Tamiflu’s not much help and there won’t be a vaccine for months; the only hope is mouthfuls of vitamins.

The best that can be said of Tamiflu is that it will reduce the duration of flu by a day or two; the worst is that it may cause confusion, self-injury and death.

Vaccine production is a catch-up game, and it will take another four months to produce one, by which time the virus may have mutated into something else.

 Nutrition serves both the vulnerable and the well; vigorous supplementation can prevent or moderate the impact of viruses. The consequence of an overdose is only expensive urine; the risk of deficiency is vulnerability to infection and other disease.

VItamins A, C, D and B12, and Zinc all have documented benefit against infections; if you really fear Swine flu take loads of them, and don’t worry if your urine is pink or yellow due to overflow. It’s cheap, available and effective, unlike Tamiflu and flu vaccine.

Read on...

WHO have just confirmed that it will be November before a vaccine is available.
It may now be true that this H1N1 strain is more virulent than it seemed when it first reached the UK; but this does not alter my advice, which is:

On Tamiflu
That on average it reduces the duration of flu symptoms by 1 to 1½ days, but at the cost of common gut side-effects (nausea, stomach-ache, vomiting) and uncommon more serious ones, from brain-fog (“I couldn’t think past a comma”, one patient told me) to the strange desire to harm yourself. This is according to the official Tamiflu website [1,2].

On vaccination
That even when it becomes available, all the evidence suggests that it won’t save many lives. A 2005 study “could not correlate increasing vaccination coverage after 1980 with declining mortality rates in any age group” [3]. That’s flu vaccine in general; this one hasn’t been made yet, so we have no idea how good it will be, but there’s no reason to think it will be much better than the rest.

On nutrition, though;

Vitamin D
In 2008 a brilliant study by leading vitamin D researchers [4] proposed that one reason vaccines don’t work better was widespread vitamin D deficiency due to lack of sunlight;

Over the last 20 years, why has influenza mortality in the aged not declined with increasing vaccination rates?
Given that influenza vaccines effectively improve adaptive immunity, the most likely explanation is that the innate immunity of the aged declined over the last 20 years due to medical and governmental warnings to avoid the sun. While the young usually ignore such advice, the elderly often follow it. We suggest that improvements in adaptive immunity from increased vaccination of the aged are inadequate to compensate for declines in innate immunity the aged suffered over that same time.

Next, take a look at this graph, as well as at the third image at the top of the page;

What this study [5] tells us is that taking vitamin D reduced the number of flu and virus episodes by at least two-thirds in this study. I couldn’t understand the graph at first, until I realised that the single darkest bar above Summer meant that when the subjects were taking 2000iu of vitamin D there was only one infection experienced by one person during the whole year — so, as expected, 2000iu was clearly better than 800iu.

Vitamin C
We’ve known for decades that vitamin C can reduce the risk of and the severity of viral infections. But just as for vitamin D, the dose is critical, and sometimes scientists have ignored this and used the wrong dose, guaranteeing negative results. One study that did things right found that 500mg of C a day cut the risk of catching a serious respiratory infection by 50% [6]; another found that 2000mg cut it by 85% [7].

Vitamin A
This is essential for immune functioning, and supplementing it reduces severity of measles, secondary infections in measles, diarrhoea, even malaria [8]. And surprising numbers of us are deficient [9]. It hasn’t been proved to work in influenza, but the body needs it alongside vitamin D, and my advice is to play safe. It may even make vaccinations work better [10].

Zinc
Necessary for so many things, including growth, tissue healing and immunity, this trace mineral can reduce your risk of respiratory infections [11].

So..
Our recommendation, based on all the data, is then to take vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin C and Zinc for prevention/protection, plus more vitamin C and vitamin B12 if you do develop symptoms. This is a schedule for an adult — reduce to half doses for a child over 5, and speak to us if you want to help a child under 5.

