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As anyone who knows me or anyone who follows my posts knows, I am not a political person; what I do care about though are human beings, life in general, human rights and our safety. If the days and countless hours spent on this can help someone somewhere; I’ll be very happy.
As you know, I am a member of the British Psychological Society and the British Mensa Society. My background is in Psychology and Natural Medicine but within both fields I had to study a part of conventional science; not enough to be qualified to conduct my own scientific laboratory research, but enough to be able to bring you informed research from reliable medical sources – if there is such a thing nowadays. I say that because most scientific research nowadays has some invested interest somewhere, and results are sometimes dependent on who’s funding it.
Just recently, I’ve been engaged in more conversations about the swine flu (Influenza A or Gripe A) and the H1N1 vaccine than I care to mention. Many of my colleagues have had the vaccine and some have suffered adverse reactions to it; from headaches to vomiting. However, the biggest plea I received was from my mother who has also been vaccinated. She asked me to please prove the vaccine was safe and that it couldn’t cause cancer.
So, I decided to carry out my own independent research a) to see what I could come up with and b) to inform everyone, in simple terms, about the pros and cons of the vaccine and the flu itself.
I’ve tried to put together material from as reliable and accurate sources as possible. Please consider it very carefully and make your own formulated opinion. Please also consider that since I am not a laboratory researcher, I can only give you facts and data collated by third party scientists in their own research environments.
I wish I could be the one to give my mother good news but I’m not sure I can. My conclusion is that the vaccine does contain known cancer causing substances that are toxic to humans. However, there is some discrepancy as to what dosages are considered highly toxic. So, at this point nobody can predict what the long term side effects will be. Furthermore, everybody’s body will react in a different way; just as some people can smoke all their lives and never develop cancer, whilst others can’t.
By the same token, I can say that one of the vaccines being manufactured does contain a substance that, in laboratory rats, has been known to act as an anti-chemical carcinogenesis. Whether this works in humans is still unknown since clinical trials, with humans, have not yet been carried out.
I think, in all honesty, only the future will tell.
I’ve tried to do my best to bring you the breakdown of the chemical ingredients in the vaccine, and what they’re used for. The rest is up to you to get more information, be aware, take responsibility and do your due diligence.
Be safe. I value every living being.
Background Information
There is a wealth of information on the Internet about the Influenza A. I am not going to reiterate here. However, the “so-called” swine flu first appeared in 1918. It was responsible for the death of between 50 – 100 million people worldwide. It primarily claimed the lives of healthy adults between the ages of 20 and 40. Why? Because it caused something called a cytokine response – what is this?
It’s a term used to describe when the body’s immune system goes into overdrive at defending our organism against harmful external viruses. Basically, the more healthy a body is, the harder it fights off external threats. The harder it fights, the more it goes into overdrive until it, basically, send the system into tilt.
Weaker immune systems, as found in younger people, children, babies and elderly people have slower and weaker responses, which placed them out of the common death claiming range.
I didn’t find any documented evidence that suggested the 2009 Influenza A claimed any lives due to the cytokine response. However, I did find evidence that there is a mutated version of the Influenza A, which has claimed the lives of (maybe) 6 people worldwide. Whether these facts, figures and data are correct is unknown; since we cannot rely on the Media nowadays to duly and accurately inform us.
However, there are a lot of factors that need to be considered when we look at the 1918 death toll. It was war time. Hygiene standards, on a global scale, were much lower. People suffered with malnutrition in areas that nowadays don’t. Troops were constantly on the move, and in great numbers on a global scale, hence the contamination process was greatly aided and speeded up. There was less awareness about the contamination process itself. Little was known about viral infections in general. We didn’t have micro-medications we have today. The list could go on.
Of course, there would also be conspiracy theorists who would have us believe the H1N1 was a laboratory manufactured virus, as a type of biological warfare; specifically designed to eliminate a certain age group of the population in order to end, and win, the war. Personally, I do not believe this as there were too many casualties on all sides.
The 1918 Influenza A didn’t just disappear as many would have us believe. It apparently weakened itself over time, as many viruses do, but lay dormant somehow; somewhere. It reappeared again in 1937.
The scandalous facts about the 1937 outbreak is that scientists in the UK and the United States used patients, they describe as “feebleminded” at various psychiatric institutions as human guinea pigs for live anti-viral testing. Yes, you read it correctly. Scientists injected about a third of the patients, across various institutions at various locations, with a vaccine containing “live” Influenza A virus; no doubt without written consent. http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/pdf_extract/35/1/55
If you follow the link above, to the article written in 1941, what amazes me is how scientists report patients were inoculated, and I quote, 5 to 10 weeks before the onset of an Influenza epidemic. We have two choices here: a) we can think that any serious Influenza, at that time was considered an Influenza A, or that somehow the relaunch of the Influenza A (of which by definition of gene content there is only one associated with the Swine flu) was premeditated in a bid to use more humans as guinea pigs.
In 1946/47, there was another outbreak of Influenza that apparently started in Japan. People were inoculated with a milder strain of the H1N1 vaccine but it proved to be a complete failure. Even nowadays, the H1N1 vaccine will not protect you from the swine flu nor any of its mutations thereof.
In 1957, 1968, 1976, 1977 there were more minor outbreaks of various types of Influenza; including the H1N1 that struck people who hadn’t had it previously. Of course, then, closer to the 21st century we’ve had the Avian Influenza and now we have the new H1N1 again.
An interesting fact I came across is that in 2008, in a bid to study the Avian Influenza virus, scientists exhumed the body of a man who died during the 1918/1919 pandemic. He was buried in a lead coffin, which could have very well preserved the H1N1 virus. I’ll leave it to you to think what you will.
So, I come to the modern day 2009 Influenza A. You’ve all heard about it. You all know what it is and how it can affect you. You all know what steps you can take to avoid contamination and spreading. So, I’m not going to go into any details here. What I will say though is that more people have died from a common flu than from the Influenza A.
It’s the Media hype that has blown it out of control and disseminated fear into our minds with a little help from the pharmaceutical companies who have an invested interest in making billion and billions of dollars; not just in the short term, with the vaccines, but in the long term as well, with the potential side effects the vaccines could have in a large proportion of individuals that have it.
Current Manufacturers of the Influenza A (H1N1) vaccine
To date, I have found 5 major manufacturers of the Influenza A vaccine. They are: Sanofi Pasteur, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Limited, CSL Limited, ID Biomedical Corporation of Qebec and MedImmune, LLC. The vaccine produced by ID Biomedical Corporation of Qebec is being distributed by Glaxo Smithkline Beecham.
As a matter of curiosity, I went digging around for financial reports for all the pharmaceutical companies mentioned above. As with all businesses, they suffered losses due to the economic crisis the world has been facing. Stocks had fallen. Yet, they are rising again slowly since the advent of the “hearsay” Influenza A epidemic.
As anyone who deals in stocks and shares will know, the more a rumour is spread, the more likely it is a product will sell. The more likely it is that a product will sell, the more likely it is a company will find investors or the more likely it is prices of stock will go up and the company makes money all round.
Far be it for me to be a sceptic, but in a world where economic growth is at an all time slow and world markets show no sign of immediate recovery, perhaps the banks and the big boys behind wall street, (and most of the global power), found a window of opportunity to increase their bank balances, recover their losses and guarantee an income for the coming years.
How? Simple, develop a vaccine that, theoretically, does little or nothing against the Influenza A, yet injects people with toxic substances that in the long term might have detrimental effects on their health, and ensure they require more medication in the future. More medication equals more guaranteed income for the pharmaceutical companies. I hate to say this but it’s also a way to control the population count.
I’d like to just say here that I am not in any way a conspiracy theorist. I look at the given facts before coming to any conclusions. The facts, in this case, are exemplified by the Polio vaccine first introduce in 1955. By 1961, the vaccine was declared unsafe for human consumption because it was thought to be contaminated with a substance called SV40, a carcinogen that came from infected monkeys.
Yet, that very same vaccine continued to be used well into the year 2000 on a global scale. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide have potentially been exposed to this silent killer. In some, the effects have become apparent. Sufferers in whom cancer has already developed, relatives of people who died and/or some people who have become or became paralysed, because of the vaccine, have carried out lawsuits. You can find more information on the net by searching for links between polio vaccines and paralysis lawsuits.
With the new H1N1 vaccine, as far as I am aware, the pharmaceutical companies have a clause that stipulates they cannot be brought into a court of law should anyone suffer any side effects. This clause alone begs the question: “Why?”
It’s my humble opinion we do not question enough what we allow medics to put into our bodies. We do not investigate enough. We place too much trust in the hands of our doctors and the Media. It doesn’t take a medical degree to ask what something is and what it is used for, and nowadays we have no excuse. Information is everywhere.
Prior to the current manufacturers of the vaccine H1N1, Baxter International Inc. developed a vaccine that contained H5N1 (avian flu virus) and H3N2 (seasonal flu viruses.) In experiments, ferrets were found to die from the vaccine, which suggested the H5N1 virus was live. If this substance had been injected into humans it could have had disastrous consequences.
