Disease-Causing Viruses Among Humans: MALARIA

This is the SECOND in a series of brief expositions about disease-causing viruses among humans.

Because everyone and anyone can be infected by deadly viruses, it is best to be educated and enlightened about these deadly diseases as well as what type of virus could have been causing it, how to know when one is affected and how long does the infection take. These information is especially important in determining how to avoid, prevent or treat these diseases.

Coming from the most common insect around the globe, Malaria is a disease caused by mosquito-borne organisms called Plasmodium, of which the Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are the most common. However, the first type is considered the deadliest.

Every year, over one million people around the world die of the disease. Worst, a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds. It spreads among humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes and, the same as in HIV, it can be transmitted by the transfusion of blood from an infected person or the use of needles or syringes contaminated with the blood of such.

Its incubation period can be between 10 days to four weeks after the bite from the infected Anopheles mosquito; as early as seven days after infection; or as late as several years later.

SIGNS and SYMPTOMS:

First common symptoms:
- fever, headache, chills and vomiting – usually appear 10 to 15 days after a person is infected
- diarrhea often go along with fever
- jaundice
- anemia

Late stages:
- kidney failure
- hepatomegaly
- spleenomegaly
- coma and death

(Source: iFeel Great Health News)

=============

Fight VIRUSES the Natural Way with Alfa HFI

Alfa HFi is a high quality humic and fulvic acid supplement that has been the subject of extensive scientific research, and is an important part of a daily plan used the world-over to aid the body’s ability to maintain overall health.

The chelating action of humic and fulvic acid has indicated an ability to both deliver healthy minerals, facilitating their absorption, while attracting and trapping heavy metals to remove them. This unique dual activity has shown to improve energy and overall health.

The vital connection between the immune system and the humates, found in Alfa HFI, is the ability to increase complex sugars (glyconutrients) within the body. The abundance of these glyconutrients allows the immune system to react quickly and correctly to foreign invaders.

What NEVER to Eat if You’re Asthmatic or Allergic

Here’s another health tip from my good friend Ray Collins:

———————-

Dear Peter Allan,

Common foods that help you breathe more easily

A report in the medical journal Allergy in June 2008 came up with a very pleasing suggestion…. that eating delicious, hearty Mediterranean food could relieve asthma symptoms.

The study was carried out by a team at the University of Porto in Portugal. They looked closely at the diet of 174 asthmatics. They found that those who
ate large quantities of Mediterranean foods had fewer attacks and flare-ups.

So what’s a Mediterranean diet?

Well, this is generally presumed to be a diet high in fish, fruit, vegetables and nuts and low in saturated fats.

This is the principle diet in Crete, for example. An estimated 80% of the children there eat fresh fruit at least twice a day. And over two-thirds of them eat fresh vegetables, twice a day.

On that island, very few children have asthma or hay fever.

The main fruits recommended by the report’s authors include oranges, apples, tomatoes and grapes.

The study also found that asthmatics who eat nuts at least three times a week are less likely to wheeze. As well as vitamin E, nuts also contain a lot of magnesium, which helps boost your lung power.

The report concludes: “High adherence to a Mediterranean diet reduced by 78 per cent the risk of uncontrolled asthma.”

That’s a fairly ringing endorsement.

But there was something else in the report that interested me…

What NEVER to eat if you’re asthmatic or allergic

The study found that children who ate lots of margarine DOUBLED their chances of asthma and allergic rhinitis (which causes hay fever-like symptoms).

This backs up an Australian study from 2001. Those researchers also concluded that a diet high in polyunsaturated fats – found in many margarines – can double a child’s chances of having asthma.

In 2001, Dr Warren Lenney, a spokesperson for the British Thoracic Society (BTS), said:

“It would be sensible for parents to lessen their children’s intake of margarine and foods regularly fried in polyunsaturated oil as part of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables.”

I think this advice goes for adults too!

As always, more research needs to be done to establish links and causes.

