Are you coughing, sneezing, congested?

Then, I have great news for you. You are cleansing! That is correct. All the mucus that is coming out of your nose came from the foods you ate you are allergic. Remember my newsletter, “It’s Cleansing, not flu season?” I talked about body’s reaction to cold and how the weather alternating back and forth from warm to cold causes the body’s lymphatic system to pump out what the body needs to rid itself. The weather actually helps us cleanse every year. When the weather turns cold, just like if you applied ice to your skin, the lymphatics on the surface of your body contract, squeezing out any excess lymph. That lymph contains water and fat soluble products as well as mucus. What you cannot eliminate normally will end up in your sinuses. You will notice that after every single time the weather turns from warm to cold there is new group of people that have one or more of nasal congestion, coughing, or sneezing. If they are cleansing too fast then they’ll end up with bronchitis or maybe even pneumonia. So you see, the discharge from your nose is no more caused by a virus than mosquito's cause standing water.

The problem is when the mucus accumulates and stays in your sinuses or lungs too long, which will lead to infections. When the mucus accumulates in your nasal cavity above your throat, it will culture viruses and bacteria causing a sore throat. This is how important it is to perform nasal irrigation daily to keep your nasal cavity clear of mucus. In children this accumulation with swelling leads to ear infections. In adults this can lead to throat infections and bronchitis. As a naturopathic doctor, I prescribe homeopathic and herbal remedies based on your individual symptoms, to help you heal naturally and stay healthy. One of the safest herbal formulas for your family is Respiratory formula.

in Health and Service,

David Hogg, ND
Naturopathic Wisdom
1101 South Winchester Blvd.
Suite E157
San Jose, CA 95128
408-297-6877
www.naturopathicwisdom.com

Allergies Start Here

Most of us think that seasonal allergies begin with breathing in pollen or dust, however the cause of allergies begins with your body’s reaction to the pollen. Yes, there is pollen in the air. But, the symptoms you are having are a measure of your immune health. The typical symptoms of runny nose, sneezing, itchy watery eyes, and others are caused by a histamine release in reaction to the allergen you have inhaled. Conventional medicine would have you believe that simply taking an antihistamine drug treats the cause of your allergies. Antihistamine drugs suppress histamine production by the mast cells, but also can cause the common side effects of drowsiness, fatigue, abdominal pain, headache, dry mucus membranes, diarrhea, and sore throat. Naturopathic medicine treats the cause and severity of the symptoms and the symptoms directly.

The cause of your allergy symptoms is located inside the intestinal tract. That is where your body first learns what measure of histamine reaction to have in response to an allergen. The core of your immune system is in your abdomen. Of all the lymph nodes in your body, 80-90% of them surround your intestines. Therefore, the body’s response to an allergen is first learned when we eat foods we are allergic.

For example, if you are allergic to wheat, then your intestines will attract more white blood cells that become mast cells that produce histamine as a result. As you continue to eat more and more foods you are allergic, the more mast cells your body will produce and the more severe histamine reaction you will experience. What you can do to calm the histamine reaction you have is avoiding allergic foods and by taking a supplement like D-Hist, which contains the ingredients quercitin, nettle, and NAC. Quercitin helps to calm the mast cells down thereby decreasing the histamine response to an allergen. Nettle is an herb known to calm allergies. And, NAC (n-acetylcysteine) is a natural allergy anti-inflammatory.

Also, the secret to curing your allergies is healing your intestinal tract. If you are having the common allergy symptoms, try to imagine those same symptoms of inflammation, redness, swelling, and histamine release also happening in your intestinal tract at the same time. Frequently in the case of severe allergies, ordering a stool test to determine if there are any abnormal microbes such as bad bacteria, yeast, or parasites that may also be contributing to the symptoms is extremely helpful. I have seen many people with severe allergies test positive for harmful bacteria, then when treated, the allergies seem to disappear. So you see, we must treat the cause of allergies and not the symptoms to achieve a cure.

Treating allergies by treating the cause instead of the symptoms is the best way to heal or cure your allergies. Naturopathic medicine offers a comprehensive approach including diet, supplements, and homeopathic remedies to treat the cause of allergies and without harmful side effects.

© 2011 David Hogg, ND
www.naturopathicwisdom.com

Flu Shot Ingredients 2010-2011 Season

They have greatly updated the flu shot ingredients for 2010. The following information was taken directly from the package insert for each flu vaccine. There are 4 different flu vaccines made by different manufacturers. If you decide to vaccinate yourself, make sure you are aware of exactly what you are receiving in the vaccine. They included the H1N1 virus in all of the flu vaccines this year. Please forward this information to all of your friends.

