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12 Reasons to Reject Fluoridation

Antacids and Children Just Don't Mix

Antibiotics and Your Child's - or Your Sore Throat

Are Mercury Fillings Safe?

Sage - An Herbal Remedy for Sore Throat, Congestion and Cough

Soy Infant Formula - Birth Control Pills For Babies

What All Parents Need to Know Before Planning Their Next Vacation or Relocation

12 Reasons to Reject Fluoridation

by, Chris Gupta

For over 100 years, science and medicine have understood the poisonous nature of fluoride. In the 1930's and 40's, giant US companies, e.g. ALCOA, were sued for millions of dollars due to toxic fluoride waste escaping from factory smokestacks killing crops and livestock.

ALCOA's owners (Mellon) figured that if people could be persuaded fluoride isn't poisonous but is good for teeth, profits could be protected. So, to introduce water fluoridation, they hired the brilliant 'father of propaganda' Edward L. Bernays.

Joined later by other fluoride polluting industries (e.g. nuclear) and the multi-billion dollar sugar, toothpaste, confectionary and soft drink industries, they became strong financial supporters of dental associations that promoted fluoridation. One such support group, the Dental Health Education & Research Foundation (DHERF) was founded in Australia in 1962.

It's Governors, Members and donors comprised key representatives from Coca-Cola, CSR, Kelloggs, Colgate-Palmolive, Wrigleys, Arnotts, Scanlens, Cadbury Schweppes, etc.

The following 12 points require no expertise in fluoride toxicity, just common sense.

Only parents or individuals have the right to decide if they or their children take drugs. This point should end the debate on compulsory fluoridation. (The U.S. Food and Drug Administration show fluoride isn't a food, nutrient or dietary supplement: "Sodium fluoride used for therapeutic effect *[e.g. water fluoridation] would be a drug, not a mineral nutrient." F.D.A. 1963).

Claiming fluoride is natural, as it is found in the Earth's crust or water, is misleading. So is arsenic, mercury and other poisons. The fluoride chemical used for fluoridation in Australia is untreated toxic waste captured inside fertilizer factory smokestacks.

Doctors have legal and medical restrictions in prescribing drugs. A patient's medical history, age, weight, sex, allergic reactions, other drugs taken and illnesses must be determined. After an adequate medical examination, scripts must be for a specific person, drug, duration and dose - never 'take some whenever you're thirsty'. Harmful side-effects must be explained. You have the right to refuse! These 14 safety requirements are vital. All are ignored with fluoridation.

The World Health Organization's (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer, reports sodium silicofluoride [as used for fluoridation in Australia] as, "... an insecticide, fungicide, bactericide and rodenticide [rat poison] ... [and] a fluoridating agent for municipal drinking-water. ... The Commission of the European Communities (1978) requires that sodium silicofluoride be labeled as toxic by inhalation, in contact with the skin or if swallowed." I.A.R.C. Monograph on the Evaluation of the Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Humans, 27-4-82, p 250.

Fluoride deaths. In a 5 month court case of world experts in Pittsburgh 1978, scientists, led by Dr Burk, a US National Cancer Institute founder and its Chief Chemist for 35 years, proved fluoridation **kills 10,000 yearly (cancer), admitted by opponents under cross-examination. In Brisbane, 2 year old **Jason Burton died after taking 6 fluoride pills. His death certificate states, 'Fluoride poisoning'. In New York, 3 year old **William Kennerly died from a 'fluoride rinse' at a dentist. The Court awarded US$750,000.

Fluoridation is undemocratic. We've rejected fluoridation in over 90% of referendums with votes as high as 98% against. Now, referendums are denied us.

Fluoridation does not reduce decay. Few (4%) countries are fluoridated yet nearly all have decades of falling decay rates, including all 10 (unfluoridated) in west continental Europe. WHO (www.whocollab.od.mah.se)1. Also, decay was reducing decades before fluoridation, e.g. NZ school records since 1930 show steep decay reductions for 25-35 years before fluoridation.

