PREVENTION SUPPLEMENTS

Okay, time for supplements to bolster the immunity. People are probably popping vitamin C but to tell you the truth, that rarely even prevents colds. You need to take vitamin A with it at the same time, and even then you have to do so in massive doses AND (doctors never tell you this "and" part) you have to change your diet at the same time to decrease your consumption of sugars. Frankly, I wouldn't rely on vitamin A and C to do anything in terms of major protection. However, if I did catch SARS I'd demand intravenous vitamin C. And by the way, taking increased amounts of vitamin A and C for about a week before and after a vaccination injection, especially for infants, is something I'm told by my colleagues minimizes the chances of adverse reactions. Now another big thing to do to avoid catching SARS and other respiratory distress disorders is to avoid drafts and air conditioning because that's an easy way to catch colds and from there, worse things. With this aside, I do have suggestions for two supplements that can help bolster your immune system which will help with prevention, and the first one is great. Every flu season I tell people to take it: 1) Hyperimmunized Egg Powder - 1 can will last a month at 1 scoop/day (more if you are already immune compromised with arthritis, etc.). Frankly, hyperimmunized egg powder is the best overall systemic immune booster I know of. It's a miracle wonder as powerful as CoQ10 for congestive heart failure, lipoic acid for diabetic neuropathy, and glutamine for healing the stomach and intestines (leaky gut). 2) Immune boosting mushrooms - Mushrooms are another broad spectrum immune booster if you get the right ones. In my personal opinion, the only mushrooms to buy and remember I'm an expert in this field because I know some of the big growers/producers ... are from JHS Naturals in the USA. International customers can call 541-344-1396 to order. JHS has a general purpose immune building extract called Immune Builder made from a water extraction process that doesn't destroy the glycoproteins inside the mushroom cells when they break apart the woody cellulose of the mushroom. Most everyone else out there (other manufacturers) just grinds up the mushrooms into pulp and puts it into capsules, yet your body simply cannot digest the mushroom cell wall since we don't have the enzymes that digest cellulose. JHS is the only manufacturer that breaks open the cells to get the immune stimulating proteins inside. As to everyone else, well you're paying a pretty penny for inactive filler you cannot digest. If someone had cancer and needed mushrooms, this is the firm I'd buy them from. In fact, it's the one I send people to all the time. Which bottle to buy? I'd buy 1 bottle of their "Immune builder". Their Reishi extract helps with allergies and cholesterol-lowering while Coriolus is used for cancer, but the Immune Builder contains 5 different mushrooms known for their immune enhancing properties.

When in doubt, always buy a mixed product with several ingredients like this one. This stuff is expensive, so 1 bottle is probably enough, especially as it takes time for mushrooms to kick in - it usually takes 2 weeks to see the WBC counts go up. betaglucan is another popular favorite out there, but you're going to get everything in Immune Builder. Immune26, as mentioned earlier, does its magic almost instantly so it's the first choice product since the results are immediate

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-or SARS

is a mystery virus that that swept across parts of Asia and the Far East, and moved worldwide. It is thought that the virus originated in the Guangdong province in southern China, with neighboring Hong Kong being one of the main centers of the outbreak. Scientists are focusing on two different possible viruses as being the possible cause of the illness: one is from the Coronavirus family (a virus that is often a cause of the common cold), and the other from the paramyxovirus family (which causes measles and mumps). It is believed that a combination of the two viruses might cause the more deadly variation that has been exposed. The spread of the disease prompted Singapore and Hong Kong and parts of Canada to close certain public places and invoke a quarantine law affecting people thought to have had close contact with others who were infected with the disease. The main symptoms of SARS are high fever (greater than 38 C or 100.4 F), combined with a dry cough, shortness of breath, or breathing difficulties, with other possible symptoms including headache, muscular stiffness, loss of appetite, malaise, confusion, rash and diarrhea. A cocktail of drugs has been shown to be effective in combating the illness. SARS seems to be spread through close contact with an infected person, with the incubation period estimated to be between two and seven days. Last updated: March 20, 2009.

Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff SARS is caused by a strain of coronavirus, the same family of viruses that cause the common cold. Until now, these viruses have never been particularly virulent in humans, although they can cause severe disease in animals. For that reason, scientists originally thought that the SARS virus might have crossed from animals to humans. It now seems likely, however, that it evolved from one or more animal viruses into a completely new strain. How SARS spreads Most respiratory illnesses, including SARS, spread through droplets that enter the air when someone with the disease coughs, sneezes or talks. This type of transmission can occur in two ways: Droplets. In droplet transmission, the infected particles are large and can travel only about three feet. To inhale them, you must be face to face with someone who's sick. Airborne particles. Because airborne particles are much smaller than droplets, they travel farther and linger longer in the air. As a result, you can become infected even after the person who coughed or sneezed has left the room.

Most experts think SARS spreads mainly through face-to-face contact, but the virus also may be spread on contaminated objects, including doorknobs, telephones and elevator buttonstyphoid fever acute, generalized infection caused by Salmonella typhi. The main sources of infection are contaminated water or milk and, especially in urban communities, food handlers who are carriers. The symptoms of typhoid appear 10 to 14 days after infection; they include high fever, rose-colored spots on the abdomen and chest, diarrhea or constipation, and enlargement of the spleen. Complications, especially in untreated patients, may be numerous, affecting practically every body system, and they account for the mortality rate of 7% to 14%. Perforation of the intestine with hemorrhage is not uncommon. Chloramphenicol is the most effective drug in combating typhoid, and in very toxic patients a cortisone derivative may be helpful. Skilled nursing care is still of the utmost importance, as is a high caloric diet to prevent wasting of the body. Vaccination against typhoid is a valuable preventive measure, especially for persons in military service and for those who live in or travel to poorly sanitized regions.

Definition Meningococcemia is the presence of meningococcus in the bloodstream.

Meningococcus, a bacteria formally called Neisseria meningitidis, can be one of the most dramatic and rapidly fatal of all infectious diseases. Causes and Symptoms Meningococcemia, a relatively uncommon infection, occurs most commonly in children and young adults. In susceptible people, it may cause a very severe illness that can produce death within hours. The bacteria, which can spread from person to person, usually first causes a colonization in the upper airway, but without symptoms. From there, it can penetrate into the bloodstream to the central nervous system and cause meningitis or develop into a full-blown bloodstream infection (meningococcemia). Fortunately in most colonized people, this does not happen, and the result of this colonization is long-lasting immunity against the particular strain. After colonization is established, symptoms can develop within one day to one to two weeks. After a short period of time (one hour up to one to two days) when the patient complains of fever and muscle aches, more severe symptoms can develop. Unfortunately during this early stage, a doctor cannot tell this illness from any other illness, such as a viral infection like influenza. Unless the case is occurring in a person known to have been exposed to or in the midst of an epidemic of meningococcal disease, there may be no specific symptoms or signs found that help the doctor diagnose the problem. Rarely, a low-grade bloodstream infection called chronic meningococcemia can occur. After this initial period, the patient will often complain of continued fever, shaking chills, overwhelming weakness, and even a feeling of impending doom. The organism is multiplying in the bloodstream, unchecked by the immune system. The severity of the illness and its dire complications are caused by the damage the organism does to the small blood vessel walls. This damage is called a vasculitis, an inflammation of a blood vessel. Damage to the small vessels causes them to become leaky. The first signs of the infection's severity are small bleeding spots seen on the skin (petechiae). A doctor should always suspect meningococcemia when he or she finds an acutely ill patient with fever, chills, and petechiae.