The different vaccines are as follows;

1. Fluvirin made by Novartis

2. Afluria by CSL Biotherapeutics

3. Fluzone by Sanofi Pasteur

4. FluMist by MedImmune

1. Fluvirin made by Novartis contains the inactivated flu virus type A & B. Fluvirin is not recommended for children under 4 years of age. Each dose contains;
1. Thimerosal that has been mostly removed down to less than 1 mcg. The multidose vial contains 25 mcg murcery per dose.
2. influenza virus hemagglutinin 25 mcg from 3 different viruses; A/California/7/2009, NYMC X-181 (H1N1); A/Victoria/210/2009, NYMC X-187 (H3N2) (an A/Perth/16/2009-like virus); and B/Brisbane/60/2008. (3, 11). (The package insert does not give the exact proportions of each virus.)
3. egg proteins; virus was propagated in embryonated hen’s eggs
4. polymyxin
5. neomycin
6. betapropiolactone
7. nonylphenol ethoxylate in trace amount
8. the tips of the prefilled syringe may contain natural rubber latex. The multidose vial and syringe stopper/plunger do not contain latex.

2. Afluria by CSL Biotherapeutics
1. Thimerosal that has been mostly removed down to less than 1 mcg. The multidose vial contains 25 mcg murcery per dose.
2. influenza virus hemagglutinin 25 mcg from 3 different viruses; A/California/7/2009, NYMC X-181 (H1N1); A/Victoria/210/2009, NYMC X-187 (H3N2) (an A/Perth/16/2009-like virus); and B/Brisbane/60/2008. (3, 11). (The package insert does not give the exact proportions of each virus.)
3. sodium chloride
4. monobasic sodium phosphate
5. potassium chloride
6. calcium chloride
7. sodium taurodeoxycholate
8. ovalbumin
9. neomycin sulfate
10. polymyxin B
11. beta-propiolactone
12. the tips of the prefilled syringe may contain natural rubber latex. The multidose vial and syringe stopper/plunger do not contain latex.

3. Fluzone by Sanofi Pasteur
1. influenza virus hemagglutinin 25 mcg from 3 different viruses; A/California/7/2009, NYMC X-181 (H1N1); A/Victoria/210/2009, NYMC X-187 (H3N2) (an A/Perth/16/2009-like virus); and B/Brisbane/60/2008. (3, 11).
2. Each 0.25 ml dose has 22.5 mcg of influenza virus hemagglutinin (7.5 mcg of each strain) and each 0.5 ml dose has 45 mcg (15 mcg of each strain) harvested from embryonated chicken eggs in allantoic fluid inactivated with formaldehyde.
3. Octylphenol ethoxylate (Triton X-100)
4. Sodium phosphate sodium
5. Formaldehyde
6. Gelatin
7. Thimerosal containing 25 mcg mercury is only in the multidose vial

4. FluMist intranasal spray by MedImmune
1. Live attenuated virus reassortants of 3 wild-type influenza viruses, hemagglutinin and neuraminidase; A/California/7/2009 (H1N1); A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2); and B/Brisbane/60/2008. (3).
2. harvested from embryonated chicken eggs in allantoic fluid
3. monosodium glutamate (MSG)
4. hydrolyzed porcine gelatin
5. arginine
6. sucrose
7. dibasic potassium phosphate
8. monbasic potassium phosphate
9. gentamicin sulfate
10. contains no preservatives

in Health and Service,

David Hogg, ND
Naturopathic Wisdom
1101 South Winchester Blvd.
Suite E157
San Jose, CA 95128
408-297-6877

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www.naturally4health.com
www.naturopathicwisdom.com

Are You Cleansing Yet? – Runny nose or flu symptoms?

Before you read on, you may enjoy reading the following previous articles;
It is Really Cleansing (Not Flu) Season - And Why
Now That You Are Cleansing
Some People Are Still Cleansing

Has your nose started to run yet? I have been seeing many people with runny noses, nasal congestion and some coughing. Some have reported feeling as if they have the flu. If you do not have symptoms yet, your turn may be coming. This coming Fall and Winter season is going to be different from now through March 2011. I believe the weather is going to be alternating hot and cold until then. And, this alternating hot and cold weather hydrotherapy will be doing things to your body to make you cleanse whether you want to or not.

Remember, the "flu" in not the flu but your body cleansing itself of stuff your body does not like. All the stuff you have eaten all year will now be exiting through your nose. If your body does not like dairy, wheat, corn flour, or other foods, even though it may seem to be ok at the time, then your body will be cleansing itself of those foods.

