Author: Wellness Club

  • Seven Inconvenient Truths About the 2009 H1N1 Flu Pandemic

    Seven Inconvenient Truths About the 2009 H1N1 Flu Pandemic

    by Dr. Dana Myatt

     

    “Selective reporting” about the H1N1 virus and vaccine make it sound like getting a vaccination for the “pandemic flu” is a no-brainer. Thinking men and women should know the under-reported scientific conclusions and plain vanilla government statistics concerning this year’s “Panic-Demic” before making this seemingly simple but potentially life-threatening decision.

    To that end I present these “inconvenient truths” (fully referenced) for your consideration. Please note that it is extremely politically incorrect to question the value of the flu vaccine.

    In Health,
    Dr. Myatt

    Seven Inconvenient Truths About the 2009 H1N1 Flu Pandemic

    by Dr. Dana Myatt

    1.) What is a “Phase Six” Pandemic? (Probably NOT what You Think)

    Contrary to popular thought (and most dictionaries), “pandemic” does not mean “large numbers” in WHO / CDC language. According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Pandemic Phase Descriptions, “pandemic” refers to distribution, not numbers or severity. Here is the WHO criteria for pandemics:

    • A “Phase 4” pandemic means only that a virus is transmissible between humans.
    • A “Phase 5” pandemic means only that one viral disease has been seen in two countries.
    • A Phase 6 pandemic means only that one viral disease has been seen in three or more countries.

    Again, the term “pandemic” does NOT refer to numbers of people affected or severity of the disease. (1)

    For perspective, The WHO announced as of 20 September 2009 that there have been 3917 total deaths worldwide from H1N1, on par with world-wide mortality from any seasonal or other flu for this time of year. (2) Malaria kills an average of 3,000 people every day in southeast Asia. (3)

    2.) Is The H1N1 Flu Really a Danger to the U.S.?

    Of less than 4,000 flu-related deaths world-wide, only 211 have occurred in the US as of August 2009. (4) This represents a death total lower than from seasonal flu for years 2005 through 2008 in the U.S. (5)

    Adding H1N1 and seasonal flu together, flu-related deaths are still lower this year compared to previous “non-pandemic” years.

    Not only is the total flu rate lower this year in the U.S., but the H1N1 flu has been much milder than predicted here and abroad. (6-10)

    According to the WHO, most H1N1 infections are mild, occurring in numbers comparable to seasonal flues, with fast recovery and mostly without need for medical care. Mortality rates so far have been only a fraction of the number of those reported each year from seasonal flu. WHO also acknowledges that “Large outbreaks of disease have not yet been reported in many countries…” (11)

    Harvard researcher Mark Lipsitch, PhD, explained at an Institute of Medicine meeting that on a 1 to 5 scale — with 5 being a 1918-like pandemic — this swine flu pandemic is a 1. Deputy Director of the CDC’s flu division, Daniel Jernigan, MD, concurs. “We are likely to have numbers that look very similar to what Dr. Lipsitch had,” Jernigan said. (12)

    3.) Why H1N1-related deaths are actually smaller than reported in the U.S.

    As of August 2009, ALL flu-associated deaths in the U.S. are being reported together. H1N1, seasonal flu and “influenza-like illness” (ILI) are added together to give the “flu mortality rate.” Reported illness and death totals, now include “influenza-like illness” (ILI) that in some cases may not be any form of flu at all. (13)

    Other reports concede that a portion of reported H1N1 deaths have actually been caused by pneumonia, not the H1N1 virus itself. (14)

    Because the new reporting system tallies deaths from all types of flu, the reported numbers of total flu deaths are not all attributable to H1N1. This means the true H1N1 mortality rate is only a portion of the total reported. Remember that deaths from all types of flu added together are lower in the U.S. this year than from the four previous “non pandemic” years before. (5,13)

    3.) Flu vaccines provide little or no protection from the flu.

    Vaccination is claimed to prevent the spread of influenza, protect individuals from acquiring the disease, and do so to a high degree of efficacy. Unfortunately, the majority of scientific studies do not support these claims. In fact, meta analyses (“master studies”) that look at large numbers of scientific studies and their outcomes, show the opposite. Influenza vaccine is minimally or not at all effective for most age groups. Here is how the numbers break down.