Human beings could have acted as incubators for a new crossbreed virus that could have then been transmitted from one being to another. The vaccine went out. It was discovered by pure accident. However, it is now said that all known batches of the Baxter vaccine have been recalled.
Human errors happen. Accidents happen. Researchers, scientists, doctors, nurses; nobody is infallible. It’s our responsibility to safeguard ourselves from others’ errors.
H1N1 Vaccine – “Known” Ingredients
This is the list of ingredients contained within the vaccines that I’ve been able to find so far. As you will see, different pharmaceutical companies are using slightly different ingredients. I have no idea if there are other “unmentioned” ingredients as I cannot get my hands on all the packaging labels that come with the actual vaccines (as of yet.)
Please note that anyone suffering with egg allergies should not go anywhere near the vaccine.
Know these ingredients – What are they?
I am not going to describe every ingredient in detail, as I am sure you know what many of them are; like sucrose (sugar), gelatin (which can cause allergies in some people), ovalbumin (egg or egg protein), sodium (salt) and so on. However, I am going to bring to your attention the most important ones that need very careful reflection.
Formaldehyde
As many of you probably already know, Formaldehyde is a colourless and odourless substance that was once used in building materials; in resin form for insulating foam, as an adhesive and to treat textiles. Its primary function was to act as a fungicide, sterilizer and germicide. It’s also used in morgues and laboratories (in liquid form) as embalming fluid and to preserve bodies. Formaldehyde is actually naturally present in the atmosphere in very small quantities because every living organism produces and emits a tiny amount of it.
Different people have different reactions to over-exposure to Formaldehyde and, of course, the severity of symptoms depends on the amount of exposure.
According to the U.S Goverment’s National Cancer Institute website information and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (World Health Organization) – http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/risk/formaldehyde – http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol88/index.php – studies have been carried out, on a global scale, since the 1980s to see just what the effects of Formaldehyde are.
In 1980, Formaldehyde was found to cause nasal cancer in rats. In 1987 Formaldehyde was declared a cancer causing substance for humans (carcinogen) and found to be associated with different types of cancers. In fact, in 1988 and again in 2003, scientists in the United States and the United Kingdom found a serious relationship between over-exposure to Formaldehyde and deaths caused by lung cancer in industries where Formaldehyde was being used as a chemical agent. (http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol88/mono88-6B.pdf) – In Denmark, Formaldehyde was associated with lung, kidney, colon and nasal cancer in a study carried out by Hansen and Olsen. http://www.springerlink.com/content/w632326683541334/ The list and studies go on. I suggest you follow the links if you’re interested in the full research findings.
Pregnant women who were exposed to Formaldehyde have been known to give birth to deformed babies. There were known cases studied in China, UK and US. In fact, just recently I was talking to a friend about the UK being one of the first countries in the world to pay compensation to mothers, of deformed babies through exposure to Formaldehyde, who sought legal action.
Why would the World Health Organization, any Government or any Health organisation knowingly approve that we be injected with a substance, (no matter in how much of a small dosage), that they themselves officially declared as a carcinogen?
Tween 80 (also known as Polysorbate 80)
First of all, Tween 80 is a drug used to trick the blood brain barrier to open up so that nano-drugs can be carried through into the brain. However, in 2005, it was discovered that this drug can cause hives, breathing problems and a sharp enough drop in blood pressure to actually be fatal. Aside from this, it was found to cause infertility in mice.
I quote: http://www.whale.to/v/tween_80.html
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, which is part of the United Nations, scientists from the organization are developing vaccines specifically to damage fertility as a method of contraception. A suggested ingredient for the vaccine is tween 80 (polysorbate 80): “In a preferred embodiment the vaccine comprises oil, preferably a biodegradable oil such as squalene oil. Typically, the vaccine is prepared using an adjuvant concentrate which contains lecithin in squalene oil. The aqueous solution glycoprotein is typically a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution, and additionally preferably contains Tween 80.” (Fertility Impairing Vaccine And Methods of Use’ This application claims the benefit of U. S. Provisional Application No. 60/070,375, filed January 2,1998, U. S. Provisional Application No. 60/071,406, filed January 15,1998.) Exploring Vaccines
You will see, from what I have highlighted in red and orange that a couple of questions arise:
Are the pharmaceutical companies trying to control the number of future births; on a global scale?
Or, are they trying to subsequently cash in on fertility treatments? Think about this, with each treatment costing between 2,000 to 5,000 US dollars, just how much would they stand to cash in on if a third of the global population was sterile? After all, is it not nearly every couple’s dream to have a child?
Thimerosal and Mercury
Thimerosal is a type of Mercury used as a preservative. So, I am shocked to find that the H1N1 has both Thimerosal and Mercury contained within the vaccine. Both elements have been declared dangerous to health and linked to autism in children, cardiovascular disease in adults, brain tissue damage and other malfunctions of the nervous system.
For years, the FDA in the United States has admitted that Mercury is toxic. For years, it has been reviewing what quantities can be excreted from the body safely. Yet, regardless of the amount of research carried out, the answer is: we still don’t know. Scientists still don’t know. For years the FDA has been campaigning to remove Thimerosal altogether from vaccines. Yet, pharmaceutical companies are still selling vaccines with Mercury and Thimerosal, and the FDA are still approving them. Why?
You can read full reports on Thimerosal and Mercury here:
Commonly used as a spermicide. Also used as a detergent and a solvent for vinyl record cleaning.
Polyethylene glycol
I find the inclusion of this ingredient very interesting. Apparently, to date, it is a known anti-chemical carcinogenesis in laboratory rats. However, whether or not it can prevent the development of cancer in humans is not yet known because, (as far as I could find out), there haven’t been any human clinical trials yet.
I have to wonder, though, if the inclusion of this substance in the H1N1 vaccine is part of a live clinical trial. Think what you will.
Squalene – Although it’s not on the official packaging, we know it’s being used.
Squalene is an oil that derives from sharks’ liver primarily and some plants as well. It’s used in cosmetics because it’s easily absorbed through the skin and doesn’t leave an oily after-feeling. In medicine, it’s added to vaccines to stimulate the immune system’s response because it enhance the production of what are known as CD4 memory cells. However, squalene has never been approved for this usage by the FDA.
I quote: http://www.novaccine.com/vaccine-ingredients/results.asp?sc=27
“Animals injected with squalene always develop painful, incurable, autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus according to investigative journalist Gary Matsumoto, former reporter for NBC and Fox News. (Gary Matsumoto, Vaccine A: The Covert Government Experiment That’s Killing Our Soldiers and Why GIs Are Only the First Victims, Basic Books, 2004) Dangers of squalene have been known since 1956 when Dr. Jules Freund, creator of this oil-based adjuvant, warned that animals injected with his formulation developed terrible, incurable conditions: allergic aspermatogenesis (stoppage of sperm production), experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (the animal version of MS), allergic neuritis (inflammation of the nerves that can lead to paralysis) and other severe autoimmune disorders. Squalene (MF 59) was added to the anthrax vaccine. This vaccine caused tens of thousands of U.S. Iraq Desert Storm soldiers to suffer permanent neurological damage called “Gulf War Illness.” (Jane Bergermeister, Adjuvants to be added to H1N1 vaccine by Baxter and WHO programme body for “endless loop of self-destruction, 2009) Squalene (MF 59) enzyme is not approved for human consumption but waived for use in the H1N1 vaccine. It also potentially causes “undiscovered side effects” according to Jefferson, Mercola and others. “
Deborah Dupre, Examiner.com – 8/18/2009
Mono Sodium Glutamate
Mono Sodium Glutamate is known as an excitotoxin. It’s an additive that’s been used in food for centuries; to make it taste better. The truth behind it is, it kills off certain neurons in the brain by overstimulating them.
Russell Blaylock, an American neurosurgeon, has made a very convincing connection between continuous exposure to Mono Sodium Glutamate, in adults, to (and I quote) an accelerated onset and degeneration in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, and ALS as well as headaches, seizures, strokes and AIDS dementia.
Usually used as a laxative or as a substance to coat suppositories with. It is also found in cosmetics because of its lubricant nature.
Nonylphenol ethoxylate
Mainly used in detergents, as emulsifiers and found in some pesticides, Nonylphenol ethoxylate is a man-made chemical that was officially declared dangerous to the environment by the European commission and the WWF. It was found to have serious detrimental effects on the female reproductive organs in aquatic species and also found to lower the sperm count in male species. Just how it affects humans is still relatively unknown.
In 1992 the Paris Commission urged the European parliament to recommend that the use of Nonylphenol ethoxylate be completely phased out of domestic cleaning substances by the year 2000. You can read the full International report here:
This is an antibiotic. However, in some people it can cause side-effects of vomiting, nausea, increased salivation, joint pain, visual disturbances, dry eyes, tinitus, vertigo etc.
