You can prevent this precursor to type 2 diabetes from developing into full-blown disease.
By Madeline Vann, MPH
Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD

By some estimates, one-third of adults in the United States have a condition called prediabetes; 13 percent have type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes may be more common in men (36 percent) than in women (23 percent).

Prediabetes means that while your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, that level isn’t high enough to warrant a diabetes diagnosis. However, a prediabetes diagnosis means it is time for action to prevent diabetes. “In simple terms, there is a gap between what we call diabetes, which is a fasting blood sugar of 126 and above, and normal, which is less than 100 fasting,” explains Vivian Fonseca, MD, a professor of medicine and pharmacology and chief of endocrinology at Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.

“In between,” he continues, “you have impaired fasting glucose. If you do a glucose tolerance test, and you are in the gap, you have prediabetes. You are at risk for getting diabetes in the future and you are also at risk for heart disease.”

Type 2 Diabetes: Prevention

If are told your blood sugar is abnormally high, you’ve just had a red flag waved in front of you. You’re being warned that unless you make some changes in your life today, your future will probably include a diabetes diagnosis.

“Walking 30 minutes a day and reducing weight by 5 percent can decrease the risk [of getting type 2 diabetes] by 60 percent over three years,” says Dr. Fonseca. While there are medications that have the same effect, lifestyle change is less expensive and has fewer side effects, Fonseca says.

Cutting your weight is crucial. “One of the links with obesity is that fat induces a mild low-grade inflammation throughout the body that contributes to heart disease and diabetes,” Fonseca explains. Without making any changes, you could develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years of first developing prediabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes: Who Should be Tested?

Prediabetes is a “silent” condition, says Fonseca. While some people may experience symptoms of diabetes such as fatigue or increased urination, most people’s blood sugar rises without any outward signs at all. This means you might not know you need to be tested for prediabetes — and even if you are screened, your doctor might not give you all the information you need to prevent it.

For these reasons, diabetes experts developed criteria for those who should be tested. The American Diabetic Association recommends that any adult age 45 or older should be tested for diabetes and prediabetes.

The ADA also recommends that any adult under age 45 who is overweight and has at least one of the following risk factors should be tested:

* Family history (especially parent or sibling with diabetes)
* Physically inactive lifestyle
* Native American, African-American, or Hispanic heritage
* Prior gestational diabetes diagnosis
* Birth of a baby over nine pounds in weight
* High blood pressure or treatment for high blood pressure
* Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis
* Dark, velvety rash around the armpits or neck
* History of heart disease

If your test reveals that you have prediabetes, you should be tested again in one to two years, depending on your doctor’s recommendations.

Type 2 Diabetes: Types of Tests

There are two tests used to screen for diabetes and prediabetes:

* Fasting plasma glucose: a test of your blood after you haven’t eaten for eight hours (usually overnight)
* Oral glucose tolerance test: a comparison of your blood taken first after eight hours without food (fasting) and then two hours later after you have consumed a sugary drink given to you by the lab technician.

If you fit the screening criteria listed above, make an appointment to get tested as soon as possible. It could be the first step toward preventing the development of type 2 diabetes.
Everyday Health Network

Debbie Mormino, in connection with Elaine Iagatta, Dr. Wallach, and Youngevity, are excited to announce the debut of Tru Chocolate™ (http://ChocolateFromGod.com) starting off in the US. This is the ALTERNATIVE SUPER SNACK, that will be an important addition to help people world wide with the increasing problem of WEIGHT ISSUES.
 
Chocolate lovers all over the world are asking, “What Is Tru Chocolate”?
 