Please don’t take this as an instruction not to have the vaccine or Tamiflu; that is your decision, and you may well decide to play safe. If you do develop flu-like symptoms you should of course contact your GP. This regime is what I believe has a very good chance of preventing flu, and of helping you fight it if you do develop it. Nobody has researched the package I propose here taken together, but there is much evidence on the individual supplements in it.

I am also attaching a copy of a news item from 2006 during the bird flu debate, which may answer some questions.

References
1.    http://www.tamiflu.com/hcp/influenza-treatment.aspx
2.    Treanor JJ, Hayden FG, Vrooman PS, et al. Efficacy and safety of the oral neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir in treating acute influenza. A randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2000;283:1016-1024.
3.    Lone Simonsen, PhD; Thomas A. Reichert, MD, PhD et al.  Impact of Influenza Vaccination on Seasonal Mortality in the US Elderly Population. Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:265-272.
4.    John J Cannell, Michael Zasloff et al. On the epidemiology of influenza. Virology Journal 2008, 5:29
5.    Aloia JF, Li-Ng M: Epidemic influenza and vitamin D. Epidemiol Infect 2007; 135: 1095–1096
6.    DahlbergG, Engel A, Rydin H. The value of ascorbic acid as a prophylactic against common colds. Acta Medica Scandinavica 1944; 540-61.
7.    Pitt HA, Costrini AM. Vitamin C prohylaxis in marine recruits. JAMA 1979; 9: 908-11.
8.    Villamor E, Fawzi WW. Effects of vitamin a supplementation on immune responses and correlation with clinical outcomes. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2005; 18: 446-64.
9.    Butler JC, Havens PL et al. Measles severitu and serum retinol (vitamin A) concentration among children in the United States. Pediatrics 1993; 6: 119-26
10.    Ross AC. Vitamin a supplementation and retinoic acid treatment in the regulation of antibody responses in vivo. Vitam Horm. 2007; 75: 197-222.
11.    Girodon F, Galan P, et al. Impact of trace elements and vitamin supplementation on immunity and infections in institutionalized elderly patients: a randomized controlled trial. MIN. VIT. AOX. geriatric network. Arch Intern Med. 1999; 159: 748-54.

Dietary supplements and bird flu – the debate
By Stephen Daniells
24/02/2006

As the bird flu grip on Europe increases by the day, scientists have begun to publicly debate the role of nutraceuticals as possible preventatives in the wake of news that availability of anti-viral drugs may be “too little, too late.”

At a Science Media Centre briefing on Monday 20th February, Professor Edzard Ernst, professor of complimentary medicine at the University of Exeter, said that there was no scientific evidence to support the claims from natural products available on the Internet to protect against avian flu. The products quoted by Professor Ernst included olive leaf extract, garlic, oregano oil, colloidal silver, aloe vera, Echinacea, and green tea.

“Nothing works,” Professor Ernst is quoted as saying in the Guardian newspaper (February 21st). “Nothing that is within the umbrella of complementary medicine is of demonstrable effectiveness. Journalists ought to be very cautious when they hear this or that plant kills something in a petri dish.

You'd be hard pushed to find a plant that doesn't have antiviral or antibacterial effects,” said Ernst.
This view was claimed to be “irresponsible and a danger to public health,” by Dr. Damien Downing, president of the British Society for Ecological Medicine, and medical director of the Alliance for Natural Health, an international campaign organisation dedicated to protecting and promoting natural healthcare worldwide.

“I welcomed Professor Ernst's acknowledgement of the point made by the Alliance for Natural Health over a month ago that genuine caution should be exercised when using certain herbal remedies, such as Echinacea, in bird flu, but I am amazed that Professor Ernst appears to have no knowledge of the extensive literature on the essential nature of zinc and vitamin C, for example, when the body is dealing with infections,” said Downing.

Downing says that a significant body of research backs the evidence that both zinc and vitamin C are essential for the immune system, but warned that less than ten per cent of adults in the UK have sufficient levels of zinc in their diet.

