On Sunday I moved my horses to their new stable, an hour away from where they were. The last time my mare was loaded, she freaked out - even though her friends were already on board - and eventually was intimidated into getting on the trailer. That took an hour, and I ended up with a frustrated neighbor (who was doing me a favor by hauling her) and a frightened horse.
So I was dreading having to load her again.
As soon as the trailer pulled up, her eyes got big and the whites showed. As a Quarter Horse, this is her version of being really, really alarmed. First we loaded the mule, who is the boss of my little herd. Then we turned to the mare.
I let her sniff some Lavender and Peace and Calming, two essential oils from Young Living. My friend massaged her neck and shoulders.
The hauler put a Parelli halter on her, and longed her once in each direction.
And she walked onto the trailer.
Non-event. Took five minutes.
I'm never moving a horse without essential oils again! In fact, I'm not going out to the barn without them!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
The Magic of Probiotics
I'm reading "The Consumer's Guide to Probiotics" by S.K. Dash, PhD. Apparently there has been a ton of research done on probiotics! They can replace antibiotics...if you choose the right ones. This is why I think the best idea is using a probiotic with multiple strains of bacteria and a high CFU (colony-forming-units) count - that basically tells you how many bacteria per serving.
So isn't it interesting that in our society we're so fascinated with antibiotics (which means "against life") that we take them for the slightest excuse - a minor infection or wound, a cold, whatever - and yet we are slow to use probiotics ("for life")! So slow, in fact, that many people have not even heard of them! But we've all heard of antibiotics.
Probiotics help support the body in performing its normal functions and allow it to successfully heal itself. Antibiotics kill bacteria indiscriminately. Unfortunately, we need some of those bacteria. They keep out worse bacteria, keep yeast in check, and synthesize nutrients that our bodies need from the stuff we eat.
I was in a grocery store and the woman in line in front of me wiped the little credit-device stylus with an antibacterial wipe before she left. She said to me, "I'm doing this for you." I smiled at her and replied, "That's okay, I love bacteria. They're my friends." And indeed they are.
So isn't it interesting that in our society we're so fascinated with antibiotics (which means "against life") that we take them for the slightest excuse - a minor infection or wound, a cold, whatever - and yet we are slow to use probiotics ("for life")! So slow, in fact, that many people have not even heard of them! But we've all heard of antibiotics.
Probiotics help support the body in performing its normal functions and allow it to successfully heal itself. Antibiotics kill bacteria indiscriminately. Unfortunately, we need some of those bacteria. They keep out worse bacteria, keep yeast in check, and synthesize nutrients that our bodies need from the stuff we eat.
I was in a grocery store and the woman in line in front of me wiped the little credit-device stylus with an antibacterial wipe before she left. She said to me, "I'm doing this for you." I smiled at her and replied, "That's okay, I love bacteria. They're my friends." And indeed they are.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Linear Thinking Part II
Linear thinking can also prevent us from utilizing multiple solutions to a problem at the same time, which I find to be a very effective approach. Many times, when I prescribe a diet change, a homeopathic remedy, chiropractic care, and a couple of supplements, I am asked, "But how will we know what's making Rover better?"I used to be bothered by this as well. As humans, especially living in our troubled and convoluted times, we have a strong desire for things to just be simple. Surely there must be a better way to do things - one better way. In school we are taught that there is one right answer and it's hardly ever "all of the above." If we do more experiments, perhaps eventually we will reach some basic, primal truth that will be the One Truth, like the Grand Unified Theory of the Universe.
Well, I've had to get over that mindset.
Out of all the things I prescribed, which one helped Rover the most? I don't care. Everything works together.
There often is no one right answer. Our bodies are affected by innumerable influences all the time, many of which are beyond our awareness. We require optimal diet, optimal movement, optimal posture, and optimal internal and external environments in order to be truly healthy. One piece of the puzzle is often not sufficient. At least not to get the kind of results I'm aiming for.
Well, I've had to get over that mindset.
Out of all the things I prescribed, which one helped Rover the most? I don't care. Everything works together.
There often is no one right answer. Our bodies are affected by innumerable influences all the time, many of which are beyond our awareness. We require optimal diet, optimal movement, optimal posture, and optimal internal and external environments in order to be truly healthy. One piece of the puzzle is often not sufficient. At least not to get the kind of results I'm aiming for.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Linear Thinking Part I
This blog is about the linear cause and effect thinking that seems embedded in conventional medicine. This type of thinking goes, well, a lot of the time when we see symptom A, we also find B, therefore B must be the CAUSE of A.For example, from a recent TV drug ad: "The root cause of gout is high uric acid." No, it's not. Yes, gout is associated with high uric acid levels, and we know that it's those uric acid crystals precipitating in the joints that are the source of the joint pain of gout. But high uric acid does not cause gout. It is one of the syndrome of symptoms that, grouped together, we call gout.
What's the cause, then? We don't know.
Whatever it is that made your body start to form uric acid crystals and allow them to aggregate and precipitate. Chances are, like a lot of other diseases, one day some scientist will find a DNA change that appears sometimes in people with gout, and that will then be touted as the "cause" of gout.
OK, what makes your DNA do funky things? We don't know.
A big reason behind the "we don't know" is because modern medicine has a heck of a time dealing with multifactorialism. With the type of experimentation that is done, only one hypothesis can be tested at a time, and all other variables must be eliminated or reduced to inconsequentiality. In other words, we can only ask one question at a time. We can't ask "what causes this?" We can only ask, "is pollution associated with this?" "Is it dietary?" "Is it the DNA?" "Is it traumatic?" If the answers end up being yes to all of these, then they get to duke it out and try to choose one "root cause." Usually DNA wins, because we believe that DNA is the primary code of our bodies and is unchanging and beyond influence by factors like vaccines or the electromagnetic fields of power lines.
