Quick Update

I've gone to start writing a new blog several times but I get just a few sentences into it and I stop. I don't know what to write about...especially since it has been so long. So I just don't. I actually thought no one read my blog anymore anywho, but after being asked by several people why I don't blog anymore I figured its time to update. The last several months have been a whirlwind. Our wedding was amazing (thank you to those who made it) and we have had a fantastic last 2 months. Who knew married life was so incredible? At the beginning of January we got to go on a 7 day Caribbean cruise to Cozumel, Mexico, Georgetown Grand Caymans, and Montigo Bay Jamaica. It was great to get away and spend that much time together, but it was quite the bumpy ride. I guess a storm decided to follow us the whole way, making the ship quite rocky. It also canceled any water excursions at the first two stops, so we didn't get to do our kayaking or power snorkeling. Instead we ended up walking 2 miles to the beach in the Grand Caymans and got blisters all over our feet. (We hadn't planned on walking we were supposed to be snorkeling). We were back from our trip for 4 days when we had to turn around and fly to Salt Lake City and then drive down to St George for my grandma Slaugh's funeral. I got to spend my 30th birthday at a funeral. Let me tell you, it was a blast. lol Anywho that is the past few months in a quick update. I hope to be able to blog more later. Here are a few pictures in the mean time.

The final countdown

Well im down to 40 days left til I get married. It still seems like an eternity away and yet so close when I think of all I have left to accomplish. I think I have the majority of things done, its planning everything at the reception that is left and that is still a lot. With Peter being in school and me working full time I really only get to see him on the weekends which has been really hard. We get to go on a honeymoon in January before he goes back to school. Im excited we are going on a 7 day cruise...I don't know all the details because its supposed to be a surprise but I do know we are going to hit Jamaica and Cozumel. :D

Here are a few of our engagement pics we took. We had to retake some of them since it was pouring rain the whole day.

Swine Flu

By Ken Taylor, D.C., N.D.

I have had several patients ask me what my thoughts were so I thought I would pass them along. I am opposed to the swine flu vaccine, and am convinced that getting a vaccination against swine flu is not in your best interest. Read the facts, and decide for yourself. Feel free to email me back if you have further questions.

About the swine flu

Dr. Russell Blaylock, author, lecturer, retired neurosurgeon, and nutritional researcher, did a detailed analysis of the material from the CDC (Center for Disease Control), printed on September 5, 2009:

1. Flu hospitalizations are the same or lower for all flu illness this year, as compared to other years.

2. The number of flu deaths this year has not changed from yearly averages.

3. There is no evidence of viral mutation anywhere in the world.

4. Flu illness remains susceptible to antiviral drugs, so swine flu is not resistant to Tamiflu or other flu antivirals.

5. 43,771 cases were reported in the United States (however, poor reporting could place real estimates as high as one million). Of the reported cases, 5,011 people have been hospitalized; 302 deaths have resulted, which is 0.6% of 43,771 or 0.03% of one million.

6. Because the chronically ill and immune suppressed tend to get infected early, most deaths will occur early in the season (so even as illness numbers are rising, deaths will decrease as the season progresses).

7. People do not die from flu itself. The only reason people die from flu is that they have a contributing immune- suppressing chronic illness. Some illnesses that fit into that category are diabetes, dietary deficiencies, chronic pulmonary disease, heart disease, cancer, and direct immune dysfunction.

8. A review of the 1918 flu pandemic found that most deaths were related to complications of bacterial pneumonia, before the widespread use of antibiotics and when there were no IV fluids and no respirators yet in use.

9. The number of children’s deaths this year are less than the previous two years by this time of year.

Some Things Don’t Make Sense

If you are not into conspiracy theories, then jump to the next topic about the importance of being healthy as a protection from all diseases, including swine flu. But for those who are open to looking at some mighty odd information, check out the following:

These are some good questions brought to the forefront in a class action law suit from journalist Jane Burgermeister, filed on July 30, 2009 (you can find more information in Burgermeister’s letter to Dr. Chan, head of WHO):

1. Why are we at pandemic level 6 (the highest level) when the swine flu is so mild?

2. Why is a motion for legislation mandating forced vaccination being filed in the United States?

3. Genetically, swine and bird flu viruses don’t mix. So how could a genome sequence of a swine flu and bird flu and human flu come together, unless it was man-made?

