Chekia Pet Lovers Pages
Supplements
You're listening to:
"A Little Help From My Friends"
written by John Lennon and
Paul McCartney
The Importance Of Supplements
by Terry Thistlethwaite
In a perfect world, we would all be able to get all of the nutrients
we need for optimal health by eating a diet of fresh, organically
raised and grown foods. In a world where agriculture is controlled by large industries, and "profit margin" is the primary focus in raising or growing every crop, where soil is depleted, air is polluted, and water is chemically altered, it only makes sense that "optimal health" will, for most, require more than eating fresh foods or even organically raised foods. It will reasonably require the addition of purified water, often purified air, and almost always, some amount of nutritional supplementation.
With the plethora of dietary supplements available to us today,
it can be an overwhelming task to try and discern "just which"
to choose for ourselves, as well as for our pets. To make things
worse, our society has fostered the idea that we should rely upon the medical profession to guide us in making such choices, with no accounting for the fact that the average
M.D. or D.V.M. has received very little if any training in this field. Medical and veterinary schools focus primarily on teaching pharmachology and surgery. If you are seeking treatment based on the use of prescription medications and/or surgery, these are certainly the skilled professionals who are trained to help you. If, however, what you are seeking is nutritional advice, the average M.D, is ill quipped to advise you beyond the admonition to "eat a balanced diet", and the D.V.M. is unlikely to be able to advise you beyond the recommendation to feed whatever processed kibble he has
been encouraged by the manufacturer to resell from his office.
My own experience with supplements has been thru the usual
"trial and error" method, the extensive reading of and personal
discussions with expert authors such as Juliette de Baircli Levy
and Dr Richard Pitcairn, recommendations of alternative health
professionals (including veterinarians who have done the
additional research to become qualified to advise on the
subject of nutrition), and thru the invaluable shared experience of longtime breeders and professional show dog handlers.. I have decided to share it here after numerous requests, and with the usual disclaimer of "this is what has worked for me in my own experience. It is not meant to be taken as the medical or nutritional advice of an expert, but only as a sharing of my own personal views and conclusions".
As is the case with many breeders, owners, and rescuers,
there are a number of supplements that I would simply never
be without. Among them:
Vitamin C in the form of Calcium Ascorbate
Most people are at least somewhat familliar with the
incredible research findings of Linus Pauling and the
effects of Vitamin C on everything from heart disease
to the prevention of stroke. In veterinary use,
Dr Wendell Bellfield DVM expanded on this work,
successfully treating active cases of
canine distemper
and feline leukemia with I-V sodium ascorbate.
As a daily supplement, the use of Vitamin C
is too often
trivialized by the uninformed.
Diatomaceous Earth; food grade, of course
Alternative veterinarians typically include DE in their
prevention and treatment programs for all internal
parasites including heartworm. The usual dosage is
one level tablespoon per fifty pounds of body
weight on a three days per month basis.
The time of the full moon
is generally accepted as the time when parasites are
best addressed as it is then they are most active.
Veterinarians using DE to treat positive
heartworm advise giving it every day for the
first month. DE is a very dry
powder, and MUST be given only in very WET
food or in soup.
Multiple uses including disinfecting; meat, fruit, and
vegetable wash; oral care; ear care; and more.
One drop per eight ounces of drinking
water has been recommended to address giardia.
MSM: This natural form of sulpher is known to have strong
detoxifying properties, and is widely used to treat
arthritic conditions.
Garlic; actually a food rather than a supplement, but
often used as a supplement nonetheless.
Often used to address intestinal parasites as well as
general diarreah, garlic does not "kill worms",
but rather sets up a healthy intestinal environment
in which worms have nothing on which to feed.
Celtic Sea Salt; also a food in itself
"Although promoted by conventional medicine as part
of a healthy diet, my experience has clearly shown
the fallacy of low-salt diets. They are not associated
with a reduction in blood pressure for the vast majority
of the population and also have adverse effects
on numerous metabolic markers including elevated
insulin levels and insulin resistance. Low sodium
diets have been associated with elevating total
cholesterol and
LDL cholesterol levels, which, in turn, has been
associated with cardiovascular events.
Furthermore, it has demonstrated that mineral
deficiencies are present in most chronic illnesses and
it is impossible to overcome these disorders unless
mineral deficits are corrected. What conventional
doctors and most mainstream organizations have
failed to grasp is the difference between refined and
unrefined salt. Unrefined salt contains
over 80 minerals in a perfect proportion for
our bodies. Our bodies were meant to function
optimally with adequate mineral levels and adequate
salt intake.
Only the use of unrefined salt can provide both of
these factors.
- Dr. David Brownstein, MD
from the article "Salt Your Way To Health"
"Many illnesses are caused or exacerbated by
trace-mineral deficiencies. These can be avoided by
the liberal use of Celtic Sea Salt® in your cooking and
the complete avoidance of all other salts, all of which contain only pure sodium chloride."
- Dr. Thomas S. Cowan, M.D.
"I've enjoyed using Celtic Sea Salt® for several
years now.
It enhances the flavor of whole foods and provides
me and my family with a superior source of
trace minerals."
- Dr. Christiane Northrup,
author Women's Bodies,
Women's Wisdom
Honey; probably the most perfect food in nature,
and used here for a plethora of situations
Combined supplement formulas can be found at all levels of
quality, cost, and general usefulness. The ones I have come to
trust, and find invaluable in raising, rescuing, and maintaining healthy dogs and cats are:
Enzymes Pro Plus Given to all of my dogs daily.
Total Biotics I give this to all of my cats and many rescue dogs
Puppy Gold Called "the Swiss army knife of puppy nutrition"
this supplement is given to all puppies here up to
eighteen months of age)
Young At Heart This incredible supplement is given to ALL
of the senior dogs here
Joint Strong I use this for athritic dogs who don't respond to
MSM alone
