OUR DOG STORY

We adopted our 6 year old husky from the humane society in the fall of 2002. Over the next 4 years, we took note that she had only a few health problems. Some of the health problems she faced over these 4 years included: kennel cough, ruptured anal glands, torn leg ligaments, and a lack of appetite. She was on and off medications for these various problems, along with a few surgeries here and there. We experimented with several different brands of commercial dog foods, but nothing seemed to tickle her fancy--she didn't even go ga-ga over table scraps like most dogs did!

Our dog's road to natural health fell upon us in the spring of 2006. Leading up to this, the previous fall, she was chasing a rabbit and started limping; she had torn a knee ligament. My uncle and aunt's dog had just died from a staph infection after a routine teeth cleaning surgery, so my greatest concern was that our dog would have a similar result from her surgery the vet prescribed. The vet assured me that she would be fine. She had the surgery:

She was doped up on pain medication, anti-infection meds and within a few days would not leave her bed spot without being carried (just picture me carrying our husky to her food bowl and down a flight of stairs to go outside!) Our dog stopped eating, stopped pooping and laid on her bed lethargically from day to day getting worse. As we had visitors drop by, they made comments, "She's pretty much gone" or "She's given up on life; there's nothing you can do" and "Is that dog even alive still?"

After not having eaten for over 10 days, and drinking minimal droppers of water, I called the Vet, "You can bring her in to do testing to find out which body parts are shutting down...." SERIOUSLY? THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE FOR ME??? Well, you can imagine why we took the matter in our own hands then, with me spending late hours on the computer doing research on canine health. What I came up with was that her body was too weak from malnutrition to be able to recover from a major surgery. MALNUTRITION? BUT, how could that be since we fed her good brands of commercial dog foods?!?!

INSTEAD....my question SHOULD have been, "Are we feeding her the type of food that God created a dog to eat?" The answer would have been "no". In my research, I found a dog needs to eat a majority of their diet as protein, not as grains and carbs as most commercial dog food is made. OF that protein, it should be raw--just as a canine would eat out in the wild!

MY EXPERIMENT: I held a piece of raw meat in front of her nose--not having eaten for 10 days, keep in mind--and the RAW was KEY, because we had tried plenty of cooked meat! Her ears perked, her nose wriggled and she slowly accepted the food. Over the next few days as her appetite came back, we gave her an enema (yeah, gross!!) to get her bowels moving again (NATURES SUNSHINE LOWER BOWEL STIMULANT DROPS worked for ongoing flushing for the next few weeks) and fed her milk, raw eggs, bits of raw steak and hamburger to keep her eating. Within a week she was running around as her usual self.

Our dog is 13 years old now and has a healthy appetite, plays throughout the day, sees well, hear well, has all of her teeth, and even chases rabbits and other critters regularly around our yard. In fact, most new visitors think she's about 5 years, as their mouth drops when we tell her REAL age! She has not needed any medications or vet visits for health problems in the past 4 years (she doesn't GET health problems, in fact!), and is in GREAT SHAPE considering where she was before and directly following her surgery. She doesn't get the luxury of having special food bought for her....instead we have found a very budget-conscious diet plan for her....still involving raw foods. If you are interested in how we have done this--tune back in for my next BLOG POSTING on NATURAL CANINE HEALTH!

God Bless, Ms. Salubrious

******None of the above statements have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. All of the information in this BLOG is strictly for educational purposes. This BLOG should not be used to treat, diagnose, or prescribe for a condition you feel you may have. If you have any health concerns, you should see a competent practitioner. ******

Natural Health First Aid Kit

• INFECTION FIGHTERS:
  
  Epsom Salt -- just regualr store boughten from any pharmacy, add 1-2 cups to baths to relax muscles and fight infection (1/2 cup to 1 cup for little ones)
  
