• Everyone can read this forum. To post on this forum, you must be a Community or VIP member. You can register here. If you are a member, to login use your email address for the username and the same password you use for the main site. If you have problems logging in to the forum, please email support@holisticactions.com.

A Roadmap for Helping Pets Heal Naturally

Dr. Jeff

Administrator
Moderator
Veterinarian
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
5,242
Hi everyone-

During last week's webinar about how to help your pets with emergencies we briefly discussed a super important idea. It is the basis for prevention and management of most pet health challenges. It's also a bit of a different perspective on things we already know from the research to reduce risk.

That is the concept of using mitochondrial management to decrease your pets' risk on a molecular level.

By improving function of mitochondria you can increase cellular energy to improve functioning of all cells like those of the immune system.

Doing so can decrease sensitivity to environmental influences like toxins, vaccines, drugs, symptom suppression, etc. Say goodbye to the "canary in a coal mine" situation (canaries were used as super sensitive indicators of potentially fatal gas leaks).


This is a very, very useful concept that is being really well defined both on the cellular, individual and community levels by research.

Last week's webinar discussed the one sure-fire way to reduce symptoms and susceptibility to emergencies. That is by building and balancing energy in your pets' bodies (that's why this post is in the homeopathy folder since this is the basis for the vet framework used by homeopaths as well as conventional docs).

For example, some pets and people have "stronger" (and less sensitive) stomachs than others. Two people can eat the same food containing the exact same ingredients and one may get super sick and the other is fine. The person who gets sick is more susceptible related to their individuality and cellular function.

There are very specific actions that we can do to improve functioning of the body and reduce susceptibility.

Let's take an example from an event that happened to me in 1987. It's an example of what happens when you do just the opposite.

That year I was in the hospital with an orthopedic surgeon standing on my chest saying "Don't resist".

He was referring to wanting me to relax my shoulder girdle muscles so he could easily "pop" my dislocated shoulder back into place.

I had fallen and dislocated my left shoulder (this was before I knew that I was super susceptible to falling due to a genetic imbalance called SCA).

However I couldn’t stop clenching and tightening my muscles so he was unable to quickly fix me.

Back at Norwalk Hospital the surgeon decided that I would need to be knocked out in order to get the relaxation he needed. They called the anesthesiologist, so we all then just waited in the ER. I was destined to ruin the surgeon's night (he was at a dinner party when he was paged).

They finally replaced my shoulder and I was sent home with it in a sling. The doctor told me to keep it immobile and he would see me in 6 weeks.

When I went back, my shoulder was frozen into place and required 6 months of PT to almost get back to near normal (the shoulder's range of motion is still restricted).

I am sharing this short story because the surgeon's statements and treatment are relevant for our HA! Community. They are important examples of exactly what we often need to do for our pets. That is, "Don't Resist" or work against the body.

We can help them relax by stimulating the rest, restore and regenerate reflex. It's easy to help them continue moving forward towards balance and healing by not being limited by symptoms, dis-eases and diagnoses).

Things like optimizing Connection, Happiness, and Engagement (CHE/Qi) using actions like going on Therapeutic Sniff Walks, using the snuffle mat, playing the hunt for treats game, stimulating purring, feeding Happy Meals, etc. all do the same thing. They help all of the systems in the body work better together. Cellular cooperation, or what in molecular biology and physics we call coherence (of life, light, etc.).

This simple yet super complex concept is corroborated by research findings in seemingly separate areas such as psychoneuroimmunology, positive psychology, flow, Radical Remission, Blue Zones, etc.

The super cool thing is that it is all summed up in the simple statement:

"Go With The Flow".

Doing so will decreases resistance and susceptibility and can increase mitochondrial metabolism and energy.

There are many examples in nature such as a smoothly flowing rivers. This smooth flow is also called cohesive flow which in the physics of particle flow is called "laminar" flow. This is in contrast to the "turbulent" flow of water that has been obstructed by a rock, log or other obstacle which provides resistance.

This is only one small example of the potential power of nature and smooth flow. Slow and steady wins the race. Truly.

