The 55 year-old registered nurse was planning to
move from Maryland to a Navajo reservation in New Mexico where she looked
forward to incorporating her knowledge of conventional medicine with traditional
Native American healing techniques.
Sadly, she wont have a chance to pursue that
dream. Andrea suffered a fatal heart attack on March 23, just five days after
receiving a smallpox vaccine as part of the U.S. governments plan to inoculate
emergency and healthcare workers.
Three others have had heart attacks following
their smallpox vaccinationstwo of those were fatal. These cases, coupled with
several complaints of chest pain and heart inflammation soon after inoculations,
have prompted the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to direct health departments
to not allow vaccinations for those who have heart disease or risk factors for
the disease.
The truly sad part of all this is that these
deaths never should have happened, because the vaccinations are unnecessary.
We knew this vaccine would be fatal to some.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist stated last August in the New York Times that
two to four people out of every million inoculated might die.
So far, 326,000 people have received
vaccinations. Three have died.
To be fair, this heart failure side effect was
not foreseen. In fact, the CDC has not yet officially recognized the side
effect, insisting that studies will need to be conducted to draw a direct
association. Nevertheless, in response to this new development, 10 states have
now suspended their smallpox inoculation programs, with others almost certain to
follow.
Will this leave America vulnerable to a
bioterrorist attack with smallpox?
Of all the nasty weapons available in the
bioterrorist arsenal, smallpox is only oneand its not even a very good one.
First of all, it would be extremely difficult to
expose a large number of people to smallpox with acts of terrorism. Because,
contrary to what you may have heard, smallpox is not highly contagious. This is
not an opinionits a fact, stated by Joel Kuritsky, M.D., the director of the
CDCs National Immunization Program and Early Smallpox Response and Planning
division.
During the 3 to 17 day incubation period of the
disease, a smallpox victim will run a high fever and become extremely ill with
flu-like symptoms. In this state, the patient will almost certainly become
bed-ridden. But even then (sick in bed and not in contact with the general
population) the patient is not contagious until hes developed the smallpox
rash.
Im all for taking action to protect ourselves
from realistic threats. But its ludicrous to go to the extreme of sacrificing
lives to protect ourselves from a threat that at this point is not even a real
threatits only a suspicion of a possible threat.
This coming summer, Andrea Deerheart Cornitcher
will not be in New Mexico researching new ways to treat disease. This is a
tragic loss that should never have happened. The worst of it is that the
prevention program that led to her loss is simply unnecessary.
3-Times More Deadly Than Smallpox No, its not
anthrax, botulism, or Ebola.
You probably havent heard this pathogen
mentioned, yet it has already killed more than 30 million people, making it the
most deadly threat in the history of mankind.
The coming solution to this bioterrorism agent
could be the single best investment you can make in 2003and it may just save
your life.
The role that fats play in our diet is a source
of ongoing confusionlargely due to the mainstream medias stubborn focus on the
idea that low-fat equals good health. Add to that the misguided mindset that
cholesterol must be lowered at all costs, and its easy to understand why
confused consumers often make dietary choices that are anything but healthy.
For instance, an HSI member named DJL recently
sent an e- mail with these questions about a dietary dilemma:
Is there a truly effectivenot harmful to the
bodyover- the-counter product that blocks fat absorption by the intestines?
Ive noticed that my blood pressure is in direct proportion to my cholesterol
count (but not the other way around). If I need to reduce the blood cholesterol
level, my blood pressure is also upthough not into the danger zone. I would
really really like to be able to use a fat blocker to aid with weight reduction.
Can you help?
Yes we can. I asked HSI Panelist Allan Spreen,
M.D., if he had any advice for DJL, and he came through with some very specific
recommendations that manage to cut through the confusion about the importance of
dietary fats.
The agent called chitosan, derived from chitin,
blocks absorption of fat in the intestines, no question about it. The agent
itself is not toxic, is not a drug, and remains basically inert within the
system. However, in few circumstances would I personally use it.
Blocking fat absorption sounds like a neat
idea. Unfortunately, you run into two other problems when you try it: 1.) It
also blocks absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K); and 2.) It
blocks intake of essential fatty acids. These are nutrient deficiency risks I
personally dont want to toy with. If I were going to a fish fry or something,
and I knew I was going to go nuts eating a large intake of unnatural,
hydrogenated oils, if I had some natural fat blocker handy I might take it under
those circumstances.
There are fats we want and need in the body.
Concerning cholesterol levels I have not found lowering fat intake to be the
answer. In fact, when I put people on the Atkins diet (high fat, low
carbohydrate) I found the majority with high cholesterol levels ended up with
them lower (in many cases a lot lower). This is not universal, but occurred
about two- thirds of the time. Serum triglycerides, on the other hand, came down
on the same diet almost all the time, and I found this level more related to
blood pressure, and I also consider it more related to true cardiovascular risk
(along with serum homocysteine levels, which are even more important, in my
opinion).
Policosanol, niacin (vitamin B-3), vitamin C,
low carbohydrate intake (and other non-toxic efforts) tend to be far more
powerful tools against cholesterol levels than blocking fat, anyway. Usually,
blood pressure tends to drop when theyre used. When these tools arent enough,
the addition of calcium and magnesium, along with avoidance of allergic foods
and anything that stimulates insulin release (sugars, refined flours) often
makes up the difference.
As hard as many people work to keep their weight
down and manage their blood pressure and blood sugar levels, they certainly
deserve some sort of short cut to help them out. But, as Dr. Spreen has made
clear (once again), the only real way to achieve optimal health is to stick with
the fundamentals.
ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND
MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS
OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR
LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND
COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"