Currently viewing the category: "viruses"

Planet You

By On · Add Comment · In diet, ecosystem, environment, food, gut flora, intestinal flora, microorganisms, viruses

You are what you eat has never rung more true.  No, you will not turn into a Twinkie…but the microorganisms in your gut respond and change according to what you eat.  So says a recent study out of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine that showed changes in diet can affect the virus populations that live in your gut.

“Our bodies are like coral reefs, inhabited by many diverse creatures interacting with each other and with us,” senior author Frederic Bushman.

The researchers looked at gut virus populations of six volunteers assigned to eat either a high-fat/low-fiber diet, a low-fat/high-fiber diet or an ad-lib diet.  The researchers analyzed DNA from viruses in the stool of the participants over eight days and found that the largest variation in virus diversity occurred between individuals. However, virus populations among participants who ate the same diet became more similar over time.

“The study provides a new window on the vast viral populations that live in the human gut, demonstrates that they vary radically between individuals, and shows that dietary changes can affect not just bacterial populations but also viral populations,” Bushman said.

This is an interesting study, because we know how important diet is to the overall health.  What we eat affects our physiology in action, and in environment.  In fact, if we think of our body as an ecosystem as much as an individual organism (not unlike the earth, or a galaxy for that matter!), we can see the impact our food choices make on the environment and the organisms within us.

It is tempting to think of all viruses and bacteria as bad or undesirable, but we live in symbiosis with these microorganisms–they are as important to us as digesters (among other things) as we are to them as food and lodgings.  By controlling the substances you put into your body, you are essentially controlling pollution in your internal atmosphere.  If you regularly pollute your inner environment–and not just with what you eat, mind you, but with what you breathe, snort, inject, whatever–you not only affect the intestinal flora, but every cell in your body.

Listen, natural health advocates have been saying this  for years: Watch what you put into your body.  Give it wholesome foods, natural juices and fresh, clean drinking water, and your body will respond by remaining an oasis–lush, fertile, and full of life.  Pollute it with garbage and that’s what it will become–a cesspool.  It will become that to such a degree that it will change you, as it will every cell in your body…and it will also change the life forms residing within your body, because you are an ecosystem, a planet if you will.  Treat your planet as if it’s your body, and vice versa–and you and your viruses should live in mutual satisfaction for millions of microbe generations.

Flu Vaccine for Kids

By On · Add Comment · In flu shot, flu vaccine, immunized, pediatric, vaccination, viruses

Our daughter Violet had her first pediatric check up today. The pediatrician suggested that we all get a flu shot. I don’t think she reads my blog.

If she did she’d know exactly why we wouldn’t be interested. The flu shot is bunk, plain and simple. I have no reason to expose myself or my family to a flu we may never get. Nor do we fool ourselves into thinking that we’ll have some sort of protection–we might just catch the flu one way or another. But the PED insists that we’ll be doing ourselves a service, adding protection in case one of us brings home the bug and gives it to little Violet, who is only two and a half weeks old. Yawn…the story never gets any more interesting.

Here’s the latest: A recent study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine showed that kids who were immunized against the flu did not have lower rates of contracting the flu than non-vaccinated kids. And even more eye-opening (I hope) for pediatricians is that kids who received the vaccination were just as likely to be hospitalized or visit the doctor than those who had not been vaccinated.

All I can ask is how long will this ruse continue? Probably indefinitely. It’s hard to let go of a deep-rooted paradigm. Flu shot proponents in the medical community have thought it necessary to explain the result by saying that the development of the flu vaccine is not an exact science. They say it’s like “forecasting the weather.” Um hm…just what I want out of my vaccinations, comparisons to meteorology. According to Dr. Geoffrey Weinberg, professor of pediatrics at University of Rochester. “Sometimes we are right on, and sometimes we are off.”

No kidding. I’ve been saying exactly that for a long time (and here, and here). The flu is one of the most rapidly mutating viruses there is. Preparing a inoculation to perfectly match a strain is like trying to pick a Superbowl winner in September. Sometime you will be right on, and sometime you will be off. And now they are even saying that perhaps children need to use a nasal spray to administer the vaccine. Yawn…on to the next round.

No we won’t be getting the flu shot this year…or next year, or the next. We graciously thanked our pediatrician for the concern but told her we’d be okay. I’ve never had a flu shot and neither has Erika. We did not give it to our eldest Delilah, and we don’t plan on giving it to Violet either. Although I’m certain this farce called the flu shot will not come to an end any time soon, I’m pretty sure the unflattering studies will continue to pour in on this bunk vaccination.