But whatever they discover in the coming years, I’d advise that you give margarine a wide berth. It’s a synthetic food high in trans fatty acids. A substance that many critics claim that it can triple your risk of coronary heart disease.

In 2006, Professor Marion Nestle, a respected professor of Nutrition at New
York University wrote:

“All margarines are basically the same, mixtures of soybean oil and food
additives. Everything else is theater and greasepaint.”

Michael Pollan, the author of In Defense of Food (Allen Lane, 2008) puts it even more bluntly:

“The beauty of a processed food like margarine is that it can be endlessly
reengineered to overcome even the most embarrassing about-face in nutritional thinking – including the real winner that its main ingredient might cause heart attacks and cancer.”

So perhaps it’s best avoided, then!

Yours as ever,

Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter

www.goodlifeletter.co.uk


===========

Fight VIRUSES the Natural Way with Alfa HFI

Alfa HFi is a high quality humic and fulvic acid supplement that has been the subject of extensive scientific research, and is an important part of a daily plan used the world-over to aid the body’s ability to maintain overall health.

The chelating action of humic and fulvic acid has indicated an ability to both deliver healthy minerals, facilitating their absorption, while attracting and trapping heavy metals to remove them. This unique dual activity has shown to improve energy and overall health.

The vital connection between the immune system and the humates, found in Alfa HFI, is the ability to increase complex sugars (glyconutrients) within the body. The abundance of these glyconutrients allows the immune system to react quickly and correctly to foreign invaders.

Why Heavy Metal Toxins Could Cause Gout Problems

Here’s an interesting letter I received from Ray Collins of the Good Life Letter:

Dear Peter Allan,

If you sent me an email with a tip for gout, then THANKS!

I’ve not had a response like that in quite a while. Gout seems to be one of those ailments brings out strong opinions and some fascinating stories.

If you’re interested, there are two really strong remedies for gout in my book The Honey Garlic and Vinegar Miracle.

From recent emails it seems that there’s plenty about gout I’ve not mentioned in my books or previous Good Life Letters.

WHY HIDDEN HEAVY METAL TOXINS COULD CAUSE GOUT AND OTHER PAINFUL PROBLEMS

Many people believe that heavy metals could be a cause of problems like gout.

I don’t mean to say that listening to Iron Maiden makes your legs hurt. (Although it may make your brain fall out.)

What I refer to are the metals that exist in our environment. For instance the mercury in fillings, or found in some types of fish. Or the metals in paint, car fumes, some forms of cooking equipment, food containers, deodorants (ones that contain aluminum) and polluted water supplies.

mercury

Even though these exist in tiny, trace amounts, over time they can build up in your body, causing significant health problems including headaches, memory loss, and skin discoloration.

One of my readers emailed me to say that flushing away some of these heavy metals helped remedy his gout problem.

He writes:

Uric acid and build up of lactic acid is often the result of a slow endocrine system resulting from heavy metal toxicity – mostly mercury – which HMD [heavy metal detox] clears.

HMD also are manufacturers and distributors for a product specifically to assist the ELIMINATION of toxic waste called Organic Lavage. This helps with both gout and painful bunions as well as fibromyalgia“.

Lavage is a herbal formula that helps your body get rid of toxins. It comes from the French word for ‘drainage’. It’s sold as a vegetable glycerine tincture.

I’m certainly going to look into this heavy metal issue a bit more for a future letter. It’s an interesting idea….

Yours as ever,

Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter

==================

Here’s one good Heavy Metal Detox I’d like to recommend to Ray:

To protect yourself from the onslaughts of mercury, arsenic, toxic chemicals and other heavy metals, regularly take Alfa HFi with Viral Fusion Inhibitors. Alfa HFi is made of nature’s most powerful anti-viral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulizing substances, the humic fulvic acids.

