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Chicken Pox – part 2

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Eleven days ago, I unpacked some surprising information about chickenpox and I pray someone found it helpful. Whenever I seek information on a deeper level, it’s a rare day that I don’t learn something myself and a rarer day still that I don’t end up down some rabbit hole that fascinates (and sometimes disturbs me ? ).
​Shingles (aka herpes zoster) is also caused by the varicella zoster virus and is the “adult thug version” of chickenpox….

….Bigger and badder than it was in the kiddie version.

With shingles, there is nearly always a rash of some sort, but the hallmark is nerve pain (neuropathy). The pain can be debilitating and is often described as burning, stabbing, throbbing, and/or a shooting pain. Neuropathic pain from an outbreak can last days to months (at which point it is diagnosed as postherpetic nauralgia – PHN). Other symptoms may include (but not limited to) fever, headache, upset stomach and muscle weakness.

While a shingles event is not contagious (meaning, you can’t “catch” shingles), someone with active shingles CAN pass chickenpox on to a child ?? or adult ? who has never had chickenpox or received the chickenpox vaccine. It’s far better to have chickenpox as a child, than it is as an adult…. Hence, the importance of getting this childhood disease as a child. Remember those chickenpox parties I was telling you about in Part I? ?

Shingles is the same virus that will have been lying dormant in the body of someone who had chickenpox OR, in some cases, in those who had the chickenpox vaccine.

WAIT! …… I thought we wouldn’t get shingles later in life if we got the chickenpox vaccine ?

I believe that was the plan, but sometimes messing with what God has laid out for us isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Despite the advent of the chickenpox vaccine (1995) and the shingles vaccine (2006), the incidence of shingles has only continued to rise ?. Take a look at the graph I’ve attached. Notice that as the incidence of chickenpox decreases? , the incidence of shingles has increased ? dramatically. Additionally, while shingles used to be an affliction of the elderly and immunocompromised, it has become much more common in younger and younger people.

Prior to both vaccinations, the incidence of shingles appeared to have been pretty uncommon. According to the article below, shingles was rare enough that only two US studies had been found to report data (in study format) on the incidence of shingles circa 1960. . I have searched for hours and have not been able to find solid numbers on shingles cases prior to the early 1980’s. (Please do comment if you can find anything relating to this)

So why are shingles so prevalent now? ….And how prevalent are they? 
➡️ An estimated one million cases occur annually in the USA
➡️ 4 cases per 1000 people in the USA
➡️ 1 case per 100 among people 60 years and older

Are you familiar with herd immunity?

Herd immunity by definition is a form of indirect protection from an infectious disease that occurs when a large percentage of a population has become immune to an infection (by developing antibodies) thru a previous infection (NOT  by means of vaccination ? ).

In short, herd immunity is one of God’s (many) health gifts to us. Herd immunity helps us take care of each other as a whole. #herdimmunitycommunity

Why can’t we achieve herd immunity thru vaccination?  It would seem easy to do that, wouldn’t it?

Well, you’d think so…. But God and (His) nature have a plan, and His ways are not our ways…. They are better! Viruses are constantly changing… (heck, we’ve learned this with the ‘rona virus ) and vaccines cannot keep up with the mutations.

(ex: The flu vaccine is a crap shoot every year, and often the projected guestimate misses the projected virus strains chosen based on the previous year’s worldwide flu).

 So how does this pertain to shingles?…. And chickenpox? Studies show that before routine use of the chickenpox vaccine, children who recovered from chickenpox later experienced recurrent asymptomatic boosting of immunity by coming into contact with others who were actively infected with chickenpox….. It is God’s way of keeping us safe. 
#Helovesusso

Parents and grandparents who interacted with their kids and grandkids were then less likely to develop shingles because they had the opportunity to reinforce their immunity thru periodic exposure to “wild” chickenpox.

??IMPORTANT‼️Without this periodic asymptomatic exposure to the “wild chickenpox”, the dormant varicella-zoster virus can re emerge as shingles, especially in the elderly and in those with a weakened immune system.

Now the puzzle pieces are falling into place.

As “wild” chickenpox exposure becomes more of a rarity, no natural immune boosting can occur.

*************************************************
?‍⚕️ What I say next is my opinion and observation. ?‍⚕️

I have family members and loved ones that have regular occurrences of shingles.

