The Tiger and the piglets -Part II

Everytime the tiger crossed paths with the piglets, he ignored them and changed course. The piglets were amused by the tiger's behavior and soon lost their fear. Everyday they rolled themselves in muck and sought the tiger. They humored themselves seeing the tiger grimace and move away. They started bloating about making the tiger runaway with everyone they met in the forest. Soon all animals got tired of their bragging and wished someone silenced them.

This continued for a while and the piglets now dared to come near the tiger's den itself and started troubling the newly born cubs.

The tiger got enraged and roared at them to frighten them away. The piglets who had grown into young pigs were a bit shaken but did not back off as they were intoxicated with a false sense of boldness and arrogance. They dared the tiger to a duel. The tiger amused at their insolence reluctantly agreed to get rid of them once and for all.

He said to them, "Look I don't want to invite Mr.Vulture to my home after I am done with you, so lets match up somewhere else."

The pigs grunted derisively, " We will see about that but we do like to honour your dying wish, so lets fight at the place of your choice" and followed the tiger.

The tiger led them across a ford to the other bank of the river. The pigs haughtily followed the tiger least realising that the flowing water had cleansed them of all their filth they were covered in. When they reached the other bank of the river, they looked at each other and soon a realisation dawned on them but it was too late. They had one last fleeting look at the impending death and then it was all over. The grunts of the pigs were no longer heard in the forest and all the animals sighed a relief.

Like the tiger, one must be patient, ignore your adversaries as long as you can but when it becomes inevitable, one must be careful in planning when and where should one strike the enemy.
Once you hurt your enemy, your enemy should no longer be capable to attack you back both mentally and physically. But one should take on one's enemy only if it is inevitable and if you really mean to hurt. Half-hearted infliction will only fire back. By ignoring your enemies for a while, you let them pile their inflictions on you, so when you attack back you not only will have the support of your peers but also your moral conscience will not hurt you for hurting others. In this context, by enemy I just don't mean some person or human, the word subsumes all evils be it physical, mental or emotional.

The Tiger and the piglets

A tiger prowled in the dense forests of Sunderbans looking for a game, hungry as he was for days. He came across a stream and decided to cool himself from the summer heat. As he was about to take a plunge, the tiger heard some squeals and grunts that seemed to be coming from some distance upstream. The tiger told his grumbling stomach, "We finally have some food here, be patient" and darted off in the direction of the sound.

Some distance upstream some piglets were playing, rolling themselves in a pile of muck and when they saw the tiger coming their way, they panicked and trembled with fear and stood rooted to the place. As the tiger neared his prey, all his insatiable hunger vanished in a puff. He grimaced at the very sight of piglets as it caused nausea, for the piglets were completely covered in muck. The tiger stopped in its tracks, took few steps back and sped in the direction of an antelope he had just spotted. The trembling piglets were taken by surprise by the tiger's sudden move but were very happy to be alive. The piglets went to their mother, Mrs.Swine and bragged that they frightened a tiger away. Their mother scorned at them and warned them to stay away from the tiger and added, "You fools it was not you the tiger was frightened of, the muck you are covered in saved your neck. Every time you go out into the jungle make sure you roll in the pile of muck." The piglets nodded in agreement.

Like Mrs.Swine one must always be on guard against possible adversaries and never mistake their passiveness for their weakness.

The tiger had hunted down the antelope and was ensconced under a huge tree. Soon he was joined by a vulture. The tiger looking at the forlorn face of the vulture asked him, "Whats the matter with you my friend ?". The vulture replied sorrowfully, "My mate died of swine flu, filthy swines killed her even being dead." The tiger chided the vulture, "Your species should learn to make some discretion while feeding off the carcass that are at your disposal. Even I had few piglets at my disposal this morning, it was disgusting to even look at them, forget about eating them. Luckily for today I found this antelope otherwise I would have preferred to go hungry rather than hunting those piglets down".

Like the tiger one should always be discrete in one's choices and not splurge on anything that is at one's disposal. Likewise one should also be discrete in engaging with an adversary or a bully. One need not pick fights with every other bully. Most of the time its not even worth it and it would most probably disturb your own mental peace. Had the tiger hunted down the piglets, he might have lost his peace of mind after hearing the news from the vulture. He was better off ignoring the piglets. So one should try to ignore bullies as long as possible for one's own sake and in case someone persists and gets to your nerves, read the story about the tiger and piglets that continues in my next post.