Consumption of Alfa HFI immediately restores and supercharges the body’s resistance to disease and infection by helping the body in manufacturing necessary glycoproteins within. It also perks up the gastrointestinal tract as pro-biotic, strengthens the joints and bones, provides amino acids and electrolytes, and boosts oxygen for the red blood cells.

Enzacta prides itself on having Alfa HFI Humic/Fuvic Acid Supplement as a product of their state-of-the-art technology and special proprietary process called BioReady Nutrients© (BRNs). BRNs are nutritional complexes extracted, concentrated and naturally-enhanced for better bio-availability.

For more information, visit www.enzacta.com or call Enzacta at +632-706-5876 and look for Ms. Arra Inayon, company nurse and corporate researcher.

Disease-Causing Viruses Among Humans: HIV

This is the FIRST in a series of brief expositions about disease-causing viruses among humans.

Because everyone and anyone can be infected by deadly viruses, it is best to be educated and enlightened about these deadly diseases as well as what type of virus could have been causing it, how to know when one is affected and how long does the infection take. These information is especially important in determining how to avoid, prevent or treat these diseases.

HIV pic2

HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV)

Considered as the most widely known type of virus, the HIV is the one that causes AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) or the severe damage in the most effective “built-in” defense mechanism of the human body, the immune system.To date, About 40 million people in the world are living with HIV or AIDS. This estimate includes 37 million adults and 2.5 million children.

Its mode of transmission can be through exchange of body fluids (e.g. sexual contact), sharing of needles or blood transfusion. It can also be passed on to a baby when the mother is infected during pregnancy.

Usually, the duration of an HIV infection or its incubation period is from 1 to 6 months which spans from the time of infection to the time when antibodies (elements released by the body in order to fight the attacker) can be detected in the blood. Furthermore, the time from the HIV infection to the diagnosis of AIDS has been noted to be anywhere from 2 months to 10 years or longer.

HIV pic3

Signs and Symptoms:

To the Immune System:
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, axilla, or groin (lymphadenopathy)
- Fever / night sweats

To the GI Tract:
- Rapid weight loss
- Diarrhea
- Poor appetite
- Profound fatigue

To the Respiratory System:
- Shortness of breath
- Dry cough / productive cough

To the Skin and Mucous Membranes:
- Skin rash
- Red, brown, pink or purple lesion on the skin – suggestive of Kaposi’s sarcoma
- White patches on the tounge, inside of the mouth, or gums – could be signs of thrush, candida
- Canker sores / apthous ulcers

Towards the Neurological / Emotional aspects:
- Depression
- Numbness, tingling, or burning in the feet, hands, or face. (peripheral neuropathy)
- Confusion, weakness, or changes in level of consciousness

(Source: iFeel Great Health News)

=============

Fight VIRUSES the Natural Way with Alfa HFI

Alfa HFi is a high quality humic and fulvic acid supplement that has been the subject of extensive scientific research, and is an important part of a daily plan used the world-over to aid the body’s ability to maintain overall health.

The chelating action of humic and fulvic acid has indicated an ability to both deliver healthy minerals, facilitating their absorption, while attracting and trapping heavy metals to remove them. This unique dual activity has shown to improve energy and overall health.

The vital connection between the immune system and the humates, found in Alfa HFI, is the ability to increase complex sugars (glyconutrients) within the body. The abundance of these glyconutrients allows the immune system to react quickly and correctly to foreign invaders.

Are You Prepared for These Household Threats?

boy in gas mask

Okey… that title may sound way too alarming or scary for ordinary people like you and me… going about our ways, trying to earn a living for our families and loved ones. But many are not aware or would totally disregard the hidden threats the moment they step out of their homes.

Worst… these threats may have entered their homes already…

We’re not talking about the crazy jeepney or bus driver plying our everyday routes, trying to convert their 4-wheeled vehicles into flying machines. No… we’re talking about the type and quality of air that we let into our lungs every time we breathe.