Every time it turns cold your body changes from getting rid of excess heat to conserving heat. This great change in the way your body deals with heat is what causes your flu/cleansing symptoms. When the weather turns cold, the body constricts the capillaries and lymphatic vessels at the surface skin in order to conserve heat. This constriction sends all of that fluid out of the body. Ever notice that your rings fit more loose in the Winter than the Summer? Where do you think that swelling goes? Well, some of it you urinate out, some your sweat out under warm winter clothes, some you poop out, and the rest goes to your nose and possibly chest. No amount of vaccines, over-the-counter flu and cold medicines will ever stop this process. And, no flu virus will ever cause your body to cleanse. Flu viruses are in response to the mucus accumulating, and not the cause of your runny nose. And, the body aches you feel as you think you are getting the flu are actually the junk you ate all year that is now moving through your lymphatic vessels since your body is now in heat conservation mode. Understand? It is really the weather with your body's response to it and not some virus that is causing your symptoms. A virus never has and never will cause your nose to run, body aches, post-nasal drip, or coughing. The virus will only be there when the mucus sits in your body too long.

Therefore, the best way to deal with these symptoms is to keep the flow and cleansing going. I give respiratory herbs to help the nose discharge and keep the lungs clear, antiviral herbs if necessary, and herbs for the throat to keep it feeling good, and most importantly homeopathic remedies specific for you and your specific symptoms, all helping you heal more quickly and in the process be healthier for the experience of cleansing. I also prescribe hydrotherapy treatments in home and office to assist with the cleansing.

In conclusion, you can see there is nothing "going around," nor has there even been. We all "get it" at the same time. We always have these symptoms occur right before, during, or after a cold change of weather. These symptoms are not caught from anyone but ourselves. We cause ourselves to cleanse when we put things into our bodies that our body does not like. So, do not take any decongestants, fever medications, or basically anything from a drug store. Take natural things and receive natural treatments to assist your body during this time. Finally, naturopathic medicine has much help for you while you are cleansing. Cleansing is exactly what you are doing after all.

in Health and Service,

David Hogg, ND
Naturopathic Wisdom
1101 South Winchester Blvd.
Suite E157
San Jose, CA 95128
408-297-6877
www.naturally4health.com
www.naturopathicwisdom.com

Some people are still cleansing

With the weather turning colder at least one more time before spring springs, the cold weather will cause more cleansing in those whos bodies have not cleansed yet or enough. Remember, the most common thing your body is needing to cleanse itself from is milk. See the previous article here;
http://naturopathicwisdom.blogspot.com/2010/04/milk-it-is-not-what-it-used-to-be.html

Please take the time to read the following previous articles to understand why your body is cleansing, and does not in any way have any sort of flu and never will. “The flu” is something that has been sold to us by big pharma in order to sell us flu shots. Cleansing (flu) symptoms happen every single year and has in no way due to any virus whatsoever.

It's Cleansing (Not Flu) Season, And Why

Remember, It's Cleansing (Not Flu) Season

Now That You Are Cleansing

Milk: It Is Not What It Used To Be
Important: If you are allergic to any of these ingredients, you will be allergic to regular milk.

I remember the milkman. Yes, I am dating myself. I remember getting 2 quarts of milk every few days. That was good milk. Then, something happened. Milk no longer came to us straight from the dairy. We now bought milk from the grocery store in a paper then later plastic carton. I remember thinking there must be something innately wrong with drinking from plastic. Now we know drinking anything from plastic is not really good for us. For the most part, milk cows no longer graze grass at a dairy. They are fed prepared feed with all kinds of ingredients. I found one particular website that was quite helpful. The ingredients are as follows; dehydrated alfalfa pellets, almond hulls, apple pomace, apple pomace with oat hulls, bakery waste also called cookie meal (stale bread, pastries, and donuts), barley grain, beans, beet pulp, blood meal (dried blood), brewers grains (left over after beer production), canola meal, waste chocolate, citrus pulp, corn grain, high moisture corn, corn gluten feed (product of making corn starch), corn gluten meal (by-product of making corn syrup), cottonseed hulls, cottonseed meal, distillers dried grains with solubles, fat (from pork and beef, poultry, blended feed grade animal fat, blended animal and vegetable fats, and feed grade vegetable fat), tallow (calcium salts and long-chain fatty acids, hydrogenated fatty acids, hydrogenated tallow products), feather meal (hydrolyzed poultry feathers from slaughtered poultry), fish meal (by-product of making fish oil), hominy feed (by-product of making grits), flaxseed meal, lupin seeds, meat and bone meal (dried from pork), cane molasses, oat grain, oat hulls, peanut meal, rye grain, sorghum grain (milo), soybean meal, heat-treated full-fat soybeans, extruded soybeans, expeller-processed soybean meal, lignosulfonate-treated soybean meal, soy hulls, sunflower meal, urea, wheat feed flour (by-product of making wheat flour), wheat middlings (shorts, germ, and flour), wheat red dog flour (bran, shorts, germ, and flour), and whey (by-product of cheese making). They also have to add antibiotics to suppress the bacteria that grow from all these ingredients being digested in the cow intestines. They also give the cows estrogen to make them produce more milk than the cows would otherwise.
Post link in browser to see full list:
www.milkproduction.com/Library/Articles/Feed_Ingredients.htm

