Retaining Ovaries May be a Key to Prolonged Life In Women and Dogs

Dr. Andrew Jones, DVM, shares with us an article from DVM Newsmagazine.  This information is critical for both humans and animals alike.  New studies are being administered every day in centers around the world, and I would like to thank people like Dr. Jones for keeping us up to date on important findings that can make a significant difference in the quality and longevity of our lives.

DVM NEWSMAGAZINE

West Lafayette, Ind. — We know that women tend to live longer than men, but a new study shows that the same may be true in dogs, especially if a female dog’s ovaries are not surgically removed early in life.

A study conducted at the Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation compared the medical histories, ages and causes of death in 119 long-lived rottweilers with a longevity of at least 13 years with 186 rottweilers with a normal longevity of about 9 years. The study was published in the December issue of the journal Aging Cell.

“Like women, female dogs in our study had a distinct survival advantage over males,” said the lead researcher David J. Waters, associate director of Purdue University’s Center on Aging and the Life Course and a professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences.”But taking away ovaries during the first four years of life completely erased the female survival advantage. We found that female rottweilers that kept their ovaries for at least six years were four times more likely to reach exceptional longevity compared to females who had the shortest lifetime ovary exposure.”

This study’s findings are in line with those of a study conducted earlier this year at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, Calif., of 29,000 who had hysterectomies because of benign uterine disease. Although those women whose ovaries were removed before 50 years of age were protected against ovarian, uterine and breast cancer, increased mortality from other causes was noted compared with those who had their ovaries for at least 50 years.

Both studies call into question the automatic removal of the ovaries when hysterectomies are performed in dogs and women.

So do you NOT spay your dog?

Dr. Jones shares his thoughts with us on that age old question. “I always said what I was taught that the benefit of spaying is to PREVENT things like Mammary Cancer.

Now I would wonder about spaying ( and neutering) the larger breeds later in life- such as after 2 years of age. Clearly we are in a learning phase- Talk to your own Veterinarian, and point him or her to the article.”

Given this information by Dr. Jones, I feel it is more important now than ever to make sure you are feeding your dogs good quality food, giving them a supplement to help support their immune system, keep them away from pesticides and cleaning chemicals, and communicate directly with them to ensure you are dealing with issues in the early stages of development when you have more options for treatments.

Need a good quality supplement developed by a vet? http://budurl.com/dogsupplement

The Food You Are Feeding Your Dogs Could Be Shaving Years Off of Their Lives!

I realize this blog post has a gruesome subject but knowing this stuff is better than remaining unaware.

My friend Andy Lewis has put together critical information that every dog (and cat) owner needs to know so I’m glad to share it with you today.

He reveals the statistics about canine death rates & then shows you how they link to the food your dog (or cat) may be eating.

It’s important you see the video, now viewed by 1,102,546 shocked dog owners, and read the disturbing report here, read by over 5,354,931 dog owners that Andrew has created.

See them now and then come back here to continue…

Andrew’s findings:

The Three Leading Causes of Death in Dogs are:

1. Cancer

2. Heart Disease

3. Kidney Disease

This is how they link to your dog’s diet..

1. Cancer: The chemicals & preservatives used in many commercial dog foods are known to cause these cancers..

- Kidney cancer

- Bladder cancer

- Skin cancer

- Stomach cancer

- Spleen cancer

- Leukemia

The same cancer-causing chemicals & preservatives have been banned from use in human foods because of these known problems…but continue to be used in Fido’s food.

2. Heart Disease: The high proportions of cheap unhealthy fats found in many commercial dog foods cause arteriosclerosis and arterial blockages resulting in death by heart attack.

But also, the lack of more expensive omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) also causes canine heart failure because without omega-3, ventricular arrhythmias occur and can result in sudden death.

3. Kidney Disease: An 11-year study of acute renal failure in dogs concluded 45% of cases are caused by toxins and 35% by infectious disease.

In the US, April-May 2007, over 2200 dogs died in a 3-week period from poisonous toxins found in the commercial dog foods they ate.