    In children under two:

    In children under the age of two, influenza vaccines are no more effective than placebo. (15)

    One meta analysis evaluating fifty-one published studies with 294,159 observations found “no efficacy” in children under the age of two. (16) The authors conclude that “It was surprising to find only one study of inactivated vaccine in children under two years, given current recommendations to vaccinate healthy children from six months old in the USA and Canada.”

    Simply put, the authors question why the U.S. is targeting children under the age of two for vaccination when the studies show the vaccine to be ineffective in this age group.

    In children over two:

    The same meta analysis found influenza vaccines effective 33% of the time in children over the age of two. (16) Followed to it’s logical conclusion, this means the flu vaccines are ineffective 67% of the time in children over the age of two.

    Another study found influenza vaccine ineffective up to age 5. (17)

    In healthy adults:

    A meta analysis evaluating 25 studies conducted on 59,566 adults age 14-40 found a mere 6% decrease of clinical influenza in those vaccinated. The conclusion: “Universal immunization of healthy adults is not supported by the results of this review.” (18)

    The recent update to this study, pooling 38 published studies encompassing 66,248 healthy individuals aged 16 to 65 years, found that “serological flu” (lab numbers) were reduced but actual cases of flu were not reduced. This meta analysis concluded that improvements in overall flu rates in those vaccinated “was extremely modest.” (19)

    In seniors:

    Seniors over age 70 account for 75% of all flu-related deaths. Since 1980, the vaccination rate in seniors has increased from 15% to 65% but the death rate from flu has not declined. The authors conclude that “the evidence is insufficient to indicate the magnitude of a mortality benefit, if any, that elderly people derive from the vaccination program.” (20)

    Contrary to popular belief, studies have found that secondary pneumonia in seniors is not decreased by flu vaccination, and that reduction of mortality through influenza vaccination has been greatly overestimated in this age group. (21,22)

    5.) “Fast track” approval of flu vaccines, especially H1N1, leaves safety questions unanswered.

    “Fast track” approval means that influenza vaccines do not have to go through the normal regulatory procedures. The H1N1 vaccine approval was especially fast because of the “pandemic” designation. One of the approved 4 vaccines was approved after testing in only 221 people for 21 days. (23) Another was approved after testing on 175 adults for 21 days. (24).

    The World Health Organization (WHO) admits that people who get vaccinations will be the “field testers” of their safety. From the WHO website:

    “Time constraints mean that clinical data at the time when pandemic vaccines are first administered will inevitably be limited. Further testing of safety and effectiveness will need to take place after administration of the vaccine has begun. (Author’s italics)

    … On the positive side, mass vaccination campaigns can generate significant safety data within a few weeks. (Author’s italics) (25)

    In other words, we won’t know the safety of these vaccines until we vaccinate millions of people (45 million is the U.S. “target” for October) (26,27); the side effects experienced by those vaccinated will be the “safety data.”

    The U.S. Government conferred immunity from prosecution to drug manufacturers of the H1N1 vaccine in July 2009. (28)

    6.) Vaccines May Be More Dangerous than the Flu Itself.

    In 1976, 200 soldiers at Fort Dix were stricken with the flu, with one reported death. A pandemic was declared and nearly 40 million people in the U.S. received the 1976/H1N1 vaccine before the campaign was stopped due to an increase in Guillain-Barré syndrome, a paralytic autoimmune disease. (29)

    More than 500 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome were reported, 25 of which resulted in death. This “pandemic that wasn’t” never spread beyond Fort Dix. (30)

    In a recent statement by the The American Academy of Neurology, experts said they don’t expect the 2009 H1N1 vaccine to increase risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome or other autoimmune disease but they acknowledged that this is a concern with any pandemic vaccine. (31)

    Mild short-term reactions to the vaccine can include soreness, redness, or swelling at vaccination site, low grade fever, runny nose, headache, chills, tiredness/weakness and body aches and pains. (32) These symptoms are very much like the flu itself.