You can see the full description on the packaging details here:
FLU VACCINE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALL PREGNANT WOMEN (CDC)
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP):
Vaccination of pregnant women is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
< http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/default.htm#flu > http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/default.htm#flu
FDA approved manufacturers package insert: Manufacturers warnings
8.1 Pregnancy Category C: Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Fluzone vaccine. It is also not known whether Fluzone vaccine can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity. Fluzone vaccine should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed.
8.2 Nursing Mothers: It is not known whether Fluzone vaccine is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when Fluzone vaccine is administered to a nursing woman.
13.1 Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility: Fluzone vaccine has not been evaluated for carcinogenic or mutagenic potential, or for impairment of fertility.
NOTE: CDC does not require providers to inform pregnant women of the Thimerosal (mercury) content.
sanofi pasteur 449/454 Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine
HIGHLIGHTS OF PRESCRIBING INFORMATION
These highlights do not include all the information needed to use Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine safely and effectively. See full prescribing information for Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine.
Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine Manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur Inc. Suspension for Intramuscular Injection Initial US Approval: 1980
—————————-RECENT MAJOR CHANGES—————————— Indications and Usage ( 1 ) [9/2009] Dosage and Administration ( 2.2 ) [9/2009]
—————————-INDICATIONS AND USAGE——————————- Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine is an inactivated influenza virus vaccine indicated for active immunization of persons 6 months of age and older against influenza disease caused by pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus. (1)
————————–DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION————————- Based on currently available information the vaccination regimen is as follows:
Children ▪ 6 through 35 months of age (0.25 mL dose, intramuscular injection): - Two 0.25 mL doses approximately one month apart. (2.2) ▪ 36 months through 9 years of age (0.5 mL dose, intramuscular injection): - Two 0.5 mL doses approximately one month apart. (2.2) ▪ 10 years of age and older – A single 0.5 mL dose, intramuscular injection. (2.2) Adults - A single 0.5 mL dose, intramuscular injection. (2.2)
———————DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS——— Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine, a sterile suspension for intramuscular injection, is supplied in four presentations: ␣ Prefilled syringe, 0.25 mL, no preservative; distinguished by a pink syringe
plunger rod (3) ␣ Prefilled syringe, 0.5 mL, no preservative (3) ␣ Single-dose vial, 0.5 mL, no preservative (3) ␣ Multi-dose vial, 5 mL, contains thimerosal, a mercury derivative, added as a
10 September 2009_v0.3 LE5860-5862
——————————-CONTRAINDICATIONS———— ␣ Severe hypersensitivity to egg proteins or any component of the vaccine
or life-threatening reactions after previous administration of any influenza vaccine. (4, 11)
———————--WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS——————— ␣ If Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has occurred within 6 weeks of
previous influenza vaccination, the decision to give Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine should be based on careful consideration of the potential benefits and risks. (5.1)
␣ Immunocompromised persons may have a reduced immune response to Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine. (5.2)
——————————ADVERSE REACTIONS————– Adverse reaction information is based on studies conducted with seasonal trivalent Influenza Virus Vaccine. ␣ Most common (≥10%) local reactions were soreness at injection site,
tenderness, pain, and swelling. (6) ␣ Most common (≥10%) systemic events were malaise, headache, and
myalgia. (6)
To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Sanofi Pasteur Inc., Discovery Drive, Swiftwater, PA 18370 at 1-800-822-2463 (1-800-VACCINE) or VAERS at 1-800-822-7967 or http://vaers.hhs.gov.
——————————DRUG INTERACTIONS————– ␣ Do not mix with other vaccines in the same syringe or vial. (7.1) ␣ Immunosuppressive therapies may reduce the immune response to
Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine. (7.2)
———————–USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS——- Information in this section is based on seasonal trivalent Influenza Virus Vaccine manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur Inc. (Fluzone vaccine). ␣ Safety and effectiveness of Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent
Vaccine have not been established in pregnant women or nursing mothers
or children <6 months of age. (8.1, 8.3, 8.4) ␣ Antibody responses to Fluzone vaccine were lower in the geriatric
population than in younger adults. (8.5) See 17 PATIENT_COUNSELING_INFORMATION.
preservative. Each 0.5 mL dose contains 25 mcg mercury. (3, 11 ) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FULL PRESCRIBING INFORMATION: CONTENTS*
1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE 2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
2.1 Preparation for Administration
2.2 Recommended Dose and Schedule 3 DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS 4 CONTRAINDICATIONS 5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
5.1 Guillain-Barré Syndrome 5.2 Altered Immunocompetence 5.3 Preventing and Managing Allergic Reaction 5.4 Limitations of Vaccine Effectiveness
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS
6.1 Clinical Trial Experience 6.2 Post-Marketing Experience 6.3 Other Adverse Events Associated with Influenza Vaccines
7 DRUG INTERACTIONS
7.1 Concomitant Administration with other Vaccines 7.2 Immunosuppressive Therapies
8 USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS
8.1 Pregnancy 8.3 Nursing Mothers 8.4 Pediatric Use 8.5 Geriatric Use
11 DESCRIPTION 12 CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
12.1 Mechanism of Action 13 NON-CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY
13.1 Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility 14 CLINICAL STUDIES
14.1 Immunogenicity in the Adult and Geriatric Population
14.2 Immunogenicity in Children 15 REFERENCES 16 HOW SUPPLIED/STORAGE AND HANDLING
16.1 How Supplied
16.2 Storage and Handling 17 PATIENT COUNSELING INFORMATION
*Sections or subsections omitted from the full prescribing information are not listed.
Confidential/Proprietary Information Page 1 of 19
Revised: September 2009
sanofi pasteur 10 September 2009_v0.3 449/454 Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine LE5860-5862
1 FULL PRESCRIBING INFORMATION:
2 1. INDICATIONS AND USAGE
3 Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine is an inactivated influenza virus vaccine 4 indicated for active immunization of persons 6 months of age and older against influenza disease 5 caused by pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus. 6
7 2. DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
8
2.1. Preparation for Administration
9 Inspect Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine syringes and vials visually for particulate 10 matter and/or discoloration prior to administration. If either of these conditions exist, the vaccine 11 should not be administered. 12
13 Shake the syringe and single-dose vials well before administering the vaccine and shake the 14 multi-dose vial each time before withdrawing a dose of vaccine. 15 16 2.2. Recommended Dose and Schedule
17 Clinical studies are ongoing with Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine to determine 18 the optimal dosage, number of doses and schedule. 19 20 Available data show that children 9 years of age and younger are largely serologically naive to 21 the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus. (1) Based upon these data Influenza A (H1N1) 2009
22 Monovalent Vaccine should be administered as follows:
Confidential/Proprietary Information Page 2 of 19
sanofi pasteur 10 September 2009_v0.3
449/454 Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine
LE5860-5862
1 2 Children 3 Children 6 through 35 months of age should receive two 0.25 mL intramuscular doses 4 approximately 1 month apart. (1) 5 6 Children 36 months through 9 years of age should receive two 0.5 mL intramuscular doses 7 approximately 1 month apart. (1) 8 9 Children 10 years of age and older should receive a single 0.5 mL intramuscular dose. (1)
10 11 The preferred sites for intramuscular injections are the anterolateral aspect of the thigh in infants 12 or the deltoid muscle of the upper arm in toddlers and young children. 13 14 The vaccine should not be injected into the gluteal region or into areas where there may be a 15 major nerve trunk. 16 17 Adults 18 Persons 18 years of age and older should receive a single 0.5 mL intramuscular dose. 19 20 In adults, the preferred site for intramuscular injection is the deltoid muscle. 21
Confidential/Proprietary Information Page 3 of 19
sanofi pasteur 10 September 2009_v0.3 449/454 Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine LE5860-5862
1 The vaccine should not be injected into the gluteal region or into areas where there may be a 2 major nerve trunk. 3
4 3. DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS 5 Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine is a sterile suspension for intramuscular
6 injection. [See Description (11)] 7 8 Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine is supplied in 4 presentations:
Prefilled syringe, 0.25 mL, no preservative, for 6 through 35 months of age; distinguished by a pink syringe plunger rod; Prefilled syringe, 0.5 mL, no preservative, for 36 months of age and older; Single-dose vial, 0.5 mL, no preservative, for 36 months of age and older;
Multi-dose vial, 5 mL, for 6 months of age and older, contains thimerosal, a mercury derivative, added as a preservative. Each 0.5 mL dose contains 25 micrograms (mcg) mercury.
