Like many Americans, all I knew about bird flu was what I got from headlines, and that information was very basic and not helpful as far as forming a plan of action. This book was different. While less than 100 pages, and some of those diagrams, there is no effort on the part of the author to impress (or boggle) your mind with fancy words. He speaks at a level that normal people can understand, and I feel more educated about this flu issue than in the past. He helped me understand what an epidemic means (not just the Webster definition) as in, how many people get sick, and what we might face. I hadn't considered how it might affect me if a sizable part of the nation got sick all at once (even if I remained untouched, there's still consequences).



Pros - Not complicated medical lingo (skips why the viral RNA has potential to mutate and therefore cross

from birds to humans because of gene marker...) Just what the common person needs to know

- Not an overly long book (not too much to remember all at once)

- Small enough to fit in your coat pocket to read little bits at a time

- Instruction is simple, in an even tone, not panicky

_ Recommendation of "The Great Influenza" was a good one, borrowed it from the library. You probably

won't find "the Bird Flu Preparedness Planner" in your library



Cons - Well, I wish I knew more, and I want some details, especially on how I can take steps on my own to deal

with this when it hits.

- $5 seems like a sum for a small book...



Overall: This book is straight-to-the-point, simple info on what a flu epidemic could be like. I think he hit his goal with getting the basic info out to the masses (this book just needs to move more) in a timely fashion (this was published for 2005) so that if the flu came, at least SOME info would be out there. He has written a second one, "Bird Flu Manual" which I have purchased but not read yet. I think it will fall to me to be the bird flu 'expert' in our family, so I am trying to educate myself. Emails don't count. I always put more stock in a bonafide published work that the author could be hung out to dry on if he writes fluff. Emails are anonymous, and forwards could be written by anyone. Zero authority.



Buy this, read it, get it to someone else. I gave my copy to my father, as he is also interested.

Like many Americans, all I knew about bird flu was what I got from headlines, and that information was very basic and not helpful as far as forming a plan of action. This book was different. While less than 100 pages, and some of those diagrams, there is no effort on the part of the author to impress (or boggle) your mind with fancy words. He speaks at a level that normal people can understand, and I feel more educated about this flu issue than in the past. He helped me understand what an epidemic means (not just the Webster definition) as in, how many people get sick, and what we might face. I hadn't considered how it might affect me if a sizable part of the nation got sick all at once (even if I remained untouched, there's still consequences).

Pros - Not complicated medical lingo (skips why the viral RNA has potential to mutate and therefore cross
from birds to humans because of gene marker...) Just what the common person needs to know
- Not an overly long book (not too much to remember all at once)
- Small enough to fit in your coat pocket to read little bits at a time
- Instruction is simple, in an even tone, not panicky
_ Recommendation of "The Great Influenza" was a good one, borrowed it from the library. You probably
won't find "the Bird Flu Preparedness Planner" in your library

Cons - Well, I wish I knew more, and I want some details, especially on how I can take steps on my own to deal
with this when it hits.
- $5 seems like a sum for a small book...

Overall: This book is straight-to-the-point, simple info on what a flu epidemic could be like. I think he hit his goal with getting the basic info out to the masses (this book just needs to move more) in a timely fashion (this was published for 2005) so that if the flu came, at least SOME info would be out there. He has written a second one, "Bird Flu Manual" which I have purchased but not read yet. I think it will fall to me to be the bird flu 'expert' in our family, so I am trying to educate myself. Emails don't count. I always put more stock in a bonafide published work that the author could be hung out to dry on if he writes fluff. Emails are anonymous, and forwards could be written by anyone. Zero authority.

Buy this, read it, get it to someone else. I gave my copy to my father, as he is also interested.

Like many Americans, all I knew about bird flu was what I got from headlines, and that information was very basic and not helpful as far as forming a plan of action. This book was different. While less than 100 pages, and some of those diagrams, there is no effort on the part of the author to impress (or boggle) your mind with fancy words. He speaks at a level that normal people can understand, and I feel more educated about this flu issue than in the past. He helped me understand what an epidemic means (not just the Webster definition) as in, how many people get sick, and what we might face. I hadn't considered how it might affect me if a sizable part of the nation got sick all at once (even if I remained untouched, there's still consequences).

