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Post-Terrorist Attack Health Updates: Concerns and Alerts for New Yorkers
New Yorkers Need to Be Cautious, Protect Health, Lungs and Immune Systems
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by Mary J. Shomon

PRESS RELEASE: 9/15/01 -- New Yorkers with Lung Disease Use Caution in Lower Manhattan, Allergists Urge

As New Yorkers return to lower Manhattan Monday to their jobs or homes, allergists are urging those with asthma or other chronic lung diseases to wear good quality masks and consult with their physicians quickly if they experience new or worsening respiratory symptoms.

The heavy dust hanging over Manhattan, and possibly other parts of the city, from Tuesday's collapse of the World Trade Center towers contains a variety of substances: pulverized concrete and glass, and the chemical products of combustion, including materials such as rubber, paper and plastic. These can irritate the lungs, trigger asthma attacks and otherwise aggravate lung conditions, as well as irritate the eyes, nasal passages and throat. Allergists do not believe asbestos is a significant health hazard beyond the very immediate center of the recovery effort.

The irritants in the dust can combine with other allergens in the air to make patients with lung conditions and allergies especially sick, allergists warned.

"This is a volatile time and things are exacerbated by the fact that this is peak ragweed season," said Daniel Mayer, MD, president of the New York Allergy Society and a member of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI). "I recommend that people with chronic lung conditions and allergies don't go near the site."

Patients also should make sure they continue taking prescribed medication and call their doctors at the first sign of new or worsening symptoms.

"This may be a time, in consultation with your doctor, to beef up your medication," said Ira Finegold, MD, chief of allergy at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, and a past-president of the ACAAI. Dr. Finegold also recommends buying a mask called a respirator, which looks like the thinner paper masks that many people are wearing, but are thicker and filter out more of the matter in the dust.

The ACAAI also offers these recommendations to New Yorkers with lung conditions:

  • If winds are high and dust is blowing, stay indoors with the windows closed if possible.
  • Try to use only air conditioners with good quality filters.
  • Avoid other irritants, such as cigarette smoke, paint and indoor cleaning products, which can further aggravate symptoms.
  • Don't wait until your symptoms become severe enough to require care at already overburdened hospital emergency rooms. Call your allergist or primary care physician at the first sign of trouble.
The ACAAI is a professional medical organization comprising 4,200 allergists-immunologists and related health professionals dedicated to the clinical practice of allergy, asthma and immunology through education and research to promote the highest quality patient care.

(SOURCE American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology)



A Health Alert to All New Yorkers, from Sherrill Sellman

As I emerge from the shock of this week's events, I have become acutely aware of some serious consequences to the health of all New Yorkers from the heavy contamination in the air due to dioxins, asbestos, PCB's, and other chemicals creating the most toxic air pollution all over the New York City area. These ingredients have the potential to be not only carcinogenic but also to profoundly compromise lung health and immune integrity in the short term and long term. Children and older people are at a greater risk but, in truth, everyone in NYC metropolitan area is seriously affected. Unfortunately, the media is downplaying the seriousness of this problem to the health of all New Yorkers.

I have family and friends that work and/or reside in the NYC area and upon realizing that this severe health hazard IS REAL, I felt compelled to research this serious problem. After spending all day researching and on the phone talking to many health experts and getting a deeper understanding of this issue I decided to put together this SPECIAL HEALTH ALERT. I trust that each of you will forward it on to your friends and family. Remember, even if you do not reside in NYC, someone on your list may know someone who does have loved ones in New York City.

If you have doubts about the danger from the air pollutants, I invite you to read from this site for further information about the real extent of the dangerous health risk from just the asbestos fallout:

http://asbnyc.cjb.net/

It is, therefore, imperative to protect and bolster the lungs, the immune system and the detoxification system (the Liver) with effective and potent nutritional support. Again I stress, if you have family or friends in NYC or know of someone who does, please share this information with them immediately. Also, please send this email to any email list that you may be a part of. This is a profound and personal way that each of us can contribute to the support and health of New Yorkers. We all can have a huge influence on the physical, emotional and spiritual healing of our beloved country as well as our global family.

Blessings and Health to All,

Sherrill Sellman
golight@earthlink.net
http://www.ssellman.com



Here are some important practical steps to support your body which can be implemented immediately. They are inexpensive and easy to do. And they do make a big difference.