17 4. 18 Do not administer Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine to anyone with a known severe hypersensitivity to egg proteins or any component of the vaccine or life-threatening reactions after previous administration of any influenza vaccine. [See Warnings and Precautions 21 (5) and Description (11)]
5. WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
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CONTRAINDICATIONS
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1 5.1. Guillain-Barré Syndrome
2 Recurrence of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has been temporally associated with the 3 administration of influenza vaccine. The decision to give Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent 4 Vaccine to individuals who have a prior history of Guillain-Barré syndrome should be based on 5 careful consideration of the potential benefits and risks. 6 7 5.2. Altered Immunocompetence
8 If Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine is administered to immunocompromised
9 persons, including those receiving immunosuppressive therapy, the immune response may be 10 diminished. 11 12
5.3. Preventing and Managing Allergic Reaction
13 Appropriate medical treatment and supervision must be available to manage possible 14 anaphylactic reactions following administration of the vaccine. 15 16 5.4. Limitations of Vaccine Effectiveness
17 Vaccination with Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine may not protect all recipients. 18
19
6. ADVERSE REACTIONS
20 Sanofi Pasteur’s Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine and seasonal trivalent Influenza
21 Virus Vaccine (Fluzone®) are manufactured by the same process. The following sub-sections
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1 summarize safety data from clinical experience with seasonal trivalent inactivated influenza 2 vaccines, including Fluzone vaccine. 3
6.1. Clinical Trial Experience
4 Adverse event information from clinical trials provides the basis for identifying adverse events 5 that appear to be related to vaccine use and for approximating the rates of these events. However, 6 because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse event rates 7 observed in the clinical trials of a vaccine cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trial 8 of another vaccine, and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. 9
10 Adults and Geriatrics 11 In placebo-controlled studies among adults, the most frequent side effect of vaccination is soreness 12 at the vaccination site (affecting 10%–64% of patients) that lasts <2 days, local pain and swelling. 13 These local reactions typically are mild. Fever, malaise, myalgia, and other systemic symptoms can 14 occur following vaccination and most often affect persons who have had no prior exposure to the 15 influenza virus antigens in the vaccine (e.g., young children). These reactions begin 6–12 hours 16 after vaccination and can persist for 1–2 days. Placebo-controlled trials demonstrate that among 17 older persons and healthy young adults, administration of split-virus influenza vaccine is not 18 associated with higher rates of systemic symptoms (e.g., fever, malaise, myalgia, and headache) 19 when compared with placebo injections. (2) 20
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1 Children 2 The 2003-2004 formulation of Fluzone vaccine was studied in 19 children 6 to 23 months of age 3 and in 12 children 24 to 36 months of age, given in 2 doses one month apart. Local reactions and 4 systemic events were solicited for 3 days after each dose. Most local and systemic reactions were 5 mild. The proportions of local and systemic reactions in children were similar to the proportions 6 in adults. No reported local or systemic reaction required a therapeutic intervention other than 7 analgesics. (3) 8 9
6.2. Post-Marketing Experience
10 The following additional events have been reported during post-approval use of Fluzone vaccine. 11 Because these events are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always 12 possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to vaccine 13 exposure.
14 15 Blood and Lymphatic System Disorders: Thrombocytopenia, lymphadenopathy 16 17 Immune System Disorders: Anaphylaxis, other allergic/hypersensitivity reactions (including 18 urticaria, angioedema) 19 20 Nervous System Disorders: GBS, convulsions, myelitis (including encephalomyelitis and 21 transverse myelitis), facial palsy (Bell’s palsy), optic neuritis/neuropathy, brachial neuritis, 22 syncope (shortly after vaccination), dizziness, paresthesia
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1 2 Vascular Disorders: Vasculitis, vasodilation/flushing 3 4 Respiratory, Thoracic and Mediastinal Disorders: Dyspnea, pharyngitis, rhinitis 5 6 Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: Stevens-Johnson syndrome 7 8 General Disorders and Administration Site Conditions: Fever, pain, pruritis, asthenia/fatigue, 9 pain in extremities, chest pain
10 11
6.3. Other Adverse Events Associated with Influenza Vaccines
12 Anaphylaxis has been reported after administration of influenza vaccines. Although Influenza A 13 (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine contains only a limited quantity of egg protein, this protein 14 can induce immediate hypersensitivity reactions among persons who have severe egg allergy. 15 Allergic reactions include hives, angioedema, allergic asthma, and systemic anaphylaxis. [See 16 Contraindications (4)]
17 18 The 1976 swine influenza vaccine was associated with an increased frequency of Guillain-Barré 19 syndrome (GBS). Evidence for a causal relation of GBS with subsequent vaccines prepared from 20 other influenza viruses is unclear. If influenza vaccine does pose a risk, it is probably slightly 21 more than 1 additional case/1 million persons vaccinated. 22
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1 Neurological disorders temporally associated with influenza vaccination such as encephalopathy, 2 optic neuritis/neuropathy, partial facial paralysis, and brachial plexus neuropathy have been 3 reported. 4
5 Microscopic polyangitis (vasculitis) has been reported temporally associated with influenza 6 vaccination. 7
8
7. DRUG INTERACTIONS
9
7.1. Concomitant Administration with Other Vaccines
10 There are no data on the concomitant administration of Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent 11 V accine with seasonal trivalent influenza vaccines. 12 13 Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine should not be mixed with any other vaccine in 14 the same syringe or vial.
15 16 If Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine is to be given at the same time as another 17 injectable vaccine(s), the vaccine(s) should always be administered at different injection sites. 18 19 7.2. Immunosuppressive Therapies
20 If Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine is administered to immunosuppressed persons 21 or persons receiving immunosuppressive therapy, immunologic response may be diminished. 22
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1
8. USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS 2 Sanofi Pasteur’s Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine and seasonal trivalent Influenza
3 Virus Vaccine (Fluzone vaccine) are manufactured by the same process. Available information 4 for Fluzone vaccine is provided in this section. 5
8.1. Pregnancy
6 Pregnancy Category C: Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Influenza A 7 (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine or Fluzone vaccine. It is also not known whether these 8 vaccines can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction 9 capacity. Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine should be given to a pregnant woman
10 only if clearly needed. 11 12
8.3. Nursing Mothers
13 It is not known whether Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine or Fluzone vaccine is 14 excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be 15 exercised when this vaccine is administered to a nursing woman. 16
17
8.4. Pediatric Use
18 Safety and effectiveness in pediatric subjects below the age of 6 months have not been 19 established. The immune response and safety of Fluzone vaccine was evaluated in 31 children 20 between the ages of 6-26 months. [See Adverse Reactions (6.1), Clinical Studies (14)] 21 22
8.5. Geriatric Use
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1 Immune response to Fluzone vaccine in subjects older than 61 years of age were lower when 2 compared to immune responses in adults 19-59 years of age. [See Clinical Studies (14)] 3
4
11. DESCRIPTION 5
6 Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine, an inactivated influenza virus vaccine, for 7 intramuscular use, is prepared from influenza viruses propagated in embryonated chicken eggs. 8 The virus-containing allantoic fluid is harvested and inactivated with formaldehyde. Influenza 9 virus is concentrated and purified in a linear sucrose density gradient solution using a continuous
10 flow centrifuge. The virus is then chemically disrupted using a non-ionic surfactant, polyethylene 11 glycol p-isooctylphenyl ether (Triton® X-100), producing a “split virus”. The split virus is further 12 purified and then suspended in sodium phosphate-buffered isotonic sodium chloride solution. 13
14 Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine is formulated to contain 15 mcg hemagglutinin 15 (HA) of influenza A/California/07/2009 (H1N1) v-like virus per 0.5 mL dose. Gelatin 0.05% is 16 added as a stabilizer. Each 0.5 mL dose may contain residual amounts of formaldehyde (not 17 more than 100 mcg), polyethylene glycol p-isooctylphenyl ether (not more than 0.02%), and 18 sucrose (not more than 2.0%).
19
20 There is no thimerosal used in the manufacturing process of the single-dose presentations of
21 Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine. The multi-dose presentation of Influenza A
22 (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine contains thimerosal, a mercury derivative, added as a
23 preservative. Each 0.5 mL dose of the multidose presentation contains 25 mcg mercury.