Pros - Not complicated medical lingo (skips why the viral RNA has potential to mutate and therefore cross
from birds to humans because of gene marker...) Just what the common person needs to know
- Not an overly long book (not too much to remember all at once)
- Small enough to fit in your coat pocket to read little bits at a time
- Instruction is simple, in an even tone, not panicky
_ Recommendation of "The Great Influenza" was a good one, borrowed it from the library. You probably
won't find "the Bird Flu Preparedness Planner" in your library

Cons - Well, I wish I knew more, and I want some details, especially on how I can take steps on my own to deal
with this when it hits.
- $5 seems like a sum for a small book...

Overall: This book is straight-to-the-point, simple info on what a flu epidemic could be like. I think he hit his goal with getting the basic info out to the masses (this book just needs to move more) in a timely fashion (this was published for 2005) so that if the flu came, at least SOME info would be out there. He has written a second one, "Bird Flu Manual" which I have purchased but not read yet. I think it will fall to me to be the bird flu 'expert' in our family, so I am trying to educate myself. Emails don't count. I always put more stock in a bonafide published work that the author could be hung out to dry on if he writes fluff. Emails are anonymous, and forwards could be written by anyone. Zero authority.

Buy this, read it, get it to someone else. I gave my copy to my father, as he is also interested.

Grattan Woodson wrote the brief book, "The Bird Flu Preparedness Planner," ". . .to prepare his patients for a possible catastrophic event. . ." (page 83). The book, as the title suggests, is a nuts and bolts volume, giving readers a brief introduction to avian flu (with a focus on H5N1) and how to deal with it if a pandemic breaks out.

There are introductory chapters about the nature of avian flu and why it could be so destructive of human life. The chapter beginning on page 21 is where this becomes a useful "how to do it" manual. This looks at "pre-pandemic" preparations, including preparing stockpiles of medicines and supplies that one might need if pandemic strikes. There is also am listing of nonperishable foodstuffs that are worth collecting beforehand.

The chapter beginning on page 41 speaks of home flu treatment advice. The author notes that one of the single most important pieces of advice is to (page 41): ". . .make sure [people] have plenty of fluids. Dehydration must be prevented, as this can be fatal in a patient who would otherwise survive." Diet recommendations for those afflicted with flu are enumerated as well.

One of the more sobering presentations in this book is a set of maps showing how rapidly that the 1918 pandemic swept across the United States. From a small outbreak in mid-September, we see the entire country infected by October 13th.

For those interested in a brief introduction as to what one might do to prepare, this is a useful volume. Of course, the brevity is also a problem if one wants much more detail. But if what one wants is "quick, dirty, and brief," this is a volume worth looking at.

This book (ready now, not next year as the publication date says) explains what you can do about getting ready for the bird flu. If there's a major flu pandemic in the next few years, the medical system and the government in general are NOT going to be in a position to do much for you. What can you reasonably expect to be able to do for yourself? Quite a lot, it turns out - and it might make a major difference in how (or whether) you get through it.

I decided to give up coffee. I went the whole weekend without coffee. I woke up with a pounding headache Saturday morning. I took a couple of asprin & it passed (though I realized aspirin has caffeine). No more side effects the rest of the weekend. I was put to the ultimate test, too. I volunteered to giftwrap at Barnes & Noble, which of course, has a Starbucks inside. I was 20 feet from the counter for 2 hours.

I gave up coffee too! I feel so much better! I'm less anxious and cranky, and I find that I wake up much more rested in the mornings. [My doctor says that it takes 2 weeks to get caffeine out of your system completely and to stop feeling the withdrawal symptoms, so hurrah!] He recommended this book called The Truth About Caffeine by Marina Kushner. I read about caffeine wrecks your nervous system. However, I sort of cheated because I've had green tea on two occasions since giving up coffee, but I think the occasional cup of tea isn't all that bad, as long as its herbal.

