False Alarm: The Avian Pandemic

Here's something for us to consider. I am not advocating this but this doctor is tops in his field:

www.doctorsiegel.com...




"In this masterful and provocative work, Dr. Marc Siegel, an accomplished physician and author, skillfully dissects our present-day culture of fearmongering. An engaging and readable blend of science, politics, and social criticism, False Alarm--fully supported by extensive research--is an eloquently written and unflinching exploration of fear (real and imagined) in the modern world. Most importantly, Siegel exposes how government officials, the media, and the pharmaceutical industry exploit--and spread--fear for profit and power. They all should be scared of this powerful book." -
David Corn, Washington editor of The Nation

On coast to coast two nights ago, the dr. said the math does not compute, the possibilities of thousands turning into millions of dead are close to zero:
The Fear Epidemic
Dr. Marc Siegel discussed the epidemic of fear which he said can mainly be attributed to three sources-- government, media and pharmaceutical companies. The current threat of bird flu he believes is a prime example of over-exaggerated fear. The disease primarily affects birds and there is no evidence that it has mutated to affect humans in a large-scale manner, he said.

People tend to worry less about the things that might actually befall them such as car accidents, AIDS and heart disease, and focus on less likely outcomes such as being the victim of a terrorist attack. 9-11 opened a "psychic wound" and made us feel more susceptible and prone to overreaction, said Siegel.

Fear is part of a deep-rooted, primitive system in the brain related to the fight or flight response. Yet, the problem, he pinpointed, is that we are leaving our fear signals turned on which increase the level of stress hormones and over time create ill-effects in the body. Because courage, caring and humor are also processed in the same part of the brain, if people are experiencing those emotions, they will have less time to wallow in fear, he shared.

Souce:
www.coasttocoastam.com...

This has been asked before, but do we believe a government/world with an agenda (NWO) or whatever it is, one who has lied to us over and over, or do we beleive certain scientists and MD's?

You would think that you would believe the doctors and scientists, instead of the government that may be lying.

But I think that the number of doctors and scientists manipulated by the governemt is high, and those that refuse to do what they are told are discredited.

So in a sense, you will end up believing the lying government anyway.

No one seems to care what this dr says. Anyway, i guess its human nature to want to worry yourself silly, expect the worse and hope for the best.

I guess i like this dr's scenario better than being in constant panic, but thats just me.

Just to play devil's advocate...Marc Siegel is also an often-panned contributor to the Washington Post. He is quite often portrayed as being in the pocket of big business and the government while wording his material to be very anti-establishment.

Just food for thought.

DGT - I do think the bird flu crisis is being manipulated as a business opportunity - and for other reasons too. Mainly I think the fatality-fear-mongering is being used to hide the fact that low-grade infection is much more common, and results in long term chronic disease.

Seigal deals admirably with the psychology of the situation - but he obviously skipped his molecular biology classes.

I find it a little strange that those few who have been hospitalized are "Suspected to have the avian flu.

Why so many suspects and not something more definitive? Dont we KNOW who has it and who doesnt?

Arent there tests?

Originally posted by dgtempe
expect the worse and hope for the best.

I would say that is a sound survival strategy.

Business has always taken advantage of human tragedy... I think it could hardly be argued that because snake-oil treatments were sold during the black plague, that the plague itself was an over hyped hoax...

Food for thought.

Dr Seigal has a very true and Valid Point. Fear has always been used to control and manipuate the masses.

Ofcourse Companies that are cutthroat anyhow like the big Pharmicutical's are going to profit more from fear and panic buying, thats the nature of it, and I bet back in the Plague days physicians and herbalists manipulated the situation for there own gain.

That being that history repeating itself like above, be sure of one thing, Pandemics of Influenza do always have and will continue until a cure is found to devastate the societies they sweep through. Be sure of something else we are overdue for one, and in addition this Strain is very pathogenic, that is its similair to the 1918 pandemic.

The "Spanish flu", 1918-1919. Began in August 1918 in three disparate locations: Brest, Boston, Massachusetts and Freetown. An unusually severe and deadly strain of influenza spread worldwide. The disease spread across the world, killing 25 million in the course of six months; some estimates put the total of those killed worldwide at over twice that number

Wikipedia

The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed more people than the Great War, known today as World War I (WWI), at somewhere between 20 and 40 million people. It has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four-years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347 to 1351. Known as "Spanish Flu" or "La Grippe" the influenza of 1918-1919 was a global disaster.

The Men in White Coats at Stanford University

Fear me scared? nope just realistic, be sure of something else guys if the next outbreak is highly pathogenic with high mortality like the 1918 one, depending on where the centre of the worst outbreak occurs you could be talking about 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 people dying from it. 1 in 5 of all your friends and family in six months without the worldwide finacial crash that would follow. Tough times, but this is why this is the only thing that really worries me in the world than anything else! (maybe not as bad as bush hitting the bottle again and pressing the shiny red button!)

Fear based on reality IMHO = H5N1

MischeviouslyEatingOranges

Regards,

Elf

You what to know what the pandemic is for, just look at the stocks of the company that makes tamiflu and then look at the government contract for the manufacturing and then make your own conclusion.

Manipulation has became the toast of the day when it comes to our corporate ridden nation.