I’ve been accused of overplaying pandemic influenza. No need to scare the children, medical colleagues caution me. I did writee two books on viruses. One of them (Beating the Flu 2006) is specifically on pandemic influenza. But I don’t think I’m exaggerating the danger. Since SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) killed 775 people in 2003, we’ve had a bird flu crisis in 2004-2006 and the H1N1 swine flu pandemic of 2009.

During the SARS outbreak, fatality was less than 1% for people aged 24 or younger, but more than 50% for those over 65. In comparison, the fatality of seasonal influenza is under 0.03%, primarily among the elderly, and the death rate was 3% during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.

Worldwide, at least one in five people were infected with swine flu during the first year of the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic. In the U.S., there were 61 million cases, which is a lot of sick people in one year. Originally, the death rate was reported at a low 0.02%. A major study in the prestigious British medical journal The Lancet in 2012 found that mortality from H1N1 was miscalculated and could be as much as 15 times higher than original estimates.

And, influenza strains don’t just go away. They morph, mutate, adapt. SARS is still with us as SARS 2 (nCoV). A cousin to the original SARS virus, nCoV is known to cause pneumonia and sometimes kidney failure. It’s popped up in southern France and Saudi Arabia. The 2009 H1N1 swine flu is still with us, and the CDC still tracks it. Look at the graph of 2013 flu cases.

In March 2013, yet another bird flu strain emerged in China. In just a few months, it jumped from birds to people. So far, there’s no major human-to-human contagion and it’s been mainly confined to China. So what, some say: “I’m not Chinese.” In an odd twist of fate, it turns out that Asians have a genetically different immune response to H7N9, the new bird flu strain, making them especially vulnerable. But that won’t stop Americans from getting sick if it gets here. This new strain is bad. With only a few hundred people infected so far, the death rate is around 20%. That’s high enough to get the U.S. government’s attention.

“H7N9 is a type Influenza virus A (avian influenza virus or bird flu). H7N9 virus first infected humans in March 2013 in China. Most of the cases of human infection have resulted in severe respiratory illness.”

In the month following the report of the first case, more than 100 people in China had been infected, an unusually high rate for a new infection, and a fifth of those patients died. It seems to hit hardest in those over 40 and is very serious with a higher chance of fatality in people over 65.

Declaring H7N9 a “significant potential for a public health emergency,” the U.S. has granted emergency authorization for use of rapid diagnostic kits. This means that the FDA hasn’t approved the kits. China is testing them out. You may soon see them used for screening purposes in the U.S., possibly even at airports. What’s the fuss?

A Lack of Potentially Helpful Antibiotics

It seems that H7N9 provokes a weak immune response making vaccines ineffective at normal doses. This bug requires up to 13 times more to stimulate immunity to make antibodies against it. That means that should it go global, even if an effective vaccine is made, there won’t be enough to go around. But, we don’t know the consequences of giving people such high a dosage of vaccine. Children would be especially vulnerable because they can react badly to vaccines. The news gets worse.

So far, H7N9 is resistant to the antiviral drug amantadine. And, it looks like it’s developing resistance to the other anti-influenza drug, Tamiflu. We’re assured that more and better antiviral drugs are in the pipeline, but scientists warn that influenza is highly resistant to all antiviral drugs, new ones included. And, none of the new generation of drugs are yet available and won’t be for some time.

Here’s another reason this new bird flu is scary. It’s coming on fast. In two months, more human cases have occurred than in two years with the H5N1 bird flu of 2004. The World Health Organization has described H7N9 as “unusually dangerous.” It is one of the most lethal influenza viruses seen so far.

Where is the Virus Coming From?

The incubator for bird flu is found in Chinese open poultry markets. Chickens, ducks, pigeons, and other birds are kept in cages in unsanitary conditions. On April 6, Shanghai and other cities in China virtually closed their live poultry markets. Chicken farms have been shut down. The outbreak caused billions of dollars in losses to China’s poultry industry as demand for chicken meat plunged. In many cities, only frozen poultry is available for human consumption. Nobody yet knows the real source of H7N9, but think it comes from city pigeons.

Influenza has been among humans for thousands of years. It knows us. But, we don’t know it that well. It’s expensive to prepare for a pandemic, so governments don’t want to do it. Even when vaccines and antiviral drugs are somewhat effective (they never “cure” the problem, just make symptoms less severe), there are not enough to go around. Government agencies are slow to act, and once it gets going, influenza spreads very fast.

Possible Seasonal Drop-Off

Now, the good news. Shanghai, one of the cities hit hardest by an outbreak of H7N9 in China this spring, ended its emergency response measures on May 11 following the absence of new cases in the past 20 days. The reason for the drop-off is not yet clear. It could be due in part to closing of live bird markets. It could also be the result of the changing seasons. Just like human influenza viruses, bird flu viruses follow seasonal patterns. Most influenza viruses like bird flu virus H5N1 are more active in the winter than the summer, so cases drop as the sun comes out and the weather warms. But, influenza doesn’t disappear. It will be back in the fall and winter of 2013-2014.

Experts warn it’s far too soon to gauge what H7N9 has in store for humankind. And while the virus initially seemed as if it might be another 2009 H1N1—new virus with lightning-fast global spread—at this point, H7N9 does not appear to be in a hurry to go pandemic.

If this new bird flu does go pandemic, however, meaning that it spreads easily between people through the air, everyone (even vegans and vegetarians) will be vulnerable. Your best approach to beating the flu is to avoid getting it. Washing your hands, wiping down surfaces, wearing a mask, and using gloves helps a lot. Keep your immune system healthy by taking zinc, vitamin C and D. Using antiviral herbal remedies have been proven to as effective in saving lives and getting people back to health as drugs.

How to Protect Yourself and Your Family
I won’t give all the details away because I wrote about how to beat the flu in my books. But you may want to start learning about these herbs, how the Chinese treat flu without drugs, and how you can get your hands on them should a pandemic rise up, or should a nasty seasonal flu stalk your town.

Some final thoughts might be warranted, because influenza is not going away. In fact, it’s likely to get stronger. The old way of thinking that a pandemic comes along every few decades and a really big one every 75-100 years doesn’t compute in today’s interconnected world.

Here are some of the reasons I believe we need to develop greater literacy about influenza.

• Disease is not static. Infectious diseases evolve, like all biological processes. New viruses emerge all the time. We cannot predict what’s going to happen with most of them.
• Once-stable environmental conditions and climate are becoming more variable and weather more capricious. Viruses exploit and adapt to these changes better than we do.
• The general health and immunity of post-modern people is weaker than in previous generations. Genetic variations make certain groups of people more vulnerable to infection.
• More people are living longer. The elderly are the most susceptible and have the highest fatality of all age groups. And, it’s astronomically expensive to try to save them.
• Infants and small children are also vulnerable, but there is less preparation and protection for them. They are also the most susceptible to side effects of vaccines and drugs.

While the World Health Organization (WHO) holds briefings and issues declarations, drug and vaccine companies count risk versus potential profit, and governments gather information, but mostly just stand by hopelessly, we are left without much help from agencies and experts. It would be far better to learn how to avoid infection and manage it better when it comes, because it’s not a matter of if, but when.

Learn More
Could H7N9 Become the World’s Next Flu Pandemic?

Air travel used to be so easy.

I’m sure many of you remember when you could bring water onto a plane. Or how about when you could walk through security through your shoes on (you still can in many countries outside of the U.S.)

My mother was a flight attendant for 18 years for TWA. When I was young, she used to bring me into the cabin to meet the pilot — while the plane was in the air.

None of this happens anymore — though the awesome Southwest flight attendants on Hudson’s first flight did give us wings — a much cheaper version of the wing pins I used to collect and put on my favorite hat when I flew as a kid.

What’s worse is that each time you fly out of any major airport, you have to be subjected to the invasive and potentially dangerous security scanners.

I’m not going to get into any science behind these machines (I wrote briefly about some of the issues with the scanners here), because it’s convoluted and more needs to be done — check that — is being done on the public willingly right now.

Every time you fly, you’re taking part in the experiment if you don’t opt-out and go through the machine. Eventually, if there are health challenges, it’s my fear that we’ll find out way too late to do anything — like with cigarettes or thalidomide.

Another reason I don’t need science to convince me, is because when you’re traveling with a kid the process is markedly different. They don’t let you go through the machines. They send you through the regular metal detector and then swipe your hands for bomb residue.

I imagine for children there are two reasons this happens.

