Please let me know what you would like to learn about, how I can best help you heal your animals and yourselves while healing our planet. Prior newsletters can be found on my site, www.MyHealthyAnimals.com

The RSS feed should be now working.  Go to any page of the website and click on the RSS icon. Then when I make posts to my blog, you will be notified.  I frequently post briefly on the blog and give links to other resources.

September 2014 index

1.     Classes

2.     Holistic Perspectives and Treatments - dental health, fecal transplants, piezoelectric treatments, garlic

3.     News

1. Classes

If anyone would like to study homeopathy, or general holistic health approaches, I will come to your area. There has been interest in British Columbia, Ontario, Ohio, Upstate New York, and for a repeat of the one in the DC area. Let me know if you are interested in attending classes in any of these areas.

 

2. Holistic Perspectives and treatments

 

Multiple approaches to dental health

1.  Use food to clean teeth and strengthen teeth and jaws. Since the mouths of dogs and cats are used to make food small enough to swallow rather than to chew to a pulp and pre-digest (as human mouths do), we can support dental health by feeding the right size of food. Feeding chunks of meat or raw meaty bones that are big enough to "sink their teeth into" will both strengthen the tooth/jaw and physically clean the teeth. This does not have to be done every meal, though it is fine to be the regular diet. Since, as I say frequently, every dog and cat is unique, each may need a different frequency of big chunk meals per week. Many people even notice an improvement in dental health after switching to a raw prepared food that in mostly soft puree. This is because the general health is improved so the teeth become healthier with less or no plaque. Examining the mouth on a regular basis will tell you if you need to try a different diet. I know it can be more difficult in cats and small dogs, so you need to slowly train them - maybe with clicker - to even open their mouth for you to examine. When you are feeding chicken or turkey carcasses, note if there is a lot of fat. If so, balance this by feeding lean beef meals for a few days.
2. Keeping the energy field balanced with deep healing may be necessary for some animals. My cat, Ed, has been on a raw meaty bone diet his entire life yet he still develops some severe gum inflammation above his big bone crunching molars and some mild tarter. Doing Reiki lessens the inflammation by 70%. This, of course, is an indication that he is not completely healthy and needs continuing treatment to resolve the gum issue at the deeper energy field level. Homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic and all the other wonderful treatments you are learning about may be needed for any one pet. Doing Reiki daily can help a lot of cats and dogs with gum problems as well as build up general health.
3. Use supplements to keep teeth clean. There are now many supplements that can be added to the food or the water that keep the teeth sparkling white for many animals. This does not, of course, address the strengthening aspect of feeding big chunks that require ripping and tearing and the use of the teeth and jaws as they were designed. I have not found any one supplement that is the "best", so try what your local holistic pet store carries, then try others if needed.
4. Brushing can be wonderful for some animals. Not all will tolerate brushing while others actually enjoy it. Brushes, gauze, finger cots and many other tools are available so you can experiment to see which ones your pet likes the best. There are also many different "toothpastes" to sample.
5. Dentals - anesthesia free versus with anesthesia
1. First, do not worry too much about anesthesia. It is quite safe these days, so even older animals will usually do fine with anesthesia if it is needed. Especially if you are working with an integrative practice, they will be doing additional methods to lessen the chance of complications (Reiki, essences, oils, acupressure or acupuncture, etc). If you have no integrative practice nearby, you can learn to do a lot of these yourself and with diligence, find a practice that will allow you to be with your pet during the procedure.
2. Currently there is a big backlash against anesthesia free dentistry (which has been practiced since the beginning of veterinary practices). AVMA and the AAHA have basically said it cannot be done. AAHA will not certify hospitals if they use anesthesia free dentistry. Many integrative practices I know have dropped their AAHA certification because they feel it is critically important to offer both options.
3. The Integrative Veterinary Care Journal has had several articles speaking about this issue. My bottom line is that if anesthesia free dentistry is well done by trained staff it is excellent unless teeth need to be pulled or there is severe gum inflammation. The cost is much less, so dentals can be done on a more regular basis, if diet, brushing and supplements are not enough.

 

Fecal transplants

Margo Roman is one of my favorite veterinarians. She is enthralled with the benefits of MBRT (Microbiome restorative therapy) and has now used it in over 400 dogs and cats. We know the benefits of adding bacteria to the gut (probiotics, prebiotics, etc with 1-20 organisms each) since antibiotics, surfactants and  biofilms in our food stream (and air and water, too) have rendered many digestive systems ineffective. A human body has 100 trillion organisms. Imagine giving your pet (or yourself) hundreds of normal gut organisms.

 

MBRT enables the immune system to use the body's own innate mechanisms to utilize the newly introduced microbes to start a new symbiosis, which in turn can help with healing.  It obviously can improve a range of gastrointestinal-related health issues in including irritable bowel disease, diarrhea and constipation. It can also allow the immune system to become strong, clearing skin disorders, aggressive disposition and really any problems. Often other holistic therapies are also being used, but MBRT seems to make them more effective.

 

It can be administered orally or by enema. The key to success in transplanting feces is to find a healthy donor's feces for the immune compromised animal. The healthy donor must have had few to no vaccines, drugs and other illnesses. Dr. Roman is hoping a Fecal Transplant Bank will be started so we can know where healthy donors live, or if needed can access frozen stool. 

 

OK - anyone grossed out?  I remember dozens of years ago when I learned that many countries used urine therapy very successfully on wounds, fungus and other skin problems. While I have not yet recommended this to my clients, I think it is wonderful and would suggest it if my client had a healthy, really healthy dog to collect the stool from. 

