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And all other Winter Diseases.

President Bush just announced plans to prepare America for a possible Bird (Avian) Flu pandemic (world wide infection).

Few people still alive in America remember the flu pandemic that occurred after World War I. 675,000 people in America died when our returning troops brought the illness back from Europe. Between 20-40 million died worldwide.

A modern day pandemic would spread even faster and farther because of our modern means of travel. After the war our troops came back on slow moving ships. They brought the flu to America. Today a few hours is all it takes to get to the United States from Europe. The carrier of the disease would come into contact with many people before they even knew they were sick.

Will there be such a Pandemic spread of this deadly flu? No one knows for sure. One thing is sure:

just like we know a hurricane will hit the Gulf Coast
just like we know fires will burn houses in California
just like we know politicians will always disagree

we know that at some point of time, a Pandemic will occur.

Will this be one? There are some things that have to happen first. It has to make the jump to people. And it has to begin spreading from human to human. So far it hasn't. Some people have gotten sick by prolonged contact with birds. But the disease hasn't learned to move from human to human.

Will it learn to move about the human population? Viruses mutate all the time. That's why we don't really have a cure for the common cold. By the time we have a vaccine the virus has changed and the new vaccine doesn't work.

Should we wait to see if a problem develops? That's what the people in New Orleans did.

We should be prepared in case it comes. Period.

Will our efforts be wasted if it doesn't?

No. The same precautions you make for the Bird Flu, are the same ones you should make for the normal winter infections like the more common flu viruses. And these every day illnesses kill a lot of people too. They just don't get the press. So you could be saving your family even without a pandemic.

How do we prevent these illnesses?

First we need to know how they spread and then interrupt that process.

Viruses like influenza (flu) and colds travel by air and by touch.

If someone sneezes near you and the droplets of infected mucus (snot) get into your nose or eyes. You got it.

If an infected person rubs their nose and shakes your hand and you rub your nose. You got it.

Air and touch.

So we have to keep it out of our noses. And we have to keep it off our skin.

How do we do that?

Viruses are tough little bugs in the body. But they are easy to kill outside the body.

My favorite materials are grapefruit seed extract and Tea Tree Oil. They kill mold, bacteria and viruses but don't kill people. This last part can't be said about many things on the market.

I don't get the flu and don't take vaccines (an article for another time). Here is my regimen.

Drink bottled water and soda when away from home. The glassware in restaurants may be a problem. You don't know who put them on your table. They are supposed to wash their hands, but do they? I know restaurant workers who laugh at the suggestion that they wash between each customer. Also it's hard for viruses to live on a soda bottle in a cooler.

During the flu season I don't shake hands.

I carry sanitizing wipes. If I go to the grocery store I wipe the handle of the grocery cart. Who pushed the cart before me?

Doorknobs are unsanitary. When you leave a public restroom protect your hand with a paper towel. You washed your hands but did the person before you? If anyone used the restroom and didn't wash their hands, that doorknob is dirty.

Stay out of crowds during the flu season.

There are devices you can wear around your neck that sanitize the air around your face. You see people wearing them on planes to protect themselves from the bad air moving through the air conditioning system. I have a friend who maintains large jets. He told me that his airline removes 5 tons of mold and contaminants each year per plane. They don't do it for sanitation. They do it to save fuel. Five tons requires a lot of fuel to get off the ground.

Wearing a surgical mask would be better than the electrical device. You see the people in China wearing them all the time. But in America you would draw a crowd.

Keep your body clean. You don't know who or what touched you. I use CitriSafe Natural Botanical Cleansing Concentrate. Put it in your bathwater. It's gentile and chases away those little bugs. There are other products in health food stores that do the same. But check your source. There are some fakes on the market.

CitriSafe also produce a spray that sanitizes the mouth. It was designed to eliminate mouth sores. The vapors also drift up into the back of the nose.

There are Grapefruit Seed Extract candles on the market that sanitize the air in your home or in your motel room if your travel. There are also sprays that you can spritz in a room to sanitize the air. Make sure they are botanical and not some chemical combination that will cause other environmental problems. Check the labels.

There are Grapefruit Seed Extract solutions you can drink. The herbal fights viruses inside your body.

Another good thing about using products with Tea Tree Extract and Grapefruit Seed Extract is that they also kill mold in your personal space. If you have mold in your home or office, these fungal parasites get into your body and lower your ability to fight off colds and flu.

Any of these products can be found at most health food stores or can be ordered online at

http://www.tennesseemold.com/shop/index.php

http://www.moldlabintl.com

Have a safe winter and protect yourself. The government has only limited ability to protect you from the Bird Flu.

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- date of copyright November'05