Fun, great link!

I did some research on this, and also talked with our MW. It seems that the best time to start introducing solids ( foods other then breast milk), is when 1) There are some teeth; 2)Baby can sit on its own; 3) Baby can pinch ( take food in her or his fingers on his own). The natural oriented early development specialists suggest these three ways to determine baby’s readiness, rather, then age. Since different babies will reach this point at different ages. The reason for waiting till baby has his or her first teeth, is that the nature of saliva changes once the first teeth come out. There was some research, I heard, that connected introducing solids earlier then that to child’s food allergies later on.

I thought, this was an interesting article....

Government May Have Had Advanced Warning Of Swine Flu Outbreak; County Health Centers Across The U.S. Reported To Have Had Rehearsals For Mass Flu Vaccinations Already Planned

 By Bill Sardi ©2009

 San Dimas, CA- (April 26, 2009) In what appears to be a fully orchestrated flu pandemic, U.S. health officials declared a “public health emergency” Sunday.  According to published sources, county health centers across the U.S. had already planned “reshearsals” for mass delivery of vaccines in advance and a biotech company that has developed technology that can predict flu pandemics 1-3 years in advance had already been in contact with government officials about this Swine flu outbreak. 

Predictive technology already available
A striking press release issued by Replikins, Ltd., a Boston vaccine maker, says it had given advance warning of the H1N1 Swine Flu outbreak 12 months ago and that the company had been partnering with government in recent months and has developed technology that can predict mutations within viruses 1 to 3 years in advance, mutations that produce more virulent varieties of influenza that human populations have no immunity towards. 
The company website says Replikins “has designed unique products to predict the emergence of virulent strains of particular diseases and is designing synthetic vaccines specifically tailored to combat a given strain and against shared properties of several strains. The company is partnering with governments and the private sector in providing predictive tools and vaccines in furtherance of the public health initiative to prevent and combat epidemics.”
According to Replikins, in 2008 “the company's research team analyzed the amino acid sequences of the reported strains and found that with each pandemic there was a strain-specific increase in peptide quantities (called Replikin Count™) within a particularly strain of virus, followed by a decrease in peptide quantities and several years later a rebound increase associated in each case with a strain-specific rebound epidemic.”  A simplified definition of a peptide is amino acids that hold hands.  The original release can be found at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/103052.php
Rehearsals for mass vaccinations already planned

A strangely timed “rehearsal for a pandemic disaster” scheduled for May 2 was reported in the Seguin, Texas Gazette-Enterprise newspaper by reporter Ron Maloney on Sunday March 19, 2009. 

In an article entitled “County Plans To Deal With The Unthinkable,” Guadalupe County Texas officials planned for a scenario where 1000 volunteers would attempt to vaccinate the entire population of the county, 115,000 people, in 36 hours. 

The article says: “Guadalupe County emergency management and their counterparts around the country are preparing for just such a scenario because in the history of humankind it happens once every 100 years or so — and the time is coming for the next one.”  Meaning this isn’t the only county health authority in the United States with presaging preparation for a pandemic flu outbreak.   


Guadalupe County health officials state their rehearsal would attempt to inoculate citizens in a drive-thru vaccination plan.  The newspaper article says:  “Were Guadalupe County to attempt to handle such traffic in one lane in five locations, each line would be 41 miles long, Kinsey said.  For San Antonio, the lines would be more than 2,000 miles long — the distance from Calgary, Alberta to San Antonio.” 
[ http://www.seguingazette.com/story.lasso?ewcd=7067c6003405a409 ]

Could the virus have been engineered?

The director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases said that the United States' cases were found to be made up of genetic elements from four different flu viruses—North American swine influenza, North American avian influenza, human influenza A virus subtype H1N1, and swine influenza virus typically found in Asia and Europe.

Dr. John Carlo, Dallas Co. Medical Director, alludes to this strain of the flu as possibly being engineered in a laboratory.   He says: “This strain of swine influenza that’s been cultured in a laboratory is something that’s not been seen anywhere actually in the United States and the world, so this is actually a new strain of influenza that’s been identified.” 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090424.wvswine_flu0424/VideoStory/International/?pid=RTGAM.20090424.wswine0424

Dr. David Butler Jones, Canada's first Chief Public Health Officer, claims only a “high proportion of those cases (in Mexico) are caused by human swine influenza.”  So other viral strains are apparently involved.  [http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/alert-alerte/h1n1/sn_swine-eng.php ]

Fear traveling faster than the virus

Fear of a pandemic is traveling faster than the disease and health officials may have overreacted.  The declaration of a health emergency was based upon an estimated 20 cases of human swine flu in the United States and no deaths and about 1300 cases with 80 deaths in Mexico, U.S. health officials declared a “public health emergency” Sunday (April 26, 2009). 

Cases of the Type A Influenza H1N1 strain have been reported in geographically distant locations such as New Zealand, France, Canada, Mexico and within the U.S. in New York and California. 