First, because it’s hard to “assume the position” if you’re holding a 10 month old. Second, it’s likely they’re being cautious because the machines haven’t been proven safe for use with children. (I’ve seen children up to 10-13 years old be sent through the metal detector not the scanners — an age they clearly can go through the machine and be scanned like an adult.)

Essentially, what this means is that there is a reversed standard of proof between children and adults.

In the instance of a child, it’s assumed the scanners are dangerous until proven safe.

In the instance of an adult, it’s the reverse, safe until proven dangerous.

As an adult with a child, I’m all for technology and making travel safe, but I’m not interested in being part of the experiment. Additionally, while I love my light TSA body work when I travel alone (since I opt-out), I would rather book an appointment with a massage therapist.

I’m glad they’ve chosen whether willingly or not, to protect my son, but I’m disappointed they don’t take the same care for me, or my wife.

On the Matter of Safety

Please keep in mind, I’ve never seen these scanning machines in South America, Central America or Mexico — so I’m fairly convinced safe flight can happen without them. And, yes, these countries are not being targeted, but there have been very few hijackings globally since 2001, where these scanning machines are not generally used, nor have I been able to find any casualties in the incidents since 2001.

Back to health though…

I’d love for the burden of proof to be reversed.

I’d love for the agencies who are here to protect us, actually think proactively about our health and privacy by forcing manufacturers to prove their machines (drugs, treatments, surgeries, etc.) are safe before they release them on a public that is accepting because they are fearful.

I thank goodness I can opt-out from the experiment, but it would be nice if the machine didn’t even exist and no one — unknowingly — would be test subjects for technology that could be entirely unnecessary, while at the same time, potentially hazardous.

I’m sure you want the same thing for yourself.

So, what can you do?

Good news is that there are two things you can do…

1. Continue to Opt-Out. Tell the TSA agent as your things are going through the X-Ray that you “want to opt-out.” They know exactly what that means and will find a male or female bodyworker for you.

2. You can submit public comment as to why you don’t want to be screened by these machines here.

I’d suggest you write something simple, like this:

As a concerned citizen, I believe these scanners violate my right to privacy and I am still concerned about the safety of continued use. We need further study to determine the safety of them and it’s unfair that we’re being subjected to a practice that has not yet been proven 100% safe.

Here’s a video explaining the call for public comment. As of now there are over 3,500 comments.

3. Optional. You could strip down naked under the premise that “the most effective way to tell them I’m not carrying a bomb is take off my clothes”…

If you do that though, Renegade Health can’t be liable for your nude pictures all over the national news. Proceed at your own risk.

Your question of the day: Do you opt-out of the airport scanners or do you think there’s no harm?

Live Awesome!
Kev

I’m not a big fan of TV.

A few years ago, we did get cable TV (after not having it for at least 5-6 years), since I do like watching sports like football and playoff basketball.

What happened though is that watching sports here and there turned into watching other shows. I wasn’t happy with how it was all going down. We were suddenly watching TV again.

Luckily for us, we got a massive cable and internet bill a few weeks ago and decided it was time to cancel. (The bill had carried over because a credit card had expired, so it was much larger than normal.)

So, if I want to watch a game, I’m either going to have to go to it, or watch at a friends house.

It’s not too bad of an option and it keeps us away from the temptation of watching garbage.

BUT. Not all TV is bad.

I’ve been on TV, and when I was I was happy about it. (You can watch a clip here.) This was a fun show that exposed us to a bunch of people we never would have reached. So this was good.

I was also asked to be on TV again (twice), but I said no. (You can read about the second time I was asked here.) This would have made me look like a fool — so bad.

Recently, a friend of Renegade Health, Chris Wark, sent us over his recent appearance on The Ricki Lake Show.

You might remember Chris from the second Healing Cancer World Summit. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2003 and decided with his wife to take a natural approach. 10 years later, he’s here, alive, well and telling his story on TV — one that, surprisingly was VERY well received. (Good!)

If you listened into that program, Chris told us a story of how his TV news channel filmed an entire spot on his healing story, then pulled it from the web. So this time, I’m thrilled he has a chance to share — to a much wider audience as well.

I’m going to share the videos here, because I think they’re inspiring. I also think Chris is a great representative for healing naturally. One of those people you’d trust to represent the masses who you know would stay level headed and do a great job explaining why natural techniques are — at least — worth a try.

Go ahead and watch them (you can visit his blog here to hear more about his appearance) and be sure to share his story with a friend or two who needs it by “Liking” this post on Facebook at the top!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Your question of the day: What did you think of Ricki’s show?

Live Awesome!
Kev

The last week and a half of writing on Renegade Health has been a lot of fun for me…

It’s given me an opportunity to talk about some things that I’ve been excited about — which is kind of what the whole purpose of a blog is, right?

If you haven’t been reading, I’ve been writing about our emergency preparedness cache. I started one because we live in a high risk part of the United States and to date — in my writing — I’ve covered personal safety, clean water and food, and self defense.

With each article, I’ve seen a bunch of interesting and supportive comments. I’ve also gotten some real homers. I think before I cover emergency medical and community gear, I wanted to address one criticism that has come up frequently.

It’s essentially, “why are you living in fear?”

I guess it’s assumed that by getting all this stuff that I’m living in fear of a disastrous event. That I think about disasters and danger all the time.

The reality is that for me, it’s just the opposite.

Here’s why.

First, we live about one half mile from the Hayward Fault in Berkeley. It dissects the Cal Football stadium. Seismic scientists have predicted that in the next 25-30 years, this fault will produce a 6.9+ magnitude earthquake.

This will not be pleasant and it’s foolish to ignore a risk like this — one that’s a lot more credible and foreseeable than zombie apocalypses.

Secondly, by preparing, I’ve eliminated the fear that I did have, which was being unprepared if these scientists were correct. I know I’m not completely set, but I have done enough to make me feel comfortable if this type of disaster were to occur.

When I used to work on the American Stock Exchange, I was learning how to trade options. A common thing that traders would do is hedge their purchases. To do this, they would buy a stock with the anticipation it would rise or fall, and then buy an option with the opposite prediction, that protects their position if the stock rises too high or — more importantly — precipitously falls. (If you want to do more research on this, you can look at “covered calls” or “married puts.” Though I’ll warn you, it’s heady stuff.)

Anyway, I’ve essentially done something similar by hedging my fear of not being prepared (theoretically) with the calm I get by having a preparedness cache. There’s no guarantee that any of the items will work or an event will happen, but my emotional wellbeing around a disaster has improved — I guess that’s the biggest takeaway from my “investment.”

But enough placating the haters, I’m happy to have what I have and I’m even more happy writing about it — since it seems that I’ve started a few of you thinking more about this important topic.

Oh, and additionally, I have NOT linked any of these products to Amazon with an affiliate link — meaning I get paid for listing these things — like one reader assumed. I guess I could have, but I just didn’t. So I don’t get paid for any of these recommendations.

Today, I’m going to write about our medical supplies and our community cache as well.

Medical On the Go Bag

I have no formal training in medical practices. My “expertise” is 2 hours of baby CPR that Annmarie and I just took.

Fortunately, Annmarie was an athletic trainer, so she knows a few thing about first aid and trauma care — particularly when it comes to sports type injuries.

In case of a disaster, and frankly if you have kids, it’s good to have a nicely stocked first aid kit. We have ours in a bag that I purchased from a local outdoor shop. It’s ready to grab in case we need to get out of the area, or if we need to help someone who’s injured.

Here’s what we have in it (please note, I won’t go into detail with a bunch of these since they’re pretty straightforward)…

EMT Combination Pack — This is a combo pack of shears and other medical preparation tools that might come in handy to cut of clothing, bandages or prepare wounds.

Quik Clot — This is a clotting sponge that you can use on open wounds that are bleeding. You wouldn’t use it if the injury was more serious, but they’re helpful in triage and on the spot temporary treatment of injuries.

Self Adhering Bandages — Pretty self explanatory.

Tweezers — They’re tweezers.

First Aid Tape — N/A.

Gauze — N/A.

Hands Free Magnifier — This is in case you need to magnify a wound or if the person who is medically trained doesn’t have their reading glasses.

Surgical Skin Stapler — In the case of an open wound, could be helpful.

Emergency Mylar Blankets — These will keep those who have been triaged warm.

Medical Tourniquet — For issues with limbs where bleeding must be stopped. You can also use rope, a shirt or belt.

Emergency Respirators — In case there is some toxic air. These won’t filter everything, but they’re good for most everyday air contaminants.

Disposable Scalpels — I don’t expect to do surgery, but someone trained might need something like this.

Safety Pins — I forget why I bought these. LOL!