  1. WATER! WATER! WATER! It is critical to drink lots and lots of pure water- 3-4 quarts daily to help flush toxins from the body. It is even more effective and detoxifying if you add freshly squeezed lemon juice to it. Also drink herbal teas and soups.
  2. Take a B complex (100 mg) and Vitamin C (500 mg in divided doses 4 x day) for emotional and physical stress.
  3. Reduce or eliminate all sugar, dairy, simple carbohydrates (bagels, pastries etc.) and caffeine since they will further compromise a heavily taxed immune system.
  4. Try to eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible with good quality proteins and good oils (olive oil, flax oil). Try not to skip meals which also puts added strain on the body.
  5. Include garlic and onions into your diet regularly - either fresh or cooked.
  6. To help clear and heal mucus membranes, use a vaporizer with 6 drops of eucalyptus oil or 5 drops of eucalyptus oil in a bath or boil water and then add 6 drops and, with a towel covering your head, breath in the steam.
  7. Watch for pneumonia especially in young children and older people. Symptoms include shaking, chills, fever and a cough with rough colored sputum
I have asked guidance and support from a variety of health experts to offer the most effective nutrients and herbs to support the body at this time. You can either purchase these products or similar ones from any reliable health food store or you can purchase direct from the companies and individuals listed below. They have agreed to substantially discount their products to offer assistance to as many people as possible. I encourage you to either send these nutrients as a gift or urge your friends and relatives in NYC to purchase them or similar ones and begin using them immediately. Following these suggestions will alleviate many serious health problems in the days to come.

Choose one of the following approaches or a combination but definitely do something NOW. The longer you wait the greater and more serious the risk will be.



Stan Meyerson, a Pharmacist and President of Needs, a natural pharmacy providing high quality nutritional support has put together the following key nutrients in an effective protocol


PROTOCOL TO HELP PROTECT AND REPAIR LUNG TISSUE

Chemicals, toxins, smoke, and airborne particulates damage and inflame the linings of the lungs. To help reduce inflammation and repair the linings, and to help support and repair the lung

QUERCETIN/BROMELAIN: exhibits anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and antihistaminic properties.

Dose is 1-2 capsules 3 times a day before meals.

MSM: the body uses MSM, as a natural barrier to allergens, is anti-inflammatory. MSM has the ability to strengthen the tissue linings of the nasal passages, lungs, skin and digestive tract, thereby protecting the body from toxins.

Dose is 1 capsule (1000 mg) 3-5 times a day

DETOXIFY AND SUPPORT LIVER FUNCTION

The liver is the major organ for the detoxification of toxins and toxin overload from the body.

To help support the liver

SILYMARIN: Helps protect the liver from damage caused from exposure to toxins, including environmental pollution, heavy metals, smoke, and chemicals.

Dose: 1 capsules 1-3 times a day

REBUILD IMMUNE SYSTEM

A healthy immune system is vital for defending the body against the onslaught of exposure to bacterial, viral infections, toxins, and environmental pollution. The exposure to the chemicals, toxins, along with excess stress, reduces the effectiveness, and leads to a compromised immune system.

To rebuild the immune system the following may help.

Colostrum: Nature's first food contains biologically active immune factors, essential for a proper functioning immune system. Colostrum allows the immune system to remain at its peak condition giving it the ability to combat these toxins.

COLOSTRUM SUPREME
Antioxidants: Are essential to fight the free radicals which bombard, damage and destroy every living cell. The exposure to these free radicals is a major health concern at all times, but this extreme exposure to free radicals requires immediate use of anti-oxidants

Dose: 2-4 capsules daily on an empty stomach with a full glass of water

ANTIOXIDANT CAPS: Contain all the major anti-oxidants, along L-glutathione, and N-Acetyl-Cysteine, the major nutrient in the detoxification pathways.

Dose: 1-2 capsules daily

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS TO HELP REPAIR, BUILD AND MAINTAIN A HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEM. CELL FOOD

Cellfood contains: 72 ionic trace minerals, 34 enzymes, 17 amino acids, Electrolytes ,and dissolved oxygen. But its ability to unleash abundant oxygen and hydrogen throughout the body at the cellular level is what makes it such a powerful health aid. Cellfood is designed to raise the frequencies of all organs, making them more resistant to the lower frequencies of viruses, bacteria, and parasites. This fortification of the immune system helps the body become more capable of combating micro-organisms that could be detrimental to your general health.

Dose: 8 drops 3 times a day in filtered or spring water or as directed

To order any products at reduced prices, with no shipping charges from Stan Meyerson, please call N.E.E.D.S. at 1-800-634-1380.


The following is a reply to my request for guidance and healing support from Dr. Viana Muller, President of Whole World Botanicals. She herself lives in NYC and is personally suffering swollen glands, sore throat and other effects of an overwhelmed immune system from all the toxicity in the air. I have decided to include her entire email reply to me.