Wouldn't it be great if life actually worked that way?
Things would be a lot simpler. "Why did Jimmy drop out of school?" "He's stupid." "Oh, OK."
What's the cause, then? We don't know.
Whatever it is that made your body start to form uric acid crystals and allow them to aggregate and precipitate. Chances are, like a lot of other diseases, one day some scientist will find a DNA change that appears sometimes in people with gout, and that will then be touted as the "cause" of gout.
OK, what makes your DNA do funky things? We don't know.
A big reason behind the "we don't know" is because modern medicine has a heck of a time dealing with multifactorialism. With the type of experimentation that is done, only one hypothesis can be tested at a time, and all other variables must be eliminated or reduced to inconsequentiality. In other words, we can only ask one question at a time. We can't ask "what causes this?" We can only ask, "is pollution associated with this?" "Is it dietary?" "Is it the DNA?" "Is it traumatic?" If the answers end up being yes to all of these, then they get to duke it out and try to choose one "root cause." Usually DNA wins, because we believe that DNA is the primary code of our bodies and is unchanging and beyond influence by factors like vaccines or the electromagnetic fields of power lines.
Wouldn't it be great if life actually worked that way?
Things would be a lot simpler. "Why did Jimmy drop out of school?" "He's stupid." "Oh, OK."
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Vaccine History
Last night I was reading some veterinary journals. They always have case histories of animals that have come down with some weird disease, or a weird presentation of a common disease. The history given is usually limited to the clinical signs, and never include what I want to know: And when were they last vaccinated? And what were they being fed while they were vaccinated?
All vaccines come with an insert, that little piece of paper that tells you how to use the vaccine, what percentage of animals can be expected to be protected by it, etc. I never read these myself until about 3 or 4 years ago, when I suddenly wondered what was on this little piece of paper that comes with the vaccines.
Vaccine inserts mention several times that the product is for use in healthy animals, and that only healthy animals should be vaccinated. At the end there are precautions, including the tidbit that animals who are stressed (do you really think your cat likes to ride in the car?), malnutritioned (every pet on dry precessed kibble food), or incubating any disease shouldn't be vaccinated because....well, they don't say what might happen, because it's unknown. It is completely not known what kind of effects, short or long term, the vaccine might have on your pet.
Another article mentioned that viruses for the cat vaccines are grown in feline kidney cell culture. Guess what happens when you inject them into your cat? That's right, the cat develops antibodies to everything in the injection, including...cat kidney cells. Maybe that's why just about every cat develops kidney disease at some point.
Hmmm, food for thought.
All vaccines come with an insert, that little piece of paper that tells you how to use the vaccine, what percentage of animals can be expected to be protected by it, etc. I never read these myself until about 3 or 4 years ago, when I suddenly wondered what was on this little piece of paper that comes with the vaccines.
Vaccine inserts mention several times that the product is for use in healthy animals, and that only healthy animals should be vaccinated. At the end there are precautions, including the tidbit that animals who are stressed (do you really think your cat likes to ride in the car?), malnutritioned (every pet on dry precessed kibble food), or incubating any disease shouldn't be vaccinated because....well, they don't say what might happen, because it's unknown. It is completely not known what kind of effects, short or long term, the vaccine might have on your pet.
Another article mentioned that viruses for the cat vaccines are grown in feline kidney cell culture. Guess what happens when you inject them into your cat? That's right, the cat develops antibodies to everything in the injection, including...cat kidney cells. Maybe that's why just about every cat develops kidney disease at some point.
Hmmm, food for thought.
Monday, June 6, 2011
It's Hot Today
Unbelievably hot today. I walked the dogs early this morning, right after morning rush hour - I have to walk them down the main road to get to a safer place to walk them. It was so early the mosquitos weren't quite done with their own morning rush hour.
I think the dogs still got heatstroke. It was hotter than hell.
Tonight I went a little light on their raw food for dinner, and added yogurt. It seemed kind of like dog ice cream. Now Alice is eating grass compulsively. Sigh. Maybe the dairy is not a good choice when it's so hot out. Now they're lying around in the house being miserable. Sigh. Me, too.
Tomorrow it's supposed to be even hotter. I don't know if I'll walk them at all.
Days like this remind me of when I was working as a farmhand in the desert on the Egyptian border. One night, sitting around the camp fire, there were a couple of new girls from Zimbabwe. The Israeli guy turns to them and says, "It's hot today." Yes, they agreed, it was. A few minutes later he repeated, "It's hot today." Turns out that was all the English he knew.
It's hot today.
I think the dogs still got heatstroke. It was hotter than hell.
Tonight I went a little light on their raw food for dinner, and added yogurt. It seemed kind of like dog ice cream. Now Alice is eating grass compulsively. Sigh. Maybe the dairy is not a good choice when it's so hot out. Now they're lying around in the house being miserable. Sigh. Me, too.
Tomorrow it's supposed to be even hotter. I don't know if I'll walk them at all.
Days like this remind me of when I was working as a farmhand in the desert on the Egyptian border. One night, sitting around the camp fire, there were a couple of new girls from Zimbabwe. The Israeli guy turns to them and says, "It's hot today." Yes, they agreed, it was. A few minutes later he repeated, "It's hot today." Turns out that was all the English he knew.
It's hot today.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Old News
At a used book store last week I picked up a copy of Current Veterinary Therapy, Volume 5, published in 1974. I checked to see what the vaccine recommendations were back then, and found this tidbit in the chapter "Minimal Disease Prevention for Cats":
"During the third part of the initial examination, the veterinarian should discuss diet and general health programs with the owner. The owner should be advised of the importance of adding raw meat to the diet and of offering a variety of foods not only to promote a well balanced diet but also to guard against the feline tendency to become addicted to certain meats. A daily vitamin program should be established....."
