OneRoomSchoolHouse Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I live very close to an infected area and my homeschool group here is sending out info. Here is an excerpt: Friends, this is from an ER doctor in New Braunfels, sent to me by Mark Lundy. It is more comprehensive than other things I've see. -- J___ Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:55:31 -0500 Subject: Flu Update from Dr. Gitterle After I returned from a public health meeting yesterday with community leaders and school officials in Comal County, Heather suggested I send an update to everyone, because what we are hearing privately from the CDC and Health Department is so different from what you are hearing in the media. Some of you know some or maybe all of this, but I will just list what facts I know. - The virus is infectious for about 2 days prior to symptom onset - Virus sheds more than 7 days after symptom onset (possibly as long as 9 days) (this is unusual) - Since it is such a novel (new) virus, there is no "herd immunity," so the "attack rate" is very high. This is the percentage of people who come down with a virus if exposed. Almost everyone who is exposed to this virus will become infected, though not all will be symptomatc. That is much higher than seasonal flu, which averages 10-15%. The "clinical attack rate" may be around 40-50%. This is the number of people who show symptoms. This is a huge number. It is hard to convey the seriousness of this. - The virulence (deadliness) of this virus is as bad here as in Mexico, and there are folks on ventilators here in the US, right now. This has not been in the media, but a 23 month old near here is fighting for his life, and a pregnant woman just south of San Antonio is fighting for her life. In Mexico, these folks might have died already, but here in the US, folks are getting Tamiflu or Relenza quickly, and we have ready access to ventilators. What this means is that within a couple of weeks, regional hospitals will likely become overwhelmed. - Some of the kids with positive cases in Comal County had more than 70 contacts before diagnosis. - There are 10-25 times more actual cases (not "possible" cases -- actual), than what is being reported in the media. The way they fudge on reporting this is that it takes 3 days to get the confirmatory nod from the CDC on a given viral culture, but based on epidemiological grounds, we know that there are more than 10 cases for each "confirmed" case right now. - During the night, we crossed the threshold for the definition of a WHO, Phase 6 global pandemic. This has not happened in any of our lifetimes so far. We are in uncharted territory. - I expect President Obama will declare an emergency sometime in the next 72-96 hours. This may not happen, but if it doesn't, I will be surprised. When this happens, all public gathering will be cancelled for 10 days. - I suggest all of us avoid public gatherings. Outdoor activities are not as likely to lead to infection. It is contained areas and close contact that are the biggest risk. - Tamiflu is running out. There is a national stockpile, but it will have to be carefully managed, as it is not enough to treat the likely number of infections when this is full-blown. I don't think there is a big supply of Relenza, but I do not know those numbers. If I had to choose, I would take Relenza, as I think it gets more drug to the affected tissue than Tamiflu. - You should avoid going to the ER if you think you have been exposed or are symptomatic. ER's south of here are becoming overwhelmed -- and I mean that -- already. It is coming in waves, but the waves are getting bigger. - It appears that this flu produces a distinctive "hoarseness" in many victims. The symptoms, in general, match other flu's; namely, sore throat, body aches, headache, cough, and fever. Some have all these symptoms, while others may have only one or two. - N-Acetyl-Cysteine -- a nutritional supplement available at the health food store or Wimberley Pharmacy, has been shown to prevent or lessen the severity of influenza. I suggest 1200mg, twice a day for adults, and 600mg twice a day in kids over 12. It would be hard to get kids under 12 to take it, but you could try opening the capsules and putting it on yogurt. For 40 pounds and up, 300-600 mg twice a day, for less than 40 pounds, half that. - Oscillococinum, a homeopathic remedy, has been vindicated as quite effective in a large clinical trial in Europe, with an H1N1 variant. You can buy this at Hill Country Natural Foods, or the Wimberley Pharmacy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fivetails Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I googled that email - it's been posted 'round the net a bit and nobody has been able to prove whether this "Doctor" actually wrote it or not... it's not an official communication by any means.... and the guy appears to sell stuff Not saying there isn't any truth in the "email" (if it even was an email to begin with) - but just that it's worth being cautious with these things that get sent around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneRoomSchoolHouse Posted April 30, 2009 Author Share Posted April 30, 2009 You got me thinking, I did a search for him in our area and did find an ER Doctor with the same last name: Dr. Marcus Gitterle MD Emergency Medicine Physician - New Braunfels, Texas Physician Addresses 600 N Union AveChristus Santa Rosa Hospital Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 His buddy is a self-promoter: http://www.mrfire.com/ I dunno...there could be seeds of truth wrapped up in a package intended to draw attention to some folks looking to benefit from a little free publicity. Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Sounds bogus to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I live very close to an infected area and my homeschool group here is sending out info. Here is an excerpt: Friends, this is from an ER doctor in New Braunfels, sent to me by Mark Lundy. It is more comprehensive than other things I've see. -- J___ Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:55:31 -0500 Subject: Flu Update from Dr. Gitterle After I returned from a public health meeting yesterday with community leaders and school officials in Comal County, Heather suggested I send an update to everyone, because what we are hearing privately from the CDC and Health Department is so different from what you are hearing in the media. Some of you know some or maybe all of this, but I will just list what facts I know. - The virus is infectious for about 2 days prior to symptom onset - Virus sheds more than 7 days after symptom onset (possibly as long as 9 days) (this is unusual) - Since it is such a novel (new) virus, there is no "herd immunity," so the "attack rate" is very high. This is the percentage of people who come down with a virus if exposed. Almost everyone who is exposed to this virus will become infected, though not all will be symptomatc. That is much higher than seasonal flu, which averages 10-15%. The "clinical attack rate" may be around 40-50%. This is the number of people who show symptoms. This is a huge number. It is hard to convey the seriousness of this. - The virulence (deadliness) of this virus is as bad here as in Mexico, and there are folks on ventilators here in the US, right now. This has not been in the media, but a 23 month old near here is fighting for his life, and a pregnant woman just south of San Antonio is fighting for her life. In Mexico, these folks might have died already, but here in the US, folks are getting Tamiflu or Relenza quickly, and we have ready access to ventilators. What this means is that within a couple of weeks, regional hospitals will likely become overwhelmed. - Some of the kids with positive cases in Comal County had more than 70 contacts before diagnosis. - There are 10-25 times more actual cases (not "possible" cases -- actual), than what is being reported in the media. The way they fudge on reporting this is that it takes 3 days to get the confirmatory nod from the CDC on a given viral culture, but based on epidemiological grounds, we know that there are more than 10 cases for each "confirmed" case right now. - During the night, we crossed the threshold for the definition of a WHO, Phase 6 global pandemic. This has not happened in any of our lifetimes so far. We are in uncharted territory. - I expect President Obama will declare an emergency sometime in the next 72-96 hours. This may not happen, but if it doesn't, I will be surprised. When this happens, all public gathering will be cancelled for 10 days. - I suggest all of us avoid public gatherings. Outdoor activities are not as likely to lead to infection. It is contained areas and close contact that are the biggest risk. - Tamiflu is running out. There is a national stockpile, but it will have to be carefully managed, as it is not enough to treat the likely number of infections when this is full-blown. I don't think there is a big supply of Relenza, but I do not know those numbers. If I had to choose, I would take Relenza, as I think it gets more drug to the affected tissue than Tamiflu. - You should avoid going to the ER if you think you have been exposed or are symptomatic. ER's south of here are becoming overwhelmed -- and I mean that -- already. It is coming in waves, but the waves are getting bigger. - It appears that this flu produces a distinctive "hoarseness" in many victims. The symptoms, in general, match other flu's; namely, sore throat, body aches, headache, cough, and fever. Some have all these symptoms, while others may have only one or two. - N-Acetyl-Cysteine -- a nutritional supplement available at the health food store or Wimberley Pharmacy, has been shown to prevent or lessen the severity of influenza. I suggest 1200mg, twice a day for adults, and 600mg twice a day in kids over 12. It would be hard to get kids under 12 to take it, but you could try opening the capsules and putting it on yogurt. For 40 pounds and up, 300-600 mg twice a day, for less than 40 pounds, half that. - Oscillococinum, a homeopathic remedy, has been vindicated as quite effective in a large clinical trial in Europe, with an H1N1 variant. You can buy this at Hill Country Natural Foods, or the Wimberley Pharmacy. I'm not going to have much time today, but I want to make one quick point about this email... This comment During the night, we crossed the threshold for the definition of a WHO, Phase 6 global pandemic. This has not happened in any of our lifetimes so far. We are in uncharted territory. is really inaccurate. We may be at Phase 6, but we've been there before, we'll be there again, and every time there is a pandemic we're in uncharted territory, because they are all different! Technically, yeah, we've never been at Phase 6, because those definitions are new. I don't know when WHO first came up with this paradigm, but it came out of pandemic preparedness planning after H5N1. We've had pandemics in our lifetime (mine, anyway :)). They just didn't have the name of a phase attached to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I think this is hype. I am sure this is not the last we'll see of mass emails of questionable truth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Readsalot Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I take this to relieve symtoms of Sjogren's ...it helps keep my lungs clear. I have to make sure I also take Vit C when I am using it. Here is a link with information about it http://www.advance-health.com/nacetylcysteine.html Basically I take think it can hurt to take it as a precaution. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in the Country Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 My dh always tells me to beware of anyone trying to sell you something when offering you "information". He thinks it's viral marketing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 "Virulence" doesn't mean "deadliness" so that right there is too alarmist for me to believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I'm sorry, did you mean that it can't hurt? Or do you think that it could be harmful? I'm not familiar with this product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Has anyone checked out this story with Snopes? Something about it just sounds like one of those circulating internet emails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennifersLost Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Yep, the reference to N-A-C rang my bull**** alarms right away. My dad sent me the same email an hour ago - it's not "real". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 http://urbanlegends.about.com/b/2009/04/30/dr-gitterles-swine-flu-email-overblown-officials-say.htm http://www.ksat.com/health/19336577/detail.html My sis works in the area where this er dr works. The dr really exists, he really wrote the letter, & he's potentially going to lose his job over it. (Although, that sounds like a *good* thing to me, I mean who'd want to be a dr right now, you know?) She says that she's heard that the email was intended for his family only & that it's been passed around, edited, etc. But how much it's been twisted or edited is questionable. She has a friend who was in the same meetings this dr was in & didn't hear the same info being given. Fwiw, though, her friend isn't trained in med, so I guess it's poss that the friend wouldn't have "heard" the same things, if that makes sense. Sis says it's probably somewhere in the middle. I'm the paranoid freak in the family. She's the jump-&-see-if-you've-got-a-parachute type. Also, the hospital the dr works for owns hospitals in Mx. Neither of us can figure out how that would matter, but there it is. My point? I guess just sharing. This letter bothered me, & I was really reassured to hear it was likely a hoax. But since, on at least some level, it's not, I prefer to work w/ as many of the facts as I can, kwim? So it gives me pause. Thought I'd share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fshinkevich Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Thanks for sharing Aubrey. I'm with you, at least a portion of what he wrote must be true which is something to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Oh, & I forgot to mention--the pharmacy that he seems to be shamelessly plugging? Sis says it's nowhere near where he works. Because of that, she suspects that he really is giving that stuff to his family. Fwiw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Yep, the reference to N-A-C rang my bull**** alarms right away. My dad sent me the same email an hour ago - it's not "real". Why would it mentioning N-Acetyl-Cysteine ring your alarms? It makes sense that a supplement which helps clear the lungs would be a good one to combat the Swine flu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Partially true or not true at all...he wasn't lying about the 23month old and the pregnant lady - both fighting for their lives (and he wrote this before we even knew about it in from media exposure). Now, both of these people have died. The pregnant woman gave birth to a healthy baby, but died in the hosital May 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrappyhappymama Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 I saw this email several days ago, maybe even the end of last week on another homeschooling message board. It was exactly the same, except for the last two points- the pharmacy recommendations. Don't know what that means about the truth of the rest of it, but someone seems to be adding onto it for their own benefit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 I saw this email several days ago, maybe even the end of last week on another homeschooling message board. Then 72 hours have passed and the president has not declared an emergency and banned public gatherings. I'm not holding my breath over this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 The pharmacy has a good reputation. The head pharmacist is also a 'naturopath' and he has a huge following...LOTS of success stories. New Braunfels ER has a history of hiring Drs who are also naturopaths or 'holistic' Drs. I used one of his colleagues a few years ago with my aspartame poisoning. These are medical Drs who believe that Western medicine does NOT hold all of the answers. There is another Dr in our town--my DD's Dr, who has his own pharmacy that has a much broader