I fill prescriptions regularly for medications that are for long term treatment of postherpetic neuralgia. The prescriptions are often neither cheap and none are without substantial side effects….. side effects that are damaging at the cellular level.
#protectyourmitochondria

Some of these shingles patients are in their 20’s and 30’s…. Adults who got the chickenpox vaccine back in the 90’s onward. It’s no longer an aged or infirmed affliction.

I have listened to family, friends, and pharmacy clients lament the pain and the quality of life decline as a result of shingles… especially those who have recurrent flares. Many of them get shingles over and over again…. (And many of these in the older generation have also gotten the shingles vaccine).

I don’t know. It seems to me that God had it under control. His ways insured us and kept us safer as we aged. I would much rather be exposed thru periodic herd immunity (in its correctly defined state).

I leave you with this quote from another study I’ll attach below. Anything in ( ) are my comments or thoughts:

“In the prelicensure era, 95% of adults experienced natural chickenpox (usually as children ?? )—these cases were usually benign and resulted in long-term immunity. Varicella vaccination (the chickenpox vaccine) is less effective than the natural immunity that existed in prevaccine communities. Universal varicella (chickenpox) vaccination has not proven to be cost-effective as increased HZ (shingles) morbidity (pain, suffering, and medicating) has disproportionately offset cost savings associated with reductions in varicella disease (Was chickenpox such a bad thing after all?  #notreally ) . Universal (chickenpox) varicella vaccination has failed to provide long-term protection from (shingles)VZV disease.”

(excerpt from linked article below)

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov article

Someone, please tell me why we are vaccinating against chickenpox? I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather continue down the path God pre-designed for us than rely on man…. Chickenpox is looking pretty good. #CommunityImmunity
#wildchickenpoxforthewinforyouthandelderly
#GodknowswhatHesdoing

What we CAN do….. what we ought to be doing….. what I hope ALL of you are doing is this: 
? Eating quality (unprocessed, nonGMO’d) food and drinking “clean” water


? Exercising regularly (improve muscle mass, help your heart, improve your balance, and decrease stress!)


? De-stress daily. This is sooo important. Use your Lavender, your StressAway (my fave), Tranquil, Peace & Calming, or RutaVala (and that’s just a few!)


? Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Use your Immupro or Sleep Essence along with a sleepy time diffuser blend (the aroma options are endless to help you get your  ??. ) 


? Remove your known toxin load and replace those things with non-toxic alternatives (please visit with me if you are not yet a Young Living member, or reach out to your bestie who is and one of us will hook you up! ) … Young Living has non toxic alternatives to everything from housecleaning , to vitamins, to makeup and beyond. Importantly…. their essential oils are pure, safe, and effective. 

Nothing does more for boosting immunity than the self care I just mentioned above. #loveyourselfenoughtocareforyourself

Have a beautiful day! I learned something in my digging and I hope you did too.

xoxo~ liz

#knowbetterdobetter
#sharingiscaring
#ThanksYL

PS: the links below are to a couple other studies and articles for those who like to dig deeper . Enjoy!

jscimedcentral
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. article

Masks

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Well, today’s foray into an interesting tidbit of medical history got sidelined by The Great Mask Debate 😷. I’ve been in SMH mode since I first heard various heads of “Important Organizations and World Leadership” speak with great concern about the virulence of the virus at hand, and the ensuing discussions of all manner of masks. Wait 30 minutes and information (and opinions) will change.

Keeping up is like trying to catch a greased pig 🐷 quickly.

Impossible.😉

One thing that has stayed the same tho, is this topic of masks. And interestingly, “they” seem to be promoting masks even more vociferously the further we get into Mask Mania 2020.

Regardless of whether you are pro mask or anti mask, the following information should be helpful. …… because ACCURATE information certainly seems to be in short supply.

The following points to ponder upon are not my opinion. They are facts:

😷1. Let’s start first with the assumption that ANY mask or face covering is better than no mask at all.

This is patently not true, and I find it vexing that people with some semblance of authority would even suggest this. Nonetheless… I shall be referring to both the WHO’s (World Health Organization) and the CDC’s (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) own literature as I explore this topic.

Cloth made masks or scarves may keep dog hair, pollen, or bugs from flying into your mouth and nose, but they will do nary a thing to keep said virus (or bacteria)  out of your personal ecosystem.

