Dr. Vinay Goyal offers simple tips for combatting H1N1
With over 20 years of clinical experience, Dr. Vinay Goyal, MBBS, DRM, DNB, has worked in numerous medical facilities, including Bombay Hospital. Presently, he’s the head of the Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, in India.
Based on his experience, he offers the following observations and recommendations one can take to keep a healthy immune system, and prepare against the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. He says that these measures can be and should be practiced “instead of focusing on stocking up on N95 or Tamiflu.”
“In a global epidemic of this nature, it’s almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much the problem as proliferation is. The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. While you are healthy, here are some simple steps – “not fully highlighted in most official communications” – that can be used:
1. Frequent hand-washing.
2. “Hands-off-the-face” approach. resist all temptations to touch any part of your face (unless you want to eat or bathe.)
3. Gargle twice daily with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don’t trust salt.) H1N1 takes 2 to 3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms.
Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don’t underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
4. Clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (a very good way to clean nasal cavities.) But, blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.
5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (including eating citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that they also contain Zinc – to boost absorption.
6. Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc.) as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.”
Since the target population for the H1N1 vaccine is the younger crowd, Dr Goyal suggests passing on this hygiene and nutrition information to kids and grandkids. He says that the older population has some immunity, but it doesn’t hurt any one – of any age – to follow the simple guidelines he’s presented.
Under #4 …”blowing the nose hard”… should be corrected, I believe. On another presentation of Dr. Vinay Goyal recommendations blowing hard is NOT included, and, if you research this you will find there are studies that indicate this can put you at risk. Google ‘how to blow your nose’ for proper procedure [gently, one nostril at a time, use tissue, dispose of it immediately and wash hands].
I would like to know the authenticity of this article. It is all over the Internet, yet I can find no confirmation that Dr Goyal and his advice actually exist.
Web pages attribute this advice to “a lecture” he gave in Molokai, HI, in August 2009, but I cannot validate this. They also link to a Vinay Goyal who is an associate professor, but in Neurology, not in respiratory diseases.
There appears to be zero corroborating evidence that he exists, that he delivered this information, and that it is shared by the medical community.
Can you validate this?
Well I have the same problem, when I researched Dr Goyal to verify his licence as a physician he was not found not in India or anywhere in the world. The advice IS pretty general and IS general common sense practices; do you really need a doctor to tell you to wash your hands? But then again if this guy is NOT a doctor of any kind then who is HE to tell people what to do?
I will send a message to Sec. Sebelius via flu.gov including the 6 recommended preventive H1N1 actions and ask her to verify or not verify these recommendations, as well as see that her statement is posted so as to appear in the top 10 Google responses to a search on Dr. Vinay Goyal. Should these apparently sensible recommendations be recommended as is, or corrected as Kari suggested here, official comment is in order. **And in particular, any additional recommended action deemed valid by HHS but which is not currently recommended by HHS (US Department of Health and Human Services), should be posted ASAP to flu.gov and hhs.gov/flu at least.**
…. authenticity of this article….. I was thinking the same however as what is said doesn’t put anyone at harm, what’s the problem with washing your hands, keeping them off your face, gargling with salt water, cleaning your nose with a cotton swab dipped in salt water (you get much more if you go for a swim in the ocean), taking vitamin C and or drinking plenty of warm liquids…. The only bad thing is suggesting to blow the nose hard, which can cause the infection to go to the surrounding areas such as sinuses and ears.
I got this same information forwarded to me by my mother in law. She tends to get this kind of ‘free but questionable’ medical advise from friends and then spreads that around like, well, a virus :)
I think the only risk of these recommendations (besides the hard blowing) is that people will do this and use it as an excuse not to get inoculated. I’ve heard the craziest excuses already. Probably most are simply afraid of needles but won’t admit it.
Anyway, I already have a Neilmed nose rinse kit and will start doing this daily. It feels nice anyway and won’t hurt a thing. I save a bit of salty water in the bottle and gargle with it. Already washing my hands and trying not to touch my face. Tricky sometimes as my eyes tend to get itchy easily. Generally trying to not touch anything around you in public places (hand rails, door handles etc) and cleaning your hands if you have to is probably good advise, regardless of H1N1. I mean who wants a cold or other infection?
Not being of any medical training just the school-of-hard-knocks, I use mostly my own knowledge and whatever I can learn from reading other opinions, after doing some research into claims and recommendations for validity.
The copy I received has a little different wording than the ones I have seen on the web, after doing a Google on Dr. Vinay Goyal. I find the following quote from my copy going against conventional knowledge and suggestions from Medically trained people.
“*Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.”
Not going into picking it apart word by word, just not good since to me.
Plus: “6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can.”
Drinking concentrates is not recommended to replace consumption of good clean H2O (water). And plenty of that will do much to keep one a little healthier, not to the point of drowning though.
