by Dr. Jeff | Dec 11, 2017 | HA! for hormone imbalances
Diabetes, Cushing’s, Addison’s, hypo and hyper-thyroidism sound scary.
It helps to know that these names and diagnoses are merely descriptions of the symptoms. They are not problems to be overcome. A diagnosis does not dictate what you do.
You probably do not treat your friend “Susan” based solely on her name.
Like relationships, maintaining and optimizing hormones is a balancing act. They’re both delicate interactions that require constant feedback.
The glands of the endocrine system are sensitive in this way. Hormones produced by them fluctuate throughout the day.
Specific external and internal chemical factors provide constant feedback to glands. These can predispose to dis-eases.
You have 100% control over these factors.
For example, you can help improve hormone dis-eases by:
- avoiding highly processed carbohydrate-laden foods
- minimizing environmental exposure to toxins and hormone disruptors like glyphosate
- working with your pet’s symptoms and not quickly stopping them
What you do every day has a profound impact on the delicate balance of hormones.
Click here to learn more to help your pets!
by Dr. Jeff | Oct 15, 2017 | Holistic Actions for Diseases, Pet Behavior
Your kitty has started urinating (or pooping) on the living room rug.
What can you do?
You went to the veterinarian. Examination and diagnostic testing was all normal. But clearly something is wrong.
What could it be?
Now’s a great time to look at the symptoms in detail. Put them into the context of the whole environment. And interpret them holistically.
The urine tests were clear, so there’s no indication of urinary infection (which is a rare cause for this symptom in cats anyway). Nothing that you’re aware of has recently changed. But your kitty disagrees.
You know that cats can be fierce hunters. But did you also know that they can be exquisitely sensitive?
In fact, the majority of “inappropriate elimination” (this is vet speak for the syndrome even though your kitty probably thinks that peeing on your good rug is totally appropriate) are due to some slight environmental change that your cat doesn’t like.
Try these 5 easy fixes:
- Scoop the box after every elimination.
a) Cats are fastidious creatures and many prefer not to use a soiled box. One clue is that these cats sometimes only dig in litter that’s been freshly added to the box.
- Change the type of litter you use.
a) Litter preference (and aversion) is commonly seen so if you use a clay litter, try a sand type (clumping one). Choose an unscented litter and avoid litter deodorizers (Use Zero Odor spray to eliminate litter area or other odors).
- Wash the litter box thoroughly. Even better, get a new, bigger one. With no odor.
a) Some cats will not use a box if they detect that the box has even a slight smell. In fact, some cats would prefer to urinate on the clean brown packing paper in the new cardboard box you just got from Amazon!
- Add a piece of carpet that sticks out from under the box.
a) Cats can develop a surface preference. They seem to like the feel of specific textures under their feet when they urinate. These cats will pee in the box while having their front feet outside the box on the carpet.
- Move the box to a quiet, protected area.
a) Your cat may be one of those with a location preference. Move the box to her preferred location to prompt her to use it again. Once she is doing so for a few days, you can slowly start moving it to a more convenient (for you) spot.
Making these simple changes can eliminate the problem by addressing the environmental trigger.
Even better is to address the underlying internal change that may have suddenly made you cat over-sensitive to her environment.
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by Dr. Jeff | Oct 12, 2017 | HA! for seizures
Homeopathic treatment can help any named dis-ease.
As long as sufficient vitality exists.
Animals have convulsions for various reasons.
We talked about them in much greater detail during the brain and behavior course.
But exactly what can you do if your pet has a seizure? And is already being treated with homeopathy.
In my homeopathic practice, here’s what we do.
Often the decision about what to give (homeopathically) is between Aconite (Acon.) and Belladonna (Bell.)
How do you decide which to use?
Based on the clues which the body generates secondary to physiologic changes which cause diagnostic test abnormalities.
In turn, these symptom changes are secondary to internal energetic imbalances.
What clues?
Symptoms.
For any seizing patient whose symptoms correspond to the homeopathic medicine “picture”.
For any named dis-ease.
For example.
Restless —> Acon.
Lying in one spot not wanting to move —> Bell.
