Archive for October, 2009

Is There An Argument Against Immunization?

Sunday, October 11th, 2009
Andi Michaels asked:


Nine months can seem like an eternity for expectant parents. With the bump steadily getting heavier the pregnancy passes in a blur of obstetric visits, sonograms, baby clothes, and all-consuming nervousness over the coming birth.

Then the day arrives and the child (or even children) is greeted by the world. What comes next? Well, next is the hard part, besides diapers and feeds every 4 hours, there is a ritual undertaken by the vast majority of parents in the western world. It is time to begin considering immunizations so that the child will be prepared to enter daycare, preschool and elementary school.

Normally a baby benefits from the antibodies aquired from the mother’s immune system. This aquired immunity last for up to 6 months but there comes a point when all parents have to consider having their baby immunized.

Most immunizations are delivered by injectionand health officials within the United States are searching for a means to alleviate the discomfort of vaccinations while still offering the benefits. One of the current issues brought forth by parents is the possible application of combining vaccines in order to limit the trauma associated with each office visit.

These visits to the doctors office begin at two months and continue on until around fourteen years of age. Each visit can entail up to three shots. Is it any wonder why some people become fearful of needles? These shots vary from measles to influenza and, as a result of the discomfort some babies feel, are heavily debated as to whether or not they are truly needed.

Vaccinations such as the ones listed above, were, earlier in this century, above reproach. Countless lives were saved from the ravages of diseases such as polio and small pox. Each person vaccinated cut down the likelihood of an outbreak of such lethal viruses until the chance of an epidemic was virtually nil.

Small pox has been eliminated from the world. Cuts resulting in a tetanus infection are no longer a significant worry and it is as a result of these positive outcomes of vaccination that have parents have begun debating whether or not the ordeal of vaccinations is really worth the potential benefits.

The alleged side effects to vacines range from paralysis to febrile seizures. While the chance for a negative reaction or side effect is very rare, they do occur. It is a subject of heavy debate for parents.

Though some diseases have been eliminated or reduced to a minimal threat others can and do strike with sometimes devastating effect.

Are vaccinations really worth this risk? Should vaccinations continue to be required by the Department of Education for entry into public schools or daycares?

This is a dilemma each parent must face on his or her own. There are no concrete facts to guide the decision, as the research is still ongoing. Perhaps one day, if the risks are eliminated or a less invasive way to administer the vaccines is developed, this issue will fade to the side and become merely a footnote in history.



BENNY

Don’t Be A Bump On A Blog! How To Effectively Use A Blog To Increase Website Traffic

Friday, October 9th, 2009
Anton Cheranev asked:


Almost anyone can create a website these days, but only a select few will be able to maintain enough traffic for their site to be considered successful. Maintaining and increasing traffic to your website may not be a priority if you only have your website for personal purposes. If you run your business through your website however, increasing traffic can mean a world of difference. Chances are if you are on a tight budget, advertising is not a great option for you. There are ways to advertise your website without paying any fees. One great way to get your website address out there is through a blog. There are several ways to use a blog to increase website traffic. Take a look below to get a few ideas that will help you get started.

Before you begin, you will need to decide whether you want to create your own blog, or utilize the blogs of others for your task. There are advantages to both methods. Creating your own blog can be a lot of fun, but it also takes a little time. There are several great websites that offer free blogs to those who choose to create their own. The free websites often have extremely simple steps to use that will help you get your blog rolling right away, allowing even those with limited computer skills to create a blog in less than an hour. You may want to read on to see which methods of blog use you want to try before determining whether you want your own blog or not.

One of the best ways to increase traffic to your website using a blog is by using search terms. This can be done in several ways; however you probably will want to create your own blog for these. To utilize search terms, you need to post them on your blog or throughout articles on your blog. For example, if your website is about fishing and you want to target fishermen, then you can post articles containing fishing terms on your blog. You can even simply post lists of fishing terms on your blog as well. When fishermen get online and do searches for these terms, chances are they will be led to a link to your blog. At that point, you will need to also post many links to your fishing website. This will possibly draw the fishermen in and get them to click on the link to your website. When using the search engine approach, you will need to find software that allows you to see exactly which search engines are most popular. Then you can cater your search engine lists and articles to fit the most popular words. Blogs are perfect for search engine terms and articles because you can literally post anything you want on a blog without it being inappropriate. Even professional websites use this approach and it has been found to be one of the most effective out there. Not to mention, it is free for you to utilize.

Another way to use a blog to increase traffic to your website is simply by posting. This can be done on other blogs that you read as well. In the comments area, you can post a response to blogs you read that includes your website link. This should only be done when you are writing a legitimate comment however. Otherwise, if you simply use the comment line for your personal ad space, you will deter many people from clicking on your link due to it being considered rude. Just read as many blogs a day as you can, make legitimate comments, and include your website link in your signature. This is a fast way to get an increase in traffic.

