Richmond moms told us this about how they’re dealing with the spread of the Swine Flu (Ask your doctor before making your decision please!):
• “We are upping the vitamins, getting plenty of rest, washing hands a lot, and praying we don’t get it.”—Rebecca
•”Having a special needs child whose immune system is compromised I think that the bottom line most important thing that we all can do to prevent the spread of H1N1 as well as all other germs is to put a very high priority on simple, logical personal hygiene. hand & face washing often, use Clorox disinfectant wipes to wipe down often touched surfaces like phones, handles…. keep your hands away from your mouth, eyes & nose as much as possible. that all said, all 3 of my children have gotten/will be getting the Swine flu vaccination as an extra buffer.”—Mary Beth
•”This afternoon, I purchased a bottle of colloidal silver at a local vitamin shop. Basically, I’d rather have my children swallow a teeny bit of silver of every day than take a relatively untested vaccination with potentially debilitating mercury used as a preservative. I didn’t know much at all about colloidal silver until recently, even though it has been used for generations. Evidently, silver was an antibiotic of choice prior to the discovery of penicillin. From ancient Egypt, where its value was recognized by early physicians, to modern day space programs, where NASA uses it to help maintain a germ-free environment for its astronauts, silver has remained our steadfast ally in the war against bacteria. Silver nitrate is administered in hospitals to protect the eyes of newborns. Curad just developed a bandage infused with silver as an antibiotic. And silver fights viruses. In some lab tests, it has been effective against H1N1. So I bought some!”—Georgia
•”I have a 16mo old daughter & truly feel hesitant about both flu vaccines. I didn’t give her the flu shot last year either. I am still on the fence but any vaccines that are ‘optional’ – outside of the recommended schedule – tend to make me nervous about adding anything additional to her system. Mommy decisions like these are hard. I also don’t want her to get the flu either. *sigh*!”
•”I want my son to get it, but my better half does not. we are in a battle of wills…scared of the thirmersol..”
•”The teeny tiney bit of mercury that is in the shot acts as a preservative. YOU CAN ASK FOR A VACCINE WITHOUT THE PRESERVATIVE IN IT !!!”—Kathy
•”A couple of things – I heard that the gargling does not work because you block of your lower throat when you gargle and essentially thats where the bad stuff is.
•”My pediatrician (Dr Gayle Smith) mentioned to me to have my kids avoid the water fountains at school – and I have to say I have never been overly crazy about the water fountain anyway but I was picking up daughter up at school the day before my doctor’s appointment and I saw this little boy who was coughing stop at the water fountain for a drink – his mouth touched the fountain before he adjusted it and I wondered how often they cleaned it. Then talking to her it freaked me out – I promptly went to Costco and bought a case of water – with strict instructions to my daughter and son to drink from their water bottles and NOT to share food or water with anyone. I admit I am not a huge fan of adding to the landfill but in order to keep the kids safe I ok with it.” —Ushan
•”I don’t think the vaccine is the answer. There are a number of things you can do to help your body boost its own immune system & strengthen itself to fight stronger, more challenging viruses.
The immune system requires proper nutrition, just as any other organ or system in the body does. These are some of the most important nutrients for a healthy immune system: Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Folic acid, Zinc, Selenium & Copper.
A full complement of nutrients is important, as some vitamins & minerals are most effective when adequate amounts of both are in the diet. When it comes to your well-being, there are no guarantees. The daily decisions you make may have a tremendous effect on your overall health. The better your nutritional status, the better all systems: including your immune system will be. My family is continuing to take our mega-supplements and being smart about exposure and hand washing.”— Karen Taylor Davis TheRESETTeam.com
“Our minister, during the “greet your neighbor” part of the church service where we normally shake each other’s hands, requested we smile and wave to each other instead. I appreciated his concern for spreading germs by casual contact, and perhaps avoided a few people from catching the flu. The result was lots of smiles and waves and no one seemed offended by not shaking hands.”
• “My 3 year old, my husband, and I have already gotten the H1N1(Swine) flu nasal mist. I don’t want to risk my children getting very sick especially with an 6 month old in our home.
I also believe that vaccinating children is important because it helps all of the children who are unable to receive flu (or other) vaccines because of compromised immune systems and who may have a very difficult time if they became ill with the flu. We will definitely be getting our 6 month old the H1N1 shot when it becomes available at our pediatricians office.
I have no concerns over flu shots. The swine flu vaccine is made the same way the seasonal flu shot is made. My son has gotten the seasonal flu shot/mist ever year he was old enough, and my daughter received her first seasonal flu shot this month — both do great! We are also practicing much hand-washing and keeping the hands away from the face (as much as possible with a 6 month old).”
•”We got the h1n1 vaccine!!! I am 6+ months pregnant and have a 2 year old. my doctor, my daughters doctor and every news station is saying to get it. if the swine flu strain was identified earlier, it would have been included with the seasonal flu vaccine and we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. we are of course still taking normal precautions as we don’t want any illness- even a cold!”
• “My daughter, 11, had the swine flu a few weeks ago as did I. My son, 7, has not and I’m worried that he’ll get it. I’m so frustrated because I can’t get any help my our pediatrician’s office regarding the shot. They say to call the health department who, in turn, say that they don’t have the shot.”
“We are making sure to keep things cleaner than ushaual, going the extra step…staying in more-we, (mom and dad) are gargling with salt water and swabbing our noses out with a cutip dipped in salt water. This is supposed to help kill airborne germs. The most important and impactful thing we have done though, is get the H1N1 vaccine. I was not to keen on it at first, but with kids getting so sick and it spreading so quickly I would rather not risk the chance on my child get it. I pray every night for the parents of the children who have not been able to break the fevers of the kids who have it.
Remember if your child gets it, Tylenol and then Motrin every 4 hours until you can get into the dr. This helps keep the fever down and you do not exceed the recommended dose of meds in the first 24 hours. Good Luck to all, wash up and stay healthy!”
• “We’ve already had the swine flu. Unprepared – we, both Lizzie and I, caught it at the beginning of July from Vacation Bible School – high fevers and down and out the entire month of July. I’ll admit it was a strong flu, but it wasn’t something that we couldn’t handle and are just fine now – without any vaccine! There will not be any vaccines for this household. They are producing way too much, way too fast. Our school nurse even opted out. No one should have to tell you to vaccinate for this, if you do not want to. I believe it is the parent’s call for our children, not the government’s.
Make it available for those that want it – otherwise – just like the regular flu shot – move on.”
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Leslie Lyltle of OmMama, Yoga for the Childbearing Years, submitted an article to help moms work through medical decisions, and here are a few tips to help prevent the spread of the Swine Flu. Of course, ASK YOUR DOCTOR before making any decisions for your family and children:
Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital , Bombay Hospital , Saifee Hospital , Tata Memorial etc…
The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it’s almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.
While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).
2. “Hands-off-the-face” approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat or bathe).
3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don’t trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don’t underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*
5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.