Fear —> Acon.
Dilated pupils —> Bell.
Thirsty —> Acon.
1-3 pellets added to 8 oz. water.
Give 1 tsp.
Succuss 10x and give 1 tsp. whenever needed.
Dosing can be every few minutes to every few hours, days, or only once.
Regardless, if the doses are not helping, you probably need to switch to the other homeopathic medicine (which you did not choose). Or perhaps to another.
Based on the symptoms and your observations.
I hope you never have to use this.
Be well.
Dr. Jeff
by Drs. Jeff & Christina | Sep 9, 2017 | HA! for lameness/arthritis, Homeopathic Medicine
Flower Essences (FE) can help your pets with both physical and emotional health challenges. They are great for lame, stiff and arthritic pets.
Unlike supplements that act like natural drugs, FE are 100% safe. They are made by putting specially chosen flowers in water and exposing to sunlight.
Most of them focus on emotional states like fears, grief and shock. However what affects the mind also affects the body. The latest mind-body research shows that problem emotions can cause physical symptoms.
Your lame, stiff and arthritic pets will feel better and be happier from FE.
They work best when you can match the emotional state of your pet with the physical health challenge.
Don’t give up just because one specific essence isn’t helping your pet. You can try one for a month but if it is not helping, just switch to another.
There are hundreds of individual essences. Every one has different properties and improves different symptoms. You have two major options to select FE:
- Single essences that you may combine yourself
- Combinations labeled for your pet’s problem
Combinations specifically for lameness problems in animals are sold by several companies. Each also has single essences you could explore. Senior combinations may be used for any aged animal who is showing signs associated with aging.
There are also specific combinations for emergency and painful situations. Each is made from different essences, so one company’s formula may resonate more with your dog or cat. All are 100% safe, so try one after the other until you find the best for each person and animal in your home. All are equally good for you as well.
Administering Flower Essences
Flower Essences are very easy to use! They can be given by mouth, added to food or water, applied topically (especially to sore joints), or sprayed in a problem area (like the car they are nervous about riding in).
FE work best when they are given very frequently. The more problematic the symptom, the more frequent the administration.
Your arthritic pet who just wiped out on the floor and is panting and anxious may need a dose every few minutes! Administering them in different ways (oral, sprayed, rubbed in, etc.) up to six times or a day often works best.
The standard recommendation from the Bach FE company (makers of the highly effective Rescue Remedy) is to put four drops of Rescue is put into a mixture. That then can be sprayed or massaged on the animal or misted in the air.
Two drops of each chosen flower remedy in a 1 oz bottle of spring (or filtered) water.
FE specially formulated for lame, stiff and arthritic animals:
Bach Essences:
- Beech: intolerant animals who have trouble relaxing emotionally that develop stiff joints/arthritis.
- Rock Water: Stubborn animals who seem rigid and hate change. Physically and emotionally inflexible animals. Use it when you see even a little lessening of flexibility in spine or legs (remember aging does not cause loss of flexibility).
- Willow: resentful animals with arthritis.
- Agrimony: Stoic, hide their problems, hide when people argue. Often skin or GI tract problems occur along with the joint problems.
Jackson Galaxy Essential FE (originally Spirit Essences):
- Creak Away: Rigid thoughts and behavior patterns can ultimately create stiffness in the body and can make an animal grouchy and unhappy. This combination helps disperse this blocked energy and restore free flow throughout the system.
- Graceful Aging: This combination addresses being stuck in certain habits, being grumpy or impatient.
- Intensive Care – Relieve pain, calm panic, ground the emotional and physical systems. May be needed for weeks after surgery or an accident.
Green Hope Essences:
- Run And Play: Addresses health and wellbeing of bones, joints and muscles. Is also good after joint or bone surgeries.
- Animal emergency care: Fear, trauma, shock can challenge the electrical system, hindering the ability to respond to any healing treatments. This combination stabilizes the system thus calming him.
- Senior citizen: Helps reverse the declines to whatever degree is possible in areas such as flexibility, energy level, hearing, and more.
Anaflora:
- Recovery Remedy: Helps after both physical and emotional trauma. Speed regeneration of nerves after an accident.