In addition… REUSE of a used cloth mask with its poor filtration may actually contribute to infection…. ESPECIALLY if you are already harboring lungs that have been compromised. (think COPD, asthma, emphysema, etc)

Here is a study if you’d like confirmation of the above information:

government article

😷 2. Secondly, according to the WHO website, “using a mask incorrectly may hamper its effectiveness in reducing the risk of transmission”.

The WHO website also clearly states this:

Community Setting/ Individual WITHOUT respiratory symptoms should heed the following “a medical mask is NOT required, as no evidence is available on its usefulness to protect non-sick persons. “

Whereas…. “Individuals WITH respiratory symptoms should: – wear a medical mask and seek medical care if experiencing fever, cough and difficulty breathing, as soon as possible or in accordance with to local protocols”

Seems pretty black and white to me (according to the WHO website…. not me). 
Sick= wear mask 😷
Not Sick= don’t wear mask 

#OfficialwordaccordingtoWHO
… but don’t believe me, please, do read for yourself.

who on masks

😷 3. What about other masks? Glad you asked! There IS a difference between mask types AND there’s actually a hot market for them right now in case you hadn’t noticed.

✅ N95 Masks are considered the industry standard in blocking particles. They block particles over 0.03 microns. Said virus has been found to be as small as .02 microns, and according to this website, the N95 mask will work for about 95% of the virus particles PROVIDED the mask size fits the face properly, facial hair has been removed, and other considerations have been taken.

Please don’t rely on me for this information…. Here is the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation’s (APSF) information:

apsf.org

Not all masks are N95. Surgical masks, as a rule, are not, unless indicated as such. If they are not labeled as N95, the ability to shield oneself from the virus has gone down considerably.

Because N95 masks are a hot commodity, so are (unfortunately) scam artists who make fake ones. Be wary from who and where you buy N95 masks.

Here is information on how to identify a true approved N95 mask: https://www.cdc.gov/…/npptl/usernotices/counterfeitResp.html

cdc article

Additionally, according to the CDC website, “Used respirators (N95 masks) are considered contaminated and ideally should be discarded after each patient encounter. A user should never touch the contaminated front of the respirator with his or her bare hands. Hands should always be washed after donning and doffing the respirator. “

cdc on used respirators

😷 4. Wearing a used and contaminated face mask (paper or cloth) for long periods of time on a daily basis actually INCREASES the risk of infection TO THE WEARER. Additionally, the longer the same mask has been worn around others, the more concentrated the infectious load becomes.

Add in high warm moisture content, and lower oxygen intake (A mask wearer actually does breathe in less oxygen and more carbon dioxide than a maskless person, especially if worn for extended periods of time), the stress of wearing a mask for extended periods of time (not to mention the said pathogen load now living in your mask)….. and well….. all of these are lovely amenities if you are looking to acquire a truly happy colony of ill mannered bacteria (or virus) to call your very own.

(Even the CDC website has this to say about reusing masks that have not been properly decontaminated: “Used respirators are considered contaminated and ideally should be discarded after each patient encounter.” Please refer again to the CDC website linked above)

Something about all of this seems counterintuitive to what’s going on in real life……. or is it just me?

😷 5. Finally…. What about disposing of your used masks? Please discard them properly…. Do not leave them in your buggy, or the parking lot of the shopping establishment. That is just wrong. Used masks, as you have just learned, have a buildup of potentially infectious particulates that could include viruses or other pathogens, and if left around willy-nilly could actually give somebody something…. Which is what we are ALL trying not to do.

Really…. wouldn’t it just be easier to work on supporting your immune system? Not just now, but always?

Stay well. Be kind. Operate in truth. 😘

xoxo~ liz

#AlltheThievesplease
#knowbetterdobetter
#sharingiscaring
#truthtrumpsfear
#walkinginthelight
#ThanksYL

Spring Detox

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Psst…… Hey there friend! I see you and your struggle between patience and frustration, perhaps even moving between anger at being cooped up and concern for the welfare of others. You are not alone in this. Hardly. Let’s chat a bit, shall we? 😘

Springtime is the season of new and pent up energy bursting forth… it’s that way in nature, and we humans also have that tendency.

Spring cleaning….

Spring gardening…..

