Sunday, October 25, 2009

Pet PEEves

As most of you know my cat, Duchess, is terminally ill with intestinal lymphoma which has spread to her blood.  We found this out in January '09 and were told she had about 6-8 weeks to live.  Well I must have a miracle cat because it's been 9 months!  I am thankful for the extra time with her.  She is eating okay (soft canned food and sometimes dry food), but I am sad to say that she is a little frail and lethargic.  Here is where the pet PEEve comes in... she has decided that it is easier to pee and poop right outside the litter box instead of IN it.  ARGH!  I took the lid off the box, but that didn't help.  Cat pee is nasty!  Poop too, but it's the cat pee smell that stays in your nose (and house) long after you clean it up.  We had scrap carpet down in the laundry room under the litter box, but it got nasty so we threw it out.  Now we have the whole laundry room lined with newspaper.  I don't know what to do.  She is dying and I can't get mad at her, but come on!  Anyone got a solution to eliminating cat pee smell from tile grout?  I am embarrassed to have anyone over.

Btw, I have already decided that we are not getting any more animals for a long time after Duchess passes.  I mean, like, 5-8 years!  I am so tired of litter boxes, cat hair, etc.  I love Duchess, but I'll be ready for a break.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Meal Plan Monday - Week of Oct 19

Mon - Chicken Parmesan and Steamed Broccoli

Tues - Broiled Orange Chili Chicken Breasts and Salad

Weds - Jerked Chicken with Acorn Squash

Thurs - Leftovers

Fri - Pork Tenderloin "Dragged Through the Garden" with Roasted Asparagus and Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Sat - Leftovers

Sun - Pot Roast with Roasted Fall Vegetables

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Swine Flu

So, Jamin came down with the flu last week.  All three of us started taking Elderberry Extract which exhibits proven anti-viral properties, as well as vitamins C, D, and echinacea.  Jamin's flu was very mild and short-lived and neither Zachary nor I caught it.  It was probably the swine flu since that is what is going around currently (we are not quite in regular flu season yet.)  I have to say that the illness is just what I expected --- a much milder form of the regular seasonal flu.  I am sure that Zachary and I were exposed, which is good since we have probably built up some sort of antibodies to it now.  Much better than getting the vaccine with all the chemicals in it. And according to epidemiologists, up to 60% of people who are exposed to or infected with the swine flu will exhibit no symptoms.  That is good news for us because we were in contact with it and are now likely immune. 

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

18 Reasons Our Family Will Not Be Getting the Flu Vaccines

I'll preface this by saying that this is the right decision for MY family.  It might not be the right one for your family.  Do your research and make an INFORMED decision. 

In my opinion, this year it is more important that we protect our family and loved ones from the flu vaccines than from influenza itself.

In his article published on LewRockwell.com, Bill Sardi details 18 reasons why you should not vaccinate your children against the flu this season.  Here they are paraphrased:

1. This flu is simply another flu. It is not unusually deadly. In fact, the H1N1 swine flu in circulation is less deadly than many other influenza outbreaks. The first 1000 confirmed swine flu cases in Japan and China produced zero deaths. The Centers for Disease Control alleges 36,000 Americans succumb to the flu each year, but so far, since March through August of 2009 (6 months), the swine flu has been attributed to ~500–600 deaths in the US. The swine flu of 2009 has already swept through the Southern Hemisphere’s flu season without alarm. Only exaggerated reports have been issued by the World Health Organization regarding hospitalizations required during the flu season in South American countries. Getting exposed to influenza and developing natural antibodies confers resistance for future flu outbreaks. Artificially boosting antibodies by exposure to flu viruses in vaccines is more problematic than natural exposure. Americans have been exposed to the H1N1 swine flu throughout the summer of 2009 with far fewer deaths and hospitalizations than commonly attributed to the seasonal flu.

2. Health authorities tacitly admit prior flu vaccination programs were of worthless value. This is the first time both seasonal and pandemic flu vaccines will be administered. Both seasonal flu and swine flu vaccines will require two inoculations. This is because single inoculations have failed to produce sufficient antibodies. Very young children and older frail adults, the high-risk groups in the population, may not produce sufficient antibodies in response to the flu vaccine. This is an admission that prior flu vaccines were virtually useless. The same people who brought you the ineffective vaccines in past years are bringing you this year’s new vaccines. Can you trust them this time?

3. In addition to failure to produce sufficient antibodies, this swine flu vaccine is brought to you by the same people who haven’t been able to adequately produce a seasonal flu vaccine that matches the flu strain in circulation. In recent years flu vaccination has been totally worthless because the strains of the flu in circulation did not match the strain of the virus in the vaccines. Authorities claim the prevalent flu strain in circulation in mid-September ’09 is the H1N1 swine flu, which appears to be milder than past seasonal influenza in circulation. If this data is correct, why receive the seasonal flu shot this year?