“Why is Professor Ernst ignoring the extensive evidence base on the use of nutrition to prevent and relieve viral infections?
Also, when it is self-evident that supplies of vaccines and anti-viral drugs will be too little, too late, it is alarming that no global or national health authorities have broached the subject of how people can support their immune system through the use of diet and food supplements in the event of a pandemic,” added Downing.

However, Dr. Ron Cutler from the School of Biosciences at the University of East London said that any supplement that boosted the body's immune system was bad news in relation to avian flu.
The H5N1 virus is said to stimulate the immune system, fill the lungs with blood and causes death.
The two main antiviral drugs targeted at bird flu, Tamiflu and Relenza, are said to have a window of operation of between six and 48 hours from the appearance of symptoms in humans.

Source: http://www.nutraingredients.com

Janey has asked me to make this offer available to you on her website. I am happy to do so, but I have a duty to make sure that it is appropriate for you and won’t cause you problems.

So you need to tell me something about yourself and your medical history, and to give a phone number and/or email so I can check anything I’m not sure about.

I need to tell you a bit about myself as well. I’m Dr Damien Downing, and I’ve been practising ecological medicine for about 25 years, in both London and York. My GMC number is 1559976. I am confident in the safety and efficacy of all the supplements I recommend and offer here when taken as instructed, and they are not medicines but food supplements, but you can never foresee everything, so if you have any worries please call my office. Call if you want to give supplements to a child under 5 too.

The best and safest way to pay is by credit card, and the easiest way to do that is by phone. Along with your name and address etc, we will ask you some straightforward questions about your health. We will regard your credit card details as a form of signature to this, and will keep it all securely.

This is what we will ask you then — please try and have all the information ready when you phone:

Name
Address
Date of birth
Telephone
Email

Credit card number
Expiry

Do you have any health conditions at present? If yes, what?
What serious health conditions have you had in the past, and approximately when?
Do you have any worries about health issues, apart from swine flu?

Call us on: 0207 099 6003 • 01904 691591

Let me read you your rights!

•    No controlled research studies have been conducted on this combination of supplements.
•    But there are many studies showing that the individual components of it are beneficial against virus and other infections.
•    All the potential adverse effects of which we are aware are stated here — 3 of them:
    1. There may be a risk to pregnancy from high doses of vitamin A. Pregnant women and those who may be pregnant should use beta-carotene (60mg daily) instead of vitamin A.
    2. High doses of vitamin C may cause loose bowels; if so reduce but continue.
    3. High doses of vitamin B12 may cause you to have pink urine for a few hours; this is harmless.
•    We will be very happy to sell you these products, but there is absolutely no obligation. You can find similar products elsewhere; we can only attest for the quality of the products we offer.

•    This is not advice to decline flu vaccine, Tamiflu or any other medication.

Special Offer

We have put together a package of 1 bottle each of the Prevention supplements, at a special price — all are 1 capsule per dose:

Vit D            5000iu
Vitamin A Plus    25000iu
Zinc Citrate        25mg
Vitamin C         1000mg

We will ship this to you for £60.00, including shipping and insurance, a saving of 15%.
This will last two months for all the supplements; some will last longer.

Call us on: 0207 099 6003 • 01904 691591

Swine Flu Supplement Regime

Prevention:

Vitamin D    5000iu daily
Vitamin A    25,000iu daily
Zinc        25mg daily
Vitamin C    1000mg twice daily

•    All of these can be taken once a day, with food, except the vitamin C which is twice daily.
•    Pregnant women and those who may be pregnant should use beta-carotene (60mg daily) instead of vitamin A.
•    You might develop loose bowels on this dose of vitamin C; if so reduce the dose.
•    Apart from that, the regime is entirely safe to take for up to 3 months continuously.
•    If you are already taking any of the above vitamins at around the dose stated here you can and should leave that one out.

Treatment — if symptoms start:

As above for vitamins D and A and Zinc, plus;
Vitamin C    3000mg every 3-4 hours during the day (and optionally at night).
        If this causes loose bowels reduce dose until it settles, but continue         taking 3-hourly.
Vitamin B12    5000mcg daily