Tru Chocolate™ is: 
*Good for you and good tasting!
*GUILT FREE, SUGAR FREE / HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS CHOCOLATE!
*100% Natural, but still tastes great; it has been formulated to be compliant with the health requirements of the vegan communities
*Gluten free and Kosher
*Diabetics, hypoglycemic, and lactose intolerant individuals can all eat this chocolate with no worries or ill side effects!
*Helps with weight management/loss while promoting healthy blood sugar levels and helping to satiate your appetite
*Sweetened with ALL NATURAL Xylitol and loved by dentists for it dental health benefits
*Tru Chocolate™ kills harmful bacteria in the mouth, improving the health of teeth and gums
*Overflowing with powerful antioxidants and all natural ingredients
*Ridiculously high ORAC value (3040 per piece!) compare it to Goji or Noni per serving
*Only 36 calories per serving

Chocolate is the universal language and Tru Chocolate™ is the latest in the ALL NATURAL weight management system and whole food. It is engineered with entirely natural ingredients. In addition, it has been formulated to be compliant with the health requirements of the Vegetarian communities. This new product is focused on the main objectives to lower and control blood sugar, to increase lean body mass, and to establish a solid platform for the restoration of health.
 

  TRU Chocolate™ “WOW”  – The Razzle Dazzle After-Taste

Most people feel an amazing after-taste when they eat Tru Chocolate™. After consuming the chocolate wafer, immediately drink cold water.  “Wow,” your water just became chocolate milk!  It is wild!   This is an experiential, “must-try-to-believe” product!
 
The amazing chocolate after experience is like a sweet taste with a bit of spice added to it that stays in your palate for about 15 – 30 minutes after consuming Tru Chocolate™. This is the result of several of the ingredients in Tru Chocolate™  —  and indeed, it is an indication that it is working!
 
Tru Chocolate™ is a “Functional Super Food,” i.e. it has a nutraceutical function in addition to its nourishment value. The razzle dazzle after-taste arises from three ingredients:
 Bio Flavenoids (from the citrus extract)- are 2000 times sweeter than sugar. It is strong enough for a few molecules to stay in the palate to create that sweet after-taste
Bioperin – is a black pepper derivative enhances the perception of taste. Anything you eat or drink after Tru Chocolate™ will taste stronger
Fabenol – is a lentil derivative blocks the absorption of sugar and, therefore, increases the sensation of sweetness.
The after-taste is an advantage. It induces an individual to drink water, which is very important for weight loss and the body.  Because it makes water taste sweet, one can drink simple water, hydrate the body, and be satiated, instead of filling-up on soda or juice (which are generally high in calories, carbs and sugar).

Known as the “Guilt-Free Chocolate,” Tru Chocolate was created as a healthy and tasty treat for calorie conscious people (who still have taste buds).  Today, it is a delicious treat everyone can enjoy.
All Natural, Toxin Free Ingredients: Organic Cocoa Liqueur, Organic Cocoa Butter, Xylitol, Proprietary Herbal Formula, Natural Vanilla Extract and Organic Lecitin. A proprietary blend containing Momordica Charantia, Dehydrated Noni Fruit, Bioflavonoids (Citrus Extract), Ellagic Acid (from pomegranate), Green Tea Extract, Fabanol®** and Bioperine®** (from black pepper).Note:  These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This is not intended to diagnose, cure or prevent any disease.

As a parent, you should know about the history, the present, and the future of childhood immunization.
By Marijke Vroomen-Durning, RN
Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD

Immunizations and baby shots are often misunderstood. Some believe that their children can become ill from the immunizations, getting the very disease that the shots are meant to prevent. Some of the misunderstandings result in parents choosing not to vaccinate their children against childhood diseases.

The saying “knowledge is power,” has a place here. Elizabeth, a mother of four in Kansas City, Mo., says, “I’m not for or against vaccinations. I always did them at first because that’s what you’re taught. These days though, I tend to wonder and worry about what’s being put in them.”

Immunization: What Is a Vaccine?
“A vaccination is part of a bacteria or virus that can be safely given to a person either as a shot or a liquid,” explains Michele E. Estabrook, MD, a professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. “It doesn’t make the person sick, but does cause the immune system to make protective antibodies against the bacteria or virus.” In other words, the immunization primes the system to be ready in case it’s exposed to the infection so the immune system can fight it off.

Vaccinations and immunization go back for centuries, when it was first discovered that smallpox could be prevented through an inoculation, or injection, of cowpox. The use of vaccinations, especially baby shots, as a general program to prevent childhood illnesses goes back to the 1950s, when many children in the United States were contracting polio.