And nutritionally inadequate diets lead to defective adrenal glands unable to manufacture adequate cortisol, a hormone vital for health and resistance to infectious disease (Dr. Alfred Plechner DMV).

If you feed commercial dog food, than consider very carefully the possible consequences.

Andy never did and his dog Noble, died. Many owners ignored the warnings back in 2006 and were devastated by the Dog Food Scandal of 2007.  (Yes, Andy’s been doing this for a long time.)

But the good news is, the many thousands that listened and took his advice, followed his guidelines still have healthy dogs today.

Andrew Lewis, author of Dog Food Secrets – Get your copy today!

Beware these 7 “Health” Foods that Aren’t so Healthy

Dr. JJ Virgin, wellness coach to the celebrities, shares with us these 7 foods that you may be eating everyday that are harming you instead of helping you!

1.  Light Yogurt. Yogurt plus artificial sweeteners does not equal good health!  Plus regular yogurt is a carb bomb and the sweet taste just leaves you craving more sweet.  Lateral shift:  Greek yogurt.

2.  Soymilk. You get a load of sugar and a cupful of potential negative effects from soy including lowered thyroid function.  Soy is one of the top genetically modified crops, bred so that it can withstand the effects of Roundup.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t kill the plant but it soaks right up into it which means you get some too.  Lateral Shift.  Heart healthy coconut milk.

3.  Flavored Power Waters. The power is really a blood sugar spike because these drinks are sugar, sugar and more sugar, or if you are getting the “light” version – artificial sweeteners.  Lateral Shift:  Sparkling water with some Emergen-C

4.  Energy Bars. Sugar, artificial flavorings, soy protein…check the label and see if you can pronounce much of what are in these.  They are adult candy bars.  Lateral Shift:  Try a piece of fresh fruit or better yet, skip it altogether, because you don’t need this high calorie snack or any snack if you are eating three great meals a day.

5.  Lowfat Muffins. It is just an adult version of cake.  Many supposed healthy muffins that call themselves banana bran whatever are just 500 calorie, sugar-packed carb bombs.  Lateral shift:  2 poached eggs and steel cut oatmeal.

6.  No Sugar Added Jam. Remember that no sugar added means that there is already sugar from the fruit and then more added by concentrating that fruit, but they are just not dumping in table sugar.  Lateral shift:  spread a little almond butter on your toast and top with apple slices.

7. Cereal and Milk. A total carb bomb that sets you up for mid-morning blood sugar blues.  Lateral Shift:  Try not eating breakfast for breakfast.  You can take your protein from last night plus leftover grilled veggies and make a deelishis wrap.  That you definitely satisfy you until lunch.

For more information on how Dr. JJ Virgin can help you with your weight and health management I invite you to listen in on her next free call on February 18, 2010.  To register for the free call visit http://www.budurl.com/JJVirgin

Heal, Destress and Meditate with the Power of Music

Many people are familiar with the concept behind music therapy, but not everyone thinks to incorporate this into their own life.  Armed with the knowledge that listening to certain types of music can lift your mood or alter it in other desirable ways, you can create your own reality.  This knowledge can also inform your decision when it comes to music that would negatively affect you.

One of the most obvious things that music does is alter your mood. The next time you’re feeling down, think about what kind of music you feel like listening to.  It might be that you instinctively go for something sad to match your mood.  When you catch yourself doing that, pick out music that feels joyful to you, and listen to that instead.  Before you know it, you’ll be feeling better.  One thing that happens in your body is that your brain waves shift to match the tempo of the music.  A faster tempo will enhance your alertness and lengthen your concentration span.

A study at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore discovered that listening to music that you find to be joyful can actually improve your cardiovascular health. When participants in a study listened to joyful (in their opinion) music, their blood vessels dilated by as much as twenty three percent.  Meanwhile, when they listened to music that caused them anxiety, their blood vessels constricted as much as nine percent.  Hearing music you enjoy can increase blood flow throughout your entire body.