Western medicine doesn’t look that much at seasonal changes and how it affects your body (unless they are discussing seasonal allergies),…. but it is a core feature in Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM looks at the physical (what can be seen), and also the energy (that which might be blocked or sluggish). Too much blocked energy, and something physical will usually result. Free flowing energy results in a higher body frequency which results in a happier healthier you! #highfrequencyrules #bethelight

AT THE HEART OF THE SPRING SEASON FOR TCM ARE THE LIVER AND GALLBLADDER. THESE TWO ORGANS PLAY A TERRIBLY IMPORTANT ROLE IN DETOXIFICATION OF OUR BODY. WINTER WAS A TIME FOR STORING RESERVES…. AND SPRING IS OUR TIME FOR SHEDDING THE ACCUMULATED TOXINS THRU INCREASED MOVEMENT THAT TENDS TO COME MORE NATURALLY WITH LONGER DAYLIGHT HOURS AND A SUN THAT BECKONS US OUTDOORS….. and we need to be doing this!

Grab a bottle of Juvaflex or Helichrysum, Lemon, Orange, Peppermint, Basil, Rosemary, Frankincense, or Geranium and apply over the liver or use the vitality versions and add a drop or two to your water.

Movement is critical to all parts of the body… but in the Spring season, it’s especially important to your liver. Exercise can be done anywhere… even in the comfort of your own home and neighborhood!

Grab a bottle of the amazing essential oil blend, Motivation, and go for a walk today. Your liver will thank you. Promise! 
Failure to move makes blood sluggish, and accumulated toxins just don’t have the opportunity to leave the body as they should.

Signs that you’ve maybe not incorporated enough movement in your life recently? 
frequent headaches
sluggish metabolism
frequent sighing
stress related digestive issues
chronic stress you can’t seem to shake
an odd feeling of a “lump in the throat “
irritability, anger, or frustration

The liver is also the organ that holds stress. One of the best ways to help your liver emotionally is to practice expressing your feelings. Express… and then let go of them. Don’t dwell on them unless they are positive ones! Holding on to your negative emotions ultimately will cause outward irritability, frustration and anger. One sign that you might be holding on to something is feeling like you have a lump in your throat (almost like the feeling you get in your throat right before you cry).

Remember…. different emotions live in different organs….. Anger is held in the liver. But for the “negative” emotion an organ holds, it also holds a good one too…. and we have the free choice to decide which one is going to be expressed. The “positive” emotion associated with the liver is compassion. ….. and ya’ll… I’m thinking right about now…. our world could use a little less anger and a little more compassion.

If you are wanting to get rid of anger, first have some compassion on yourself. These are stressful times and stress feeds anger. Instead, try looking for ways to express compassion to get your liver energy flowing:

Offer to go shopping for someone who needs to avoid people due to a health concern.

Clean out your bookshelves and donate books or games to an assisted living community library.

Offer to walk someone’s dog for them.

Share what you have with someone who has less than you do at this moment.

Call people to check on them… don’t forget about your extroverted friends. They are probably climbing their curtains right about now 😉.

And finally….. seek out ways to nourish your liver… Lemon vitality oil in your water….. beets, broccoli, asparagus, and goji berries are all very helpful ways to support your liver.

Goji berries….. hmmm, where have we heard of those before? You probably have some in your house….. at least I HOPE you do. 😉… Goji berries are also known as wolfberries… and the best, healthiest ones in the world can be found in our NingXia Red! Who knew?

Love your liver, and show some compassion to yourself and to others. We’re gonna make it thru this time alone together just fine. You’ll see. 😘
xoxo~ liz

#strongertogether
#ThanksYL
#youvegotthis

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Not sure about the science of TCM? If you are like me, you’ll want proof. Go do some digging on your own… perhaps start here with a really interesting study:
******************

hindawi article

Whoops…We Did It Again(smh)

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Yesterday, while at work in the pharmacy, we got official word of a voluntary recall on several brands of valsartan containing medications. A voluntary recall means that the drug company requests that products be pulled from the pharmacy shelves, and selling of that product cease immediately until new product is issued. It does not extend to the consumer level. You can read more about the recall itself here.

Recalls like this happen every so often in pharmacy, and are not usually call for alarm unless it happens to be one that extends to the customer level (not the case this time). That said, media caught wind of it and began reporting on the recall, causing fear and worry amongst customers who are on this particular blood pressure medication. I began and ended my pharmacy day yesterday fielding these many calls from customers who were fearful of continuing their medication even one more day, now that this information was known. 