Dear friends,

We have all undergone a most horrifying experience emotionally, and we are focusing our energies on sending loving thoughts everywhere as we strive to recover and help others to recover. People in the U.S. are reaching out to help others affected by this tragedy in extraordinary ways and one way we can all help is to raise awareness about the toxicity to which everyone in New York City has been exposed to. To chelate out the carcinogens in the dust from the Twin Towers, you can do the following: eat lots of watermelon, lemon juice and passion fruit. You would have to be doing a lot of this every day, basically sipping the juice all day long. But Vitamin C plus associated bioflavonoids--which you only get in a natural form of Vitamin C--is the most powerful chelating agent known to rid your body of heavy metals such as lead, the PCBs, and perhaps the asbestos. The most potent source of such natural Vitamin C-bioflavonoid complex is the camu-camu fruit, followed by the amla fruit. Acerola would be the third on the list. Whole World Botanicals makes available Royal Camu, a spray dried form of camu-camu guaranteed to contain 8% Vitamin C plus the associated of the fruit. The camu-camu is a wild food--it is harvested from the Amazon rainforest in Peru and Brazil. Royal Camu is the only camu-camu guaranteed to contain this high level of NATURAL Vitamin C. It is about 4 times more potent than Ester C.

To chelate your body, take 2 capsules (or 1/4 tsp) four times daily between meals with a full glass of water or fruit. Do this for two weeks. If you get diarrhea, cut back the dosage by one capsule or 1/8 tsp. per day until diarrhoea stops.

The Royal Camu which will detoxify the lungs and the blood will also help to detoxify the liver. But it would be advisable to use a specific liver-kidney detoxifying herb such as Royal Break-Stone Tea or Extract Capsules. To do a detox, drink one glass of tea three times daily between meals or take one capsule with a full glass of water three times daily between meals for three weeks.

To find out more about these wild South American botanicals, you may go to the herbal library on our website at www.wholeworldbotanicals.com to read about them and the research done on them.

I am really quite concerned that if people who have been exposed to the carcinogens in the dust from the Twin Towers do not follow a detoxifying regimen for a number of weeks, that they may end up with Gulf War Syndrome type of symptoms with a weakened immune system and auto immune reactions or a higher incidence of cancer of the lungs and liver. Of course, I am the most concerned for the relief workers who had the highest level of exposures.

I myself have had a sore throat, swollen glands and scratchy eyes since Wednesday, despite living and working in the north part of Manhattan Island. So I have begun to follow the Camu-camu and Break-Stone regimen myself.

Although I could not help directly with the relief efforts, Whole World Botanicals would like to reach out to the people in New York City to educate them (us) as to the dangers we have been exposed to and to offer humanitarian aid in the form of making these two herbs available at wholesale cost for the next three weeks for the people of New York City. You can call us and order on the phone at 212-781-6026 or 888-757-6026. Do not order on-line because full price is charged on-line. God's Blessings and Health

Viana Muller, Ph.D., President
WHOLE WORLD BOTANICALS


Also, Angelo Druda is a master Chinese Herbalist who formulates excellent herbal tincture preparations. These are his thoughts and suggestions.

I want to reiterate the importance of drinking lots of water, and of getting out of the toxic air as soon as possible. Fresh fruits and vegetables are loaded with Vit C, so eat these now. It is also important that people do some kind of detoxification regime as soon as possible. The body reacts to the toxins by creating an inflammatory response. Over time this response can damage the mucous membranes that protect the soft tissue of our vital organs. In most cases the inflammatory response will stop when the toxins are no longer present. So the immediate elimination of these toxins is critical, before genetic cell damage creates more severe health problems. I would use a Chinese medical formula to help clear the toxins, reduce inflammation and boost immunity. This formula is similar to those used to support patients who are under going chemotherapy. They offset the toxic effect of the drugs, and are extremely effective in detoxification, and immune support. They are easy to use and safe. I can be reached at 707-928-4126 or druda@earthlink.net.


In my search for health care professionals to provide advice to the people of New York City, I contacted Dr. Gloria Gilbere, a specialist in chemically induced immune system disorders. Dr. Gilbere is a naturopath and doctor of natural medicine and she has herself survived and repaired the life-threatening affects of chemical toxicity. She consults with clients and physicians around the world, via telephone consultation. She is director of the Naturopath Health & Research Center and General Partner in Global Integrated Health.

To My Fellow Americans in New York City:

What Does September 11th, 2001, The Gulf War and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Have In Common?

Everything!

In the dust left by the tragedy of September 11th, there is an enemy of a different type lingering just around the next corner. The survivors of this totally incomprehensible terror need to understand the serious heath consequences of the chemicals and pollutants you are now forced to breathe. It is not only the immediate symptoms of the dust and debris that are of concern, rather the long term effects of the assault on your immune system.