Quickly (within hours), the blood vessel damage increases, and large bleeding areas on the skin (purpura) are seen. The same changes are taking place in the affected person's internal organs. The blood pressure is often low, and there may be signs of bleeding from other organs (like coughing up blood, nose bleeds, blood in the urine). The organism not only damages the blood vessels by causing them to leak, but also causes clotting inside the vessels. If this clotting occurs in the larger arteries, it results in major tissue damage. Essentially, large areas of skin, muscle, and internal organs die from lack of blood and oxygen. Even if the disease is quickly diagnosed and treated, the patient has a high risk of dying. Diagnosis The diagnosis of meningococcemia can be made by the growth of the organism from blood cultures. Treatment should begin when the diagnosis is suspected and should not be delayed by the doctor's waiting for positive cultures. Obtaining fluid from a petechial spot and staining it in the laboratory can assist in quickly seeing the organism. Treatment Immediate treatment of a suspected case of meningococcemia begins with antibiotics that work against the organism. Possible choices include penicillin G, ceftriaxone (Rocephin), cefotaxime (Claforan), or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra). If the patient is diagnosed in a doctor's office, antibiotics should be given immediately if possible, even before transfer to the hospital and even if cultures cannot be obtained before treatment. It is most likely that the speed of initial treatment will affect the ultimate outcome. Prognosis As many as 15 to 20 percent of patients with meningococcemia will die as a result of the acute infection. A significant percentage of the survivors have tissue damage that requires surgical treatment. This treatment may consist of skin grafts, or even partial or full amputations of an arm or leg. Certain people with immune system defects (particularly those with defects in the complement system) may have recurrent episodes of meningococcemia. These patients, however, seem to have a less serious outcome.

Prevention
Although a vaccine is available for meningococcus, it is still difficult as of 2004 to produce a vaccine for the type B organism, the most common one in the United States. Because of this and the short time that the vaccine seems to offer protection, the product has not been routinely used in the United States. It can be used for travelers going to areas where meningococcal disease is more common or is epidemic. In the early 2000s, the vaccine has been suggested for use in incoming college freshmen, particularly those living in dormitories. These students appear to have a somewhat higher risk of meningococcal infections.

AIDS - Definition
AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, sometimes written Aids) is a human disease characterized by progressive destruction of the body's immune system. It is widely accepted that AIDS results from infection with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), although this hypothesis is not without controversy. AIDS is currently considered incurable; where treatments are unavailable (mostly in poorer countries) most sufferers die within a few years of infection. In developed countries, treatment has improved greatly over the past decade, and people have lived with AIDS for ten to twenty years. This mural in India is one of many methods used around the world to teach people how to prevent AIDS. It is estimated by the World Health Organization that as of the end of 2004 37.2 million adults and 2.2 million children were living with HIV. During 2004, 4.9 million people contracted HIV and 3.1 million died from AIDS. Since 1981, AIDS has killed 23.1 million people, out of 79.9 million total infections. In Africa, life expectancy has dropped by decades in many countries solely due to deaths from AIDS and Kaposi's sarcoma, a tumour occurring in AIDS patients that is now the most common tumour reported in sub-Saharan countries. AIDS was first noticed among gay men and intravenous drug users in the 1980s. (See homosexuality and medical science.) By the 1990s the syndrome had become a global epidemic and in 2004, 58 percent of those with AIDS were women. While gay men and those of African descent continue to suffer higher per capita AIDS rates, the majority of victims are currently heterosexual women and men, and children, in developing countries.

Prevention
Stop AIDS Project marchers at San Francisco Pride 2004. Despite widely publicised fears about the possible "casual transmission" of HIV and AIDS, the risk of infection is virtually eliminated by following simple precautions, such as abstaining from sexual activity outside a definitely monogamous relation with a seronegative partner, and avoiding blood transfusions with unsafe blood. The only proven cause of transmission is the exchange of bodily fluids, in particular blood and genital secretions. HIV cannot be transmitted by breathing, via casual contact such as touching, holding or shaking hands, by sharing cooking and eating utensils, dishes, cups and glasses, hugging and kissing, or by mutual masturbation. It is possible that HIV could be transmitted through open-mouthed kissing if both partners had bleeding oral sores, but no such case has been documented and the possibility of transmission in this way is considered very unlikely as saliva contains much lower concentrations of HIV than, for example, semen. HIV is not a hardy organism; the virus dies within about twenty minutes once it is outside a human body. Thus, for example blood or semen stains quickly become non-infectious and are no cause for concern. HIV transmission via sexual activity has been recorded from male to male, male to female,

