Hi All, Below are some aids in today's flu crisis.
(Please note that the items that are to be AVOIDED are only DURING the flu)

Garlic (allicin) - Very effective antiviral. Best if fresh (raw) and crushed. Must be consumed within 1 hour of crushing. Dosage is initially 2 to 3 cloves per day but later reduce until no body odour occurs. No toxic effects noted. (Pubmed PMID 9049657)

Vitamin C - Boosts the immune system and is an antiviral by blocking the enzyme neurominadase. Viruses need neurominadase to reproduce. There are anecdotal stories of people taking large amounts of Vitamin C (children ½) surviving the Spanish Flu. Research shows that it may reduce the production of cytokines TNF-a and IL-6. A study on 470 people involved giving the test group 1000 mg hourly for 6 hours and then 1000 mg 3 times daily after reporting flu symptoms. Symptoms decreased by 85%. (Pubmed PMID 10543583, 634178, 16169205, 12876306)

Green Tea (possible Tamiflu/Relenza alternative)- Very effective antiviral. Also decreases the production of the cytokine (catechins) TNF-a. Inhibits neurominidase. May have antiviral activity that is equal to other antivirals such as Tamiflu. (Pubmed PMID 16137775)

St Johns Wort (Hypericum) - Very effective antiviral. Also decreases the production of the cytokine IL-6. Hypericum is an extract from St John’s Wort. There have been some very successful field trials in commercial flocks infected with H5N1 in Vietnam. (Pubmed PMID 7857513, 11518071, 11362353, 7857513, 11518071)

Vitamin E - Immune booster. Also decreases the production of the cytokine TNF-a. (Pubmed PMID 155882360, 10929076) Experiments involved using mice. Very suitable for immune compromised people, especially the elderly. Effects enhanced when taken with Vitamin C.

Apple Juice - Antiviral. Fresh apple juice including the pulp and skin has greater antiviral activity than heated commercial apple juice. More research is needed. Effectiveness on H5N1 is unknown. (Pubmed PMID 32832, 12452634)

Resveratrol - Antiviral. In addition to inhibiting neuraminidase, Resveratrol also sends a message to cells to stop manufacturing viruses. This is a proven antiviral found naturally in red wine, peanuts, mulberries, Japanese Knotwood root (richest source), raisins and red grapes. Resveratrol supplements are relatively inexpensive, are more stable than wine and is available in liquid form for absorption in the mouth. No toxic effects noted. (Pubmed PMID 1583880, 12817628, 15985724)

Scuttellaria (Skullcap) - Antiviral. A herb used as a tea. It has no side effects and is also a mild tranquillizer. Research suggests neurominidase, which is a substance needed by the H5N1 virus to reproduce, may be inhibited.

Cranberry Juice - Early research shows that it may be an antiviral, making viruses less able to invade or multiply. Effectiveness on H5N1 is unknown. (Pubmed PMID15781126)

Cat’s Claw (Uncaria tomentosa) - Decreases the production of the cytokine TNF-a. Also boosts immune system. The number of white blood cells was significantly increased during treatment. No toxicity was noted. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=pubmed) Active constituents can be found in the leaves, bark, vine, and roots. Water extraction from bark used. Children and pregnant women are to avoid. Has a potentially damaging effect on the DNA of proliferating cells. (cancers, fetuses, growing children)

Curcumin (Tumeric Spice) - Decreases the production of the cytokine TNF-a. This is the yellow compound in turmeric spice. Research shows that this may be very good for preventing a cytokine storm although this is not proven. Must be taken with food or gastritis or peptic ulcers may occur. Pregnant women and feeding mothers should avoid this. The medicinal properties of curcurmin cannot be utilized when used alone due to rapid metabolism in the liver and intestinal wall. When combined with Piperine found in black pepper the absorption is increased with no adverse effects. Obtainable from health stores in tablets, liquid, capsules already combined with piperine. Dosage is 500mg to 4000mg daily.

