More on immune system/cytokine storms/age target

Debra asked this question:

regarding Dewey's previous post:
"Their well developed immune system attacks the brand new virus too
quickly
and so well that it destroys vital organs".

I'm curious as to your source(s) for this info.


Obviously, as I'm no expert, it's possible I'm wrong, but I have a hard
time
understanding how a strong immune system can work against us. I've
heard and
read of many accounts of people who were given months, or even weeks,
to
live by the conventional medical society when for one reason or another
they
sought out energy healing and/or naturopathy and are still alive today,
thriving, many, many years after they were basically considered to be
walking dead. These practices work solely on our innate ability to heal
ourselves through nutrition and spiritual awareness, and it has been
medically proven that not only are our bodies able to regenerate skin
(from
cuts etc.) but also bone, nerve, cartilage etc. One man actually
rebuilt an
entire ankle bone and joint!!

Dear Debra,

Chldren are dying of bird flu in larger numbers than adults. Some speculation is that they are just more likely to play with the birds. However, the argument that they are more likely to get ARDS http://www.pulmonologychannel.com/ards/
because they have a better immune system also explains this difference.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05350/623617.stm

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6880869/


http://www.birdfludefense.com/016933.html



http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/bird-flu-young-at-most-risk/2006/03/01/1141191732196.html

http://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt=&trh=20060131&hn=29234

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10894225/

Note: The 1918 flu was also not like our common flus in that it killed more young, healthy people. That flu and H5N1 are genetically very similar. There was speculation that people over the age of 40 were spared because they had at some time encountered that flu or a close cousin and developed immunity.
quote from history of pandemics:
“The disease had an incredibly high mortality rate and unusually people aged 20-40 were its victims rather than the old and weak.

However, the idea that young and healthy immune systems increase mortality because they attack too well and so in the resulting “cytokine storm” work to destroy the good stuff as well as the virus, is a reasonable explanation of the age difference in this 1918 flu too.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1005_051005_bird_flu.html

CHECK OUT THE SECOND PAGE OF THIS ONE TOO

Finally, what I am getting in every article is that our immune system may be in the best of shape, but if it has not actually encountered some form of the disease, then it is still puzzled. And this H5N1 is new. If it were not new, it would not be such an issue. Vaccination is simply a way to give the immune system a taste of the disease, so when it encounters the real virus head on, it is not a new experience.