4. The vaccines will be produced by no less than four different manufacturers, possibly with different additives (called adjuvants) and manufacturing methods. The two flu inoculations may be derived from a multi-dose vial and in a crisis, and in short supply, it will be diluted to provide more doses and then adjuvants must be added to trigger a stronger immune response. Adjuvants are added to vaccines to boost production of antibodies but may trigger autoimmune reactions. Some adjuvants are mercury (thimerosal), aluminum and squalene. Would you permit your children to be injected with lead? Lead is very harmful to the brain. Then why would you sign a consent form for your kids to be injected with mercury or aluminum, which are even more brain-toxic than lead? Injecting mercury and aluminum may fry the brains of American kids.


5. This is the first year mock vaccines have been used to gain FDA approval. Mock vaccines are made to gain approval of the manufacturing method and then the prevalent virus strain in circulation is added just days before it is actually placed into use. Don’t subject your children to experimental vaccines. Yes, these vaccines have been tested on healthy kids and adults, but they are not the same vaccines your children will be given. Those children with asthma, allergies, type I diabetes, etc. are at greater risk for side effects. Children below the age of 2 years do not have a sufficient blood–brain barrier developed and are subject to chronic brain infections that emanate into symptoms that are called autism. Toddlers should not be subjected to injected viruses.

6. Over-vaccination is a common practice now in America. American children are subjected to 29 vaccines by the age of two. This means a little bit of disease is being injected into young children continually during their most formative years! Veterinarians have backed off of repeat vaccinations in dogs because of observed side effects.

7. Health officials want to vaccinate women during pregnancy, subjecting the fetal brain to an intentional biological assault. A recent study showed exposure to flu viruses among women during pregnancy provokes a similar gene expression pattern in the fetus as that seen in autistic children. This is a tacit admission that vaccines, which inject a little bit of influenza into humans, causes autism.

8. Modern medicine has no explanation for autism, despite its continued rise in prevalence. Yet autism is not reported among Amish children who go unvaccinated. Beware the falsehoods of modern medicine.

9. School kids are likely to receive nasally-administered vaccines (Flu-Mist) that require no needle injection. But this form of live vaccine produces viral shedding which will surely be transmitted to family members. What a way to start an epidemic!  (Stay away from those who have received the Flu-Mist vaccine for at least 5 days.  There is a possibility that they can transmit the flu virus to you through viral shedding.)


10. This triple reassortment virus appears to be man made. Virologists admit this part swine flu/part avian flu/part human flu virus must have taken time to develop. But it somehow wasn’t detected by hundreds of flu monitoring stations across the globe. On April 24, 2009 Dr. John Carlo, Dallas County Medical Director, alludes that the H1N1 strain of the Swine 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." (Globe & Mail, Canada)

11. Recall the swine flu scare of 1976. In a politically charged atmosphere where Gerald Ford was seeking election to the Presidency, the swine flu suddenly appeared at a military base. Vaccine was produced and millions of Americans were vaccinated. But the vaccine was worse than the disease, causing hundreds of cases of Guillain Barre syndrome and a few deaths. In a replay of the past, the White House is directly involved in promoting the H1N1 2009 swine flu vaccine. The federal government will use federal funds to pay off schools to administer vaccines, promote vaccination via highway billboards and TV advertisements, and conduct military-style mass inoculations in such rapid fashion that if side effects occur, it will be too late. The masses will have been vaccinated already. Over $9 billion has been allotted by the federal government to develop and deliver an unproven and experimental flu vaccine. Don’t be a guinea pig for the government.

12. Researchers are warning that over-use of the flu vaccine and anti-flu drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza can apply genetic pressure on flu viruses and then they are more likely to mutate into a more deadly strain. U.S. health authorities want 70% of the public to be vaccinated against the flu this ’09 season, which is more than double the vaccination percentage of any prior flu season. This would certainly apply greater genetic pressure for the flu to mutate into a more virulent strain.

13. Most seasonal influenza A (H1N1) virus strains tested from the United States and other countries are now resistant to Tamiflu (oseltamivir). Tamiflu has become a nearly worthless drug against seasonal flu. According to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control, among 1148 seasonal flu samples tested, 1143 (99.6%) were resistant to Tamiflu!

14. As the flu season progresses the federal government may coerce or mandate Americans to undergo vaccination. France has already ordered enough vaccine to inoculate their entire population and has announced that vaccination will be mandatory. The U.S. appears to be waiting to announce mandatory vaccination at a later date when it can scare the public into consenting to the vaccine. The federal government is reported to be hiring people to visit homes of unvaccinated children. This sounds like the Biblical account of Pharaoh attempting to eradicate all the young Israelite baby boys. Must we hide our babies now?

15. Public health authorities have cried wolf every flu season to get the public to line up for flu shots. Health authorities repeatedly publish the bogus 36,000 annual flu-related deaths figure to scare the public into getting flu shots. But that figure is based on the combined deaths from pneumonia in the elderly and the flu. Maybe just 5000–6000 or so flu-related deaths occur annually, mostly among individuals with compromised immune systems, the hospitalized, individuals with autoimmune disease or other health problems. As stated above, the swine flu in full force has only resulted in ~500–600 deaths in the first six months in circulation and it is far more dreaded by public health authorities than the seasonal flu. The Centers for Disease Control issues a purchase order for flu vaccines and then serves as the public relations agency to get the public to pay for the vaccines. Out of a population of 325 million Americans, only 100 million doses of flu vaccine have been administered each year and no epidemic has erupted among the unvaccinated.

