Monthly Archives: October 2015

Rabies Vaccination Safety

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Rabies Vaccination: 13 Ways to Vaccinate More Safely

By in Vaccine Articles and News

safer-ways-to-vaccinate-your-dog

Animal Control sends a notice stating that your dog’s rabies vaccination is due.

Some of us will vaccinate readily.

Because it’s legally mandated, it must be safe, right? Besides, what choice do we have?

Others of us panic, desperate to avoid the shot at any cost. We remember what happened the last time our dog had a rabies vaccination. We wonder, will our dog survive another?

World renowned pet vaccination scientist, Dr Jean Dodds, wrote recently: “Rabies vaccines are the most common group of biological products identified in adverse event reports received by the USDA’s Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB).”

An adverse reaction to a rabies vaccine may exact a high price – to your dog’s health and your wallet. Here’s what you need to know to make vaccinating your dog safer:

1. Learn to recognize adverse reactions

Short-term reactions include vomiting, facial swelling, fever, lethargy, circulatory shock, loss of consciousness and even death. (If your pet appears distressed, contact your vet immediately.) Reactions occurring days or months after vaccination can be difficult to recognize. They include:

  • Fibrocarcinomas (cancer) at the injection site
  • Seizures and epilepsy
  • Autoimmune disease
  • Chronic digestive problems
  • Allergies
  • Skin diseases
  • Muscle weakness or atrophy
  • Pica (eating inappropriate materials, including feces)
  • Behavioral changes (aggression, separation anxiety, compulsive behaviors and more)

If you suspect a health or behavior problem may be connected to a vaccine, you may have to convince your vet. It’s common to hear “it couldn’t be the shot” or “a reaction like that is impossible.” Even the drug’s manufacturer (to whom you should immediately report the reaction — giving them the brand and lot# — may deny the connection. Insist on seeing the product’s package insert,  viewable on-line or from your vet. Also know that long-term reactions aren’t usually documented or even studied. Note: a vaccine reaction, especially one supported by your vet, may entitle you to compensation for medical expenses from the drug manufacturer.

2. Vaccinate healthy dogs only

Vaccinating an unhealthy animal can exacerbate illness and do irreparable harm. Also, immunity may not develop after vaccination because of the dog’s compromised immune system. This is especially dangerous as you may presume immunity that does not exist. Pets with autoimmune disease or cancer are obviously “not healthy,” but neither are pets suffering from stress from a move or surgery, a virus or infection, or allergies or skin problems or any other condition compromising health. (Never allow your pet to be vaccinated during surgery.)

3. Ask for a rabies vaccination exemption

If your dog has documented health problems, ask your vet to apply for a rabies vaccination extension or exemption. Many localities permit them even if state law doesn’t specifically allow them. If your vet won’t apply for an exemption, go elsewhere. You may want to contact a holistic vet who may better understand the dangers of vaccinating an unhealthy animal. If local law forbids exemptions, change the law. Numerous states are in the process of adding exemptions to their laws. Click this link to check your state’s rabies law and pending exemptions.

4. Don’t vaccinate against rabies within three weeks of other vaccinations or medication for parasites

Multiple vaccines given at once greatly increase the chance of reactions.  Multiple vaccines are especially risky for small dogs.

5. Make sure your dog gets the correct vaccine

If you’re vaccinating a puppy, make sure your vet administers a one-year vaccine initially (as late as legally possible) and a three-year vaccine (or whatever is required in your area) thereafter. The one-year and three-year vaccines are virtually identical medically – but not under the law.  A one-year shot must be followed by re-vaccination a year later. Note: the one-year shot is not safer than the three-year (except that it may contain fewer adjuvants).

6. Vaccinate at the safest time

Vaccinate in the morning, early in the week, and don’t leave the area for at least an hour if possible. Watch for reactions for at least the next 48 hours. Reactions occurring when the closest vet’s office is closed can prove disastrous, even fatal.

7. Tell your vet you want a Thimerosol-free vaccine

Thimerosol (mercury) in vaccines has been linked to adverse reactions. Merial, for one, makes one- and three-year thimersol-free rabies vaccines: IMRAB® 1 TF and IMRAB® 3 TF. Make sure you see “TF” on the label. (If your vet doesn’t carry the vaccine, you may have to vet shop to find the vaccine you want.  You might also ask why the vet why he/she doesn’t carry it.)

8. Find a vet trained in homeopathy to vaccinate your dog

Certain homeopathic remedies given before, during and after vaccinating can lessen the chance of ill effects from vaccination. Click the link to find vet referral lists.

9. Report all vaccine reactions to your vet

…and make sure they’re recorded in your pet’s file. Have the vet sign relevant pages, get copies and put them in a safe place. (Vets lose records, retire and move away.) Also report the reaction to the drug’s manufacturer. (You’ll need the vaccine lot number.) Vets are notoriously bad at reporting reactions, but exemptions to rabies vaccination and drug safety require documentation.

10. Don’t vaccinate within a week of travel

Pets experiencing reactions on route can die for lack of immediate medical assistance.  (Find a list of emergency clinics by area at http://www.vetsnearyou.com/ml2/?v=352875029&u=0880F1AAC5EF9BA40210818080F807184B&gclid=CKOmmcXvm6QCFQY-bAodawLaEg  (I cannot guarantee the clinics’ expertise, but at least this is a place to start.)

11. Keep copies of vaccination records and titer tests in your car

.. and license tags on your dog’s collar or harness. Otherwise, you may be forced to re-vaccinate if your pet bites someone, runs away and is taken to a shelter or if you have to board your pet unexpectedly.