Immunization: Why Is It Important?
Vaccinations prevent serious illnesses from being contracted and spread. Doing so reduces the number of deaths and other complications.

“Vaccinations are probably the most cost-effective medical intervention ever developed,” says Dr. Estabrook. A child who is ill with a contagious disease can’t go to school or daycare, so parents must stay home to mind them or find other caregivers. Also, the cost of doctors’ visits, medical supplies, and possible hospitalization can’t be overlooked. The cost of baby shots is much less than the potential cost if the diseases are contracted.

If people keep their children from being vaccinated — reasoning that others have received these shots so their kids don’t have to — then this logic weakens as the number of vaccinated children drops. Right now, a vaccinated public helps protect those who can’t be vaccinated (for health reasons) and babies who are too young for their baby shots. This is called “herd immunity.” However, if more people choose not to vaccinate, the herd grows smaller and more people are put at risk.

Immunization: Why Do the Benefits Outweigh the Risks?
Childhood diseases can cause death and long-term effects for many of those who survive them. While there may be side effects from the vaccines — and there have been reports of rare, serious ones — the chances of developing complications from the diseases are much higher.

“Vaccines are very carefully studied before they are ever given to anyone. Then it must be proven that they work and are safe before they can be licensed,” explains Estabrook. “Universally, the infection that the vaccine prevents is far more dangerous than the rare side effects associated with the vaccines.”

A good example is measles, a very infectious disease. Because of travel and immigration, the disease is often brought back to the United States by people who haven’t been vaccinated, and they spread this disease to other unvaccinated people. According to statistics, in the United States, about three out of every 1,000 people who get measles will die. In the developing world, where vaccinations aren’t common, the death rate is 10 out of every 1,000.

Immunization: Vaccines on the Horizon
New vaccines continue to be developed. Not all parents know about a vaccine for rotavirus, a virus that causes severe gastrointestinal issues. This vaccine has been around since 2006, and another type was licensed in the United States last year.

A new meningitis vaccine is expected to be available later this year. It will protect against pneumococcus, a bacteria that causes pneumonia, and will add to the protection that has been provided by existing pneumococcal vaccines, explains Estabrook.

As a parent, it’s normal to be concerned about the medications and vaccines that your child will be getting. Understanding the history behind immunization and staying informed of future research will help ease your mind.
Last Updated: 03/27/2009
This section created and produced exclusively by the editorial staff of EverydayHealth.com. © 2009 EverydayHealth.com; all rights reserved.

A few weeks ago, my GYN wanted me to have some routine blood work. It came back that my liver enzymes were high along with my cholesterol and triglycerides. She told me to IMMEDIATELY see my internist and have further tests done. It alarmed me since it involved my liver, so I followed her advice and saw my internist immediately. They ran further tests and eliminated fatty liver disease, which I thought I might have. All was perfect EXCEPT for my cholesterol and triglycerides. Just with watching what I’m eating and riding my bike a few times a week, my cholesterol has already dropped 80 points. I’ve started a very low carb/good carb, hardly no sugar diet and have to incorporate exercise into my everyday life. Finding the time is not always easy, but we’ve found something simple that will work for ANYONE, ANY WEIGHT, ANY AGE, ANYWHERE!

go here: http://www.healingdaily.com/exercise/rebounding-for-detoxification-and-health.htm

Bart and I bought one over the weekend at K-Mart for $39. It took 10 minutes to put it together with NO TOOLS and we can do it while watching TV. I’m starting it this morning. Will let you know how it works out.

Thursday, May 14, 2009
Seed tick bite could create serious health risks for people with certain blood types
Newswise — Spring is here and more of us are heading outside to enjoy jogging, hiking, gardening and camping. Wherever our outdoor adventures lead, there is a good chance that we’ll come in contact with one of nature’s most notorious hitchhikers, the tiny seed tick.

New NIH-funded research from the University of Virginia Health System suggests that it is wise to be wary of the seed tick because its bite may set off a cascade of events that not only defy current thinking about food allergies, but also create serious health risks for people with certain blood types.