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1 2 Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monvalent Vaccine is a sterile clear to a slightly opalescent 3 suspension. 4 5 Antibiotics are not used in the manufacture of Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine. 6 7 All presentations of Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine do not contain latex. 8
9
12. CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
10
12.1. Mechanism of Action
11 Influenza illness and its complications follow infection with influenza viruses. Global 12 surveillance of influenza identifies yearly antigenic variants. For example, since 1977, antigenic 13 variants of influenza A (H1N1 and H3N2) viruses and influenza B viruses have been in global 14 circulation. Specific levels of hemagglutinin inhibition (HI) antibody titer post-vaccination with 15 inactivated influenza virus vaccines have not been correlated with protection from influenza 16 virus infection. In some human studies, antibody titer of ≥1:40 have been associated with 17 protection from influenza illness in up to 50% of subjects. (4) (5) 18 19 Antibodies against one influenza virus type or subtype confer limited or no protection against 20 another. Furthermore, antibodies to one antigenic variant of influenza virus might not protect 21 against a new antigenic variant of the same type or subtype. Frequent development of antigenic
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1 variants through antigenic drift is the virologic basis for seasonal epidemics and the reason for 2 the usual change of one or more new strains in each year’s influenza vaccine. 3
4
13. NON-CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY
5
13.1. Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility
6 Neither Fluzone vaccine nor Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine have been evaluated 7 for carcinogenic or mutagenic potential, or for impairment of fertility. 8
9
14. CLINICAL STUDIES 10 Sanofi Pasteur’s Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine and seasonal trivalent Influenza
11 Virus Vaccine (Fluzone vaccine) are manufactured by the same process. Data in this section 12 were obtained in clinical studies conducted with Fluzone vaccine. 13 14
14.1. Immunogenicity in the Adult and Geriatric Population
15 In an observational study of the immunogenicity of Fluzone vaccine in a geriatric population 16 (median age: 72.0 range: 61 to 86 years of age) compared with younger adults (median age: 38.0 17 range: 19 to 59 years of age; racial distribution was 2 Asian, 11 Black, 106 Caucasian, and 2 18 other; no gender data were available), the following results were obtained using a single-dose of 19 the year 1999–2000 formulation of Fluzone vaccine. (See Table 1.) Antibody levels were 20 obtained on the day of and just prior to vaccination and approximately 21 days after vaccination. 21 (4)
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1 Table 1: Geometric Mean Titer (GMT) and Percentage (%) Achieving an HI Titer ≥1:40 2 (N = 58-62) in Adults and the Elderly (after vaccination with Fluzone vaccine)
3 N = Number of participants 4 5
14.2. Immunogenicity in Children
6 In a study using 2 doses of Fluzone vaccine (2003-2004) in 31 healthy children 6–36 months of 7 age (3 Black, 23 Caucasian, 2 Hispanic, and 3 other; 15 were male and 16 were female), the 8 following immunogenicity results were obtained on day 0 before vaccination and approximately 9 14 days after dose number 2. (See Table 2.)
1 15. REFERENCES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Serum Cross-Reactive Antibody Response to a Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus After Vaccination with Seasonal Influenza Vaccine. MMWR 2009;58(19):521-524.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevention and Control of Influenza: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR 2009;58(RR08):1-52.
Sanofi Pasteur Inc. Data on file, 071107.
Hannoun C et al. Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of influenza vaccination. Virus Res 2004;103:133-138
Hobson D, et al. The role of serum hemagglutinin-inhibiting antibody in protection against challenge infection with influenza A2 and B viruses J Hyg Camb 1972;70:767-777.
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1 16. HOW SUPPLIED/STORAGE AND HANDLING
2
16.1. How Supplied
3 Single-dose prefilled syringe, without needle, 0.25 mL, package of 10 prefilled syringes per 4 carton – Product No. NDC 49281-650-25. 5 6 Single-dose prefilled syringe, without needle, 0.25 mL, package of 25 prefilled syringes per 7 carton – Product No. NDC 49281-650-70.
8
9 Single-dose prefilled syringe, without needle, 0.5 mL, package of 10 prefilled syringes per carton 10 – Product No. NDC 49281-650-50. 11 12 Single-dose prefilled syringe, without needle, 0.5 mL, package of 25 prefilled syringes per carton 13 – Product No. NDC 49281-650-90.
14 15 Single-dose vial, 0.5 mL, package of 10 vials per carton – Product No. NDC 49281-650-10. 16 17 Multi-dose vial, 5 mL, one vial per carton. The vial contains ten 0.5 mL doses – Product No. NDC 18 49281-640-15. 19 20 Vial stoppers and syringe plungers do not contain latex. 21 22 16.2. Storage and Handling
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1 Store all Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine presentations refrigerated at 2° to 8°C 2 (35° to 46°F). DO NOT FREEZE. Discard if vaccine has been frozen. 3 4 Between uses, return the multi-dose vial to the recommended storage conditions at 2o to 8oC (35o 5 to 46oF).
6 7 Do not use after the expiration date shown on the label. 8
9 17. 10 •
PATIENT COUNSELING INFORMATION
Inform vaccine recipients or guardians that Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine contains killed viruses and cannot cause influenza. Inform vaccine recipients or guardians that there are two influenza vaccine formulations for this influenza season, the monovalent vaccine against influenza disease caused by pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus and seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine.
Instruct vaccine recipients or guardians to report any severe or unusual adverse reactions to their health care provider.
(This came to me after meeting the glance of a young Chinese woman in a Chinese restaurant at lunchtime in Oakland Chinatown. The transfer of energy between us was sufficient that I could tell she was someone special. I was thinking about Chinese civilization that had reduced all of philosophy to the I Ching, the book cherished by Confucius. Yet without the cultivation of ki, living spirit, even the I Ching becomes a meaningless set of symbols. It is mind that lends symbols their meaning. Thus all of the tools of civilization are only useful when wielded by the mind. Even the highest of religions and philosophies become meaningless when the spirit is neglected or injured.)
Ok I know we’ve seen this with other studies but who believes Canadians (just kidding) . once again fat people (especially the over 70 crowd) live 10 years longer. the study was carried out with 9,200 aussies over 10 years. those with an overweight bmi lived 13% longer. they also found that being sedentary, regardless of weight, doubled the risk of death for woman and raised it by 1/4 for men. yea we know that is why HAES is good for you….and shows, once again diets don’t work. ” According to the study authors, it may be time to reevaluate the system that determines who is overweight and obese.”
As a result of the dominance pattern of modern life that materialistic and egoistic, resulting in human psychological situation increasingly unstable. Order and tradition that has taken hold and tested its validity for centuries changed just like that, even though what he had acquired not necessarily able to answer a variety of everyday problems. Therefore not surprising that recently found in a variety of behaviors weird and nyeleneh which is regarded as a pathological symptom of modern33 life.
Whether we realize it or not, such modern phenomena have taken possession of the Muslim psyche. They often feel anxiety and deep concern, with no known source from which the sense of seductive thoughts (obsessional neurosis) it appears. Even deliberately, they try to understand her feelings through the help of paranormal, psychiatrists, counselors or through new ways that are believed to potency, but it did not bring significant results. It was at least due to: Firstly, they have forgotten the religious prescriptions governing psychological behavior, so they do not know how should that be done, and second, they try to understand psychopathology in themselves through modern theories, but in theory – modern theory is not able to penetrate most areas of psychological and spiritual mystery and religious areas, so they do not find what you are looking for.
Understanding and Assumption of Islamic Psychology
Pathology is the branch of medicine relating to the causes of illness and the process and its influence on the structure and function of the human body. All the doctors involved extensively with the science of pathology, but pathology specifically assess the disease process by testing of tissues and body fluids found during surgery or Autopsy.
Two major branches of pathology is the pathology of tissue or anatomical pathology and clinical pathology. Anatomic pathology testing is based on the organs and tissues directly to determine the nature, extent and prediction of patient illness, such as in a biopsy or to explain the causes of death in patients in an Autopsy. Clinical pathology involving laboratory procedures to determine the concentration of various biochemical substances in body fluids, a collection of cells and forms in the blood, bone marrow and other tissues, the functions of organs like liver, kidneys, system status immunity, and identification of organisms are contagious.
Psychopathology, or mental illness, is sick of looking in the form of behavior and psychological functions that are not stable. This psychopathology term refers to a broad syndrome, which include abnormalities of sensory conditions, cognition, and emotion. Assumptions that apply in this field is that the psychopathological syndrome or a symptom is not merely a predictable response to the symptoms of specific mental stress, such as the death of a loved one, but rather a manifestation of a psychological or biological dysfunction in a person.
According to Chaplin, pathology (pathology) is the knowledge of the disease or disorder. Or, one disease condition or disorder. Medium psychopathology (psychopathology) is the branch of psychology concerned to investigate the disease or mental disorder symptoms and other abnormal symptoms.
The study of psychopathology can at least start from three assumptions, each of which has implications for psychological assumptions different. First, the human soul was essentially born in a state hospital, except in certain circumstances he was declared healthy; second, basically the human soul was born in neutral (not sick and unhealthy). Sick and healthy development depends on the process of his life; third, basically the human soul was born in good health, except in certain circumstances he declared sick.
The first assumption is developed flow of psycho-analysis, Sigmund Freud. According to Freud, the human soul was born in a bad condition, bad, negative or destructive nature. So he developed a positive, necessary companion ways that are impersonal and directives or direct. Such conclusion is based on Freud’s investigations of several patients who came to the laboratory. From this it seems that the theory of Freud’s psycho-analysis is only suitable for people who are sick and not consumed for healthy people. This assumption is pessimistic but also deny the truth of human existence, which in turn lead to dehumanization in psychology.
While the second assumption of the flow developed a radical behavioristic psycho-BF Skinner. According to him, the human soul was born in neutral conditions, such as a tabula rasa (white paper), only the environment that determines the direction of development of the soul. A good environment will form a good psychological mood and harmony, instead of a bad environment will have implications for the poor psychological symptoms as well. This assumption is in addition to deterministic and mechanistic, as well as to treat human beings who do not have a unique soul. The human soul is considered as an animal spirit that does not have a tendency to nothing and can be regulated like a machine or robot.
While the third assumption of developed flow humanistic psycho-Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. According to him, the human soul was born in a state of conscious, free, responsible dayadaya guided by the positive that comes from within himself to the expansion of the full human potential. In order to develop a positive direction, people do not need directions but requires accompanying personal atmosphere and full acceptance of all awards for the flowering of the positive potential inherent in him.
