| World
on alert as bird flu (H5N1 virus) reaches Europe
 For
the last two months health authorities and government leaders around
the globe have been holding hastily arranged cabinet meetings and
medical conferences in a desperate attempt to prepare for what many
fear is an inevitable influenza pandemic that the world is ill prepared
to cope with. As communicable disease experts carefully scrutinize
daily medical reports for the first signs of the impending pandemic,
public health specialists and manufacturers are working frantically
to develop vaccines, drugs, and strategies to quarantine and treat
the ill. Unfortunately, all of these plans will take several years
to implement, and the most dangerous strain of influenza to appear
in decades — the H5N1 "bird flu" in Asia —
is showing up in new populations of birds, and occasionally people,
on an almost daily basis.
Driving this unparalleled level of international
cooperation is the simple fact that a global influenza pandemic
has nothing in common with the relatively mild forms of flu that
appear every year. Common influenza is caused by well-known strains
of flu that have circulated through the human population for decades
or longer. Since humans already possess broad immunity to these
garden-variety strains, they can only cause reinfection by slightly
altering their genes from year to year, usually resulting in only
mild discomfort. Pandemic influenza, on the other hand, is a rare
and deadly form of virus that can only arise after a new strain
from an animal source mixes its genes with a common human bug to
produce a completely new strain that is highly contagious, extremely
deadly, and to which people have absolutely no prior immunity.
Thankfully, flu pandemics are relatively rare
– only four occurred in all of the 20th century. But given
that it has been more than 40 years since the last pandemic many
health experts believe that the time is ripe for a new outbreak.
Such concerns are heightened by the rapid spread of a new contagious
microbe known as influenza H5N1, or avian (bird) flu. After first
being detected in wild birds in Asia, avian flu has recently passed
through Siberia, into Rumania, and is now moving across Europe.
So far the human death toll from avian flu has
been low, and confined to people in close contact with infected
birds. But a number of scientists are warning of a major pandemic
if the H5N1 virus mutates into a form capable of being transmitted
between humans. "Every time a new person gets infected with
the virus there is a small chance that person will trigger a pandemic,"
said Neil Ferguson, a scientist at London’s Imperial College
who has been running simulations to predict what will happen when
H5N1 to reach Britain. And while some scientists believe the chances
are low, researchers discovered that the strain of H5N1 isolated
in Rumania has already mutated into a version that is more easily
transmitted to humans. Adding to the bad news, medical authorities
in Asia recently reported of a case where they believe H5N1 was
passed from one person to another.
The "Spanish flu" pandemic of 1918 killed
an estimated 100 million people. If such an outbreak were to occur
today many health experts predict that the combination of increased
population density (3 times higher than in 1918) and rapid global
travel could spread the virus across the globe in a matter of days
and make containment almost impossible. The problem would be further
exacerbated by the shortage of effective antiviral drugs and vaccines.
According to even the most optimistic estimates, current supplies
of vaccines and drugs are far too low to control a major outbreak,
let alone contain a full-fledged global pandemic.
Writing in the July 31, 2005 Washington Post,
reporter David Brown points out that “if the virus were to
start spreading in the next year, the world would have only a relative
handful of doses of an experimental vaccine to defend against a
disease that, history shows, could potentially kill millions. If
the vaccine proved effective and every flu vaccine factory in the
world started making it, the first doses would not be ready for
four months. By then, the pathogen would probably be on every continent.
Theoretically, antiviral drugs could slow an outbreak and buy time.
The problem is only one licensed drug, oseltamivir (Tamiflu), appears
to work against bird flu. At the moment, there is not enough stockpiled
for widespread use. Nor is there a plan to deploy the small amount
that exists in ways that would have the best chance of slowing the
disease.”
Currently there is no vaccine that can protect
against the H5N1 avian flu virus because scientists do not yet know
what the final strain will be. According to The Guardian some manufacturers
are working on general H5N1 vaccines which they hope would provide
some protection in the event of a pandemic, but these remain unproven.
Making matters even worse, a new strain of the bird flu virus recently
isolated from an infected Vietnamese girl has been determined to
be resistant to Tamiflu, the aforementioned drug that health officials
are counting on to combat an avian influenza pandemic.