In a paper published in the February 2009 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, UVA researchers describe a novel and severe allergic response, which they call delayed anaphylactic shock. The reaction occurs three to six hours after patients eat beef, pork or lamb. Symptoms begin with itching that intensifies as hives develop on the skin’s outer and deeper layers. Itching quickly escalates to swelling, intestinal irritation and the alarming, life-threatening symptoms of anaphylaxis: airway constriction, chaotic heart beat, a rapid drop in blood pressure and loss of consciousness.

“Our conventional understanding is that anaphylaxis happens within seconds or minutes of exposure. The notion that it can be delayed for several hours is a paradigm altering discovery,” says senior study investigator, Thomas Platts-Mills, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine and Microbiology at UVA and head of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

The researchers found that the delayed response is being triggered by an IgE antibody that binds to a sugar molecule known as galactose-α-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal). The antibody was found in the serum of all 24 adults assessed in the study and in more than 100 other individuals, including six children, now being tracked by the UVA study team.

“Alpha-gal is an unexpected culprit,” explains lead author, Scott Commins, M.D., Ph.D., an allergy and immunology fellow at UVA who will join its medical faculty in July. “Today’s textbooks tell us that allergic reactions are caused by proteins in food, pollen, dander and venom. They are not supposed to be caused by sugars like alpha-gal.”

UVA researchers are still determining what triggers the production of alpha-gal antibodies. So far, evidence strongly suggests that tick bites are the cause. “Eighty percent of our study cohort reported being bitten by ticks either weeks or months before symptoms began. When we consider all the patients in our database, more than 90 percent had tick bites,” Commins notes. “We are continuing to investigate this link by gathering patient information from a network of allergists around the U.S. and in four other countries.”

“In our findings, we refer to ‘seed’ tick, which is the generic term for the larval form of ticks. Ticks such as dog tick, deer tick, Lone Star, etc. are the adult forms. We believe all types of ticks can trigger this reaction,” Commins explains.

Blood typing performed at UVA indicates that individuals with Type B or AB blood seem protected from developing IgE to alpha-gal. Commins is concerned that people with other blood types may be unaware of the risks posed by tick bites. “A lot of people suffer symptoms for years without knowing the cause. We worry that the number of undiagnosed or potential cases of alpha-gal sensitivity may be on a dramatic rise,” Commins says. “However, we’ll need more data to make formal projections.”

The UVA study yielded other paradigm-challenging findings. First, the allergist’s key diagnostic tool, the skin prick test, proved ineffective in detecting red meat allergy in study patients. (As part of the UVA research effort, Commins developed a skin testing technique to identify this allergy.) Second, most patients began experiencing symptoms as adults, defying the common belief that food allergies rarely develop after childhood.

According to Commins, the study is prompting new thinking about food allergies as well as continued investigation. “Our observations have turned a lot of conventional wisdom upside down while raising a number of important questions,” he notes. “We still need to figure out what triggers production of IgE to alpha-gal, why some blood groups are protected and why the allergic reaction is delayed and so severe.”

On a practical note, Commins advises quick removal of hitchhiking ticks and monitoring of bite sites. “People who develop the red meat allergy often report they experienced significant itching and redness around the bites,” he explains. “Anyone who is concerned about developing the alpha-gal antibody after tick bites should have a screening test. It’s far safer than waiting for an allergic reaction to occur.”

In addition to Platts-Mills and Commins, the UVA study co-authors were Shama M. Satinover, MS, Jacob Hosen, BS, Jonathan Mozena, MD, Larry Borish, MD, Barrett D. Lewis, MD, Judith A. Woodfolk, MBChB, PhD.

American health officials declared a public health emergency as cases of swine flu were confirmed in the U.S. Health officials across the world fear this could be the leading edge of a global pandemic emerging from Mexico, where seven people are confirmed dead as a result of the new virus.

On Wednesday April 29th, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised its pandemic alert level to five on its six-level threat scale,1 which means they”ve determined that the virus is capable of human-to-human transmission. The initial outbreaks across North America reveal an infection already traveling at higher velocity than did the last official pandemic strain, the 1968 Hong Kong flu.