The third assumption on the nature emphasizes “normality” of man, not abnormalitasnya. Human normality is a natural nature, mujahidin, and from the first humans, are abnormalities is the new nature comes after the anomaly (inkhiraf) in human beings.
According to Atkinson, there are six criteria to determine one’s mental health, namely: first, the perception of realistic and efficient in mereaksi or evaluate what is happening in the world around him; second, knowing yourself, whether related to awareness or motive; third, the ability to consciously controlling behavior, such as holding Impulsive and aggressive behavior; fourth, self-esteem, and she can be accepted by the surrounding environment; the fifth, the ability to form bonds of love, such as no excessive demands on others and others can satisfy not only satisfy ourselves itself; sixth, and enthusiastic spirit that drives a person to achieve productivity.
Although this assumption is known as optimistic assumptions and recognize the power of the human soul, but the anthropocentric nature of human power depend only, without linking his theory to the absolute will of God. In Islam, even using the framework of the third assumption in building psikopatologinya theories, but he did not break away from theocentric paradigm. As the substance of Good and Holy, God does not give the human soul unless the soul that has a healthy trend, either, and the sacred. Human mental health is not merely a natural and mujahidin, but have been arranged in such a way by his Creator. From this framework, the criteria of neurosis and psychosis in the psychopathology of Islam is not only caused by nerve disorders or psychological nature, but also fraud against the rules of the rule of God. It is therefore not surprising that the theory of Islamic psychopathology more focused on spiritual and religious behavior.
Qualification, Pay Scales and eligibility as per MCI norms.
Interested candidates of Pre-Clinical may attend the Walk-In-Interview on 30/01/2010 at the office of The Dean cum Director, Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences, Raichur and should bring relevant documents and teaching experience certificate alongwith two passport size photos.
Timings :
* Registration and Verification of documents : 8.30 am to 10.30 am
* Interview : 11.00 am – 01.00 pm and 2.00 pm to 04.00 pm
I just wanted to give an update to those of you following my acupuncture visits.
It was another early morning for me, on a Saturday, to which I’m not used to. Of course, to the average person, 11 a.m. is not early. But I’m working part time right now and my hours do not require me until later in the day. This is a farther drive than my work, so it’s even earlier than I’m used to getting up. Since I would normally sleep in on the weekends, getting up at 9:30 to make it to the 11 a.m. appointment is not easy for me. I’m hoping I get used to this. And for those of you that don’t understand why I would need so much sleep, let me explain it like this: My body works hard at destroying what it can during the day. It tries to damage my joints, ligaments and organs. So sleeping is a chance to undue some of that damage, or if nothing else, give my body some time to rest from RA’s damaging effects. So yes, because I’m a natural night owl, waking up with to the loud “BEEP, BEEP, BEEP,” is fairly hellish.
But I’m on a quest. And that quest is to find out if I can stop the inflammation in my hands and feet. And if the answer is acupuncture then GREAT, and if it isn’t, then I’ll keep looking. I think Michael is a talented physician and if nothing else, he’s very sympathetic and caring. When I first sit down for evaluation, he takes a look at my hands and feet, and without hesitation, touches the inflamed joints trying to feel for any improvement. He asked me if there was any change in my joints after my first visit. I told him that for about one hour, my joints in my hands, not feet, were stiffer and more painful but after that hour, they seemed to have less inflammation than normal. He told me this can happen and not to worry and this is part of the natural healing process. Knowing this already, I wasn’t worried. I know from all the supplements I take that getting more inflammation at the beginning of a treatment can and often does, make you temporarily worse. So the fact that this had made me worse for only an hour, I thought, “Piece of cake”. Again however, he chose to only do acupuncture on my hands and feet, in fear that I might experience what I had the very first time I visited a different physician, which ended up in a three week flare. He wants to take things slow with acupuncture so that not only do I get improvement, but don’t have to deal with unexpected inflammation.
Again, two needles on each hand were placed in the raised parts of my palms. And again, needles were placed in my feet but in slightly different spots. I experienced pretty near the same thing as the last time…. Pain and inflammation seemed to increase during the treatment in my hands. My feet again, for one reason or another, did not experience any pain or inflammation. This time I was surprised that the inflammation in my hands lasted only about a half an hour (after treatment) and for the rest of the day I experienced less inflammation and more relief than my average day. My feet seemed to be unchanged. I do have a couple of spots on the outer parts of my feet…the bunions that are inflamed ever since RA began. So I have no idea why these spots aren’t “awakening”.
I believe in giving everything a good shot and at $25 a session, I can’t refuse this kind of opportunity. I plan on sticking with this for at least one month, if not two, depending on my finances. I hope sometime soon that I can share with all of you, a story of amazing relief from the acupuncture. But if that doesn’t end up happening, then if nothing else, I’m relaxing, truly relaxing for that hour each time I visit. I have a good feeling however, that I will experience tremendous relief from this, so I’m keeping my hopes up! If anyone has a story to share, please do!!
Developing specialties, and assistance on how to get in
Posted January 24th, 2010
Intelligent Options
General Surgery. The proliferation of HMOs was hard on general surgeons. But a growing general shortage in at the same time urban and rural markets is making new command for their ability, says Dana Christian Lynge, associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. So is the relentless aging of the boomers, which is also drivingrequirement in cardiology, urology, gastroenterology, and orthopedics.
Insider Tip
Billshas long ended up the problem of going to med school, however some associations are dealing with the problem with serious cash. The Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine is waiving school fees for all upcoming scholars who practice medical care and perform investigation in primary care or any niche. The University of Central Florida, which paid all tuition and residing expenditures for the incoming classat its new med school, is raising money for 120 more full scholarships. The Mayo Clinic is waiving 50 % of tuition to every one who are admitted (some can get more). Harvard, Yale, and Stanford additionally provide massive school fees breaks for scholars from middle-income families.
Acquiring Inside
Initial Measures. You might not be a medical student yet, but you’ll want to visit the site of the American Medical Student Association. Go to amsa.org/premed for loads of premed choices, including nationwide chapters for doctor wannabes, conferences, and internship and advocacy chances. AMSA also offers possibilities for job growth and further health benefits for its premed members.
Necessary Studying. You can’t take the Medical College Admission Test without requiring certifying that you have studied concerning it very first, so look for “MCAT Essentials” at aamc.org. The test is personal computer established and is presented nationwide. About 60,000 consumers take it every year; exam dates (25, between January and September) are picked to match the majority of med school program deadlines. Already taken it? Schools generally accept scores dating back two or three years.
This article is by http://www.freemedicaltextbook.com and http://www.helpmedicalstudents.com
It is an icy Saturday. For some reason I woke up at 5:00 a.m. Actually the reason was my cute big dog that thought he should visit the ice storm outside. Since I was awake I decided to start the day.
I put together some no knead bread which is in the oven rising for 12 hours! I have never made this before. It is also an unusual recipe. You might wonder what this has to do with paring down but…. remember the folder i have with the stack of recipes I have kept? The no knead bread was top on my list to try. I did pare down that folder and got rid of many ridiculous recipes that I will never try.
The no knead bread is first and later I will try an applesauce cake. There is no hurry to get through the folder as long as I take a recipe out to try it when I put another one in. I could store the recipes on my computer but then I would have to print it off to have it by my side as I was baking so I will make a binder with these recipes IF I like them and IF I don’t crucify them. I have been known to do that. I will report back later on my progress.
I continued on to my medicine cabinet and sorted through all the old medicine and brought my cabinet up to the year 2010 or at least 2009. I have to do some research on what to do with the old tylenol etc. as I think there are polution concerns. I also tore off the labels of any prescriptions as I recently heard from someone that was at a recycling center and heard the people working there talking about medicine bottles they had found from one person. So take the labels off of prescriptions!
It is only 9:40 a.m. so I am on to the next project. Perhaps it is the couch project! After all it is going to take 12 hours for my bread to rise. Later.
Russell K. Hobbie, Bradley J. Roth, “Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology”
Springer; 4th edition (February 16, 2007) | ISBN:038730942X | 640 pages | PDF | 18,1 Mb
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Intended for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in biophysics, physiology, medical physics, cell biology, and biomedical engineering, this wide-ranging text bridges the gap between introductory physics and its application to the life and biomedical sciences. This extensively revised and updated fourth edition reflects new developments at the burgeoning interface between physics and biomedicine. Among the many topics treated are: forces in the skeletal system; fluid flow, with examples from the circulatory system; the logistic equation; scaling; transport of neutral particles by diffusion and by solvent drag; membranes and osmosis; equipartition of energy in statistical mechanics; the chemical potential and free energy; biological magnetic fields; membranes and gated channels in membranes; linear and nonlinear feedback systems; nonlinear phenomena, including biological clocks and chaotic behavior; signal analysis, noise and stochastic resonance detection of weak signals; image formation and description; image reconstruction; hearing and medical ultrasound; atoms and light; near infrared scattering; optical coherence tomography; infrared radiation; ultraviolet light; radiometry and photometry; the interaction of photons and charged particles in tissue; radiological physics and the use of x-rays in diagnosis and therapy; nuclear medicine; and magnetic resonance imaging. Discussion of theory is more closely linked to experiment, and stochastic processes are presented as an integral part of biological systems. A prior course in physics and in calculus is assumed.