On the FLU shot, I have not had one since about 1974 and have not had the FLU since, always got the shot and always had the FLU, not any longer. So far so good for me anyway, no smoking, no dinking, and keeping myself in as best HEALTH as I can.
I also have seen where many have their own ideas as to what this FLU scare is about and that is good but some are just a little far fetched in my opinion. I take each outbreak and handle it to the best I can to keep myself and family going.
Thank you for reading my ramble message and good luck with each keeping themselves HEALTHY,
CU L8R,
LxCee
OK, folks, here is another link that may give some information or maybe just add you to a mailing list?
http://meramd.com/find/doctors/details/vinay-goyal-2
It has this Dr. as a Dentist at:
“Aesthetic Dental Care Centre,
51- SCF,
Market Complex,
Leela Bhawan, Patiala”
Quoted from the above webpage.
CU L8R,
Lxcee
Absolutely does not exist!! Why do we get these posts from fictional persons. There a reason this is all over the internet and if no one is willing to actually take credit for the advice, then I believe the reason must be suspect.
Some versions of this start with ‘the mouth and the nose are the only entry points for the virus. BUT, all the info I have read says that the eyes are also an entry point
The problem with this advice is that it 1) confuses the issue with recommendations that may or may not be helpful, 2) leads people to take actions with little efficacy at the expense of others that are proven effective, 3) often gives a false sense of security that can actually increase the risk of becoming infected, and 4) does not even mention immunization, which is clearly the #1 means of prevention. Stick with proven prevention methods. Go to http://www.cdc.gov/flu.
Does this link help authenticate the supposed author?
http://www.aiims.ac.in/aiims/departments/spcenter/nsc/neurology/vinay-g.htm
I’ve observed this post, and the comments following it with an air of bemused interest, watching the “trust your government” advocates mumble obscure threats intermixed with hey, there are some good ideas here.
Perhaps the real issue here is whether or not we should trust a government busily appointing Czars, and other autocratic operatives to carry out the agendas of those who pull the strings in D.C., and elsewhere. Whatever happened to the free exchange of information, as opposed to carefully worded PR intended to lead a trusting populace wherever those ’string pullers’ dictate?
Be that as it may, I found an interesting post today, while doing further research into the H1N1 subject and want to share it with the thousands of folks who have already read this article, as well as those who will read it in the future. I make no claims as to authenticity, source, or government approval of the piece, as I have a rather old fashioned idea that people, given enough information, will make their own decisions, even if they don’t agree with the current trend from on high.
In reference to the huge government propaganda campaign being waged over the H1N1 issue is an excerpt from an article by Joel Skousen of “World Affairs Brief,” in which he is quoted as saying, “This has all the markings of a propaganda campaign benefiting the huge pharmaceutical firms producing vaccines. It’s more than monetary motives that are driving this push. There seems to be a long-term agenda of making people totally dependent upon government money and actions to manage health.”
Imagine that, from a government that enslaves future generations with trillions of dollars in debt in order to bailout banks and other institutions, who’s corrupt and questionable practices were threatening to flush the whole system down the crapper.
Skousen goes on further to state, “The media is highly complicit in the campaign to push vaccines and government health care reform, going so far as to reject paid advertising spots warning about vaccine problems. ABC and NBC refused to run national ads critical of President Obama’s health care reform plan as well.”
Well folks, guess what? We are neither NBC nor ABC, nor any of the other wholly owned subsidiaries of the government “news” agency. 7Bends will publish what, in our estimation, seems to point to the truth on every issue that time and resources permit us to cover, and leave it to you, our readers, to sort out the information and make your decisions as you deem best for yourselves and your families.
Enough of my rambling, here’s the link, and I hope you will find it interesting, if not thought provoking and possibly even disturbing. I believe that if one takes the time to read it through (it’s more notes and summery of several articles relating to the subject,) and take the time to check out the sources used, it puts the whole issue in a completely different perspective.
http://www.timharrisblog.com/?p=135 Enjoy!
This message about Dr. Vinay it’s a haox, you can find out at:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/medical/a/dr_vinay_goyal_swine_flu_2.htm
Of course it’s a hoax. Dr. Vinay is real, but the content of the message isn’t his. Yes, there are some good things & not so good things. But why is it being perpetuated, especially beyond individuals forwarding various versions in emails?
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/medical/a/dr_vinay_goyal_swine_flu_2.htm
I agree with Carolyn (message from November 2, 2009 at 9:06 pm).
Dr. Vinay Goyal is a neurologist, as you can check on scientific database PubMed by typing “goyal v”
http://www.pubmed.gov
Regards,
Vojtech Mezera
medical student, Czech Republic
I think the info contained here is extraordinarily helpful.
I think swine flu is simply a conspiracy controlled the vaccination companies. But many of my friends also think that it was ment to eradicate people, however I think it was hyped by the media who were controlled by all those international companies and corporations who were the ones that sold the vaccines to the many different governments.