It’s well known that the immune systems of young children aren’t as well developed as those of adults. Additionally, children haven’t had time to build up immunity to many of the viruses that cycle through the school systems, especially during the winter months when people are more likely to be in confined spaces. 

Unfortunately, way too many parents take the wrong approach to protecting their children. Their first line of defense is unnecessary immunization shots and forcing their children to persistently wash their hands with toxic antibacterial soaps.

The really effective strategy to protecting young children is to simply focus on strengthening their internal immune systems. The human immune system is simply incredible – the first and best line of defense against getting sick. And, perhaps more so than any other bodily function, we have a lot of control over how effective it is.

One of the biggest obstacles to health children face these days is their lack of sun exposure. Sun exposure is critical for vitamin D production, and in turn, vitamin D is a critical component to immune system strength. Too many children spend too much time indoors, and when they do go outside, they are slathered in toxic sunscreens, which actually block vitamin D production. The result is that the majority of children are vitamin D deficient, which means the majority of children have compromised immune systems. Simply put, they’re getting sick unnecessarily.

I have two young children who go to crowded public schools, and we’ve been tremendously successful at keeping them healthy all year long — and they have never received a flu vaccine. All of our friends are envious of how infrequently our kids get sick.

What’s our big secret? Since they’ve been infants, we’ve been diligent about supplementing their diets vitamin D. How do you get small children to take vitamin D you ask? It’s easy. We use liquid vitamin D, which is odorless and tasteless, so it’s easy to add to their food or beverages. They don’t even know about it, so they can’t put up a fight!

We use Stop Aging Now’s Liquid Vitamin D, but feel free to shop around. There are several good options out there. Just make sure it’s vitamin D3, and make sure there aren’t any unnecessary additives, sweeteners or other junk that kids just don’t need. We give our children 1,500 IU daily (15 drops), but it’s up to each parent to gauge what’s best for their children. I can tell you that the current US RDA of 600 IU is pathetically low. I’d recommend 1,000 IU to 2,000 IU daily, and keep in mind, they may be getting some vitamin D from fortified foods, and of course, from sun exposure.

In addition to supplementing our children’s diets with vitamin D, we also make sure they spend plenty of time outside, and we make sure not to apply sunscreen for about the first 30 minutes they are outside. This gives them time for their body’s to produce vitamin D. When we do apply sun screen, we use an all natural product that is free of toxins. Our favorite brand is TruKid.

If you’re wondering if vitamin D is really a panacea to protecting children from getting sick, consider this amazing new study that was just published by the Journal of Pediatrics. The research, conducted by Harvard Medical School professor of Medicine Carlos Camargo, MD, concluded that vitamin D supplementation cuts childhood colds and flu in half!

Here are a two other strategies we employ that help keep our kids healthy all year-round:

1. Well-rounded nutrition

Again, the best strategy is keeping your kid’s immune system strong, and good nutrition plays a key role in this. Sadly, too many kids eat a steady diet of processed junk food, which severely compromises their immune system.

Make sure your children are eating as much fresh food as possible, and as little packaged food as possible. One great tip is to always have a bowl on a table, within their reach, filled with a good variety of fruit. We used to keep the fruit in the fridge. However the expression “out of sight, out of mind” rang true and our kids weren’t eating enough. When we moved the fruit to a bowl on the kitchen table, they were always reaching for it when they got hungry.

When it comes to vegetables, it’s no secret that kids don’t love them. But don’t be afraid to bribe your kids and be strict about making them eat vegetables. We have a strict rule in our house: no vegetables, no desert.

Lastly, a good multivitamin makes a lot of sense. Gummies are the easiest way to get them to take multivitamins, but be careful – there are way too many gummy multivitamin brands that are basically glorified candy. Our favorite brand is MegaFoods Kid’s One Daily.

2. Probiotics

The vast majority of the human immune system lives in the intestines, and the friendly bacteria that live there play a huge role in keeping the immune system strong. But once again processed food takes it’s toll and can kill of friendly bacteria. Also, kids are more prone to taking antibiotics (which are way too overly prescribed by doctors), which kills of the friendly bacteria in mass. Having your kids take probiotics each morning will make sure they have the friendly bacteria they need to have strong, healthy immune systems

Over 500 days have passed since the disaster at Fukushima and there has yet to be any transparency as to the true depth of the damage to us and our planet. Reports and findings of actual radiation levels and leaks are elusive at best. If the damage stops right now, this is apparently the second worst nuclear accident ever in the history of nuclear power. Meanwhile, the jet stream continues to carry radioactive materials from Fukushima to North America, Europe and beyond.