4. Why would a vaccine that is rushed through the “fast-track” for clearance (fewer safety steps) be mandated in the United States?

5. Why isn’t the swine flu vaccine classified as a bioweapon?

6. Why don’t we know more about this from the media?

Being Healthy as a Protection

In the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), June 19th, 2002 edition, a scientific review of vitamins for chronic disease prevention in adults was printed. This well documented treatise, with 152 references, documented the benefits of nine vitamins and their positive effects on coronary heart disease, cancer, neural tube defects and osteoporosis. The treatise also documents the value of the vitamins in disease prevention.

Vitamins and minerals have also been shown to improve the immune system. Many times, as a therapeutic measure, the dosage for these substances far exceeds the recommended amounts for daily use. Below are some examples:

1. In children with a vitamin A deficiency and low T cell counts (T cells are critical in the killing of infectious agents), a single large dose of vitamin A of 100,000 IU restored the T cell counts to normal[i]

2. Enhanced T cell-mediated immune function takes place at vitamin E intakes of at least 200 IU per day[ii]

3. Treatment of iron deficiency anemia showed improvement in T cell activity, IgG and IgM levels (antibody levels), white cell bactericidal (bacteria killing) activity[iii]

4. Twelve healthy individuals received a single dose of vitamin C (60 mg / kg or 4800 mg in a 180 pound man) and had a significant enhancement of natural killer cell activity for more than 24 hours[iv]

5. Selenium at 2 mg / kg reversed the age related immune cell decline seen in elderly mice[v]

6. Effects of vitamin C on a wide variety of viruses showed all were inactivated as the vitamin C was oxidized. Some of the commonly known viruses tested included hepatitis, measles, mumps, viral orchitis, herpes zoster, encephalitis, and others[vi]

7. 11,000 patients over a 14 year period were given vitamin C doses to cause bowel tolerance (a clinical term meaning enough dosage to cause diarrhea). The more severe the illness, the greater the number of grams needed to achieve bowel tolerance to destroy the virus. Up to 150 grams per day were needed in influenza.[vii]

8. 818 volunteers were followed through one winter. The volunteers had been administered either vitamin C, 250 mg 4 times per day (which was increased to 1000 mg four times per day if participants were ill), compared to a equally matched placebo group. The following was noted: no illness in 100 days-26 % in the vitamin C group, 18% in the placebo group; days confined to house-21% lower in vitamin C group; days missed at work-30% less in the vitamin C group. All these values reached significance with p ‹ 0.05 or less.[viii]

9. Vitamin D was given to inmates in one prison ward but was not given to other inmates in the Atascadero prison in California in 2005. A severe flu outbreak hit the prison, but the inmates in the ward receiving vitamin D did not have a single inmate infected, even though they mingled with the other inmates.[ix]

10. Many immune system diseases are improved with vitamin D administration, including some cancers, diabetes type I, Grave’s disease (autoimmune), Lupus Erythematosus, and Multiple Sclerosis.[x]

How Sugar Affects Our Immune System

The substances we take into our mouth also affect our immune system. For example, the following is a list of specific immune deficits caused by the ingestion of sugar:

1. Sugar interferes with the body’s phagocytes’ (the cells that eat up bacteria or viruses, like PacMan) ability for at least 5 hours after ingestion.[xi]

2. High glucose levels in the blood stream bind to proteins, thus damaging the immune system.[xii]

3. Sugar causes inflammation, which triggers an immune system response. This may distract the immune system from more important duties, like killing viruses or bacteria or cancer cells.

About the swine flu vaccine:

Continuing with Dr. Blaylock’s analysis:

1. Of the 5 tests that have been scheduled for vaccine safety, no one in the test group has been or will be injected with the adjuvant (the immune booster that makes the vaccine more effective); the adjuvant will be added later for mass vaccination. Injecting without the adjuvant makes the “testing” for safety suspect.

2. No data is available on safety for these vaccinations in children.

3. The vaccine has been “fast-tracked” (which means that, in the interest of speed, many of the usual safety precautions will not be required).