Antibiotics for Viruses: Overprescribed and Useless

By On · Add Comment · In antibiotic resistant bacteria, antibiotics, bacteria, bacterial infections, common cold, health, medical, medicine, overprescribe, prescriptions, sinusitis, symptoms, viral infections, viruses
Something must be wrong with me–I love to see people squirm. Not just anybody, mind you, but mostly people who have lied, cheated, or acted hypocritically in one way or another. And I especially love to see it in people, or groups, that act arrogantly. C’mon, you know you love it too. We all get a sense of satisfaction when the chickens come home to roost, and these people have to squirm and lie some more to rationalize themselves. Pure comedy.

Take, for instance, the latest study to be published in the medical journal, The Lancet, which has reported that doctors routinely overprescribe antibiotics for viral infections. You don’t say? Really? Wow. Seems like that same idea was reported right here in this blog back in October. According to the study, 80% of sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses) cases in the U.S. are prescribed antibiotics despite the fact that the majority are due to the common cold virus. And just like I said in my October post: Antibiotics don’t do diddly against viruses–they’re meant exclusively to fight bacterial infections.

OK, here’s the good part: The study’s authors then attempt to explain the inordinate amount of antibiotics prescriptions by stating that when the patient has had the symptoms for a long time, doctors assume it’s due to a bacterial infection….(Pause…silence)

Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha….what a joke. Do any of you buy that baloney? Let me tell you the real deal (and this information comes straight from a medical doctor who taught me in chiropractic college): Doctors prescribes medications at nearly every doctor’s visit regardless of the situation because, and I quote, “the patient expects it”. That’s the truth in a nutshell: Doctors prescribe antibiotics full well knowing they’re useless against viral infections, precisely because the patient expects something, not because it’s the right thing to do, but because they know the patient wants it and will go somewhere else to get it. In other words, there ain’t much of a market for non-prescribing M.D.s, period.

The only reason this study has come out at all is because of the explosion of antibiotic resistant bacteria that have penetrated our world, otherwise, trust me, the practice would continue. Antibiotic resistant bacteria is a growing and severely dangerous phenomenon. There is no longer time to play around, so now the medical community is asking how. But, unfortunately, you’ll never get to the truth by hiding it, or in the case of these authors’ conclusions, by asking the wrong questions.

I’m going to end this by being as fair as I can to my medical brothers and sisters–it’s not totally their fault. Overprescribing antibiotics really is a consequence of what the public wants, and demands–like most things–and people really do yearn for a magic bullet. But what makes the medical clinician at least equally responsible is that they know better. It may be true that a medical business which doesn’t prescribe medicines will soon have to close its doors; however, it may be time to start pushing a more health-responsible agenda, which would be to teach patients that their bodies have everything necessary to fight the common cold virus, and that antibiotics are unnecessary, and useless, in these cases. Still–I just love to see them squirm.

Sham of the Century

By On · Add Comment · In Centers of Disease Control (CDC), flu, flu shot, flu vaccine, immunity, inactivated virus, influenza virus, side effects, vaccine, viruses

Pssst. Hey Buddy. Wanna buy a bridge? How about a flu shot? Yeah?…thought so sucker.

Alright, alright, maybe I’m being a little hard–most people don’t know. They only know what the authorities tell them.

Get your annual flu shot. Prevent the flu. Save your life. Isn’t that the mantra?

Recent reports show that the distribution of flu shots in the U.S. this year is at 103 million–an all time high. Well, I’ve got some bad news for ya–the flu shot is a scam. No, no–it’s not a conspiracy; your doctor really believes in it. And a couple hundred bucks a shot doesn’t hurt the believing process, either.

So how is it a scam? First off, it’s not 100% protection. That is, you can get a flu shot, and…still get the flu. How’s that? Well, according to the Centers of Disease Control (CDC), “It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza virus infection. In the meantime, you are still at risk for getting the flu (emphasis mine).” Furthermore, you can still get the flu due to the variability in flu strains–that is, the current flu vaccine protects (however questionably) against a particular strain, not all of them (also from the CDC; read here). And your protection also depends on the age and health status of the person getting the vaccine (more on this in a second).

Second, the flu virus is one of the most highly mutating organisms there is, so strains change all the time. That’s why you have to get a new shot every year (and don’t forget, a couple hundred bucks a shot also helps with this category). The bottom line is this: you don’t know which flu strain you’ll encounter, and even if it’s “this year’s strain”, you still don’t have total protection.