Fallout problems

The main cancer risk for anyone in the path of nuclear fallout is from inhaled uranium oxide and other tiny, airborne, radioactive particles that lodge deep in the lungs. These particles eventually lodge in bone, brain, ovaries, testes, lymph and hormone producing glands. They remain there for decades while being very slowly excreted in the urine. Exposure to radiation causes a cascade of free radicals that wreak havoc in the body and decimates the body's supply of glutathione.

Following a radiological or nuclear event, radioactive iodine may be released into the air then breathed into the lungs. Radioactive iodine contaminates local food supplies to invade the body through food or drink. Once inside the body, the thyroid quickly absorbs the radioactive iodine, injuring the thyroid gland. The biggest threat is that radioactive iodine from nuclear fallout quickly permeates and injures anyone that is iodine deficient (estimated, 90 percent of Americans).

Solutions

Iodine is the most obvious and important element in protecting against radiation damage.

Stable iodine keeps radioactive iodine from assimilating in the thyroid gland and also in attaching to any thyroid receptors. Iodine protects the thyroid, breast, prostate and ovary glands as well as other tissues in the body from radiation - if iodine is present in sufficient quantities. Research indicates that if a person is iodine deficient, it takes about three months to absorb enough iodine while taking 50 mg of iodine daily and a whole year taking just 12.5 mg. However, iodine will not protect a person from exposure to radioactive uranium, cesium or plutonium.

As with the Fukushima disaster, by the time the alarm for a nuclear emergency is sounded there will be little time to consult a health care practitioner, let alone to find and get the proper dosage of iodine. The standard daily dose for KI (potassium iodide) during radiation emergencies is as follows: for infants, birth through one month, 16 mg; for one month through three years, 32 mg; for 3-12 years, 65 mg; for adolescents ages 12-18 years, 65 mg; for adult size and up, 120 mg or more.

After radiation exposure...

In the event of a nuclear disaster, by the time you can reach competent medical help it may be too late. Here are some home remedies to start immediately until help is found.

• Bentonite clay will help remove radioactive iodine, uranium, cesium or plutonium particles from the body. Drink it and soak in it. Buy bulk/pure bentonite in the form of unscented kitty litter, pour some into a pillowcase (to keep it from clogging the bath drain) and place it in bath water to soak in daily. Drinkable bentonite clay can be purchased at your local health food store.
• Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda), mixed with water several times a day will diminish the severity of damage produced in the kidneys by uranium
• Cilantro loosens heavy metals and radioactive material from the cells and chlorella removes them from the body
• Glutathione in large amounts help fight the free radical damage and replenish glutathione supplies reduced by radioactive substances

If you have been exposed to x-rays or CAT scans, if you fly, work with diagnostic medical equipment or are environmentally sensitive and have ingested elevated levels of radioactive contaminated food, air or water, you also want to partake in these remedies on a semi-regular basis.

Vaxil suggested that if large-scale trials prove as successful, the vaccine could be available within six years. Initial research on the vaccine, in mice, was published in the journal Vaccine, and suggested the treatment induced "potent" immunity in mice and increased their survival from cancer.
Cancer charities gave the vaccine a cautious welcome. Dr. Kat Arney, at Cancer Research UK, said: "These are very early results that are yet to be fully published, so there's a lot more work to be done to prove that this particular vaccine is safe and effective in cancer patients."

Source: http://www.yourjewishnews.com/Pages/18166.aspx#.T7LQjl_1xvw.facebook

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected light emanating from a "super-Earth" planet beyond our solar system for the first time. While the planet is not habitable, the detection is a historic step toward the eventual search for signs of life on other planets.

"Spitzer has amazed us yet again," said Bill Danchi, Spitzer program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The spacecraft is pioneering the study of atmospheres of distant planets and paving the way for NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope to apply a similar technique on potentially habitable planets."

The planet, called 55 Cancri e, falls into a class of planets termed super Earths, which are more massive than our home world but lighter than giant planets like Neptune. Fifty-five Cancri e is about twice as big and eight times as massive as Earth. The planet orbits a bright star, called 55 Cancri, in a mere 18 hours.

Previously, Spitzer and other telescopes were able to study the planet by analyzing how the light from 55 Cancri changed as the planet passed in front of the star. In the new study, Spitzer measured how much infrared light comes from the planet itself. The results reveal the planet is likely dark and its sun-facing side is more than 2,000 Kelvin (3,140 degrees Fahrenheit), hot enough to melt metal.

The new information is consistent with a prior theory that 55 Cancri e is a water world: a rocky core surrounded by a layer of water in a "supercritical" state where it is both liquid and gas, and topped by a blanket of steam.