12. Do not administer a rabies vaccine yourself

It will not satisfy legal requirements and you’ll have to have a vet vaccinate again. You will also be unprepared to deal with a potentially life-threatening reaction.  Similarly, a vet’s office may likely be a safer place to get the vaccine than a mobile clinic.

13. Finally, support the Rabies Challenge Fund.

World renowned scientists, W Jean Dodds DVM and Ronald D Schultz PhD are working as volunteers to increase the interval between rabies boosters by proving that the vaccine gives immunity, first, for five years, and then for seven years. They’re also working to establish a blood “titer standard” to provide a scientific basis to avoid unnecessary boosters with a simple blood test. This nonprofit group is supported solely by dog lovers and dog groups.

Before the next notice from Animal Control arrives, do your homework. A little time spent learning about the rabies vaccine can mean the difference between your dog’s wellness and serious illness.

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/rabies-vaccination-13-ways-to-vaccinate-more-safely/

Economic Downturn

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Wal-Mart’s Worst Stock Crash In 27 Years Is Another Sign That The Economy Is Rapidly Falling Apart

October 15, 2015

walmartBy Michael Snyder

Now that a major global recession has begun, you would expect major retailers like Wal-Mart to run into trouble as consumer spending dries up, and that is precisely what is happening.  On Wednesday, shares of Wal-Mart experienced their largest single day decline in 27 years after an extremely disappointing earnings projection was released.  The stock was down about 10 percent, which represented the biggest plunge since January 1988.  Over 21 billion dollars in shareholder wealth was wiped out on Wednesday, and this was just the continuation of a very bad year for Wal-Mart stockholders.  Overall, shares had already declined by 22 percent so far in 2015 before we even got to Wednesday.  Here is more on this stunning turn of events from Bloomberg…

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. suffered its worst stock decline in more than 27 years after predicting a drop in annual profit, underscoring the giant retailer’s struggles to reignite growth.

Earnings will decrease 6 percent to 12 percent in fiscal 2017, which ends in January of that year, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based company said at its investor day on Wednesday. Analysts had estimated a gain of 4 percent on average, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

If it was just Wal-Mart that was having trouble, that would be bad enough.  But the truth is that signs that the U.S. economy has entered another major downturn are popping up all around us.  Just consider the following list of economic indicators that Graham Summers recently put out…

The Fed has now kept interest rates at zero for 81 months.

This is the longest period in the history of the Fed’s existence, lasting longer than even the 1938-1942 period of ZIRP.

And the US economy is moving back into recession. Consider that…

1)   Industrial production fell five months straight in the first half of 2015. This has never happened outside of a recession.

2)   Merchant Wholesalers’ Sales are in recession territory.

3)   The Empire Manufacturing Survey is in recession territory.

4)   All four of the Fed’s September Purchasing Manager Index (PMI) readings (Philadelphia, New York, Richmond, and Kansas City) came in at readings of sub-zero. This usually happens when you are already 4-5 months into a recession. (H/T Bill Hester)

Another huge red flag is the fact that month after month fewer products are being shipped around the country compared to last year.

If less stuff is being shipped around by truck, rail and air, is it a sign that the economy is getting better or is it a sign that the economy is getting worse?

The answer, of course, is self-evident.  With that in mind, please read the following excerpt which comes from a recent article by Wolf Richter…

It has been crummy all year: With the exception of January and February, the shipping volume has been lower year-over-year every month!

The index is broad. It tracks data from shippers, no matter what carrier they choose, whether truck, rail, or air, and includes carriers like FedEx and UPS.

Evidence keeps piling up in the most unpleasant manner that something isn’t quite right in the real economy. The world is now in an inexplicable slowdown – “inexplicable” for central bankers who’ve cut interest rates to zero or below zero years ago, and who’re still dousing some economies with QE even as governments are running up big deficits. And yet, despite seven years of this huge monetary and fiscal stimulus, the global economy is deteriorating.

Okay, so is there anyone out there that still believes that the U.S. economy is in good shape?

The Obama administration will probably not admit it for a very long time, but the truth is that the numbers very clearly tell us that we are in a recession.

Anybody out there, whether an “expert” or just someone you happen to know, that tells you that everything is just fine is either completely ignorant or they are purposely lying to you.

And just like in 2008, state and local governments are starting to get into tremendous financial trouble as the real economy sputters.  For example, the governor of Illinois has told reporters that “we are out of money now” and that pension fund payments will be delayed as a result…

Illinois will delay payments to its pension fund as a prolonged budget impasse causes a cash shortage, Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger said.

The spending standoff between Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and Democratic legislative leaders has extended into its fourth month with no signs of ending. Munger said her office will postpone a $560 million retirement-fund payment next month, and may make the December contribution late.

“This decision is choosing the least of a number of bad options,” Munger told reporters in Chicago on Wednesday. “For all intents and purposes, we are out of money now.”

When these sorts of things started happening in 2008, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and the Bush administration went into full-blown denial mode.  They kept telling all of us not to worry and that everything would be okay, and that just made things worse in the end.

The same thing is happening now.  The Obama administration and the mainstream media keep talking about an “economic recovery” even in the face of numbers such as I have discussed in this article.

Perhaps things are going well for you personally at the moment, and that is great.  But now is not the time to buy lots of new toys.   Nor is it the time to accumulate more debt.

Instead, now is a time to position yourself for a period of difficulty that could stretch on for years.

The next recession is here, and it is going to grow progressively worse.