Music also directly affects heart rate as well as breathing rate. To slow down, relax, and meditate, listening to music that is calming can help you relieve stress and enter a meditative state.  Decreasing stress levels is one of the best things you can do for your health, both physically and mentally, so the next time you turn the stereo on, think about your choice in music and how it will affect you.

Additionally, many of my past students have had difficulty in quiting their mind to be able to enter a meditative state in order to be able to communicate with their animal friends.  Music is a great way to help get into that space that allows you to better hear your animal friends.

You are designed to heal quickly & easily – if you’re not, then this may be the cause…

A colleague communicated with a cat recently. When she asked the cat about why it waited for hours outside the bedroom door early in the morning to be fed, the cat replied:

“I enjoy waiting. I find purpose in it. People think waiting is a waste of time and so often get frustrated and angry if they have to wait in line, wait for someone who’s late, etc. But waiting gives rich opportunities to expand one’s awareness, to tap into something outside of ourselves while we stand in “suspension”. Time is a malleable thing and can even cease to exist for those who truly appreciate the art of waiting.”

The noise of the day often silences the intuitive voice, but when it gets a chance to speak clearly, it provides warning, direction, clarity and guidance. If you pay attention, be aware and listen, you can learn amazing things — from your animal’s unique viewpoint and wisdom, from dreams, and even seeming coincidences.  You can retrieve invaluable information by opening the intuitive gateway, learning from your own bodymind and the world around you, which is a wealth of information, connections, wisdom and insights.

Often people don’t hear their intuitive voice during the day, but rather in the still of the night, when we are more receptive. Sometimes this feels like insomnia, when you can’t go to sleep.  Our busy minds are often trying to tell us things we didn’t take enough time during our day to listen to, to process fully, or to pay attention to.  And guess what?

If enough time isn’t allowed when it is needed, then the bodymind stores it up for processing later. And if you don’t take enough time for too long, then that stuck stored energy trapped in the body becomes degenerative, offering painful symptoms of illness and dis-ease.  I suppose the bodymind feels that only then will we get the time we need to fully address the issues being presented to us.

We are designed to heal and rebalance rapidly and quickly – it is a matter of survival.  When we don’t, that tells us there is something in the way that is unresolved and not at peace, something that stops us from being well and whole, living a life full of purpose, clarity and prosperity.

“The Issues are in the Tissues” means that the wisdom of the bodymind knows exactly what is wrong, where it is stored and why.  Our job is to listen and learn from it, to use our waiting time productively. When we do, amazing things can happen!

Animals are spiritual teachers. In every relationship with an animal teacher, they are talking to us.  The question is:  Are we listening to them? Will we take the time we need to heal, to reconnect and to live balanced, full happy lives?  Or will we just spend our lives being frustrated while we wait…

So, what are you waiting for?

The Bottom Line:  If you are not healing quickly and easily, are not resilient and adaptable, or are not enjoying your life — then there is something blocking you. I am trained to discover and help you resolve that, and with your help and commitment to the process, you can expect to see things improve — sometimes dramatically and quickly, other times more slowly and surely.

Whether you choose to work with me or another practitioner, Please!  Do yourself and your animal friends a favor and get the help you need to rebalance your life, to decompress your mind, to regenerate your body and spirit.

Are YOU Going to be a Quitter in 2010?

Entering the New Year, I want to share this remarkable article from my speaking coach, Teri Hawkins, National Speakers Club.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and that it inspires you to live a better life, to be more successful, and to receive the support you need and deserve so that you too Never Quit!

The top reason few achieve what they truly want in life is lack of focus, lack of concentrating personal power toward desire. Most of us dabble our way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular because we are too afraid that any one decision may indeed be the wrong decision.  And so we wait. We wait for someone to come along and tell us the right thing, the right way, the right idea, the right decision.  If someone would just make the choice for us then if we fail – well then it isn’t our fault.  The wisest people in this world do not have an answer for why we lack focus – silly people have many answers – but the wise know that when we dabble in life we do so because we fear more than we desire.