Community Items

This is a kind of catch all category which includes communication and neighborhood safety. Our neighborhood has a complete cache given to us by the city that contains a bunch of medical supplies, radios, fire abatement tools, water and food safety items and much more. We even have a map of all the gas shutoffs in the neighborhood as well. So some of these items will be essential in case there is a disaster where emergency help can’t make it right away.

In fact, when we were doing the drill in Berkeley, the fire department made their rounds to our group and explained that we have to expect that in the face of a major disaster we have to plan for 3 days without any assistance. It was kind of crazy to hear this from the people we pay to protect us, but I totally get it — sometimes there just isn’t enough help.

Here’s what we have, in addition to our neighborhood cache…

Emergency Solar / Hand Crank Radio — This will allow us to listen to the community disaster radio station to get important updates. It runs on battery, solar or crank, so it can be used anywhere.

Two-Way Radios — These radios, as I tested during our drill, can communicate with the ones that we have in our neighborhood cache by adjusting to the correct channel. These are great to have for the family so you can communicate as well if necessary — even on a separate channel.

40 Channel CB Radio — With this, I can log on to emergency channels to scan messages to stay in touch with what is going on — and even communicate in case of a serious incident that needs immediate attention.

Wrench — There are specific types of wrenches you can use to shut off a house gas valve, but most plumbing wrenches will do. Gas shut off is essential if there is a leak in a home or apartment building. A leak caused by an earthquake could escalate to a very serious situation.

Water Shutoff Tool — If pipes are busted in your home and there is water everywhere, a water shutoff tool is helpful as well. You can use this to shut off the water at the street. You can also find the main water shut off in your crawlspace or basement, but it might not be secure to go there in the case of an earthquake.

Portable Saw — This is to cut any tree limbs that may have fallen on property or individuals.

Military Parachute Cord — This is a multiuse item.

Other Things?

Here I’ve gathered just a few other things that we have collected or just happen to have around the house that may be helpful.

100 Hour Candles — For light at night.

Duct Tape — It’s good for almost anything.

AA Batteries — Non-Rechargeable, since you might not be able to recharge them.

AAA Batteries — See above.

D Batteries — See above.

Hydrogen Peroxide — For disinfecting.

Thyro-Safe Potassium Iodide — Unlikely, but in case there is a minor radiation incident. These pills will protect your thyroid from irreparable damage.

Urban Survival Handbook — A good resource to have for city dwellers.

SAS Survival Handbook — An overall good and general resource to have as well.

Bring It On?

Of course not. I hope I never have to use any of this. As of right now, the only time I can imagine breaking into our cache is is there is a power outage, Hudson falls on his bike, or if we need a few batteries for our remote.

But, again, I hope that this series has you thinking about how you can protect your family in case there is a disaster — particularly if you live in an area that is prone to them.

For me, having these items has helped me remove the fear I had because I was not prepared and allowed me to relax in the face of a very possible impending natural disaster in our hometown of Berkeley, California.

So with that said, thanks for listening, and of course, if there is a disaster and you’re not prepared, you can come over to our house. We got you covered.

Your Question of the Day: What did you think of this series? Do you want more varied topics, or want me to stick to only health?

Live Awesome!
Kev

Today’s preparedness topic is personal safety. In the case of a disaster, there’s nothing more important to take care of yourself and your family first. Once your home is secure, then it’s time to focus on other people in the community to assist — or get the heck out if the scene is really awful.

It’s my hope that any event I encounter in my life is one where the community can come together to help, not one where we have to be on our own. (On top of that, I honestly hope I never use all the stuff I have for escape and protection except for when I’m camping, but you never know.)

There is a ton to cover here and it’s wide reaching. In my explanation of what I’ve done to ensure our own personal safety in the case of a disaster I’m going to talk about escape, protection from the elements, and self defense. I’ll also discuss weapons, guns and how we’ve made our decisions about these controversial items.

(Note: In case you’re wondering why I’m writing about this stuff and not “health,” please read this article here.)

Let’s start with something easy…

Escape from Home

When in a disaster situation, it’s up to you and your family to either stay tight or get out of the house and/or get out of town.

First up, you need a plan of escape from the house and you also need a plan of attack when it comes to getting out of the vicinity. I have to admit, while our plan is fairly solid for getting out of the house, it’s a little shaky for getting out of town.

Getting out of the house can happen a few ways, by climbing out onto the roof then down the deck or front of the house — or just simply going downstairs and out either the front door, back doors or a window along the way. We still have an escape ladder if needed.

Getting out of town is a little more challenging. I have a few items to help if needed, but I want to learn more about urban escape before I’m confident about our escape plans.

Here are items I have for escape…

Escape Ladder — Like I said in my first post, I have an escape ladder from our last apartment that was three floors up. Our home now is only one story and an attic, so there’s much less distance to the ground. This makes my much happier to know that there are multiple routes for escape in case of a partial collapse of the home or fire. I doubt we’d need to use this, but I have it upstairs just in case.

Leather Gloves — I have leather work gloves that we keep downstairs in case we need to put our hands in areas where there is broken glass. It’s not optimal that they’re downstairs, but their also filled with chicken poo from cleaning the coop, so it’s kind of a trade off.

Baseball Bat — I keep a baseball bat under the bed. One for protection, but second to be sure I can break through any of the skylights we have in the attic where we sleep. I’ll talk more about the bat when it comes to protection, but it has multiple uses — obviously. (Hudson and I could use it for tee-ball as well, LOL.)

Mini Axe — My uncle gave me a mini axe a while back that I still have. This also could break through glass if necessary, and may be able to cut through a beam if I needed to move it for escape. It would take a ton of work to get through anything with it though, so my hope is that’s never necessary. Like the gloves, I keep this downstairs.

Mag-Lite — When I got the Mag-Lite, I didn’t realize just how versitile it is. I listed it in my first article, but I’m going to list it here for two additional uses. You can use this — already with batteries — upstairs when the power is out to help escape. I could also use it to break a window if necessary. Finally, it could be a last resort for protection. In fact, I really need two. One for upstairs and one for downstairs.

I’m sure there are other things I could keep upstairs, but I think my biggest first manuver is to bring the mini-axe and the gloves upstairs in case I need to climb over glass upstairs or break through something — though I wonder how much the mini axe will do. I also need another Mag-Lite. (I’ll purchase one, likely before you read this article, LOL!)

Escape from Town — Or Neighborhood

The cornerstone of escape is a bugout bag. A bag that you can grab that’s packed and ready to go when something happens. I have a bugout bag packed, but I can’t say I wouldn’t need to review what’s in it and add more things in case something goes down. Regardless, I’m happy about having it and have a collection of other things that we’d need to bring with us in case we need to really get out.

Roll Top Waterproof Backpack — I have this bag packed and ready to go. It contains a bunch of these items listed below as well as some food, water, medical and communication items as well. I was surprised at how much stuff this bag can hold and still be relatively light.

We also have an additional camping bag that we’d use in case we need to get anywhere further than a few miles with the intention of sleeping outside of the home.

Rain Panchos — Essential for Bay Area weather in the winter. I have about 4-5 in the bag and another 20 or so in the house.

Head Lamps — I got some serious headlamps from the outdoor store here in Berkeley. They’re high-quality LED lamps that last really long with AAA battery power. I also have an additional one that I got from the hardware store I worked at years ago. It still works and could be used for an additional person in our party. So far the only use for these was lending one to a friend for her trip to Equador.

Waterproof Hand Journal — I think I was reading an article by Mike Adams that talked about a waterproof hand journal and how important it could be. I agreed and got on. Just need a waterproof pen.

All in One Utility Tool — This tool is attached to the front of my bugout bag. This could be essential for so many uses, so it’s a must have.

The one that I linked to was actually stolen from me in our move, so I replaced it with another. This one though seems nice and solid.

Mini LED Flashlights — I got two of these to put on our bugout bag as well. These are great when you need something small or don’t have the Mag-Lite.

Glow Sticks — Great tools for providing additional light, lighting a pathway, or going to Burning Man — just kidding about that last one. They last long — about 12 hours.

Military Compass — Just in case I forget which way the Bay is. I really got this one because every guy who’d been in Boy Scouts feels like they need one.

Three Man Tent — We already had camping equipment, so I’ll run over what we have here. We have a three person tent that we could easily pack in that larger camping bag I explained above. I’d hate to have to camp somewhere in the woods in this area in the time of a disaster — which is why I also have self defense items — but this also could be used for shelter in our yard if our home is no longer safe to be in.

Zero Degree Sleeping Bags — It doesn’t get too cold in the Bay Area, but we have two sleeping bags we could use — definitely for the baby.