Thank you Nancy Kowall, DVM, from Pasadena, who wrote these sage words! Where had all this gone by the time I was in vet school, in the mid-90's? By then we had become corporatized, and our cat and dog nutrition lectures were taught by employees of Hill's Science Diet. What had been learned from Pottenger's cats had been unlearned, and was presented as fact.
Interestingly, the previous chapter, Minimal Disease Prevention for Dogs, has eight authors and only discusses the benefits of vaccines. There is no mention of other things that help prevent disease, like diet, vitamins, and a healthy lifestyle.
"During the third part of the initial examination, the veterinarian should discuss diet and general health programs with the owner. The owner should be advised of the importance of adding raw meat to the diet and of offering a variety of foods not only to promote a well balanced diet but also to guard against the feline tendency to become addicted to certain meats. A daily vitamin program should be established....."
Thank you Nancy Kowall, DVM, from Pasadena, who wrote these sage words! Where had all this gone by the time I was in vet school, in the mid-90's? By then we had become corporatized, and our cat and dog nutrition lectures were taught by employees of Hill's Science Diet. What had been learned from Pottenger's cats had been unlearned, and was presented as fact.
Interestingly, the previous chapter, Minimal Disease Prevention for Dogs, has eight authors and only discusses the benefits of vaccines. There is no mention of other things that help prevent disease, like diet, vitamins, and a healthy lifestyle.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Intestinal Fortitude
Yesterday my dogs ate three large bags of brown rice. I can't blame them. My theory is that just the same way it's a prisoner's job to try to escape, it's the dogs' job to hunt for food.
The first clue was that when I got home, my kitchen floor was like that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark....crunchy. The second clue was the open cabinet door. The third clue was the as yet uneaten (but gutted) remaining bag of rice on the living room carpet.
I didn't know what to expect. Would the rice really expand in their stomachs and kill them? Nothing else has, yet. Would they bloat and die?
The four of them seemed pretty happy....and hungry. I fed them dinner. They ate like normal. It's a speed sport, at our house.
This morning they seemed fine. No vomiting, no emergency trips to the yard.
This afternoon they were fine when I got home, but were a little desperate to get outside. They all pooped. A lot. Rice. Lots and lots of rice. Then they ate dinner like their normal fiendish selves.
This is why Katie K9 and I constantly tell people to create strong stomachs in their dogs. For just this occasion and purpose. I can't express how worthwhile it is to have built intestinal fortitude into my dogs. The value is in the peace of mind.
The first clue was that when I got home, my kitchen floor was like that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark....crunchy. The second clue was the open cabinet door. The third clue was the as yet uneaten (but gutted) remaining bag of rice on the living room carpet.
I didn't know what to expect. Would the rice really expand in their stomachs and kill them? Nothing else has, yet. Would they bloat and die?
The four of them seemed pretty happy....and hungry. I fed them dinner. They ate like normal. It's a speed sport, at our house.
This morning they seemed fine. No vomiting, no emergency trips to the yard.
This afternoon they were fine when I got home, but were a little desperate to get outside. They all pooped. A lot. Rice. Lots and lots of rice. Then they ate dinner like their normal fiendish selves.
This is why Katie K9 and I constantly tell people to create strong stomachs in their dogs. For just this occasion and purpose. I can't express how worthwhile it is to have built intestinal fortitude into my dogs. The value is in the peace of mind.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Equine Chiropractic Revisited
On Thursday Peggy's Thoroughbred had his second chiropractic evaluation and treatment. He had retained the improvements that he gained immediately after the last session. He was more flexible on both sides, and didn't drag his feet anymore. Peggy had ridden him a couple of times, but had noticed that his girth didn't seem to fit anymore, so she had gotten him a new one.
The second treatment was just as fascinating as the first. There was a lot less introductory time, as it was apparent that the horse remembered Dr. Stacy fondly. He knew what to expect this time, and was much less surprised by the neck adjustments. He evidently realized that this whole business led to feeling better, and he leaned into Stacy's treatments and helped her find just the right angle of thrust for the adjustments.
It's funny that we get used to our bodies being a certain way, holding ourselves up and moving ourselves around. We get more static and lose flexibility as we get older, both physically and mentally.And yet the underlying fluidity and grace are there all along, waiting to be allowed to express themselves.
The second treatment was just as fascinating as the first. There was a lot less introductory time, as it was apparent that the horse remembered Dr. Stacy fondly. He knew what to expect this time, and was much less surprised by the neck adjustments. He evidently realized that this whole business led to feeling better, and he leaned into Stacy's treatments and helped her find just the right angle of thrust for the adjustments.
It's funny that we get used to our bodies being a certain way, holding ourselves up and moving ourselves around. We get more static and lose flexibility as we get older, both physically and mentally.And yet the underlying fluidity and grace are there all along, waiting to be allowed to express themselves.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Vaccine Sale
The other night I caught the tail end of a TV ad for a new vaccine: the adult pertussis vaccine. The part of the ad that I saw implied that children were getting pertussis from adults. You could be infecting and endangering your children! They could be getting whooping cough from you! Now wouldn't you feel bad if that happened? You should go get vaccinated for this horrible disease!
I wonder why in veterinary medicine the intranasal Bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine is generally agreed to be more effective than the injectable version, but people are still vaccinated against Bordetella (whooping cough) by injection. The studies of incidence of pertussis in adult populations show a wide variety of results, anywhere from <1% to 8%. Several of the studies diagnosed people with whooping cough based on antibody titers....because they were unsuccessful at culturing the actual bacteria from these people.