Fluoride is so toxic it causes fluorosis, a disease of constant 'whole body' fluoride poisoning. Its first sign is chalky white mottling of teeth called dental fluorosis. Teeth can also fracture, pit or become dark brown. This irreversible, disfiguring tooth decay is the cellular break down of teeth. Australia's three major government fluoridation inquiries (Tas 1968, Vic 1979, ACT 89-91) all reported that up to 10% of children will get mottled teeth if water is fluoridated. In practice, mottling is as high as 48% (UK Govt. York Report, 2000). Dentists make $600-$1,200 per tooth to hide (cover) fluorosis.
Fluoridation aside, most other decay is due to a poor diet of lots of processed carbohydrates, e.g. we average 22 teaspoons of sugar a day. The only reason teeth get badly decayed is they weren't filled early enough as parents often can't pay the high costs charged by dentists (earning up to $500,000 a year).

Australian authorities often make mistakes. Fluoridation is claimed to be safe, but so was Arsenic, DDT, Thalidomide, Dioxin, Asbestos, Agent Orange, the Dalkon Shield, Deildrin, Mercury, Lead and more recently, Vioxx, all shown later to harm or kill people. But at least they weren't compulsory. Fluoridation is!

If someone tried to force us to take a pill every time we drank a glass of water, we'd suggest they go where it's eternally hot. The only real difference with fluoridation is that the pill is dissolved in the water before they make us take it.

Among experts, the controversy rages over fluoridation. Regardless of who's right, if the safety of any drug is so hugely controversial, doesn't common sense demand it not be used at all? Certainly not forced on millions of people for their whole life!

Antacids and Children Just Don't Mix

On a recent vacation I visited a family fair where rows of booths addressed various children's health issues. Imagine my surprise when I turned a corner and found one hawking lansoprazole (Prevacid), a high-powered acid-suppressant known as a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI), for pediatric gastroesophageal reflux (GER), also known as GERD in those with the disease. When I was young, a little Pepto Bismal was standard fare for all kids' tummy aches. It seems, however, that the pharmaceutical companies are upping the ante... and now, instead of soothing an irritated stomach, they are going to change the natural function of children's digestive systems. This seemed a perfect subject for this month's Digestion Connection discussion with Daily Health News contributing Editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND.

Not surprisingly, Dr. Rubman told me that acid suppressants (such as PPI drugs Prilosec and Prevacid) -- relieve heartburn by decreasing stomach acid production and antacids (such as Mylanta and Maalox) neutralize stomach acid. These drugs, he says, should rarely be taken by children, just as they should rarely be taken by adults. It's all marketing, hucksterism and salesmanship, now at the cost of even our children's health and well-being, warns Dr. Rubman. He adds that not only are these drugs often unnecessary, they are actually harmful to our health -- and our children's health. Truth be told, digestive difficulties are also likely to develop due to insufficient rather than excess stomach acid, says Dr. Rubman.

ACID SUPPRESSANTS AND CHILDREN

Acid suppressants like Prevacid suppress normal digestive function, explains Dr. Rubman. He points out that whenever you tinker with the natural processes of the body, you are asking for trouble. In this case, when you limit a child's ability to digest food by giving him/her acid suppressants, there are a number of negative consequences in the body...

Greater susceptibility to germs and disease. Not for digestion alone, germ-killing stomach acid is also part of the body's natural defense system against microbial invaders such as bacteria, viruses, yeast and mold, says Dr. Rubman. When you disarm this system, invaders are left free to colonize the stomach and digestive tract. The immune system counters with an inflammatory response, damage to stomach cells ensues, and the door is open to diseases such as gastritis, Crohn's disease and asthma, Dr. Rubman explained. When I pointed out to Dr. Rubman that some children actually take GER drugs for uncontrolled or poorly controlled asthma, he responded that they might be helpful in the short run, since asthma drugs can cause or worsen reflux -- but in the long run, drugs that reduce gastric acid negatively impact the body.

Bloating, gas, bad breath, rashes. A child taking antacids or acid suppressants can get away with eating greasy, fatty foods -- just the sort of foods you want him/her to avoid -- without getting a tummy ache. However, Dr. Rubman warns that this is not a free pass, and the body's digestive discomfort will manifest itself elsewhere, as in skin rashes or passing gas.