You have survived the tragedy, only to be tormented by symptoms from the dust and pollution. The symptoms that are immediate must be attended to but are only the first step in protecting your health. Those persons who have been riddled by a group of disorders known as multiple chemical sensitivities (including environmental illness, Gulf War Syndrome), know only to well the long term effects of over-loading the immune system with toxic substances - whether from air pollution, water, prescription drugs, pesticides, asbestos, insecticides, formaldehydes, those created by our body or synthetic fragrances, they still constitute an accumulation of toxic substances the body is not designed to automatically eliminate.

I suggest those of you who can possibly use the aforementioned supplements, do so immediately. Do not wait until you're become the next statistic added to the millions of victims of environmental illness induced by chemical toxicity. The following are precautions to assist your body in detoxification and maintain maximum immune system function:

Take the highest tolerated dose of buffered Vitamin "C" powder. Tolerated dose means until it produces loose elimination's. For many adults during a time of added toxicity and stress, 4,000-8,000 mg. a day are easily tolerated.

Whenever possible, use a top quality HEPA air filter like AllerAir, available from NEEDS. Their staff will assist you as to model and type for your specific living/working area. Run it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This will assist the lungs in repairing by providing clean air after the inflammation from pollutants. They have models available for every size room, home or office.

Only drink filtered water, and drink a minimum of water each day equivalent to half of your body weight in ounces. Example: If you weight 100 lbs. drink at least 50 oz. of water. A 200 lb. person needs at least 100 oz. of water a day. Coffee takes water out of the body, so eliminate or greatly reduce caffeine. Herbal teas count as part of your water consumption.

Wear a mask until all air pollution has cleared, which could be quite a while within the city of Manhattan. Synthetic/Cotton masks are suitable but not as efficient as a mask with a disposable charcoal filter. This type of mask is available in various styles from organic cotton, for the highly sensitive, to a synthetic flesh colored lace. They all come with disposable charcoal filters and are lightweight and attractive - the mask is washable, the filter disposable. You should use one filter per day until the particulate matter in the air is minimized. You can order them by calling Healthy by Design at 1-877-862-5417. The masks range from $19.95 to 24.95. Note: I use this mask every time I fly to protect against the re-circulated, chemical laden air.

Keep your colon health at maximum. Make sure stress does not cause or add to a sluggish elimination. Your colon must be clean and able to eliminate toxic matter or it becomes a toxic waste collection station. Use fiber products to help push things along. If possible, contact a certified colon hydro-therapist and schedule a series of colon irrigations, it's easy, effective and could literally save your life - it did mine!

When in a "safe" area with clean, filtered air, practice deep breathing. This exercise not only reduces stress, it provides the much-needed oxygen - essential to rebuild the assaulted immune system.

The symptoms of environmental illness as a result of a toxic assault to the immune system include, but are not limited to:
  • Swelling or restriction in throat
  • Swollen glands
  • Unexplained rashes/swelling
  • Sensitivity to fragrances (rashes, headache, sinus congestion, muscle
  • cramps/fatigue, labored breathing)
  • Sudden on-set of food allergies
  • Reactions, of various degrees, to petrochemicals
  • Reactions to ordinary cleaning products
  • Reactions to usual personal care products
  • Sensitivity to new carpets, computers, window treatments, furnishings (most contain formaldehyde, glues, chemicals to retard stains etc.)
  • Inability to tolerate scented candles
Imagine: You suddenly start reacting, to one degree or another, to substances that are part of "normal" life. Home and office is not the haven it once was. Everything there has the potential to turn into an enemy, launching an attack on your immune system and sending you into an allergic reaction, or at least, a headache and muscle aches and pains. You cannot retire to a wooden shack away from civilization, like many of my multiple chemical sensitivity/environmental illness/Gulf War clients have had to do to survive. Your entire life and career is staring you in the face.

Imagine: You have the opportunity to be forewarned, to avoid the pitfalls of the unfortunate before you. You now have the opportunity to turn this tragedy into an opportunity, an opportunity to not only appreciate our freedom as Americans, but also to appreciate your health.

If you acquire healthy eating habits, create safer "non-toxic" environments, educate yourself and implement methods of regular detoxification, you will be healthier as a result of surviving the tragedy of New York City. You'll be able to go on, to a stronger America and a stronger, healthier life, naturally.

For further information on multiple chemical sensitivities, toxic substances in home, office and your environment, please see Dr. Gilbere's website at www.drgloriagilbere.com.

Dr. Gilbere can be reached for consultation Mon. - Fri. 9-4 (PST) at (208) 267-5417. Dr. Gilbere is offering a 50% discount to NY City residents.



In closing, I want to personally thank each of you for the caring and prayers that have been sent out for all of our American family. I trust that this information will be helpful to you and all of the people in New York City. Sherrill Sellman


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