I don't know much about humans, but I can tell you how effective the vaccine is in dogs....Not! I have seen some lousy side effects from this simple, supposedly harmless vaccine, and about half of the dogs get kennel cough from the vaccine itself.
It seems that we'd be better off shoring up our immune systems, rather than falling for another profit-driven fear campaign. The vaccine manufacturer must have a lot of extra product around that they need to dump. And well they know, nothing sells like emotion. Now go out there and quit making kids sick!
I wonder why in veterinary medicine the intranasal Bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine is generally agreed to be more effective than the injectable version, but people are still vaccinated against Bordetella (whooping cough) by injection. The studies of incidence of pertussis in adult populations show a wide variety of results, anywhere from <1% to 8%. Several of the studies diagnosed people with whooping cough based on antibody titers....because they were unsuccessful at culturing the actual bacteria from these people.
I don't know much about humans, but I can tell you how effective the vaccine is in dogs....Not! I have seen some lousy side effects from this simple, supposedly harmless vaccine, and about half of the dogs get kennel cough from the vaccine itself.
It seems that we'd be better off shoring up our immune systems, rather than falling for another profit-driven fear campaign. The vaccine manufacturer must have a lot of extra product around that they need to dump. And well they know, nothing sells like emotion. Now go out there and quit making kids sick!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Dog Bite
Last week my little white terrier bit the heck out of me as I attempted to break up a fight between her and the little brown terrier - with my bare hands.
Yes, I know. Stupid is as stupid does.
At first I thought the wounds were fairly superficial and would be okay. Did I mention stupid?
By about noon my ring finger was swollen to gargantuan proportions, and my wedding/engagement rings - which I had refused to remove - I know, I know, stupid! - were cutting off all circulation. Troy had told me to take the rings off right away after the bite. He had to cut them off with wire cutters. Luckily gold is a soft metal. I hate it when he's right.
Of course, my finger stayed swollen once it had been made so unhappy. It throbbed. The back of my hand swelled. My finger looked like a bright red shiny painful balloon.
Just about everybody I spoke to asked me why I wasn't on antibiotics, and why I hadn't gone to a doctor. A couple of people mentioned rabies.
Well, I'm vaccinated for rabies. And my dad's a doctor. I called him. He didn't suggest antibiotics, but did mention that I might have gas gangrene. "I had a patient once with gas gangrene," he said. "He died."
But dad, I said, wouldn't my finger be turning black, and have that crackly feeling like when there's gas under the skin? "By then it's too late," he said. He recommended a tetanus toxoid booster, and told me to soak my finger in hot water several times a day. I soaked my finger.
It's been a week. My finger is healing well. It's only 1 and 1/2 times the size of my other fingers. I can move it a lot more, and it's straighter.
What would I have done if it hadn't healed? Would I have taken antibiotics, gotten the tetanus booster, pursued amputation before it got too late? Who knows? I knew it would heal.
Yes, I know. Stupid is as stupid does.
At first I thought the wounds were fairly superficial and would be okay. Did I mention stupid?
By about noon my ring finger was swollen to gargantuan proportions, and my wedding/engagement rings - which I had refused to remove - I know, I know, stupid! - were cutting off all circulation. Troy had told me to take the rings off right away after the bite. He had to cut them off with wire cutters. Luckily gold is a soft metal. I hate it when he's right.
Of course, my finger stayed swollen once it had been made so unhappy. It throbbed. The back of my hand swelled. My finger looked like a bright red shiny painful balloon.
Just about everybody I spoke to asked me why I wasn't on antibiotics, and why I hadn't gone to a doctor. A couple of people mentioned rabies.
Well, I'm vaccinated for rabies. And my dad's a doctor. I called him. He didn't suggest antibiotics, but did mention that I might have gas gangrene. "I had a patient once with gas gangrene," he said. "He died."
But dad, I said, wouldn't my finger be turning black, and have that crackly feeling like when there's gas under the skin? "By then it's too late," he said. He recommended a tetanus toxoid booster, and told me to soak my finger in hot water several times a day. I soaked my finger.
It's been a week. My finger is healing well. It's only 1 and 1/2 times the size of my other fingers. I can move it a lot more, and it's straighter.
What would I have done if it hadn't healed? Would I have taken antibiotics, gotten the tetanus booster, pursued amputation before it got too late? Who knows? I knew it would heal.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Chiropractic + Massage = Happy Horse
Last Friday Stacy the animal chiropractor and Peggy the Reiki Master/animal massage therapist met at the barn where Peggy keeps her horse. Besides being stricken with Barn Envy, I got to observe the amazing effects of body work in action. I even got to help a little.
Peggy's horse is a Thoroughbred that she got from rescue. He was bred to race but wasn't fast enough, and was lucky enough to get funneled into rescue channels and picked up by the most dedicated horse owner imaginable. He's tall, dark, and handsome, and Peggy is learning dressage with him.
First, let me get the Barn Envy out of the way: Box stalls. Padded floors. Heated barn. Heated indoor arena. White never-fade post-and-rail-look vinyl fencing. Horse girls who come and bring the horses in, feed, clean the stalls, sweep the aisles. I used to be one of those girls. It's a wonderful life.
Peggy's horse dragged his feet a little when he walked, and seemed stiffer turning to one side than the other. Stacy also noticed a whole host of other little issues during her inspection and evaluation, which was thorough and painstaking. We watched him walk in straight lines and circles, trot in lines and circles, make tight turns, and she evaluated the range of motion of each of his legs.