selection of natural products--including the ones mentioned. This is what makes me think that the e-mail was either a shameless plug--or that his family KNEW the pharmacist or the health-food store owner (I must admit that I do...). I agree that most of this e-mail has probably been exaggerated... BUT if anyone wants to drive here and use the pharmacy listed--Wimberley is a great little tourist town (Beautiful creek/huge trees/green hills) lots of little shops--I'd be happy to show you around--as long as you are not sick!:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 I think it is bizarre that they are reporting the pregnant woman had underlying health issues. I *get* that she was pregnant, had developed pneumonia, and delivered a baby via c-section. That is definitely a LOT for the body to try and handle. However, one article I read cited that her "underlying conditions" were "severe obseity and gall stones." WHAT? Since when are gall stones and obesity underlying medical conditions that cause you to die from flu? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 I think it is bizarre that they are reporting the pregnant woman had underlying health issues. I *get* that she was pregnant, had developed pneumonia, and delivered a baby via c-section. That is definitely a LOT for the body to try and handle. However, one article I read cited that her "underlying conditions" were "severe obseity and gall stones." WHAT? Since when are gall stones and obesity underlying medical conditions that cause you to die from flu? I don't know anything about her medical problems, but obesity is a risk factor for pneumonia, as well as many other medical conditions. Morbid obesity just makes everything worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly IN Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 hhhmmm this is contrary to what CDC told my boss. He called them yesterday due to the Academy's concern on Swine flu since two schools near where I work closed due to confirmed Swine flu case. He called them and asked them what we should do. This letter the OP posted is nothing what the CDC told my boss. They basically told him "Business as usual". Just put out more sanitary pumps for visitors and anybody that is in the building. Wipe down door handles and counters in public areas periodically. They said just let it take its course. No reason to close academy or church down if confirmed swine flu case shows up. hhhmmmm....I think the letter is bogus!! Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Puddins~ Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 I also live in the same town as this doctor, and shortly after the email started spreading so rapidly, others in our medical community went to the newspaper and they put out a response to this doctor, basically debunking all that he said. Their main suggestion was to keep out of public areas (most especially restaurants, parks, and movie theaters) and wash your hands, and not to panic. Our city buildings, schools, parks, etc have been closed so every one was doing their best to keep people home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in MD Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Last week, my oncologist had a list of swine flu symptoms next to the sign in sheet. Today it was gone. But in another area of the office, there was a list of measles symptoms and instructions to contact the state department of health(?) if you had them. We aren't near a major outbreak of swine flu, but the change in notices makes me think that, at least locally, the problem isn't as bad as originally believed. I didn't get to the hospital, so I don't know if they still have their face masks out for people running fevers with other flu-like symptoms. Before I start a measles panic, last I heard there were only about 6 measles cases in the entire state. I know that measles can have dangerous side effects, especially for adults, but six is nothing to someone who grew up when the measles were just a normal childhood disease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 I googled that email - it's been posted 'round the net a bit and nobody has been able to prove whether this "Doctor" actually wrote it or not... it's not an official communication by any means.... and the guy appears to sell stuff Not saying there isn't any truth in the "email" (if it even was an email to begin with) - but just that it's worth being cautious with these things that get sent around. Okay, so I click on the link and now I am thinking, "I could use that stuff!" Healthy cholesterol is that easy? :lol::tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatherLynn Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 First thing I thought (as a respiratory therapist) is WHY in the world would any doctor recommend acetylcysteine (Mucomyst) to everyone without cautioning them that it may cause airway constriction and copious unmanageable secretions? We were taught to NEVER give acetylcysteine without a bronchodialtor. You know, myself and my medical field friends are all kind rolling our eyes about all this swine flu stuff. Wanna research something really scary, research MRSA or acinobactor. Yes, Swine flu is here. Yes, people are being infected. However, compare it to what our "regular" flu does every year and it doesn't even compare. http://www.drugs.com/pro/mucomyst.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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