This book (ready now, not next year as the publication date says) explains what you can do about getting ready for the bird flu. If there's a major flu pandemic in the next few years, the medical system and the government in general are NOT going to be in a position to do much for you. What can you reasonably expect to be able to do for yourself? Quite a lot, it turns out - and it might make a major difference in how (or whether) you get through it.

I decided to give up coffee. I went the whole weekend without coffee. I woke up with a pounding headache Saturday morning. I took a couple of asprin & it passed (though I realized aspirin has caffeine). No more side effects the rest of the weekend. I was put to the ultimate test, too. I volunteered to giftwrap at Barnes & Noble, which of course, has a Starbucks inside. I was 20 feet from the counter for 2 hours.

I gave up coffee too! I feel so much better! I'm less anxious and [...], and I find that I wake up much more rested in the mornings. [My doctor says that it takes 2 weeks to get caffeine out of your system completely and to stop feeling the withdrawal symptoms, so hurrah!] He recommended this book called The Truth About Caffeine by Marina Kushner. I read about caffeine wrecks your nervous system. However, I sort of cheated because I've had green tea on two occasions since giving up coffee, but I think the occasional cup of tea isn't all that bad, as long as its herbal.

Dr. Woodson has shown keen insight last year in foreseeing the likely conditions that would prevent most people suffering from an influenza pandemic from obtaining treatment at overcrowded hospitals. Now the Federal and State governments openly admit as much.

The techniques and procedures contained within this book describe how to treat a family member who has contracted a highly pathogenic influenza, such as H5N1. While the severest cases still need hospitalization, the vast majority of other cases can be treated at home if one follows the carefully spelled out therapy Dr. Woodson has communicated in layman's terms. I loaned this book to my physician who called back two days later to confirm the soundness of the treatment plan. Interestingly enough, the book only costs $5, but the information within makes it worth its weight in gold.

Dr. Woodson has shown keen insight last year in foreseeing the likely conditions that would prevent most people suffering from an influenza pandemic from obtaining treatment at overcrowded hospitals. Now the Federal and State governments openly admit as much.

The techniques and procedures contained within this book describe how to treat a family member who has contracted a highly pathogenic influenza, such as H5N1. While the severest cases still need hospitalization, the vast majority of other cases can be treated at home if one follows the carefully spelled out therapy Dr. Woodson has communicated in layman's terms. I loaned this book to my physician who called back two days later to confirm the soundness of the treatment plan. Interestingly enough, the book only costs $5, but the information within makes it worth its weight in gold.

The "Bird Flu Preparedness Planner" delivers what it promises in a clear, compelling, straight-forward way. Dr. Woodsen lays out the facts of this health threat with no hype and no panic. However, it is real, it is deadly, and it is heading our way.

The most valuable feature of this slim, easy-to-read manual, is its simplicity and practicality for preparedness. It has checklists of supplies, medicines, and food a family would need in case of a severe epidemic or pandemic. I will try to get Tamiflu (to help with ordinary strains of influenza) and the over-the-counter remedies he recommends.

I think the food list could have been a bit more comprehensive. I plan to have more than rice and potatoes on hand to feed a family of six for eight weeks. However my grocery list looks more like a summer cookout for a family reunion than an emergency stash. I suppose 8 cases of baked beans and 8 summer sausages is a little over-the-top.

this extremely alarmist manual does not offer practical suggestions, but a ritualistic rule of worry that will instill doomsday panic in anyone who tries to follow it. Shame on a practicing physician for coming up with such nonsense.

Even though I'm giving author Woodson's book a four star rating, I'm not doing him a favor. My reviews usually get stepped on pretty hard by those who stand on the other side of the political fence. Okay, so this is more like a pamphlet than a book; does it really make any difference how life-saving information is delivered? No, it's not the final word on the bird flu subject, but even a redneck like myself can process the information presented. You'll learn just how quickly the flu can spread, why it's important that each person assumes some responsibility and not take it for granted that the federal government can protect us. In short, this book offers you some real and doable options.

