Flu Books

Michael Greger's "Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching" is more terrifying than anything a horror writer could imagine, since it depicts a real-life doomsday scenario that seems poised to occur very soon; indeed, the new H5N1 strain of influenza, known as "bird flu," has mutated into a form that can be transmitted by human contact, though not yet on a massive scale, meaning a mass outbreak is more a question of when, not if.

Whereas humans generally contract the disease by ingesting contaminated birds, or being in frequent contact with them, bird flu could blanket the globe when the virus has learned to jump easily from human to human. The author writes: "One day soon, experts fear, with more and more people becoming infected, the virus will finally figure out the combination -- the right combination of mutations to spread not just in one elevator or building, but every building, everywhere, around the globe. One superflu virus. It's happened before, and experts predict it many soon happen again."

Dr. Greger sets the stage for what could come by giving readers a grisly account of a previous avian influenza outbreak: the 1918 flu pandemic, in which 50 to 100 million humans perished. These were gruesome deaths, with blood oozing from eye sockets as the victim's lungs liquefied. Fatalities were so abundant that officials were unable to keep up with burying the corpses. It seems this was merely a sample of what's in store for humanity. "As devastating as the 1918 pandemic was," Dr. Greger writes, "on average the mortality rate was less than 5%. The H5N1 strain of bird flu virus now spreading like a plague across the world currently kills about 50% of its known human victims, on par with some strains of Ebola, making it potentially ten times as deadly as the worst plague in human history." One reason, he explains, is the 1918 virus attacked only the lungs, whereas H5N1 shuts down all the internal organs.

"Bird Flu" eloquently contextualizes the subject, giving us a greater understanding of the virus' origins and our critical role in it. The director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States, Dr. Greger examines bird flu from every angle, creating a meticulously researched work that traces how agricultural, scientific, environmental, political and economic forces have conspired to transform a virus that once threatened only waterfowl into a "highly pathogenic avian influenza" destined to lay waste to large segments of human population.

Among the stops on the author's bird flu reality tour is President George W. Bush's decision in April of 2006 to lift the ban on poultry products from China -- a country well known for its recent outbreaks of avian influenza -- possibly in return for China's agreement to drop its mad cow disease-related ban on U.S. beef imports. (One disease for another, perhaps? No trade deficit there.) Other troubling highlights include the world's inadequate hospital capacity and the inability to create a vaccine, or enough of it, to combat a virus that kills half its victims. In other words, we are as ill-prepared for avian flu today as we were in 1918. And, as Dr. Greger notes, not only is H5N1 worse than what our grandparents faced, but 21st-century transportation means a virus can travel around the planet in 24 hours, not a year.

The book is also a sobering lesson in how many of our human ailments, from the common cold to AIDS, have come from our oppression of animals, especially the practice of breeding and raising them for food. (Dr. Greger notes that human influenza began with the domestication of ducks 4,500 years ago.) Yet authorities refuse to confront the obvious cause of this "virus of our own hatching," preferring instead to devote their resources to containing the outbreak by culling chickens and turkeys and extolling the virtues of well-cooked meat.

Even without the looming pandemic, "Bird Flu" reminds us that eating animal flesh can be deadly. Dr. Greger writes: "For the same reason that people don't get Dutch Elm Disease or ever seem to come down with a really bad case of aphids, food products of animal origin are the source of most cases of food poisoning, with chicken the most common culprit." He notes that although the USDA asserts that proper cooking methods kill all viruses, including bird flu, 76 million Americans still suffer food poisoning every year and an estimated 5,000 die from food-borne illness. The average American kitchen, it seems, has become a biohazard, with pathogenic bacteria found on food-preparation surfaces, sinks and utensils. Dr. Greger quotes flu expert Albert Osterhaus, who concluded that "the gastrointestinal tract of humans is a portal of entry for H5N1."

Although pandemics seem inevitable, Dr. Greger's landmark book suggests an obvious (some might say radical) solution: the elimination of intensive poultry production. Perhaps this is more wishful thinking, given the world's ever-growing appetite for cheap animal protein, but others in the scientific community are also supporting this recommendation, so we may at least see improvements in the way agribusiness operates. "Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching" could herald dramatic changes in farming practices, finally driving decision-makers to critically examine not only how this virus came to be, but how we can curtail it and future diseases lurking within animal factories around the globe.

Mark Hawthorne, author of Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism

I didn't want to read this book. Maybe you don't either. But you must. And when you do, you'll find that the author has made it easy, and even entertaining, for you to learn everything you never wanted to know about bird flu.