Suppressed liver function. When you suppress stomach acid, you also suppress liver function, cautions Dr. Rubman. This means that fat can no longer be as efficiently excreted with bile. Additionally, acid suppressants reduce the body's ability to thoroughly digest proteins, which reduces its ability to manufacture "the good cholesterol," HDL, says Dr. Rubman. Young developing bodies with developing hormones are especially vulnerable to damage due to suppressed liver function, he says. Additionally, suppressing the liver's ability to produce HDL can create a cholesterol problem that would not have existed without the acid suppressants, according to Dr. Rubman.

Increased risk of acid reflux "disease." Ironically, antacids and acid suppressants can contribute to the very problem they are supposedly designed to treat, says Dr. Rubman. When there is insufficient stomach acid, the stomach cannot properly break down food. This can lead to inadequate sterilization of food content allowing microbes present in the meal to survive and colonize the stomach lining. For example, food-borne H. pylori, a cause of chronic gastritis and an established cause of stomach cancer, can survive in an acid-suppressed stomach, says Dr. Rubman.

Note: In rare cases, as when children have ulcers, antacids may be taken on a short-term basis (no longer than 14 days), if not caused by bacteria, which would need to be treated separately.

Antibiotics and Your Child's - or Your Sore Throat

A sore throat can be caused by an infection due to a virus or bacteria. Most of the time, a sore throat is part of a viral illness like a cold. Less often, it can be due to a strep infection, which is a bacterial infection. However, antibiotics will not work for sore throats from colds or the flu, which are viral infection.

A study by Harvard researchers published in the Journal of the American Medical Association surveyed national statistics on doctors visits from 1995 to 2003 and found that 53 percent of children with sore throats got antibiotics though only 17 percent were diagnosed with strep.

Ask your doctor if your child needs a strep test before any antibiotics are prescribed for a sore throat. And if an antibiotics is used it should be given with extreme caution.

Bacteria gradually develops a resistance to antibiotics, which means that the drugs become less affective the more they are used.

Remember, antibiotics can work on bacterial infections, but antibiotics won't work for infections caused by viruses! Yet doctors often hand out an antibiotic prescription anyway.

For a sore throat caused by a virus, such as from a cold or the flu, try a Natural Remedy, as in the article Sage - An Herbal Remedy for Sore Throat, Congestion and Cough

Are Mercury Fillings Safe?

By Dr. Jean-Jacques Dugoua, ND

Mercury amalgams (fillings) have been a hot topic of discussion in the past few years. There seems to be two extremely opposite viewpoints: one maintains that mercury amalgams are toxic and lead to an array of health problems, while the other maintains that mercury amalgams are safe and any associated side effects are incidental. The debate on the safety of amalgams has been going on since they were first introduced in the United States in 1833.

In Germany, dentists who installed mercury amalgams were once called “quacks” since amalgams were called “quacksilber”. In 1926, a German physician named Dr. Alfred Stock demonstrated that mercury vapor escaped from fillings and that this vapor could lead to serious health problems. This finding, however, was discounted for decades. The debate raged on into the 20th century, until in 1986 the American Dental Association (ADA) publicly admitted that mercury vapor does escape from amalgams into the patient’s mouth.

Mercury amalgams are used in dentistry to repair cavities before they can deepen and lead to infection or death of the tooth. Amalgams usually contain a mixture of mercury, silver, copper, tin and zinc. When a mercury amalgam is removed from the mouth, it is considered hazardous waste, and strict governmental regulations are applied to its storage, handling and disposal. Dentists and dental technicians must take a number of safety precautions when installing and removing mercury amalgams for their health and safety. It is estimated that the average mercury filling contains approximately 1,000 mg of mercury, while a four-foot fluorescent bulb, which is considered hazardous waste when expired, contains approximately 22 mg of mercury.