One of the most damaging manifestations of the dabbler is quitting. Call it reasons, justifications, something you can’t help, something you wish you’d never started… Call it what you want, but if you make an agreement with yourself or others, if you agree to follow through, if you say you will and then you won’t – it is all quitting, no matter the justification.

My grandfather once got out of his bed with a fever that left him red faced, breathless and slow.  He walked over to the neighboring farm and milked the cows as his neighbors were gone for a few days.  He gave his word and he meant to keep it.  He became sicker because of it. In a moment of frustration one of his children said, “Why did you get out of bed when you were so sick, you could have died with that fever?”  My grandpa simply said, “I did it because I was focused on my word – not on my fever.”

As simplistic as that sounds it is true wisdom from one of the greatest fathers, grandfathers, friends, and human beings I have ever been blessed to love.  My grandfather believed a man was his word.  He believed the key to life was to focus on where his word lay upon the ears of others – not on the fears that will deafen our dreams.

Sun, age, dry skin, eating habits do indeed wrinkle the skin… but it is quitting that wrinkles the soul.

Make a decision, ride it out, stick to it.  Do not quit.  Excuses or not.  If you want to succeed at business, make a decision and stick to it.  Do not quit on your dream, your idea, your purpose, or your Self.

Make the mistakes, get knocked down but don’t look back for too long.

Mistakes are not failures, they are teaching experiences Life is providing for you. Oh, without a doubt you have a great capacity for blunders – but that ability is inseparable from your capacity to reach your goals.  They are two sides to the same coin – both of equal value to success.  If you desire success, freedom, prosperity, happiness, love… well then you cannot win them all.

Your “failures” are part of the growth needed to become the dream you desire.  You will never learn who you are without failures.

The key is to never quit…. Never!  Your time will come!

Top 7 Signs that Your Pet Should be on Supplements

I have to thank Dr. Andrew Jones for coming out with a great deal of highly relevant information lately!  We certainly are getting the benefit of his expertise right now!

7 Signs that your pet should be on supplements:

1. Limping, lameness, stiff movements, especially after rising from getting up. The most common cause of these signs is from Arthritis, seen in middle age and older pets. Supplementing with Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM and Essential Fatty Acids can reduce pain and inflammation.

2. Chronic itching and scratching. When your pet has these signs, they likely have an Allergy. Supplementing with Essential Fatty Acids, and Key Antioxidants can decrease the inflammatory response in the skin- meaning LESS itching and scratching.

3. Recurrent bouts of Diarrhea or Vomiting- in this case your pet may be having difficulty digesting certain ingredients, or suffering from some type of disease in which the intestinal tract gets easily inflamed. Either way beneficial bacteria called Probiotics are often helpful, decreasing the severity and frequency of GI upset.

4. Chronic and ongoing Ear Infections. The most common underlying cause of ear infections is Allergies. A supplement that decreases the allergic signs can lessen the chance of ear infections- Essential Fatty Acids, Antioxidants and Probiotics can help in this case.

5. Withdrawn and Sleeping longer- this can be seen in older pets which may have joint pain and discomfort of arthritis. Old age does NOT mean inactivity and less interaction. An effective Arthritis supplement can make your pet feel better, and be LESS withdrawn.

6. Constant Paw chewing, excessive hair loss, and ‘Foul’ Odor. The smelling pet is a BIG sign that your pet has an underlying health disorder, and can benefit from a Supplement. This could be a food allergy, inhalant allergy, and secondary skin infections with yeast or bacteria. Supplementing with Essential Fatty Acids, Probiotics, and Antioxidants can decrease the smell.

7. TOO many trips to your Vet. If you have a pet that seems to repeatedly be getting ill, then you should look at what you are feeding them, and do what you can to PREVENT diseases from happening in the first place. Supplementing with nutrients that may improve your pets immune response to disease, such as Colustum, Maiitake and selected Vitamins and Minerals.

For more tips on how to care for your dogs at home check out Dr. Jones home study course – Veterinarian’s Secrets Home Study Course.