Michael Greger writes in an engaging and accessible style that will keep you turning pages as he guides you through the history of zoonotic (animal-based) diseases and explains how contemporary factory farming and meat-packing practices not only make the emergence of new diseases more likely but also place consumers at risk of food poisoning by everyday microorganisms like E. Coli and Salmonella. Despite his somber subject matter, Greger is upbeat, giving us the bad news in a way that energizes us to do something about it.

It can happen here. It has happened here. The 1918 influenza pandemic that killed more Americans than World War II was a bird flu. The next pandemic will be too. We all need to know what we might be able to do to prevent or mitigate that pandemic. You need to what to do to protect yourself and your loved ones when the pandemic comes. Read this book now and make sure that the public policy makers who are supposed to be looking out for you read it too.

Watching a pandemic unfold and take shape before your eyes is like watching paint dry. It is an agonizing process, slow and painful. But at the end, the product is there for all to see.

This is the book to read while watching the paint dry. Like Mike Davis' excellent "The Monster at Our Door," Dr. Greger has done a lot of the heavy lifting for you. He has read countless books, scientific papers, newspaper and magazine articles along with medical/scientific journals and produced the definitive work on avian influenza for the lay reader, decision-maker and concerned citizen.

Along the way, Dr. Greger also shows us the principal underlying cause of the spread of H5N1 (factory farming of chickens and other poultry) and supports his theories with mountains of data, opinion and observation -- much of it directly from the commercial poultry industry he takes to task for putting the world in the shape it is in, bird flu-wise.

Certain passages contain the most relevatory things about food production I have read since Upton Sinclair. It would not take much more to turn me into a vegetarian! I now seek free-range chickens to consume.

Speaking of consume: Once you have read (in order) The Great Influenza (Barry), The Monster at Our Door (Davis) and Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own hatching (Greger), you are ready to dive into the scientific literature yourself. Have a go at all three of these excellent books.

It is amazing how much is hidden from the public eye. This author does a great job of explaining how the avian flu is VERY probable. You will never want to eat chicken or eggs again after reading this one and learning about overcrowding, filth, and treatment of chickens and how the avian flu is mutating because of the conditions that we (humans) create. I highly recommend this book.

BIRD FLU: A VIRUS OF OUR OWN HATCHING opens not with H5N1, the modern day "bird flu virus" which has the potential to mutate into the deadliest pandemic that the world has ever seen, but with H1N1, the influenza virus responsible for the 1918 flu pandemic. In just two short years, an estimated 50 to 100 million people perished as World War I raged on.

As described by author Michael Greger, MD, in chilling detail:

"What started for millions around the globe as muscle aches and a fever ended days later with many victims bleeding from their nostrils, ears, and eye sockets. Some bled inside their eyes; some bled around them. They vomited blood and coughed it up. Purple blood blisters appeared on their skin. [...] [The Chief of the Medical Services, Major Walter V. Brem] wrote that `often blood was seen to gush from a patient's nose and mouth.' In some cases, blood reportedly spurted with such force as to squirt several feet. `When pneumonia appeared,' Major Brem recounted, `the patients often spat quantities of almost pure blood.' They were bleeding into their lungs."

Yet, H1N1 had a "low" (relatively speaking) mortality rate of 2.5% to 5%. Compare that to H5N1, which thus far has killed 55% of those infected - and one must wonder why the possibility of bird flu pandemic is confined to occasional media reports that are quickly dwarfed by the latest Hollywood gossip. Is bird flu-inspired panic just another example of media sensationalism?

Not so, argues Greger. From 1918 he transitions seamlessly to the research laboratories of today. Greger, who is Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at The Humane Society of the United States and "an internationally recognized lecturer on public health issues", launches into Viral Biology 101, explaining in layman's terms how a virus reproduces, spreads, mutates, and interacts with its host. Though he's dealing with (arguably) dry subject matter, Greger manages to keep the discussion engaging via the liberal use of colorful analogies and sharp, witty prose. This isn't your high school bio textbook.

Once a basic understanding of viruses has been established, Dr. Greger addresses modern animal agriculture, specifically, how it's especially conducive to the transmission and evolution of avian influenza. Animals, particularly "broiler" (meat) and "laying" (egg) hens, are packed into windowless sheds by the thousands; by the time they're fully grown just 45 days later (in the case of broiler hens), they don't even have enough space to spread their wings or turn around. Chickens are selectively bred for fast growth or maximum egg production - much to the detriment of their immune systems. Rather than improve the birds' ability to stave off disease (which would come at the expense of their "energy efficiency"), large-scale corporate "factory farmers" opt to pump their livestock full of antibiotics, thus contributing to bacterial resistance in humans. Add to this mix the fact that chickens literally spend their short lives wallowing in their own feces (and sometimes even that of previously butchered flocks), and you've got the perfect environment for a virus such as H5N1 to thrive.