Mercury is one of the most toxic metals—more toxic than lead. Historically, the expression “mad as a hatter” referred to mercury poisoning developed by hatters due to their exposure to mercuric chloride when making hats. The hatters would often develop mental illness as a result of high mercury exposure. In October 1998, all over-the-counter products containing mercury in the United States were removed from the shelves because their safety could not be proven.

Based on current scientific literature and manufacturer warnings, mercury amalgams may be far from safe. Studies have shown that mercury from fillings may leach into the gums or saliva due to acidity of the mouth. Amalgams also generate an electromagnetic field which can create currents within the mouth and lead to various health problems; this condition is known as galvanism. One of the world’s largest amalgam manufacturers lists the following potential side effects of mercury amalgams:

Skin, eye, respiratory tract and mucous membrane irritation
Kidney toxicity
Nerve toxicity
Skin and lung sensitization
A temporary increase in blood and urine mercury concentration after installation or removal of amalgams
Galvanic effect (galvanism) if placed near other amalgams

The same manufacturer also listed the following contraindications (any condition or disease where a treatment, drug or product should not be used) for the installation of mercury amalgams:

Pregnant women
Children aged 6 years or younger
Severe kidney disease
Near other amalgams of dissimilar metal composition
Known allergies to amalgams

Studies have shown that the number of mercury amalgams a person has directly correlates to the amount of mercury in the brain. Mercury toxicity has been associated with a number of health concerns, including memory loss, chronic bad breath, gingivitis, irregular heartbeat, allergies, asthma, chronic headaches, kidney damage, anemia, fatigue, joint pain and many others. Prenatal mercury exposure may lead to developmental problems in children, such as motor function disorders, and language and memory difficulties. Mercury is also a concern in breast-feeding mothers, since mercury may cross into the breast milk.

Soy Infant Formula - Birth Control Pills For Babies

The Weston A. Price Foundation

Babies fed soy-based formula have 13,000 to 22,000 times more estrogen compounds in their blood than babies fed milk-based formula. Infants exclusively fed soy formula receive the estrogenic equivalent of at least five birth control pills per day.

Male infants undergo a “testosterone surge” during the first few months of life, when testosterone levels may be as high as those of an adult male.

During this period, baby boys are programmed to express male characteristics after puberty, not only in the development of their sexual organs and other masculine physical traits, but also in setting patterns in the brain characteristic of male behavior.

In animals, studies indicate that phytoestrogens in soy are powerful endocrine disrupters. Soy infant feeding - which floods the bloodstream with female hormones that inhibit testosterone - cannot be ignored as a possible cause of disrupted development patterns in boys, including learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder. Male children exposed to DES, a synthetic estrogen, had testes smaller than normal on maturation and infant marmoset monkeys fed soy isoflavones had a reduction in testosterone levels up to 70 percent compared to milk-fed controls.

Almost 15 percent of white girls and 50 percent of African-American girls show signs of puberty, such as breast development and pubic hair, before the age of eight. Some girls are showing sexual development before the age of three. Premature development of girls has been linked to the use of soy formula and exposure to environmental estrogen-mimickers such as PCBs and DDE.

Intake of phytoestrogens even at moderate levels during pregnancy can have adverse affects on the developing fetus and the timing of puberty later in life.

What All Parents Need to Know Before Planning Their Next Vacation or Relocation

By Sharon Filip

We all look forward to vacationing in the sun and having fun activities for our children. Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada are all prime vacation spots. Unfortunately, there is something lurking in the soil and air that has been kept a "local secret" from tourists and residents alike.

Your health and safety and that of your children are always in the forefront of your mind when making a decision as to where to go for your next vacation. Is there anyone out there who wouldn't want to keep their children healthy? I don't think so! As a mother, myself, I know firsthand how concerned I was whenever my young children got ill and ran a fever.

So what am I talking about? Believe it or not the southwest region of our beautiful United States has a naturally occurring biohazard that causes an incurable disease commonly known as Valley Fever. The name doesn't sound so bad but I can assure you the disease itself is horrendous.