- Senior: Eases arthritis pain as well as strengthen kidney and bladder function.
- Many single remedies that Sharon (the owner) can help you select.
Pet Essences:
- Arthritis and Achy Pain: Stiff, sore, achy joints and muscles. Arthritis-type symptoms experienced when jumping or walking, especially in older animals.
- Elder Comfort: A gentle blend of FE that help an older animal feel more secure and comfortable.
- Fracture Repair: Helps the body repair and deal with broken or cracked bones.
- Graceful alignment: Learning to walk in a balanced way after an accident, surgery, fight or even illness.
- Skeletal support: Balances the emotional attitudes that may affect the skeletal system.
New Millennium Essences
- Animal Arthritis: Blend of flower essences to help animals to deal with arthritis in the joints, at both the emotional and physical level.
All of these choices may seem overwhelming at first. But you don’t need to let them be. All you need to do is choose the one which seems to match your pet’s health challenges best. Since they’re so safe, it’s no problem to try a different one to see if it helps more.
Holistic Actions! community can help you decide which to use. HA! members can post questions in the Facebook Group. Fall of 2017, full supporting members will also have access to a private discussion forum on this site.
It’s also not too late to join us for the live webinar. You’ll learn many other ways to help your lame, stiff and arthritic pets.
Click here if you’d like to join us.
Be well.
Drs. Christina and Jeff
by Dr. Jeff | Aug 31, 2017 | HA! for lameness/arthritis, Supplements
The Problem: Increasing lameness, stiffness and arthritic problems in our pets.
The Solution: Individualized treatment while supporting your pet’s body while it heals. By optimizing lifestyle and using nutritional supplements (if needed).
We all love our animal companions and we don’t want them to suffer.
Fortunately there’s lots of ways to help them.
Ideally:
Lifestyle improvements are really important, but sometimes are not enough.
Optimizing the internal underlying imbalance is critical, but not always practical.
That’s where nutritional supplementation is most useful. There are many, many ways to internally support your pets and help them have better lives.
How Do Supplements Work?
Unlike homeopathy and acupuncture, supplementation works on the physical body. Not the vital force (or chi, prana, etc.).
Nutritional supplements are like natural drugs.
They help the genes work better. The proteins produced from the genes support life and health.
Supplements are (usually) supportive and not curative.
Dr. Hahnemann coined the phrase “allopathic” for the medical practice based on the use of dis-similar substances. Whether using a natural herb, an artificial drug, or a supplement.
Allo- (or different) vs. homeo- (the same) and pathic (from dis-ease or suffering).
The rare exception is when a supplement fits the totality of the symptoms of the individual so well that it works “homeopathically”.
Supportive and Curative Treatments at the Same Time?
Homeopathy arose as a method of optimizing internal balance. Not covering up symptoms (as supplements can do). However, even the founder of homeopathy (Dr. Hahnemann) describes many ways to support the body during treatment of the underlying dis-ease (imbalance).
Herbs, supplements and lifestyle changes, were routinely used in the “olden” days. Naturopathic methods were integrated into conventional medical treatments.
That changed with the advent of the AMA and modern “scientific” medicine.
However, that has shifted again. By the 1970s, natural and holistic nutritional supplements were coming back!
Nowadays, almost every veterinary practice has multiple supplements on their pharmacy shelves.There are new ones coming on the scene almost every day. Just like drugs.
Crippling Arthritis Be Gone!
One of my first experiences with nutritional supplements took place almost thirty years ago. A client of mine with a stiff older dog named Sasha asked me about omega-3 supplementation. Because it had been recommended by her own amazing informed and open-minded rheumatologist.
The pup’s guardian had started taking them. Within a few weeks, her gnarled, painful fingers and other joints improved! More than with any anti-inflammatory that she had taken. And without the side-effects of the medications.
This intrigued me so I started doing some research on the use of omega-3s for arthritis. Unlike there is now, at that time there was not much data on their effectiveness in animals (or people). Despite this, the woman requested that we try some for her crippled German Shepherd.