How to Build Natural Immunity against the Swine Flu

Here are some tips to develop immunity against the Swine Flu (courtesy: www.NaturalNews.com)

There are many natural remedies that will raise your immunity to the Swine Flu and other viral and bacterial diseases. Many people do not have immunity to the current strain of Swine Flu. This is not unusual because most viruses alter as the virus season goes along. Most people will not become sick because the issue is not the virus but SUSCEPTIBILITY.

Viruses will not multiply in a healthy body. We constantly have Streptococcus in our throats, yet we rarely experience Strep Throat. The same is true of this Swine Flu and other viral strains. Exposure will lead to disease only if the immune system is suppressed and if the vitality of the person is weakened. Do NOT suppress mucus. It is important to let the body discharge toxins.

Most viruses become less aggressive over time because they want to spread and not to kill their hosts. If they kill their hosts, they die as well. The viruses that do survive --the ones in humans with strong immune systems-- become less virulent so that their hosts, us humans, go to work, shake hands and sneeze on others to continue to spread the virus.

Using herbs, homeopathy, and vitamins will increase your health and reduce your susceptibility.

DIGESTION
Some say that the flu "begins in the gut and ends in the gut". This means that if you have good digestion, you will increase your resistance to this and other flu strains. Take a probiotic daily. Live probiotics are available in natural food stores, and probiotics are now more widely available in grocery stores, in yogurt culture and even in chocolate. Now we have got some excuse to relish lots of chocolate.

HOMEOPATHY
The homeopathic remedy Anas Barbariae is made from the liver of migrating geese. Because they travel the world, they build immunity to many viruses years before humans do. Be sure to get the 2009 version by checking the expiration date. It has been found that the remedy Ferrum phos is effective in treating the early stages of the flu, when used in the first 24 hours. Also the remedy Influenzinum can be taken as a prophylaxis. This remedy is made from the same disease strain as the CDC uses to make each season's flu vaccine.

LIFESTYLE ADVICE
1. Get Plenty of Sleep
To improve your resistance to any disease, the most important thing you can do is get enough rest. Your body knows how to heal, and it does this best when sleeping. Get adequate rest on a daily basis, and if you begin to feel fatigue during a time of increased stress to your immune system, take naps, get into bed earlier, relax and let your body do what it does best: restore and rebuild.

2. Hydrate
Our bodies are 80% water. Drink plenty of water each day to stay hydrated and to allow the body to flush toxins from the blood and the liver. Drink pure water, not soda or juice, for best results.

3. Exercise
Exercise increases your resistance to disease. It stimulates the cleansing blood flow and increases your natural stress reducing hormones. Exercise doesn't have to be strenuous to be beneficial. Science has shown that walking daily is good for your health and well being.

4. Spend time outdoors
The healing benefits of nature are yours and all you need to do is step outside. The fresh air cleanses your lungs and the vitamin D from sunshine is great for general health. Even on a rainy day or at night, the fresh air is beneficial.

5. Exposure
Exposure to nature and the great outdoors helps healthy emotions.

HERBS TO BUILD PROTECTION AND NATURAL IMMUNITY

1.Echinaea--Echinacea is best taken in advance of getting sick.
2.Olive Leaf
3.Elderberries
4 Adaptogens
Adaptogens are plants that have the ability to resist chemical and biological stressors and to pass that ability on to humans. Eleutherococcus research has shown a 30% to 50% decrease in influenza in Russian workers. Shisandra has long been used in Chinese medicine to improve immune function through its healing action on the liver. In recent research, Shisandra proved curative to the viral hepatitis. Codonopsis is another adaptogen used in Chinese herbal medicine. It increases the red and white blood cell counts and strengthens the immune system.

VITAMINS
1. Vitamin A is one of the main components of the skin. To strengthen the skin's protective ability, take vitamin A daily. Vitamin A also increases the white blood cells that fight disease.
2. Vitamin C --Research has shown that vitamin C improves resistance to disease and prevents flu symptoms when 1,000 mg doses are taken every six hours.
3. NAC is an amino acid that has been shown to raise immunity to the flu in clinical trials.
4.Probiotics. Healthy flora in the gut supports immune function.

By improving your lifestyle, your diet, and supplementing with natural herbs, homeopathy, and vitamins, you can improve your immune system and your overall vitality.

Healthy habits to avoid catching an infectious disease

To prevent illness, we need to keep our immune systems healthy as well as foil the illness's sneaky methods of transmission. The strategies for preventing most illnesses are chiefly common sense, yet many of us neglect to take the simple precautions that could reduce the number of infectious diseases that we get every year.