And thrive it has. The billions of chickens, turkeys, and pigs raised and slaughtered for food annually act like "petri dishes" in which avian influence can mingle, swapping genetic material in order to mutate, gradually evolving into a strain more lethal and infectious to humans. Their compromised immune systems and unsanitary and stressful living conditions only facilitate this process. Despite numerous attempts at eradicating the virus - for example, by wiping out entire flocks of chickens, to the tune of millions of birds at a time - H5N1 (along with additional viral strains) can still be found on many farms, throughout the world.

While some critics - particularly those in the animal agriculture industry - dismiss this as scare mongering, Greger argues his points convincingly, and offers a wealth of evidence to support his claims. Indeed, his "Reference" section spans an impressive 90 pages! Throughout the text, he quotes a myriad of experts in the field, including Robert Webster, Kennedy F. Shortridge, and Michael Osterholm, as well as health professionals from the USDA, CDC, FAO, and WHO. Even "food scientists" admit - in the comfort and familiarity of their own trade journals, mind you - that the industry is flirting with disaster. The general - nay, unanimous - consensus seems to be "when, not if."

A pandemic is inevitable, that is, unless we swiftly and dramatically move away from factory farming methods towards less intense animal agriculture methods, such as free range farming. Additionally, this must be preceded by a temporary global moratorium on meat and egg production, in order to eradicate the bird flu virus(es) already present in farm animals worldwide. None of which is bloody likely to happen.

Thus, Greger urges readers to take precautions before a pandemic hits. He recommends obtaining and filling a prescription for Tamiflu (the more effective of two antivirals used to treat avian influenza), as well as stocking up on necessary groceries and such - TODAY. Greger also advises readers on how to purify water with bleach, and concoct cheap, homemade hand sanitizer. Oh, and do make sure you have plenty of liquor, cigarettes and ammo on hand, just in case the world reverts to the barter system! Though Greger reiterates and even elaborates upon government-issued pandemic guidelines in this last section, I didn't exactly walk away with a sense of empowerment. The rest of BIRD FLU was so horrifying that stocking up on canned veggies and medical masks won't do much to ease my troubled mind.

Whether you're a vegan, a carnivore, an average Jane, a state Senator, an animal welfarist, or a hunter, BIRD FLU is one book you can't afford to ignore. For too long, we've been playing chicken with our food supply - and nature may soon see fit to reward our taste for cheap meat with a global pandemic.

This book was recommended on the John Tesh radio show. Although I haven't completed the book in its entirety contents are written in an amusing & informative manner, not dry & clinical as I would've expected. One can take away as much information as they chose to do. Information and tips are both interesting & scary depending on one's percepiton. Useful tips that we can all benefit by using; albeit some already known.

This little book offers a lot of information for a small price tag. So many things us "germ freaks" had not even considered are covered in this well written book. I had to buy one for myself and one for my daughter because I knew we would want to be able to have our own copy to refer to later. A good investment to make us aware of all the information this book cover in a clever manner.

I bought this book hoping for some good background information that would allow me to extrapolate my own germ-freak tips - like more information on how, precisely, germs live and spread. I wanted some scientific information, at least a little bit, about how it all works!

I didn't get that, but what I did get was pretty darn good. This book is jam-packed with tips about avoiding germy people, how not to touch nasty things, socially acceptable things to say to avoid doing germy things that people always seem to want to do, and new cleaning and washing tips to help stop the germs.

While I was expecting something more than I got, I am still darn happy with the book and would highly recommend it. It was fun and easy to read and I did get a LOT of new tips out of it. Nobody likes to get sick and this book will help you avoid it.

Allison Janses' "The Germ Freak's Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flu" could also have been titled " A Consciousness Raiser for the Germ Awareness Challenged." Before I read the book, I didn't realize how little I knew about those little guys who can, and all too often do,cause anything from annoying colds to life threatening illnesses. What I found most enlightening where the sections dealing with the various places that they congregate. The book is very well organized and written in a witty, entertaining style. As a psychologist,I couldn't help but notice that the author is writing from a genuine place of caring and concern for the welfare of others. A change in behavior requires a compelling reason to approach things differently. "The Germ Freak's Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flu" accomplishes that mission in a wonderful manner.