• Organic Apple Cider Vinegar -- a natural bacterial fighter. Add a few cups safely to any bath, even using it each bath through the winter time as a preventative measure. Taken internally is a tremendous immune booster, if taken daily.
• GOLDENSEAL HERB -- the natural version of an antibiotic. Taken 1-2 capsules every 1-3 hours when infected with anything. If no improvement, take more often to see results. Drops available for kiddos: Goldenseal Echinacea
• Morton Salt -- make "salt packs" out of 1 cup salt and a thin ziplock baggie. Apply to infected area for an hour at a time, doing as often as able, switching to new each round(time allowing) salt naturally draws toxins/infection out of the body.
• Heat packs/Hot water bottle -- lay on infected area, opposite of salt packs. If no hot water bottle available, then use hot wach cloth is thin zip-loc baggie.
• WOOL SOCKS --The COLD WET SOCK TREATMENT increases circulation to the feet. As the body tries to warm the feet, it causes the excess mucus in the body to break-up. Get a pair of cotton socks thoroughly dampened in icy cold water, or place wet socks in the freezer for a few minutes. Wring out well and put them on your child's feet, immediately following them with the dry wool socks. These prevent drafts, and also allow the feet to 'breathe'. Repeat if necessary.
• Enema Kits/Stool Softener: LOWER BOWEL STIMULANT CAPSULES , for kiddos: LB EXTRACT, and the stimulant tea: SMOOTH MOVE TEA by Traditional Medicinals ENZYMES. Getting the stools moving (which get backed up and pushes mucus upwards with allergies and illnesses) is the fastest way to push something out of your body that doesn't belong!

BLADDER/URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS:

• Cornsilk Herb Capsules work WONDERS for getting rid of bladder and UT Infections!
• Organic Cranberry Juice (be sure to check label for no additives--R.W. Knudsen is most ideal brand)
• CANTHARIS or STAPHYSAGRIA homeopathic remedies most common for treating bladder infections, found at many natural health stores

EAR INFECTIONS:

• Lobelia tincture, essence, or extract to relax ear tissue and relieve pain. Apply to the gland under the ear, covering an area at least the size of a quarter
• Sage and Fenugreek-Thyme help the body break up mucus
• FERRUM PHOS and PULSATILLA are the 2 homeopathic remedies that help with ear infections the most. Pulsatilla assists the body in breaking up mucus and pus, and Ferrum Phos assists the body in cleansing the glands next to the ear, relieving the pressure that causes the pain.
• Drops for pain/infection (DO NOT USE on children with tubes in the ears). Warm momentarily in a pan: (DO NOT PUT IN HOT DROPS, wait until it cools to a nice warmth): a mixture of 1-tablespoon COLD PRESSED OLIVE OIL, 2 drops Tea Tree oil and a clove of ORGANIC GARLIC. Only two drops of this mixture are put in the infected ear. Lie down 10 minutes on the opposite ear so the oil will go deep into the ear. Use a warm compress over the ear after the oil is in place to help relieve the pain
• Cold Wet Sock Treatment (see description above)
• Enema to get stools moving is the number one treatment to do, but many would rather try the others first....

SINUS INFECTIONS:

• KALI BICHROMIUM is hands down, the best sinus infection/sinus cold homeopathic remedy, can be found at many natural health stores.
• Fenugreek-Thyme Herb Capsules thin mucus naturally, take 1-2 every 1-3 hours. Take more or less for desired outcome.
• Heat compressions/Hot water bottle on face
• Salt Water Sinus Flush
• Be sure to keep stools moving

RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS/COUGHS/SORE THROATS:

• Salt/Hot packs applied to chest
• COLD WET SOCK TREATMENT
• "Throat Coat" Tea by Traditional Medicinals, Basil Tea or Thyme Tea mixed with raw honey willbreak down mucus and relieve sore throats
• IPECAC, SPONGIA, and HEPAR SULPHURIS are the main cough/lung mucus homeopathic remedies to use.
• Gargle with morton salt and water continually

FOOD POISONING/UPSET STOMACH/INDIGESTION:

• Activated Charcoal Capsules absorb toxins and poisons in the system if taken shortly after symptoms appear.
• IPECAC, NUX VOMICA, ARSENICUM and CARBO VEG are the top remedies for sickness from foods
• STOMACH COMFORT CHEWABLES help with occasional acid relief, as does PAPAYA CHEWABLES and dried parsley and organic apple cider vinegar since acid problems most of the time stem from being an indicator that your stomach's enzymes are deficient in some manner (many times from too much sugar/processed foods)

BURNS/CUTS:

• CANTHARIS homeopathic remedy is the best remedy for burns
• Abundant Blessings CALENDULA SALVE made without Petroleum, very hard to find this natural version
• Soaking the burn spot in liquid minerals for 20 minutes works wonders!!