Then came time for the adjustment. Using only her hands, and with 2 large foam blocks to stand on, Stacy adjusted the horse's pelvis, sacrum, and all the way up to and including his neck. Peggy's horse is a complete gentleman, and a willing, curious patient.
When he walked off after the chiropractic work he no longer dragged his feet. His strides were long and fluid and solid. Turning was immediately easier. His back looked different, even to my untrained eye.
After a rest and some hay, he got a massage from Peggy, who always includes acupressure in her work. By then the other horses were coming in to be fed, but our patient stood peacefully in the barn aisle, loving every minute of his treatment.
The instructions were to give him a couple of days off work afterwards, and in 2 weeks we'll do it all again, and see what progress has been made. I can't wait!
Peggy's horse is a Thoroughbred that she got from rescue. He was bred to race but wasn't fast enough, and was lucky enough to get funneled into rescue channels and picked up by the most dedicated horse owner imaginable. He's tall, dark, and handsome, and Peggy is learning dressage with him.
First, let me get the Barn Envy out of the way: Box stalls. Padded floors. Heated barn. Heated indoor arena. White never-fade post-and-rail-look vinyl fencing. Horse girls who come and bring the horses in, feed, clean the stalls, sweep the aisles. I used to be one of those girls. It's a wonderful life.
Peggy's horse dragged his feet a little when he walked, and seemed stiffer turning to one side than the other. Stacy also noticed a whole host of other little issues during her inspection and evaluation, which was thorough and painstaking. We watched him walk in straight lines and circles, trot in lines and circles, make tight turns, and she evaluated the range of motion of each of his legs.
Then came time for the adjustment. Using only her hands, and with 2 large foam blocks to stand on, Stacy adjusted the horse's pelvis, sacrum, and all the way up to and including his neck. Peggy's horse is a complete gentleman, and a willing, curious patient.
When he walked off after the chiropractic work he no longer dragged his feet. His strides were long and fluid and solid. Turning was immediately easier. His back looked different, even to my untrained eye.
After a rest and some hay, he got a massage from Peggy, who always includes acupressure in her work. By then the other horses were coming in to be fed, but our patient stood peacefully in the barn aisle, loving every minute of his treatment.
The instructions were to give him a couple of days off work afterwards, and in 2 weeks we'll do it all again, and see what progress has been made. I can't wait!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Healthy Cats Acting Sick
In the latest issue of DVM Newsmagazine there was the oddest article about a study done at The Ohio State University, in which they discovered that healthy cats who were acting sick improved with environmental enrichment.
OK, wait a minute. Healthy cats acting sick? If the cats were acting sick, how were they healthy? The article doesn't say. So let's suppose that the cats were normal on physical exam and had normal blood and urine analysis results. Because if they were truly sick, something would be abnormal there, right?
Wouldn't it be nice if that were true?
The public may not be aware that a common presentation for a veterinary patient (that's medicalese for why you took your pet to the vet) is ADR - ain't doing right. Often these animals are "normal" on physical exam, and have normal laboratory results, and get sent home without treatment because there appears to be nothing to treat.
Is that the same as being healthy? Having no detectable signs of illness?
Go to a doctor's office. Let's suppose that someone is there because there is something wrong with them. You can look at this person, you can touch them, but you cannot ask them any questions, such as "How do you feel? What is bothering you?" If all the laboratory results are normal, and the person looks okay, you tell them they appear to be healthy and can go home now.
Do they have a headache? How would you know?
Are they depressed? How would you know?
It seems to me that we should give these nonhuman beings a little more credit, and assume that perhaps there IS something wrong with them, even if our crude diagnostic tests and rudimentary physical exam indicate otherwise.
OK, wait a minute. Healthy cats acting sick? If the cats were acting sick, how were they healthy? The article doesn't say. So let's suppose that the cats were normal on physical exam and had normal blood and urine analysis results. Because if they were truly sick, something would be abnormal there, right?
Wouldn't it be nice if that were true?
The public may not be aware that a common presentation for a veterinary patient (that's medicalese for why you took your pet to the vet) is ADR - ain't doing right. Often these animals are "normal" on physical exam, and have normal laboratory results, and get sent home without treatment because there appears to be nothing to treat.
Is that the same as being healthy? Having no detectable signs of illness?
Go to a doctor's office. Let's suppose that someone is there because there is something wrong with them. You can look at this person, you can touch them, but you cannot ask them any questions, such as "How do you feel? What is bothering you?" If all the laboratory results are normal, and the person looks okay, you tell them they appear to be healthy and can go home now.
Do they have a headache? How would you know?
Are they depressed? How would you know?
It seems to me that we should give these nonhuman beings a little more credit, and assume that perhaps there IS something wrong with them, even if our crude diagnostic tests and rudimentary physical exam indicate otherwise.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Cause and Effect
Sometimes in medicine we get hung up in the cause and effect loop. When we have a collection of symptoms, the purpose of the allopathic doctor is to find a diagnosis, because if we can reach a diagnosis, then we'll know what drug to give. These diagnostic labels, however, don't seem like enough of an answer to me.
If you have the right conglomeration of symptoms, you can be diagnosed with anything from hypothyroidism to lupus to chronic fatigue syndrome. And that's often where the diagnostic quest ends, because once you have a name, you either give the matching drug, or tell the person or their pet to suck it up and learn to tolerate their symptoms, if there is no matching drug.
But what about the true cause? What is it that makes our bodies do us wrong in the first place? This isn't something that happens randomly, and I don't believe that our bodies make mistakes. It's important for people to realize that the diagnosis is not the end (or the beginning) of the story. Hypothyroidism is all well and good, but what makes your thyroid decrease its function? You may have asthma, but why would your body react in an exaggerated fashion to an allergen when someone else's doesn't?
