STUMBLE UPON

Vaccines for an Imaginary Pandemic

States Still Reserving Vaccines for an Imaginary Pandemic
As you know, a group of states had been backing away from buying their complete allotments of useless avian flu drugs, amid concerns about the cost and their debatable effectiveness. Apparently, not even state governments are immune to flawed logic born of fear mongering: Forty-three states say they will buy the maximum amount of vaccines for a pandemic that never arrived, and at a discount.
That purchasing "power" depends on their funding ability, however. Take the case of North Carolina that originally asked the feds to reserve its full allotment of almost 900,000 vaccines, although a late July letter from the state said it couldn't be sure how much they would actually buy and how they would pay for it. Sounds like a non-committal commitment to me...
Some states made wiser choices by choosing not to buy the full amount of vaccines allotted to them citing limited resources. Wisely, Colorado state officials remain dubious that a vaccine will work if the phantom pandemic actually does come.
And, the rush to buy a toxic, useless vaccine like Tamiflu just to get it cheaper makes about as much sense as justifying buying something you don't need because it's on sale. Unless it is free, it is more than you should have spent because you don't need it. In the case of North Carolina, that's about 900,000 more than will be needed.
Some safe, natural ways to strengthen your immune system so you'll never need a flu vaccine:
Wash your hands regularly.
Eliminate sugar from your diet.
Eat garlic regularly.

USA Today August 8, 2006
Are You Addicted to Antidepressants?

With all the research mounting against the reflexive use of dangerous antidepressants, it's no wonder patients are looking for safer, more natural ways to treat their emotional pain. But the physical pain some patients experience when trying to taper off their antidepressant medications often can be just as devastating.
In one case, a young woman tried to taper off Paxil a year ago under her doctor's guidance, but couldn't after suffering overwhelming bouts of uncontrollable crying and nausea.
The sad fact, according to a 1997 British study, few doctors know how to manage the weaning process carefully and there is no agreement on how hard or easy it really is to quit taking an antidepressant. Taking an antidepressant can be so problematic after the fact, some doctors won't even prescribe Paxil or Effexor.
The take-home lesson here is to avoid taking depressants altogether and use safer options like the ones listed below to treat the real problem:
Start an exercise plan today!
Learn a safe and effective energy psychology tool like the Emotional Freedom Technique.
Take a high quality fish or krill oil daily.

Yahoo News August 6, 2006