Astragalus root (Astragali Radix) - Boosts immune system. (Pubmed PMID15588652)

Tea tree Steam Inhalation - Reduces the cytokine TNF-a. Add 2 drops of tea tree oil in a bowl of steaming water. Cover head with a towel and inhale for 5 to 10 minutes. Relieves congestion and fights infection. Its effectiveness is unknown. (Pubmed PMID 11131302)

The following substances may be best to avoid during a H5N1 pandemic

Elderberry juice (Sambucal) - AVOID - Increases production of cytokines TNF-a and IL-6. This substance is very effective against the common flu but may not be desirable for the H5N1 virus. Increases in these cytokines may trigger a lethal cytokine storm. (Isr Med Journal2002 Nov;4:944-6)

Micro Algae (Chlorella and Spirulina) - AVOID - Increases production of cytokine TNF-a. (Pubmed PMID 11731916)

Honey - AVOID - Increases production of cytokines TNF-a and IL-6. (Pubmed PMID12824009)

Chocolate - AVOID - Increases production of cytokines TNF-a and IL-6. (Pubmed PMID 12885154, PMID 10917928)

Echinacea - AVOID - Increases production of cytokines TNF-a and IL-6. Although it is often used for normal flu, research shows that it may increase the chance of cytokine storms for H5N1. (Pubmed PMID 15556647, 9568541)

Kimchi - AVOID - Increases production of cytokines TNF-a and IL-6. (Pubmed PMID15630182)

Dairy products & Bananas - AVOID - These foods increase mucous production.

Probably the biggest news for me at this moment though is that I will be traveling to Tibet in October. I'm super excited about this journey as we will eventually be heading up to base camp one of Mt Everest. That will in and of itself be an incredible experience!

One of the biggest reasons for going on this trip is that I will be traveling with the super incredible medical intuitive and mentalist, Stewart Swerdlow. He has organized a group of people who will basically follow him from India to Tibet, Nepal and China. I'm so excited to get the chance to be with Stewart in person I can hardly wait! His work on me is insurmountable and the plan is to get some training from him. Training on energetic healing and overall spiritual well being. If you want to see what he does, you can go to expasions.com

I've been super busy working on my energetic Self. Using color, tone and archetype. Everything that is, that most of us are unaware of most of the time. I spin my chakras daily and center my consciousness. I'm also working on what Stewart refers to as deprogramming. Basically, all of us are programmed as we live our lives via the TV, our parents, computers, schooling, pop culture ect. Things that we interact with every single day create who we are. But, what we often fail to realize is that all of these things also effect our energetic Selves. Immensely. So, it is important that we become aware of our spirituality.

We are all in this together. This experience on planet Earth. If you can fix yourself, you can help others heal. Your experience is interconnected to everyone else's experience. Take care to make yourself the most powerful and incredible human you can. Filled with health, happiness and prosperity. This will create a better environment for the inhabitants of our planet Earth.

It's September 26th 2009 and I have just completed my last performance with the Matt Wilson Quartet. After playing in Matt's band for 15 years or so, it was more than time for me to move on and quit the band. Also, since going through everything I have the past year and a half, which has changed my life immensely, it became apparent to me that the music in that band had remained itself, unchanged. Bringing me further back into a grasp I no longer was attached to. Release it upwards.

This post is about release. There is no other way to explain letting go of something that is no longer necessary in your life other than to say, release it. Release it to your Oversoul, the God-mind, release it vertically so that it can be the end of that experience. Whether it's someone you are angry with, someone who you feel did you wrong, a parent, a sibling, a disease, an ex lover, husband/wife, teacher, a material object or whatever, there comes a time when things have to be let-go-of. Really though, release work is the method that is most efficient.

It implies you have literally let go of something so that you no longer experience it. Or, that you no longer need to experience it. It becomes part of the Universe as "experienced" instead of "experiencing".

It's an incredible feeling to allow something to leave your life. Completely. So that you no long have to have the experience of experiencing it. It's over and released up to the God-mind so that it can be complete.