Many examples of the power of smooth flow are present all around us. For example, lazily flowing rivers that, over time, can carve out great gorges such as The Grand Canyon (thanks to the perseverance by the CO river).

Of course the river does not see this as persisting in a goal but rather that is doing what comes naturally. It. flows and when unobstructed over time great things can result.

All of nature, including animals like dogs and cats are this way.

If we can let their bodies flow unobstructed, as they naturally will do, balance, wellness and great resilience results.

The natural world has given us a beautiful roadmap, all we need to do is to follow the signposts (of symptoms) in order to help our pets be as good as the universe and nature intends them to be.
 

Dr. Jeff

Administrator
Moderator
Veterinarian
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
5,242
OK. So there are lots of words in the first post but no clear signposts of where to go or what to do. So let's make this post more about the specific actions that the Roadmap points us towards.

I guess the first thing whenever mapping out a destination is knowing where you are going and having a clear way of getting there.

The destination (which is also HMDM Step 1) is either mainly symptom reduction or treatment of the underlying cause for the symptom.

For this step it is super helpful to adopt the re-growth mindset. With the goal in mind of deep healing and regeneration which this mindset enables (vs. being in a fixed mindset from symptoms, dis-ease and diagnoses) then we have a very, very clear destination.

Internal energetic + physical re-balancing.


And the "headlights" showing us where this destination may be are our high BEAMs:


On to specific actions later (after feeding the pets)....
 

Dr. Jeff

Administrator
Moderator
Veterinarian
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
5,242
OK, I'm back. I'll probably need lots of help to get this post semi-complete.

This post is to just briefly mention some of the energy-building and balancing strategies we have discussed over the years. It's probably nowhere near complete. If anyone has other holistic actions, please add them to this thread.

Quick wins and other experiences from using the different strategies are especially welcome. It's quick to enough to mention one or two and and whether the symptom (like not eating well or low BEAM) got better, worse or was unchanged when you implemented the action.

These are actions like extra sniff walks, using an ionbox at night, feeding extra "Happy Meals", etc..

For example would be a pup who gets a better appetite and better BEAM by doing something that makes her super happy and may build/balance energy like petting, playing fetch, etc.

So let's see what I come up as clinically helpful actions that help pets' bodies do their jobs (of staying in balance/maintaining homeostasis) most effectively:

1. Actions that promote connection like:

Spending extra time outside, looking out a window (for indoor cats), with family members, etc.

2. Stimulation of BEAMing (super happiness):

Anticipating and eating (or hunting/catching/killing and eating for cats) favorite snacks and special foods, activities like training and tracking, Therapeutic Sniff Walks, etc.

3. Parasympathetic (the rest, restore and regenerate autonomic reflex that all pets and people have) stimulation with methods (there are others for people) like sniffing, purring, gentle and slow rhythmic petting from head to tail, etc.

4. Lots of nutritional modifications, vitamins and supplementation like:

upgrading from ultra-processed food to fresh food feeding, vitamin and mineral co-factors needed for mitochondrial energy production, CoQ10, ribose, etc.

Perhaps my favorite though, because its helps us as well as our pets is Love Therapy.

The actions are intuitive, simple and heart-motivated:

1. Engage your pet 4x a day with a loving gaze
2. Lots of loving caresses (petting, stimulating purring and BEAMing)
3. Have three, 5 minute sessions of loving play and meditation/Reiki together

Then there's BEAMing and breathing together. Like your pup snuffling while we do Dr. Kataria's 10pm ET Laughter Yoga class:


Laughter Yoga checks all of the boxes (of fun, play, breathing, EFT, parasympathetic stimulation, acupressure, stretching, etc.) for us the way the Therapeutic Sniff Walk and playing Hunt For Treats do for dogs and cats.

Last but not least are the vet systems that balance the energy we've promoted in our pets.

Veterinary treatments based on Ayurvedic, homeopathic and Traditional Chinese Medical principles. Unlike modern scientific vet med which is physiologically based, these are based on a "vitalistic" (life energy like Prana and Qi) principle.