4. Sixty virologists were asked what they were doing personally about the swine flu. Of the interviewed virologists, thirty said nothing, twenty were stocking Tamiflu, and none mentioned taking the swine flu vaccine.

5. No information will be available on the safety profile of mixing the three viruses into a single vaccine, or the safety profile if the three viruses are given sequentially in three vaccinations.

6. Vaccine contamination is widespread, including containing pestivirus, mycoplasma, viral fragments, DNA fragments and bacterial components, all of which can cause chronic systemic disorders, cancer, neurologic disease and slow brain degeneration.

Other known facts:

1. The pharmaceutical companies making and distributing the vaccine are protected from law suits relative to the vaccine, regardless of the outcome, once the vaccine is widely administered.

Recommendations from Dr. Taylor:

1. Do not get the swine flu vaccine

2. Eat ‘real’ food and avoid processed food, especially refined sugar, which affects the immune system

3. Take a potent whole food supplement like Catalyn or LIVE by Nuriche (www.mynuriche.com/drtaylor) and a high vitamin Cod Liver oil (yes it does come in capsules). Cod Liver oil not only has the omega 3’s that are important for immune function, but also good levels of vitamin A and D which are also important for immune function. Most Cod Liver oils have the vitamin A and D processed out and either have very low levels or synthetic Vitamins A and D are added back in which are not as effective.

4. If you get an infectious illness (whether swine flu, regular flu, colds, sinusitis or something else):

• increase your whole food vitamin C intake to at least 6 tab orally each day
• take anti-virals from MediHerb like, Echinacea, Andrographis, Astragalus
• consider taking Calcium Lactate powder 1-2 tsps. in water daily. Ionizable calcium in the blood helps to direct white blood cells to kill off bacteria, and viruses.

I subscribe to Bernarr Macfadden’s philosophy. This pioneer in health made an astute comment back in 1928—one that serves us well to follow today: “The reader should now be fully persuaded to accept the statement of our assurance that most disease is preventable. There is no physician of any school who will not agree to the proposition that if the body be healthy it has the power to resist the aggressions of any kind of disease. Even though one accepts the germ theory to its fullest extent, we have shown that disease germs cannot grow and thrive in a healthy organism. No matter what contagion is, or how it works, it has no power over a healthy body.” (Macfadden’s Encyclopedia of Physical Culture, p. 66.)

Notes

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[i] Bhaskaram P, et al. Effects of subclinical vitamin A deficiency and administration of vitamin A as a single large dose on immune function in children. Nutr Res 1989;9:1017-1025.

[ii] Meydani SN, et al. Vitamin E supplementation and in vivo immune response in healthy elderly subjects. A randomized controlled trial. JAMA 1997;277:1380-1386.

[iii] Zanni G, et al. An evaluation of the effect of iron treatment on some immune parameters in sideropenic patients. Curr Ther Res 1989;45:48-52.

[iv] Vojdani A, et al. In vivo effect of ascorbic acid on enhancement of human natural killer cell activity. Nutr Red 1993;13:753-764.

[v] Roy M, et al. Supplementation with selenium restores age-related decline in immune cell function. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 1995;209:369-375.

[vi] Murata A. Virucidal activity of vitamin C for prevention and treatment of viral diseases. In Proc First Int Congr IAMS, Takezi Hasegawa (ed.), Science Council of Japan, 1975

[vii] Cathcart RF. Vitamin C: the nontoxic, nonrated-limited, antioxidant fee radical scavenger. Med Hypotheses 1985;18:61-77.

[viii] Anderson TW, et al. Vitamin C and the common cold: a double-blind trial. Can Med Assoc J 1972;107:503.

[ix] http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51913.php

[x] Literature review

[xi] W. Ringsdorf, et al. Sucrose neutrophilic phagocytosis and resistance to disease. Dental Survey 52, No. 12, 1976, pp. 46-48.

[xii] R. Pamplona, et al. Mechanisms of glycation in atherogenesis. Medical Hypotheses 40, 1990, pp. 174-181.