Figures for asthma cases and respiratory problems among children continue to rise. Not only that, but several people are continually suffering from bouts of allergic rhinitis, allergies of all types, eczema and other skin diseases, and growing cases of anaphylaxis that some doctors can’t even identify… much less cure.

Wait… wait… what was that?… Ana-something?

Oh… anaphylaxis… a word many may not have heard yet… but with a meaning that is as scary as it sounds. The term is used to describe something that is completely the opposite of protection. In medical terms, it means a quick allergic reaction that is extremely serious and often times fatal. A condition you would not want to mess around with.

And that’s not all.

Studies in the US and Great Britain have indicated that pollution from traffic and smoke-emitting factories can be linked to the significant reduction of normal lung growth of exposed children. Not only that, these pollutants can also cause bronchitis, respiratory virus infections and a host of other ailments and diseases.

globe cigarette

Okey… so I’ll wear a gas mask…. Hmm… okey… if you’re comfortable with that… but pollution in the air is not the only problem.

It’s everything else actually.

We load ourselves, on a daily basis, a host of toxic substances coming from what we eat, drink and touch everyday. Poultry and livestock we buy are loaded with growth-enhancing hormones. Additives are used in the water that we drink. Toxic substances are present in everything that we touch and feel from the paint in our walls to the fabric that we use for our clothes.

The results — people’s immune systems continue to deteriorate each and every day.

Do these scenarios look familiar?

* Muscle aches

* Heart burns and other irregularities

* Easily gets exhausted

* Mild or severe headaches

* Sleep disorders

* Constant sneezing, colds and other flu-like symptoms

* Constant ringing or pressure in the ears

* Eyes that burn (and not because of your looks!)

* Loss of balance

* Loss of concentration

* Worry or even panic attacks (and not because of reading this article!)

There are a whole lot more symptoms that are very hard to diagnose… but your annual physical exams tell you that there is nothing wrong with you. Well… guess again!

plastic bottle

Environmental illnesses such as these are still very difficult to diagnose, making it much harder for treatments to commence. But there are certain things that people can do to prevent the onslaughts of such threats, and can even reverse the damages wrought by years of being exposed to such threats.

* Sweat it out — Detoxify by sweating these toxins out through exercise, steam baths or saunas.

* Eat organic foods — These may be more expensive than your regular food selections, but you can be sure that they are free from pesticides, antibiotics and hormones. And they taste better too!

* Eat your fruits and veggies — People in urban areas tend to forget or neglect eating fruits and green vegetables. They are compromising their health by doing so resulting in a significant decrease in anti-oxidants that help protect the body from these harmful toxins.

* Boost your immune system with a little help from friends — Food supplements can help reverse the effects to toxic exposure, as well as help boost the immune systems by giving the body an extra shot of nutrients, amino acids, vitamins and minerals.

These include L-glutamine, Carnitine, Magnesium, Manganese and other helpful substances that promotes a healthy and more disease-resistant body and immune systems. Aside from that, the body can also benefit from Humic and Fulvic acid complex that comes from naturally powerful plant biomolecules. A single molecule of these substances is so powerful that it is capable of carrying 60 or more mineral and trace elements into the cells. Humic and fulvic acids have shown to block the keys to keep foreign micro-invaders from entering the cells.

To tap this resource, Alfa HFI contains the most natural and purest form of humic and fulvic acid made from rich dark deposits of this organic matter (humates) locked in the earth’s soil. Alfa HFi is a high quality humic and fulvic acid supplement that has been the subject of extensive scientific research, and is an important part of a daily plan used the world-over to aid the body’s ability to maintain overall health.

The chelating action of humic and fulvic acid has indicated an ability to both deliver healthy minerals, facilitating their absorption, while attracting and trapping heavy metals to remove them. This unique dual activity has shown to improve energy and overall health.

So next time you go out into the world, question yourself — is my body and health protected from all these threats? Is my family protected too? Do not make the mistake of disregarding these tell tale signs — act now.

Before it’s too late.