It is super amazing for science nerds like me to be alive during times like these where cutting edge research and ancient wisdom are coming together (via the molecular individuality of the exposome, information/energy flow sciences, studies of mitochondrial metabolism, subtle energies, etc.).

Just take a look at this recent Yale University study of the great effects from SKY breathing:


This ended up being another rambling post, so I better end it. And I will do so with a couple of other articles and videos that may help tie all of this energy building and balancing stuff together:






 

Dr. Jeff

Administrator
Moderator
Veterinarian
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
5,242
Hi again everyone.

One more thing to mention tonight.

It brings energy and vitality building balancing and energy conservation all together via vitalism, nature, and the Roadmap.

That is the connection between everything (because everything is fundamentally based in energy). We know this by laws of physics like conservation of energy and E = MC2.

And because we all share the same energy balance (called Dynamic Energy Balance or DEB) we all share the underlying "cause" for dis-ease (imbalance).

A One Health Medicine (OHM) unites us all. IMHO this is a universal truth that applies to all life.

Pets, people and the planet all working and playing in harmony. Like a finely tuned instrument.

Or a smoothly flowing river.

river.jpeg
Also one modern tech. example is hyper-miling in a hybrid vehicle. That's when we try to drive only on electric in order to conserve fuel (the energy that lets us follow a roadmap).


When going with the flow this way, we use the physics (and energy) of momentum to keep driving and use the least amount of gas.

Like conserving energy in your pet's body in order to help them function optimally.
 

Dr. Jeff

Administrator
Moderator
Veterinarian
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
5,242
Hi @everyone!

Here's a few thoughts about the 8 signposts that guide us along the path (with the destination of a healthful balance and few dis-eases for pets).

The first message talked about the fuel for this journey ("Vitamin V" or vitality/energy which is the main ingredient for the fuel).

The actions of C.H.E. (Chi) are 3 of the signposts. CHE is:

Connection - with their human family, animal friends, nature, etc.

Happiness- super happiness in and of itself can raise cellular energy through BEAMing, breathing (and even more powerful is the BEAMing and breathing together which can act like Laughter Yoga in people). It's easy, fun and super rewarding to help pets be happy! How to best do this depends on the individual pet (like with @LilF's pup), but usually things like extra play sessions, stimulating purring, Happy Meals, etc. work well.


Engagement-this can be as simple as making eye contact with your pet, gazing at them lovingly, calling their name, petting them, letting them sniff the air, etc.

IMAGE connection-happiness-engagement.jpg

The other 5 signposts are also intuitive and easy actions that can be implemented right away.

Fresh (not ultra-processed kibble or canned food) food and water.

Prana-yama (Therapeutic Sniff Walks, snuffle mats, hunt for treats games, etc.).

Sunshine energy.?

Love Therapy.?

And perhaps the biggest and most important signpost is that of symptoms. Things like learning about internal and external symptoms, the 4 Ps, Early Warning Signs (clues of imbalance), BEAM, etc.



INFOGRAPHICS 4 p's.jpeg

IMHO, nature and our animals will always seek balance. The biggest obstruction is often the fixed mindset we get into thanks to a mis-understanding of the significance of symptoms, or our worry about the meaning of dis-eases (imbalances) and diagnoses (a collection of symptoms).

I look forward to traveling down this super fun and exciting path to helping our beloved companions have the most balanced and happiest lives possible!

happy Daphne 2.JPG
 

Dr. Jeff

Administrator
Moderator
Veterinarian
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
5,242
OK, one more post about this to help "unpack" it a bit.

The essence of everything we share at HA! is to Go With The Flow of nature by conserving and optimizing cellular energy (which we'll call DEB).

Our good friend DEB (Dynamic Energy Balance) governs how well the natural world of every living/vital being works.

She is seen both in smoothly flowing rivers that conserve energy which helps the water get to the destination, e.g. the ocean, as well as in rivers that have their flow of water (like energy flow) obstructed.

1662581665191.png

Smooth flow conserves energy by not having to get around the blockages that create rapids or crashing waves (which can be compared to your pets' symptoms of imbalance).

1662581616627.png

The Roadmap to Balance is based on this principle of smooth flow.