The wise will take heed and make preparations, but the foolish will just keep on doing what they have been doing until it is far too late.

Michael Snyder is a writer, speaker and activist who writes and edits his own blogs The American Dream and Economic Collapse Blog. Follow him on Twitter here.

from:    http://www.activistpost.com/2015/10/wal-marts-worst-stock-crash-in-27-years-is-another-sign-that-the-economy-is-rapidly-falling-apart.html

Your Color Vibe for Friday, 10/16

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Friday, October 16:   Hazy White

Get ready for some big changes as they are definitely on the way. You may not notice much today, however there will be hints as you see people acting a bit out of character, as you hear things that do not quite make sense, as you find yourself reacting in new ways to old stimuli. Be understanding of those around you if they find themselves suddenly in an emotional meltdown over seemingly nothing. They are reacting to something in the energetic atmosphere and most probably are not even aware of what is causing them to act this way. Be kind to yourself also and give yourself some room to breathe. Step back and be the observer once again. Pieces are shifting in the pattern, and right now it is difficult to see jut where they are going.

Winter Weather Forecast

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NOAA Winter Outlook: El Niño a Dominant Player, but Wild Cards Still Possible

By: Bob Henson , 7:54 PM GMT on October 15, 2015


Figure 1. NOAA’s outlook for winter temperatures (top) and precipitation (bottom) for the three-month period from December 2015 to February 2016. NOAA outlooks are expressed as probabilities for above- or below-average conditions. In the three-class system used by NOAA, an area labeled “equal chances” means that there’s roughly a 33% chance each of below-, near-, or above-average outcomes. If a location is shown with higher odds of above-average conditions, then the probability for below-average outcomes goes down proportionally (e.g., 50% above-average, 33% near-average, and 17% below-average). See NOAA’s online reference guide for more details.

In a nutshell: Wet and cool South, mild and dry North
The enhanced subtropical jet streams common during El Niño tend to boost precipitation across the U.S. Sunbelt and decrease it toward the northern tier of states, as reflected in Figure 1. The same dynamics act to “smoosh out” temperature contrasts across the nation: the cloudy, wet conditions across the South are often accompanied by chilly temperatures, while the drier conditions toward the Northern Rockies are often joined by relatively mild air. NOAA’s Mike Halpert said at a Thursday-morning teleconference that the forecast implies about 2% fewer heating degree days than average. This would also be about 6% fewer days than last winter, he added.

A couple of key caveats:

—NOAA’s probabilities are not meant to imply any judgment on how intense an outcome might be. They’re simply showing where unusually cool, mild, wet, or dry conditions may prevail. Higher odds for those outcomes don’t necessarily mean that the results will be more dramatic than in other areas.

—As the name implies, the seasonal outlooks are meant to convey conditions for the three-month winter period as a whole. They aren’t designed to show how much variability there could be across those three months, and of course weather can vary a great deal within a 90-day period.

With that in mind, let’s look at a few potential regional wild cards around the contiguous 48 states. (Warmer- and drier-than-average conditions are good bets for both Hawaii and Alaska.) For more detail on how El Niño affects various parts of the nation, see our roundups published on July 28 and July 30.

California
The strongest El Niño events—like the one now in place–are closely linked to wet winter conditions, especially over Southern California. In both 1982-83 and 1997-98, California arguably got too much of a good thing, with mudslides and floods causing millions in damage. In his October blog post, WU weather historian Chris Burt takes a close look at how those two seasons panned out. One important element will be the temperatures that accompany any big winter storms. If they’re on the warm side—a big problem in recent years—then the snowpack accumulating over the Sierra Nevada could end up disappointingly low. Regardless, aquifers and ecosystems stand to benefit big time if El Niño produces as expected. Overall, this winter offers the best chance in years for California to make up some (though not all) of the hydrologic ground it’s lost during the severe drought in place since 2011. Residents will need to keep calm and carry on for a while longer, though, as the parade of storms common during strong El Niños often doesn’t arrive until December or even January. And crucially, even high odds aren’t the same as a guarantee. While the mega-El Niños of 1982-83 and 1997-98 were both very good to California in terms of precipitation, one of the three next-strongest events (1965-66) fell below average in winter precipitation for all but southern California. You can see how El Niños of various strengths performed at Jan Null’s excellent website on El Niño and California precipitation.

Pacific Northwest
This region is heading into the El Niño of 2015-16 after a dry winter and a very warm, dry summer. Unfortunately, one of the most dependable outcomes of a strong El Niño is winter warmth and dryness from Oregon and Washington into Montana. So the region could go into spring and summer 2016 with even more water worries than last year.

The South
Drab winter weather—chilly and damp—is likely to prevail from Texas to the Southeast coast in 2015-16. The risk of severe weather may be boosted along the immediate Gulf and southeast Atlantic coastal areas. Florida, in particular, needs to watch the skies this winter, as strong El Niño events are associated with a heightened risk of tornado outbreaks, as in the deadly Kissimmee outbreak of February 1998.