Phase 5 had never been declared since the warning system was introduced in 2005 in response to the avian influenza crisis. Phase 6 means a pandemic is under way. WHO now openly states it is not possible to contain the spread of this infection and recommends mitigation measures, not restricting travel or closing borders.

However, a pandemic does not necessarily mean what you think it does, it is NOT black-plague carts being hauled through the streets piled high with dead bodies. Nor does it mean flesh eating zombies wandering the streets feeding on the living. All a pandemic means is that a new infectious disease is spreading throughout the world.

swine fluThe number of fatalities, and suspected and confirmed cases across the world change depending on the source, so your best bet — if you want the latest numbers — is to use Google Maps” Swine Flu Tracker.

Several nations have imposed travel bans, or made plans to quarantine air travelers2 that present symptoms of the swine flu, such as:

* Fever of more than 100
* Coughing
* Runny nose and/or sore throat
* Joint aches
* Severe headache
* Vomiting and/or diarrhea
* Lethargy
* Lack of appetite

Top global flu experts are trying to predict how dangerous the new swine flu strain will be, as it became clear that they had little information about Mexico”s outbreak. It is as yet unclear how many cases occurred in the month or so before the outbreak was detected. It”s also unknown whether the virus was mutating to be more lethal, or less.

Much Fear Mongering Being Promoted

I suspect you have likely been alarmed by the media”s coverage of the swine flu scare. It has a noticeable subplot – preparing you for draconian measures to combat a future pandemic as well as forcing you to accept the idea of mandatory vaccinations.

On April 27, Time magazine published an article which discusses how dozens died and hundreds were injured from vaccines as a result of the 1976 swine flu fiasco, when the Ford administration attempted to use the infection of soldiers at Fort Dix as a pretext for a mass vaccination of the entire country.

Despite acknowledging that the 1976 farce was an example of “how not to handle a flu outbreak”, the article still introduces the notion that officials “may soon have to consider whether to institute draconian measures to combat the disease”.

Fortunately some respectable journalists recognize this and are seeking to spread a voice of reason to the fear that is being promoted in the majority of the media

WHO and CDC Pandemic Preparedness Seriously Broken

The pandemic warning system has failed as it simply doesn”t exist, even in North America and Europe. To improve the system, massive new investments in surveillance, scientific and regulatory infrastructure, basic public health, and global access to common sense interventions like vitamin D optimization are required.

According to the Washington Post, the CDC did not learn about the outbreak until six days after Mexico had begun to impose emergency measures. There should be no excuses. The paradox of this swine flu panic is that, while totally unexpected, it was accurately predicted. Six years ago, Science dedicated a major story to evidence that “after years of stability, the North American swine flu virus has jumped onto an evolutionary fasttrack”.

However, maybe this is precisely what public health authorities desire.

This is NOT the First Swine Flu Panic

My guess is that you can expect to see a lot of panic over this issue in the near future. But the key is to remain calm — this isn”t the first time the public has been warned about swine flu. The last time was in 1976, right before I entered medical school and I remember it very clearly. It resulted in the massive swine flu vaccine campaign.

Do you happen to recall the result of this massive campaign?

Within a few months, claims totaling $1.3 billion had been filed by victims who had suffered paralysis from the vaccine. The vaccine was also blamed for 25 deaths.

However, several hundred people developed crippling Guillain-Barré Syndrome after they were injected with the swine flu vaccine. Even healthy 20-year-olds ended up as paraplegics.

And the swine flu pandemic itself? It never materialized.

More People Died From the Swine Flu Vaccine than Swine Flu!

It is very difficult to forecast a pandemic, and a rash response can be extremely damaging.

As of Monday April 27, the worldwide total number of confirmed cases was 82, according to WHO, which included 40 cases in the U.S., confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control. But does that truly warrant the feverish news headlines?

To put things into perspective, malaria kills 3,000 people EVERY DAY, and it”s considered “a health problem”… But of course, there are no fancy vaccines for malaria that can rake in billions of dollars in a short amount of time.