Camping Mats — We have camping mats too that would make it cozy to sleep on the ground, but if we needed to go fast, these would take up more space than necessary — I consider them luxury that wouldn’t be needed during disaster time.

Tarp — To put under the tent if it were raining or the ground was damp.

Waterproof Dry Packs — These are in addition to the waterproof bugout bag. These are great to partition things off or to give to someone else if they need to run supplies that have to stay dry. You can keep food in them as well. There are three sizes, but they are much smaller than I thought by looking at the picture on Amazon.

Solar / Crank Flashlight — In case we run out of battery power for all flashlights, we can use this crank / solar light.

Gas Can — In earthquake-land, it’s important to have your car’s gas tank relatively filled. If you don’t, or you need gas, a gas can is a good thing to have. You can also use this to transfer gas from one place to another.

Gas Siphon — In case you don’t have gas, you can always get some… (This would be a worst-case scenario.)

Marine Battery Charger — If you need to keep your phone and other electronics charged, you can open up your hood and get power right from your (or someone’s) car.

Again, I don’t think I’m entirely prepared for a get-out-of-town escape, but we have the beginnings of it. My biggest concerns are the fact that I don’t have everything in one place, I’m not a great camper, and I just don’t know what to expect. Also, there’s no gaurantee there will be any way to escape from the Bay if there is a disaster.

In this section, I didn’t cover food, water and cooking which I did cover here, so just note that many of those items would come with us as well in some form or another. I’m not going to cover them here again.

Self Defense

Self defense is a touchy issue. I want to be prepared for any type of conflict that may put my family in danger, but I didn’t want to go overboard.

I’m not much of a fighter, so I’d likely run before I’d engage in conflict — I ultimately think, in most cases, this is the best approach anyway. Also, I think the appearance of being armed or able to protect myself is a good portion of protection. And of course, avoiding any areas that may be dangerous may be the most important to staying safe.

After a few discussions, Annmarie and I decided NOT to get a gun or any kind for protection. In fact, I was leaning towards it before the shootings in Newtown, CT. I grew up in the town next to Newtown and when we visited friends who live there and in Sandy Hook for the holidays a week after the shootings, because that hit so close to home, I was finally convinced of the damage guns can do in a non-self defense situation.

I’m not intending to open up a gun debate here. We’ve made our decision based on our comfort level of what is in our home. With that said, I’m not opposed to sane, responsible, and trained people owning guns — in fact some of my friends fit into this category. (You might be one of those people too.)

So here’s what we got as a compromise…

Storm Whistles — You can hear this whistle from a serious distance away. It’s a great way to call for help in you are lost, trapped, or being attacked.

Baseball Bat — I have this for self defense, but also for escape. Annmarie and I decided on a few different types of “weapons” instead of a gun. This was one. I keep this one under the bed.

Fighting Utility Knife — This knife could be used for self defense or for plenty of other “in-the-field” uses.

Shoulder Harness Knife — Again, a concealed knife that I would much rather use in the field than in any violent confrontation. This one looks pretty bad-ass, so I’m hoping someone would just assume I know what to do with it and choose someone else. At least that’s my hope, LOL.

Tactical Slapper — This thing is pretty lethal. It’s much heavier than it looks and could really be pretty dangerous. Most of the people who reviewed on Amazon said they used this guy when they were walking their dog at night, so I figured it could be great for Annmarie when she’s out walking in Berkeley and then possibly in an emergency situation. She brought it out to dinner once with her girlfriends and they all were envious — so at the very least it’s a good conversation starter.

Self Defense Kitty Key Chain — This keychain will make your attacker thing you’re just a sweet cat lover, until you jab it into their belly. I got one of these for Annmarie, I doubt she’ll ever need to use it, but it’s a comforting thing for her to have (for both of us.)

Tactical Gloves — These, like the leather gardening gloves, can be used to get through areas with glass, but also be used if you need to be in combat. Again, I don’t want to be in combat, so I imagine they could double as work gloves.

Mag-Lite (Again!) — This may be the most versitle thing I’ve purchased. All it needs is some sort of knife on it, an area for food storage, a built in water filter, and a way to print money and it could be the most valuable tool ever known to man. Obviously, you can use this to hit someone if necessary.

Fire Resistant Safe — When we decided to get some of these knives, Ann and I decided to keep them in a safe. So we bought this one. It’s not too big and it’s not too small. Inside, we also keep important documents. I hesitate to keep cash here, since that is obvious, but we’ll put some in there as well as in other places (unnamed.) Also, if you’re an Amazon Prime member, they’ll ship this 90 pound monster to you for free.

Silica Gel Pack — This is something you put into your safe to keep documents dry. Do not eat. (LOL)

Fire Resistant Document Bag — I bought one of these on Amazon since it was suggested to me. When I got it, I placed our documents in it and then into the safe. A few months later, we were traveling and I needed Hudson’s birth certificate so I opened the safe and pulled it out of the Document Bag. Once I did, I noticed that it felt like I had run my hand over a bunch of fiberglass. That was when I realized that the bag was made of fiberglass — and that it was poorly designed. It was more than a day before I was relieved of the fiberglass itching, so I would not recommend the bag I bought.

In terms of self defense, the biggest issue for me and my family is training. I have very little combat training outside of my high school football days — which would likely be relatively useless. So our next step is to learn some self defense skills — as well as how to use a knife in combat situations. If we don’t, the protection we do have, could become dangerous to us.

Where Do We Stand Here?

Overall, I think these categories are the ones we’re least prepared. I think we have some of the tools, but we’re lacking in our organization of them and have less knowledge of how to use them. It’s my hope that we’ll be able to be around a community of people — since earthquake is our most likely threat — where there is safety in numbers. At the same time, we’ll still be taking a few classes to ensure we’re not completely in the weeds when it comes to self-defense.

Your question of the day: Would you fight or run in a conflict situation?

Live Awesome!
Kev

How do you swim against the current of a $5 billion dollar industry? That’s what the fresh-juice and juice-fast business makes each year. But why would any one want to buck such an amazing trend? Let’s take a look.

Do a Google search on juice fasting. On the first page there is not a single link to a site by a naturopathic or medical doctor’s website. Why is that interesting?

I’m suspicious of MDs who promote natural health because most endorsements are done for profit. More importantly, they have no training and no specialty boards in natural health. In fact, in medical school they are strongly indoctrinated against all things natural. Medical schools systematically limit and whenever possible remove anything to do with natural health from the curriculum and from continuing education programs—and those they allow are heavily censored. So it’s not surprising that MDs don’t support juice fasting.

Naturopathic doctors (NDs) are the leaders in natural health and they often employ cleansing programs in their practices. They understand Western medicine and are experts in natural therapies. However, both NDs and MDs are trained to treat sick people. Most do not have time to educate people about how to stay well and support body processes that promote optimal wellness. NDs help their patients, often with cleansing programs, but don’t market what is basic clinical practice on the Internet.

Few Studies on Juice Fasting

A search of the world famous Cochrane Reviews produces not a single entry on juice fasting or cleansing. Do a PubMed search on juice cleansing and you’ll find no scientific research papers at all. What you’ll find are studies on the effects of different foods on health, like the health benefits of cucumbers or unripe grape juice on lowering cholesterol.

However, there is one 2005 paper involving a survey of 952 hospitalized patients who completed a 7-day juice fast. They also received integrative therapies like acupuncture. The researchers concluded that fasting was safe, had potential benefits, but more research was warranted:

Fasting can safely and successfully be implemented in an inpatient integrative medicine concept and is perceived as a health-promoting method by the majority of patients. Potential effects on disease-related complaints and lifestyle adherence should be further evaluated in randomized trials.

So if doctors and scientists leave the subject alone, who are the experts?

A Brief History of Fasting, Body Detoxification, and Juice Cleansing

Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine have been in practice for thousands of years. Both systems include cleansing and detoxification in their philosophy. But, they advise working with the body’s rhythms rather than forcing it. Both teach that a doctor assesses a patient for types of toxicity and then recommends personalized dietary changes to reduce cumulative poor health. This advice includes eating special foods, eliminating others, drinking herbal teas, and practicing special exercises.

Hippocrates, the grandfather of Western medicine, employed fasting as a cure, but the focusing mostly on dietary changes. His patients ate their way to health. Restricted diets and fasting, like in Ayuvedic and Chinese medicine, were reserved for the treatment of disease. Healthy people were advised against extremes of dieting or going without food.

