake comes from exposure to sunlight. If you
live far from the equator, you simply don't get enough sun through Fall and
Winter to make all the vitamin D you need. So unless you supplement during
this period, your innate immunity will be compromised. Vitamin D plays such
a crucial role in so many aspects of your body's functioning, that
supplementing with it makes sense whether you decide to get the flu shot or
not.

We know that influenza always gets worse during the winter months. Now there
is good evidence to suggest that this is because as sunlight hours lessen
during the winter, the people living in the northern hemisphere become
vitamin D deficient and are susceptible to influenza infections of all
kinds. Here's a great article available at NIH pertaining to this topic:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16959053

There is also some evidence that supplementation with a sufficient amount of
vitamin D can help to prevent the onset of a flu or cold.

The current recommendations from the Food and Nutrition Board of the U.S.
Institute of Medicine: from 200 to 600 IU/day depending on one's age, are
way too low. These values were originally chosen because they were found to
prevent osteomalacia (bone softening) and rickets. It is now recognized that
vitamin D has many additional physiological functions, for which these
levels are totally inadequate. A number of scientists are therefore calling
for the Food and Nutrition Board in the U.S. and its counterparts abroad to
reassess their current recommendations.

To optimize your vit D levels, you will need to:

* Take at least 2,000 IU of a Vitamin D3 supplement daily.

* Get your 25 hydroxy Vitamin D level checked by your doctor (if that is not
an option, you can self test your level with ZRT labs)

Although the current normal range is between 20 and 50ng/ml, this is much
too low for optimal health. You want your level to be between 50 and
70ng/ml. This is the most important step you can take to prevent the flu!!
It may require a number of months taking 5,000 to 10,000 IU of Vit D3 daily
(especially during winter) under a doctor's supervision, to optimize your
blood level. Monitor your 25 hydroxy vitamin D status every 3 months until
you are in the optimal range, then cut back to a maintenance dose of at
least 2,000 IU a day.

2) Get adequate sleep, this is an indispensable requirement for a strong
immune system.

3) Get adequate exercise, this keeps you robust.

4) Take actions to lower your stress levels

Do breathing exercises, meditate, practice yoga, spend time doing something
that makes you happy. Feeling spent, overwhelmed, and/or mentally run down
has a causal relationship to your physical health.

5) Wash your hands frequently but not excessively

It decreases your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or
other people. Be sure you don't use antibacterial soap because of the risk
of creating resistant bacteria. Rather use a simple chemical-free soap.

6) Avoid sugar and processed foods as they decrease your immune function
dramatically.

7) Eat phytonutrient rich meals (lots of colorful salads and dark greens)

8) Eat lots of garlic, it works as a broad spectrum antibiotic.

9) Take a probiotic daily (look for one with 10-20 billion organisms).

A strong immune system relies heavily on having a strong foundation in the
gut.

10) Keep a supply of antiviral herbal supplements on hand.

As opposed to antiviral drugs, antiviral herbs do not cause resistant
strains because they are multifaceted and contain literally thousands of
different medicinal compounds. Thus they are able to attack viruses with a
full spectrum of synergistic substances. Andrographis, Olive leaf extract,
Grapefruit seed extract and Elderberry extract, all have antiviral
properties. Use one or a combination of some of them as a prophylactic
measure, for ex.whenever you travel (airports) or enter a potentially
compromised environment such as a large office, auditorium, stadium, theater
etc.

And if you really want to go all out, here are 4 more tips:

11) Take 1-2 grams of fish oils daily, its beneficial for immune function.

12) Take 2 grams of Vitamin C daily, yes it does help.

13) Stock your home pharmacy with an immune building formula.

Look for one that contains Cordyceps and Astragulus. Take it throughout the
flu season.

14) Keep homeopathic Oscillococcinum on hand

Take it at the earliest sign of a cold or flu. Early intervention is
essential. If you are exposed to someone with the flu directly, you can take
one dose twice a day for two days. You can also take one vial once a week
throughout the winter, and two or three times a week during flu season, as a
preventative measure.

.............

Frank Lipman MD, is the founder and director of the Eleven Eleven Wellness
Center in NYC a center whose emphasis is on preventive health care and
patient education. His personal blend of Western and Eastern Medicine
combined with the many other complimentary modalities he has studied, has
helped thousands of people recover their energy and zest for life. He is the
author of the recent SPENT: End Exhaustion and Feel Great Again (2009) and
Total Renewal; 7 key steps to Resilience, Vitality and Long-Term Health
(2003).