"It could be very similar to Neptune, if you pulled Neptune in toward our sun and watched its atmosphere boil away," said Michael Gillon of Universite de Liege in Belgium, principal investigator of the research, which appears in the Astrophysical Journal. The lead author is Brice-Olivier Demory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

The 55 Cancri system is relatively close to Earth at 41 light-years away. It has five planets, with 55 Cancri e being the closest to the star and tidally locked, so one side always faces the star. Spitzer discovered the sun-facing side is extremely hot, indicating the planet probably does not have a substantial atmosphere to carry the sun's heat to the unlit side.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in 2018, likely will be able to learn even more about the planet's composition. The telescope might be able to use a similar infrared method as Spitzer to search other potentially habitable planets for signs of molecules possibly related to life.

"When we conceived of Spitzer more than 40 years ago, exoplanets hadn't even been discovered," said Michael Werner, Spitzer project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. "Because Spitzer was built very well, it's been able to adapt to this new field and make historic advances such as this."

In 2005, Spitzer became the first telescope to detect light from a planet beyond our solar system. To the surprise of many, the observatory saw the infrared light of a "hot Jupiter," a gaseous planet much larger than the solid 55 Cancri e. Since then, other telescopes, including NASA's Hubble and Kepler space telescopes, have performed similar feats with gas giants using the same method.

In this method, a telescope gazes at a star as a planet circles behind it. When the planet disappears from view, the light from the star system dips ever so slightly, but enough that astronomers can determine how much light came from the planet itself. This information reveals the temperature of a planet, and, in some cases, its atmospheric components. Most other current planet-hunting methods obtain indirect measurements of a planet by observing its effects on the star.

During Spitzer's ongoing extended mission, steps were taken to enhance its unique ability to see exoplanets, including 55 Cancri e. Those steps, which included changing the cycling of a heater and using an instrument in a new way, led to improvements in how precisely the telescope points at targets.

JPL manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena. Data are archived at the Infrared Science Archive housed at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

For more information about Spitzer, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spitzer

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/south-korea-seizes-capsules-containing-powdered-flesh-dead-190306280.html

A baby in China wears a protective face mask (AP/Kin Cheung)

The South Korean government revealed Monday that it recently seized thousands of capsules filled with the powdered flesh of dead babies. Reportedly, some people believe the powder has medicinal purposes and was created in northeastern China.

South Korea has reportedly been reluctant to criticize China directly over the incident, out of fears of creating diplomatic friction with the country. But the process by which the powder is allegedly created is one of the most disturbing stories imaginable.

According to the Korea Customs Service, the bodies of dead babies are chopped into small pieces and dried on stoves before being turned into powder. The customs officials have refused to say exactly where the babies come from or who is responsible for making the capsules.

China has already been in the spotlight over activist Chen Guangcheng, whose work involves protesting the government's sterilization and forced abortion policies. It was recently reported that China is working to "soften" its one-child policy slogans, though not the actual policy itself.

Last year, Chinese officials ordered an investigation into the manufacturing of drugs made from dead fetuses or newborn babies. Nonetheless, South Korean officials said in a statement they have discovered 35 smuggling attempts since last August, during which 17,450 capsules labeled as "stamina boosters" were discovered. Rather than containing any inherent medicinal properties, the capsules are said to contain dangerous bacteria and other harmful, unspecified ingredients.

Amazingly, none of the smugglers have been arrested in the various confiscations because the South Korean customs officials said the amounts of human flesh contained in the capsules were too small and were not intended for direct sale. The smugglers claimed to have no knowledge of the human flesh content, saying they believed the capsules were ordinary stamina-boosting pills.

This artist's concept shows NASA's Dawn spacecraft orbiting the giant asteroid Vesta. The depiction of Vesta is based on images obtained by Dawn's framing cameras. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech 
› Full image and caption

May 07, 2012

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA will host a news conference on Thursday, May 10, at 11 a.m. PDT (2 p.m. EDT) to present a new analysis of the giant asteroid Vesta using data from the agency's Dawn spacecraft. 

The event will be held at NASA Headquarters in Washington, broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency's website.  For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/ntv .   

The event will also be streamed live on Ustream with a moderated chat available at: 
http://www.ustream.com/nasajpl2 . Questions may also be asked via Twitter using the hashtag #asknasa .

The panelists for the briefing are:
-- Carol Raymond, Dawn deputy principal investigator, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
-- Harry McSween, chair, Dawn surface composition working group, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
-- Vishnu Reddy, Dawn framing camera team member, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany; and the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks
-- David O'Brien, Dawn participating scientist, Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Ariz.
-- Maria Cristina De Sanctis, Dawn co-investigator and visible and infrared mapping spectrometer team lead, Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, Rome

More information about Dawn is at: http://www.nasa.gov/dawn and http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov .

Pilot Chased UFO, Saw It Crash, Visited Crash Site

Speaking on the Jeff Rense show, retired Colonel Robert B. Willingham admitted chasing a UFO across West Texas in his fighter jet, seeing it crash-land near Del Rio, Texas, and then visiting the crash site later that same day in 1955. The former pilot is convinced that the crashed object was extraterrestrial.