The next time I saw Sasha, she was like a new dog! Happier, more energetic and clearly feeling better. Her mobility was markedly improved and my practice was changed forever.
Specific Supplements I Use for Arthritis
I’d therefore like to share a few thoughts about the 10 most commonly prescribed nutritional supplements in my clinical practice for lame and arthritic dogs and cats:
1. Omega-3 fatty acids: Many, many beneficial efects both in arthritic dis-ease as well as heart, skin, brain, etc. challenges. The best sources are usually from anchovies and sardines. It’s best to stay away from salmon oil (which is highly contaminated with heavy metals). The triglyceride form is most natural, best absorbed and utilized.
2. Superoxide dismutase: Has a very short life in the body. It is often used in combination with other antioxidants. These reduce the harmful “free radicals” that worsen many dis-eases and promote aging and cancer. Nu-Pet antioxidant wafers are among my favorite sources.
3. Hyaluronic acid: A chief component of joint fluid and lubricant to many connective tissues. Previously only absorbed and used as injections such as Adequan. But now with Trixsyn and other oral well-absorbed HA supplements it is invaluable for the stiff pet.
4.Glucosamine sulfate: Another component of the joints and musculoskeletal tissues and one of the first supplements thought of in lame animals and arthritis. Other forms that don’t contain sulfer, don’t work as well. They need to be combined with chondroitin sulfate.
5 DimethylGlycine (DMG): A methyl donor which improves many metabolic functions. Often used in combination with other supplements. For arthritis I advise the chewable Glycoflex 1 + DMG.
6. Coenzyme Q-10: A critical part of any arthritis support program. Helps mitochondrial function, energy production and arthritis symptoms. But it is not very well absorbed. Ideally use a non-powdered and non-crystalline form. Xymogen’s Co-Q Max is my favorite one to date (but is also only available through your doctor).
7. Resveratrol and grape seed extract: Not whole grapes. Those can be toxic. But extracts are awesome antioxidants. They have many, many benefits. Resveratrol has even been shown to prolong life (in people).
8. Boswellia: An herb used for thousands of years that naturally works on same part of the inflammatory pathway as aspirin. It can quickly and effectively decrease arthritic pain when used judiciously.
9. Curcumin + black pepper: Turmeric root has also been used for millennia as a natural anti-inflammatory. It works wonderfully for arthritis. Its’ effect is increased by combining it with black pepper. As found in the popular “Golden Paste” mix.
10. Bromelain usually along with other enzymes: Also natural anti-inflammatories. Great for helping many uncomfortable dis-orders. Wobenzyme makes the most popular human enzyme of this type. But also talk to your veterinarian about Vetriscience’s Devcor + Mobility Pro. An awesome combination of enzymes and herbs that has helped many pets.
Dangerous?
MSM is the one nutritional supplement that I rarely advise. Why? Because it’s very effective at covering up the symptom clues that help monitor and treat the internal dis-ease. Especially at higher doses like 100-500mg.
Does it work? Yes. But unlike with many other supplements it has a better chance of manipulating and harmfully altering the underlying problem.
Any supplement can have the same effect. MSM especially can mask the symptom clues. This defeats the purpose of restoring wellness.
Natural Nutrition is Best
If you’ve read this far, you probably really care about helping your pet. I therefore want to impress upon you the far superiority of optimizing your pet’s body naturally. Not with artificial supplements. You can harness the power of nature with nutritional items like the blueberry-kale slurry, bone broth and eggshell membranes.
What’s most important? The treatment goal of eliminating imbalance by monitoring the symptom changes of your pet’s body.
We’ll talk further about mindful use of supplements while treating the real causes for lame and arthritic pets during the 9/9 webinar.
You can sign up for it by clicking here.
Be well.
Dr. Jeff
by Dr. Jeff | Jul 26, 2017 | Holistic Actions for Diseases
Behavior problems, seizures, and even brain tumors can be prevented and helped by the choices that you make every day.
Our companion animals give us unconditional love and support. They deserve the best that we can give them.
Unfortunately many of them are living shorter lives. They’re also suffering from more serious and stubborn dis-eases. Things that just keep coming back and getting worse over time.