In the Aphorisms by Hippocrates, he wrote:

In a restricted diet, patients who transgress are thereby more hurt than in any other way; for every such transgression, whatever it may be, is followed by greater consequences than in a diet somewhat more generous. On this account, a very slender, regulated, and restricted diet is dangerous to persons in health, because they bear transgressions of it more difficultly. For this reason, a slender and restricted diet is generally more dangerous than one a little more liberal.

In America, health spas first came into vogue in the late 1800’s. John Harvey Kellogg (February 26, 1852 – December 14, 1943), an MD from Battle Creek, Michigan, ran a sanitarium using holistic methods with a focus on nutrition, enemas, and exercise. Kellogg was an advocate of vegetarianism and is best known for the invention of the corn flakes breakfast cereal with his brother.

Paul C. Bragg (February 6, 1895 – December 7, 1976) is considered the Father of the Health Movement in America. Crippled by TB as a teenager, Bragg developed his own eating, breathing and exercising program to rebuild his body. He inspired millions to take responsibility for their own wellness, including a young chiropractor named Bernard Jensen (March 25, 1908 – February 22, 2001).

Dr. Jensen was my mentor in nature cure therapies. He was an expert in iridology who employed bowel cleansing and the use of nutrition, diets, and supplements in his health sanitariums in Southern California. From 1978 to the mid-80s, I was a frequent visitor at Hidden Valley Health Ranch in the hills above Escondido, California. On numerous informal teaching sessions while sitting around the table in his house or walking the grounds of the ranch, he shared the secrets of health: wake up early, take a walk in nature—or at least go barefoot on wet grass—eat live organic foods, drink juices regularly, and if you’re sick, use juice fasting as the cure.

In 1961, Ann Wigmore, a self-taught natural healer, opened the first Hippocrates Institute in Boston. At that time, she was the face of the growing natural wellness movement in the U.S. Wigmore believed in the powerful healing properties of wheatgrass juice and other vitamin and enzyme-rich foods to treat disease. Initially, the diet at the Institute was vegetarian, but soon transitioned into vegan. But after noticing the positive changes that occurred from eating only live foods, she advocated a permanent diet of raw plant foods. Her fasting methods focused exclusively on fresh wheatgrass juice.

Becoming More Popular

Cleansing’s more recent popularity is traceable to the 1990s, when Peter Glickman, a Scientologist and entrepreneur, repackaged a 1940s diet called the Master Cleanse (Stanley Burroughs wrote the book The Master Cleanser in 1976). The Master Cleanse involves lemon juice, cayenne pepper, maple syrup and 10 days of your life.

Fasting and cleansing diets have been around for a long time. They appear safe, when done carefully, and might have some value. But that still doesn’t explain why it has become such a trend and why don’t more doctors endorse it.

The answer might lie in what Dr. Pauline Powers, the lead scientific advisor for the Global Foundation for Eating Disorders, calls “the perfect pathway” to eating disorders. And there’s plenty of justification: The stars do it. It’s supposed to be super-healthy. I’ll do it, too. Not to mention that juice cleanses are ingeniously marketed as quick fixes for all the ailments of modern life.

A Brief Course on Starvation

The human body is programed to go without food for short periods of time. You can survive for 3-5 days, maybe a week without water. And, if you drink enough water, people can survive for 21-40 days without food. Fasting only on water is termed voluntary starvation. Dr. Jensen called it “nature’s operating table.”

A juice cleanse with enough fluid that provides marginal levels of nutrition is actually near-starvation with hydration. In this state, people can live, though at greatly reduced weight and energy, for many months or even years. However, in extreme cases, like those with anorexia nervosa, death from organ failure or myocardial infarction is fairly common with up to 20 percent of cases ending this way. Death tends to happen when body weight falls to between 60 and 80 pounds, a body weight corresponding to a body mass index (BMI) of about 12 to 12.5. (Normal BMI is 18.5-24.9, and most fashion models have a BMI of around 17.)

My 20-60-20 Plan

From my own life’s experience with fasting, raw, vegan, vegetarian, fruitarian, macrobiotic, carrot juice only diets—I’ve done it all at some time or another—I’ve found that a balanced life and regular eating plan works best. Occasional short-term fasting can be beneficial, and I’ve written about that in an earlier blog.

The ratio that I’ve found works best for most people is:

• 20 percent of the time, you can eat lightly, do modified fasting like with juices, or eat raw vegan foods
• once in awhile, you can even do a weeklong cleanse or fast
• but, 60 percent of the time you should eat and enjoy good quality fresh foods

Here’s a thought: how about eating right? Cut out high-fat foods, packaged and junk foods, eat in moderation, consume more plants, and exercise. It may not seem as glamorous as starving yourself like a celebrity, but it’s certainly more attractive than slurping down nauseating green juices and getting colonics a couple of times a week.

For the remaining 20 percent of the time, take nutritional supplements, rejuvenating adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha, and consume super foods and drinks like green tea, coffee, dark chocolate, pomegranate juice, omega-3 fish oils, and herbal teas.

It’s basically simple. And, it’s consistent with Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, and Hippocrates. I learned much from natural pioneers like Dr. Jensen, as well as from Indian Ayurvedic doctors, and Taoist and Buddhist healing monks from China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. I think there are only a few things they would add: keep it in balance, eat seasonally and according to your body’s needs and type, and don’t force anything.

Learn More

The Juice Cleanse: A Strange and Green Journey

Cleansing’s Dirty Secret

Last Saturday, after writing my first article on disaster preparedness, I was walking to get a tea with Hudson.

Just 3 houses up from us, across the street, there were about 20 people outside under a pop-up tent.

They were holding 3-way radios and some were wearing hard hats. It was clear they weren’t working on the powerlines or digging new sewer lines, so we went over to check it out.

It turns out, they were the neighborhood CERT team (Community Emergency Response Team) and the city of Berkeley was running a full 6.9 earthquake simulation. I knew about the exercise, but Annmarie and I couldn’t get a babysitter so we just assumed we couldn’t participate.

We were wrong.

I went and got Ann and we spent most of the morning running drills, asking questions and meeting our neighbors. It was a bunch of fun. But as one of our neighbors mentioned, “the next time we meet in this way, we probably won’t be eating cookies and telling jokes.”

She’s right.

Anyway, the drills helped in a way that I didn’t expect at all.

The group has a set of 3-way radios that they were handing out to different team members and I mentioned that I had my own and wanted to know if they could access the same channels (I’ve had no experience with 3-way radios before.)

So I went into our storage area and easily found the radios. What was not easy to find were the batteries. I guess I placed them somewhere else. I searched for about 10 minutes, but couldn’t find them. So I opened up the 3-way box and saw that there were rechargeable batteries inside. This would have been good news in a disaster situation — but I had no idea if they were pre-charged. The 3-ways were completely new and never opened before.

Luckily, in our drill, the batteries were charged and I was able to get them to work with the other radios, but it was a pretty powerful lesson that taught me I should do a dry run with just about everything and make sure I know where everything is and if it works. It’s a lot harder to look for batteries in complete darkness or a room that’s partially collapsed due to a monster earthquake.

Lesson learned — and I imagine there will be more.

Today, I wanted to share the first part of my own personal preparedness cache. I’ve struggled to categorize everything into 3 separate articles, but in this one, I’m going to loosely talk about food, water and other health considerations. Don’t expect any medical equipment in this segment, that will come later in the third installment.

(NOTE: When appropriate, I’ve included Amazon.com links for these products. You don’t have to buy them at Amazon if you don’t want and I make no money recommending them.)

Water

Water, in an emergency, is essential. You need it for drinking, cooking and medical emergencies (bathing may not be an option for a while.) I scanned about 4-5 preparedness checklists to come up with the items I have listed here under water (and in fact, listed under every category.)

Each time I came across something that made sense to me, I added it to my wishlist. I still have some things that I want, but I’m much closer to having a complete cache than I ever was. I’ll mention some of the things that I still think I need, or I would want to have a more than adequate stash.

First things first, with water, we have 5 gallon water jugs that we keep in various stages of filled. Right now, we have three at home and two in the office about a mile away. I know this won’t be enough during a prolonged disaster, but it’s a start that many people don’t have. My goal is to have about 20-30 gallons more stocked up in the crawl space under the house in the next 3 months.

The reason why we need more, is because there’s a chance we’d be caught with very little due to our own personal, everyday use.

I’d say we’re somewhat prepared in this sense, but not completely.

Here are some additional things we have that are related to water — and most importantly clean water.

Katadyn Hiker Pro Microfilter Water Filter — I bought a pump water filter so I can gather standing water to then disinfect. This could be helpful to use if we’re on the run, but takes a decent amount of time to get a little water.