No matter if you want to use your own blog or someone else’s blog to help you increase traffic to your website, blogs are effective in doing so. You can use blogs at no cost and create pathways for new traffic that you otherwise would never be able to reach and attract. As you probably know, the success of your website depends largely on the amount of traffic it receives. Therefore, focusing on the amount of traffic you should attract is an important aspect of running your website. Use these tips to help you easily use blogs to increase your website traffic.



CAMERON

Vaccine Safety

Monday, October 5th, 2009
Dr. Randy Wysong asked:


The premise of vaccines is a good one: modify an infective agent (bacteria, virus) in the laboratory so it is no longer virulent (disease-producing) without destroying its antigenic characteristics (immune-stimulating). When administered, a vaccine will then theoretically not produce the disease but will create immunity to it.

The approach is similar to that used in homeopathy whereby the toxin responsible for the disease condition is diluted and administered to stimulate the body to fight the disease. Like fighting like.

But, as always, there are slips between the theory and practice of vaccines. For one thing, because large, not homeopathically small, doses of modified infective agents are in vaccines, the immune system can be taxed. Give several different vaccines and repeat them periodically and the immune system can be exhausted. The immune system has finite, not infinite capacity. The net result can be increased vulnerability to cancer, autoimmunities and other infective agents.

There is also the problem of route of administration. The normal point of entry for disease agents is across oral, digestive or respiratory mucous membranes. The exposure is usually only to a small number of organisms, maybe even one. In contrast, vaccines are commonly given by injection, bypassing several layers of important immune-stimulating mechanisms with the mucous membrane barriers and can contain tens of thousands of modified disease agents.

Some vaccines are modified, but are still living. Who is to say what such living creatures do over time when injected into the body in enormous quantities? Viruses are very clever and capable of remarkable change and adaptation. I’m not sure I like the idea of these guys floating around in my body trying to decide how best to attack me. When we take such vaccines, we are volunteering for an experiment.

I will not go into a litany here of all the proven dangers of vaccines or enumeration of tragic results. This has been done elsewhere.

But here are a couple of new problems. Some vaccines contain high levels of thimerosal mercury. Mercury is a potent toxin and its level in some vaccines exceeds Federal Safety Guidelines. Problems linked to thimerosal include autism and speech disorders, as well as heart disease.

J Am Physicians Surgeons, 2003; 8(1):6-11

http://www.jpands.org/vol8no1/geier.pdf

A new vaccine is being developed for Alzheimer’s based upon the theory that increased brain plaque is the cause of the disease. However, plaque is not the likely cause, but a symptom (similar to high cholesterol in atherosclerosis), and initial trials of the test vaccine caused 6% of the participants to suffer from severe brain swelling.

In the recent effort to prepare the population for bioterrorism, almost 26,000 people were vaccinated with small pox. So far, seven cases of cardiac problems and ten cases of myopericarditis have been associated with the vaccine. Although this temporal association is being downplayed (like smoking being associated with respiratory disease), it is reason for caution. Additionally, the smallpox vaccine is known to cause hypercoagulability, a condition particularly threatening to those with vessel narrowing atherosclerosis. Some researchers believe that the pox vaccine virus (along with a host of other pathogens) has the capability of adhering to the endothelium (lining) of blood vessels. These nodules stimulate an inflammatory response resulting in platelet adhesion, thrombin release and fibrin formation. When this occurs, the vessel is narrowed depriving distal (downstream) tissue from oxygen and creating the ideal anaerobic (oxygen devoid) environment for proliferation of pathogens (infection), neoplasia (cancer) and sclerotic plaque (heart attack, stroke).

MMWR, 2003; 52(12):248-50

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5212a2.htm

Vaccine mania is caused by misinformation, fear and profit motives. If you believe we have been saved thus far by vaccines for polio, diphtheria and the like, please think again. In almost every case, the vaccine was introduced only after the disease had already naturally declined in the population. Giving credit to the vaccine is like saying the crowing rooster is responsible for the sunrise.

If you or your children are under pressure to take a vaccine, get fully informed. The safest vaccine would be one that is killed (trusting that has really happened) and is given by the same route (oral or aerosol) that the street form of the disease agent would use to attack.

Microbes are ubiquitous. They are in constant contact with us. We cannot escape them by hiding in our homes or wearing facemasks, nor will we eradicate them with disinfectants. In spite of propaganda to the contrary (vaccines are really big money), vaccines will never be the savior of humankind. Their potential risks may even outweigh their benefits when all is said and done. The only cases of polio today, for example, are those caused by the vaccine.