This is a great book to help prevent you and your family from getting sick. When I brought my premature twins home from the hospital I was told it was very important to keep them from getting sick that first year because they were at such a high risk for contracting RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) which can be fatal. This book helped keep the germs away. Despite the unpleasant subject, it is a fun read. The author is really funny.
Dr. Jenn Berman
www.DoctorJenn.com
Author of The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy, Confident Kids

Ignorance is not Bliss when humanity is threatened with life endangering epidemics. Verona Fonte has created an essential handbook to guide us in step-by-step preparations for survival in case if an outbreak of the bird flu. While the subject is serious and packed with important information, the text is clear and lively, leavened by wit and humor. We are encouraged, not only to understand the nature of the disease, how it spreads, how to avoid contamination, how to take care of ourselves and loved ones, but also to create webs of mutual support within our communities. Verona Fonte reminds us of the necessity to be informed and prepared, but also to assist each other in a spirit of intelligent compassion. I heartily recommend it.

Bird Flu, What to Do provides the reader with an excellent overview of the issues we are likely to face during the upcoming influenza pandemic. The book is written in an easy to understand style that makes for pleasant reading despite the difficult subject matter. Dr. Fonte's liberal use of humor helps make her discussion of these unpleasant topics easier to digest. I recommend this book to anyone trying to come to terms with the possibility of a Bird Flu pandemic and who needs more information about this issue to help them decide what they should do. This book has an important role as a good way to introduce the topic to someone new to the issue. While it touches on the difficulties we are likely to encounter during a pandemic, it does so in a reassuring way, avoiding the dramatization of the worst case as found in some other books on the subject.

Grattan Woodson, MD
Author of the Bird Flu Manual

This book should be required reading for everyone living in this country (and other countries as well). If everyone took its message to heart and followed its advice, we would all be a lot safer. No need for color-coded alerts or political hype when Bird Flu - What to Do is only a bookstore or online order form away.

Bird Flu What To Do: Prepare To Survive by Verona Fonte Ph.D. (a psychologist for over twenty years' experience) with contributions from five experienced doctors, is a straightforward instruction manual for readers of all backgrounds about what to do and how to survive in a pandemic, particularly a bird flu pandemic. Chapters address how to prepare, including storing water and making sure water is safe to drink, what food and other goods to get and how to store it, healthy habits to adopt now to strengthen one's immune system, networking for a safer community, caregiving tips, what to do when death occurs, and much more. Bird flu specifically is extremely virulent and easily contagious simply from being in proximity to the sick; Bird Flu What To Do does not pretend to have a magic solution to the grim realities of a pandemic, but rather presents all the emergency advice that medical science and common sense have to offer in no-nonsense terms. Highly recommended.

Fonte has shown us that no matter what the crisis in our lives, if we prepare by being informed, knowing our neighbors and community, and face the challenges ahead with courage, we can weather any crisis the future may bring. I recommend this book highly!

Carolyn North

My nine year old daughter loves fairy books about Tinkerbell and her friends. She absolutely devours them as soon as I get them. What a boost for her imagination!

We own all of this series! Started reading them when my daughter was 4 (she just turned 5 now), and they are age appropriate. Not too scary and always a happy ending. One book only takes us about 4-5 nights worth of reading together. The longer ones are good too "Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg" and "Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand", but they are a little bit scarrier than the short books (more appropriate for ages 5-7 I would think).

Fira is outnumbered by her triplets and has to apologize to her townsfolk a lot. (Single mom + 3 bickering kids = go away now please.) But the day is saved when her kids disobey her instructions to stay home and follow her deep into a dangerous mine! Yay!

Actually, the story was pretty good. A fun read.

The CD version is read by the talented Debra Wiseman.

The book arrived and was practically brand new. My daughter loves it. It came in the mail very fast.

My 8 y.o. has fallen in love with these books. You typically can't fail with Disney products and these are no exception. The stories are interesting and unlike some series books for this age range, these books stand alone and are not "formula" books where only the names and places are changed, but the same event takes place. Each fairy has a talent and her talent solves the problem in her book. The illustrations are vivid and imaginative. Apparently there's a movie about Pixie Hollow that will be coming out soon and there are also toys starting to come out with the fairies.