    Life-threatening allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) and Guillain-Barré syndrome (a paralytic autoimmune disease) can also occur. (33)

    These short-term side effects of influenza vaccination are easier to observe because of their close proximity to vaccination, beginning within minutes to several weeks. Long-term and/or cumulative effects of vaccinations are more difficult to monitor, and questions remain about the long-term safety of vaccines.

    For example, the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease in adults and autism in children has skyrocketed in the last several decades. These rates are continued to increase. (34,35)

    The cause of these increases is not known. Some camps maintain that these neurological disease escalations may be caused by vaccinations, especially since many vaccines still contain mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde and other neurotoxic compounds. (36-39)

    The US government, CDC, FDA, and drug manufacturers claim there is no correlation between vaccines and these diseases, (40-43) although many question the quality of evidence used to draw this conclusion. (44,45)

    7.) “Herd Immunity” Remains Speculative

    “Herd immunity” (community immunity) is the belief that if a portion of society gets vaccinated, weaker members of “the herd” who do not respond satisfactorily to the vaccine (children under two and seniors over 65) will be protected from the flu because those around them have been vaccinated. Much evidence contradicts the concept of “herd immunity.” (46-49)

    If healthcare workers get vaccinated, they purportedly decrease the risk of influenza in their high-risk patient, hence the “heavy push” that borders on mandate for health care workers to receive the vaccine. One large meta analysis found “no high quality evidence that vaccinating healthcare workers reduces the incidence of influenza or its complications in the elderly in institutions.” (50)

    Conclusions

    My purpose in presenting these statistics and studies is to assist the reader in drawing independent conclusions about the true risk of H1N1 flu and advisability of vaccination for same.

    We are each responsible for our own “due diligence” when making decisions concerning our health, although many people defer to the media and government for their directives.

    Here are the points I see from these studies and statistics:

    1. The safety and effectiveness of H1N1 vaccines has not been proven.
    2. The transmissibility of H1N1 flu is small and the severity mild compared to seasonal flu.
    3. My risk of getting the H1N1 flu is small; my risk of dying from this flu is quite small and no greater than for any seasonal flu.
    4. Flu vaccines confer little if any protection from influenza viruses in my age group.
    5. There is much conflicting “proof” that by getting a vaccination, I help make others around me safer through “herd immunity.”
    6. There are known short-term and possibly unknown long-term side effects from vaccines.

    All things considered, I’m going to pass on the H1N1 flu vaccine. I believe there are far safer, better-proven methods to increase my resistance to H1N1 and make sure I have a mild case of it (as most cases are) if I do contract the flu.

    If you’d like to see what natural measures I am personally taking, please subscribe to HealthBeat News here.

    My plan for increasing natural resistance to the H1N1 and other flues will be in next week’s online edition of HealthBeat News.


    The fully referenced version of this article with links to government websites can be viewed here.

  • More Concerns About H1N1 And Vaccines – Dr. Crafton Warns Us…

    Doctor Denham B Crafton III, a good friend and dentist now practicing in Vermont, sends us information and updates about dentistry and the health impacts of mercury – a special interest for him – from time to time. This morning he sent us this cautionary note regarding mercury in H1N1 vaccines and about the grim specter of “enforced isolation” for persons exhibiting symptoms that could possibly be related (or not!) to infection with a viral illness.

    Here is Dr. Denny’s note, as we received it, with minor edits for clarity and formatting:

    As a concerned Health Care Practitioner, I have been following the “news” about H1N1 / (not) Swine flu  closely…thus far, the mortality rate is lower than last year’s flu, which essentially means it isn’t terribly consequential, despite what the “mainstream media” would have you believe.

    Last week the Federal government authorized the use of 4 different “Swine Flu Vaccines”… all 4 have never been tested on humans.   This is extremely poor thinking on behalf of the Federal Government (gee, what’s new?)  Of course, the manufacturers cannot be sued for negligence / malpractice under existing Federal legislation.

    Making matters even worse, most of these vaccines are actually produced in China… if that doesn’t raise your index of suspicion, it should. Chinese products over the past few years, especially in critical medical components, have  become increasingly suspect – from ethylene glycol in toothpaste to seriously contaminated Heparin (imported by Baxter Pharmaceuticals) last year… in short, this is very bad policy.