We may not ever find these answers as to how we got detoured off the road to perfect health. Many of my clients are surprised to find out that in veterinary medicine we are often faced with the challenge of having to treat sometimes severe conditions without a basic working diagnosis. This is because diagnostic testing can get very expensive very quickly, and most pet owners have to pay out of pocket for this stuff, and also because some tests are invasive or potentially harmful, and we are often hesitant to visit these upon our pets.
With homeopathy, however, we can address the "cause behind the cause", even if we can't name it. There are other holistic therapies that are similarly focused on the state of the entire organism, and therefore don't require that we be able to name a thing in order to treat it. So for those of you who have been turned away, and have been told that whatever ails you can't be named and therefore can't be treated (except with antidepressants, 'cause if we can't figure out what's wrong with you, maybe it is all in your head!), get yourself to your nearest homeopath, acupuncturist, or osteopath, and get some relief! And do the same for your pets!
If you have the right conglomeration of symptoms, you can be diagnosed with anything from hypothyroidism to lupus to chronic fatigue syndrome. And that's often where the diagnostic quest ends, because once you have a name, you either give the matching drug, or tell the person or their pet to suck it up and learn to tolerate their symptoms, if there is no matching drug.
But what about the true cause? What is it that makes our bodies do us wrong in the first place? This isn't something that happens randomly, and I don't believe that our bodies make mistakes. It's important for people to realize that the diagnosis is not the end (or the beginning) of the story. Hypothyroidism is all well and good, but what makes your thyroid decrease its function? You may have asthma, but why would your body react in an exaggerated fashion to an allergen when someone else's doesn't?
We may not ever find these answers as to how we got detoured off the road to perfect health. Many of my clients are surprised to find out that in veterinary medicine we are often faced with the challenge of having to treat sometimes severe conditions without a basic working diagnosis. This is because diagnostic testing can get very expensive very quickly, and most pet owners have to pay out of pocket for this stuff, and also because some tests are invasive or potentially harmful, and we are often hesitant to visit these upon our pets.
With homeopathy, however, we can address the "cause behind the cause", even if we can't name it. There are other holistic therapies that are similarly focused on the state of the entire organism, and therefore don't require that we be able to name a thing in order to treat it. So for those of you who have been turned away, and have been told that whatever ails you can't be named and therefore can't be treated (except with antidepressants, 'cause if we can't figure out what's wrong with you, maybe it is all in your head!), get yourself to your nearest homeopath, acupuncturist, or osteopath, and get some relief! And do the same for your pets!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Old Dogs
Lately I've been looking at my dogs with a more critical eye than usual. One of them is 13 now, two are twelve and a half years old, and the little one is seven or so. They were all strays, so it's a guess. Initially I was just thinking about how to bring them into condition for our spring-summer-fall walking season, but then I realized I have a certain amount of fear about them at this point in their lives.
In the last 2 years, I lost three of my dogs to cancer.
That's a lot. Of course, I had a lot of dogs. Now I have fewer of them.
What's been on my mind is that I feel like I'm waiting for the hammer to fall, and for one or more of them to fall ill with some dread disease. This is not how I want their advanced years to be, with me counting their days under the worried watchful eye of my anxiety.
I do all these positive things to keep them alive: I feed my dogs a varied raw food diet, and give them a variety of health-maintaining supplements. I walk them outside when the weather permits and try to entertain them inside when it doesn't (even though they just look at me like I'm nuts). I talk to them, play with them, and massage them. And that might have been good enough while they were younger, but now I worry that it's not going to be.
So what to do?
I'm in the process of designing a regular detoxification program for them. Just in the way that some people do periodic cleanses or detox protocols for themselves, maybe this is something we should be doing for our pets. Instead of waiting until pollutants build to an intolerable level, and disease appears, why not try to lighten the load on a regular basis? So here are my goals: it has to be easy to do, consist of high quality herbs and supplements, be palatable, and not cause major detoxification reactions like vomiting or diarrhea.
That's what I'm working on.
In the last 2 years, I lost three of my dogs to cancer.
That's a lot. Of course, I had a lot of dogs. Now I have fewer of them.
What's been on my mind is that I feel like I'm waiting for the hammer to fall, and for one or more of them to fall ill with some dread disease. This is not how I want their advanced years to be, with me counting their days under the worried watchful eye of my anxiety.
I do all these positive things to keep them alive: I feed my dogs a varied raw food diet, and give them a variety of health-maintaining supplements. I walk them outside when the weather permits and try to entertain them inside when it doesn't (even though they just look at me like I'm nuts). I talk to them, play with them, and massage them. And that might have been good enough while they were younger, but now I worry that it's not going to be.
So what to do?
I'm in the process of designing a regular detoxification program for them. Just in the way that some people do periodic cleanses or detox protocols for themselves, maybe this is something we should be doing for our pets. Instead of waiting until pollutants build to an intolerable level, and disease appears, why not try to lighten the load on a regular basis? So here are my goals: it has to be easy to do, consist of high quality herbs and supplements, be palatable, and not cause major detoxification reactions like vomiting or diarrhea.
That's what I'm working on.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Rabies Vaccine Mandatory in Minnesota
minnesota.publicradio.org/.../2011/01/minnesota-plans-statewide-rabies-rule.shtml - 2011-01-12
Apparently there is a plan in the works to mandate rabies vaccinations for all dogs in Minnesota. While I agree that most dogs and cats should get a rabies vaccine, my concern is that this rule will be fueled by fear rather than by science. The purpose of vaccinating our pets against rabies has always been that of public protection. Our pets go outside, potentially tangle with disease-carrying wildlife, and then can bring the disease back home to us, the unsuspecting and unvaccinated owners.