I have one very important question, where's the grass? Cows are supposed to be vegetarians. Cows are not carnivorous and will never be. Their stomachs are made to digest mainly grasses and weeds. If you are allergic to any of the above ingredients, you will be allergic to regular milk. The ingredients above are largely animal and fowl products, starches, bleached white flour, fibers, grains, food industry by-products, hydrogenated fats, and genetically modified soy products. If you are drinking milk or eating cheese, then you are eating all of the above ingredients. Hydrogenated fats have been linked to arteriosclerosis and heart disease. It is no wonder so many people are allergic to milk these days. Dairy is one of the main food groups I have to take people off of so their noses and lungs will clear of mucus. Can you see why?

I must quote Andy Rooney from 60 Minutes who said, "I'll bet a calf wouldn't drink most of the stuff called milk now sold in cartons. You can’t tell some of it from Diet Coke. Has it ever occurred to them that people aren't drinking it because milk isn't as good as it used to be? My suggestion, if they want to sell more milk, is that they go back to selling what comes out of a cow."
Find the segment here;
www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=3004028n&tag=mncol;lst;1

in Health and Service,

David Hogg, ND
Naturopathic Wisdom
www.naturally4health.com
www.naturopathicwisdom.com

Now That You Are Cleansing

With the weather turning colder for longer periods, we are seeing more people with cleansing (not flu) symptoms. Remember the body's response to cold is what causes nasal congestion, runny noses, sore throats, and coughing symptoms. Not a virus. When the body starts conserving heat by constricting superficial vessels below the skin, all of the fluid that has been constricted must go somewhere. Some of it leaves your body naturally without you noticing, and the rest needs to leave your body through your nose. When mucus has accumulated in your nasal and sinus cavities with sitting there long enough, it will begin to culture viruses and if it sits there even longer it will culture bacteria. Remember, viruses and bacteria are not the cause of the mucus being there to begin with. They are there as a result of the mucus accumulating. That is how sore throats happen. The following are many things you can do now that you may be cleansing. The best thing to help you cleanse is the Respiratory Formula.

1. It is very important to do daily nasal washing with slightly salty water to clear your sinuses and nasal cavity of excess mucus. Salty water or saline can kill viruses and bacteria on contact due to the fact that they cannot withstand the osmotic pressure gradient. They basically break open and die from the salty water.

2. To help prevent the mucus from going to your nose in the first place, taking digestive enzymes between meals will help break up excess mucus in your digestive tract preventing it from getting to your sinuses. Enzymes are available for children and adults.

3. If you have congestion, runny nose, or even sneezing, respiratory herbs that are expectorants help they body expel the mucus through from your nose accelerating the healing and cleansing process easing your symptoms. If you take over-the-counter decongestants, you are actually drying the mucus inside your body when your body really needs to cleanse itself instead. Herbal expectorants are really the best way to decongest your sinuses.

4. If you are feeling body aches as well, then you may be need extra help in the form of warm baths everyday to induce a fever, and antiviral herbs to help support your body to deal with the virus you may have. Either way, these 2 things may help you feel better. Warm baths help open up your lymphatic vessels to help flush the mucus through your body. Plus, the warm bath induces a fever and we all know that viruses and bacteria do not survive when we have a fever.

5. If you have a fever, do not take fever medications. Any medication you may take will only prolong your illness because your body needs the fever to get well. The best thing to do is take a tepid bath to bring down your fever if it gets too high for you. What is too high I leave to your discretion. I can better tell you what may be too high for you if want my help. I can tell you that as a naturopathic doctor, I help the body heal itself naturally and do my very best to stay out of its way to health. One of the ways the body has to heal itself is by creating a fever. Suppressing what the body needs to do naturally to heal is not a healthy thing to do ever. It is better to suffer through, while managing your symptoms naturally in the meantime because your body will be healthier for it in the long run. Your immune system will be strengthened in a natural way, which is the best way after all. You ultimately must decide what you think is best for you to do if you have a fever.

6. See your local naturopathic doctor if you need help getting through this cleansing time of year. I have many different modalities I use to help people feel better and recover more quickly.

in Health and Service,

David Hogg, ND
Naturopathic Wisdom
1101 South Winchester Blvd.
Suite E157
San Jose, CA 95128
408-297-6877
www.naturally4health.com
www.naturopathicwisdom.com

1. Natural Flu Prevention

2. Your Dr on TV

3. It's Still Cleansing (NOT Flu) Season

4. "It" Happens Every Single Year It Turns Cold

5. Fevers Are Good For You.

1. Natural Flu Prevention

Since all the vaccines are in somewhat short supply (not to mention if people are wanting to avoid the ingredients), the H1N1 vaccine is especially limited, everyone wants to know what they can do to keep from getting the flu. If you read #3 in this edition of my newsletter then you will understand whatever symptoms you get are not really flu but cleansing symptoms. And, if you read #4, then you will realize that your body goes through this process every year, and not some virus. Therefore, no vaccine will ever stop or prevent this very natural process.