Tastes like Chicken

alfaHFI Fried Chicken

There’s more to chicken than meets the eye and it’s not just Bird Flu or the prospect of sprouting wings yourself for eating chicken breakfast, lunch and dinner (throw in merienda for that matter) almost everyday of the week.

Fried chicken, chicken inasal, chicken adobo, chicken sandwich, chicken afritada, buffalo wings, and maybe even chicken-flavored lollipop if there was such a thing — people are completely enamored with chicken that more volumes of recipe books were written about this meat than any other else.

But there is one thing that people may not be aware of, and that they have been putting themselves at risk every day by eating chicken bought from fast foods or dressed chicken from grocery stores. Aside from the fact that commercially grown chicken are kept in very terrible living conditions, inhaling the fumes from their own poop, and are laden with fat, sugar, and salt but low in fiber and vitamins, these chickens can also be pumped with a deadly metalloid – arsenic.

In a recent study jointly conducted by the National Institutes of Health and the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Services, high levels of the notoriously poisonous metalloid arsenic was found among the 5,000 chickens tested from various restaurants and food outlets. The figures derived from the tests showed contaminations reaching 6 to 9 times allowing levels.

alfaHFI Arsenic

The question that comes to mind would be this – how arsenic amounting to 50 times the allowable amount in a glass of water got into my fried chicken or chicken adobo? A former Environment Protection Agency agricultural consultant, Donald Herman, explained that arsenic can be used as a growth stimulant for poultry. This information has been withheld from the public and is completely denied by chicken growers and fast food chains.

Does it mean that I have to stop eating chicken? Of course not! Just be sure that you’ll get the organic, healthy, no-antibiotics, free-range chickens that are fast becoming a sensation among lovers of good, healthy food. Restaurants and some fast food chains are also trying to switch to this more healthy variety – and so should you.

————–

Toxic metals, including “heavy metals” are individual metals and metal compounds that negatively affect people’s health. In very small amounts, many of these metals are necessary to support life. However, in larger amounts, they become toxic.

The major critical organs for environmentally exposed populations are the following:
- central nervous system (CNS) of the developing fetus or child
- The kidney
- implication of some heavy metals in the development of cardiovascular diseases
- cancers in the general population

Heavy metals are dangerous because they tend to bioaccumulate which pertains to an increase in the concentration of a chemical in a biological organism over time, compared to the chemical’s concentration in the environment. Compounds accumulate in living things any time they are taken up and stored faster than they are broken down (metabolized) or excreted.

To protect yourself from the onslaughts of arsenic, toxic chemicals and other heavy metals, regularly take Alfa HFi with Viral Fusion Inhibitors. Alfa HFi is made of nature’s most powerful anti-viral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulizing substances, the humic fulvic acids.

Consumption of Alfa HFI immediately restores and supercharges the body’s resistance to disease and infection by helping the body in manufacturing necessary glycoproteins within. It also perks up the gastrointestinal tract as pro-biotic, strengthens the joints and bones, provides amino acids and electrolytes, and boosts oxygen for the red blood cells.

Enzacta prides itself on having Alfa HFI Humic/Fuvic Acid Supplement as a product of their state-of-the-art technology and special proprietary process called BioReady Nutrients© (BRNs). BRNs are nutritional complexes extracted, concentrated and naturally-enhanced for better bio-availability.

For more information, visit www.enzacta.com or call Enzacta at 706-5876 and look for Ms. Arra Inayon, company nurse and corporate researcher.

Is Tamiflu Useless?

A(H1N1) is still out there and could still strike at any time. What’s worst, new variations and strains could appear that would be more lethal than the current pandemic. The effects could be devastating.

But we’re prepared, right? We all got our Tamiflu… we all got our vaccines.

If you’ve led to believe that… then Big Pharma scored another win.

swineflupic1

The bigwigs from Big Pharma wants people to believe that Tamiflu and other vaccines could prevent any complications of A(H1N1), or for any other deadly viruses for that matter. However, these same bigwigs has always been on the attack (ooops…. protecting the public… that’s what they say) againts natural flu treatments… calling them witch’s brew, snake oil or any other moniker they could think of.