Love hurts

I have always heard the saying "love hurts" however its not usually a good term. I have always thought of it in reference to the negative side of love. Usually along the lines of love was great but then it comes to an end, and then you are left with pain. But I never really thought of it along the lines of love someone so much it hurts. But I think I am really finding out just how much that side of the phrase is just as true. Right now Peter is in school full swing. He has tests around every corner (at least one or two a week) and I am up to my eyeballs busy at work. There just is no time for "us" right now. I usually see him on the weekends, but what ends up being for a couple hours on Friday and then again on Saturday. Then its back to waiting for another 6 days for Friday night to come around again. Its really starting to get to me. Its so hard right now, and yes I know this will pass and the time will fly all too quickly and I will eventually be able to look back and chuckle at how I am behaving, but right now this is sooo hard. I cried half way home from Peter's house on Saturday night. Its only 67 more days, I know its only getting smaller too. My uncle Mike says this just will just ensure that we will still like each other when we get married. LOL Love hurts, it really does, I miss home so much that is really does hurt. *sigh* Man Im a baby LOL!

31 years

On Tuesday my parents will be celebrating their 31st anniversary. They are even getting to take a trip together for the first time in their married lives. I can only hope that I can be married for that long and even longer.
Peter's mom is on her third marriage. And when I mentioned that my parents were going to celebrate their 31st anniversary she made some comment along the lines that she could not imagine being married to someone that long. There are just too many compromises, and its just too hard to get a long with a man that long. I just can't believe that someone who is a member of the church can think that way. I want nothing short of being married for 50 plus years. I mean seriously isn't that what marriage is all about? Compromises? If you have gone through life thinking you are going to get your way on everything you have been sorely misinformed. But what better person to compromise with for the sake of happiness than your eternal companion. I am not under any false pretense that marriage will be in any way easy. But I for one, am up for the challenge. I think why bother getting married if you are not in it for the long haul? When you area already planning on finding your way out, that is not a good sign.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

He proposed!

Peter proposed to me yesterday and I said YES!!!!!! (although he told his mom I said no, lol) He told me were were going to take some pictures yesterday. I got all dressed up and went to his house and then he took me to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. It was soooo hot but we walked around for a bit. He was pointing out good places to take pictures and telling me how he would come there for lunch sometimes since he works in Fort Worth. We went down by this fountain, and we saw this metal sort of archway. We walked through that to this park bench and sat on that for a bit watching the people around us. Then we went back under the archway. I leaned up against one of the metal bars and told him it would be a cute picture if he did the same. So he humored me and leaned up against the other bar. Then he told me maybe it would be a good picture if I leaned up against the bar and he did this...and he got down on one knee. Bless his heart he was soooo nervous but the ring is the prettiest thing ever. I am the happiest person on the face of the earth. We are getting married in the Dallas Temple on November 20th and will have a reception on November 21st!

Happiness is not the absence of problems but the ability to deal with them.

I think that everyone in this life is in some way or another, on their own personal quest to find happiness. That is the ultimate goal isn't it? If only I could find happiness, then life will be good. Isn't that what life is all about? The eternal quest for happiness? But what exactly is happiness? Wikipedia says that happiness is this: "Happiness is emotion in which one experience feelings ranging from contentment and satisfaction to bliss and intense joy. This definition is, however, a synonymous one rather than one based on analytic evaluation, because of the varied and elusive nature of happiness."
But why does that have to be the case, why does happiness have to be elusive? Why isn't it just something that everyone is entitled to? I know the way the world is today it makes it hard to be happy. It seems like everything that can and will go wrong in our lives does. It seems like some days you are doing good just to make it through the day without killing anyone. This "prayer" depicts it all...

Dear God,

So far today, I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, and I haven't lost my temper. I haven't been grumpy, nasty or selfish. But in a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed and that’s when I’m going to need a lot of help. Amen

I think happiness has to be something we choose. No matter what our circumstances, we have to choose to be happy. Life throws many things at us, but whether we stumble and fall is not what matters. If we fall down 16 times we just have to get up one more time than we fall. I think many of us these days have a hard time remembering what we have to be thankful for. I have struggled with this concept for a large portion of my life, it’s really easy to only see all the negatives in life and forget to look to the positive. Life is good! I can honestly say I am happier now that I have ever been. I have so many people who love me and so many things that I have to be grateful for. I am making good choices and doing what I am supposed to, and I can see the blessings in that. Happiness is a choice and I for one am going to choose to be happy!