An study from the Environmental Working Group, Poluted Pets, by Olga Naidenko, Rebecca Sutton, Jane Houlihan, April 2008, begins: “ In the first study of its kind, Environmental Working Group found that American pets are polluted with even higher levels of many of the same synthetic industrial chemicals that researchers have recently found in people, including newborns. The results show that America’s pets are serving as involuntary sentinels of the widespread chemical contamination that scientists increasingly link to a growing array of health problems across a wide range of animals—wild, domesticated and human.”  

While this may not be news to a large number of petowners, the extent of the problem is significant. It is therefore more than ever imperative to make the lives of our pets as toxin free as we can, because in doing so we make our own lives healthier. Multiple and layered illnesses have increasingly been seen in clinic in the human animal, as well as pets over the last several years in part due to this.  The contamination comes from many sources; poluted tap water, commerical pet foods, lawn and garden chemical residues and indoor environment; air, off gassing of manmade materials in the home, commercial products for; cleaning, clothes washing and other home maintenance products, various commerical pet grooming products and flea protection products, cat litter, toys with toxic ingredients, etc.  There are also those chemicals used in the urban environment and general airpolution.  Animals absorb surface chemicals directly through the bottom of their feet, through nosing, licking or eating things off the ground and through grooming themselves thereby absorbing chemicals in ways that a human would not.  All of this puts great stress on a many of the body’s systems and functions.  It is therefore important to purchase products that are safe and luckily there are increasingly more to choose from and places to get them. 

There is much we can do in controlling toxic contaminants for ourselves and out pets, but of course much we can’t readily controll.  But if we provide clean, organic food, filtered or spring water, non toxic products throughout our homes; cleaning/maintenance, laundry, sprays, organic/non toxic products to groom pets, non toxic toys, collars, etc. it goes a long way towards helping our pets and ourselves maintain health. Consider for a moment that we and our children hug our pets, place our faces in their fur and pick up chemicals that may linger there.  Anything we do for our pets can therefore have a beneficial impact on our own health as well.

To read the full article or for more information go to: http://www.ewg.org/reports/pets

Skin diseases such as for example eczema, is  known in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as shi zhen or damp rash and are generally either chronic or acute conditions.  In TCM diagnosis and treatment is based on what is called pattern discrimination; the disharmonies, stagnations, deficiencies, wind, pathogenic influences, Heat or etc. within the body that affect the whole body health.  The assessment establishes whether there is a pattern of Damp Heat or a pattern of Blood Dryness as seen from the TCM perspective.  A Damp Heat pattern will include red, weepy skin lesions that are itchy, plus other signs and symptoms the TCM practitioner establishes.   With Blood Dryness the lesions are dry and may also be itchy.  The lesions may be more or less red or perhaps even pale plus other signs and symptoms established by the practitioner after a thorough examination of the patient. 

Eczema may have a basis in other allergies.  In dogs, some breeds seem also to be more prone to skin diseases than others; for example golden retrievers, terriers, poodles, Dalmatians, schnauzers.   In dogs the cause for eczema can be internal and/or external parasites, fungus, yeast, fleas, chemical substances and drug reactions and others in addition to dietary and environmental allergies and sensitivities from a western perspective.  Therefore thorough pattern discrimination is important. In TCM no health issue is seen in isolation, but always on the background of overall health.  Once a TCM diagnosis is established the practitioner writes a treatment option for either herbal formulas or acupuncture or both, as well as dietary recommendations, which directly correlates to the specific person or animal’s TCM diagnosis.    The herbal formulas for the two types of eczema will be different and may include topical treatments.   If the condition has elements of dietary allergies, the diet must be checked and changed.  If there are external causes for the eczema, these need to be eliminated not only on the animal, but also in the animal’s environment for treatment to be successful.

 While an acute condition is easier and quicker to treat than chronic, enough time needs to be allowed for the treatment to work and to bring harmony back to the body.

So there are a lot of elders out there who LOVE apple cider vinegar and feel it is the tell-tale cure for a number of maladies. Well I have to say I too am a convert……. Let’s talk indigestion that hits you without warning. I cannot stand taking OTC drugs and will not subject myself to the little purple pill, but let me have a teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar in a glass of water and the symptoms subside, as if by magic. When my partner started to suffer with this her naturopath suggested this wonderful inexpensive cure and it works! So that started me thinking about what other things it is used for……….

Vim & Vigor

We know that many herbalists use this as a base for herbals and tonics, and one of my favorites is carried by the Mennonites in Maryland, called Vim & Vigor. One shot of this a day and I think you could take on Godzilla……..we love stopping in Flintstone to pick up this wonderful elixer.

“Our Indiana based product combines extracts of wild mountain-grown Gingseng Root, Goldenseal Root( also known as yeller root), Black Cohosh Root, Black Walnut Leaves, Star Anise Pods, Echinacea, Chamomile Berries, Licorice Root, Chickweed, Cinnamon,Fenugreek Seeds, Cloves, Ginger Root, and Valerian with aged apple cider vinegar and then flavored with concentrates of apple and grape juices, resulting in a unique elixir which, according to our customers, has produced some interesting results.”

Even WebMD has scientific evidence to back up some of the claims made about the health benefits of this simple fermented apple juice.

I started thinking about all of this while at dinner, listening to a young man at the table next to me talk about how bad his acid reflux was, and what he could not eat (including some great foods) because of it. Boy did I wish I had some Apple Cider Vinegar to hand to him So go on, grab a teaspoon and perhaps you will find this a good habit to form!