Several years ago, various U.S. and U.N. agencies and the Council on Foreign Relations were spreading the word that the Avian Influenza could be as severe as the worldwide Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918, and predicted hundreds of millions of deaths worldwide. That outbreak did not come to pass.

Last year, WHO and the US government declared a "pandemic" of swine flu, but the reports from the field are that this flu was relatively mild if your immune system is in good order, and actual statistics (where testing is still done) have shown that only a small percentage of people reporting flu symptoms have swine flu. But many people are immune deficient, and for those people any strain of influenza can be serious or even life-threatening.

The US government and the governments of many other countries are attempting to forcibly vaccinate their entire populations, needlessly.

The way to prepare yourself and protect your family from any influenza is not a vaccine or anti-viral drug. I strongly recommend that if vaccines and/or anti-viral drugs are offered to you, that you refuse them. These actually reduce your immunity, and can be very harmful; vaccines contain many toxic components, such as aluminum, mercury (thimerosal preservative), and solvents, and anti-viral drugs interfere with critical body processes. Historical evidence of vaccinations has shown that they actually increase the chances of becoming severely ill. Influenza vaccines in particular are notoriously ineffective and have harmed thousands of people, and there is evidence already that Tamiflu, now being stockpiled for a possible epidemic, is useless against influenza. The best way to prepare for influenza is by enhancing your immune system by increasing the amount of vitamin C in your body.

For people who have weakened immunity and are vitamin C deficient, any influenza can kill its victims by rapidly depleting ascorbate (vitamin C) stores in the body, inducing scurvy and collapse of the arterial blood supply, causing internal hemorrhaging of the lungs and sinus cavities. Influenza also causes a dramatic increase in mucous production, which fills the lungs and becomes a breeding ground for bacterial pneumonia when your immune system is compromised. Pneumonia appears to be the primary way that influenza is killing people. Turmeric Extract, Ginger, and Quercetin are natural antihistamines that are used in this regimen to moderate the production of mucous.

Most people today have barely enough vitamin C in their bodies (typically 60 mg per day) to prevent scurvy under normal living conditions, and are not prepared for this kind of illness. (Vitamin C deficiency is the root cause of high infant mortality and many childhood deaths worldwide; it is the root cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - SIDS.)

The amounts of vitamin C suggested below are perfectly safe. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient. It is actually produced in the bodies of most animals in enormous quantities. Only humans, monkeys, and a few other animals must consume it to get enough of it, and most humans get about one-thirtieth (1/30) of the amount they really need. It is necessary for dozens of body processes, such as the building and repair of collagen and the synthesis of antibodies, white blood cells, and neurotransmitters.

The supplements I suggest below can be obtained at good quality supplement stores such as Vitamin Shoppe or at online supplement discounters such as iherb.com, although for the most part the powdered forms can only be purchased from online discounters. Buy good quality supplements such as those made by NOW Foods, Source Naturals, Jarrow, Nature's Way, Vitamin Shoppe (store brand), etc. (These are not endorsements, but suggestions based on my personal experience). For vitamin C, buy ascorbic acid, not the chelated forms such as calcium or sodium ascorbate or Ester-C, because at the acute illness dosages you would be taking too much of these minerals). Do not use drug store supplements.

For children, modify the dosages according to the body weight of the child as compared to that of an adult (~150 lbs, 70 kg). For instance, if your child weighs 50 lbs, use 1/3 of the adult dose. For children and adults, always divide the dosages over the course of the day, taking 1/3 of the daily dose with meals.

Supplements: stock up on the following:

Vitamin C, 1000 mg capsules or powder
Lysine, 500 mg capsules or powder
Proline, 500 mg capsules or powder
Glycine, 500 mg capsules or powder
Turmeric extract, 300 mg or 500 mg capsules
Ginger, 500 mg  capsules
Quercetin, 400 mg or 500 mg capsules
Garlic, 500 mg capsules
Zinc/Copper, 15-mg zinc/1-mg copper capsules or tabs
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), 500mg capsules
Non-gmo or organic soy protein or pea protein drink concentrate.
Oil of oregano, Gaia Herbs (~10%) or Now Foods (50%) capsules
Decaffeinated Green Tea Extract, Life Extension Foundation 750mg capsules
Multivitamin/Multimineral capsules or tablets
Vitamin D3 1000 IU capsules
Calcium Citrate, Magnesium Citrate
(Note to expectant mothers: Do not use oregano oil or green tea extract during pregnancy.)

1. Begin increasing the amount of vitamin C that you take each day to very high levels, spread over the course of the day, in divided doses taken with meals. Start at 1000 mg per meal, and increase slowly to 2000-4000 mg per meal. (These are adult doses, modify by body weight for children.) Your optimal dose is just below the point where your body complains by giving you mild diarrhea. This is called the "bowel tolerance dose." Such doses are perfectly safe - vitamin C is natural to our bodies and needed for many body processes. Most people don't get nearly enough. Stock up on this vital nutrient - buy ascorbic acid in 1000 mg capsules or in powder form, 1-pound or 3-pound canisters. Mix powder with water or fruit juice. Be sure to take vitamin C with food that will coat your stomach to prevent stomach upset, such as organic soymilk, and to rinse your mouth afterwards to prevent mouth irritation or potential interaction with tooth enamel.