Wash your hands. All of us carry germs from surfaces we touch to our faces or our chidren's faces, where they can find easy entry into our bodies. At work, wash your hands several times a day, particularly before you eat, even if you're just snacking while at the computer. Wash them when you get home, after grocery shopping, and before you prepare a meal. And don't forget to wash them after changing the baby's diaper or wiping a toddler's runny nose.

Teach your children to wash their hands. For even the tiniest toddler, washing hands before a meal should be automatic. And it should be a thorough wash, with scrubbing and lots of suds spread all over the hands and wrists, not just a quick spritz of water.

Act as if you have stock in Kleenex.Get everyone in your household into the tissue habit. And teach them to cover their mouths and noses when they cough and sneeze. Even little children can learn automatically to cover up with a tissue to prevent germs from flying.

Use your dishwasher as your secret weapon. Anything that goes in a child's mouth--pacifiers, toys, teething rings, nipples, bottles--should be washed often. Put plastic toys in the dishwasher and soft toys in the laundry, especially when colds and flu are making the rounds. If you don't have a dishwasher, use a dishpan of hot, soapy water, and rinse with the hottest water that the plastic (and your hands) can stand.

Give your toothbrush some breathing room. Don't store your family's toothbrushes together in a glass. Put them in the sort of holder that doesn't let them touch each other. Shake them after using so that they dry fast--germs don't thrive well on dry surfaces. Of course, don't share toothbrushes--it's a very direct way to share germs.

Know when to say goodbye. Because they tend to harbor infectious organisms, if you've had a cold or strep throat, throw out your toothbrush and use a new one. (For hygiene and tooth health change to a new toothbrush every 3 months.)

When you're on the mend, think hot water. After you or your family member has recovered from a bout of sickness, wash the bedding and nightclothes in hot water. Wash down the crib or bed and all bedroom surfaces, and then open windows--even in the winter--to help fresh air circulate into the room.

Change the towels. Facecloths and towels should be changed every day. This is doubly important when someone in the house has a cold or the flu.

Observe kitchen etiquette. Change dish towels every day. Don't dry dishes with the same towel that you use for your hands. Even better, let your dishes air dry. Clean your sponges in the dishwasher and change them often.

Keep dry. Most infectious organisms don't thrive on dry surfaces. After you use soap and water on the sink and countertops in your kitchen, dry them with paper towels. This is a good practice for the bathroom, too.

Quarantine raw meat. To prevent food poisoning from salmonella and other organisms, keep your meat and salad preparations apart. Use different areas of the kitchen if you can and different cutting boards and knives. Wash up spilled meat juices with soapy paper towels, not sponges. Store meat where its juices can't leak onto other foods. Wash your hands after handling raw meat.

Think of the these tips as a gentle reminder of some pretty basic household strategies for preventing infectious illnesses in general.

Swine Flu Safety Dos and Don'ts

Swine flu is quickly spreading its tentacles all over the world and it makes us feel a bit panicky. Here are few dos and don'ts....

DO:

Germ-proof your skin: Wash your hands well and often. Not every 10 minutes, but when it makes sense, like after using the bathroom, touching common objects at work—like the microwave or printer—or returning home from the grocery store. Use warm water and soap, and rub your hands together for about 20 seconds.

Pack Purell in your kid's backpack: The classic germ-killer can be 99% effective in 20 seconds, says Cohen. Slathering it on throughout the day can minimize the chance that your child will transmit potential germs on his hands to his mouth and nose, where the virus enters the body. Keep a bottle in your purse too.

Keep your distance. Critical closeness—less than 6 to 10 feet—is required to catch airborne viruses.That means avoiding close contact with people who are coughing or sneezing, but it doesn't mean you should hole up at home and never go out in public until the swine flu passes.

Call the doctor if you think it's flu. Some people think everything that's an infection is the flu, but there's actually a very specific cluster of symptoms to worry about. These include:

• Almost always: Fever, cough, muscle aches, and headaches
• Sometimes: Runny nose, red eyes, nausea and vomiting

Take the right meds: Antivirals like Tamiflu will only help if you actually have the flu. They're most effective in the first 2 days of illness onset, so if you have suspicious symptoms, call your doctor right away. Your doctor may also recommend a fever-reducer like Tylenol or an NSAID like ibuprofen for muscle pain relief.

Remember, never give aspirin to children or teens with the flu (or any virus); this can cause a rare but serious condition called Reye's Syndrome.

DON'T:

Skip public transportation or cancel air travel.

Keep your kid out of school. Schools with individual cases are being closed. If you live in a community or state with no instances of swine flu, there's no need to keep your child home.

Stock up on face masks. The CDC has said they're not necessary for people who don't work in healthcare jobs.

Start an emergency food and water stash.

Banish School Bus.