The Midwest and Northeast
Tucked inside the somewhat equivocal NOAA outlook for this region is some important nuance. The 1982-83 and 1997-98 El Niños both led to a vast swath of warm winter conditions covering much of Canada and the northern United States, all the way from the Northern Plains to New England. Given the long-term trend toward warmer global temperatures, some truly impressive “warm waves” seem likely to take shape in this area. At the same time, the last few winters have been surprisingly cold and snowy over parts of the Midwest and Northeast. Various experts attribute this to the reverberations of unusually warm water in parts of the tropical Atlantic, the presence in some years of a negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and/or the loss of Arctic sea ice. We don’t yet know how all of these factors will line up for 2015-16, but I would cast my lot on a mixed-bag winter from the mid-Atlantic to New England, with periods of marked warmth punctuated by occasional sharp but transient cold blasts. Those could end up producing at least one big snowstorm if a negative NAO enters the picture. A good case in point is the winter of 1982-83, when a comparably strong El Niño was in place. Though the winter of 1982-83 averaged quite mild in the Northeast, it also produced the crippling Megapolitan snowstorm of February 10-12, 1983, which dumped 20” – 30” in northwestern suburbs from Washington to Boston. Below is a “blast from the past” YouTube audio clip of a KYW radio newscast from the Philadelphia area during the height of the storm.

Bob Henson

from:    http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=3155

Essential Essential Oils

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The 9 Best Essential Oils for Your Survival Kit

9-Best-Essential-Oils-for-Your-Survival-KitBy Gaye Levy

There are many reasons why learning about essential oils is useful for preppers.  Not the least of those reasons is to lessen the reliance on expensive and often ineffective and toxic pharmaceuticals.  How often have you filled an expensive prescription only to have side effects or find that the drug simply did not work?  Other than add these meds to your SHTF barter kit, you are out of luck.

On the other hand, most essential oils are quite inexpensive and have the added bonus that a prescription is not required.  With essential oils you have the freedom of where to shop, how much to pay, and how to use them.  You can dilute essential oils in a carrier oil or salve, use them in a compress, or diffuse them, or use them in a myriad of other ways suitable to your situation.

With that in mind, today I want to answer one of the most frequently asked questions I get regarding essential oils: what are the best essential oils to set aside for my survival kit?   In other words, what are the specific “set it and forget it” oils that are on par with emergency food and water storage?

Nine Essential Oils for the Long Term Survival Kit

There are many factors that have gone into my choices, including an oil’s versatility and its ability to resolve multiple woes.  I have also taken into consideration price and shelf life.  More about that in bit; but first, here is my own list of the nine best essential oils for the long-term survival kit along with my top 4 uses for each of them.

1.  Lavender

Treats cuts, scrapes, and burns and works to promote healing

Induces calm, relieves anxiety and stress, promotes sleep

Eliminates the sting of bug bites

Relieves pain and soreness caused by sprains and muscle aches

For more uses: The Miracle of Lavender Oil: 25 Amazing Uses for Survival

Resource:  Lavender Essential Oil

2.  Peppermint

Relieves headache pain

Topical treatment of allergies

Repels ants, spiders, mice and other pests from home and garden

Treats digestive disorders such as heartburn, bloating, indigestion, and constipation

For more uses:  The Miracle of Peppermint Oil: 20 Practical Uses for Survival

Resource:  Peppermint Essential Oil

3.  Melaleuca (Tea Tree)

Use as an antiseptic, antiviral, antibacterial and fungicide.  Kills germs and prevents infection!

Eliminate mold and mildew

Fights colds, sinus infections, respiratory ailments and bronchitis

Treats wounds

For more uses:  The Miracle of Tea Tree Oil: 80 Amazing Uses for Survival

Resource: Melaleuca (Tea Tree) Essential Oil

4.  Rosemary

Improve concentration and memory plus provide increased mental and physical stimulation

Relive anxiety and stress by calming and relaxing the nerves

Sooth and heal skin disorders by reduce itching, dryness and irritation

Treat respiratory problems and congestion through inhalation

For more uses: The Powerful Healing Qualities of Rosemary Essential Oil

Resource:  Rosemary Essential Oil

5. Frankincense

Reduce inflammation and relieve conditions where pain and inflammation are present

Heal wounds from cuts, scrapes, and burns

Mitigate depression and feelings of helplessness

Boost and supercharge the effectiveness of other essential oils when used in tandem or layered on top of other oils

For more uses:  22 Powerful Uses of Frankincense Essential Oil

Resource:  Frankincense Essential Oil

6. Clove

Relieve toothaches and reduce the pain of canker sores and gum irritation

Disinfect hard surfaces and utensils

Freshen foul or stale air

Treat wounds, cuts, scabies, athlete’s foot, fungal infections, bruises, prickly heat, insect bites and stings

For more uses:  20 Ways To Benefit from Clove Essential Oil

Resource:  Clove Bud Essential Oil

7. Lemongrass

Provide immediate relief to “clenched” and knotted tendons and muscles

Reduce fevers

Eliminate body odor and other foul smells

Reduce bacterial around the home by using it in DIY cleaning products

For more uses:  23 Awesome Uses for Lemongrass Essential Oil

Resource:  Lemongrass Essential Oil

8. Roman Chamomile

Promote sound sleep (especially when nothing else works!)

Create a sense of well-being by reducing stress, anxiety, and fearfulness

Heal skin conditions such as dermatitis and eczema

Treat nausea, vomiting, heartburn, and gas

Resource:  Roman Chamomile Essential Oil

9. Shield Protective Blend or other “Robber’s Blend”

Use as an effective hand sanitizer

Blend into DIY cleaning products for extra disinfecting power

Create an anti-viral spray to eliminate both airborne and surface micro-organisms

Prevent or relieve the symptoms of colds and flu

Note:  “Robber’s Blend” can go by many names, including Shield, Thieves or simply “Protective Blend.”  The components are similar and include various amounts of clove bug, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary oil.  Although you could make it yourself, having it ready-to-go in your survival kit will save you time and eliminate the need to store the variety of oils needed.

Resource:  Shield Protective Blend

What About Shelf Life?