There have been some reports of people surviving bites of rabid animals, and some cases of rabies in humans that have no known bite history, but it's a scary disease that we would rather not get, if we could avoid it. I worry that the emphasis will be on repeating the vaccination for pets who are already immunized. Several years of checking rabies titers, which measure the amount of antibodies an animal has to the rabies virus, has proven to me that the vast majority of animals maintain their immunity to rabies long after vaccination, making repeated vaccination hazardous and unnecessary.
One of the reasons the rabies vaccine works so well, providing immunity in nearly 100% of animals vaccinated, is because it is designed to "pack a punch". It is almost guaranteed to stimulate the immune system to produce antiviral antibodies. It also stimulates body-wide inflammation, and production of antibodies against many other organs and glands. The rabies vaccine commonly causes whole-body soreness, and can make your pet quite ill while the immune system is under siege. I have had cases where animals died aftter receiving the rabies vaccine.
Many pet owners may not be aware that vaccines come with warning inserts, like all drugs. These caution us not to vaccinate animals who are stressed, in poor nutritional health, or ill with any other disease. And yet how many of us veterinarians have vaccinated animals who were stressed (perhaps at a humane society, or on their way to a new, unfamiliar home), in poor nutritional health (as any animal is who is eating a strict processed food diet), and ill (like when you bring your dog in for an ear infection or to refill its thyroid medication and by the way it's due for its shots).
Is the risk of disease in our pets due to the vaccine (which many health practitioners simply do not believe is possible) worth potentially exposing the human population to a disease like rabies? Perhaps. But we can be smarter than we have been about this issue. It has been pretty well proven that repetition of vaccines is, for the most part, unnecessary. We, as the pet owners, must bear the cost of treating the conditions and illnesses that may result from the vaccinations (which we also have to pay for). What is the benefit of repeating the insult to our pets' immune systems?
I think that vaccine-related illness is a real problem that we in the veterinary community will have to admit exists at some point, and that as veterinarians we need to bear some of the responsibility for creating disease and making our clients pay the price, both financially and emotionally. It is not sufficient to say "the vaccine is required by law", because by law we veterinarians are supposed to be using our medical judgement, not cheating our clients, and not injuring our patients. I reserve the right to think before I act.
See http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/
Apparently there is a plan in the works to mandate rabies vaccinations for all dogs in Minnesota. While I agree that most dogs and cats should get a rabies vaccine, my concern is that this rule will be fueled by fear rather than by science. The purpose of vaccinating our pets against rabies has always been that of public protection. Our pets go outside, potentially tangle with disease-carrying wildlife, and then can bring the disease back home to us, the unsuspecting and unvaccinated owners.
There have been some reports of people surviving bites of rabid animals, and some cases of rabies in humans that have no known bite history, but it's a scary disease that we would rather not get, if we could avoid it. I worry that the emphasis will be on repeating the vaccination for pets who are already immunized. Several years of checking rabies titers, which measure the amount of antibodies an animal has to the rabies virus, has proven to me that the vast majority of animals maintain their immunity to rabies long after vaccination, making repeated vaccination hazardous and unnecessary.
One of the reasons the rabies vaccine works so well, providing immunity in nearly 100% of animals vaccinated, is because it is designed to "pack a punch". It is almost guaranteed to stimulate the immune system to produce antiviral antibodies. It also stimulates body-wide inflammation, and production of antibodies against many other organs and glands. The rabies vaccine commonly causes whole-body soreness, and can make your pet quite ill while the immune system is under siege. I have had cases where animals died aftter receiving the rabies vaccine.
Many pet owners may not be aware that vaccines come with warning inserts, like all drugs. These caution us not to vaccinate animals who are stressed, in poor nutritional health, or ill with any other disease. And yet how many of us veterinarians have vaccinated animals who were stressed (perhaps at a humane society, or on their way to a new, unfamiliar home), in poor nutritional health (as any animal is who is eating a strict processed food diet), and ill (like when you bring your dog in for an ear infection or to refill its thyroid medication and by the way it's due for its shots).
Is the risk of disease in our pets due to the vaccine (which many health practitioners simply do not believe is possible) worth potentially exposing the human population to a disease like rabies? Perhaps. But we can be smarter than we have been about this issue. It has been pretty well proven that repetition of vaccines is, for the most part, unnecessary. We, as the pet owners, must bear the cost of treating the conditions and illnesses that may result from the vaccinations (which we also have to pay for). What is the benefit of repeating the insult to our pets' immune systems?
I think that vaccine-related illness is a real problem that we in the veterinary community will have to admit exists at some point, and that as veterinarians we need to bear some of the responsibility for creating disease and making our clients pay the price, both financially and emotionally. It is not sufficient to say "the vaccine is required by law", because by law we veterinarians are supposed to be using our medical judgement, not cheating our clients, and not injuring our patients. I reserve the right to think before I act.
See http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/
Friday, January 7, 2011
Vaccination Confusion
There's a lot of confusion about vaccines recently. Some say they're good, some say they're bad. A link between childhood vaccines and autism is discovered and then denied. We fear the effects of vaccination and also fear the diseases we vaccinate against.
All I can say about the autism connection is that discovering something new and important that flies in the face of conventional belief is a great way to lose your license to practice medicine. Remember Ignaz Semmelweis, who discovered the link between the lack of hand-washing and disease. He lost his license for daring to suggest that doctors' hands might carry diseases as they went from the autopsy room to the maternity ward. He was so despised by his colleagues that he died in an insane asylum after all the "experts" denied the truth of his findings. Suggesting that there is a cure for cancer that does not involve chemotherapy and/or radiation will get you the same response. How's that war on cancer going?
