Antiviral Drugs Should Be Used Cautiously to Fight Flu, U.S. Says

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what antiviral agent is recommended for asthmatic pts <5y of age?

martha tarpay md of OK 5:36PM September 10, 2009

Take an amino acid that our body must have daily: Subject had severe Herpes Simplex Virus outbreaks (fever blisters caused scarring of lips)and colds & serious flu with backsets every winter for 15 years. An article written by a MD pointed out the benefit of L-Lysine on virus. Subject took some tablets when a fever blister was emerging and it helped. The subject neglected the L-Lysine and the fever blisters and flu returned. CONVINCED 500mg of L-Lisine taken every day. Now for over 25 years there has not been one cold, flu or fever blister. I understand that this is one of 7 amino acids that our bodies can't produce and there are foods which supply small amounts as green, leafy vegetables. On my bottle purchased from Wal Mart it states: Immune/Skin Health. Sharing this with my friends, one was amazed that warts disappeared; another had the bad herpes which became inactive. I've tried to contact a biochemist to see if it might help AIDS victims. L-Lysine does not kill the virus. L-Lysine helps the tissue to heal but it also prevents an outbreak of a virus by changing our chemical balance from acid to alkaline. I read that virus grow in an acidic environment and our bodies should be ackaline.

Kay Harwick of OK 9:14AM September 09, 2009

"Antivirals should only be used by those at high risk....."
Tell that to the parents of a 19 year old in Denham Springs, Louisiana who died from Swine Flu last week, partly because she was never given Tamiflu despite 3 visits to her family doctor. She had no previous medical problems. She was a healthy kid until she contracted the Swine Flu.
Tamiflu does help prevent serious complications from Swine Flu and regular flu. What are we waiting on? We have a flu that is killing people and the CDC is telling us not to use an antiviral that can save lives. How many people have to die before the CDC "allows" physicians to prescibe this drug?
If you have to treat 10,000 people in order to save one life then I say do it. Let the CDC go tell her family why she should not have been given Tamiflu.

William of LA 7:56PM September 08, 2009

Dr. Rush,
I'd love to hear an explanation for how the vaccine will cause more rapid mutation of the virus. There's no scientific basis for that claim, as far as I can see. Would you argue that people should not get the seasonal flu vaccine because it causes mutation?

Molly Moeller MD of TX 7:30PM September 08, 2009

Do not get the vaccine! This article is contradictory. The anti-viral drugs are nto the only risk poised to mutate the virus. The vaccine will cause a mutation more rapidly than we are equipped to handle.
Ben Rush, MD.

Ben Rush, MD of KY 6:59PM September 08, 2009