So, how can you stop or prevent getting flu-like symptoms such as runny nose, nasal or lung congestion, fever, body-aches, etc? Well, the best way is to eat healthy all year long so your body does not have to cleanse itself so drastically so as to cause you an undesirable level of discomfort. If you are eating according to your Blood Type or better GenoType, the healthier your body will be when cold weather arrives. If you have eaten junk food and foods you may be allergic to all year, then you will have a more difficult time when cold weather first impacts your body.

So, besides eating healthy, you can take daily multivitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Probiotics to boost your body's natural immunity against all infections and allergens. You can find these in my online store naturopathicwisdom.com.

At the point where your nose is congested with having other symptoms, then you need help to relieve the symptoms. Then, the following things you can do are as follows. Many people swear by my antiviral formula, zeprevir for relief of flu symptoms because it helps your body fight infections. For relief of congestion, I prescribe digestive enzymes and my respiratory formula as decongestants and expectorants. You'll also find those in my online store. If you then get a fever, it is best you seek a natural health professional.

2. Your Dr on TV

NBC Bay Area News 11 did a story on natural flu treatment and prevention this past week. I was interviewed and was in the story. I thought Kris Sanchez did a great job with the story. I am working on getting the story on youtube. Let me know if you are interested in seeing it.

3. It's Still Cleansing (NOT Flu) Season

I hope by now that you realize what is really happening with your body this time of year is cleansing. What if the whole idea of “the flu season” was really a natural process by the body every single year? How would you then approach your symptoms? Would you approach your experience differently? Why or why not? Would you get the vaccine?

Naturopathic medicine has many different modalities to help us accelerate and ease this cleansing process. For example, naturopaths believe in keeping the emunctories open. The emunctories are the organ systems of elimination, and they are the urinary system, digestive system, respiratory system, and the largest organ of elimination, the skin.

So you are thinking, what about the influenza virus? Where exactly does the virus come in to play in all of this? The flu virus had nothing to do with all that junk you ate all year that is now exiting your body. However, it does like it when you begin to expel the excess mucus from your body. The mucus creates a culture medium or food for the virus and sometimes also bacteria. The flu bug is no more responsible for all your symptoms than mosquitoes cause standing water. The medium was already there by the time the flu virus came along. The sore throat is caused by the virus culturing in the mucus sitting in your nasal cavity above your throat. When the mucus is washed from the area with saline then your throat is no longer sore. Ever notice that this process starts in many different people who never came in contact with each other in the same area and at the same time of year? The only common denominator between all these people is the weather change. I see many different people come to my office that never knew each other or even knew the same people. And, different groups of people start cleansing after progressively colder cold weather spells or fronts. Some start cleansing after the first one of the season, another the second, still others the third, then those that are left will start cleansing fourth cold wave if they are going to start cleansing at all that season. And, each of us manifests different symptoms in different ways. The healing process is different for each of us.

If the flu virus was the cause of these symptoms, don’t you think that it would start with one person then spread out like wild fire? This process does not spread this way. This cleansing happens simultaneously all over the country around the same time and always after a cold spell or cold front. Although the media and other organizations would have you believe otherwise. The flu virus is not the cause. The colder weather sending your body into a cleanse is the ultimate cause of your symptoms.

I know you remember your mother saying to you when it gets colder, “don’t go outside without your coat because you will catch a cold!” See, mother knew what she was talking about. This is why she was right. You watch, this year and in the coming years if everyone around you gets ‘the flu’ after each cold weather spell. Then, you will realize you will never have ‘the flu’ again and realize you are simply cleansing. Naturopathic doctors can offer much support to help you during this cleansing time of year to assist your body to cleanse more easily with less suffering. We have several different modalities that are used in combination according to the needs of the patient. Go to naturally4health.com to learn about the different modalities and how naturopathic medicine can help you.

4. "It" Happens Every Single Year It Turns Cold

Lets explore exactly what is happening during “flu season.” Flu season actually begins as the weather turns colder, every single year. Why this is? Every single year in the fall the body must change the way it processes heat. In the summer it must release excess heat. In the fall to winter, it must conserve heat. This happens so we stay warm in the winter and cooler in the summer. How does the body do this? It does this by either dilating or constricting blood and lymph vessels. In the summer the body opens all available blood and lymph vessels near the surface of the body to release excess heat. In the fall to winter, the body begins to constrict those surface blood and lymph vessels to conserve heat. What do you think happens when all those vessels constrict at the first cold spell or sign of winter? When all the superficial capillaries constrict all at once, like during the first cold front, they pump 6 times the volume of blood of one heartbeat. That is a lot of fluid all at once. So, this is why what is really going on is really ‘cleansing season’ and NOT ‘flu season.’ I am sure you have noticed that the rings on your fingers fit tighter in the summer and looser in the winter. Have you ever wondered where all that excess fluid goes when the temperature turns cold? Keep reading.