At the same time as it’s being ridiculed as a pointless stunt, the 10:23 campaign has prompted an entire backlash website of its own, at 1023homeopathy.org.uk.
It’s not a very good website.
One post in particular caught my eye today, thanks to @giagia and @Crispian_Jago, among the many others who’ve kept my Twitter feed busy lately with more #ten23 news and gossip than I know what to do with. I know I’ve been railing on homeopathy a lot lately, but I’m not bored of it yet, and this is my blog, so you’ll have to play along.
Possibly the thing that most annoys me about the anti-campaign blog is the poor quality of the writing. In their description of the 10:23 event:
They are going to “prove” that there is nothing in homeopathy by “taking a whole bottle of homeopathic pills” (very scientific eh).
See, they’re not even trying to make that parenthetical syntactically coherent. But another contender for the most annoying thing about this blog might be the quality of the research. First of all, on the issue of whether there is literally “nothing in” homeopathy, it’s simply a mathematical fact that no active ingredient remains in a typical homeopathically diluted solution – even homeopaths don’t deny this.
But the phrase “nothing in it” can also be taken idiomatically, as an assertion that there’s no value to it, because it doesn’t work. And although this is something that the 10:23 campaign uses in their slogan, and claims to be true, they’ve never said that the group overdose event is going to prove this fact.
I assume this blogger put “prove” in quotes like that because he thinks it implies sarcasm, because he’s certainly not actually quoting the campaign’s own statements about their aim. What the campaign actually says is:
At 10:23am on January 30th, more than three hundred homeopathy sceptics nationwide will be taking part in a mass homeopathic ‘overdose’ in protest at Boots’ continued endorsement and sale of homeopathic remedies, and to raise public awareness about the fact that homeopathic remedies have nothing in them.
“Raising awareness” has always been what it’s about, which is why it’s so funny when detractors accuse it of being a publicity stunt. Yeah, no shit. We know homeopathy is bunk because of science. This campaign is not doing science. It’s doing something noticeable to try and get people to understand the science that’s already been done.
From the woo-blog:
This will once and for all prove there is nothing in homeopathic remedies…or is it?
I know I’ve already argued against this point, I just love how the rhetorical question at the end completely fails to match up with the rest of the sentence… or did I?
Anyway, it then goes on to explain why the 10:23 campaign is so ill-conceived. Apparently those pesky skeptics who think they’re “proving” all sorts of things (they may not have ever claimed it, but you can tell they’re thinking it) would see how wrong-headed they are if they took the time to understand how homeopathy works.
Homeopathic remedies will only have an effect if you are susceptible to them… If you are not susceptible to it, the remedy will not act upon you. This is a basic principle of homeopathy, and what makes it so individualised to the person…
Homeopaths talk a lot about this, that their alternative treatments are specifically tailored to the individual patient, something that mainstream medicine apparently never does. But the focus of the campaign, as mentioned earlier, is that the pharmacy chain Boots currently mass-markets generic homeopathic treatments on their shelves, which anyone can just go in and pick up. They aren’t individually tailored at all. So surely this blogger should be entirely with the 10:23 campaign on this point? At the very least, he’s failed to respond to what they’re trying to do.
Taking one remedy at a time is the same as taking a whole bottle (with potencies beyond 12C). Of course the denialists know this point, and that’s why they know they will be safe in taking the whole bottle as it is the same as taking one pill.
They do know they’ll be safe, but not for the reason you think.
This was actually new to me before I started reading the counter-attacks to 10:23. Apparently taking just one pill has an identical effect to taking a whole bottle (with certain potencies), because they both equate to taking one dose. But doesn’t that mean that you could get the same effect from taking less than one pill? Couldn’t you chop up the pills into smaller fragments before taking them, thus giving yourself many times more doses than you paid for? There’s just as much active ingredient in one flake from a pill as there is in the whole bottle, after all, so one bottle full of pills could last for ages.
I can’t make any sense of this. I’m not aware of any actual medicines that work this way. You don’t see over-the-counter painkillers with labels saying “Hey, take as much as you want, it’s the same as taking just one.” Why would this be true for homeopathy? Well, it’s their magic, let them make it up however they want to. But it’s clear that they’ve just had to find some way of rationalising the fact that it’s apparently impossible to overdose on their sugar pills.
Oh, there is actually an answer to the question of why it would work this way: apparently “this is what homeopaths have found”. Hmm. They’ve found that whether people take one pill, or a whole bottle, the outcome is the same. I think I’m seeing a different obvious explanation than they did.
Also, this still misses the point that it’s a publicity stunt. The 10:23 campaigners are not doing a scientific test here. Those have been done, and you guys lost. Repeatedly. You can’t now complain that they’re doing the attention-grabbing gimmick wrong.
I won’t go through the whole next section of bullshit with a fine-tooth comb, but it’s a typically wacky explanation of what homeopaths call “provings”. You might expect these “provings” to actually prove something, but don’t hold your breath.
In a “proving”, you give a homeopathic treatment to somebody in good health, and watch to see what symptoms they become ill with. Seriously. This is how they decide what disease a homeopathic treatment will cure – give it to someone healthy, and see what disease it looks like they get.
Guys. The universe does not work like this. Magic works like this, and to the best of our knowledge the universe is not fucking magic.
This is also something you don’t see much of in science-based medicine. See, actual doctors have a different way of deciding whether a treatment cures a disease, which involves giving the treatment to people with the disease and seeing if they get better. It’s a radical notion, but goshdarnit if there isn’t some actual sense to it.
Oh god, am I still ranting? Surely that’s quite enough of me.
Medical Informatics: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications
2772 pages | Medical Information Science Reference (September 9, 2008) | ISBN: 1605660507 | PDF | 33 Mb
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Technological advances of the past two decades have profoundly reshaped and enhanced all aspects of medical research and practice. So important has technology become to the ability to continue to drive new medical advances, from basic biomedical research to applied clinical practice and healthcare delivery management, that the science of biomedical technology has become an important discipline in its own right, critical to the missions of a full range of organizations that comprise the medical industry.
Medical Informatics: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications holds the most complete collection of cutting-edge medical IT research available in topics such as clinical knowledge management,medical informatics , mobile health and service delivery, and gene expression. This four-volume compilation provides researchers, academicians, and scholars in the field of medical information technology with more than 200 chapters by over 250 international experts in medical informatics. Medical Informatics: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications is an essential reference publication for every library and medical institute striving to remain up-to-date with the latest techniques, approaches, and education in the medical IT field.
Are you not amazed at how many Americans flocked to stock up on “flu” medicines and ran for vaccines (which could have caused them serious harm) during the so-called “swine flu pandemic”?
Even more, I am amazed at how many of them labeled me as a “conspiracy nut” for assisting them with reliable information regarding the issue. Okay, so I’m a conspiracy nut … right? Then please explain why the rest of the world has decided that the swine flu pandemic was a fraud. Seriously? You don’t believe that any one other than “conspiracy nuts” believe the pandemic was a fraud? Then please explain why there are investigations about the pandemic fraud.
The Parliamentary inquiry will determine if a “falsified pandemic” was declared by WHO in June 2009 on the advice of medical advisors, many of whom have close financial ties to the very pharmaceutical giants – GlaxoSmithKline, Roche, Novartis, – that produced the H1N1 vaccines.
It will also look into the controversy surrounding the fact that two shots were initially advised when it was later revealed that one dose was entirely suitable.
Pharmaceutical companies are thought to have made a profit of somewhere in the region of $7.5-$10 billion on H1N1 vaccines. The worldwide death toll from H1N1 is thought to be around 13,500, just over a third of the number who die from regular flu every year in the U.S. alone.
PACE has noted that the alleged conspiracy could have exposed “millions of healthy people to the risk of side-effects of insufficiently tested vaccines”.
Steve Watson, Infowars.net
If recollection serves me right – were there not supposed to be tens of thousands of deaths from this swine flu? And didn’t we “conspiracy nuts” repeat over and over that this swine flu wasn’t as dangerous as the typical flu we have dealt with for decades?
Maybe those disbelieving will wake up a bit more and realize that not only is there something going on but they can actually do something about it and protect themselves, their families and friends as well as insure Freedom throughout this union. The sounding of the alarm at the outset of this fraud should be recognized as somewhat of a success.
It’s a shame the politicians controlling the purse strings for the money that purchased all those now useless vaccines did not do their due diligence and investigate the matter as thoroughly as the rest of us. Or was that a vaccine producers lobbiest handing them a check for their next campaign??
