what else an I do

[ARMY RANGER]

Can anyone tell me what else I could get to prep for this bird flu.I ordered 3 bottles of sambucol for me my wife and 2 children.My wife and I also got pnuemonia shots,Is this enough?Will the pnuemonia vaccines help?Should I get more Sambucol?If anyone can let me know please do.

 

[Lilbitsnana]

ArmyRanger, if you only have three total, then I would definitely order more. I truly don't know if it will help or not, but I have at least that much per family member.

 

[Deb Mc]

Army Ranger,

It all depends on what form this Bird Flu takes.

A few things that you MIGHT want to do:


1. The Elderberry/Sambucol may or may not be a good thing. It is an anti-viral, BUT it also raises the bad parts of your immune system that the Avian Flu uses to attack your organs with. (This attack is called a "Cytokine Storm".) [The bad cytokines are TNF-a, IL-1, IL-6 and IL-8.]

Some people are saying that if you take the Elderberry early enough then it might stop the virus from taking over your body and then causing the cytokine storm.

Others say that it won't matter and that taking any of the Elderberry might cause your body to attack itself when the flu comes.

Also, Elderberry might cause problems with some regular medicines (some have said might interfere with bloodpressure meds?). So it is VERY important to run this by your doctor first before taking any of this stuff.


2. Other stuff that might be helpful would be green tea (anti-viral), Tumeric (lessens cytokines), Erythromycin (lessens cytokines), Fish oil/borage oil (lessens cytokines), Resetravol (sp?) (anti-viral and lessens cytokines).

Please do further research on these as these herbs might be harmful to some medications and medical conditions. Do research and speak with your doctor before taking them.

3. Have plenty of hand cleanser on hand and do not touch your face or eyes. Also, some have suggested that N-95 masks and goggles might be a good thing to have.

4. Take stock of what preps you already have. If might be prudent on planning to self-quarantine your family when a wave of the flu goes by. As for timeframe, it varies widely.

5. If you have MUST-TAKE meds (heart meds, asthma meds, blood pressure meds, etc ...) it might be a good idea to stock up on them now. An easy way to do this is to place your re-orders a few weeks early each time. That way you are building up a cushion of extra meds, but limits the impact on the checkbook.


Also, and VERY important: Check out your budget. Prepare, but don't put yourself into financial trouble in case this thing doesn't happen soon. The financial trouble might come sooner than the Avian flu.

 

[Gayla]

Also, and VERY important: Check out your budget. Prepare, but don't put yourself into financial trouble in case this thing doesn't happen soon. The financial trouble might come sooner than the Avian flu.

Very wise words, Deb.

As I stated on another thread, people will die from the cold this winter in the U.S., not from bird flu.

Heating bills will be so high it will force some people to choose between heat, food or medicine.

Right now that is where the focus needs to be in my opinion.

Will bird flu make it to the U.S. in the future? It's definitely possible. Will it become a pandemic? Nobody knows. Right now it isn't easily transferred from person to person.

It's prudent to watch and be prepared. But right now there are even more pressing problems with the economy and fuel shortage.

Prepare, but keep things in perspective.

 

[momof23goats]

Gayla, I think you are correct. I think the heating , will kill more people at this point in time.
Gas is high, oil is high, and many people will have to choose between heat and eating.
This is going to be a very serious time, and will probably kill many people , this winter.

 

[Gayla]

I'm afraid so, momof23goats.

It's going to effect a lot of prices as well. Most people don't realize all of the other companies that depend on natural gas.

A snip I put on the Dow CEO thread:

• The CEO of Dow Chemical Co. testified in Congress earlier this week that Dow and its competitors, which are highly dependent on natural gas as a feedstock and an energy source for their plants, were shutting down some U.S. plants. Natural gas futures are almost double year ago levels at more than $13 per 1,000 cubic feet.

A snip from Martin's article:

WASHINGTON - Shortages may develop for plastic milk and detergent bottles, automobile tires, disposable diaper liners and bread bags because of high natural gas prices and hurricane-hit chemical plants, the head of Dow Chemical Co. said on Thursday.

It's going to get rough for awhile, folks. Bird flu is serious, but unlikely to affect us this year. Prepare accordingly.

 

[goatlady2]

In all the documented lab and double blind studies I have read there has NEVER been mention or documentation that eldrberry interferrs with any medication. It is listed on general information pages through the Americal Botanical Council as having NO contra-indications and NO side effects. Only 50% of people infected with H5N1 develop a cytokine storm and those who are studying this are beginning to get lab results that seems to show that a cytokine storm development seems to depend on a "quirk" in the immune system which reacts negatively to the coating of the virus itself. Neither of which would be effected by elderberry except by the lessening of the number of viruses in the body by the action of elderberry. check all sources of information very thoroughly to each person can be sure they are doing the very best for their families and themselves.