Self Care and the Mental Health Benefits of Pet Ownership

Posted on February 15, 2023 by ecvetdoc under Uncategorized

Self-Care and the Mental Health Benefits of Pet Ownership
If you enjoy the benefits of pet ownership, you’ll know that your pets help promote your
ongoing mental health. It pays to keep your companion animals healthy, safe, and happy, as
they can be therapeutic forms of self-care.

Happy pets and healthy animals help with your mental health and self-care efforts.
Sometimes, as mentioned in this study, petting and talking to your cat helps improve
general psychological health. Your pets help you enjoy overlooked self-care practices such
as relaxation time, stress reduction, getting adequate sleep, and taking natural remedies.

Overlooked Self-Care Practices for Pet Owners
Pets are perhaps an underutilized tool for mental health self-care. Whereas the blind, deaf,
and disabled communities rely on service animals, regular citizens like you may not realize
their pets can help them enjoy many of the benefits service animals offer. You may even be
able to register a dog as a service animal focused on emotional support in Brisbane.

Relaxation time
Scheduling enough relaxation time into your hectic life can be challenging, particularly if
you’re a multiple pet owner in urban settings such as Brisbane. Of course, a small dog
and/or a cat locked in an apartment all day while you’re at work means getting home might
not be very relaxing. Animals like dogs need training, so they are not disruptive. One thing
you can do is play music or other sounds that help you relax. Dogs benefit from music that
soothes you because dogs watch you calm down as you listen, and in turn, they become
peaceful.

Stress reduction
Stress, especially that caused by financial worries, is a top concern for Australians. To this
end, caring for your wallet is a significant form of mental health self-care. Financial stress
reduction should include ways to save money. If you own your own home, consider
refinancing, which frees up some monthly cash. Make sure your living space is clean,
organized, and free of clutter, as a messy home will contribute to your stress levels and
reduce your overall quality of life.

Taking natural remedies
You may exacerbate your hectic life with poor nutrition. This issue already affects
Australians, as poor nutrition is linked to 7% of the country’s disease burden. Eating food
like fruits and nuts and drinking healthy smoothies are ideal for an on-the-go lifestyle.
Consuming natural foods decrease your sugar intake, but only if you reduce energy drink
consumption. You can also take natural remedies to reduce bio toxicity.

Getting adequate sleep

According to research, there is a link between adequate sleep and mental health. There are
many things you can do to improve your sleep quality. For example, you can remove your
pets from your bed to have more room at night. Good nutrition and having enough
relaxation time help you get a good night’s sleep.

Self-care for mental health doesn’t happen unless you practice being in control of your
well-being. Your pets are in tune with your emotions, and they are good mirrors for
showing you what helps you feel better.

Happy Owner Equals Happy Pet
Many people own pets, making them an underutilized resource for self-care and mental
health care. Using your pets as therapeutic guidance, these four self-care activities can help
you feel better and increase your well-being. For more, visit Naturopathvet to see how you
can reduce your pet’s stress levels.

Treating Anxiety in your pet

Posted on March 23, 2018 by ecvetdoc under Uncategorized

Animal Wellness Veterinary Practice
Dr. Elaine Cebuliak & Associates
1016 Stanley Street East, East Brisbane, Qld, Australia, 4169
(Ph): 07 3324 2291 ♦ Email: animalwellnessvets@gmail.com  ♦ Website: www.animalwellness.com.au

Anxiety

If your dog or cat is anxious, there are other options besides drugs.

Most of the time, our pets teach us how to face the world with a positive, happy attitude. They’re excited to go out in the morning, eager to eat, thrilled to see is, tickled to get a treat – most pets are pretty happy most of the time.

Have a thunderstorm roll into your area, however, or take out the carrier for a trip to the vet, and you may see total different behaviour. Cowering, shivering, whining, wetting the floor, growling and running to hide are all signs of anxiety in animals. If your pet suffers from separation anxiety, you may see more serious symptoms, like diarrhoea and skin lesions.