2. Take 6000 mg of the amino acids lysine and proline per day, 2000 mg per meal (adult dose, modify by body weight for children). Lysine and proline are natural protease inhibitors - they prevent disease vectors from spreading in your body. You can obtain them in tablet, capsule, or powder form. The latter form is the least expensive; buy several pound containers of it.

3. Take a high-potency multivitamin/multimineral tab, calcium and magnesium supplements (1000 mg calcium, 500 mg magnesium), and 4000 IU Vitamin D3 every day.

4. Drink at least 2 quarts (8 cups, 2 liters) of non-caffeinated liquids per day. Spring water and/or decaffeinated green tea made with spring water are best. Do not drink diet soda or consume anything with aspartame or other artificial sweeteners.

5. In advance (right now), find a chelation or alternative health clinic that is willing to administer 30-gram intravenous vitamin C infusions. This may be necessary if you are stricken by influenza and find that you cannot keep up with it with the oral dosage. Please contact me at http://www.healthy-again.net/contact.htm if your clinic needs preparation and administration information.

6. If you do become ill:

• Start increasing your daily vitamin C dosage dramatically - your bowel tolerance dose will rise as it is used to detoxify your body from the disease toxins; it may rise to as much as 100,000 mg (100 grams) per day (adult dose). Take up to 2000 mg per dose, increasing the number of dosages to as many as once per hour. Back off the dosage and frequency if you get diarrhea.
• Start taking 12,000 mg of each of l-lysine, l-proline and l-glycine per day, in divided doses, with meals.
• Take oregano oil (6-9 Gaia Herbs capsules or 2-3 Now Foods capsules), 6000 mg turmeric extract, 6000 mg ginger,  6000 mg quercetin, 4000 mg garlic, 45 mg zinc/3 mg copper, 1500 mg N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), and 2000 mg green tea per day, in divided doses, with meals. Note that Turmeric Extract and oregano oil must be taken with meals or with something that will coat your stomach, such as soy or rice milk. (Important: Do not use oregano oil or green tea extract during pregnancy.)
• Keep up calcium and magnesium supplementation: 1000 mg calcium and 1000 mg magnesium per day.
• Increase fluid intake to 3-4 quarts (liters) per day.
• (These doses above are the adult doses, slightly more or less is OK, modify by weight for children.) Eat small easily-digestible meals complemented with 1/4 cup-scoop soy or pea protein shakes.

Continue this regimen until all signs of illness have subsided.

If the illness is not controlled by the regimen, obtain a series (2-3 per week) of 30-gram Vitamin C intravenous infusions at a chelation or alternative health clinic, with higher dosages if necessary for pneumonia or previously compromised immunity (e.g., AIDS or CFIDS).

During illness, avoid all dairy products, as they increase mucous production. Use dairy substitutes such as organic soy, rice, hemp, or almond products.

If you develop an ear, throat, sinus, or lung infection, start taking oregano oil. Take 3-6 GAIA Herbs or 1-2 Now Foods capsules twice per day, depending on severity of infection, for up to two weeks. These must be taken with food. (Important: Do not use oregano oil or green tea extract during pregnancy.)

If you develop pneumonia, seek immediate medical attention, but you also must keep up your dosage of vitamin C. If you are hospitalized, you may need to have friends or relatives bring you vitamin C covertly - the hospital will not provide it, and they will likely treat it as contraband.

You must take the regimen above every day, consistently. After the danger period has passed, I recommend that you continue the regimen at the level of 6000 mg vitamin C and 6000 mg lysine and proline per day (adult dose, modify by weight for children). You will enjoy better health, lose fewer days to illness, and protect yourself against heart disease. (If you choose not to continue the regimen, please taper off gradually.) Use your stocks of immune boosting and antibacterial nutrients for any illness you may encounter.

If you are currently taking Lipitor or another cholesterol-lowering (statin) drug, stop taking it immediately. These drugs are very damaging to the immune system. The above vitamin C and lysine/proline regimen will (through a completely different mechanism) naturally balance your cholesterol and protect you from heart disease. If you continue to take a maintenance dose of 6000 mg of vitamin C and 6000 mg of lysine and proline per day, you will never need to take statin drugs ever again. For more information on this, see http://www.healthy-again.net/lipitor.htm for an article about statin side effects. If you have any other kind of heart or blood pressure problem, see the article http://www.healthy-again.net/cvd.htm.

During non-influenza season, you can keep yourself healthy by following the natural health guidelines at http://www.healthy-again.net/naturalhealthguide.pdf.

If you or a member of your family have any kind of serious or chronic disease, or you are looking for a long-term regimen to maintain health, I urge you to look at the Natural Therapy Virtual Clinic website, http://www.healthy-again.net

To keep abreast of news about influenza and other new health information, you may click here to subscribe to the Community Alert and Bulletin.

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