As studies show, at the same time as the vessels constrict, during colder weather the body increases its metabolic rate to increase heat production. This action with surface vessel constriction combines together to avoid frostbite. This is nature’s way of protecting and helping us survive the winter. The studies also show that some of the fluid that was in those surface vessels is released through the urine, stool, and by sweating. What about all the stuff that isn’t water-soluble? There is a lot of that stuff! You have seen it. You have blown it out your nose and coughed it up from your lungs. It is called mucus. You first notice it with nasal congestion then with postnasal drip and a sore throat. The body must rid itself of this excess stuff you accumulated inside your body all year. You know, the left over excess metabolic products from ice cream, sodas, chips, pastries, cookies, and especially cheese. Basically all junk food and sweets. Your body must cleanse itself annually in order to become healthy enough to survive the winter. That healing process is what gives us all stuffy and/or runny noses, sore throats, coughs, fevers, and overall feeling yucky. So, this flu is really what is called in naturopathic medicine circles as a healing crisis or cleanse, and NOT a disease crisis. This healing and cleansing process is not something to be afraid of experiencing. This cleansing process is something to welcome. We must assist the body during this time to help it cleanse itself of everything it does not need.

5. Fevers Are Good For You.

The reason you get a fever is because the mucus your body is trying to expel is staying too long in your body. The mucus staying too long acts like a culture medium to viruses and if the mucus stays long enough then it cultures bacteria. The virus does not cause the mucus to accumulate; it is actually the other way around. The mucus is food for viruses and bacteria. The fever not only helps to burn out the infection but also accelerates the expulsion of the excess mucus. The body's ability to produce a fever is actually a measure of the strength of your immune system. If you have not had the "flu" for many years, then your immune system has not been active for all that time. If your immune system has not been able to produce a fever for many years then I really do worry about you. Many people will brag that they have not been sick for many years, but that accomplishment is nothing to brag about. You are basically telling everyone, without realizing it, that your immune system has not been functioning for all that time.

One of the treatments we naturopaths use to induce fevers is hydrotherapy. We may have you take a hot bath then go to bed with heavy covers to make yourself perspire. We may have you put warm wet socks on your child covered by dry wool socks at bedtime. Another treatment that is very effective is Constitutional Hydrotherapy, which is performed in the office. Most naturopaths will try to help you improve your immune status by inducing a fever and sometimes following the heat with cold. We try to teach people the concept of being well enough to be sick. When your body has the ability to produce a fever shows your body is healthy. If you have not had any flu symptoms for a long time, call the office and I’ll show you how you can build your immune system back to health. Another concept I will discuss is the differences between healing and disease crises.

Any questions, please call the office. I am happy to be here for you.

in Health and Service,

David Hogg, ND
Naturopathic Wisdom
1101 South Winchester Blvd.
Suite E157
San Jose, CA 95128
408-297-6877
www.naturally4health.com
www.naturopathicwisdom.com

Remember, It's Cleansing (Not Flu) Season

I wanted to remind everyone that any symptoms you have this season is really about the food we ate this year and our body changing from expelling excess heat to conserving heat. I am reposting the previous article I wrote early this year.

--------------------------------------------------------

By reading this entire article, you will realize you have never nor will ever have the flu again, and you will realize what is really happening with your body is cleansing. What if the whole idea of “the flu season” was really a natural process by the body every single year? How would you then approach your symptoms? Would you approach your experience differently? Why or why not?

Lets explore exactly what is happening during “flu season.” Flu season actually begins as the weather turns colder, every single year. Why this is? Every single year in the fall the body must change the way it processes heat. In the summer it must release excess heat. In the fall to winter, it must conserve heat. This happens so we stay warm in the winter and cooler in the summer. How does the body do this? It does this by either dilating or constricting blood and lymph vessels. In the summer the body opens all available blood and lymph vessels near the surface of the body to release excess heat. In the fall to winter, the body begins to constrict those surface blood and lymph vessels to conserve heat. What do you think happens when all those vessels constrict at the first cold spell or sign of winter? When all the superficial capillaries constrict all at once, like during the first cold front, they pump 6 times the volume of blood of one heartbeat. That is a lot of blood at once. So, this is why what is really going on is really ‘cleansing season’ and NOT ‘flu season.’ I am sure you have noticed that the rings on your fingers fit tighter in the summer and looser in the winter. Have you ever wondered where all that excess fluid goes when the temperature turns cold? Read on.