The so-called flu outbreak has been designated a Level 3 risk and raising it to a level 4 “would be a very serious signal that countries ought to be dusting off pandemic plans,” said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, deputy director general of the WHO. [ New York Times, April 27, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/world/27flu.html?ref=world ]

The swine flu outbreak in Mexico had been of growing concern for days.  Canada’s health minister reports that on Friday April 17 the Government of Mexico contacted Canada’s National Microbiology Lab for assistance to test blood samples which were confirmed to be human swine influenza.  [Leona Aglukkaq, Canada Minister of Health, 5:45 PM, April 24, 2009, Ottawa, Canada]

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued its version of the outbreak.  WHO says “the Government of Mexico has reported three separate events. In the Federal District of Mexico, surveillance began picking up cases of ILI starting 18 March. The number of cases has risen steadily through April and as of 23 April there are now more than 854 cases of pneumonia from the capital. Of those, 59 have died. In San Luis Potosi, in central Mexico, 24 cases of ILI, with three deaths, have been reported. And from Mexicali, near the border with the United States, four cases of ILI, with no deaths, have been reported.”

WHO officials went on to say, “Of the Mexican cases, 18 have been laboratory confirmed in Canada as Swine Influenza A/H1N1, while 12 of those are genetically identical to the Swine Influenza A/H1N1 viruses from California.”

Similar to 1918 flu pandemic

Furthermore, WHO said: “The majority of these cases have occurred in otherwise healthy young adults. Influenza normally affects the very young and the very old, but these age groups have not been heavily affected in Mexico.” 

This scenario is eerily similar to the Flu Pandemic of 1918 that encircled the world and resulted in an estimated 50 million deaths, mostly among young healthy males.   The flu usually strikes the immune compromised, young children and the elderly.   

WHO says, “Because there are human cases associated with an animal influenza virus, and because of the geographical spread of multiple community outbreaks, plus the somewhat unusual age groups affected, these events are of high concern.” [ http://www.who.int/csr/swine_flu/swineflu_qanda_20090425.pdf ]

According to WHO, swine flu is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of pigs caused by one of several swine Influenza A viruses.  Swine influenza viruses are most commonly of the H1N1 subtype, but other subtypes are also circulating in pigs (e.g., H1N2, H3N1, H3N2).

Studies have shown that 30% of the entire swine population in the U.S. has been exposed to H1N1. More specifically, 51% of swine in the north central U.S. have been exposed. [Carol G. Woodlief, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27606 http://mark.asci.ncsu.edu/HealthyHogs/book1994/woodlief.htm ]

Again, no mention how to boost immunity

WHO says “It is likely that most of people, especially those who do not have regular contact with pigs, do not have immunity to swine influenza viruses that can prevent the virus infection.  If a swine virus established efficient human-to human transmission, it can cause an influenza pandemic.”

However WHO also says the impact of a pandemic is difficult to predict because it depends upon the virulence of the virus and existing immunity among human populations. 

This is why SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) fizzled out when it reach North America from Asia in 2003.  Flu outbreaks in undeveloped countries, where public hygiene and nutrition are compromised, do not necessarily apply to well-fed populations that have clean food and water.  This is what makes the current emergency declaration by U.S. health authorities questionable.

Many people in Mexico are infected with lung tuberculosis, making them far more prone to mortal consequences should they develop a co-infection such as Swine flu.  Most of the deaths reported among HIV-infected patients in the U.S. occur among those individuals who are co-infected with tuberculosis. 

According to Wikipedia, Swine flu infects people every year and is found typically in people who have been in contact with pigs, although there have been cases of person-to-person transmission. Symptoms include fever, disorientation, stiffness of the joints, vomiting, and loss of consciousness ending in death.   Swine influenza is known to be caused by influenza A subtypes H1N1, H1N2, H3N1, H3N2, and H2N3.  So did health officials declare an emergency over routinely reported cases of Swine flu in the population?

Wikipedia’s report on Swine flu cites University of Virginia virologist Frederick Hayden to say the most recent flu season was dominated by H1N1 viruses and people who had received flu shots in the U.S. may have some protection against swine flu.  But the Wikipedia report also says “The current vaccine against the seasonal influenza strain H1N1 is thought unlikely to provide protection.”

Preventive measures go wanting

Recommendations to put a halt to the spread of the virus appear to be the same ineffective and unproven advice handed out in the past – wear face masks, avoid kissing and shaking hands, wash your hands, etc. 