Katadyn Gravity Water Filter — This filter can clean a lot more water than the pump filter, you just need a bucket to collect and pour it into the top. This filter can clean 2.5 gallons of water in about 15 minutes and you can hang it from a tree limb or just about anything else. This would be our go-to filter if we’re in one location.

Replacement Filters — It’s important to have more than one filter in case you are using these for the whole neighborhood.

WaterBOB Bathtub Water Storage Container — This item is great for emergencies that you know are coming. In the case of a hurricane or event with at least a few hours warning, you can put this in the tub, fill it up and have a pretty serious reservoir. For an earthquake, it may not be great, because by the time the event happens and you pull it out, your water might already be shut down.

5 Gallon Collapsible Water Container — This container could be used for a variety of reasons. Namely moving water, or bringing dirty water to the filter. It takes up no space when it’s folded down and 5 gallons of water is just over 40 pounds, so it’s relatively easy for us to carry.

Iodine Water Treatment Tablets — You never know if your water contains harmful bacteria. The last thing you want is a giardia infection when there’s no running water or medical care and water is sparse. Adding these to you water will disinfect it so it’s drinkable.

Klean Kanteen Bottles — These are solid, well constructed bottles for on the go.

Water Bottle S-Hook — Use these to hang the bottle off of your bugout bag or belt buckle for hands free travel or search and rescue.

That’s about it for water. The one thing that I’ve considered, since we’re so close to the coast is a water desalinizer. But the ones I found were hundreds of dollars. I did recently find an emergency desalinizer kit that I think we’ll get here.

Food

Food is important, but not as essential as water. It’s totally possible, with enough water, to live without food for a week or more and still be active and alert — but this doesn’t mean that you should ignore stashing away something to eat to prepare for an emergency.

40 Days of Organic Food — I purchased this pre-assembled kit that contains grains, beans, rice and other food goodies. As long as we have water to boil them, which we will, we’ll be able to cover just about all our food needs. During emergencies, you don’t necessarily have to worry about getting all your nutrients, you need to be sure you’re getting calories. This will be sufficient. This kit is good for about 10 years, so in about 7, I’ll probably get another then open the one we have up and start using the food for everyday cooking.

Additional Food Storage — We love astronaut ice cream… just kidding. We always have about 20-30 cups of various grains, lentils, and beans in the house — this can be additional food in case we use the entire tub. We also have spices, so our food won’t be too bland.

These two items should be sufficient for the three of us for at least 40 days, maybe more, but in case it’s not, here are two auxiliary plans.

First, we have a garden, so this will provide us with some food as long as we can keep it watered. If not, we can use the food from the garden first, then eat the dry foods. Second, there are a ton of fruit trees in the neighborhood. Bartering with neighbors is a plan-B that could be extremely beneficial to both of you.

Cooking

If you have dry foods, you have to cook them. So cooking gear is essential. We have pots, pans and a steamer, so that’s covered. We also have smaller pots we can bring with us in case we need to move our location.

Here’s a collection of what we have at the house or what we have gathered in case we have to go somewhere else.

Weber Outdoor Grill — We bought a grill when we moved into our new rental house for our own enjoyment, but as I was preparing for this article, I realized it would be helpful in case of an emergency — as long as the deck didn’t collapse and destroy it! The grill could be a stove and the propane tank stores a good amount of gas for long term emergency cooking.

Coleman 1-Burner Stove — Now that we have a larger grill, this is a secondary burner, or something we can take on the go. I have about 4 portable propane tanks for this as well. This will help cook a good number of meals.

Mag-Lite Flashlight – This is not only essential for just about everything dark, but also for when you’re going outside to cook at night. It’s also a good makeshift weapon if needed.

Waterproof Storm Matches — If you need to light your stove or grill or start a fire in the rain, these are great to have.

Army Fire Starter — If you run out of matches, then you have this to fall back on.

Wood Chip Fire Starters — If you need something to help start that fire with the fire starter, these will do.

Magnesium Fire Starter — Finally, if for some reason you lose a fire starter or need two or you are better at using one or another, you have this one to go with.

Zippo Lighters — These lighters are durable and relatively weather-resistant. Just make sure you know where yours are when something happens.

Zippo Fuel Canister — To carry extra lighter fuel around if you’re on the go.

Zippo Lighter Fluid — To keep your lighter lit!

Zippo Pouch — To carry your lighters on the go. I have one strapped to my bugout bag.

Fire Extinguisher — Important, not only for personal safety, but also for when we’re cooking outside on camping stoves or on a fire that you’ve built yourself.

Fire Blanket — Like above, great to have for personal safety, but also great when you’re cooking outside.

After moving into a bigger place and getting a new grill, we definitely now have more room for an extra large propane tank and additional portable ones. I’ll get those sooner than later.

Health

This category is to cover some things that aren’t completely medical, but are helpful in some more acute emergency situations. I was struggling to categorize all these items as well as keep each category somewhat equal length. So here’s what I have for “health,” I’ll let you decide if it’s relevant.

Various Supplements — Because of the nature of our work, we always have a ton of supplements in the house. During and emergency, I doubt we’ll worried about taking our Vitamin D, but we do have things like oregano oil which is anti-bacterial.

Activated Charcoal — This is used in many emergency poison remedies in case of poisoning — this is good not only for a poisoning event, but also having a very young son around.

Colloidal Silver Liquid — This is anti-bacterial and can be used for internal or external infection.

Colloidal Silver Gel — This is used to help curb or get rid of external infections.

Aloe Vera Gel — This is to help soothe burns.

All additional medical supplies come later in my series here, but these can be used for acute medical reasons.

What Am I Missing?

Again, I think the water and gas stores are where my cache is insufficient here. We’re good with food and water filtration and we’re good on how to prepare what we have.

On top of that, participating in the CERT exercise made me feel better about our situation, since it seems like everyone has at least water and ways to cook and prepare food.

In an emergency situation, I can imagine our neighborhood banding together, not fragmenting, which assures me that we’ll likely be able to share resources. There is also a cache given to the neighborhood by the city which contains a bunch of useful things as well.

Part 2, Personal Safety, is next! Stay tuned…

Your Question of the Day: Do you have anything I have? Do you have anything additional? Am I missing something important?

Live Awesome!
Kev

Do you find that you are having trouble seeing clearly from a distance? Do road signs appear blurry lately?

If so, you may be one of the many people suffering from “myopia,” also called “nearsightedness.” A condition in which close objects can be seen clearly, but objects further away appear blurred, myopia is on the rise.

In fact, studies indicate that rates of nearsightedness have skyrocketed around the world, especially among young people who spend their time indoors. About 40 years ago, about 25 percent of Americans between the ages of 12 and 54 suffered the condition, but today, that rate has climbed to 42 percent. Rates of the condition seem to be increasing among urban kids, in particular, as opposed to rural children, who spend more time outside.

Scientists used to think that myopia was all about genetics, but this rapid increase in recent decades has led them to believe something else may be going on. Here are their conclusions about what could be contributing to the deterioration in vision—and what you can do about it.

What is Myopia?

According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), myopia occurs if the eyeball is too long, or the cornea—the clear front cover of the eye—has too much curvature. As a result, light coming into the eye isn’t focused correctly and distant objects look blurry.

The AOA states that nearsightedness is hereditary, but acknowledges that growing evidence shows it may also be influenced by the visual stress of too much close work.

Too Much Time Indoors May be the Problem

It was in 2009 that the National Eye Institute (NEI) conducted a study that found the prevalence of myopia increased 66 percent in the U.S. between 1971-1972 and 1999-2004. Researchers examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to come up with the data, and theorized that an increase in near work like reading, surfing the Web, or texting could be partially to blame.

“If that is exclusively the kind of work that you are doing,” Dr. Roy Chuck, chairman of ophthalmology at Montefoire Medical Center in New York, told ABC News, “it is equally important to be outside playing, stimulating your far vision.”

Later, in 2012, researchers led by Ian Morgan of the Australian National University found that the epidemic of myopia is sweeping through Asian children, and is likely due to their spending too much time indoors and not enough time outside in the sunlight. Reporting in the journal Lancet, the scientists found that 90% of young adults in major East Asian countries, including China, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, are nearsighted.

What is the connection? Researchers believe that eye growth is influenced by dozens of natural chemicals, including dopamine—which is increased by exposure to sunlight. More dopamine puts the brakes on eye growth, reducing the risk that the eyeball will grow too long, creating nearsightedness.

“We think there is a pretty well-confirmed mechanism,” Morgan told Time. “We postulate that bright outdoor light would stimulate the release of the retinal transmitter dopamine, which is known to be able to block the axial growth of the eye, which is the structural basis of myopia—the eye simply grows too big.”

