H1N1 Flu Update: Numbers of Cases Vastly Overstated?

Dr. Mercola and Barbara Loe Fisher discuss news just released by CBS that the actual cases of H1N1 flu are FAR FEWER than are being reported by the CDC. Results from four states show that the actual number of cases of H1N1, determined after examining the blood of those showing symptoms, was significantly less than reported cases -- based on symptoms alone. The audio discussion and graphs from CBS News are at mercola.com here.

When the President Starts Droppin' His g's

Regardless of Peggy Noonan's politics, she is one of the best political writers we have. (She worked for President Reagan and wrote speeches for George H. W. Bush.) Her current WSJ column on President Obama's failure to own his presidency's problems is (imho) insightful.

Swine Flu Vaccine Update

Following the 60 Minutes segment on the H1N1 Swine Flu this past Sunday night, Dr. Mercola did a long video interview with Barb Loe Fisher, founder of the National Vaccine Information Center. This is the most current information on the status of the national vaccine program. This video, along with further commentary by Dr. Mercola, is on his web site here. One of the most important things Fisher brings out is how the "paternalistic approach of government" is being challenged by people. Because of the Internet, the access of information, the movement toward alternative medical/health protocols -- people are standing up to government dictates in all areas of life and refusing to be browbeaten into submission on things that involve their privacy, health, and personal choices and preferences -- i.e., their freedom (remember that word?).

It's important to note that, while Fisher is branded as an anti-vaccine proponent (as in an article in the current edition of Wired magazine), she is not -- by her own admission. She is an advocate for accurate science and the maintenance of the democratization of health issues, which she believes has been lost by the government's heavy-handed approach to the H1N1 Swine Flu situation. The information on this video is, I'm sure, unknown to the vast majority of the American population regarding how government and the pharmaceutical industry drive (or have driven in the past) the agendas for health. There is a groundswell of people who are resisting the attempts to squash debate on these issues and who are demanding better science and proof of the safety of government/AMA sponsored programs.

(Note: this video is in several parts. To make sure you see all the parts you might want to click in the middle of the screen below and be taken to the youtube.com site so you'll get the menu that shows all six parts.) (NOTE: a day later, I realized that the video segment I posted was not the first in the six-part series. So if you watched the video I originally posted you started well into the interview, not at the beginning. I have fixed the mistake -- the video below is number 1 in the series. Operator error -- my bad.)

A further reflection on this whole issue: The 60 Minutes piece on the H1N1 situation cited data that indicate those born before 1950, such as myself, probably don't need to take the vaccine or worry about the flu. Why? Because their bodies have built up natural immunities. The H1Ni is a "relative" virus of the disastrous 1918 pandemic that killed millions of people, so that virus has been in circulation a long time. As is pointed out in the video (below), natural immunities are permanent -- good for a lifetime -- whereas flu vaccines are not. It seems to me that if the government and Big Pharma wanted to do the best thing for the public they would focus on (1) strengthening the body's natural immune system so as to avoid the flu if possible, and (2) teaching people how to "get through" the flu if they do contract it -- the goal being to let the body "have" the flu and do its natural work of defending itself for a lifetime by creating natural antibodies (passed from mother to child via breastfeeding -- remember breastfeeding?) in response to having a mild case of flu. (And most cases will be mild if the body is in good health and the immune system is strong.) Instead of doing the natural thing -- encouraging the body to produce natural antibodies for its own defense -- we do the unnatural: creating artificial and temporary immunities using foreign-to-the-body properties with potentially harmful side effects.

(There is more to this vaccine issue. Many scourges (polio, smallpox, etc.) have been practically eliminated with vaccines. I'm talking here only about the flu vaccine and the proposed government solutions.)