Once you know something, you can’t un-know it.

The cause of the recall? It became known that one of the ingredients used in this particular medication is a ‘probable’ cancer causing agent.  (Ironically, one of the people I spoke to was a smoker. SMH!) Now, before you start calling your pharmacy wondering what you are supposed to do if you are on valsartan,  let’s take a look at the facts:

  1. Right or wrong, the alleged ingredient has been in the medication since at least 2015.
  2. The recall is not at the customer level (meaning that the situation has not given the FDA cause to issue a recall on dispensed medication too).  In fact, this statement was issued by the FDA: “Because valsartan is used in medicines to treat serious medical conditions, patients taking the recalled valsartan-containing medicines should continue taking their medicine until they have a replacement product.”
  3. “Probable” cancer causing agents should be fully excluded from our daily lives, but sadly they are everywhere you turn. The FDA and the EPA turn a blind eye daily as companies pump probable (and known) cancer causing agents into the environment, our homes, our food and drinking water, AND our personal care products. It’s no wonder that the cancer rate in the United States has skyrocketed since the 1950’s.

Visit the American Cancer Society website, you’ll see a list of  these ‘probable  (and known) cancer causing agents’ that people unwittingly use and allow into their lives.

Once you know something, you can’t un-know it.

I would advise stopping reading now if you want to remain blissfully unaware, because I’m about to give you the lowdown on just a few items on the FDA/EPA list.

Seriously. Stop now. 

Here are just a few offenders from the long list:

Giving you examples of known and probable carcinogens could easily consume my day, because this list just goes on and on and on.…… and ultimately I will bore you to tears (or wake you up to what you likely have in your home).  

I’m hoping by now you see my frustration in yesterday’s moment of media hyped hysteria over the valsartan recall. Of course it should have been recalled, but friends…… we have much larger fish to fry if we are going to worry about this.

I would venture to guess that each person I spoke to about the recall yesterday has more than 100+ known carcinogenic products in their home and garage that they willingly (but perhaps unwittingly) choose to expose themselves to on a daily basis.

SMH.

If you didn’t listen to me, and read this post to completion, you’ve got some decisions to make. What you can’t choose tho, is to now ‘un-know what you now know‘. Knowing gives you personal responsibility for the skin in the game (your own) and begs the next question….. what are you going to do about it?

Reality is this:  It’s not possible to avoid every carcinogenic or body damaging product out there, but there IS so much we CAN do to avoid the majority of them within our own home. There are also many ways to encourage detoxification of the body cheaply, effectively, and holistically.

If this post has you thinking that maybe it is time to wake up and clean up, I’d encourage you to start small in big ways. Get the ‘standard’ household cleaners out of your home…. one by one. When you run out of a product, don’t buy that junk again. Consider switching to Thieves Cleaner (a completely healthy way to clean).

Get the candles and formaldehyde laced air fresheners out of your home, and replace them with healthy diffusers. I promise…. you’ll sleep better, be happier, have fewer headaches, and….. if you diffuse the right oils, you’ll even boost your immune system and provide positive emotional support. This trumps possible and probable carcinogenic loaded products any day. Science backs this ya’ll….. as a pharmacist, I wouldn’t be here if it didn’t.

The cosmetic industry is rife with concerning chemicals. Use up what you have, but as you get close to needing more, consider ‘clean’ skin care and makeup. Yes, it does exist. I’d love to send you a few samples of whatever you’d like to see or try that is not only beautiful, but also loaded with health promoting ingredients. Ever heard of Savvy Minerals? If not, you are missing out.

This is one of the (many) things I love about Young Living. They stand in the gap for us where other companies do not. Scouring labels for toxins was time consuming and the print is small and fine (purposefully I think). I know I am taken care of safely with whatever I purchase for my family and our farm, and that we are taking personal responsibility for us….. because clearly, the governmental entities, are not doing enough of it.

If you’d like to learn more about living a more carcinogenic free life, please feel free to private message me. 

I am not perfect in my walk, but I’ve done it now for much of my adult life and would be happy to walk with you as you begin your journey. It’s never too late to start.

Hugs and love  ~ Liz


​References:

fda article
freeethoughtproject-baby powder
fda harmful ingredintst tables
poison papers
nbc news – chemicals cause cancer

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