Secondhand sickness
You've heard me railing about the vaccinations against
smallpox, anthrax, and God knows what else our fighting men
and women are forced to undergo in the name of soldiering
(Daily Dose, 6/17). I've always said they were unnecessary
and possibly lethal. Reports from the field are proving me
right, too.
Last April, just 2 months or so into the Debacle in the
Desert, a 22-year-old Army reservist medic who was elevated
to active duty died as a result of complications from her
vaccinations, a panel of medical experts finally concluded
last fall. And this once promising, but now deceased young
medic isn't the only U.S soldier who is thought to have been
put at risk from the most recent round of forced
inoculations, either.
In response to this kind of senseless tragedy, some will
say, "That's the price of freedom," or "Soldiers face
risks."
Of course, they're correct, from a certain point of view.
But if such vaccination risks are part and parcel of the
serviceman's (or woman's) lot in life, they should at least
be limited to the individual soldier himself (or herself).
Such is not the case with these vaccinations, apparently…
According to a recent BBC news report, one U.S. soldier's
wife was infected by a strain of the vaccinia virus (which
is used to spur the body into developing antibodies against
smallpox) simply by sleeping with her husband after he was
vaccinated for smallpox. What's worse, the couple's months-
old infant also contracted the virus in the course of breast-
feeding.
That's right - one needle-jab, THREE infections with adverse
reactions.
Since the Iraq-war vaccinations started, there have been 18
documented cases of accidental second-hand transmission of
the smallpox-related vaccinia virus to people in close
contact to our servicemen and women. How many more
innocent "bystanders" will have to be infected before we axe
this unconstitutional practice? Will it take the death of
some innocent baby before the courts are stirred to action?
And speaking of children harmed by poisons their parents
inadvertently ingest…
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Mercury rising
I've written many times about the benefits of eating fish -
especially cold-water varieties like salmon, trout, and cod.
Among other vital nutrients, they're high in the Omega-3
fatty acids your heart needs to stay healthy and beating
strong.
But mass-produced "farmed" varieties of these healthy fishes
often have higher-than-safe levels of mercury, lead, and
other heavy metals accumulated in their tissues. And when
people eat these foods, those toxins can find homes in their
systems - or the bodies of their unborn children.
A Harvard School of Public Health affiliated study showed
that children whose mothers ate fish and other seafood high
in mercury while pregnant can suffer irreparable brain
damage in the womb. This heavy-metal contamination also
affected the children's heart function.
Within a week of this study's publication in the Journal of
Pediatrics, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
released a report that more than doubles previous estimates
of the number of U.S. infants with unsafe levels of mercury
in their blood.
Actions to take: Fish and fish oils are good for you - but
only if you're not ingesting a lot of mercury and other
heavy metals along with them. It's important (and I've said
this before, too) that you obtain these foods from a
certified NATURAL source, not from a "fish-farm." So ask
your grocery store or fish market for more details before
you buy those filets.
Best "fishes,"
William Campbell Douglass II, MD