Something that preppers struggle with is shelf life, especially under climate conditions that are widely variable.  This not only applies to food storage, but also to essential oils.  That being said, essential oils have been known to stay viable for years, even when kept at room temperature.

The issue, so it seems, is that once opened, if not tightly sealed, they may evaporate or oxidize.  Certain oils, and especially citrus oils and some coniferous essential oils, are rich in a hydrocarbon class called “terpenes” and tend to deteriorate more quickly.

The thing to remember is that in a survival situation, storage conditions will not be optimal.  Besides evaporation, signs that your oils have degraded include a drastic change in aroma, intense thickening, and cloudiness.  I personally have not had this occur with any of my oils, many of which are over five years old.  In addition, I keep a bottle of lavender oil in my vehicle and even after sitting outside in the sun for the past six months, it smells as fresh as the day it was initially opened.

For more information on the shelf life of essential oils, there is a balanced discussion in this article on the AromaWeb website:  Essential Oil Shelf Life.

A Word About Essential Oils

After a significant amount of research, for health, first-aid, and wellness purposes I use essential oils from Spark Naturals.  There are a lot reasons, the most important being their commitment to both quality and value.  I am satisfied that the raw materials used in Spark Naturals products are tested and authenticated to be of pharmaceutical-grade purity.

In addition, the Spark Naturals commitment to customer service is unsurpassed.  They take care of their customers, period.  If you decide to make a purchase from Spark Naturals, please know that you will enjoy a 10% discount on your order when you use the code BACKDOORSURVIVAL at checkout. (Note:  I do receive a small commission on your purchase and for that I extremely appreciative.)

The Final Word

This article is in response to the many comments and emails I have received asking which oils I personally stockpile for the long term.  This is that list; a list I like to call my “ultimate essential oil survival kit.”  In my experience, all of these oils have proven themselves over and over again in my own use, and, with the exception of Frankincense, are reasonably priced if not downright cheap.

My recommendation?  When one of these oils goes on sale, purchase two or three and set them aside for the long term.  If the stuff hits the fan, not only will food become scarce, so will medications and essential oils.  In my own household, we are stockpiling both, with a heavy emphasis on essential oils.  We do this with the blessing of our personal health care provider who is tracking our progress and weaning us from pharmaceuticals when practical.

As with all things related to survival first aid and healthcare, your mileage may vary.  The best you can do is learn is much as you can now to determine what works best for you and your family.  Something that works well on one person, may work differently on someone else.  Use essential oils neat, in a diffuser, or diluted with a carrier oil or simple salve.  Have fun with them and embrace the use of plant-based oils to foster good health!

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye started Backdoor Survival to share her angst and concern about our deteriorating economy and its impact on ordinary, middle-class folks. She also wanted to become a prepper of the highest order and to share her knowledge as she learned it along the way. She considers her sharing of knowledge her way of giving back and as always, we at Natural Blaze are grateful for her contributions.

from:    http://www.naturalblaze.com/2015/10/the-9-best-essential-oils-for-your-survival-kit.html

Earthquake Drills in OK, TX, etc

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U.S. earthquake fears spur more drills: ‘Drop, cover, hold on’

Reuters

By Carey Gillam October 14, 2015 7:05 AM

By Carey Gillam

(Reuters) – Three months ago when an earthquake rattled Mickey Hart’s office, the Crescent, Oklahoma public school superintendent didn’t know what to do.

“I froze,” said Hart, who leads the school district of 650 students in the small community north of Oklahoma City. Several of the district’s buildings were damaged in the July quake as ceiling tiles shattered and walls cracked.

School district officials are now planning their first earthquake drills, Hart said. They are not alone.

On Thursday the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)and other government agencies are organizing the “Great ShakeOut” earthquake drill, a series of events across the United States aimed at preparing people to survive damaging seismic activity.

About 3 million people are signed up to participate across 14 central states that include Oklahoma, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois and for the first time, Texas, up from 2.76 million a year ago, organizers said. Nationwide, nearly 19 million people are registered for the drills, FEMA said.

While common in California and other states where quakes are frequent, such drills are still relatively new in the central United States. But they are gaining in popularity as earthquake activity surges in both frequency and intensity.

“In Oklahoma when you have a natural disaster like a tornado you are trained to get underground,” Hart said. “In an earthquake you don’t want to get underground. What do you do?”

The ShakeOut (http://www.shakeout.org/) drills are targeted at everyone from business owners to first responders such as firemen and paramedics, but most of the drills are being held at public schools.

In Thursday’s drills, the slogan is ‘drop, cover and hold on.” At the first rumblings, people should drop to the floor, take cover under sturdy furniture or against an interior wall, and hold on until the shaking stops, emergency management experts recommend.

“The scientific community can’t predict an earthquake. The only thing we can do is really push preparedness,” said Jim Wilkinson, executive director of the Central United States Earthquake Consortium, which is helping coordinate drills.

People in Oklahoma, which had a magnitude 4.5 quake Saturday near the north-central Oklahoma town of Cushing, are particularly in need of the training, officials said. The Oct. 10 quake rattled homes for hundreds of miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Some quakes, including some of those in Oklahoma, are thought to be induced by the injection of wastewater associated with oil and gas work into deep disposal wells, while others are considered a natural shifting along fault lines that run deep below the earth’s surface.

Noticeable quakes, above magnitude 3.0, now strike Oklahoma at an average rate of roughly two per day, compared with two or so per year before 2009.

