The US governmeny has commissioned two pharmaceutical companies to fast track a vaccine for the swine flu, and have designated young children as the first in line to receive them.  The problem with any forced vaccine is just that, it's a forced vaccine.  Vaccines are primarily dead or weakened viruses, with the intent of getting your body ready to fight off the real thing.  The difference is that vaccines include a plethora of other chemical agents, and ingredients designed to make the body go over the top in searching out and destroying any viruses.  Flu vaccines alone contain ingredients also present in antifreeze and formaldehyde.  The additive in these swine flu vaccines that seems to be causing the most stir is squalene.  Squalene has not been approved for this use in the US, and actually caused rheumatoid arthritis when injected into rats.  The real problem is that squalene occurs naturally in the body, and when it's used in a vaccine it will cause the body to seek it out where ever it may be hiding, and destroy it.  This can lead to all sorts of other long term problems.  Maybe Alec Baldwin was right.  Maybe it's time to move to France.

Have you, like millions of Americans, nearly forgotten about the dreaded swine flu outbreak?  Me too.  Thankfully, the WHO (World Health Organization) has raised its threat level to 6, making it a "full blown pandemic".  This capitalizes on the fact that many people associate the word "pandemic" with "epidemic" and therefore reach for the panic button like it was the last donut in the break room after a staff meeting.

Remember that the term "pandemic" refers to the areas to which a disease or virus has spread.  In this case, just because it's shown up in more locations does not make it more deadly.  So far there have been 145 confirmed deaths related to the swine flu, Mexico leading the way with 108.  This really pales in comparison to the more than 250,000 flu related deaths in an average year.  Not to say that the flu shouldn't be taken seriously, but in this case it's sort of like the neighbors dog in the movie "The Sandlot".

It's already been admitted that the H1N1 virus was created in, and escaped from a lab where it was being used to create vaccines.  So, why the constant fearmongering?  That, my friends, is the American way.

Refer to our previous post, "Global Pandemic: Fact AND Fiction", about the swine flu for some natural tips on staying healthy and avoiding the flu.  If your anxiety gets out of control from worry of infection, try Daily Effects.

As more and more cases of the swine flu are confirmed in the US, the World Health Organization raised their 6 tier threat level to 5 on Wednesday.  This signifies the technical term "pandemic" being used.  The general consensus thus far has been, you guessed it, EVERYBODY PANIC!  This has both good and bad repercussions.  While it's always good to be proactive in preventing the spread of disease, the mass hysteria that follows in our "herd mentality" can be detrimental in its own right.  What this pandemic REALLY means is that it is now recognized as transferable from human to human.  It doesn't mean the zombie apocalypse is nigh, but what it does mean is that all the same precautions that people take during the normal flu season should be observed.  This includes all the standard fare of covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, keeping your hands away from your face when possible, washing your hands frequently, staying hydrated, and getting plenty of rest to keep your immune system functioning properly.  Here are a few other natural ways to help ward off sickness until this little piggy goes "wee-wee-wee" all the way into obscurity:

• Fresh Air

The reason people get sick more frequently in the Winter is from being inside, where viruses can incubate and the dry air from heating systems will dry out your mucous membranes.  This makes you more succeptable to illness.  Since this particular strain is active in the Spring months, try getting outside more often.  Before the weather kicks into "Dante's Inferno" mode, open windows for fresh air.  You might also try a humidifier just as an added precaution to help keep your protective mucous membranes from drying out.

• Boost Your Immune System

There are plenty of foods that I'm sure you already love which are greatly beneficial to your immune system.  Fresh fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamins A and C are always a solid bet.  There have also been many benefits linked to green tea, so mixing that in with the 8 glasses of pure water you should already be drinking each day will also help.  If you want to make sure all bases are covered though, you may also look into supplements to add to your germ fighting armory.  Even the store bought ones like Airborne and Alka Seltzer Immunity Complex will have an abundance of vitamin C and zinc, which can help keep from catching the bug.

• Exercise

Regular exercise keeps your body functioning at its optimum levels, and thus will help keep your immune sytem in good working order to help fight sickness.  Lab studies have  shown that mice who had even mild exercise after being exposed to the flu virus had a much lower rate of death.

Something important to remember about the few deaths that have been confirmed so far is that most were in remote areas, and medical care wasn't readily available.  Also, dehydration has played a large part because of vomiting or diarrhea.  This wouldn't be an issue for most of us, but most of the deaths occurred in Mexico where the quality of the water supply would do little to help, if not just exacerbate the issue.

Best of health to everyone…