There's lots of awe-some scientific details about this concept of optimal performance in people (not so much for pets) such as the information curated by Stephen Kotler and the Flow Research Collective.




What does all of this have to do with the Roadmap to Balance?

"Flow" is the state of optimal balance and optimal performance (both physical as well as mental/emotional).

The roadmap helps pet parents get there to prevent and manage any symptom (which results from flow "blockers" aka obstructions to smooth flow).

Perhaps think about using a map (remember them?) when driving somewhere.

Before cars had GPS when digital navigation services didn’t yet exist there were only maps to show how to get to a destination. These paper representations of roads, which may go in all kinds of confusing directions (like all the varied treatment methods for pets), show us very clearly the specific route to a destination. Maps are flat representations of the world (and roads) around us.

Maps help guide us along the path.

In the case of the roadmap that nature is giving us, it is to help guide us and our pets to the destination of balance.

Roadmaps are a simple and clear definition of the paths that lead to various destinations. And the map that I think our pets would like us to follow is super simple. It only leads to one destination.

That place is the balance and wellness of our pets that results from helping them go with the flow.

This not to say that the path to health and homeostasis (a fancy science way of saying balance) is simple. Far from it. It even can seem to be getting harder and harder over time.

As veterinary medicine gets closer and closer to following the path laid out by human medicine, we are focusing more and more on micro (tiny) details such as exactly which molecular mechanism can be interrupted to help an itch pet resulting in medications like Cytopoint and Apoquel.

Drugs lie this are wonderful for immediately helping decrease a symptom like itching in the short run. But whether they are helping in the long run is still a question. Increasing dis-eases and decreasing quality/length of life may be a clue.

Interfering with the natural mechanisms in our pets bodies may not be helping them go with the flow. In fact the evidence shows that these obstructions to smooth (and laminar) flow may be creating the turbulence of dis-ease, anxiety, restlessness, etc.

The caterpillar transforming into a butterfly is another beautiful example from nature. Medical breakthroughs are helping us to become better caterpillars....

The only essential parts of doing this is to stick with the roadmap (which conserves energy) and be patient and persevere. Nature does not need to follow the time constraints we impose on her.

This can be seen by the tale of the tortoise and the hare, slow and steady wins the race every time.

It may be time to upgrade our 2 dimensional and flat earth maps.

They can not help us avoid obstacles like debris in the road (which are like boulders in rivers that obstruct flow).

Fortunately we have a nifty natural navigation system like Waze which has taken the map and added in the observations of other travelers on the road to warn other drivers of potential obstacles.

This digital map which is based in the sciences of molecular individuality and intercellular communication can be used to help our pets be more resilient using version 2.0 of Evidence Based Medicine (EBM).

EBM v. 2.0 is Evidence + Experience-based medicine and may help our pets flow more smoothly towards the destination of balance.

In 2023 we'll spend a whole month diving deeper into these concepts.

I'll leave you with one awe-some video that ties it all together with water, nature and indigenous wisdom. Let's all sing The Water Song every day!!

 

Dr. Jeff

Administrator
Moderator
Veterinarian
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
5,242
Great (for singing the water song)! Grandmother Nancy (from the video) will be storytelling and sharing at a local organic farm and retreat center:

 

Dr. Jeff

Administrator
Moderator
Veterinarian
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
5,242
It is energy balance which makes up the road upon which we travel to reach the Balance of nature and health and happiness for our pets. In science we call her D.E.B. (Dynamic Energy Budget/Balance).

DEB is the foundation of all life and health. Conservation of energy leading to balance in pets and in the world is key.

 

Dr. Jeff

Administrator
Moderator
Veterinarian
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
5,242
Hi again all of the wonderful HA! community members!

One more thing to add about the first sign on this Roadmap to balance. The very first step is for vets and pet parents to see our pets' symptom clues as an important part of the deep healing context.

In fact, vets don't even call things like BEAM, or red ears or liver problems, etc, symptoms. We call them clinical signs.

Signs/symptoms are our first guides to maintaining and regaining balance...
 

Weekly Digest

Weekly Digest
Subscribe/Unsubscribe
Top Bottom