U.N. weapons inspectors warn that Iraq has produced tons of Botulinum toxin. Botulinum toxin, the cause of botulism, comes from bacteria found in the soil almost anywhere. The tiniest amounts can kill thousands. Botulinum toxin is the single most poisnous substance known to man with a mean lethal dose estimated to be as low as a few tenths of a microgram. It's a bioterror threat experts say needs much more attention.

As the United States inches closer to war with Iraq, we must consider the threat of biological weapons. What if Saddam Hussein were to unleash an attack on America with nature's most deadly poison - botulinum toxin?

"We're much better prepared than we were a year ago, but we still have more to do," says Dr. Mitchell Cohen of the Centers for Disease Control. It is not a hypothetical danger. After the Gulf War, United Nations weapons inspectors found that Iraq had produced tons of botulinum toxin, some of it loaded into missiles and bombs. And Iraq was not alone. "It is known that many countries produced tonnage quantities of it," says Dr. Michael Hanna of Intracel Corp. Biopharmaceuticals. It is believed that Terrorists and several nations now possess biological weapons grade "Type A Botulinum Toxin" or have the capability to manufacture it in large quantities, including Russia, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, China, and North Korea.

For smallpox, there is a vaccine. Anthrax and other bacterial agents can be treated with antibiotics. But botulism is a toxin, a poisonous chemical made by bacteria. Less than a handful of pure botulinum toxin, evenly dispersed in an aerosol, would be enough to kill more than a million people.

The only conventional treatment for botulism poisoning is an anti-toxin made from horse serum, and it only works about half the time. After the Gulf War, the U.S. Army contracted with a lab to make 5,000 doses for troops. Now the government is beginning a program to get 50,000 more for civilian use, but they will not be available for two or three year.

Another danger is that botulism usually causes paralysis for weeks or months and people can only be kept alive with mechanical respirators, which are also in limited supply. The government now keeps some respirators among the drugs and equipment stored for emergency responses.

"We have sufficient equipment to be able to respond to a small attack," Cohen says. But if terrorists could manage to distribute a lot of botulism in an aerosol, or get the bacteria into milk or other food products, it could lead to a massive outbreak. And at least for now, the U.S. government is not prepared.

Dr. Hansen's Recommendations:

The key to prevention of Botulism is the ensuring the safety of the general food supply and your own personal food supply. Sterilize home canned foods by pressure-cooking at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. A healthy immune system may improve your chances. To make certain that you keep your immune system at its peak, Dr. Hansen recommends the following:

1. If Botulism toxins are deployed in the U.S., Dr. Hansen recommends taking Homeopathic Biological Defense B: 1 tablet once per week for 4 weeks as a precaution.

2. For an exposure to Botulism without symptoms, take Homeopathic Biological Defense B: 1 tablet once daily for 10 days.

3. For suspected or confirmed contact, Dr. Hansen recommends taking Homeopathic Biological Defense B: 1 tablet 4 times daily, every 4 hours.

Homeopathic Biological Defense B

Homeopathic Biological Defense B is a combination of three homeopathic remedies for the treatment of the symptoms of Botulism. Homeopathic remedies are natural, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs that work via amplification of the body's own healing response. Homeopathic medicines have been used to treat the symptoms of Botulism for more than 100 years. Homeopathic Biological Defense B contains a homeopathic vaccine made from 100C dilution of the Botulinum toxin. It is homeopathically diluted beyond the point of which any actual Botulinum Toxins are present in the final preparation. Homeopathic Biological Defense B also includes Baryta carbonicum 30C and Gelsemium (Yellow Jasmine) 30C.

Dr. Hansen has prepared a Homeopathic Biological Defense Kit, containing a Homeopathic Biological Defense formula for each of the CDC 'Category A' list of Biological weapons, including Anthrax, Smallpox, the Plague, Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (e.g. Ebola Virus), Tularemia and Botulism. With each formula, Dr. Hansen has prepared a booklet describing the disease, Toxicty, Contractibility, Contagiousness, Symptoms, Conventional and Homeopathic treatments.

The Homeopathic Biological Defense Remedies can be taken in advance in these cases to boost host defenses in the early stage of exposure. Furthermore, they can be taken in addition to any other conventional treatment to provide temporary relief of the indicated symptoms.

Dr. Hansen recommends that everyone prepare by having the Homeopathic Biological Defense Kit on hand at home. For more information, please click here.