In fact, an earlier 2007 study indicated the same thing—that time outdoors boosts dopamine levels, which reduces myopia rates.

Time Outdoors May Help

There is scientific data backing up the theories. In 2011, for example, researchers published the results of a meta-analysis of data involving more than 10,000 subjects. They concluded that being outdoors reduces the risk of myopia, with more time outside related to decreased nearsightedness.

For example, in this study each additional hour spent outdoors during the week decreased the risk of developing myopia by 2 percent. Children who were nearsighted stayed inside nearly four hours more per week than their counterparts who had normal vision. The children who were outside were performing no particular activities—it was just being outdoors that was protective.

Another study published in 2012 in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, determined that playing outside could have a protective effect on kids’ eyesight. Specifically, 8- and 9-year olds who played a lot outside had half the risk of nearsightedness by the age of 15.

Risk for Other More Serious Conditions

Though it may seem that myopia is a minor problem, studies have shown that people with myopia are at an increased risk for other eye problems.

A 2013 study, for instance, published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, found that patients with myopia could be more likely to develop glaucoma, and are also at an increased risk for visual field defects (blind spots within the normal field of one or both eyes).

Compared with people of normal vision, those with mild myopia had a two-fold increased risk for visual field defects, those with moderate myopia had a three-fold risk, and those with severe myopia had a 14-fold increased risk. What’s alarming about these findings is that other research has shown that the earlier the condition starts, the more the eye may grow incorrectly, and the more the risk for other serious vision problems.

How to Reduce Your Risk

Overall, these studies indicate that more time spent outdoors is protective against nearsightedness, particularly in children. When it becomes too late to make a change is still unknown, but studies indicate that even at ages 8-9, you can still make positive impacts on eye health with exposure to sunlight.

Other steps that may help include limiting time spent at the computer, cell phone, iPad, and the like. While using these gadgets, regularly look up and out a window or across the room, to exercise your distance vision.

Do you have children with myopia? Do you encourage time spent outdoors? Please share your thoughts.

* * *

Sources
“Myopia (Nearsightedness),” American Optometric Association, http://www.aoa.org/myopia.xml.

“Urbanites weakening vision,” The Week, February 15, 2013.

Vitale S, Sperduto RD, Ferris FL 3rd. Increased Prevalence of Myopia in the U.S. between 1971-1972 and 1999-2004. Arch Ophthalmol. 2009 Dec;127(12):1632-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20008719.

Alice Park, “Why Up to 90% of Asian Schoolchildren are Nearsighted,” Time, May 7, 2012, http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/07/why-up-to-90-of-asian-schoolchildren-are-nearsighted/.

Sarah Amos, “Study Finds Many More Nearsighted Americans,” ABC News, December 16, 2009, http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/nearsighted-americans-texting-partially-blame/story?id=9347796#.UVCauHbCMYY.

Brian Hoyle, “More Time Outdoors Reduces Nearsightedness,” Medscape Medical News, October 25, 2011, http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/752152.

Barbara Boughton, “Patients with Myopia at Increased Risk for Glaucoma,” Medscape Medical News, March 21, 2013, http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/781166.

“Outdoor Play May Protect Children’s Eyes from Nearsightedness: Study,” Huffington Post, August 5, 2012, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/05/outdoor-play-eyes-nearsightedness-myopia-eyesight_n_1734235.html.

Mohit Joshi, “Sunlight helps cut kids’ myopia risks by boosting dopamine levels,” TopNews, December 5, 2007, http://www.topnews.in/health/sunlight-helps-cut-kids-myopia-risks-boosting-dopamine-levels-279.

Nathan Seppa, “Urban Eyes,” Science News, January 24, 2013, http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/347738/description/Urban_Eyes.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. overall, and the fifth leading cause of death for those aged 65 and older. Deaths from Alzheimer’s disease increased 68 percent between 2000 and 2010, while deaths from other major diseases, including heart disease, decreased.

Dr. Lorne S. Label, founder and director of the Brain Longevity Center in Thousand Oaks, CA and a board-certified neurologist, writes that worldwide, there are now an estimated 24 million people living with some form of dementia, and that without a major medical breakthrough, this number could jump to as many as 84 million who have age-related memory loss by the year 2040. Indeed, Dr. Lorne goes so far as to say that dementia is a “massive issue, possibly a catastrophe in the making.”

Until science can tell us more, right now our greatest defense against all types of dementia is prevention. Though we can’t change two of the major risk factors—age and genetics—there are many others that are in our control. In fact, a team of British and Frensh researchers found that eliminating depression and diabetes, prolonging education, and improving general intake of fruits and vegetables, would reduce the number of cases of dementia by nearly 40 percent.

To keep more of your marbles as you age, try these tips!

Basic Health Tips for Preserving Your Brain

Part of protecting your brain health involves protecting your overall health, particularly your cardiovascular health. According to research published in Circulation in 2010, people with the highest cardiac output for their body size, meaning those with the greatest blood flow from their heart, tended to have more brain volume, which generally indicates a healthier brain. So anything that will help your heart—including regular exercise and a healthy diet—will likely help your brain as well.

The Alzheimer’s Association has also put out the “basics” of a brain-healthy lifestyle, which includes:

• Regular exercise
• Healthy diet
• Mental stimulation
• Quality sleep
• Stress management
• An active social life

Though the first two are pretty self-explanatory, the others may need a few more details. Mental stimulation, for example, includes practicing memorization, learning something new, playing strategy games, and regularly varying your habits. In other words, anything that requires your brain to create new connections is protective against dementia.

Quality sleep is defined as 7-8 hours every night, and stress management includes daily relaxation activities like meditation, yoga, or a walk in the park. Finally, an active social life may include volunteering, belonging to a club or social group, taking group classes, making a weekly date with friends, and the like.

Though these basic steps, particularly if practiced regularly, will go a long way toward keeping your brain sharp as you age, there are other things you can do as well.

Brain Foods

Certain foods have a reputation for promoting brain health. Here are seven of them:

1. Dark chocolate: Researchers in Norway found that the flavonoids in cocoa increased blood flow to the brain, which could be protective against dementia and stroke.
2. Red wine: Though excessive alcohol intake can harm the brain, moderate intake of red wine, which has flavonoids similar to chocolate, has also shown to have a protective effect on cognitive function.
3. Oysters: Research has found that elderly adults with low vitamin B12 levels had more than four times the risk of Alzheimer’s. Oysters, clams, mussels, fish, shrimp, and scallops are all rich in this nutrient.
4. Asparagus: In addition to vitamin B12, the brain needs another B vitamin—folate. A 2008 study found that those deficient in this vitamin were 3.5 times more likely to develop dementia. Other sources include citrus fruits, beans, broccoli, beets, and leafy green vegetables.
5. Salmon: Tufts University researchers found that those who consumed an average of three servings of oily fish a week, which are rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids, had almost a 50 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Other sources include sardines, anchovies, walnuts, and flaxseeds.
6. Turmeric: A key compound in this spice, called “curcumin,” was found to be effective in studies at removing plaques from the brain. Countries that regularly eat this spice also have lower rates of dementia.
7. Apples: Studies from Cornell University found that foods with quercetin, like apples, help protect the brain from dementia-related damage. Red onions are another good source.

Mind Games

Brain games may also help reduce your risk of dementia. According to a 2012 study, puzzles, handicrafts, and life skills training helped reduce the risk and slow down the progress of dementia among the elderly. Just keep in mind that science also shows that exercise is even more effective than mind games for brain health, so if you have to choose between the two, take a walk instead!

What qualifies as a brain-charging activity? Here are a few:

1. Puzzles, including word games, memory games, math problem puzzles, crossword puzzles, and search-and-find games.
2. Classes that force you to think, rationalize, and apply logic. Any class that teaches you something completely new, taking you out of your “comfort zone,” qualifies.
3. Reading. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, seniors who read, played instruments, and played board games were less likely to suffer dementia.
4. Playing an instrument. In addition to the study mentioned above, a 5-year study found that the greater number of stimulating activities, including playing music, that the participants engaged in, the longer rapid memory loss was delayed.
5. Exploring something new. Studies have found that an enriched environment that includes the opportunity to explore new things reduces the plaques in the brain that are linked with dementia.
6. Education. In addition to community classes, formal education is linked with a lower risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s. A long-running Finnish study found that compared to people with five or less years of education, those with six to eight years had a 40 percent lower risk of developing dementia, and those with nine or more years had an 80 percent lower risk.
7. A second language. An analysis of 184 people with dementia found that those who spoke more than one language suffered dementia symptoms later in life than those who spoke only one language.