As studies show, at the same time as the vessels constrict, during colder weather the body increases its metabolic rate to increase heat production. This action with surface vessel constriction combines together to avoid frostbite. This is nature’s way of protecting and helping us survive the winter. The studies also show that some of the fluid that was in those surface vessels is released through the urine, stool, and by sweating. What about all the stuff that isn’t water-soluble? There is a lot of that stuff! You have seen it. You have blown it out your nose and coughed it up from your lungs. It is called mucus. You first notice it with nasal congestion then with postnasal drip and a sore throat. The body must rid itself of this excess stuff you accumulated inside your body all year. You know, the left over excess metabolic products from ice cream, sodas, chips, pastries, cookies, and especially cheese. Basically all junk food and sweets. Your body must cleanse itself annually in order to become healthy enough to survive the winter. That healing process is what gives us all stuffy and/or runny noses, sore throats, coughs, fevers, and overall feeling yucky. So, this flu is really what is called in naturopathic medicine circles as a healing crisis or cleanse, and NOT a disease crisis. This healing and cleansing process is not something to be afraid of experiencing. This cleansing process is something to welcome. We must assist the body during this time to help it cleanse itself of everything it does not need.

Naturopathic medicine has many different modalities to help us accelerate and ease this cleansing process. Naturopaths believe in keeping the emunctories open. The emunctories are the organ systems of elimination, and they are the urinary system, digestive system, respiratory system, and the skin.

Oh what about the influenza virus? Where does the virus come in? The flu virus or bug had nothing to do with all that junk you ate all year. However, it does like it when you begin to expel the excess mucus from your body. The mucus creates a culture medium or food for the virus and sometimes also bacteria. The flu bug is no more responsible for all your symptoms than mosquitoes cause standing water. The medium was already there by the time the flu virus came along. The sore throat is caused by the virus culturing in the mucus sitting in your nasal cavity above your throat. When the mucus is removed so goes your sore throat. Every notice that this starts in many different people who never came in contact with each other in the same area and at the same time of year? The only common denominator between all these people is the weather change. I see many different people come to my office that never knew each other or even knew the same people. And, different people start cleansing after progressive and colder cold spells or fronts. Some start cleansing after the first one of the season, other the second, still others the third, then those that are left who will start cleansing fourth if they are going to start cleansing at all that season. And, each of us manifests different symptoms in different ways. The healing process is different for each of us.

If the flu virus was the cause of these symptoms, don’t you think that it would start with one person then spread out like wild fire? The virus does not spread this way. This cleansing happens simultaneously all over the country around the same time and always after a cold spell or cold front. Although the media and other organizations would have you believe otherwise. The flu virus is not the cause. The colder weather sending your body into a cleanse is the cause of this healing reaction.

I know you remember your mother saying to you when it gets colder, “don’t go outside without your coat because you will catch a cold!” See, mother knew what she was talking about. This is why she was right. You watch, this year and in the coming years if everyone around you gets ‘the flu’ after each cold weather spell. Then, you will realize you will never get ‘the flu’ again and realize you are simply cleansing. Naturopathic doctors can offer much support to help you during this cleansing time of year to assist your body to cleanse more easily with less suffering. We have several different modalities that are used in combination according to the needs of the patient. Go to naturally4health.com to learn about the different modalities and how naturopathic medicine can help you.

in Health and Service,

David Hogg, ND
Naturopathic Wisdom
1101 South Winchester Blvd.
Suite E157
San Jose, CA 95128
408-297-6877
www.naturally4health.com
www.naturopathicwisdom.com

Swine Flu Vaccine Ingredients Part II

I must first begin with asking you to review an article I wrote earlier this year on the flu. It is not really the flu, but your body cleansing itself. It will do this process every year whether you get sick or not and whether you get the flu vaccine or not. This is nature's way to cleanse the body in order to survive the winter. Shifting from ridding itself of excess heat to conserving heat. The flu symptoms are as simple as that. Read the previous blog post here.

Remember when I wrote about the swine flu ingredients in a later blog article? Well, we are here now with the vaccine at your local county health clinic. The ingredients are a little scary to me because they are different than the ordinary vaccines that they are producing. I wrote then that Novartis usually puts into their vaccines the attenuated virus, egg or chicken proteins, neomycin or polymixin (antibiotics), betapropriolactone, nonoxynol-9, formaldehyde, and thiomersal (50% mercury). Well, the H1N1 swine flu vaccination also contains the MF-59 adjuvant. The purpose of the MF-59 adjuvant, Novartis says, to cause an immune response against the swine flu virus. What if you do not have the virus in your body except from the vaccine? What response would it cause then? What happens to the adjuvant anyway? Does it eventually leave your body somehow? Does it stay? I am unable to find any reference to find any answers to these questions. I have discovered that the MF59 adjuvant contains squalene and 2 surfactants; all designed to illicit an immune response from your body. They have tested the vaccine on 28,000 people. Why not 100,000 of the general population? Why only 28,000? The results said the vaccine was "well tolerated." What does that mean? What side effects did they experience? We may never know. I do not want to take something that was "tolerated." I only want to take something into my body that was "harmless."