female to female and female to male. "Health experts around the world urge people to use condoms to protect themselves from HIV and a host of sexually transmitted infections." [4] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3176982.stm). Although condoms are not 100% effective against pregnancy or disease transmission, it has been repeatedly shown that HIV cannot pass through latex condoms. All major brand condoms are electrically tested during production to ensure they have no microscopic holes. However packaged condoms do not last indefinitely, old condoms have a higher risk of tearing, thus they should not be used after the date given on the package. Anal sex, because of the delicacy of the tissues in the anus and the ease with which they can tear, is considered the highest-risk sexual activity, but condoms are recommended for vaginal sex as well. Condoms should be used only once, and then thrown away and a new condom used each time. Because of the risk of tearing (both of the condom and of skin and mucous membranes), the use of water-based lubricants is recommended. Oil-based sexual lubricants should not be used with condoms as they can cause tears in the condom material by weakening the latex. In terms of HIV transmission, oral sex is considered a lower risk than vaginal or anal sex. The relative lack of definitive research on the subject, coupled with conflicting public information and cultural influences have caused many to believe, incorrectly, that oral sex is safe. Although the actual risk factor of oral HIV transmission is unknown, there are documented cases of HIV transmission through both insertive and receptive (male) oral sex. One study concluded that 7.8% of recently infected men in San Francisco were probably infected through oral sex. However, a study of Spanish men who knowingly engaged in oral sex with HIV+ partners identified no cases of oral transmission. Part of the reason for such apparently conflicting evidence is that identifying oral transmission cases is problematic. Most HIV+ persons engaged in other types of sexual activity prior to infection, thus making it difficult or impossible to isolate oral transmission. Factors such as mouth sores, etc., are also difficult to decouple from transmission between "healthy" persons. It is usually recommended not to take semen or preseminal fluid into the mouth. The use of condoms for oral sex (or dental dams for cunnilingus) further reduces the potential risk. HIV is known to be transmitted via the sharing of needles by users of intravenous drugs, and this is one of the most common methods of transmission. All AIDS-prevention organisations advise drug-users not to share needles and to use a new or properly sterilized needle for each injection. Information on cleaning needles using bleach is available from health care and addiction professionals and from needle exchanges. In the United States and other western countries, clean needles are available free in some cities, at needle exchanges or safe injection sites. Medical workers who follow universal precautions or body substance isolation such as wearing latex gloves when giving injections or handling bodily wastes or fluids, and washing the hands frequently, can prevent the spread of HIV from patients to workers, and from patient to patient. The risk of being infected with HIV from a single prick with a needle that has been used on an HIV infected person is thought to be less than 1 in 200. Post-exposure prophylaxis with anti-HIV drugs can further reduce that small risk. Several studies have shown that circumcised men may be slightly less likely to contract HIV. Alternatively, there are studies which show nations with high circumcision rates have more AIDS overall than those with low rates. One theory is that cells in the foreskin, which are removed during circumcision, act as so-called "HIV receptors". The difference at present appears to be very slight, and could be a result of cultural and hygiene differences rather than

circumcision. It is unlikely that these findings will lead to an increase in circumcisions carried out on newborns, which are currently performed on most infant boys in the United States. Being circumcised should not be taken as having immunity to HIV. There is now some evidence that treatment of already-infected people with antiretroviral drugs may reduce the transmission of HIV infection to their sexual partners, independently of other safer-sex precautions [5] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3538556.stm). This may imply that aggressively treating existing HIV cases, in addition to protecting the uninfected population through education and safer-sex programs, may be more effective at preventing the spread of HIV than either of these alone.