Before I go any further I want to assure you that I understand why some people may be skeptical, but this is the truth and based upon many years of medical research as well as my own personal experience. It is also corroborated by the experience of thousands of others that I have heard from. The following information is here to empower you with facts so that you can make the best decision about where to travel and/or move to, putting the interests of your family first.

In Nevada they have a slogan "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," but when it comes to Valley Fever this is not the souvenir you want to take home.

Here are just a few facts that you need to know right away: Valley Fever is caused by a fungal parasite that lives and thrives in the desert soil. When it reproduces it sends spores in the air that people and animals inhale. It is an equal opportunity biohazard.

The species is called Coccidioides sp. and once inhaled causes the disease coccidioidomycosis, usually referred to as Valley Fever or "cocci" for short. Coccidioidomycosis is not an easy word to pronounce so its alternate names are almost always used in conversation.

Once it is inhaled into the lung it can stay an infection there and/or disseminate to any and all other organs in the body. Inside the body, the fungal spores turn into round spherules that are parasitic. They don't have mouths like the character from Pac-Man, but they do have an appetite. They consume parts of your body wherever they are with chemical reactions and leave dead and damaged cells in their wake. In a very short period of time spherules replicate. Each spherule has between 200-1000 baby spherules known as endospores and the replication repeats over and over again inside your body. It can completely overwhelm even the healthiest immune system and causes distress in the body. Whether you are immunocompromised or not it can easily wreak havoc.

All it takes is the inhalation of one spore to cause a lethal infection. Believe it or not, fifteen trillion (15,000,000,000) spores fit into one cubic inch. Obviously, they are not visible to the naked eye. These spores are in the air 365 days a year and 65% of all Valley Fever cases are contracted in the state of Arizona, with the largest majority in Phoenix and Tucson. These spores have been known to be carried by the wind and infect people and their pets up to 500 miles away.

Bakersfield, California is considered hyper endemic to this disease. Its location is also the origin of the term "San Joaquin Valley Fever." Sharks Tooth mountain is a well known risk area for Valley Fever.

Now that you get the picture of how easy it can be to contract this biohazard, you should also know that it is the only fungal parasite regulated by two anti-terrorism laws. Coccidioides sp. is considered the most virulent fungus known to man and no one warns tourists about it. Can you guess why?

Everyone is at equal risk for inhaling this biohazard but some people are at higher risk of dissemination throughout the body.

They are as follows:

Pregnant women
Young children
The elderly
Asian, Native American, and Hispanic groups
African Americans are 20-50 times more likely to have a disseminated case
Filipinos are 200 times more likely to have a disseminated case

Please note: Even though there are high risk groups for dissemination, previously-healthy Caucasians (such as myself prior to my own VF infection) actually have more disseminated cases and deaths than any other group overall. It doesn't mean anything to be outside of the high risk groups if your case has disseminated.

There is an epidemic of this disease among dogs as well. As with people, any dog is at risk of even the worst effects, but some are at a higher risk for dissemination than other dogs.

The higher-risk breeds are:

Boxer
Pointer
Australian Shepherd
Beagle
Scottish Terrier
Doberman Pinscher
Cocker Spaniel
Greyhound

Whether you have a purebred or a mixed-breed dog does not matter, as they can suffer extremely serious and even fatal cases of Valley Fever. One last note I would like to make is that cats also suffer from Valley Fever, but their cases are usually undiagnosed and underreported.

The main thing to know is that the morbidity of this disease is worse than the mortality of this disease. People and children can suffer the consequences for the rest of their lives.

Below is a story from an adult man who suffered Valley Fever at age eight himself, but his father's case of Valley Fever has affected him all his life:

"...watching my father slowly die from cocci, over the years of my youth, was tremendously traumatic.

"In some ways I still blame myself for his infection because it was me, as an 8 year old, who wanted a horse. Because of my desire and care of them, my father caught Valley Fever and died an early death.

"He was so sick throughout those years that he could no longer do those things with his son that fathers often did. Instead of being able to coach his son in local sports, he had spent hours in the hospital emergency room getting his treatments. Instead of taking the family on vacations across the country, he had to be picked up at work because driving was no longer a skill he could do. These are just a couple of small ways that the cocci affected him.