As a medical research scientist, I can say beyond a doubt that a flu pandemic is brewing that may change modern civilization in ways that will go beyond our wildest imagination soon. Physicians are observing the creation of a super strain of the avian influenza virus, H5N1, so-called bird flu, that has the potential to kill millions of men, women, and children in every nation. According to the World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a recipe for disaster is clearly in the early genetic-mixing stage. We stand on the abyss of a global wildfire event that will start with the flick of a "viral" matchstick, burn everything in its path, leaving civil disorder and misery in its aftermath on an unprecedented-scale. But what can we do other than prepare ourselves for the inevitable death of our society as we know it? Other than prudent safety precautions, we can also boost our immune systems psychologically against the true number one killer: s-t-r-e-s-s.

Just look at what happened to millions of people impacted by natural disasters in the past year alone from earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis worldwide: They are suffering from PTSD--Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Guess what stress does to your ability to fight bacterial and viral infections? Do you know that when a pandemic strikes within 30-days 100% of the population will be exposed to the virus, but that only 50% will get ill? Did you know that a pandemic comes in 3 phases with the second being the most deadly? Did you know that the most susceptible age group when the virus "hits" is not the young or the old, but the tender-age group 20 to 30? In plain terms, this book will give you the rest of the story; how nature ensures the "survival of the smartest!" Indeed information is power and it will make the difference between life and death in the coming pandemics!

So get smart and raise your I.Q.: "immunity quotient!"

Dr. John Jay Harper is executive director of the not-for-profit, American Delphi Academy, Spokane, Washington, author of Tranceformers: Shamans of the 21st Century, and a bird flu report website at johnjayharper.com

David Kennedy believes that government health officials and the medical community at large are in the hip pocket of big drug companies. This conspiracy has caused important, effective, powerful remedies, like vitamin C, to go unnoticed and unsupported. History will tell whether he is right about that.

What may be more important is that Kennedy and others believe Vitamin C can prevent and treat the avian flu. If this is true, Vitamin C can provide an inexpensive, powerful, effective treatment for a lethal virus.

It now seems clear to every serious-minded person that the Asian Bird Flu is going to attack, the only question is when. When the epidemic strikes, it will be deadly and fast. According to Kennedy, mega-doses of Vitamin C will be effective in protecting people against the flu. For those that have it, he believes that mega-doses of Vitamin C, administered intrvenously, may save many lives.

This book is mostly about the curative effects of Vitamin C. Based on studies and reports of it curing polio, cancer, and other deadly conditions, Kennedy, Linus Pauling, and others state that the health benefits of it are dramatically understated and even unknown.

I don't know if Kennedy is right about the pharamaceutical industry, time will tell. If he is right about Vitamin C and the bird flu, our family will be protected by an inexpensive, easily-available remedy. If he is wrong, we will have taken a lot of Vitamin C.

The highest potentcy in tablet form I am able to find are on amazon.com at 2000MG. Forget Tamiflu and pass the orange juice.

I was a little disappointed that the information in the book, I already had most of in my head, due to the fact that I'm a Linus Pauling fan when it comes to nutrition. However, if you don't already know what I'm talking about, then this book is very important to you because it offers you the opportunity to embark upon a personal oddyssey beginning with a most critical, ubiquitous nutrient your body is not capable of producing, due to genetic damage that everybody has. You need this book.

To Mr. Doubting Thomas... why don't you just read the book and then weigh in. That's part of the problem with Americans and this country's sick-care system... too close-minded. Americans take what health officials tell them as gospel and fail to seek out truth and knowledge for themselves. I received this book Saturday and read through it carefully. I found it to be a valuable read. Knowledge that serves good.

After having read this book I now feel I can do something to protect my family and will be starting us all on vitamin c!
I really felt this was information that could help us especially since it came from people who are considered tops in their field and had scientific studies to back up what they are saying and in some cases were Nobel prize winners.

This is a fantastic book. If you only buy one book about the flu pandemic, this is the one you should get. It has great instructions for planning, preparation and home care.

If you are someone who would like to learn more about bird flu and the potential effects of a pandemic, this is a great read. I think the author is a bit too doomsday, but he gives a good description of the disease and what can happen, and also some very good practical ideas of ways you can prepare for a pandemic. I have employed some of his suggestions and think this book is an excellent practical guide.

If the worst case scenario occurs and a pandemic occurs this book should be stored with the home emergency supplies. It is an invaluable resource for how to deal with possible medical, home logistics, and self presevation. Not suitable for young readers due to frank, graphic medical discussions.

This book covers pandemic concerns not covered by many other sources including solid suggestions for home nursing. I'm especially pleased to see it address psychological aspects and how to handle them in the absence of professionals - which may well be the reality.