16. The news media is irresponsible in stirring up unfounded fear over this coming flu season. Just exactly how ethical is it for newspapers to publish reports that a person has died of the swine flu when supposedly thousands die of the flu annually? In the past the news media hasn’t chosen to publicize each and every flu-related death, but this time it has chosen to frighten the public. Why? The late flu season of 2009 peaked in week 23 (early June) and has dissipated considerably. While every childhood flu-related death should be considered tragic, and the number of flu-related pediatric deaths in 2009 is greater than prior flu seasons as a percentage, in real numbers it is not a significant increase.  According to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control, for week 34 ending August 29, 2009, there were 236 hospitalizations and 37 deaths related to the flu. That would represent just 5 hospitalizations and less than one death per State, which is "below the epidemic threshold."

17. Public health officials are irresponsible in their omission of any ways to strengthen immunity against the flu. No options outside of problematic vaccines and anti-flu drugs are offered, despite the fact there is strong evidence that vitamins C and D activate the immune system and the trace mineral selenium prevents the worst form of the disease where the lungs fill up with fluid and literally drown a flu-infected person. In addition, Black Elderberry extract has been proven in research studies to keep the H1N1 virus from binding to human cells, thus making it unable to reproduce.  The only plausible explanation as to why the flu season typically peaks in winter months is a deficiency of sunlight-produced vitamin D. Protect your family. Arm your immune system with vitamins and trace minerals.

18. Will we ever learn if the flu vaccine this year is deadly in itself? In 1993 the federal government hid a deadly flu vaccine that killed thousands of nursing home patients. It was the first year that flu shots were paid for by Medicare. The vaccine-related mortality was so large that this set back the life expectancy of Americans for the first time since the 1918 Spanish flu! Mortality reports take a year or two to tabulate and the federal government may choose not to reveal the true mortality rate and whether it was related to the flu or the vaccines. You say this couldn’t happen? It did in 1993!


    Monday, October 12, 2009

    Meal Plan Monday - Week of Oct 12

    Now that all the high school reunions, family get-togethers, and weddings are over Jamin and I are getting back in shape.  And that means eating better too.  It's time for Phase I of the Atkins Diet.  (Before you leave any comments on how bad you think Atkins is, do a little research and check out my recipes.  It is not all bacon and cheese!  It's definitely a lot healthier than most people eat.)  Here's what we're having:

    Mon - Chicken Spaghetti (using spaghetti squash for the "noodles")

    Tues - Leftovers (Stuffed Peppers and/or Chicken Spaghetti)

    Weds - Beef Stroganoff (no pasta or rice)

    Thurs - Baked Tilapia with Lemon and Dill; Steamed Broccoli

    Fri - Jerked Chicken Salad (we didn't have this last week... had chicken soup instead because Jamin was sick)

    Sat -Mini Italian Meatloaves and Cucumber, Tomato and Green Onion Salad

    Sun - Stir-Fried Thai Chicken with Basil

    Saturday, October 10, 2009

    My Little Brother Got Married!

    My little brother got married!!!  I am very happy for him and his new wife, Tia.  I pray that they have a very long and happy life together.  The wedding took place on Friday, Oct 9, the date of my late mother's birthday.  It was a nice way to honor my mom's memory.  It was a very emotional night for me.  Chad and Tia had set up a tribute to my mom (a picture and candles) which was displayed on the alter during the ceremony.  Dinah stepped in to fill the mother-of-the-groom role.  I couldn't have asked for a better person to be the MOG for Chad.  When I saw them dancing during the mother/son dance at the reception, though, I got very emotional.  It was hard just knowing that my mom wasn't there in person and it totally caught me off guard.  I didn't expect to have that reaction.  I also got to spend some time with my older brothers and sisters - Terri, Sheryl, Ken and Randy, who I don't see but about every 5 years or so.  My little Zachary was the ring bearer.  He was dressed so cute and he ran down the aisle when it was his turn and everyone cracked up.  It was an awesome night! 


                                                                          Tia and Chad


    Zachary checking himself out



    Me and Chad

    Tuesday, October 6, 2009

    Meal Plan Monday - Week of Oct 5

    I've been getting better and better at planning meals around what's on sale at the grocery store, what we already have in the fridge/freezer/pantry, and what I have coupons for. On Mondays I try to plan at least 5 days worth of meals for the week so I know what we're having each night and don't have to scramble at the end of every day to figure out what to cook for dinner. The other two nights I leave for leftovers or special occasions to eat out. Here is what we're having this week:

    Mon - Turkey, Spinach and Pesto Meatloaf
    Fiery Corn

    Tues - Garlic Roast Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon
    Asparagus in Sage Brown Butter Sauce

    Weds - Chipotle Beef Burgers with Fire Roasted Garlic Ketchup

    Thurs - (my brother's rehearsal dinner)

    Fri - (my brother's wedding)

    Sat - Jerked Chicken Salad

    Sun - Stuffed Tri-Color Peppers