It has been nearly two weeks since Buddy (Sol) died. We still often find ourselves about to pet him, to greet him or to get him to the window to "wave goodbye" (a family tradition), or to get his leash on him for a walk. The house seems so empty. To understate it, we miss him.
My prayer, though, remains that this blog will be of help to others. With that in mind, I am sharing the foods and supplements that brought Buddy back to life when he was nearly gone.
Royal Jelly- he got one teaspoon once a day, on an empty stomach. Among other benefits, royal jelly contains vitamins A, C, D, E, and all (yes ALL) of the B vitamins. It's especially rich in pantothenic acid. It has antibacterial properties, strengthens the immune system, lowers total cholesterol and triglycerides.
Other claims for royal jelly include: increased appetite, general vigor, retards aging, boosts longevity, accelerates healing, and has antiviral properties.
Specific claims have been made in connection with a number of maladies: asthma, Parkinson's disease and other nervous disorders, arthritis, depressed immune system, insomnia, fatigue, ulcers, and a slew of digestive and skin disorders. Besides all that, it is used in skin creams and cosmetics, shampoos and conditioners as a moisturizing agent.
As with other things, always start cautiously when first ingesting, in case you or your pet are allergic to it.
Royal jelly comes with or without propolis. We gave it to Buddy with propolis. This is a resin that bees gather from tree bark and leaves, and combine with nectar. One use is at the hive entrance, to sterilize themselves as they come and go.
Propolis has all the known vitamins (excepting vitamin K), plus 16 amino acids have been identified.
Hippocrates used it to heal sores and ulcers both inside and out.
Buddy was not nuts about the taste. I wrapped it up in a bit of whole wheat bread and he thought he was getting quite a treat.
Google this for more information. I looked at HealthVitaminsGuide.com and www.pureroyaljelly.com/propolis.html/
Next time I'll share the first herb capsule with which we treated him. One of these times, I'll share more about Buddy himself--his breed, how we adopted him, what he was like, how he was trained...
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Sol's Supplements
The first few things I'll mention are not herbs, but have their place in Buddy's healing.
HOW MUCH TO GIVE?
Buddy weighed 60 pounds, so I gave him half of whatever the recommended dose for an adult, or for me in particular. This would correspond to a child's dosage.
MOLASSES- specifically, blackstrap molasses, extracted from pure cane sugar. It is rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron. Even some doctors will recommend it to people suffering from anemia, as it replenishes the blood supply without the side effects of iron supplements. Buddy got about a tablespoon a day. To discover more, search "molasses and tumors". Three Web sites with good information are www.earthclinic.com, http://healthmad.com/nutrition/the-benefits-of-blackstrap-molasses/
and
www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=118
COD LIVER OIL- I found Carlson's brand of Norwegian cod liver oil. It comes in smallish, dark bottles, which protect it from going rancid or losing potency. If you use it within two months, it doesn't need refrigeration. I gave Buddy one teaspoon per day. He loved it. Cod liver oil contains vitamin A (for the immune system, helps resist bacterial adn viral infections, benefits vision), vitamin D (helps maintain strong, healthy bones and helps ward off many types of cancer, one of which is lymphoma), and omega-3 fatty acids (anti-inflammatory properties, which relieve arthritis and other inflammatory conditions).
Note: use caution if taking along with aspirin, since both lower blood pressure. Also monitor how much vitamins A and D you take, because it is possible to reach a toxic level of those if you're taking supplements or if you are in the southern or summer sun a great deal.
Check out www.zhion.com/COD_LIVER_OIL.html
and www.avianweb.com/codliveroil.html
Or just Google "benefits of cod liver oil".
HOW MUCH TO GIVE?
Buddy weighed 60 pounds, so I gave him half of whatever the recommended dose for an adult, or for me in particular. This would correspond to a child's dosage.