This information is useful for any emergency where folks will be isolated - something we should all be prepared for. Better to be prepared than scared.

This book has it all and is well worth the expense.

Because a pandemic happens in many places at once, it is absurd to believe that the government and an over-extended healthcare system can take care of everyone's needs. We'll face the next pandemic with the resources we personally set aside to do so. The Bird Flu Manual explains what we need to do to prepare in advance of a pandemic (as in now). Most importantly, it explains how we can care for loved ones should they fall ill. Because a pandemic emergency may result - and likely will - in disruptions to basic services such as Internet and electricity, it's a very good idea to have essential information in print, on the bookshelf. That's why this invaluable book is in my library.

Outstanding sleuthing on an imperative problem facing our health and everyone on the planet. Certainly causes one to think and ponder the big questions.

FOWL!


Bird Flu: It's Not What You Think



Nearly everyone on earth is aware that global public health authorities are preparing for the day when avian flu virus variant H5N1 jumps species into people and spreads like wildfire around the globe, indiscriminately killing tens of millions of innocent, defenseless people.

But what if it were a bold-faced lie? What if the medical literature and recent history proves that the international bird flu-scare effort is an elaborate hoax? What if birds are being set up as patsies by a conspiracy of powerful government agencies and multinational corporations? What if sick migratory birds and domestic fowl are canaries and the entire planet is a coal mine?

Dr. Tenpenny is a practicing osteopathic physician from Cleveland. She proved her capabilities as a fearless researcher by adventuring into the salt mines of published vaccine literature to prove that vaccines neither safely nor effectively prevent the spread of infectious diseases--and the CDC knows it.

Alarmed by what she felt was a curious overreaction to a few human deaths attributed to a species-jumping avian virus, Dr. Sherri Tenpenny directed her research talents to getting to the bottom of this bird flu hype. She began by asking the following questions: Why are so many birds sick? Who wants all the chickens dead? Why are the human cases clustered primarily in SE Asia and what is the connection to cases elsewhere? Why are vaccine manufacturers being given a blank check to develop a vaccine that will be mandatory? Are global conditions similar to those extant at the time of the 1918 flu pandemic? "From those questions," Dr. Tenpenny assures us, "the story begins to unfold."

Dr. Tenpenny found no scientific evidence to suggest that the H5N1 avian flu would virulently "jump species" and decimate human populations in pandemic proportions.

Dr. Tenpenny did, however, discover a study showing how normally dormant viruses can come alive to fatally overwhelm the immune systems of animals who carry toxic levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyls in their tissues. She also found that the vaccine and antibiotic-intensive, vertically-integrated corporate farming of genetically-modified poultry is the primary cause of epidemic illnesses among domestic birds.

The research for FOWL! scientifically supports the notion that germs do not cause disease; dis-ease causes germs. In other words, the truth about bird flu reveals that the development of symptoms and their subsequent severity or potential lethality, are dependent upon the relative health of the host--be he bird, beast or human.

Though she cites and references scores of scientific studies and technical articles that prove it's the chemicals, not the viruses, that we should be concerned about, Dr. Tenpenny is able to convert the complex material into language that we can all understand. The truths she uncovered are much more interesting than the fictions the "experts" are telling us to believe.

Bird flu is not a species-jumping virus threatening all of mankind. The bird flu threat to humanity is a fiction spun by opportunists in government and industry attempting to increase their own wealth and power while continuing their perverse mission of chemically contaminating our planet.

The easiest way to explain the bird flu fiction is to watch bird flu fiction. The ABC TV production, "Fatal Contact," which aired May 9, 2006, portrayed what would happen if...but the entire plot was built around the masses' fear of the unknown, their faith in government emergency planners and trust in pharmaceutical companies. In the movie (and in real life) there is no science to support the theory that a bird virus will mutate and spread all over the world on cocktail napkins and incidental contact, en route to killing hundreds of millions of people in the span of few months.

We should not be confused. The evidence Dr. Tenpenny unearthed shows that the seeds of bird flu were sown by the U.S. military's chemical contamination of SE Asia with dioxin-containing Agent Orange during the Vietnam War and is now coming of age in an era of nuclear effluent, chemical farming and the detonation of depleted uranium munitions in a wireless era of perpetual war.

FOWL! is not just another book. Everyone we know who has read it is stunned by what it reveals and impressed with the clear logic and language Dr. Tenpenny uses to deliver what is, perhaps, the most important message of our time: "Coal mine canaries" are dying all around us and we, as communities of people and nations, can either stop our indiscriminate spewing of toxic chemicals or perish of our own folly.