"During these times, I would do my homework in the waiting room and eat my dinner in the hospital cafeteria. It was necessary because my father would spend hours there, strapped to a table and tilted on his head while he got his spinal injections. It became my second home, the place where I would spend my after school time, and the place that I have ever since tried to avoid.

"Eventually, I would graduate from high school. Many years later, I would be told that my father said that he wanted to live just long enough to see me graduate from college. He was able to do this and lived another 4 years as the disease continued to eat into his brain. He died a few months after my college graduation.

"However, my father was never able to see me get married. He was never able to see his grandchild, or any success I made in my life. He just couldn't hold on any longer. He was denied many enjoyable and important events.

"That's a little bit of the story of cocci's affect on my father's, and my life. There's more to it, including the sacrifices made by his wife, my mother, and the rallying contributions of his siblings..."

Garth G., California

As you can see this disease affects the entire family. If mom or dad become incapacitated they can not work or even take care of their children much less pay the bills. At my website, www.valleyfeversurvivor.com we have received thousands of stories from people around the world. We have published some of them in our book, Valley Fever Epidemic.

Sometimes one spouse does not understand about the pain and fatigue Valley Fever causes. Children don't understand why mom or dad sleep so much and don't do the things they used to do with them. When it happens that a child contracts Valley Fever the pain to the parent is sometimes unbearable. You know how you would feel if you were watching your child lying in bed with severe head pain and having trouble breathing and not being able to do much about it. The costs are overwhelming physically and monetarily.

Being in your third trimester of pregnancy is supposed to be an exciting time in your life, but with Valley Fever that is not the case. Below is a story and review that we received from a lady who bought our book Valley Fever Epidemic after she had her baby while being infected with VF:

"I was in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy when I moved from Massachusetts to Arizona in October 1999. Little did I know that I was at risk for contracting Valley Fever. After living in Arizona for only 1 month, I was faced with the horrible symptoms described so clearly in this book. My new OB/GYN in Arizona was aware of the symptoms of Valley Fever and immediately had me tested and treated. Thankfully, my baby was born healthy. Unfortunately, I have been suffering with Valley Fever ever since! I WISH THIS BOOK WAS AVAILABLE 9 YEARS AGO AND MY DOCTOR IN MASSACHUSETTS WAS KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT VALLEY FEVER......I NEVER WOULD HAVE MOVED TO ARIZONA!!!! This book is a MUST for ALL doctors AND pregnant women, especially those who live and/or visit an epidemic area!!!! ALL Pregnant Women should read this INCREDIBLE book."

Ria Nordstrom, Kansas

When children , adults or animals contract Valley Fever, they exhibit many of the same symptoms as if they have the flu or pneumonia. There is a complete listing of all the symptoms on my website www.valleyfeversurvivor.com. Once Valley Fever is contracted you have it for life since there is presently no cure. It can go dormant and reactivate many times throughout one's life. The antifungal drugs taken for Valley Fever have many side effects that can make it very difficult if you need to use them long term. In some cases it may actually be necessary to be on antifungals for a lifetime. This can mean school or work is missed, lots of doctor or hospital visits, and lots of crying from all family members.

When lifetime antifungals are recommended for a young girl she may be told that she can never have children. Can you imagine telling your daughter that, just because she vacationed in Arizona or another endemic zone and contracted Valley Fever there, that she can not have children when she grows up?

In men and boys it can infect the testicles causing removal of the organ. Too many people need to have parts of their lung removed because of Valley Fever and that can make life very difficult for any family. Sometimes Valley Fever causes problems that require other surgeries to be needed.

If you or your children have always been active, enjoyed outdoor sports, tennis, hiking, etc, that could all be taken away if Valley Fever is contracted. We have heard from many people including competitive tennis players and long distance runners who can no longer participate in their sports the way they used to.