HEADACHES:

• Magnesium Complex provides relief for aches by increasing blood flow to those areas, as does FORMULA 303, a natural version of a pain med found at many natural health stores
• HOT PACK/HOT WATER BOTTLE on achy area
• Regular Chiropractic adjustments
• Diet of little to no processed foods/sugars will do wonders if you're brave enough!

BLEEDING:

• Using typical first aid measures, you can also add the remedy BELLADONNA to help stop bleeding. When our daughter gashed her chin and her shirt was covered with blood down to her waistline, within 5 minutes of taking the remedy, the blood was completely stopped.

BRUSING/SWELLING/CUTS/SCRAPES/PUNCTURE WOUNDS:

• The 3 main homeopathic remedies that help the body fight associated pain are the following: HYPERICUM, ARNICA, SYMPHYTUM...or else they sell the combination remedy including all of these three by ENERGIQUE to be used with more mild symptoms.
• Hypericum is for numbness, shooting pains and puncture wounds involving nerves
• Arnica is the first homeopathic remedy to consider with sprains, strains, falls, trauma and injury: for bruising, bleeding and deep tissue pain. Works WELL in recovering from surgery once the body is set back to it's normal functioning mode. (NOTE: with a break or fracture,the body needs to be back in normal functioning mode for a remedy to work. Our daughter broke her elbow and didn't get much relief until directly following surgery--but had no pains meds in recovery while using ARNICA!)
• Symphytum is for pain persisting long after an injury.

God Bless, Ms. Salubrious

******None of the above statements have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. All of the information in this BLOG is strictly for educational purposes. This BLOG should not be used to treat, diagnose, or prescribe for a condition you feel you may have. If you have any health concerns, you should see a competent practitioner. ******

Movie Preview: One Man, One Cow, One Planet

A new movie just came out (on DVD) for all those interested in Organic farming, sustainable living and independent acreage upkeep. What's so special about THIS movie, that Ms. Salubrious wants to promote it? Well, when you come to realize how bad chemical sprays are in reflection to longevity health and preserving nutrients in top soil, you tend to search out alternative resources AWAY FROM using sprays to control weeds. THIS movie is a GREAT RESOURCE in doing this!

Not only does ONE MAN, ONE COW, ONE PLANET touch on the idea of recycling and composting, but takes it a step further in addressing a method for when no nutrients remain in the soil or the items of which you compost! Biodynamic farming uses a set of principles involving: homeopathy, physics, and astronomy (not to be confused with astrology). A Holistic Approach: just as natural health uses the WHOLE body to treat underlying symptoms, and as organic farming uses the ecosystem as a whole to sustain, biodynamic farming similarly takes an even broader approach of using further ecosystems to coincide with the plants being grown to create nutrients. Just like adding (molecular) potential energy to a homeopathic remedy by pounding it to use as kinetic energy--Vortexing (activating) Water, A Biodynamic Principal, gives molecular energy to the soil that no single nutrient can bring!

Here's the Theatrical Trailer for the Movie, PLEASE PAUSE MUSIC PLAYER IN THE RIGHT COLUMN, BELOW to hear this video! Thank You!!




Here are a few excerpts about the movie from the following website:
http://www.foodmatters.tv/_webapp_291494/Food_Production_-_A_Model_For_The_Future

• Biodynamics is the oldest non-chemical agricultural movement in the West, predating, by 20 years, the organic farming movement.
• "Mineral manuring is a thing that must cease altogether in time, for the effect of every kind of mineral manure, after a time, is that the products grown on the fields thus treated lose their nutritive value." - Rudolph Steiner (1861-1925)
  
• Steiner was convinced that the quality of food in his time had degraded, and he believed the source of the problem was chemical farming's use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides.
  
• Biodynamics revolves around using a set of eight homeopathic-like animal, mineral and plant based preparations.
  
• Pest and disease control on a biodynamic farm is usually managed by developing the farm as a total organism/system. When specific pest and weed control is required products are made from the weeds and pests themselves.
  

God Bless, Ms. Salubrious

******None of the above statements have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. All of the information in this BLOG is strictly for educational purposes. This BLOG should not be used to treat, diagnose, or prescribe for a condition you feel you may have. If you have any health concerns, you should see a competent practitioner. ******