The Idaho Observer
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Spirit Lake, Idaho 83869
Phone: 208-255-2307
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This is an excellent book - a thorough systematic and well researched book which documents the REAL reasons for birds and people to be dying of 'bird 'flu'namely toxic residues of pesticides and herbicides including those persisiting form the agent orange bombings in vietnam, the appalling, cruel and inhumanely toxic conditions in which poultry are factory famed and the vested interests behind decimation of the traditional family poultry breeders and the pushing of a useless and dangerous vaccine. It includes what you really need to know to be healthy which is the only real immunity.
An excellent read, I couldn't stop turning the pages

While Fowl centers on the avian flu, it is comprised of information that ties together environmental, political, economic, and health issues in a way that presents a bigger picture to the reader. Dr. Tenpenny's interest and understanding of wholistic health is evident in the research and scope of the book. Through questioning the reliability of reports that the avian flu could jump to humans, she has looked at the bigger picture, which involves our environment, political influences on health care and information, and how economic factors contribute to situations that weaken health.

The book is well written and researched. It is also easy to read and presented in a way that is understandable to the reader. I had a hard time putting the book down. Also of use, was information in the book that encourages the reader to explore further into potential areas of interest,or to become involved in solving the dilemas that contribute to making us all more susceptible to illness.

If you are one of those people who strives to keep abreast of important events around the globe in the areas of politics, diplomacy, and militarism, and you are starting to question what is REALLY behind all the bird flu hype, then this is a book for you.

This quality paperback includes a glossary that serves as a guide to governmental and non-governmental organizations relevant to the subjects in the book. Quite impressively, there are more than 20 pages of endnotes in small print after 251 pages of text. The sources are authoritative and competent, all serving to demonstrate the thoroughness of Dr. Tenpenny's research.

The book is very readable and highly informative. Dr. Tenpenny writes in a style that keeps the reader attentive...no dozing off here. Laypersons will have no trouble understanding the material. I thought the book might be technical and dry, overly medical or boringingly scientific. Quite to the contrary, the ordinary reader, such as myself, will find it difficult to put down.

Dr. Tenpenny leads the reader through the history of past scares of pandemics (such as the swine flu and the smallpox scare in more recent times), describes the way in which microbes invade the body and the way in which vaccines are prepared for use against a variety of diseases. After learning the contents of a flu shot and how it is made, rest assured, you will think twice before accepting that injection in the future.

There is far too much information in the book to allow an all-inclusive topical discussion. However, her research connecting environmental pollution and war chemicals, (from WW I forward) to sick wild birds, sick poultry, and sick people is fascinating. The WHO and the UN should take note of the factual and scientifically documented information that they have overlooked.

This book will serve as a valuable reference source. Much of what you may have read in the news has been chronicled in the book, but the information has been explained from a different vantage point.

What makes this book different--and important--is that you will come away with new understanding about bird flu. Among other things, you will understand that cleaning up the environment is the key to preventing pandemics, NOT the massive manufacture and administration of vaccines. This is very different from what you are being told by Faux news.

Wow! This book is great! It combines two great subjects NASA and Computers! This book inspired me to use computers, and learn C++ programing! I think children ages 8-13 would enjoy this book very much.

This book is great! I bought this book and have read it at least 50 times

Cyber.kdz #3 is really number one. This is the book where we learn how the cyber kids met and live their first adventure together. Deeder is the first cyber kid and the secret club forms as a means to clear his father of suspicion in a new AI program that went all wrong and scrubbed a big NASA shuttle launch. Deeder's clumsy approach to Josh and Paul by anonymous email is funny. They both think Deeder is some kind of spooky weirdo. It is through the efforts of Tereza that ... well, read the book ... you'll understand! And, HEY!!, it's really good.

I loved this book. It was really suspenseful and exciting. I checked it out from the library and don't want to give it back!

I think this is a great book. It tells about when the Cyber.kdz are just starting to locate each other. Deeder goes to Florida to meet his dad.While they're at the shuttle something goes wrong and Deeder has to go home along with his dad. They are both depressed. But with the help of the Cyber.kdz, they solve the mystery.

If you have a parent who is bed ridden the is a must have book if there are young children in the home. There are very few resources out there to help tell a child about a bed-ridden mommy. This book is a great help.

If you've ever wondered how to deal with a child who needs to understand the reality of an at home -in- bed mom or dad, then consider this a must read for that child along with the parent who cares enough to help that child
grow and understand the reality of the situation. I know it helped my daughter and myself when we needed it most.
Simple and to the point, a great book with a great message!! Kudos to the educator who knows how to communicate with the chilld. Please write more!