What do you do to protect your brain health? Please share with our readers.

* * *

Sources
“Alzheimer’s Facts and Figures,” Alzheimer’s Association, 2013, http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_facts_and_figures.asp#quickFacts.

Dr. Lorne Label, “Dementia Facts and Statistics,” Disabled World, January 5, 2009, http://www.disabled-world.com/health/aging/dementia/statistics.php.

Serena Gordon, “Heart Health Can Help Predict Brain Health: Study, U.S. News and World Report, August 2, 2010, http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/heart/articles/2010/08/02/heart-health-can-help-predict-brain-health-study.

“Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention,” Alzheimer’s Association, http://www.helpguide.org/elder/alzheimers_prevention_slowing_down_treatment.htm.

“9 Brain Foods that Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease,” The Conscious Life, http://theconsciouslife.com/brain-foods-prevent-dementia-alzheimers-disease.htm.

Denis Campbell, “Dementia study finds almost 40% of cases could be avoided,” The Guardian, August 5, 2010, http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/06/how-to-avoid-dementia-study.

BioMed Central (2012, March 26). Use it or lose it: Mind games help healthy older people too. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 25, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2012/03/120327094317.htm.

Verghese J et al. Leisure activities and the risk of dementia in the elderly. New England Journal of Medicine. June 19, 2003. 348(25): 2508-2516.

Hall, C.B. et al. 2009. Cognitive activities delay onset of memory decline in persons who develop dementia. Neurology, 73, 356-361.

Lazarov, O.et al. 2005. Environmental Enrichment Reduces A? Levels and Amyloid Deposition in Transgenic Mice. Cell, 120(5), 701-713.

Ngandu, T. et al. 2007. Education and dementia: What lies behind the association? Neurology, 69, 1442-1450.

Bialystok, E., Craik, F.I.M. & Freedman, M. 2007. Bilingualism as a protection against the onset of symptoms of dementia. Neuropsychologia, 45 (2), 459-464./li>

“Preventing Dementia: Mental Stimulation,” Mempowered, http://www.memory-key.com/problems/dementia/prevention/mental-stimulation.

I don’t consider myself a doomsday prepper or a conspiracy theorist.

In fact, I recently deleted all my Facebook friends who were posting Boston Marathon bombing conspiracy garbage.

I don’t think the government is “out to get us” either. I actually think it’s too bulky to get out of its own way. Or at least too into itself to worry enough about the people it’s supposed to assist and protect. (Sounds like a lot of people I’ve come across too.)

I don’t really subscribe to too many American extremist beliefs either — only when it comes to health — but in that case, I think it’s a good thing.

So when I told Annmarie that I wanted to start a small preparedness cache in our 600 square foot apartment, she obviously wanted to know what happened to me. Had I been talking to prepper cells at the coffee house in North Berkeley? Had I taken a trip to visit at least one of my friends who feel like at any time the government is plotting against us? Had I hit my head too hard walking to the bathroom one evening?

Nope. None of it.

It Just Started to Make Sense to Me

I never really thought about being prepared for any type of disaster in the past. I grew up in Connecticut. The only “disaster” we had was Hurricane Gloria in 1985. We lost power for 2 days. It was, well, fun. I was young and I got to miss school.

As I grew older and traveled around the country, I realized that there was a heck of a lot of people who were thinking proactively about their own safety in case of a disaster. Many of them, weather disasters. Some of them for religious reasons, namely our Mormon friends. A smaller group for nuclear fallout. And, of course, a few for the zombie apocalypse.

I Never Judged, I Just Listened

What I learned is that even the zombie apocalypsers had some good ideas — even though their intentions are probably a little misguided. But I did give them credit — even if the attack was wrong, at least they’ll be prepared for something more likely — a tornado, flood, hurricane, or earthquake.

So the idea of preparedness sat in the back of my head for a while. Every time I listened to someone talking about storing food, I felt a little tinge — the one that I feel when I know I need to take action but haven’t yet. It happened too often for me to ignore.

Then we moved to Berkeley — which is right on the Hayward Fault. One that is expected to have a 6.9+ earthquake in the next 30 years. In fact, there’s a community-wide drill that they do every year where emergency response is simulated. Pretty serious stuff.

But, even still, this wasn’t enough to get me off to Amazon.com and get a Marine battery charger or some mylar blankets.

What did that was having a baby.

Hudson Changed Everything

Yes, you’ll hear it from every parent. Their child changed their lives. And, yes, we’re the same. Our child changed our lives in so many ways — many ways that I’m not going to cover here. The way he changed me — that is relevant to this article — is that he finally inspired me to make a emergency preparedness plan and take action.

After he was born, a few nights of the week I would lie in bed thinking about what would happen if there was an earthquake and what I’d do to get my family to a safe place. Granted, you might think I’m neurotic, but I think — and hope — most parents think this way. (If not, please get me mental help, LOL!)

I had already bought an escape ladder, since at the time our apartment was on the top (3rd) floor. This put my mind at ease in case there was a fire and we couldn’t get out the front door.

But, I still kept thinking about what would happen if something worse happened. A major earthquake in our immediate area. There would be fire, collapsed buildings, injuries, looters, no food, no banks, no gas and a host of other unpredictables. And if it were to happen, I’d be in a position that many people — of all types generally find themselves in — knowing what they should have done after the fact, but totally screwed because they never prepared for it.

That was unacceptable for me and my new family.

So I Took Action

I financed my own emergency preparedness cache. It actually didn’t take a long time, just some cash. And now I want to tell you about it.

I’ve been struggling how I would gather all of the data I’ve processed to create my cache as well as how to organize all the goodies I have.

So what I’ve decided to do is categorize all my items into three categories. These are:

1. Water / Food / Health
2. Personal Safety
3. Medical / Community

In each category, I’m going to break down what I have, why I have it and where I’m short — at least from my perspective. This analysis will come over the next week.

Why am I Writing About This on a Health Blog?

For one, sometimes it’s fun to switch things up. I’ve been writing or making videos about health for over 7 years. Sometimes, there isn’t much to cover. Over the last year or so, my attention has moved to other cool things and I imagine — as long as you agree — I’m going to share them with you here.

Secondly, I truly think there is a health lesson hidden inside my preparedness.

It’s the total elimination of stress around not being prepared in a region where I really should.

I no longer think about getting prepared or stress about it at night. This equals sleep. I know I have done at least enough and made a solid effort to protect my family. It’s entirely possible that if there is a disaster we might have missed a few things, but that’s much easier to swallow than if we had nothing and needed something very simple for survival.

For instance, a friend was over the other night and she told me one of her biggest fears was being in the bathtub when an earthquake happens. The last semi-noticeable earthquake happened when she was taking a bath — so her fear is for real. She was afraid that she’d somehow be stuck in the bath or in the bathroom and freeze — or at least be uncomfortable until someone could rescue her. I think it’s a legit fear, and one that was destroying her relaxation time. In this case, her stress was interfering with her life.

I had a simple solution. I went back into my storage room and pulled out a mylar blanket — the kind you see at the end of road races that keep people warm on cooler days. I told her to keep it in her bathroom just in case. She took it and thanked me. It was almost instant relief. Now she had some kind of plan — instead of being worried about being naked in the bathtub — trapped and cold — she knew she had something. Will that something be the thing that saves her life in that instance? I don’t know, but it’s a step toward safety and relief that she didn’t have before.

If you take this to a larger scale, then the question can be what do you spend your time worrying about and what can you do about it to end the stress? What can you do to pacify yourself from your thoughts so that you live relatively stress-free?

It may be some heavy stuff, or maybe lighter, but regardless, it doing something about it will definitely ease your mind.

The Reality

I said above “in a region I should” be prepared. But sometimes the most unprepared take the biggest hit. Keep in mind what’s happened in the last 10 years in New Orleans (Hurricane Katrina), Virginia (5.8 magnitude earthquake in 2011) and the U.S. Atlantic Coast.

The last two Hurricanes in the Northeast U.S. devastated the area. There was also an epic snow storm that put the power out for over a week for some. I have many, many friends who were completely unprepared. Some ran out of food. Some didn’t have water. They all had dead cell phones. Granted, for them it wasn’t life or death, but believe me, it would have been a lot easier for them if they had some of the items that I have here now.

So I look forward to sharing my thoughts on this — as well as getting yours — do you think I’m crazy, prudent or somewhere in between. I know there are a few of you just like me out there lurking around waiting to share your wisdom.

Your question of the day: Do you have any preparedness plan at all? Yes or no?

Live Awesome!
Kev