“You don’t know where or when it will happen. Everyone needs to know how to respond,” said Brian Blake, program coordinator for the earthquake consortium.

(Reporting by Carey Gillam in Kansas City, Mo.; Editing by David Bailey and Eric Walsh)

from:    http://news.yahoo.com/u-earthquake-fears-spur-more-drills-drop-cover-110505149.html

Inflammation & Heart Disease

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Prestigious Heart Surgeon’s Confession Reveals the Truth About Heart Disease

Statin DrugsAlex Pietrowski, Staff

Waking Times

A physician’s word is often taken very seriously and with little skepticism. An opinion from one or two doctors, when made in a professional office or hospital, can persuade a worried patient to take drugs with complex side-effects, or even undergo traumatic treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy. Yet, when the same doctors, with years of experience and thousands of satisfied customers, give an opinion that questions a therapy established by mainstream medicine, the mainstream media calls them irresponsible, or quacks, or even criminals.

Many doctors are highly admirable people, bu they are still human beings. They all make mistakes, they all learn from them, but the really good ones are willing to admit to them.

Dr. Dwight Lundell

Which brings us to Dr. Dwight Lundell. He’s an experienced heart surgeon and retired Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery at Banner Heart Hospital in Mesa, Arizona. Not so long ago, Dr. Lundell made the following statement of confession:

“We physicians with all our training, knowledge and authority often acquire a rather large ego that tends to make it difficult to admit we are wrong. So, here it is. I freely admit to being wrong. As a heart surgeon with 25 years experience, having performed over 5,000 open-heart surgeries, today is my day to right the wrong with medical and scientific fact.

I trained for many years with other prominent physicians labeled “opinion makers.” Bombarded with scientific literature, continually attending education seminars, we opinion makers insisted heart disease resulted from the simple fact of elevated blood cholesterol. The only accepted therapy was prescribing medications to lower cholesterol and a diet that severely restricted fat intake. The latter of course we insisted would lower cholesterol and heart disease. Deviations from these recommendations were considered heresy and could quite possibly result in malpractice. It Is Not Working!

These recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible.”

Not surprisingly, Lundell’s statement regarding the medical establishment’s approach to treating heart disease caused a ripple in the medical industry. It challenged the validity of statins – commonly known as cholesterol-lowering medications – such as Lipitor, Crestor, Zocor, and others.

The reason Lundell’s statement created such a buzz is because statins are big business. In the United States alone, about 25% of the population takes statin medications. They cost from as little as $53 per month to more than $600. Pfizer’s Lipitor went on sale in 1997 and its lifetime sales have surpassed $125 billion. AstraZeneca’s Crestor was the top-selling statin in 2013, generating $5.2 billion in revenue that year alone. The statin industry is estimated at around $30 billion in sales per year. Nevertheless, in the United States, more die each year of heart disease than ever before.

Lundell went on to say:

“The discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart disease and other chronic ailments will be treated. The long-established dietary recommendations have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences.

I have peered inside thousands upon thousands of arteries. A diseased artery looks as if someone took a brush and scrubbed repeatedly against its wall. Several times a day, every day, the foods we eat create small injuries compounding into more injuries, causing the body to respond continuously and appropriately with inflammation. While we savor the tantalizing taste of a sweet roll, our bodies respond alarmingly as if a foreign invader arrived declaring war. Foods loaded with sugars and simple carbohydrates, or processed with omega-6 oils for long shelf life have been the mainstay of the American diet for six decades. These foods have been slowly poisoning everyone.”

Simply, it is the foods that are baked or soaked in soybean oil and ones that are processed for long shelf-life that are creating an extreme imbalance of omega-6 and omega-3 fats in people’s bodies. Lundell estimates the ratio of imbalance “ranges from 15:1 to as high as 30:1 in favor of omega-6.” A healthy ratio is closer to 3:1.

But what makes Lundell’s statements controversial is that cholesterol does not cause heart disease…which makes statin drugs superfluous. And he suggests a treatment to heart disease that doesn’t make Big Pharma any money:

“Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped.

Since we now know that cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease, the concern about saturated fat is even more absurd today. The cholesterol theory led to the no-fat, low-fat recommendations that in turn created the very foods now causing an epidemic of inflammation. Mainstream medicine made a terrible mistake when it advised people to avoid saturated fat in favor of foods high in omega-6 fats. We now have an epidemic of arterial inflammation leading to heart disease and other silent killers. What you can do is choose whole foods your grandmother served and not those your mom turned to as grocery store aisles filled with manufactured foods. By eliminating inflammatory foods and adding essential nutrients from fresh unprocessed food, you will reverse years of damage in your arteries and throughout your body from consuming the typical American diet.”

It probably comes as no surprise that Lundell has been portrayed as a quack by the mainstream medical establishment. The main argument to back up his “quackery” was that his medical license was revoked in 2008…although the man was already retired and had no plans to return to the surgery room. He was not called a quack when he was performing surgeries, but once he took his 25 years of practice and discerned what he believes is the cause of heart disease, it was then that he was attacked by his peers. Which brings up the question if Lundell came onto the American Medical Association’s radar as he was working on and promoting his book, The Cure for Heart Disease, which was published in 2007.

Millions of dollars are made from heart disease treatment and statin medications. This established industry does not want anyone to interfere. Lundell said it himself, “Deviations from these recommendations were considered heresy and could quite possibly result in malpractice.” And it sure is easier to discredit a retired heart surgeon and chief of surgery with 25 years of experience if you revoke his license.

