One More thought on H1N1 and Why We Prepare
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First, I need to tell you we have been hacked so if you have made a comment on the blog today or yesterday I am not ignoring it just waiting for things to get straightened out. So…please be patient.
Second, I have had a few comments to my email about the H1N1 being overblown by the media, and me. My only response is that I do tons of research and I go with what I feel is the information coming from sources that are credible. There are many, many sites trying to sell their biases and it is sometimes difficult to determine the real motives behind some information. When I find a site or a “doctor” who makes claims I always investigate them further and what they have been saying for the last year or more. I also investigate their credentials, if I can find them. If there is no information before a year ago I am suspicious that they are only playing on fears and trying to make a buck.
For example, I heard much about vaccines and how the government would be forcing us to take them. I researched and discovered that the number of vaccines that could be manufactured world wide was far less than would be necessary and I passed this information on to you and told you there would be shortages and not nearly enough to force us to take them. Now, months later this has proven to be the case. Many believed the government would have us lined up and be banging down our doors. Believe it or not, I found several sites that claimed this would happen and that legislation had been passed and the military would be enforcing it and forcing us to take the vaccine in our own homes. As we can see now that was a fabrication and fear mongering by some who love conspiracy theories.
I have asked, in some cases, for the link to the data that is quoted on internet sites. I have never been given a link and my requests have been ignored. I would encourage you to do some research for yourself before believing what you read. Ask for links when statistics are quoted, and when they are provided follow them. I try to do that. I have tried to provide links for you from around the world and from conservative and liberal media sources. I have tried very hard and spent hours every day trying to confirm my information.
I have never taken a stand on whether or not your family should take the vaccine. I never will. Only you can make those determinations for your family after weighing the pros and cons. Does someone in the family have a compromised immune system? Do you have kids in school? Do you have a newborn? Does the vaccine available to you have a preservative or is it preservative free (mercury) (both are available)? Have you ever had pneumonia? NO ONE on the internet can make the call for you…no one! They do not know your medical history or family circumstances.
I do believe in alternative medicines. Again, I will not recommend or discourage their use as, again, I do not know your medical history. I cannot tell you all I have read in the last year about anti oxidants, resveritrol, silver, herbs, etc. I have told you before the story about an alternative sold on a “doctor’s” site. It took a day to track down the actual ingredients in the pill which was touted as a great cure and prevention for the flu. Millions of these are sold each year world wide. The ingredients? Duck Liver. Yep, just duck liver.
My goal at Totally Ready is to help you become self reliant. To enable you to care for the needs of your family no matter what may cause distress in your family. We discuss hurricanes, fires, pandemics, money challenges and more as we prepare together. It is my hope to be able to give you the skills and knowledge to evaluate the needs of your family and then to act to overcome the challenges in a way that will preserve your safety and health.
I do not believe in fear and I believe fear can best be overcome by thinking though a crisis before it happens. As an example of this: several years ago I decided I would become informed about the Heimlich maneuver. I was not being paranoid. I just thought I wanted to be able to handle a problem if I was ever faced with one. I read and practiced how to cup my hands and where to place them using my own rib cage, and spent some time thinking about what I would do if someone I knew was choking. Then, my son was eating a milk dud and it got caught in his throat. Because I had thought about what to do and had read and practiced I was able to get behind him, give a squeeze and out it popped. When it was all over I sat and cried but when the time was critical I knew what to do.
I believe the same is true of this pandemic. It may all fizzle. You may never know anyone who dies. Your children may never miss a day of school or you a day of work but if the need arises and you have paid attention you will be prepared to care for your family. You will know when to go to the doctor, when to keep your kids home, when to stay home so you don’t infect someone else and how to treat someone who becomes ill. So, next time you hear someone say we are over the top or that we are making more of this than is necessary, remember Katrina. Remember those who said the government as making too much of the storm. Remember those who said they had lived there all their lives and there would never be flooding in New Orleans. Remember those who said the government would care for them.
Remember that it is better to be informed and prepared and not need it than to need it and not have the knowledge to act.
Tomorrow…Money Saving Tips…no more pandemic for awhile