One Australian news source,3 for example, states that even a mild swine flu epidemic could lead to the deaths of 1.4 million people and would reduce economic growth by nearly $5 trillion dollars.

Give me a break, if this doesn”t sound like the outlandish cries of the pandemic bird-flu I don”t know what does. Do you remember when President Bush said two million Americans would die as a result of the bird flu?

In 2005, in 2006, 2007, and again in 2008, those fears were exposed as little more than a cruel hoax, designed to instill fear, and line the pocketbooks of various individuals and industry. I became so convinced by the evidence AGAINST the possibility of a bird flu pandemic that I wrote a New York Times bestselling book, The Bird Flu Hoax, all about the massive fraud involved with the epidemic that never happened..

swine fluWhat is the Swine Flu?

Regular swine flu is a contagious respiratory disease, caused by a type-A influenza virus that affects pigs. The current strain, A(H1N1), is a new variation of an H1N1 virus — which causes seasonal flu outbreaks in humans — that also contains genetic material of bird and pig versions of the flu.

Interestingly enough, this version has never before been seen in neither human nor animal, which I will discuss a bit later.

This does sound bad. But not so fast. There are a few reasons to not rush to conclusions that this is the deadly pandemic we”ve been told would occur in the near future (as if anyone could predict it without having some sort of inside knowledge).

Why a True Bird- or Swine Flu Pandemic is HIGHLY Unlikely

While in my opinion it is highly likely factory farming is responsible for producing this viral strain, I believe there is still no cause for concern.

You may not know this, but all H1N1 flu”s are descendants of the 1918 pandemic strain. The reason why the flu shot may or may not work, however, from year to year, is due to mutations. Therefore, there”s no vaccine available for this current hybrid flu strain, and naturally, this is feeding the fear that millions of people will die before a vaccine can be made.

However, let me remind you of one very important fact here.

Just a couple of months ago, scientists concluded that the 1918 flu pandemic that killed between 50-100 million people worldwide in a matter of 18 months — which all these worst case scenarios are built upon — was NOT due to the flu itself!4

Instead, they discovered the real culprit was strep infections.

People with influenza often get what is known as a “superinfection” with a bacterial agent. In 1918 it appears to have been Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Since strep is much easier to treat than the flu using modern medicine, a new pandemic would likely be much less dire than it was in the early 20th century, the researchers concluded.

Others, such as evolutionary biologist Paul Ewald,5 claim that a pandemic of this sort simply cannot happen, because in order for it to occur, the world has to change. Not the virus itself, but the world.

In a previous interview for Esquire magazine, in which he discusses the possibility of a bird flu pandemic, he states:

“They think that if a virus mutates, it”s an evolutionary event. Well, the virus is mutating because that is what viruses and other pathogens do. But evolution is not just random mutation. It is random mutation coupled with natural selection; it is a battle for competitive advantage among different strains generated by random mutation.

For bird flu to evolve into a human pandemic, the strain that finds a home in humanity has to be a strain that is both highly virulent and highly transmissible. Deadliness has to translate somehow into popularity; H5N1 has to find a way to kill or immobilize its human hosts, and still find other hosts to infect. Usually that doesn”t happen.”

Ewald goes on to explain that evolution in general is all about trade-offs, and in the evolution of infections the trade-off is between virulence and transmissibility.

What this means is that in order for a “bird flu” or “swine flu” to turn into a human pandemic, it has to find an environment that favors both deadly virulence and ease of transmission.

People living in squalor on the Western Front at the end of World War I generated such an environment, from which the epidemic of 1918 could arise.

Likewise, crowded chicken farms, slaughterhouses, and jam-packed markets of eastern Asia provide another such environment, and that environment gave rise to the bird flu — a pathogen that both kills and spreads, in birds, but not in humans.

Says Ewald:

“We know that H5N1 is well adapted to birds. We also know that it has a hard time becoming a virus that can move from person to person. It has a hard time without our doing anything. But we can make it harder. We can make sure it has no human population in which to evolve transmissibility. There is no need to rely on the mass extermination of chickens. There is no need to stockpile vaccines for everyone.