And what about vaccines? Which should we worry about more? The diseases we might get without them, or the diseases we might get because of them? It's not an easy question to answer. Most publications tell you to discuss the risks and benefits with your veterinarian, who will steer you in the right direction. Really? Can you trust the word of a brainwashing survivor? How prepared is your veterinarian to entertain new concepts, or think new thoughts?
Then there's the fear factor on the part of the veterinarian. What if I tell my client not to vaccinate their pet against XYZ disease, and then their pet goes and gets that disease? This is a real legal risk, as we Americans are no longer required to take responsibility for any of our own actions.This is why we can sue the cigarette companies for holding guns to our heads and forcing us to smoke their toxic products......oh, wait, that's not how that happened......
It seems that there is some progress being made. Fewer people got the flu vaccine this year. There are more and more complaints about those people who are not vaccinating their kids putting all the vaccinated kids at risk of getting the diseases they're vaccinated against (does that make any sense to anybody?).
I hope that in the long run, wisdom - the real product of thought and contemplation and experience and assimilation and incorporation of ideas - will prevail, and we will overcome our collective, reflexive, ineffective fear of disease. This fear leads us to induce disease in order to avoid disease. Fear-driven thought is not logical thought, even though it can be rationalized to look like it. In order to become better, more effective people, we need to be smarter than our fears, and not let our actions be governed by them.
I think we Americans are smarter than we are given credit for. Let's prove it.
All I can say about the autism connection is that discovering something new and important that flies in the face of conventional belief is a great way to lose your license to practice medicine. Remember Ignaz Semmelweis, who discovered the link between the lack of hand-washing and disease. He lost his license for daring to suggest that doctors' hands might carry diseases as they went from the autopsy room to the maternity ward. He was so despised by his colleagues that he died in an insane asylum after all the "experts" denied the truth of his findings. Suggesting that there is a cure for cancer that does not involve chemotherapy and/or radiation will get you the same response. How's that war on cancer going?
And what about vaccines? Which should we worry about more? The diseases we might get without them, or the diseases we might get because of them? It's not an easy question to answer. Most publications tell you to discuss the risks and benefits with your veterinarian, who will steer you in the right direction. Really? Can you trust the word of a brainwashing survivor? How prepared is your veterinarian to entertain new concepts, or think new thoughts?
Then there's the fear factor on the part of the veterinarian. What if I tell my client not to vaccinate their pet against XYZ disease, and then their pet goes and gets that disease? This is a real legal risk, as we Americans are no longer required to take responsibility for any of our own actions.This is why we can sue the cigarette companies for holding guns to our heads and forcing us to smoke their toxic products......oh, wait, that's not how that happened......
It seems that there is some progress being made. Fewer people got the flu vaccine this year. There are more and more complaints about those people who are not vaccinating their kids putting all the vaccinated kids at risk of getting the diseases they're vaccinated against (does that make any sense to anybody?).
I hope that in the long run, wisdom - the real product of thought and contemplation and experience and assimilation and incorporation of ideas - will prevail, and we will overcome our collective, reflexive, ineffective fear of disease. This fear leads us to induce disease in order to avoid disease. Fear-driven thought is not logical thought, even though it can be rationalized to look like it. In order to become better, more effective people, we need to be smarter than our fears, and not let our actions be governed by them.
I think we Americans are smarter than we are given credit for. Let's prove it.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Supplements for Puppies and Kittens
It’s hard to convince new owners of puppies and kittens that their pets need supplements. This is because their new friends have the power of youth, and they may seem to do well in spite of poor diets, the chemical onslaught of dewormers and flea treatments, and vaccines. Sometimes they have the added burden of being spayed or neutered at a very young age.
The diet of modern American children is full of greasy, fatty, unhealthy foods and drinks, yet they are the epitome of beauty in our culture. They have smooth skin, shiny hair, bright eyes, and loads of energy. However, if they continue this way of eating into adulthood, their lousy dietary habits will eventually take their toll. How many of us can eat the way we did in high school and still maintain our figures?
Let’s think of our new pets the same way. Instead of waiting for degenerative diseases to catch up with them, for which we will have to pay the price, why not do what we can to support their health now? The beautiful children of today grow up to be the obese, tired adults of tomorrow. Our curious, intelligent, hyperactive puppies and kittens will likely suffer from arthritis, cognitive degeneration, and a whole host of degenerative conditions long before they are old.
A natural diet, nutritional supplementation, and minimizing vaccinations are the best ways to prevent problems later in life. A raw food or homemade diet is appropriate for all animals, regardless of age. If there are no known health problems, basic supplements should suffice. These include essential fatty acids, probiotics, enzymes, and a species-appropriate whole food supplement.
Essential fatty acids, such as fish oil, salmon oil, and cod liver oil, are of supreme importance for brain function and cellular repair. They must be included in the diet in order for our pets to be able to learn, grow, and recover completely from the assault of vaccines and other toxins that they may be exposed to, such as household chemicals, x-rays, and insecticides.
Probiotics provide the good bacteria that are necessary for intestinal health. They assist in metabolism, and prevent disease-causing bacteria from growing. Adding probiotics to the diets of young animals has been shown to reduce or eliminate the development of allergies later in life.
Digestive enzymes are vital for the detoxification functions of the liver. If none are provided in the diet, the burden on the animal’s pancreas can be overwhelming.
Whole food supplements provide the vitamins and minerals necessary for growth and development of the immune system directly from foods. They are more digestible and absorbable than the synthetic versions, such as those found in multivitamin tablets or added to processed pet foods. These supplements compensate for any dietary deficiencies, and ensure that our young pets have all the materials that they require to grow into healthy adult companions, and to stay healthy for years to come.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)