But reports have been coming out that they’re actually pointing fingers in the wrong direction.

Governments around the world has been stockpiling Tamiflu, A(H1N1) vaccines and other similar medications in fear of viral rebounds. However, the harmful side effects of these drugs far outweigh the benefits that could be derived as reported time and again by several health sectors, communities and independent research companies.

Flu Vaccine

One such study came out from the British Medical Journal, wherein researchers compiled and analyzed 20 studies that delved into the benefits and potential adverse effects of Tamiflu.

A new review has come out in the British Medical Journal– and the results aren’t good for the makers of Tamiflu. Researchers tried to compile and analyze 20 studies on the benefits and adverse effects of Tamiflu. What’s alarming was that these researchers could not get relevant information from the authors of these studies and from the makers of Tamiflu themselves.

Are they hiding something from the public?

What these researchers reported was a lack or “no confidence in claims that Tamiflu reduces the risk of complications of influenza in otherwise healthy adults.” Previous evidence could be unreliable and are urging governments to closely study and monitor continued use of Tamiflu and these vaccines.

Funny thing though… the World Health Organization have no plans of changing their guidelines about the use of Tamiflu and other vaccines, and continue administration despite the negative reports that indicate that they should do so.

==============

Fight VIRUSES the Natural Way with Alfa HFI

Alfa HFi is a high quality humic and fulvic acid supplement that has been the subject of extensive scientific research, and is an important part of a daily plan used the world-over to aid the body’s ability to maintain overall health.

The chelating action of humic and fulvic acid has indicated an ability to both deliver healthy minerals, facilitating their absorption, while attracting and trapping heavy metals to remove them. This unique dual activity has shown to improve energy and overall health.

The vital connection between the immune system and the humates, found in Alfa HFI, is the ability to increase complex sugars (glyconutrients) within the body. The abundance of these glyconutrients allows the immune system to react quickly and correctly to foreign invaders.

Fast and Accurate H1N1 Diagnostic Test for Kids

swine flu kid

February 22, 2010 — The rapid influenza diagnostic test (RIDT) for swine-origin 2009 A (H1N1) influenza virus (S-OIV) in children may be most useful in young children who present early after symptom onset, according to the results of a large pediatric cohort study reported online February 15 in Pediatrics.

“Data on the test performance of the RIDT for S-OIV have been limited,” write Michael Hawkes, MD, from the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, and colleagues. “The few available reports in mixed adult-pediatric populations have shown variable sensitivity between 11% and 69%…. The rapidly evolving pandemic of novel 2009 [S-OIV] demands that accurate and practical diagnostics be urgently evaluated for their potential clinical utility.”

The goal of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of RIDT and direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) assay for S-OIV, using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) as the reference standard. Between May 22 and July 25, 2009, the investigators prospectively recruited 820 children from birth to age 17 years who were evaluated for influenza-like illness in the emergency department of a pediatric referral hospital (n = 651) and a community pediatric clinic (n = 169).

To examine the sensitivity and specificity for S-OIV of RIDT (performed on-site) and of DFA, these tests were compared with the sensitivity and specificity of RT-PCR. In addition, the sensitivity of RIDT for S-OIV was compared with sensitivity for seasonal influenza during 2 preceding seasons.

For RIDT, sensitivity for S-OIV was 62% (95% confidence interval [CI], 52% – 70%), and specificity was 99% (95% CI, 92% – 100%). Sensitivity of DFA was 83% (95% CI, 75% – 89%), which was significantly higher than that of RIDT (P < .001). When using DFA supplemented with culture as the reference standard, RIDT sensitivity for S-OIV was similar to that for seasonal influenza. Sensitivity of RIDT for influenza viruses was significantly higher in children not older than 5 years of age (P =.003) and in those evaluated not longer than 2 days after onset of symptoms (P < .001).

