In the US, preparations for Swine Flu center entirely on a new and untested vaccine along with anti-viral drugs that don’t work very well and have serious side effects. The Canadian government by contrast is willing to consider some other, common sense alternatives.
NutraIngredients reports that the Public Health Agency of Canada is investigating the role of vitamin D in protecting against swine flu. The study will take place over several flu seasons in order for officials to recruit enough study participants, and the goal is to see if vitamin D levels explain why most flu sufferers develop a mild illness, while a minority develops severe symptoms.
Multiple studies have shown a possible link between vitamin D deficiency and influenza. During the winter cold and flu season, the sun is weaker and we get less or no vitamin D from exposure to solar rays. Having more Vitamin D has also been shown to reduce the incidence of upper respiratory infections.
We recommend an excellent article on vitamin D by Life Extension co-founder and health researcher Bill Faloon. The article notes that heart attacks, colon cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and stroke have all been shown to be correlated with insufficient levels of vitamin D. “Vitamin D seems to reduce the risk of almost every killer disease of aging,” Mr. Faloon writes. Life Extension even offered to donate vitamin D for the government to give away to those who cannot afford it.
Even the Harvard Medical School, which normally only advocates for vitamin intake through food, promotes supplementation of vitamin D.
Vitamin D is available to anyone with access to the outdoors through sunlight. Supplements are also low cost, although it is important to use the D3 form, not the cheaper but less potent D2 form.
Given the research suggesting that vitamin D might help alleviate the severity of influenza, including swine flu, and many other diseases, shouldn’t US public health officials be telling the public about it? Shouldn’t they be on every news station, in every newspaper and magazine, and all over the internet encouraging vitamin D supplementation to mitigate the severity of a potential influenza outbreak?
Why is our government avoiding low cost, common sense natural remedies and instead pushing toxic and ineffective pharmaceutical drugs along with a new vaccine whose safety will remain unknown until tested on millions of children? The last swine flu vaccine killed more people than the illness it was meant to prevent.
Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for the government to take action. Ensuring that your vitamin D intake is sufficient through a blood test or starting supplements is just one thing you can do to prepare for any possible swine flu outbreaks. Don’t let the government’s total silence on natural remedies stop you from protecting yourself and you family.