In light of a lack of adequate treatments, U.S.
public health specialists are drawing up unprecedented countermeasures
to slow the spread of a pandemic, including vaccinating only children;
mandatory closing of schools or office buildings; and imposing quarantines
on infected families to prohibit them from leaving their homes.
And around the globe authorities are drafting similar drastic measures
to contain an outbreak, including restricting international travel,
shutting down public transit systems and nationalizing supplies
of critical medical equipment, such as surgical masks.
While Western health experts and drug companies
try to cope with a lack of vaccines and antiviral drugs, emergency
health authorities in China have been quietly stockpiling a unique
anti-viral herbal formula that has already been shown to be effective
for protecting those at highest risk of infection during a viral
outbreak — the front-line doctors and nurses who risk their
lives to control the outbreak. When SARS first appeared in Hong
Kong in March 2003, the disease proved incredibly difficult to treat.
Antibiotics and standard antiviral drugs, including a powerful combination
of the anti-viral drug ribavirin and steroids, turned out to be
totally ineffective. Compounding the SARS crisis was the alarming
discovery that front-line healthcare workers were especially vulnerable
— up to 25% of all cases were the very doctors and nurses
caring for the ill.
Confronted with a deadly, highly virulent virus
that was resistant to conventional treatments, Hong Kong health
authorities desperately sought out any means for treating the new
disease. Then in mid-April officials noted a curious anomaly —
even as doctors and nurses at Western-style hospitals continued
to become sick, their medical peers staffing the traditional Chinese
medicine clinics throughout Hong Kong were remaining healthy and
infection-free despite working in close proximity to infected patients.
As the authorities quickly learned, the clinic workers were boosting
their immune systems to prevent infection by taking a unique antiviral
herbal formula that had been produced by medical experts at the
city’s Chinese University.
Within days hospital authorities had rushed 40,000
doses of the formula to at-risk health care workers across the city,
while a special team of epidemiologists from the University of Hong
Kong monitored the workers to track their exposure to the virus.
After two weeks the researchers reported the blood samples revealed
that not even a single health worker had contracted the infection
after taking the herbal formula. Additionally, the blood samples
showed that the formula was significantly boosting the workers immunological
functions, indicating an ability to prevent viral infection at the
very earliest stages of exposure. The epidemiological team concluded
that their evaluation indicated that the herbal formula was a suitable
preparation for preventing influenza-like infections.
The formula used in Hong Kong was based on the
work of one of the leading experts of modern Chinese medicine (and
the inventor of Vital Cell), Dr. Dexin Yan. In 1990 Dr. Yan launched
an intensive study of the effects of three traditional cold and
flu formulas. The first, Yin Chiao, was shown to be effective for
stopping a cold if taken at the first sign of an infection. The
second formula, Gan Mao Ling, was found to significantly reduce
the duration of a cold or flu if taken after infection had already
set in. And the last formula, Zhong Gan Ling, turned out to be extremely
effective for treating the flu, especially when present with a high
fever.
Dr. Yan combined the best elements of all three
formulas. Additionally, he increased the amount of three important
medicinal herbs, ilex, isatis, and forsythia, that new research
has shown exert powerful, antiviral actions. Dr. Yan then went to
the next step, adding elements from a fourth formula, Pe Min Kan
Wan, which acts as an effective nasal decongestant.
After extensive testing and clinical evaluation
to determine the precise percentage of each herbal ingredient, Dr.
Yan finally arrived at a single formula that stops colds or flu
when taken at the first sign, and speeds up recovery when taken
after a cold or flu has already started. Best of all, reports from
Dr. Yan’s patients revealed that the formula was especially
effective at alleviating such common symptoms as nasal congestion,
headaches and stuffy head symptoms, without the side effects of
over-the-counter medications.
After reviewing the records of hundreds
of clients reporting positive outcomes with Dr. Yan’s patients
a team of researchers at the Shanghai Center for Modern Traditional
Chinese Medicine launced a clinical trial to compare ImmunoPhase
with ribavirin (Rebetol), a powerful broad-spectrum, antiviral drug
that has been the drug of choice in Asia and Europe for treating
influenza and related viral illnesses for the last 20 years.
The researchers restricted the study to hospitalized
patients with severe flu symptoms, including average body temperatures
of at leasts103 degrees F. Over the course of the study seventy-six
patients were admitted, of which 30 were diagnosed with influenza,
32 with parainfluenza, 5 with adenovirus, and 6 with respiratory
syncytial virus.
