The Swine Flu Pandemic/Scare

Welcome to our first Health & Wellness Weekly

I though we would start with the big health issue that is all over the news at the moment the Swine Flu Pandemic.

What is Swine Flu?

Swine flu is a contagious respiratory disease that usually affects pigs but can also occur in humans. It is caused by a variety of influenza A viruses. Pig to human transmission is very rare and usually only happens where the human has been working closely with infected pigs, for example farm workers and vets. When swine flu does infect humans it is usually very mild and often totally asymptomatic. The current strain of swine flu is called influenza A(H1N1) and is called swine flu because it contains some genetic material similar to other strains of swine flu. Currently the only confirmed cases of this swine flu in pigs has been in some Canadian pigs and it is thought they received it from a Mexican farm worker.

Symptoms of swine flu are usually milder than influenza infections and include:

• fever
  
• cough
  
• sore throat
  
• body aches
  
• headache
  
• chills
  
• and fatigue
  

So what is the current pandemic all about?

A new strain of influenza A virus was discovered on 14th April after a diabetic woman from mexico died. Since then the virus has spread to about twenty countries and there have been 42 confirmed deaths. Comparisons to the 1918 flu which killed 50 to 100 million people worldwide are incredibly exaggerated. The healthy young adults died from the 1918 flu due to a cytokine storm, an overactive immune system. Thats why young, ill and old people with weakened immune systems were spared. Despite some news reports saying so current swine flu isn't following that pattern at all. The first case was a diabetic woman, the 1st US case was a Mexican toddler and the 1st US citizen was a woman in her 30's with underlying health problems.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Centre for Disease Control (CDC) are concered about this pandemic because it's a new strain that we don't know much about which is transmitted human to human.

What can I do?

The Hitchhikers Guide the Galaxy has some pretty good advice on it's cover "Don't Panic". Fortunately swine flu is a very mild form of influenza in humans so the best advice is to follow common sense really. The flu virus is transmitted by coughing and sneezing or touching something with the virus on it and then touching your nose or mouth so washing your hands regularly with soap and water and maintain a strong immune system and healthy body by:

• make sure your spine is checked and adjusted regularly since a healthy immune system requires a healthy nervous system to coordinate all its actions.
  
• avoid sugar and processed foods and address your stress levels, which all weaken your immune system.
  
• get enough rest, if you are tired or run down then your immune system will have trouble fighting any virus', bacteria, or fungus' that come your way.
  
• eat lots of garlic, garlic works like a broadspectrum antibiotic and antiviral, expect that no resistance can be built up to it.
  
• avoid hospitals and toxic substances, hospitals are a breeding ground of all sorts of exotic bacteria and virus.
  

Next Week: Immune Boosting Foods

Do you know someone who would like this article? Feel free to pass it on.

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Dr Simon Porteous, Chiropractor
The Parade Chiropractic Centre
292 The Parade KENSINGTON SA 5068

phone: 08 8333 2715 www.paradechiropractic.com.au