 

Piezoelectric treatments

Another wonderful veterinarian (Carol Lundquist in VA) has purchased a piezoelectric machine because she is impressed with its results treating many illnesses. Originally shock waves were used to break up kidney and bladder stones. Then it was observed that bone density was increased in those individuals, so it was used to speed healing of fractures and non-unions. While they do not yet know why this works, there is increased new blood vessel formation, cytokine increases, even some genetic changes, collagen formation (so helps in any tendon and ligament injuries), and skin regrowth. The older machines caused enough pain to warrant sedation or anesthesia, but this newer one does not usually need sedation. 

 

Asthma Treatments were requested by one reader.
In my many years of holistic practice, the major cause of the asthma cases I see is reactions to vaccines. The asthma begins or worsens within several months of vaccines, or even closer. One example of this is Isis, a Bengal with severe asthma. She had chronic coughing since 6 weeks of age that was non-responsive to conventional treatment, yet in the face of this ill health her vaccines were continued. Six hours after getting her annual boosters (including FIP even though she was an indoor cat owned by a 70 plus man) at age 5, she had to be admitted to the hospital for oxygen with a severe asthma attack. With conventional treatment of 3-4 medications, she continued having asthmatic respiration with occasional hospitalizations for the next 2 years. Thuja (which was selected because it fit her uniqueness, and does not work for every cat with asthma), given carefully while she was withdrawn from drugs over one month, resolved the asthma problem and she had no conventional drugs, no asthmatic breathing and less coughing until she died at age 18. At age 10 her elderly guardian had to move into a nursing home. She lived alone in the house for a month while the neighbor fed her, then the neighbor's mother (with several cats and dogs) adopted her. She managed that stress with no major problems. She was treated every 6 months or so to work at permanently curing her cough and a few minor skin issues. She had a rodent ulcer appear and disappear twice, then some skin issues, as the body worked through different remedies.

Therefore, the main treatment for asthma needs to be a very deeply curative approach, maybe along with supportive care like Reiki, flower essences, acupressure and of course a great diet. As with Isis, even cats on drug therapy can be completely cured or at least greatly improved. Since asthma seems to worsen with stress and vaccines, work to decrease stress in the house, maybe also using Rescue Remedy or other flower essences and Reiki on a daily basis and avoid any vaccines except legally required rabies. Begin to work with a really well trained and competent homeopath or TCVM (traditional Chinese veterinary medicine) practitioner. See the article on my site about selecting and working with holistic vets.

Is garlic safe to feed?
Much has been written about garlic's effectiveness and safety. One concerned client recently felt that her dog's current anemia (age 12) was because of feeding garlic in every meal for most of the dog's life. Because garlic is in the allium family, many people confuse the potential for anemia from onions (still needs to be a lot) with garlic. Many supplements, like Pet Guard's Yeast and Garlic Tabs, have been on the market for over thirty years with no problems. I could quote many sources pro and con, so will begin by listing two opposing views. Dr. Pitcairn's classic book - Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, even in Edition 3, has an entire paragraph about garlic - tasty; tones intestines; discourages parasites - and he recommends its use fresh. Paleodog, a new book by Drs. Hofve and Yarnall says that because it is in the onion family it can be toxic in large doses, especially to little dogs and they recommend avoiding fresh and using Kyolic at 1 drop per pound of meat.

Greg Tilford's book, All You Ever Wanted to Know about Herbs for Pets, is one of my favorite books with gorgeous pictures taken by Greg. He teaches us a lot in 6 pages on garlic (most herbs have 1-3 pages). "Garlic's use as a medicine dates back at least five thousand years." Dozens of nutritive compounds;... allicin is only one segment of garlic's complex medical chemistry;...thirty other compounds have been shown to be useful;...Allicin dissipates quickly when exposed to air or heat..." Allicin (therefore raw or properly prepared commercial preparation) is essential when used for antibacterial uses but not for general health maintenance. When used as a cancer inhibiting antioxidant, immune system enhancer, blood thinning agent, cardiovascular tonic or nutritional supplement any form except cooked is effective. Other uses against parasites; viruses; fungi; infections of the mouth, throat, respiratory tract, stomach, intestines, mammary glands; lower cholesterol and triglycerides so good for miniature schnauzers, beagles and others with hyperlipidemia; heart tonic (ajoene prevented clots in a study in NY and horses with clots in France routinely use garlic). Topically it needs to be diluted.

Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine by Schoen and Wynn lists garlic suggesting fresh pulp or enteric coated capsules. They list even more medical effects of garlic. Its only side effects are listed as heartburn, flatulence and gastrointestinal problems in sensitive individuals.  And that, dear readers, is the key to every treatment and every food and every lifestyle - they work for some and not for others. For me, there are many more indications of the safety of garlic than harm.

3. NEWS
the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) had its annual conference in lovely Portland, Oregon in early September along with the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy's annual conference. The Healer Heal Thyself retreat was at the Breitinbush Hot Springs resort (they had 7 hot pools/tubs) where 30 veterinarians, spouses and friends relaxed and nurtured each other.  A very exciting development was the launching of a case collection program for every animal being treated with holistic approaches. Please encourage your veterinarian to enter your animal's information at any time during treatment, from the first exam to after death. The more cases we can catalog the better. This has been a 20 year dream of mine so I am ecstatic to see it happening. F

Also, the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Foundation (www.AHVMF.org) is collecting cases from owners only. Look on the left on the site for the cases pictures and please enter your successes with any form of holistic treatment by you or another practitioner, even if it is eyes ceasing to run after starting a raw meat diet, or arthritis easing with yarrow.