By vaccinating just the people most at risk — the people who work with chickens and the caregivers — we can prevent it from becoming transmissible among humans. Then it doesn”t matter what it does in chickens.”

Please remember that, despite the fantastic headlines and projections of MILLIONS of deaths, the H5N1 bird flu virus killed a mere 257 people worldwide since late 2003. As unfortunate as those deaths are, 257 deaths worldwide from any disease, over the course of five years, simply does not constitute an emergency worthy of much attention, let alone fear!

Honestly, your risk of being killed by a lightning strike in the last five years was about 2,300 percent higher than your risk of contracting and dying from the bird flu.6 I”m not kidding! In just one year (2004), more than 1,170 people died from lighting strikes, worldwide.7

So please, as the numbers of confirmed swine flu cases are released, keep a level head and don”t let fear run away with your brains.

So is the Swine Flu Getting More or Less Dangerous?

On Sunday, April 26, The Independent reported that more than 1,000 people had contracted the swine flu virus in Mexico, 8 but by the afternoon that same day, Mexican President Calderon declared that more than two-thirds of the 1,300 thought to have contracted the disease had been given a clean bill of health and sent home.9

Additionally, the number of actual confirmed cases appears to be far lower than reported in many media outlets, leading me to believe that many reporters are interchanging the terms “suspected cases” and “confirmed cases.”

Interestingly Mexico is the ONLY country in the world where someone has actually died from this disease.Mexico has reported 159 fatalities in flu-like cases in recent days, seven of which have been confirmed as swine flu. Another 19 patients have been confirmed as having swine flu but surviving. Although some insiders at WHO believe these numbers are seriously inflated and could be as low as single digits.
By contrast, the United States has had 91 confirmed cases, five hospitalizations and no deaths from US Citizens. On April 29th CNN reported the first swine fatality in the US, however this was actually a child from Mexico that died in Texas.

According to the World Health Organization”s Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response site; as of April 27, there are:

* 91 laboratory confirmed cases in U.S. — 0 deaths (reported by CDC as of April 30)
* 26 confirmed cases in Mexico — 7 deaths
* 6 confirmed cases in Canada — 0 deaths
* 1 confirmed case in Spain — 0 deaths

Additionally, nearly all suspected new cases have been reported as mild.

Personally, I am highly skeptical. It simply doesn”t add up to a real pandemic.

But it does raise serious questions about where this brand new, never before seen virus came from, especially since it cannot be contracted from eating pork products, and has never before been seen in pigs, and contains traits from the bird flu — and which, so far, only seems to respond to Tamiflu. Are we just that lucky, or… what?

Your Fear Will Make Some People VERY Rich in Today”s Crumbling Economy

According to the Associated Press at least one financial analyst estimates up to $388 million worth of Tamiflu sales in the near future10 — and that”s without a pandemic outbreak.

More than half a dozen pharmaceutical companies, including Gilead Sciences Inc., Roche, GlaxoSmithKline and other companies with a stake in flu treatments and detection, have seen a rise in their shares in a matter of days, and will likely see revenue boosts if the swine flu outbreak continues to spread.

As soon as Homeland Security declared a health emergency, 25 percent — about 12 million doses — of Tamiflu and Relenza treatment courses were released from the nation”s stockpile. However, beware that the declaration also allows unapproved tests and drugs to be administered to children. Many health- and government officials are more than willing to take that chance with your life, and the life of your child. But are you?

Remember, Tamiflu went through some rough times not too long ago, as the dangers of this drug came to light when, in 2007, the FDA finally began investigating some 1,800 adverse event reports related to the drug. Common side effects of Tamiflu include:

* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Diarrhea
* Headache
* Dizziness
* Fatigue
* Cough

All in all, the very symptoms you”re trying to avoid.

More serious symptoms included convulsions, delirium or delusions, and 14 deaths in children and teens as a result of neuropsychiatric problems and brain infections (which led Japan to ban Tamiflu for children in 2007). And that”s for a drug that, when used as directed, only reduces the duration of influenza symptoms by 1 to 1 ½ days, according to the official data.