Lastly (and this is my favorite one), even though the flu shot is an inactivated virus (i.e. it has been killed), it still has potential side effects, and they are:

  • Soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given
  • Fever (low grade)
  • Aches

And if you use the spray mist:

  • runny nose
  • headache
  • sore throat
  • cough

And the mist in children:

  • runny nose
  • wheezing
  • headache
  • vomiting
  • muscle aches
  • fever

Call me crazy, but…ain’t that the flu?

So let me put this into perspective: You go to your doctor every year and pay good money for a vaccine that doesn’t work all that well, only protects you from a small faction of microorganisms that can cause the flu, and which actually causes flu-like symptoms. Uh…can I ask a question? WHY NOT JUST GET THE DAMN FLU?!?!

I know, I know, the authorities tell us that it’s for the protection of the elderly, the immunocompromised, and children. However, in the same breath they tell us that the effectiveness of the vaccine is age dependent; and I highly doubt that 20 to 60-year-olds are at the highest risk.

All I can say is this: I’ve never had a flu shot; I’ve had the flu plenty of times; I’ve had the runs, fever, and body aches; and I didn’t want to do anything. So I drank lots of water, and I slept a bunch. I got better, and I developed natural immunity–so, ultimately, I got stronger. Hey, listen–if you feel safer with a flu shot, then go ahead. And when you’re ready, I’ve got an excellent multi-level marketing business opportunity for you…and a bridge.

If you want to read more on this sham, here is an excellent piece published in the British Medical Journal.

And comments to that piece from skeptical MDs in the U.K. (read this because this is from the guys who are administering the shots, so perhaps they have some insights you and I do not have–please scroll down to read the comments).

Bee Troubles

By On · Add Comment · In Dr. Marla Spivak, honey bees, immune system, organically grown, pesticides, toxic exposure, viruses
Did you see 60 Minutes last night. Wow! They did a incredible piece on the mysterious dwindling of our region’s bee populations. What a fascinating, yet baffling, conundrum. Apparently, 90% of the beehives kept by professional beekeepers are dying out, or the bees are leaving, never to return, a rarity among honeybees, which are a eusocial community (specialized workers labor for and protect the reproductive queen). The bee’s labors are primarily gathering nectar and in turn pollinating the earth’s plants species. They don’t often leave their own.

According to the report, one third of our entire food source comes from produce dependent on bee pollination, so, naturally, it presents quite a problem that so many bees seem to be disappearing. Although it is as of yet unknown what is causing the diminishment of the bee population, experts believe that it has to do with pesticide use, viruses, and plain old bee stress that’s leading to the rapid demise of our most crucial allies.

As I point out in my upcoming book–The Six Keys To Optimal Health—pesticides are not only poisonous to man, they are toxic to many other useful species, including bees. Limiting our use of poisonous pesticides would certainly decrease our own health risks, but it might also help preserve some of the other precious lifeforms on this planet. Obviously, completely abandoning the practice of crop spraying is not practical–not economically, and not from the standpoint of providing food for the entire country. However, we can try to purchase more locally grown, organically farmed produce. That, at least, would lessen the need for massive crop spraying a little, you know?

What I found most interesting in the piece was that leading experts pointed out that bee populations are dwindling due to major stress. Honeybees are overworked–transported across country in trucks (I swear; check out the piece here) to pollinate a bevy of crops–usually feeding on a sole food source, and subjected to serious toxic exposure. Their weakened immune systems lead to their susceptibility to viral infections, and indeed, that’s what autopsies of dead bees has shown, major viral infestations. But as scientists point out, viruses are unlikely to be the primary cause of illness; more likely, bees are succumbing to opportunistic parasites which are able to thrive due to the bee’s weakened compositions.

Sound familiar? Yes, it’s exactly what happens to us when our bodies become weak due to the stresses of our lifestyles; we also become susceptible to illness under these conditions. It’s a universal theme. Dr. Marla Spivak, the foremost authority on honeybees in this country, confirms that stress plays a major part in the lives of honeybees. According to Dr. Spivak, “They mirror us. We have a really close association with bees. They reflect what we are doing.” In other words, their stressors are some of the same things we expose ourselves to on a daily basis.

So there you have it–watch the bees. What they’re experiencing is what we’re also going through, just on a larger scale. The extensive disappearance of bees is a good sign that it’s time to change. Let’s hope that we can start making the necessary changes before something drastic happens.

Copyright © 2013 Dr. Nick Campos - All Rights Reserved.