39 patients (21 male, 18 female, ages 15 to 48
years) were treated with the ImmunoPhase formula. A second group
consisting of 37 patients (ages 17 to 53 years) was treated with
ribavirin. From the very start of the trial the researchers noticed
a remarkable difference between the two groups: patients receiving
ImmunoPhase showed a dramatic reduction in fevers, beginning as
soon as two hours after treatment, and no later than 6 hours after
receiving their first dose. By contrast, patients receiving ribavirin
took at least 6 hours to show any sign of lessening, and up to 18
hours in many patients – at least three times longer than
ImmunoPhase.
A comparison in the difference in the number of
hours before ImmunoPhase and ribavirin began to effect a reduction
in other symptom is presented in the table below.
Dr. Yan’s formula is now available in the
U.S. as ImmunoPhase. Unlike over-the-counter cold and flu medications
that cover up and/or suppress the miserable symptoms of a cold or
flu, ImmunoPhase offers a powerful, proactive response to colds
and flu. By enhancing the immune system during the first signs of
infection, ImmunoPhase aids in repelling the virus before it has
a chance to spread. And in addition to being highly effective at
preventing illness when taken at the first signs of an impending
cold or flu, ImmunoPhase has also been shown to relieve symptoms
and enhance the immune system for a more rapid recovery when taken
after one has already caught a cold or flu.
1. Angelica root – nasal/sinus
congestion, headache
2. Artemesia plant – fever
3. Forsythia fruit – sore throat, fever,
headache
4. Gypsum fiber – high fever, irritability,
thirst, cough, wheezing
5. Honeysuckle flower – sore throat, headache,
fever, antiviral, antibacterial
6. Ilex root – antitussive and expectorant
for coughs, fever, headache, antiviral
7. Isatis root – painful, swollen throat,
antibacterial, antiviral
8. Magnolia flower – nasal/sinus congestion
9. Notopterygii root and rhizome – chills,
fever, headache, body aches
10. Pueraria root – fever, headache, stiff
neck, thirst
11. Verbenae stem and leaf – swollen throat
12. Xanthii fruit – opens nasal passages,
nasal/sinus discharge, headache
ImmunoPhase™ is an advanced herbal formula
that offers effective immune support for fighting off colds and
flu. ImmunoPhase is completely free of side effects and use will
not make one feel sleepy, cause drowsiness or otherwise impair function.
Since the formula is stimulant-free its use does not contribute
to irritability, impair sleep or interfere with blood pressure medications
[as might compounds containing pseudoephedrine].
Adults: At the first signs of
a cold or flu, take two capsules every 2-3 hours
Children age 6-12: Take one capsule
every 3 hours at the first sign of a cold or flu.
When taken after cold or flu have already developed,
continue with the recommended dosage to reduce symptoms and speed
recovery.
Thank you for letting me take part in your evaluation
trial for ImmunoPhase. I'm originally from Hawaii and have never
fully adjusted to the California combination of bright sunlight
and cold temperatures. As a consequence I frequently catch colds
and/or strep throat every winter. Come December I'd gather up my
cough drops and start searching for new cold formulas on the pharmacy
shelves. During even mild seasons, whenever I felt that certain
tickle in my throat or felt fatigued, I knew that a cold was coming
on (especially if I'd been out in cold weather without a jacket!).
After evaluating ImmunoPhase for the last year
I now find I no longer need to worry about colds, even in the chilliest
weather or when stress at work becomes overwhelming. In short, ImmunoPhase
is remarkable — not only does it treat all my symptoms (unlike
other medications that just mask my symptoms), it actually knocks
my colds out completely! After several months of taking ImmunoPhase
after I was already sick, I learned to take ImmunoPhase as a preventive
measure at even the slightest sign that a cold might be coming on
(rather than waiting until my cold or strep throat were full-blown).
The results were remarkable and I've been able to ward off colds
regularly.
Even more amazing is the fact that if a cold has
already progressed beyond my ability to keep denying it, ImmunoPhase
still works, so that my cold lasts for a much shorter interval than
usual. Now I recover within a day or two, whereas my colds used
to last for at least a week (or more).
I highly recommend ImmunoPhase to anyone looking
for a natural formula that not only treats the usual (miserable)
symptoms, but also addresses the causes of the cold.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Kim, San Francisco
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