Sent in by Arla B.

Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital , Bombay Hospital , Saifee Hospital , Tata Memorial etc. Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W).

The following message given by him, I feel makes a lot of sense and is important for all to know.

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected o ne. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

So, my aunt from Hawaii sends me boxes of goodies every now and then. This particular time she sent something I had never seen before: star anise seed. At first glance, I thought I’d burn it like and incense. But then it dawned on me that everything else in the box was edible so this had to be too. So, usually I would instantly research anything I had questions about but this time I emailed her and asked. After receiving zero responses in 2 days I decided to look it up. Upon my computer functioning at an extremely slow pace, I decided to chew on some while the wiki page loaded. As I’m chewing this is what I’m reading:

Culinary uses
Star anise contains anethole, the same ingredient which gives the unrelated anise its flavor. Recently, star anise has come into use in the West as a less expensive substitute for anise in baking as well as in liquor production, most distinctively in the production of the liquor Galliano. It is also used in the production of Sambuca, pastis, and many types of absinthe.
[edit] Medicinal uses
Star anise has been used in a tea as a remedy for rheumatism, and the seeds are sometimes chewed after meals to aid digestion. As a warm and moving herb, Ba Jiao is used to assist in relieving cold-stagnation in the middle jiao, according to TCM.
Shikimic acid, a primary feedstock used to create the anti-flu drug Tamiflu, is produced by most autotrophic organisms, but star anise is the industrial source. In 2005, there was a temporary shortage of star anise due to its use in making Tamiflu. Late in that year, a way was found of making shikimic acid artificially. Roche now derives some of the raw material it needs from fermenting E. coli bacteria. The 2009 swine flu outbreak led to another series of shortages as stocks of Tamiflu were built up around the world, sending prices soaring.[1]
Star anise is grown in four provinces in China and harvested between March and May. Its also found in the south of New South Wales. The shikimic acid is extracted from the seeds in a ten-stage manufacturing process which takes a year. Reports say 90% of the harvest is already used by the Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer Roche in making Tamiflu, but other reports say there is an abundance of the spice in the main regions - Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan.
Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum), a similar tree, is not edible because it is highly toxic (due to containing sikimitoxin); instead, it has been burned as incense in Japan. Cases of illness, including "serious neurological effects, such as seizures", reported after using star anise tea may be a result of using this species. Japanese star anise contains anisatin, which causes severe inflammation of the kidneys, urinary tract and digestive organs.
· Using Star Anise as a remedy for colic is dangerous as referenced here.
Wikipedia.org

OMG!! Instantly, I’m thinking how friggin crazy is this? Is she trying to take me out or is she trying to save me from H1N1, naturally? It gets weirder, yall! She still has yet to respond to me!!! So, today is the 5th day. As I'm watching the news they reported new symptoms of the H1N1. HAAA! Gosh danged if they only told some of us this in the beginning along with what the vaccine contained then this wouldn’t be so sad but it is! Reading the above excerpt from Wikipedia again, I noticed they’ve been producing Tamiflu since 2005. Like they were preparing for this “pandemic”. Like someone knew something way before hand! You get my drift? Now some of yall may have heard me ramming on GT Radio about this: Donald Rumsfeld, Tamiflu stock, 1976 swine flu breakout, etc! I hate to be on some “I told you so" $hit, but I told yall something and I only hope you considered it along with your other options before taking whatever action you decide upon. Now, looking up Tamiflu again, OMG!!! This is what Wikipedia says:

Oseltamivir (INN)is an antiviral drug that slows the spread of influenza (flu) virus between cells in the body by stopping the new virus from chemically cutting ties with its host cell. The drug is sold under the trade name Tamiflu and is taken orally in capsules or a suspension. It has been used to treat and prevent Influenzavirus A and Influenzavirus B infection in over 50 million people since 1999. Oseltamivir becomes active in the body once it passes through the liver.


Wikipedia.org

No frigging mention of the 76 H1N1 issue and Tamiflu’s association! It reads blah, blah, blah “since 1999.” WHOA! Now the new H1N1 article on Wikipedia has no mention of it at all!!

IDK yall but check this out:

http://www.medicanalife.com/watch_video.php?v=5d201ea106cf09e