With all the above said, not everyone has a disseminated case and not everyone is made extremely sick if they contract Valley Fever. I, however, have heard from thousands of people with most of them having disseminated cases as well as their children. Unfortunately, children in a hospital inpatient database study for 2002 had an 8.5% death rate in children hospitalized with Valley Fever and a 6% death rate in adults hospitalized with Valley Fever. There is also a study which showed a 26.8% death rate in seniors who had pneumonia from Valley Fever and not dissemination. Fungal pneumonia is the most common symptom of this disease.

Only 2% of all cases are estimated to be accurately diagnosed, leaving 98 percent of cases undiagnosed and not treated accurately. In fact, a study in Arizona has shown that 29% of all hospital cases thought to be influenza actually were Valley Fever cases.

I often wonder how many actual influenza or pneumonia cases reported to the CDC are not really those illnesses at all but rather undiagnosed Valley Fever cases.

The most common sites of dissemination are the skin, joints, bones and meninges. When Valley Fever goes to the lining of the brain it can be lethal.

Some of the health issues that Valley Fever causes are myalgias, osteomyelitis, arthritis, rheumatism, COPD, and degenerative bone disease. Even depression can occur due to not getting better or back to being able to do the things one did prior to contracting Valley Fever. Having a chronic illness for the rest of one's life is not exactly uplifting.

Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are conditions that the medical community does not consider to have known causes. However, many of our questionnaire respondents were diagnosed with these conditions shortly after their Valley Fever and as a result of their Valley Fever symptoms.

I have not yet written about the consequences of what it can mean to the family if they relocate to an endemic area where Valley Fever lives. Below is one story we received from a lady who did just that and was not aware of the existence of this disease.

"The most difficult part of the Valley Fever for me has been my inability to work, concentrate or care for my family. We also experienced a severe loss of income due to VF...Had no control over what was happening to me, therefore lived for months with a sense of panic that affected me and my entire family.

"Wish I had known about VF before making the decision to move to Arizona. Now it is too late. We have sold everything and we would lose way too much by trying to relocate again. I am hoping that no one else in my family will contract this terrible illness. It is unfortunate that people in government in Arizona and the builders/developers are more concerned with having money pour into their hands than with honesty and the health issues that are likely to affect most of the people moving to Arizona. I know none of my friends or family wants to come to visit, unfortunately. As I said, for us it is too late. We moved our business to Arizona and it would be very risky to try to move again."

Maria M., Arizona

If you would like to empower yourself with facts and information about this disease, please consider reading Valley Fever Epidemic. The knowledge you gain can save your family from unnecessary suffering.

My son, David, was there day and night when I went through the hardest times of my Valley Fever and together we co-authored Valley Fever Epidemic. We wanted to make sure everyone would be aware of this disease. Knowledge is power and only you can decide what is safest and best for your family once you are aware of all the facts.

Together David and I have been volunteering for the past seven years to help people with this disease and inform people about Valley Fever through our web site www.valleyfeversurvivor.com. One of our goals is to raise awareness and funds for research so that there will finally be a vaccine and a cure for Valley Fever.

On Tuesday, September 29th we will be holding a one day promotion of our book on Amazon.com. Please go to http://special.valleyfeverepidemic.com (no www's) and read all about it. There are many free bonus gifts for purchasing Valley Fever Epidemic on that day. A portion of the proceeds of all book sales on the 29th will go to Valley Fever research. It is a win/win for everyone. You can get the knowledge you need plus many free gifts and we can donate to Valley Fever research. With your help, one day Valley Fever can become a thing of the past.

I want to take the time to wish everyone here the best of health and happiness for you and your children.

About the Author

After her own Valley Fever infection, Sharon Filip started www.valleyfeversurvivor.com in 2002 to publicize up-to-date information, provide regional support groups, message boards, and campaigns for the vaccine and cure research. Valley Fever Survivor has become the #1 Valley Fever patient support organization in the world. Sharon is a dedicated advocate for awareness of the disease, patient support, and funding for the vaccine and cure projects. As a professional hypnotherapist, she helps those who suffer from depression because of their Valley Fever. She has been a motivational speaker, lecturer, and educator for decades and applies these skills in her fight against Valley Fever. If you would like to contact her, she can be reached by email at: [email protected]