Your vet may recommend anti-anxiety medication, but what if you don’t want to put your pet on drugs?

Behaviour modification
You may want to try to teach your pet not to be afraid of whatever it is he is afraid of. If your dog is terrified of you when you’re wearing a hat, for example, and scurries to the other side of the house before you even put it on, you may be able to gradually get him to understand that you’re the same, friendly person you always are, and that you just look a little different.

You can start by showing the dog your hat, and speaking in soothing, calm tones. If your dog wants nothing to do with it, just leave it nearby on the floor or on the table, where he can see it. Keep picking it up and speaking in soothing tone. When your dog gets to where he doesn’t care anymore, if you pick up the hat, put it up on your shoulder. Again, speak in soothing tones. And continue gradually until you have it near your head, then just barely on your head, and finally completely on your head, until your dog is no longer afraid.

Sometimes, particularly if your rescued your pet from the Humane Society or animal shelter, you may have a situation in your hands that is not going to go away. It’s hard telling what the animal was exposed to before he came to live with you. Over time, fears may gradually diminish, but on the other hand – such as aging animals – fears can acually become worse, especially fears of loud noises.

Similarly if your dog is worried about having his nails cut/trimmed use the same technique. In a quiet voice place the nail clippers near his food bowl, get him to sit and stay. Do this at each and every meal time. The sight of the clippers will become “dinner” and a pavolovian response should come about naturally after a few weeks. Graduate to the nail clippers touching each toe before dinner is produced. After a couple of weeks then change to clipping just a small bit off a nail and then feed dinner. Always end on a calm tone.

The key is to relax and never punish your pet for displaying signs of fear, such as wetting the floor, as that will on escalate the problem. Try some of these ideas instead.

Some natural solutions

1. Music: Particuarly if you are going to be gone, certain types of music may help calm your pet. Through a Dog’s Ears (TADE) is a clinically researched auditory series that features piano music shown to help calm dogs. According to study from Colorado State University, classical music may reduce stress in dogs. Heavy metal music, on the other hand, amplifies their anxiety and leads to more barking and shaking.

2. Thundershirt: You’ve probably seen the ads for this product. So far, people are saying that they work. The gentle constant pressure of the garment, which you wrap aorund your pet, has show in company surveys to improve symptoms in anxious, fearful or over excited dogs. Other similar products include the Anxiety Wrap and the Storm Defender.

3. Massage: You know how a massage makes you feel relaxed? It can do the same thing for your pet. In fact, many veterinarian offices now offer massage treatments, but you can do it yourself, as well. Just three to five minutes can be extremely beneficial. According to the Penninsula Humane Society, those animals that are massaged regularly are adopted more quickly than those who aren’t – because they are more personable and relaxed with people. The benefits are two fold, as studies have shown that time with your pet can also help reduce your stress level. Make sure you’re calm and relaxed before starting, then simply start with the shoulders (avoid the head) and use slow, even strokes.

4. Diet: Some hyeractive animals are having that way because fo the food they are eating. Foods with synthetic preservatives, meals, and byproducts can make anxiety worse. Pet owners often note a reduction in anxious behaviours after they switch from a high carbohydrate to a high protein diet.

5. Exercise: Many times, animals are overly anxious because they’re not getting enough exercise. When was the last time you walked the dog, or played with your cat? Both are usually calmer and more relaxed after a little workout which is of course, good for you, too! If your pet tends to be anxious as a rule, exercise becomes even more important.

6. Toys: Pets may exhibit symptoms of anxiety because they are bored. Spend time training them to do simple commands (sit, down, stay for dogs) and regularly bring out new toys. The Kong toy, for example, which has a treat inside rubber ball, can be good option for dogs that can keep them busy for hours. Once your pet gets bored with one then put it way and pull out another one. Then resurrect the old toy weeks later and your pet may enjoy it like new.