“The sensitivity of RIDT for detection of S-OIV is higher than recently reported in mixed adult-pediatric populations but remains suboptimal,” the study authors write. “Nonetheless, RIDTs may have a role in clinical practice for diagnosis of S-OIV in young children who present early after symptom onset, for whom the test sensitivity is superior.”

Limitations of this study include lack of generalizability to children with preexisting medical comorbidities and possible variation in test collection methods.

“Our findings support a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention interim guidance statement that, when influenza viruses are circulating in a community, a positive RIDT result indicates that influenza infection is likely present; however, a negative test result does not rule out infection,” the study authors conclude. “In the face of a negative test result, a diagnosis of influenza should still be considered, empiric therapy and appropriate infection-control measures should be instituted if indicated, and confirmatory testing should be sought if necessary. Future studies are warranted to examine the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of RIDTs in the context of the current S-OIV pandemic.”

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research/SickKids Foundation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the University of Toronto supported this study. The study authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Pediatrics. Published online February 15, 2010.

swineflupic5

Clinical Context

RT-PCR is the diagnostic test of choice for the detection of S-OIV, but it is limited by the longer turnaround for results, and commercially available RIDTs have been developed for the diagnosis of influenza A and B and S-OIV.

This is a study of the diagnostic accuracy of the RIDT and DFA tests compared with the gold standard of the RT-PCR, conducted during 2 consecutive influenza seasons in children with influenza-like illnesses.

Study Highlights

  • The sample consisted of patients aged 0 to 17 years who were prospectively enrolled during 2 influenza seasons (2007 – 2008 and 2008 – 2009) in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada, community.
  • Children were recruited from a pediatric hospital and a community general pediatrics practice.
  • Inclusion criteria included 2 or more symptoms of influenza-like illnesses (fever for 1 or more weeks, myalgia, cough, headache, and fatigue) and age 17 years and younger.
  • Excluded were children with underlying conditions predisposing to serious influenza.
  • Specimens were collected using flocked nasopharyngeal swabs at the point of care.
  • Testing was performed within 1 hour, using standardized procedures.
  • During the 2007 to 2008 season, RIDT, DFA, viral isolation, and RT-PCR tests were routinely performed on all suspected influenza cases.
  • In the 2008 to 2009 season, viral culture was performed only on DFA-negative specimens.
  • Sensitivity and specificity were calculated using standard formulae.
  • A total of 820 children with influenza-like illnesses were tested for respiratory viruses during the 2 seasons (n = 194 for 2007 – 2008).
  • There were 651 samples from the pediatric hospital and 169 from the clinic.
  • Median age was 3.4 years.
  • 9.7% were younger than 1 year, 37% were aged 1 to 5 years, and 53% were older than 5 years.
  • 63% of specimens tested were positive.
  • 13% tested positive by RT-PCR (S-OIV); seasonal influenza A was detected in 13%, and influenza B in 9.4%.
  • Test performance of the RIDT was compared with DFA and DFA with viral culture.
  • The sensitivity of RIDT for detecting S-OIV was 72% when compared with DFA alone and 69% compared with DFA with viral culture. Sensitivity of DFA was 83% and superior to that of RIDT.
  • Specificity of RIDT for S-OIV was 99%.
  • Thus, a positive result for RIDT indicated that influenza infection was likely, but a negative result did not rule out influenza infection.
  • RIDT performed better (more sensitive) in children younger than 5 years for all 3 influenza strains.
  • RIDT was more sensitive in those tested within 2 days of symptom onset.
  • The independent predictive value of RIDT for the 3 strains was 2.8 in those participants who were 5 years or younger vs those 5 years or older (P = .003), and the adjusted odds for symptom duration 2 days or less vs longer than 2 days was 2.9 (P = .024).
  • The sensitivity did not vary by site (hospital vs outpatient).
  • The authors concluded that although RIDT performed reasonably in children younger than 5 years, it was still suboptimal compared with DFA and RT-PCR.