Posted by: Audiegrl A Personal Message from George…
The people of Haiti need our help. On Thursday, February 4th I am throwing a benefit concert, called “Help Haiti” at The Nokia Center, here in Los Angeles. The best musicians, comedians and athletes will be there for the cause, including my friends Andy Garcia, Slash and Samuel Jackson.
100% of the proceeds will go to directly to Haiti to help the victims and their families. Keep checking this page for more information on how to purchase tickets for “Help Haiti.”
If you can’t make it to the concert, you can still help. Lopez Tonight has teamed up with “CARE” to raise money. Click on the “CARE” logo to donate directly to relief efforts that will help the people of Haiti. And we will match the first 25,000 dollars that come from you.
Americans are the most generous people in the world. Your gift will help save lives. Let’s show Haiti how much we care.
Digging my toes into the sand as I walk among the beauty of low tide, my eyes were skimming the ground for anything perfect. And it came from the ocean; a flower of such a red hue. Captivating. My thoughts disappeared and everything was bliss for this small moment. Nothing mattered. I stood alone, taking in the sun and half-shaven, holding a flower. As my thoughts began to rush back as if another wave had crashed, a woman came up to me. Tears were among her face and all I could think is this is for her. As she stare into my eyes, I began to walk past, along the way giving her the flower. She mouthed something to me, my sudden stop had become an apparent move.
“My husband was buried here.”
“My motivation was given life here,” I say.
And with this exchange and the ever-setting sun, I watch as once more she begins her once a year day of giving back to this beautiful world with another toss of the flower. Her torture is so moving. Her passion; inevitable.
I’ll be back to touch your pedals, I’ll be back to catch your smile.
There has been a lot of debate over the House and Senate versions of the US healthcare reform bills, but most people can’t keep up with what the differences are between the two bills or even what’s written into each bill.
Here is a good comparison of the final version of both bills (H.R. 3962 and H.R. 3590) after both bills passed their respective branch of Congress that you can view and download created by the American Association of Oral and Maxofacial Surgeons.
Thanks to 67 Degrees for the above picture. As a bonus, I’ve added the classic Schoolhouse Rock – I’m Just a Bill video from 1975.
Hello, folks. No doubt everyone is keeping close tabs on the tragedy in Haiti, wherever you are on this big chunk of planet. That’s kind of how things feel to me during times like this… small. Kind of like we humans are all just temporarily hitching a ride here on Earth. And there’s not much we can do to stop its inevitable demise, geologically speaking. At the very least we know that the sun is going to vaporize Big Blue in about five billion years. No, we can’t control anything that the Earth decides to throw our way — humans can only prepare, put systems in place and act.
Sadly, Haiti was ravaged by hurricanes, political upheaval, poverty and insurrection before the earthquake ever hit. This created a country without much of an ability to act on its own behalf. Enter fellow man (and woman) and the three perfect words — Doctors Without Borders. The international medical aid organization has been on the scene since 1971, providing emergency relief and ongoing medical care to more than 60 countries “whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters.”
That pretty much says it all. They’re an amazing organization, and won the Nobel Prize for their efforts in 1999. I think the only reason they haven’t won it every year since 1971 is because they aren’t allowed to. These doctors, nurses and aid workers at DWB know no color, religion, sexual orientation or political affiliation. They treat humans in need. Pretty simple.
Doctors Without Borders is firmly entrenched in a chaotic, dangerous mess of a disaster scene in Haiti. If you’re thinking about how you can help, this is a good place to start. They always need the support of private donors, but can use it now more than ever. There’s a page on their Web site where you can donate money that goes directly to the medical care of the people of Haiti.
So Simon Cowell has left American Idol. Rumours he’s jumped ship to Answer Me This! are unsubstantiated. Because they’re completely fabricated! But let’s start one, just for giggles. Anyway, it’s the same team as usual for Episode 122, as you shall hear:
And that team are talking about:
Frightfest
the revolving restaurant in Berlin
venereal disease
Bovril
junior wine buffs
Agamemnon A Serious Man
culinary innovation in Streatham
Simon Armitage the wrath of Kate Winslet
and
Dr Cilla Black.
In addition: Olly demonstrates why he should never be made editor of the Oxford Etymological Dictionary; Helen spots the hidden messages to the Russians in sweetie adverts; and Martin the Sound Man does NOT want to have sex with you in a toilet. Not even if you ask really nicely. We also hear about one of our listener’s friendship dealbreakers – if you have one of your own, share it in a comment below. Because we all enjoy other people bitching about their dear friends, don’t we?
Please send us YOUR QUESTIONS for future episodes, via answermethispodcast@googlemail.com, Skype ID answermethis or the question line 0208 123 5877. And we hope you’re thoroughly enjoying your free Audible audiobooks; if you haven’t already got yours, skedaddle to our Audible page and sign thyself up.
My dictionary defines the word Weed as: “a plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially one growing where it is not wanted, as in a garden.” Herbs or medicinal plants are often considered weeds – usually because they grow in undesirable places.Many herbs have been introduced into Australia and because they are not native plants, they have often few competitors for resources such as water, soil nutrients and light and have few predators. Subsequently, these plants can grow and spread unchecked, endangering native vegetation and even various animal species such as birds and insects.
Weeds certainly can be a real threat to native flora, fauna, rain forests and even aquatic ecosystems. Recalcitrant herbs are targeted by the authorities for eradication or sprayed on an ongoing basis, in an attempt to control their spread and protect sensitive ecosystems.
You don’t need to go to exotic places like the rain forests to find medicinal plants, they usually grow right at your feed; on footpaths, roadsides, garbage dumps, even in your garden.
Given that most medicinal plants are weeds and because weeds grow as prolifically as they do, they are often easy to cultivate – you will actually have more of a problem keeping them in a designated area, rather than a problem growing them.
Wildcrafted herbs are herbs gathered from the wild. The advantage of wildcrafted herbs is that these generally are very healthy and full of the desired medicinal properties. Wildcrafted herbs are usually native to an area and thus are not weeds. They often occur in clusters and grow in ‘ideal’ conditions under which they can attain their full medicinal potential.
A problem with wildcrafting medicinal plants occurs where there is little or no control over the amount that can be harvested at any one time or by any one person, at least this is the case in Australia. This can decimate a local population of wild medicinal plants. Taking of any vegetation is illegal without authorisation in Australian National Parks and protected areas for this reason. Some medicinal plants are actually becoming rare and endangered and the harvesting of these species should at the very least be regulated. Better still, organic farming of such herbs should be encouraged and promoted. This would provide struggling farmers with alternative cash crops during times when their primary sources of income are not performing well.
Weeds or Treasures – it really does not matter what you call them, the fact remains they are often very powerful medicinal plants that have the potential to address many of today’s major health problems and they have done so for thousands of years…
In the grave of Neanderthal man, in a cave in Iraq, grains of flower pollens were found thickly scattered in the soil surrounding his bones. The family and friends of the dead man, had surrounded his body with clusters of flowers and branches at this summer-time funeral. Analysed some 600′000 years after the death of this unknown caveman, the pollens were identified as coming from eight different genera of flowering plants, all of which flourish in the surrounding woods and fields at Shanidar to this day.
Seven of the eight species are still used for medicine in dozens of different ways by the local people. For example, the mucilaginous roots of the marsh mallow yield a soothing and healing remedy for irritated throats and disordered intestinal tracts. Ephedra is a potent remedy for asthma and a cardiac stimulant – a usage confirmed by modern science when the nerve-stimulant ephedrine was extracted from it.
Herbal medicine is the oldest form of therapy practiced by mankind. It’s use spans cultural and geographic boundaries, yet how are we to account for the fact that to an astonishing degree, the same plant is employed for the same purpose in cultures so widely separated in place or time with no communication between them? It seems, that ancient man’s knowledge of herbs and their medicinal uses was based on a highly-developed “dowsing” instinct, which led the healer of he tribe to the right plant and taught him or her its use. To a modern mind the idea may seem bizarre, but wild animals certainly possess such an instinct, seeking out plants which will supply the nutrients they need and unerringly avoiding those which will poison them.
These dowsing powers would explain the astonishing continuity of medicinal plant usage in the days before there were written records, or in tribes who have never known them, since the chain of oral tradition must have been broken over and over again by death, or by the scattering or obliteration of the tribe.
Many cultures have also believed in what has come to be known as The Doctrine of Signatures – the notion that plants have been signed by their Creator with visible clues to their usefulness: yellow plants would be effective against jaundice, plants with fruit shaped like genital organs might be effective in regulating or promoting fertility, a plant with fleshy lung-shaped leaves might be useful in respiratory ailments, etc.
By what ever means these ancient tribes selected their medicinal plants and identified their functions in the treatment of disease, the result is that over thousands of years herbal medicine evolved into an effective and efficient medical system to treat disease.
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If you can’t make it to the concert, you can still help. Lopez Tonight has teamed up with “CARE” to raise money. Click on the “CARE” logo to donate directly to relief efforts that will help the people of Haiti. And we will match the first 25,000 dollars that come from you.
Haiti Relief Coverage Main Page