Dogs and cats are able to have long and healthy lives because of their ability to interact in a life-sustaining way with their environments. Their responses to external stressors keep them healthy or make them sick. The genes are only partially responsible for these reactions.
What you do matters even more!
For example, a dog can be playing with his friends and get a little wound which bleeds a bit but then clots and heals. Why? Because his complex clotting mechanism is working properly. However if the same pup has the genetic variation that causes Von Willebrand’s disease (VWD), the bleeding may not stop. The fun play is over and you have to rush to the veterinary hospital to get help. Some dogs have even bled to death due to this and other bleeding defects. Similar to hemophilia.
However, most animals with VWD are able to have normal lives.
Why?
Because just like a light switch, genes and the proteins they code for can be turned on or off. This is what are called epi-genetic influences. Many environmental factors effect genetic expression.
Things you do every day like vaccinating, medication use, and symptom suppression can modify the genes. . Even what you feed.
“Nutrigenomics” is the scientific term for this. Everyone can learn more about it from Dr. Dodds’ great 2015 book “Canine Nutrigenomics: The New Science of Feeding Your Dog of Optimum Health”. Guardians of cats, horses, and any living being can also benefit. This is not just about dogs.
In human animals, one of these genes causes an enzyme to be made that adds a very important little piece onto other chemicals in the body. This is called methylation. Abnormalities of methylation can cause symptoms of serious brain and behavioral imbalance ranging from obsessive compulsive disorders to schizophrenia and even brain tumors.
The thing is, that even if the gene is abnormal, the methylation process can be normal. That’s because, like VWD and many other genetic abnormalities, the disease it can cause can be prevented. Even once a dis-ease is active it can be helped. This is known as the gene’s “penetrance”. The result, or penetration of any gene can be modified through epigenetic and nutrigenomic influences.
You can make a huge difference in your pet’s quality and length of life. Every Holistic Action! that you take will help.
Many behavior and brain problems can easily be helped. Take advantage of epigenetics and start today. Feed fresh food, increase environmental stimulation, exercise and socialization.
Even though MTHFR abnormalities have not yet been documented in companion animals, adding methyl donors will also help. These can be found in dark green leafy vegetables and supplements like betaine and dimethylglycine. This simple action alone can reduce (and stop) seizures. You’ll also be helping the whole body function better.
Learn more by clicking here to sign up to receive the recording of the 8/5 webinar. You’ll also get the recorded slides, the valuable resource guide and the audio recording where we discuss your questions to help you help your pets.
Be well,
Dr. Jeff
by Dr. Jeff | Jul 3, 2017 | HA! for tumors
Razz has a great life! He gets to run with his guardian almost every day, loves playing, training and competing with other dogs.
He is so well-adjusted (“Bombproof” as Patti says) because he has been holistically and homeopathically treated since he was a puppy. Actually, even before that since his breeder (also a veterinarian) was treating his mom homeopathically. But we’ll dive into improving health over the generations in another post or Empower Hour! online class.
Patti examines Razz closely every day. She removes any ticks, checks his ears, mouth etc. to make sure that he’s in tip top shape. One day she found a growth in his mouth that was not there the day before.
“This wasn’t here the other day!”
Being a proactive pet parent, Patti coincidentally had her monthly routine recheck for Razz the next day.
During the appointment, all of Razz’s current symptoms were evaluated. Even though the new mouth tumor was Patti’s main concern.
This allowed a medicine to be found that addressed Razz’s totality. Not just the tumor.
Within a week Patti noticed that the tumor was almost gone.
Holistically individualizing Razz’s symptoms allowed us to harness the healing power of nature. Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy were avoided!
You can easily learn to use the Holistic Medical Decision Making method. Explore these pages and watch our online video for more details.
Be well.
Dr. Jeff
HMDM Step 1 – Goal: Resolve the imbalance from the rabies vaccine.
Daphne is a great example. She’s a six year young rescue Border Collie. Four years ago she started developing some fearful behavior. As the years went on, her odd behavior and fears worsened. She became over-sensitive to many noises and other environmental stimuli.