MOLASSES- specifically, blackstrap molasses, extracted from pure cane sugar. It is rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron. Even some doctors will recommend it to people suffering from anemia, as it replenishes the blood supply without the side effects of iron supplements. Buddy got about a tablespoon a day. To discover more, search "molasses and tumors". Three Web sites with good information are www.earthclinic.com, http://healthmad.com/nutrition/the-benefits-of-blackstrap-molasses/
and
www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=118
COD LIVER OIL- I found Carlson's brand of Norwegian cod liver oil. It comes in smallish, dark bottles, which protect it from going rancid or losing potency. If you use it within two months, it doesn't need refrigeration. I gave Buddy one teaspoon per day. He loved it. Cod liver oil contains vitamin A (for the immune system, helps resist bacterial adn viral infections, benefits vision), vitamin D (helps maintain strong, healthy bones and helps ward off many types of cancer, one of which is lymphoma), and omega-3 fatty acids (anti-inflammatory properties, which relieve arthritis and other inflammatory conditions).
Note: use caution if taking along with aspirin, since both lower blood pressure. Also monitor how much vitamins A and D you take, because it is possible to reach a toxic level of those if you're taking supplements or if you are in the southern or summer sun a great deal.
Check out www.zhion.com/COD_LIVER_OIL.html
and www.avianweb.com/codliveroil.html
Or just Google "benefits of cod liver oil".
Caring People and Healing Herbs
Before I talk about Sol's herbal supplements, I have to say that my family has experienced an outpouring of sympathy and caring from many people. My music students are grieving along with us, as they miss Buddy greeting them with a couple of happy barks at the door and lying at their feet listening to their lessons. He adored them (who will let me know when somebody has arrived now?). Even if he didn't come down to the studio immediately, pretty soon we'd hear thumpity-thump down the stairs, and then thud as he bumped open the studio door and came in. I'd always have to get up and close the door behind him so the family's noises wouldn't disturb the lesson (or vice-versa). I never did figure out how to train him to shut the door behind himself.
Then there is our neighborhood. We have the loveliest folks on our block, so sad when he was struggling to walk, cheering and amazed at his progress, and spreading the word at his loss. We've had cards, facebook messages, e-mails, and phone calls, not to mention three little neighbor children showing up at the door with hand-made cards and very big eyes, windows to their hearts.
Also our friends, supporting, praying, caring, saying sweet things about our Buddy, letting us know it's okay to grieve over a dog. He wasn't "just a dog", but a member of our family.
Thank you, everybody.
Now the herbs. One thing that I've learned about herbs is that there will be a group of them that all do roughly the same thing. One group may soothe the digestive system. So you can pick any of those, it really doesn't matter. This also means that you can use one for a few months, and then switch to another just as good, so that one's system doesn't become desensitized and stop responding to the first herb.
This is also good to know because if you can't find the exact product sold by the same company, you can easily substitute another.
A good practice is to administer an herb for five or six days, then take two days off.
Something else I heard conflicting viewpoints on is that dogs' digestive systems, being shorter and faster, absorb herbs better in tincture form than in leaf form.
I don't know how true it is, but we gave Buddy both forms. Obviously they worked either way, considering his improvement.
Hey, let's go on to the next day to get specific about herbs, okay?
Then there is our neighborhood. We have the loveliest folks on our block, so sad when he was struggling to walk, cheering and amazed at his progress, and spreading the word at his loss. We've had cards, facebook messages, e-mails, and phone calls, not to mention three little neighbor children showing up at the door with hand-made cards and very big eyes, windows to their hearts.
Also our friends, supporting, praying, caring, saying sweet things about our Buddy, letting us know it's okay to grieve over a dog. He wasn't "just a dog", but a member of our family.
Thank you, everybody.
Now the herbs. One thing that I've learned about herbs is that there will be a group of them that all do roughly the same thing. One group may soothe the digestive system. So you can pick any of those, it really doesn't matter. This also means that you can use one for a few months, and then switch to another just as good, so that one's system doesn't become desensitized and stop responding to the first herb.
This is also good to know because if you can't find the exact product sold by the same company, you can easily substitute another.
A good practice is to administer an herb for five or six days, then take two days off.
Something else I heard conflicting viewpoints on is that dogs' digestive systems, being shorter and faster, absorb herbs better in tincture form than in leaf form.
I don't know how true it is, but we gave Buddy both forms. Obviously they worked either way, considering his improvement.
Hey, let's go on to the next day to get specific about herbs, okay?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
