Swine Flu: to panic or not to panic?

Swine Flu has gotten quite a lot of media attention… is it necessary? Is it really a major incidence of health danger?

Swine flu symptoms: fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.  In Mexico, evidence suggests, the symptoms were pretty severe and some people also had diarrhea and vomiting.  These are pretty classic flu symptoms and hence diagnosis is confirmed by RT-PCR testing. The major concern with the latest outbreak is that it has the potential of human to human transmission, whereas in the past it was limited to swine-human interaction.  This suggests a mutation of the virus which makes it more virulent.  The recommended treatment for swine flu is a drug zanamavir or oseltamavir.  Many people have been running to the local drug store to stock up on Tamiflu and Relenza– they both seem to be effective against the virus, yet increase viral resistance and mutation when used unnecessarily!  {As a side note: Tamiflu sales were reported to be really low last year and have sky rocketed in the past two weeks}  Tamiflu, as of May 1st, is available over the counter for those with flu symptoms.  That is a huge service and disservice at the same time– more people having easier access, almost assuredly means increased unnecessary use, and hence faster resistance development.

All this said, there are many theories that suggest this outbreak was bio-engineered (as many other viral outbreaks).  Whether this is true or not, I am not sure.  What I do know however is that there is a lot of hype around the alleged pandemic, which makes me very suspicious.  My take is this: If you take care of yourself, get enough rest, and keep your immune system healthy, you will be able to fight off whatever virus it is– of swine origin or not is irrelevant.

Some things that will help your immune system:

a) Vitamin C- oranges/ juice, sweet red peppers, brussel sprouts, kiwi, and broccoli are some food sources

b) Elderberry- this one is my absolute favorites for ‘virus’ prevention.  Not only is it high in Vit C which helps boost the immune system, but it acts specifically to coat the cells so that the viruses can’t enter to complete their life cycle and create mutations

c) Echinacea- this is a classic, you can read my past post on that if you would like

d) Vitamin D- sunshine! Get outdoors, breathe fresh air, feel the sun (when its not raining)

e) stay hydrated– this one seems simple but is very important.

f) don’t act out of fear

g) avoid unnecessary vaccines

According to Time/CNN, the 5 don’ts of swine flu and my comments/additions:

1) Don’t rush to the ER– the cold/flu virus is relatively common and your body can usually fight it off. Yes, its not fun but you’ll survive. There have yet to be any deaths in the US reported to be caused by swine flu

2) Don’t be afraid to eat pork– this one is questionable. I think one should always be afraid to eat pork! The amount of pesticides and antibiotics are not easy for your body to handle. Not to mention the non-pork that they pass for pork these days (I don’t know first hand but that’s what I hear from the experts)

3) Don’t hoard antivirals– yep. I would add to that, be discerning about whether to use them at all

4) Don’t leave home if you feel sick– get some rest!

5) Don’t panic– panic never solved anything.  There have been swine flu “outbreaks” before, a major one being in 1976.  It was determined that it was not dangerous enough to be a pandemic.  What raises concerns this time is its ability to spread quickly– however eventhough it has ability to spread, its not any more severe. the symptoms are still the same old flu symptoms that people have gotten for many centuries.  People have survived…

Washington Times’ Wesley Pruden states:
There are no firm estimates or even hopeful guesses of how many Americans are likely to contract flu this spring, but fortunately the ratio of panic to reality is not governed by facts. In the early hours of counting, barely 50 cases had been reported in the United States, and only two in Britain – that’s 2, not 2,000 or even 200. About 300,000 to 500,000 cases of flu are reported every year in the United States, where 10 percent to 20 percent of the population comes down with the sore throat, coughing and achy bones of flu. Of those, 30,000 to 40,000 die. What we have so far in the United States is a 50-case panic, caused by a remarkably mild variant of the flu.

If symptoms do occur, its important to go see a health care provider.

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1) Pruden, Wesley.  The Washington Times. A pandemic of panic- are we dead yet?

2) The CDC

3) Walsh, Bryan. Time. The top 5 Swine flu don’ts

4) Adaljia, Amesh, MD. Emergency Physician’s Monthly. Swine Flu update.

5) Swine flu treatments, Emergency Natural Allopathic Treatments

6) Understanding Swine flu’s world Spread. Bloomerg.com

7) Dr.Mercola. The swine flu pandemic: fact or fiction?