Memories of the 28th Century

Good Old Garlic

There are folk medicines that do no good, and there are others that are very effective. Garlic is one of the latter, and there have been clinical studies to prove its effectiveness. The antibiotic in garlic, allicin is produced from alliin when allinase acts on it, which occurs when a garlic clove is crushed or diced. Allicin’s purpose is to protect the garlic cloves from bacteria, fungi, and molds, and we take advantage of its effect.

I won’t flog this too far. There are some people who don’t like garlic, and they may remain ill, if that is what they desire, but a couple cloves of garlic will cure many episodes of intestinal distress, especially if the distress is caused by food that had a touch of the wrong bacteria or other microbes. It will also help with most chest colds, sore throats, and similar respiratory problems, but it doesn't do much against colds caused by rhinoviruses, and it doesn't do much to help against influenza.

There are bacteria that are not killed by allicin, but those that allicin works on have not gained immunity against allicin, because it kills bacteria by a different method from what other antibiotics use. And allicin is effective against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and it is not losing effectiveness. Remember that when you are diagnosed with some bacteria that is resistant to all known antibiotics.

http://www.medherb.com/Materia_Medic...Properties.htm
Clinical description
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...86457999800033
Antibacterial Activity of Allicin
http://www.nature.com/ja/journal/v60...ja200745a.html
Allicin versus MRSA
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...2485790500333X
The Journal of Antibiotics - Antibacterial Activity of Allicin ... - Nature
http://www.nature.com/ja/journal/v60...ja200745a.html
The Antibiotic Apocalypse Advances
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...-bacteria.aspx


Flu Shot Scam

O.K., it isn’t a complete fraud, but flu shots have been grossly overhyped. I don’t know whether the drug stores and others who give the shots, the manufacturers, or other players are doing the hyping, but they seem to want people think that not getting a flu shot is tantamount to spreading the plague.

The vaccines designed to enhance resistance to influenza viruses don’t do much, and are much less effective than an actual case of influenza for giving someone immunity to the virus. The vaccines give a short term immunity to whichever varieties are on the menu for that year, and the immunity usually lasts for a few months. If you were to get that virus, then you probably would be immune to that variety for life; although the degree of immunity would decrease over the decades. For example, in the Pandemic of 1918 people over sixty-five tended not to get the flu at all, which strongly suggests that they had gotten immunity in the past. There were flu epidemics in the 1870’s that appears to have given immunity to H1N1. There was some of the type around for the next few years, but there wasn’t an H1N1 epidemic again until 1975, which is when I go it. There was another outbreak in the 1970’s or ‘80’s, and then no more H1N1 until the Swine flu of 2009. This outbreak was somewhat deadly, and most people who got it were laid out for days. I caught it, and one evening I had intestinal symptoms, and I slept soundly through the night. I wasn’t completely well in the morning, but I did what I had to do and by the end of the day I was fine. That’s how it works with naturally acquired immunity. An actual case of influenza also gives partial immunity to related types of the virus, which the vaccine does not do. This is an excellent of what doesn't kill you making you stronger.

Your best investment for the flu is a bulb of garlic and something eat it with. I like it on bread or crackers with cream cheese. Cooking destroys the allicin, so just spread cream cheese on your crackers, and either crush or slice a few cloves of garlic on top. You can drink something with it, if you like.