Holistic Medicine for your Cat or Dog!

The San Francisco Chronicle recently published a great article on 10 holistic treatments for pets, and I thought all of you wouldn't mind trying some of these techniques yourself.

WARNING: Talk to your vet first, make sure your pet's health problems aren't the result of something more serious. These holistic medicines are meant for mild sicknesses like treating the common cold or car sickness.

1. Peppermint and catnip
Peppermint (Mentha piperita) and catnip (Nepeta cataria) both treat nausea and car sickness.

Peppermint: Can also regulate peristalsis, thus it can help with irritable bowel syndrome, and even some symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. It is also good for pets with reflux, because it relaxes the esophageal sphincter.

Catnip: It not only gets your cat high, but it helps them digest food! ( just kidding, side note: 20% if cats do not a buzz of catnip.. sucks for them!)

2. Medical grade honey

Use an FDA-approved bandage containing medical grade honey for drug-resistant infections.

3. Glucosamine supplements
To treat arthritis.

4. Acupuncture
Can treat a number of things, from arthitis to stress, and some even use it to lose weight!

5. Diet

Many diseases that animals are genetically predisposed too can be fought agaisnt with the proper diet. It is best to consult your veterinarian and to research your pet to see what are the best diet for your furry friend.

6. Saw palmetto

If your dog has benign prostatic hyperplasia Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) has an immediate and dramatic effect on any and all symptoms, even including bleeding, associated with this condition.

7. Exercise
You know why this is good, no explanation needed.

8. Cranberry extract, d-mannose
If you pet is prone to bladder infections cranberry extract is the best way to prevent NEW infections. Cranberry extract can not treat an existing infection!!!

9. Slippery elm
Slippery elm (Ulmas fulva) is pretty much a wonder-substance for diarrhea, loose stool, nausea and other digestive upsets. This is actually a food rather than a medicinal substance, and there are no contraindications to its use.

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This food safety/recall issue is now officially a three-ring circus...

I almost have to thank Menu Foods, Inc. for colossal mistake they made in using the melamine-tainted gluten back in early 2007. Now that may sound bad, but ever since that happened, a much needed light has been shone down on an area of security that I don't believe many Americans considered - our food. More importantly, our imported foods.

Over the past week, I've read a continuing string of stories that continues to blow my mind. Yet, it's so obvious. Unfortunately, we've come to a point in our nation's history where we want things cheaper, faster, and above all else... NOW! Capitalizing on our market mentality is our precious friend, the communist country of China. A country that for all it's power over controlling and dictating it's citizens, just can't seem to quite figure out how to exercise that same authority over it's manufacturers that are shipping to the US. In all reality, while they state their concerns, I'm taking a real guess that they probably couldn't care less.

First I read about how our fondness for cheap, quick product solutions has gotten us into trouble on products from everything like toothpaste to pain medicines. Bogus products stating they have the "active" ingredient in them, that have no such ingredient at all. One example was chondroitin, and how millions of dollars worth of faulty products are bought every year that are a complete scam.

Second, I read another article about how just this past month, a Chinese manufacturer of dumplings was recently reprimanded for "repackaging" TWO YEAR OLD FILLING into new dumplings. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!! I guess I shouldn't be surprised about this. I mean if China can't even get Communism right, why should I believe they'd get a free market capitalist society down either?

And now.. for my third and final trick....

I'm just going to quote the news article I read this in because it says it all....

"China's regulatory standards chief pledged Wednesday to update and boost enforcement of food safety rules as the country faces intense international pressure for exporting unsafe products, from tainted pet food to popular children's toys manufactured with lead paint."

I'm sorry but can anyone really take that seriously?

This is far from over...

Does anyone else feel the same way as I do?
When you look at the news and see how this food recall becomes more and more in depth, and how widespread an issue it really is, there's a feeling in your gut that it is FAR from over. As the details are revealed about the careless practice of using gluten and rice protein concentrates in pet foods to boost the protein content, I can't help but wonder. And if you are foolish to think that it is only used in pet foods, you're sadly mistaken.
I have absolutely no doubt that using these types of empty protein % "boosters" in human foods does occur, and although they may not be as detrimental to our health, they don't exactly do us any favours either.
I have been eating a much more organic, holistic diet for the past year and a half. I even worked with a naturopath just a year ago to redesign my diet and get rid of my allergies successfully. I've definitely felt the benefits of it personally.
This is far from over and I know that this recall isn't going away any time soon....

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