For months now I have been watching the bird flu advance in our direction, and getting more concered as it picks up speed. As of this writing it has advanced to Africa and western Europe, although it has not yet mutated to a form easily passed from human to human. Perhaps God will have mercy on us, and it will not ever reach the stage where we will experience the pandemic that the world's health officials fear. If it does, though, we will be deep doo-doo, as a former president would have put it.

During the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, tens of millions of people died around the world, with over a half million in the United States. The Spanish flu's kill rate was 10%. The bird flu - if it mutates to attack humans - has a kill rate of 50%, and people are living much more concentrated in the cities that they were a hundred years ago.

With all of this in mind, it only makes sense to make some sort of preparations. Dr. Woodson's book is a sane, no-nonsense look at what could happen and what to do to prepare. He draws upon lessons learned from the Spanish flu (which, by the way, was itself a mutated bird flu.) and makes recommendations for action that most people can easily follow and afford. One particularly disturbing section was a series of maps that showed how the Spanish flu covered the entire United States in just four weeks. This was when people were much less concentrated and much less mobile.

The fact that the book is so inexpensive is a big indication that he wants to get the word out to as many people as possible, and is not out to make a quick buck over people's fears. I have already bought several copies to give to others, and have encouraged friends to do likewise.

Investing in this book will be money well spent.

While this book has fewer than a hundred pages, it is packed full of useful information, information that may save your life. Dr. Woodson discusses the bird flu, comparing it to the flu pandemic of 1918-1919, vaccines and what you can do in preparation for a possible pandemic. He suggests that you make sure that you have a will and life insurance, that you get both a flu shot (against the usual seasonal flu) and a Pneumovax vaccination-- while these do not prevent you from getting avian flu, you will be protected from flu and pneumonia, thus making your chances of surviving bird or avian flu much better-- and that you stock up on nonperishable foods, medical supplies and other necessities such as flashlights and shortwave radios. The author includes lists of supplies you will need, along with a section called "Flu Survival Kit." There is also an informative chapter on how to care for a flu victim, should you find yourself in that position. (In the event of a major pandemic hospitals will be overwhelmed.) The book also has other resources listed on the subject of bird flu, a series of maps showing the rapid spread of the earlier 1918 pandemic across the United States and concludes with endnotes to support the author's statements.

Dr. Woodson also prints a letter found in a trunk in 1959 from a Dr. N. R. Grist, a military doctor who treated flu victims at a U. S. Army base at Camp Bevens near Boston. Dated September 20, 1918, the letter is written to someone named Burt, apparently another military doctor since Grist mentions that "there is a possibility that you will be assigned here for duty." This poignant letter puts a human face on the the 1918 pandemic in a way that graphs and charts and figures never can.

The author says in the "Introduction" that he wrote this manual for his patients, to "inform them about this growing health threat and to provide them with practical guidance on how they and their families can survive." He succeeds admirably in achieving his purpose as he writes in clear but informative language that anyone can understand.

"With all the hysterical media reports hyping Bird Flu as "War of the Worlds" meets "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" it is reassuring to have a rational resource to turn to that offers both practical advice for avoiding the disease and for optimizing chances of survival."

I'm the editor of this book. Dr. Woodson has written a guide explaining why human-to-human bird flu is (probably) coming - at an uncertain date, with an unknowable severity. However, it might be soon, and it might be pretty bad. If it is as severe as the 1918 pandemic, then the medical facilities will be overwhelmed with patients. Under those circumstances, staying home to avoid infection, and home care of those who fall ill, are by far the better options. This book explains how to do that. The prudent thing to do is to prepare - even though you don't know for sure what will happen - because the consequences of NOT being prepared are far worse than the effort involved in getting ready to handle what might (or might not, we admit) be coming soon. Sooner or later there WILL be a pandemic - those who are ready will fare far better than those who are not.