The headlines talk about epidemics, national and international warnings, supply (and shortages) of flu vaccines, how the current antidotes may not be adequate to combat this version of the influenza virus, and on and on?

Forget "not very reassuring", it's downright frightening?.

What is the 2009 H1N1 flu?

According to wikipedia, swine influenza refers to influenza caused by any virus of the family Orthomyxoviridae, that is endemic to pig (swine) populations. People who work with chickens and hogs, are at risk of infection from these animals if the animals carry a strain that is also able to infect humans.

The current outbreak of H1N1 flu among mankind is exactly this - a mutation that has taken a form allowing it to pass from human to human.

The symptoms are not unlike to those of any flu and the influenza-like illness in general. Primary symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

What can I do?

Recommendations to prevent infection by the swine flu virus consist of the standard personal precautions against influenza. This includes frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially after being out in public. People should avoid touching their mouth, nose or eyes with their hands unless they've washed their hands.

Further preventative mechanisms include vaccination (not readily available to the public) and chiropractic care (readily available to everyone). Read on for the rest of the story of how chiropractic care has proven to help in the ?

Chiropractic care can help!

Let's take a history lesson from the last major flu epidemic?.the Texas Chiropractic Association has published a wonderful review of the LAST major flu epidemic (1918-1919) by Dr. Walter R. Rhodes.

This write-up is based on historical fact and plainly shows the chiropractic advantage?

Medical Treatment: 950 deaths per 10,000

Chiropractic Care: 25 deaths per 10,000

In New York City, out of every 10,000 cases medically treated, 950 died; and in every 10,000 pneumonia cases medically treated 6,400 died. In the same outbreak, under drugless methods, only 25 patients died of influenza out of every 10,000 cases; and only 100 patients died of pneumonia out of every 10,000 cases."

Chiropractors save 208 "lost" medical cases?

Chiropractors in Oklahoma treated 3,490 cases of influenza with only 7 deaths. But the best part of this is, in Oklahoma there is a clear record showing that chiropractors were called in 233 cases where medical doctors had cared for the patients, and at last gave them up as lost. The chiropractors saved all these lost cases but 25.

Medical Doctors: 1 death per 15 patients

Chiropractors: 1 death in just 789 patients

In the state of Iowa, medical doctors treated 93,590 patients, with 6,116 deaths - a loss of one patient out of every 15. In the same state, excluding Davenport, 4,735 patients were treated by chiropractors with a loss of only 6 cases - a loss of one patient out of every 789.

The above is abstracted from Dr. Rhodes' paper about chiropractic care - a summary of which can be downloaded here.

YOUR ACTION

You've probably figured it out by now? and the answer is obvious? get into your local chiropractor or chiropractic clinic and have your spine adjusted for optimal health. While chiropractic care will not "cure" anyone of the flu, it unquestionably is a good way to strengthen the bodies' natural defenses to combat the flu!