The only approaches to prevention or treatment are unproven vaccines or problematic drugs.  Nothing is said about increasing immunity.  Natural remedies which prime the innate immune system, such as vitamin D and vitamin C [D- Virology Journal 2008 Feb 25;5:29; Age Ageing. 2008 Jan;37(1):121-2; Epidemiology Infection 2006 Dec;134(6):1129-40] and [C- J Nutr. 2009 Jan;139(1):113-9; International Journal Molecular Medicine 2008 Oct;22(4):541-5; Biofactors. 2007;31(1):1-15; Biofactors. 2008;33(2):85-97; Journal Nutrition 2006 Oct;136(10):2611-6], and natural molecules such as resveratrol and quercetin that inhibit entry of viruses into living cells, go unmentioned.  The latter two molecules have been documented to have similar biological action to existing anti-viral drugs.  [Journal Infectious Disease 2005 May 15; 191(10):1719-29; American Journal Physiology: Regulatory Integrated & Comparative Physiology 2008 Aug;295(2):R505-9; Journal Medical Virology 2008 Apr; 80(4):741-5; Experimental Lung Research 2005 Jun; 31(5):449-59; International Journal Experimental Pathology 2003 Jun;84(3):127-33]

That these nutritional and herbal approaches to influenza control go overlooked by the World Health Organization is particularly galling in light of the fact billions of people worldwide do not exhibit adequate nutrient intake levels or are simply too poor, or live in countries that are too poor, to purchase anti-viral medications.

Will the public learn later that initial reports of a worldwide Swine flu outbreak were premature, even contrived?

Reports from New Zealand appear to be highly questionable.  Radio New Zealand reports that initial tests show about 10 students from Rangitoto College are “highly likely” to be infected with some form of influenza A strain and stated that health officials there “will instigate a full emergency response structure on Monday as they prepare for a potential wine influenza pandemic.”  [Radio New Zealand 6:25 AM, April 27, 2009]  A full emergency response based upon unconfirmed cases?

News reports sensationalize

New York Daily News reporters chose to dramatize the alleged swine flu threat.  Here is how they led off their report of Sunday, April 26: 

“A tiny, tense waiting room fell silent when Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden appeared on the mounted television above.  Mothers and fathers clutched their ailing sons and daughters, many of whom had blue surgical masks covering their mouths.”

“And then, shortly after 4 p.m., came the five terrifying words that everyone gathered inside Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park, L.I., Saturday hoped not to hear.”

"It is likely swine flu," Frieden said.

Jaws dropped. Their fears had been realized.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/04/26/2009-04-26_a_waiting_room_full_of_anxiety__face_masks.html

Masses ready for instruction from government

A report in the Washington Post says:  "The people (in Mexico) are disoriented. I think the government doesn't know what they are confronting," said Gonzalo Sariñana, 40, a university official from the northern city of Monterrey who was in Mexico City. "We are just guarding ourselves, waiting to hear what the government tells us to do." Fearful human population appear to be prepped for mass preplanned vaccination programs.  [ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/25/AR2009042503128.html ]

 History of Swine flu

The current outbreak of the Swine flu sounds similar to what occurred decades ago.  Gerald Ford was running for President.  Ford needed an event to demonstrate his leadership.  Suddenly on February 5, 1976, Ford got that event. 

An army recruit at Fort Dix said he felt tired and weak. He died the next day and four of his fellow soldiers were later hospitalized.  There are still suspicions that there was an intentional release of the Swine flu then.  Two weeks after the soldier’s death, health officials announced that swine flu was the cause of death and that this strain of flu appeared to be closely related to the strain involved in the 1918 flu pandemic.

Health officials decided that action must be taken to head off a potential pandemic, and a massive vaccination program was urged.  About 20% of the population had been vaccinated by the time the program was aborted due to side effects, namely hundreds of cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome which led to 25 deaths due to severe lung problems. – Copyright Bill Sardi, Knowledge of Health, Inc.

Our baby is 3 months old and she sleeps in her Moses basket, which is next to our bed. She slept like that from the day one. I think she enjoys the security of being right next to us, while the coziness of her own bed.

A few times I tried having her sleep in my arms or next to me, but she just played around or stayed awake. However, the moment I put her into her bed, she just closes her eyes, and it usually takes her just a few minutes to go to sleep. It is somewhat of a routine, and she likes it.

In the morning, when she wakes up, she lays there in her little bed and smiles and gurgles, unless she wants to go potty, then she shows that to us. So having her right there, next to our bed works really great, so we can respond to her needs right away ( like when she is showing that she needs to go potty, or needs to nurse), instead of waiting till she will start crying ( which would be the case, if she would be not next to our bed and will have to let us know of her needs through cry).

So overall, I think it contributes to her being happy baby, secure that her needs will be met when she communicates about them, and not just when she cries, and at the same time independent enough to fall asleep on her own in her “own space”, her own bed. Sometimes, when I put her to nap, she stays for a while with her eyes opened, and then just puts herself to sleep.

"Infact, not just its own thread (for new findings) but a category like downloads so people can check the resources out by topic." -- Great suggestion, it would be very helpful to have it as a category with sub-categories, like Doman's method, Flashcards, Activities, Games, etc. However, it will be also good to make sure that the links that will be suggested go through some kind of "screening" of sorts, like posted on a separate thread first, and once they got looked at by forum members, they can be "suggested" or "voted in" to the links category to stay. What do you think? Just an idea. Another thought, once the link is suggested, the person can always write a once sentence review of it, that can be posted with the link, so it is easier to know what this web-site is about...