The two surfactants give me great concern as well as the other ingredients mentioned above. They are polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate and sorbitan trioleate. I looked up the materials safety data sheet (MSDS) on both of these compounds, which reported that both are potentially carcinogenic and teratogenic. It does mention the carcinogenicity, in another area of the MSDS, is unknown. Basically, they are substances to stay away from all together. The boiling point of polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate is exactly the same as water. So, if these compounds get into the water supply, distillation will not remove them. The MSDS on both of these compounds says they are also potentially combustible and caution to keep away from heat. Animal studies have shown polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate to cause cardiac changes, changes in behavior (altered sleep time) and weight loss (upon repeated or prolonged ingestion). The impact on the environment is unknown because they do not know what metabolic products will arise from the injection. The MSDS on sorbitan trioleate says to wash the skin immediately after exposure and to "thoroughly with running water and non-abrasive soap." And, "to wash contaminated clothing before reusing." The MSDS also says that if ingested, to seek immediate medical attention. Working around sorbitan trioleate, the MSDS recommends working around ventilation, wearing splash goggles, a lab coat, and a vapor respirator. If these compounds are so dangerous, why are they in a vaccine?

I do not recommend anyone take this vaccine that is immune compromised, or has any immune disease of any kind, or anyone that may have an over active immune system as in the case of any kind of chronic inflammation or autoimmune disease. I do not recommend the vaccine to anyone under the age of 6. Actually, I cannot in good conscience recommend the vaccine at all. But if you are going to take this vaccine I think you will be taking it at your own risk.

On another note, the leader of Roche's Tamiflu task force reports there are a few cases of Swine Flu becoming resistant to Tamiflu, and calls it a very low percentage. He says it is a good sign that the people who had the resistant strain have not passed the disease on to other people. How does he know that? Really, how does he know? If they have not passed it on to other people, how did they contract the resistant strain of swine flu? What about all the friends and family of those people? Are they not infected too? I would think so. If germs cause disease, and they do NOT, then their friends and family would be infected too. He also said the resistant strain has been like the widespread version of the virus in that it typically produces only mild symptoms. What?!?! If this is so, why do we need a vaccine? Why all the fear mongering on telling people they may die if they do not receive the vaccine? If there is nothing to worry about and the symptoms are only mild, what is all the fuss about? It is estimated that Novartis has sold roughly 50 billion dollars of the vaccine.

Please read my last article, click here, about the swine flu vaccine ingredients.

A fiasco that occurred when they last used fear to persuade people to receive the swine flu vaccine was in 1976. Many people contracted Guillain-Barre syndrome as a result of the vaccine. Guillain-Barre syndrome is a disorder where the body's own immune system attack its own nervous system.

Read about Guillain-Barre syndrome here at the National Institute of Health website, http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/gbs/gbs.htm

You will also read there that is no known cure of Guillain-Barre syndrome. Naturopathic doctors have been treating Guillain-Barre syndrome with success for many years. It's just that you do not hear about those successes because they did not use drugs in the treatment. Guillain-Barre syndrome can be a devastating because of being sudden and unexpected. Prevention is the best cure for anything.

First, do no harm and prevention is the best cure are part of the foundation of naturopathic medicine. Do not give people some cocktail of drugs and constituents that may lead to disease. Do not give people anything that may cause a devastating disease. Give people instead advice about what they can do to prevent disease such eating healthy foods and drinking healthy drinks and water. And if they do become ill, be there for them with natural things to help them heal faster. Isn't that a better way than fear mongering to get people to buy a vaccine? I believe so. Naturopathic medicine has been helping people heal naturally for over 100 years, and for 1000's of years before the word naturopathy came into being. Herbal medicines as well as water cure therapies have been used for tens of thousands of years. And, homeopathy has been around for 200 years and is still going strong. None of the therapies used by naturopathic doctors will ever create billions of dollars for their companies in the way that drugs create billions and trillions for their companies. It is always healthier and more cost effective to keep close to nature for ourselves, our own health, and the health of our environment.

Any questions, feel free to call or write. I am here for you.

in Health and Service,

David Hogg, ND
Naturopathic Wisdom
1101 South Winchester Blvd.
Suite E157
San Jose, CA 95128
408-297-6877
www.naturally4health.com
www.naturopathicwisdom.com