    Now, making things even worse, the standards relating to the presence of toxic materials in vaccines are being suspended.

    You read that right: suspended [see below] Only Plutonium is more toxic than mercury.

    Personally, I am refusing any vaccinations and I am strongly recommending against any vaccinations for H1N1. The H1N1 virus is obviously a laboratory product – and what hasn’t been widely reported is that many of the deaths associated with Swine Flu appear to be directly associated with Vitamin D deficiency.

    Making matters worst of all, the “government” has targeted pregnant women and children under age 3 as being “high risk” for flu and consequently, these groups are targeted for vaccination.

    Do your own research, be suspicious of anyone recommending any vaccination for this flu – most likely the death toll from the vaccine will be higher than the flu itself.

    The CDC has composed a draft for an “isolation order” as a template for state and local officials to impose quarantines. According to the document officials are able to impose a quarantine without a definite confirmation or evidence that the person in question is even ill. According to the CDC a person who has the H1N1 virus will exhibit symptoms of a “fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.” Under the order, anyone who is suspected to be exposed or is reasonably suspected to be exposed with H1N1 can be quarantined. This broad definition could apply to anyone and exposes this power grab for what it is.

    Click here for more information >>> CDC Drafts “Isolation Order” for H1N1

    Washington’s Secretary of Health, Mary Selecky, is temporarily suspending the limit of the amount of Mercury allowed in the H1N1 vaccine in an effort to ensure the highest risk residents of Washington (pregnant women and children under three) get vaccinated when it becomes available.

    Secretary Selecky states that she does not want anything in the way of protecting people if the mercury-free vaccines run out of stock. The suspension is to last six months, effective through March 23, 2010, and it only applies to the swine flu vaccine currently in production. The law, however, still requires that any pregnant or lactating women or guardians of children under 18 be told that they are receiving a vaccine with more mercury than is usually permitted, while the limits are suspended. As of now, vaccination remains on a voluntary basis.

    Click here for more information >>> Mercury Limits Suspended for H1N1 (Swine Flu) Vaccine to Improve Access

  • Compliments And Questions

    Questions And Compliments

    By Nurse Mark

     

    We get plenty of questions, and sometimes compliments. We especially like to receive the compliments…

    Heather writes:

    I just finished reading your book “Physician’s Diary”. I thought it was fantastic. I have come to the conclusion that people get better despite Modern Medicine. I want to find alternatives to the present medications that I am taking. I have PTSD (Police Officer) and am currently coming off Effexor. I plan on using St Johns Wort. Can you tell me what dose would typically be acceptable? Also I have high BP. Is there some alternative to using ACE Inhibitors? Thanks for all the wonderful work you are doing!
    Cheers,
    Heather

    Heather, I’m glad you found Dr. Myatt’s book A Physician’s Diary helpful as so many others have.

    With regard to PTSD, Effexor, and alternatives such as St. John’s wort I hope you will read my recent reply to Kimberly on the subject of neurotransmitters. Much of the advice to her will be useful for you as well.

    For your high blood pressure, please see our webpage with information and recommendations for Hypertension. There you’ll find information to get you started, and if those self-help measures don’t do the trick for you as well as you would like you’ll want to consider a consultation with Dr. Myatt. Hypertension is easily controlled without drugs in most cases which is a great thing since all the current drugs prescribed for hypertension come with unpleasant side effects.

    Some great information about cardiovascular health can be found in a previous HealthBeat News article called ‘Want To Do Something About Your Heart Health?’ – it is well worth a read.

    Thanks for your kind words Heather, and we thank you for your service to us as a police officer – a dangerous and often thankless job if there ever was one!

  • A Tale Of A Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers…

    This was sent to us by one of our “regulars” – Billy often sends us interesting and thought-provoking tidbits!

    I hope you’ll enjoy this as much as we did…

    A Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers…

    (Subtitled: Don’t Worry About the Small Stuff)

     

    When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 beers.

    A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

    When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

    He then asked the students if the jar was full.

    They agreed that it was.

    The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly.