Clinical Implications

  • DFA is superior to RIDT for sensitivity to detect S-OIV in children.
  • RIDT has a higher sensitivity in children younger than 5 years with symptom duration of 2 or fewer days.
MedscapeCME Clinical Briefs © 2010 MedscapeCME
==========

Fight VIRUSES the Natural Way with Alfa HFI

Alfa HFi is a high quality humic and fulvic acid supplement that has been the subject of extensive scientific research, and is an important part of a daily plan used the world-over to aid the body’s ability to maintain overall health.

The chelating action of humic and fulvic acid has indicated an ability to both deliver healthy minerals, facilitating their absorption, while attracting and trapping heavy metals to remove them. This unique dual activity has shown to improve energy and overall health.

The vital connection between the immune system and the humates, found in Alfa HFI, is the ability to increase complex sugars (glyconutrients) within the body. The abundance of these glyconutrients allows the immune system to react quickly and correctly to foreign invaders.

An Introduction to Viral Fusion Inhibitors

virus

Early year 2009, alert was raised in almost all parts of the globe as Swine flu rapidly spread among humans. The flu was caused by a new virus strain Influenza A subtype H1N1. Origin of the virus, according to a report from the New York Times, probably developed in pigs in Asia and then carried by human to America. This flu virus is highly contagious though its virulence is classified as mild. However, it caused panic among nations when it established a second wave during the cold since the mortality rates went up. While there was face mask shortage during its first attack, today, there is a shortage in vaccines.

Vaccines were developed since the 1770s. These were used as biological preparations for a disease, classically employed to prevent small pox and other types of flu. To prevent a certain type of disease, a vaccine – which is a milder version of the virus causing the disease – is injected to a person early on. This alerts and strengthens the immune system.

Though vaccines are acceptable, many still debates about its safety. Actually, in 1976, a swine flu vaccine was already developed and was used to immunize nearly the entire US population. However, according to Center of Disease Control and Prevention, it had been found to be linked with the development of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) – an autoimmune disorder affecting the peripheral nervous system, usually triggered by an acute infectious process.

The latest issue about swine flu vaccines today is that the US stock for this immunizer is running dry. The priority recipients of the vaccines are children and pregnant women only. Healthy individuals infected by the virus are advised to take other forms of medications.

Other options to prevent or control swine flu include the medication Oseltamivir Phosphate and the most popular brand for it is the Tamiflu. It acts by interfering with the production and release of virus from cells that line the respiratory tract. This may slow the spread of the infection within the airways and lungs.

INTRODUCING: Viral Fusion Inhibitors

As an additional anti-viral solution to address the Swine flu hitch, a group of scientists developed a product which was derived from a naturally occurring substance, the Alfa HFi.

Against viruses, Alfa HFi works by encapsulating the invader with a coating carried out by agents called Viral Fusion Inhibitors. Because of the coating, viruses will not be able to penetrate a healthy cell and reproduce from it. What’s more is that Alfa HFi exhibits an Alert Mode Ability wherein the immune system is given a signal about the invader prompting it to dispatch the cause of the disease.

Alfa HFI bottle2

Alfa HFi is a very small but powerful naturally occurring water-soluble substance which has the ability to transform the molecular structure of water enabling it to better carry dissolve and transport elements to or from the cell. Thus, cells are effectively provided with nutrients while waste products are carried away from it. Furthermore, this Alfa HFi-activated water molecules help in neutralizing toxins and invaders.

Nutritional experts suggest that the breakthrough discovery of the Hfi substance is a vitally important nutrient, together with vitamins and minerals. This helps the body increase its resistance to colds and flu, and infections.

Moreover, Alfa HFi aids in supercharging the immune system; cleansing, neutralizing and removal of toxins and the purging of parasites, pathogens and viruses.