Dr. Dwight Lundell’s full statement, here

About the Author

Alex Pietrowski is an artist and writer concerned with preserving good health and the basic freedom to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. He is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com and an avid student of Yoga and life.

Image Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27423152

from:    http://www.wakingtimes.com/2015/10/06/prestigious-heart-surgeons-confession-reveals-the-truth-about-heart-disease/

Climate Change & Geoengineering

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Climate Engineer’s Latest Forecast From NASA: “Mostly Cloudy”

by Dane Wigington –

Contributor, ZenGardner.com

The newly produced map below reveals the most recent NASA “forecast” for planet Earth, “mostly cloudy”. This composite image of Earth’s cloud patterns shows NASA’s Aqua satellite observations from July 2002 to April 2015. Colors range from dark blue (no clouds) to white (frequent clouds). Photo credit: NASA Earth Observatory

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The next image is a combination satellite/radar map. In the combination format map the more heavily aerosolized cloud cover shows up as the brightest white. The goal of SRM (solar radiation management) is to blot out as much sky as possible for the stated purpose of global warming mitigation, but even NASA admits the “aircraft clouds” are making global warming worse overall, not better. A “Scientific American” published study states “geoengineering could turn skies white“. Wherever there is moisture, there will generally be the most consistent and heaviest spraying. This has the effect of greatly diminishing the overall precipitation that otherwise would have occurred and scattering the aerosolized cloud cover over vast areas (though deluges can also increase where too much moisture accumulates).

The bright white aerosolized cloud cover broadcasting out from the areas of precipitation in the map are indicative of the aerosol spraying that is taking place in each region. A massive heavily sprayed zonal flow of moisture is very visible plowing into the entire west coast, yet there is almost no precipitation showing up for the reasons already cited. Historically, counterclockwise swirls of low pressure storms constantly pounded the Pacific Northwest with heavy precipitation. Now, more often than not, there are just large drifting massive canopies of heavily aerosolized cloud cover with some rain in the most dense areas of moisture build up. “Mostly sunny” is now also a common meteorological term of choice and is often used in “forecasting” days with heavy spraying. “Meteorologists”, in so many cases, are now simply paid liars reading the scripts they are given .

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Radio frequency transmissions are a major component regarding the manipulation of the highly electrically conductive aerosol particulates being sprayed into skies around the globe. Though “official sources”, of course, completely deny any connection between the radio frequency transmitters and weather modification, available date says otherwise. The map below from October 7, 2015, is only one example of the radio frequency bombardment occurring on a constant basis. This map does not reflect the much larger radio frequency transmitters known as “ionosphere heaters” (which have an even greater effect on the overall climate system).

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Take a good look next map below, If you think the images in the map are just “clouds” showing up on radar, they are not, and the National Weather Service admits it. So what are these large and very distinct radar images from? According to the National Weather Service, it’s all just “butterflies”. No, this is not a joke. “Official statements” from “official sources” are becoming astounding beyond comprehension.

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“Mother Nature Network” claims this upper level aerosol accumulation shown in the photo below (with a very clear radio frequency pattern) is just a natural “rainbow cloud”, do you believe them?

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Below is the NOAA forecast (scheduled weather) map for the middle of October. Each shade represents a 2-3 degree “departure from normal” temperature zone. Places in the western US are thus “forecasted” to be a record shattering 20 to 25 degrees above normal which has already been the case for an extremely long time. The record heat and drought continues to fuel record forest fires in the region.

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The next image shows that the remaining pool of cold air at the top of the world is rapidly shrinking as the geoengineering juggernaut of insanity continues to shred the ozone layer and the climate system as a whole (along with other contributing anthropogenic factors).

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The global temperature maps below reflect the true state of our rapidly warming completely geoengineered planet.

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Ocean temperatures are already radically above normal, especially in the Arctic ocean as the mapping below clearly shows.

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The current Arctic ice volume (ice mass) is at all time record low levels and continues to decline very rapidly due to all the record warm conditions already cited. 2015 saw the lowest Arctic ice “maximum” ever recorded. So how is it that the Arctic ice “extent” (surface area) hit it’s minimum for the year on September 11th, 2015 (4th lowest extent ever recorded), and has increased since? Welcome to geoengineering and chemical ice nucleation. What is the true extent of climate engineering experimentation currently occurring in the Arctic?

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Where are we heading if we stay on the current course? Few are yet willing to face the fact that our planet will very soon not support life unless there is a complete change of direction on many fronts, starting with the complete cessation of the climate engineering insanity. Geoengineering is fueling countless catastrophic scenarios on our planet including mass methane release in the Arctic. We are on track for “Venus Syndrome“. Though industrialized civilization is already in its final stages and will soon collapse, we could yet salvage a planet that could sustain life. With each passing day we are determining our own future by what we do, or don’t do. The greatest single leap we could collectively make in the right direction is to expose and halt the weather warfare assault. Arm yourself with credible data and pass it on to others. Ask them to do the same. We must make every day count in this critical fight, time is not on our side.  DW

geoengineeringwatch.org

from:     http://www.zengardner.com/climate-engineers-latest-forecast-nasa-mostly-cloudy/

Your Color VIbe for Sunday, 10/11

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Sunday, October 11:   Amber Gold

this is a good day for knowing what it is you can do, what it is you desire, and what it is you deserve. Do not get too hooked up on other people’s ideas, opinions, thoughts, attitudes, etc. It is your time to go for what is right for you. Take some time today to look around you at all you have done, see the people who mean so much to you, become aware of what you know. There are treasures hidden in every moment and surprises that are coming your way. Do not give into doubt and worry. Listen to the true counsel of your heart and see the joy that is there for you if you will let it in.