A wonderful children's book!
Beautifully illustrated, lovingly told, Mommy Has to Stay in Bed offers comfort to a child facing the issue of a parent confined to bed rest.
Through colorful images, and in terms a young child can understand, this book will help a child cope with a parent's illness. Sensitively written from the viewpoint of the child, I found the book to be full of terrific ideas to help the young reader bond with their parent during a difficult time.
Mommy Has to Stay in Bed is a thoughtful gift for any mother facing a long illness or recuperation. I loved this book and would highly recommend!!

I found this to be a wonderful book for toddlers faced with the trauma of having a parent on bed rest (whether it's due to pregnancy, an illness or accident). I ordered it on Amazon when I was up all night with insomnia from worry about my 2-year old daughter's difficult time dealing with my long-term (26 week) complete pregnancy bed rest. The day we received it, she asked me to read it to her five times. Our 2 year old related to the tender way the book explains--in a toddler's voice--how a child feels when her Mom is ordered to stay in bed. I couldn't agree more with the quote on the back of the book, "This delightful and poignant book fills a gap in children's literature....Beautiful illustrations and lifting verse will make this a favorite among children and give parents ideas for creative and enjoyable activities to be shared between Mother and Child. Mothers and children in this [bed rest] situation will praise and thank Annette Rivlin-Gutman for addressing their need so eloquently."

Mommy Has To Stay In Bed is a small, simple softcover picturebook written by a mother who personally experienced the dilemma of having to explain being on bed rest during her pregnancy to her then 1 1/2 year old daughter. The simple rhyme and the warm color illustrations complement one another perfectly in this superb book for helping little ones understand a difficult time in a parent's life. "Sometimes I get so angry. / I just want to shout, / 'I don't like having Mom in bed / day in and day out.' // Mommy tells me to scream, / hit a pillow, have a cry. / If I'm angry, she understands / and accepts the reasons why."

A very informative and well-written book describing colds, flu, sinusitis, pneumonia and other common winter ailments. Dr. Schachter tells you what's happening with the ailment, how to treat it, and best of all, how to prevent it for the future.

We find this book helpful in our household as parents of young children (and we've had plenty of colds in our house) and recommend it to other parents.

The practical advice (and the clearly defined science behind it) makes The Good Doctor's Guide a very worthhile read for you and your health. A great buy!

This book was very helpful. It was a good guide to what I can do to help myself when I get a cold or the flu and included ways to protect against contracting it (which I wasn't aware of until I had read it).

I picked up 3 copies for my brothers and sister because they have kids and I think this book can help them understand how to keep their households healthy.

And because of the great timing, I was able to stay healthier this cold and flu season!

Few books written by health professionals can bridge the gap between providing comprehensive advice and information on a health issue and doing so in an interesting, readable and practically applicable manner. Dr. Schachter has achieved this and more. This book is "colds and Flu" for Dummies without treating the reader as one. There is a ton of good, common sense advice for cold and flu prevention through modifying activities of daily living. In addition, he informs the reader about the powerful alternative and nutritional approaches to maintaining everyday health that are available to everyone. This is a book I am happy to have in my reference library.

This is a very readable book that gives you the information your doctor often does not take the time to tell you. The Good Doctor's Guide to Colds and Flu is smart, practical and well researched. Not only does Dr.Schachter explain how to prevent and treat colds, he explains the science behind his advice. I also really liked the way he combined natural and traditional remedies. Excellent job!

I am not really ready to review this book quite yet having just read through it quickly and at this moment, being sick with a cold. But I thought it was urgent to say one thing and then return to edit this review later:

In the chapter called "Treatment" the author recommends (among other things) Zinc nasal spray, using it every two hours. Well I purchased Zicam yesterday for the first time and it seemed to really help... But then I read up about it and learned that there are several lawsuits claiming it caused people to permanently lose their sense of smell and taste after just one use. I believe those people (their stories were very compelling), and will never use a Zinc nasal spray (or gel) again. The reports are not limited only to Zicam, by the way.

To learn more, try looking up the following article from The Los Angeles Times online: "Zinc for colds losing its luster Users of some products reporting loss of smell, taste" By Jane E. Allen Tuesday, March 30, 2004...or "Federal Lawsuit Refocuses Attention on Serious Risks Posed by Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel" dated December 21, 2005...or just do a general search.

To be continued when I'm feeling better.