Disease has not wiped out all life on the planet because within any given population there is natural resistance. That resistance is optimized in healthy bodies living a healthy lifestyle and that have proper natural nourishment. Health will never be something somebody else gives to us with a pill or injection; it is something we do to ourselves.

For further reading, or for more information about, Dr Wysong and the Wysong Corporation please visit www.wysong.net or write to wysong@wysong.net. For resources on healthier foods for people including snacks, and breakfast cereals please visit www.cerealwysong.com.



CHARLEY

Rings That Go Bump in the Night

Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Gerry McDonnell asked:


My heart goes out to the clinically depressed and the morbidly obese, but I have a genuine illness; I suffer from sleep deprivation. I believe my condition is a result of an incident that occurred many years ago, when I was naïve enough to believe that physical attractiveness was not an essential requirement in the process of potential mate selection.

It was a Saturday night, and I found myself frequenting a nightclub with a group of friends, such was the custom at that time. As 2am arrived and a sense of desperation filled the air, I approached a lady who I thought looked quite hot. It turned out she was just very sweaty. As she made her intentions clear, I made the cardinal error of not topping up my alcohol level before exiting the building. On the taxi ride home, sobriety kicked in like a tortured mule.

Within two minutes of entering my humble abode, she was parading shamelessly in her birthday suit. It was at this stage that I fully appreciated the gravity of the situation. Unfortunately, my plea to go directly to the cigarette fell upon deaf ears. Without going into too much detail of what followed, I can confirm that I didn’t get a wink of sleep all night, and I’ve struggled to get my head down ever since.

As the dawn approached like a guardian angel, I plucked up the courage to ask her to leave by the back door, which was somewhat ironic. I made a conscious decision that morning to never return to the club, as the experience left me close to a breakdown. Kevin Keegan has been far less pragmatic. I do expect a significant short-term improvement for the Toon Army; I’ll be getting on the Geordies at 5/6 at home to Bolton.

I was quite surprised that Steve Bruce was never approached by Mike Ashley. Bruce has been in charge of Wigan for about seven weeks, so he is definitely due a move. I expect to see a massive move on Everton to beat Wigan at an exceedingly pleasant 11/8.

Fulham FC share a trait of mine: they start off quickly, but lack stamina. The Cottagers have lost a lead in 10 of their 22 Premier League matches this season, blowing 25 points in the process. I can only put Fulham’s lack or resolve down to poor conditioning; I’ll buy them a case of ‘Wash & Go’ after Arsenal turn them over at 8/15.

Blackburn are still struggling to find a replacement for Robbie Savage. They came close last week, but Sun Hill refused to release Gillian Taylforth. I‘m diving on the 4/5 for a Blackburn win over Middlesbrough.

With matches at White Hart Lane producing an average of 5.1 goals, Juande Ramos has been forced to tighten up at the back; so he’s dropped Paul Robinson like an opinionated girlfriend. Spurs are on an upward curve as a result, they’re a confident selection at 4/9 against Sunderland.

Manchester City are a Jekyll and Hyde club. When they play at home, they’re an object of unquestionable beauty, yet when they leave Eastlands, they’re as useful as a military recruitment centre in Paris. West Ham are making the now familiar trip to the City of Manchester Stadium, you have to like the even money for another home win.

I was genuinely surprised by the amount of appearances made by a relatively young Jamie Carragher. I haven’t seen 500 clocked up so quickly since the wife last stood on the scales. A Liverpool win over Villa will be a weight off my mind; I’m playing heavily at 4/6.

Ronaldo is on course to be the first wide man since George Best to receive the Golden Boot. There are many similarities between the two players. Best was a Manchester United hero, as is Ronaldo. Best was a phenomenal dribbler, as is the Portuguese step-over expert. Best loved his women. I’ll be trying to get on Manchester United at 4/9 to beat Reading.

John Terry has been outed as a Manchester United supporter, further perpetrating the myth that most of United’s support originates in London. That’s an insult to the Chinese. I’ll take it as a personal insult if Chelsea slip up against Birmingham at 4/6.

After starting the season on fire, Benjani has reverted to type. If missed chances were pints of lager, he’d have a liver like George Best. I’m taking a chance on the draw between Portsmouth and Derby at 10/3.

I can’t think of George Best without remembering the time that I had a badly damaged organ. That night still haunts me, and I can’t sleep without the aid of sedatives. Luckily, I’ve been carrying them around with me for a number of years, as you never know when opportunity will knock. Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle, Everton and Liverpool form a fantastic 15/1 betting opportunity that only comes along once every seven days.



COY