Some Tips For Flu Prevention

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5 Sure-Fire Ways to Beat the Flu

Written By:

Valerie Burke, MSN

5 Sure-Fire Ways to Beat the Flu

With flu season rapidly approaching, recommendations for preventatives are everywhere but many are not backed up by science. Can you guess the top five? (Hint: vaccination is not one of them!)

With flu season rapidly approaching, many are looking to vaccination as a “preventive” approach. Those who abstain are often accused of being uneducated or even socially irresponsible, but nothing could be further from the truth. Vaccination cannot replace natural immunity. Vaccines derail your natural immunological processes, along with exposing you to wide-ranging adverse effects.

Your odds of falling prey to influenza are largely determined by your overall health and immune function. Anything that strengthens your immune system will lower your risk for colds and flu. Unfortunately, flu vaccines often do the opposite.

All data point to the ineffectiveness of flu vaccines. According to CDC, the 2014-2015 flu vaccine reduced the chances that a person would seek medical treatment for influenza by a mere 19 percent.[i] If wearing seatbelts produced such dismal statistics, drivers would be demanding a much better defense strategy—which is what you should do if you want to stay healthy this winter. The good news is, there are much safer and more effective strategies than vaccines.

Preventing influenza hinges upon building up your immune system while avoiding the things that wear it down. What factors are the most destructive? Stress, inadequate sleep, inactivity, environmental toxicants and nutritional issues are some of the big ones. Excess dietary sugar, gluten, artificial sweeteners and other chemical additives can wreak havoc on your immune system.

There are many effective flu-busting strategies that are evidence-based, accessible and economically feasible—but the following five deserve special mention.

1. Vitamin D3

Vitamin D3 tops my list due to its ability to produce antiviral peptides (e.g. cathelicidin), which directly destroy invading organisms. Vitamin D prevents macrophages from releasing as many inflammatory cytokines and chemokines.[ii] One study[iii] found supplementing schoolchildren with 1,200 IUs per day of D3 cut their risk of influenza A by 42 percent.

Traditionally, we received our vitamin D from the sun. In fact, it’s theorized the reason for influenza’s increased prevalence in the wintertime is our reduced sun exposure, with a resultant drop in our vitamin D levels. It’s best to get vitamin D3 from reasonable sun exposure, but if this is not practical, a D3 supplement can be used for just pennies a day.

The only way to accurately determine your D3 level is with a blood test. In one study, adults with vitamin D3 blood levels of 38 ng/ml or greater enjoyed a two-fold reduction in acute viral respiratory infections. The Vitamin D Council recommends keeping your levels between 40 and 80 ng/ml year-round.[iv]

2. Probiotics

The billions of microorganisms that reside in your digestive tract comprise 80 to 90 percent of your immune system. Practices such as antibiotic overuse, the standard American diet and today’s “germophobic” attitude have taken a heavy toll on the human microbiome. Therefore, probiotics can give a powerful boost to your immune function.

Chinese researchers found probiotics reduced the incidence and duration of respiratory tract infections in young children.[v] In another study, daily probiotic supplementation was shown to reduce fever, rhinorrhea, cough, and missed school days for children age three to five. Adults show similar benefits—those taking probiotic-containing supplements demonstrate fewer and less severe colds.

The most abundant and active probiotics come from whole foods, such as raw sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kefir, kvass and other traditionally fermented foods. Although less powerful, probiotic supplements are another option. On a side note, a yeast-based fermentation byproduct called beta glucan has also been shown to reduce the incidence and severity of colds and flu.

3. Green Tea

If you feel a bug coming on, brew yourself a nice cup of green tea. Green tea is rich in catechins and is shown to enhance T cell function, as well as interfering with the replication of the influenza virus by inhibiting neuraminidase and hemagglutinin. A 2011 Japanese study found children who consume one to five cups of green tea per day have lower susceptibility to influenza. The EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) in green tea is a potent antioxidant offering numerous health benefits for your brain, heart, bones, eyes and other body parts. It is advisable to source your green tea from Japan instead of China in order to minimize levels of industrial pollutants, such as lead.

4. Elderberry

The next celebrity in natural flu prevention is elderberry, or Sambucus nigra. (Black elderberry extract is also known as Sambucol.) A Norwegian study showed flu sufferers who took 15 ml of elderberry extract four times a day for five days recovered four days sooner and required less “rescue medication” than placebo. Elderberry extract has also been shown to inhibit several strains of influenza virus, in vitro. Besides antiviral properties, Sambucol activates your immune system by increasing cytokine production.[vi]

5. Echinacea

Last but not least, echinacea purpurea has a long history of use with respiratory infections. Research supports its ability to reduce both the severity and duration of flu symptoms. The roots of echinacea have cytokine-modulating properties.

Czech researchers[vii] compared an echinacea beverage to the antiviral drug Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and found the two agents equally effective against flu—however, echinacea produced fewer complications and adverse events. Echinacea has been proven effective against avian flu (H5N1, H7N7) and swine-origin H1N1 (S-OIV). A combination of echinacea and elderberry were proven effective in killing avian flu virus (H9N2) in an infected chicken embryo.[viii]

There are numerous other natural agents shown to be safe and effective against influenza—too many to discuss here—but if you’re armed with the fabulous five discussed above, influenza won’t stand a chance! For more evidence-based cold and flu remedies, click here. If you desire more information about flu-fighting medicinal herbs, please refer to this article.

from:    http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/5-sure-fire-ways-beat-flu-1?page=2