Watch as Pet Psychic, Val Heart, communicates with Eunomia, the dog

This is cool! Watch while I work with this special rottwieler:

Top 10 Pet Poisons of 2009

Dr. Andrew Jones brings us this report today that I feel every animal lover needs to know about.

Top 10 Poisons of 2009

1. Human Medications

For several years, human medications have been number one on the ASPCA’s list of common hazards, and 2009 was no exception. Last year, the ASPCA managed 45,816 calls involving prescription and

over-the-counter drugs such as painkillers, cold medications, antidepressants and dietary supplements. Pets often snatch pill vials from counters and nightstands or gobble up medications accidentally dropped on the floor, so it’s essential to keep meds tucked away in hard-to-reach cabinets.

2. Insecticides

In our effort to battle home invasions by unwelcome pests, we often unwittingly put our furry friends at risk. In 2009, our toxicologists fielded 29,020 calls related to insecticides. One of the most common incidents involved the misuse of flea and tick products–such as applying the wrong topical treatment to the wrong species. Thus, it’s always important to talk to your pet’s veterinarian before beginning any flea and tick control program.

3. People Food

People food like grapes, raisins, avocado and products containing xylitol, like gum, can seriously disable our furry friends, and accounted for more than 17,453 cases in 2009. One of the worst offenders–chocolate–contains large amounts of methylxanthines, which, if ingested in significant amounts, can cause vomiting, diarrhea, panting, excessive thirst, urination, hyperactivity, and in severe cases, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors and seizures.

4. Plants

Common houseplants were the subject of 7,858 calls to APCC in 2009. Varieties such as azalea, rhododendron, sago palm, lilies, kalanchoe and schefflera are often found in homes and can be harmful to pets. Lilies are especially toxic to cats, and can cause life-threatening kidney failure even in small amounts.

5. Veterinary Medications

Even though veterinary medications are intended for pets, they’re often misapplied or improperly dispensed by well-meaning pet parents. In 2009, the ASPCA managed 7,680 cases involving animal-related preparations such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, heartworm preventatives, de-wormers, antibiotics, vaccines and nutritional supplements.

6. Rodenticides

Last year, the ASPCA received 6,639 calls about pets who had accidentally ingested rat and mouse poisons. Many baits used to attract rodents contain inactive ingredients that are attractive

to pets as well. Depending on the type of rodenticide, ingestions can lead to potentially life-threatening problems for pets including bleeding, seizures or kidney damage.

7. Household Cleaners

Everybody knows that household cleaning supplies can be toxic to adults and children, but few take precautions to protect their pets from common agents such as bleaches, detergents and disinfectants.

Last year, the ASPCA received 4,143 calls related to household cleaners. These products, when inhaled by our furry friends, can cause serious gastrointestinal distress and irritation to the respiratory tract.

8. Heavy Metals

It’s not too much loud music that constitutes our next pet poison offender. Instead, it’s heavy metals such as lead, zinc and mercury, which accounted for 3,304 cases of pet poisonings in 2009. Lead is

especially pernicious, and pets are exposed to it through many sources, including consumer products, paint chips, linoleum, and lead dust produced when surfaces in older homes are scraped or sanded.

9. Garden Products

It may keep your grass green, but certain types of fertilizer and garden products can cause problems for outdoor cats and dogs. Last year, the ASPCA fielded 2,329 calls related to fertilizer exposure,

which can cause severe gastric upset and possibly gastrointestinal obstruction.

10. Chemical Hazards

In 2009, the ASPCA handled approximately 2,175 cases of pet exposure to chemical hazards. A category on the rise, chemical hazards—found in ethylene glycol antifreeze, paint thinner, drain cleaners and

pool/spa chemicals–form a substantial danger to pets. Substances in this group can cause gastrointestinal upset, depression, respiratory difficulties and chemical burns.

Prevention is really key to avoiding accidental exposure, but if you suspect your pet has ingested something toxic, please contact your veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center’s 24-hour hotline at (888) 426-4435.

Learn more about treating your animals at home with Dr. Jones’ Veterinarians’ Secrets Revealed Home Study Course.