    The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

    He then asked the students again if the jar was full.

    They agreed it was.

    The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

    Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

    He asked once more if the jar was full.

    The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’

    The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

    The students laughed…

    “Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

    The golf balls are the important things — your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions — and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

    The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

    The sand is everything else — the small stuff.”

    “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

    The same goes for life.

    If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. 

    Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

    Spend time with your children.
    Spend time with your parents. 
    Visit with grandparents.
    Take time to look after your health.
    Take your spouse out to dinner.
    Play another 18.
    There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
    Take care of the golf balls first — the things that really matter.

    Set your priorities.

    The rest is just sand.”

    One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.

    The professor smiled and said, “I’m glad you asked.”

    “The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers with a friend.”

  • Depression, Prozac, And Neurotransmitter Precursor Questions

    Depression, Prozac, And Neurotransmitter Precursor Questions

    By Nurse Mark

     

    Neurotransmitter, neurotransmitter balance, and “what herb should I take if I’m depressed?” are common subjects for those who contact us here at The Wellness Club. Unfortunately, though it all looks like it should be fairly simple it really isn’t – the hormones that regulate and control our thoughts and moods are many, with complex inter-relations and balancing mechanisms. Too much, too little, or the wrong ratio of any one neurotransmitter (brain hormone) to another and our mood can be seriously altered or our thought processes badly deranged.

    Despite the fact that our brains and the electrical and chemical circuitry that affects, guides, and regulates everything that we do is far more complex than even the largest super-computer many folks feel they have no alternative but to fiddle with these delicate balances themselves; trying this herb or that with little more to guide them than medical urban legend and suggestions from well-meaning friends: “My aunt Effie’s next door neighbor’s husband was depressed so he took St. John’s wort and that fixed him right up!”

    Were it only so easy… Here is an example of the sort of questions we receive:

    Kimberly writes:

    I am slightly confused. I was on Prozac for a few months and it was like a miracle drug for me. I moved and don’t have a PCP, so I started taking 250 mg L-5-HTP and 500mg L-Tyrosine (after HTP didn’t seem to work). Neither the combination or HTP alone seemed to have any effect (battling severe depression). Doctors in FL surprisingly aren’t up for prescribing Prozac for me again, so I just wondered if you had any suggestions or ideas. Thanks!

    Prozac, and other SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) drugs can indeed seem to provide miraculous relief for depressive symptoms – for a while. Unfortunately, since they do not address the cause of the problem, a lack of the “feel-good” neurotransmitter serotonin (or other neurotransmitters), and because they actually cause further depletion of serotonin and launch many people into a miserable spiral of depression, drugs, returned depression, more drugs, worse depression, stronger drugs, and so on. While this is great for the drug companies, it is a terrible existence for the poor victim who is left to wonder if they will ever be normal and happy again.

    To answer Kimberly’s question – yes, Prozac undoubtedly did offer great relief for those few months. This is good news as it gives you some very strong clues to how you might find more permanent, non-drug relief. It is also good news that no one seems willing to prescribe this drug for you again since this means that you will not be further depleting what must be a limited supply of neurotransmitters. While L-5-HTP and L-Tyrosine  are indeed neurotransmitter precursors that the body may use to rebuild it’s supply of neurotransmitters it is difficult to say if these are the right precursors for someone without knowing more about their Neurotransmitter status and balance – this can only be accurately determined by Neurotransmitter testing. Using this information a skilled and experienced practitioner can make effective recommendations and provide prompt and welcome relief.

    Here is my suggestion Kimberly: Please read through our information about restoring neurotransmitters. When you have read through all of this information you will probably know more about neurotransmitters and how conventional “head-meds” and how natural neurotransmitter precursor supplements work than many conventional doctors! You will certainly be in a much better position to knowledgeably decide what is best for you.

    Then, for more concrete suggestions with which you can develop your own protocol for overcoming your depression please see our page discussing Mental Health and then our page discussing Depression specifically.

    If you still have questions or need more specific guidance, consider a Brief Telephone Consultation with Dr. Myatt – the 15 minutes you’ll spend with Dr. Myatt could well be life-changing, and certainly the best money you’ve ever spent!