But making matters worse, some patients with influenza are at HIGHER risk for secondary bacterial infections when on Tamiflu. And secondary bacterial infections, as I mentioned earlier, was likely the REAL cause of the mass fatalities during the 1918 pandemic!

Where did This Mysterious New Animal-Human Flu Strain Come From?

Alongside the fear-mongering headlines, I”ve also seen increasing numbers of reports questioning the true nature of this virus. And rightfully so.

Could a mixed animal-human mutant like this occur naturally? And if not, who made it, and how was it released?

Not one to dabble too deep in conspiracy theories, I don”t have to strain very hard to find actual facts to support the notion that this may not be a natural mutation, and that those who stand to gain have the wherewithal to pull off such a stunt.

Just last month I reported on the story that the American pharmaceutical company Baxter was under investigation for distributing the deadly avian flu virus to 18 different countries as part of a seasonal flu vaccine shipment. Czech reporters were probing to see if it may have been part of a deliberate attempt to start a pandemic; as such a “mistake” would be virtually impossible under the security protocols of that virus.

The H5N1 virus on its own is not very airborne. However, when combined with seasonal flu viruses, which are more easily spread, the effect could be a potent, airborne, deadly, biological weapon. If this batch of live bird flu and seasonal flu viruses had reached the public, it could have resulted in dire consequences.

There is a name for this mixing of viruses; it”s called “reassortment,” and it is one of two ways pandemic viruses are created in the lab. Some scientists say the most recent global outbreak — the 1977 Russian flu — was started by a virus created and leaked from a laboratory.

Another example of the less sterling integrity of Big Pharma is the case of Bayer, who sold millions of dollars worth of an injectable blood-clotting medicine to Asian, Latin American, and some European countries in the mid-1980s, even though they knew it was tainted with the AIDS virus.

So while it is morally unthinkable that a drug company would knowingly contaminate flu vaccines with a deadly flu virus such as the bird- or swine flu, it is certainly not impossible. It has already happened more than once.

But there seems to be no repercussions or hard feelings when industry oversteps the boundaries of morality and integrity and enters the arena of obscenity. Because, lo and behold, which company has been chosen to head up efforts, along with WHO, to produce a vaccine against the Mexican swine flu?

Baxter!11 Despite the fact that ink has barely dried on the investigative reports from their should-be-criminal “mistake” against humanity.

According to other sources,12 a top scientist for the United Nations, who has examined the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Africa, as well as HIV/AIDS victims, has concluded that the current swine flu virus possesses certain transmission “vectors” that suggest the new strain has been genetically-manufactured as a military biological warfare weapon.

The UN expert believes that Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and the current A-H1N1 swine flu virus are biological warfare agents.

In addition, Army criminal investigators are looking into the possibility that disease samples are missing from biolabs at Fort Detrick — the same Army research lab from which the 2001 anthrax strain was released, according to a recent article in the Fredrick News Post.13 In February, the top biodefense lab halted all its research into Ebola, anthrax, plague, and other diseases known as “select agents,” after they discovered virus samples that weren”t listed in its inventory and might have been switched with something else.

Factory Farming Maybe Source of Swine Flu

Another theory as to the cause of Swine Flu might be factory farming. In the United States, pigs travel coast to coast. They can be bred in North Carolina, fattened in the corn belt of Iowa, and slaughtered in California.

While this may reduce short-term costs for the pork industry, the highly contagious nature of diseases like influenza (perhaps made further infectious by the stresses of transport) needs to be considered when calculating the true cost of long-distance live animal transport.

The majority of U.S. pig farms now confine more than 5,000 animals each. With a group of 5,000 animals, if a novel virus shows up it will have more opportunity to replicate and potentially spread than in a group of 100 pigs on a small farm.

With massive concentrations of farm animals within which to mutate, these new swine flu viruses in North America seem to be on an evolutionary fast track, jumping and reassorting between species at an unprecedented rate.