7. Herbs: Certain herbs are known to help calm your pet’s nerves. Try Valerian to help soothe dog anxiety (150mg for smaller dogs, 300mg for medium dogs and up to 600mg for larger dogs). Skullcap, kava, passionflower, and chamomile mixed with dog or cat food, can also help. Talk with your vet about dosage.

8. Aromatherapy: Scents can have a calming effect on our pets, just like they do on us. Particularly if you use the scent when your dog is relaxed, he may grow to associate that scent with relaxing times. Try a few drops of lavender, neroli, marjoram, rose, sweet orange, and vanilla on part of the pet’s bedding, or on cloth that you then rub over your dog’s neck and chest.

9. Acupuncture: Acupuncture can be just as helpful for your pet as for humans. If you have a particularly anxious pets that isn’t responding to the other remedies, you may want to try acupuncture.

10. Personal stress relief: Our pets react to our emotions, so if you’re stressed, your pet will too. Are you stressed out when you leave the house? Do act like you’re worried about your dog? If so, the pet will pick up on your feelings. When your animal is anxious, don’t make a big deal of it. Act as you normally do, and think distraction – get out a favourite toy, or work with your animal on obedience commands. When you come home, be calm. Take the dog for a walk, or go take a nice, warm bath. Keeping your own emotions calm will help your pet to be relaxed, as well.

Autism help

Posted on March 23, 2018 by ecvetdoc under Uncategorized

Hi there,

I just love all of the helpful information you’ve shared on your site in support of individuals and families with autism. (This page is especially wonderful: https://naturopathvet.com/category/body/.) As an educator, I’ve worked with people of all ages who have autism, and I’ve found a lot of resources to help my students along the way.

Since you’re clearly passionate about lending your support to this community, I hope you’ll consider adding a few additional resources to one of your pages. The one I mentioned above may be a good fit.

15 Behavior Strategies for Children on the Autism Spectrum

How to Create a Backyard Sanctuary for Kids with Disabilities

For Educators: Strategies for Working With Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Helping Asperger’s Teens To Survive and Thrive: 15 Key Steps

Creating a Home Atmosphere of Solitude to Help Cope with Adult Autism

Thanks in advance for sharing, and I hope these make a difference! By the way, this is a topic I write about frequently, so if you’d like me to write something new you can share with your readers, please let me know.

Thanks,

Jasmine

Jasmine Dyoco / info@educatorlabs.org

Defending your right to protect your children

Posted on April 16, 2015 by ecvetdoc under Uncategorized

Recently I posted this photo, shared on my Facebook feed. Hoo boy- what an event erupted! The needles are a representation of the number of vaccines, and not the actual number of needles as some of them are combined in trivalent or bivalent forms, and some are oral vaccines (eg. polio). The caption of this doll picture is “Here is the current vaccination schedule for babies from birth to six months” . The recent events of our Australian leader Tony Abbott enacting a “No Jab, No Pay” legislation, essentially removes conscientious, educated parents the choice to decline some of the FULL gamut of vaccines. If they refuse to vaccinate their kids they are threatened with the plan that they will lose government financial child care aid , and possibly will have their kids excluded from day care and schools. This media alert has raised the vaccination discussions to the forefront again. Let’s face it: we all want to do the best for our kids and that means “DO NO HARM” and protect them the best way we know. Let’s examine what this entails. This new legislation mandating all families to have their babies thoroughly vaccinated, following the schedule listed below, with no exceptions, means the child will receive 34 vaccinations before the age of 2 yrs. When my children were babies, the number of vaccines recommended (and not mandated) was less than half this number, and when I was a baby almost 60 years ago the number of vaccines given were smaller still–only DPT, polio and smallpox. Today babies are given 25 vaccines by the time they are only 6 months old. Many parents have witnessed their friend’s or their first child experiencing an adverse event from one of the vaccines- which makes them think twice about further vaccinations. People are questioning the need to have that many vaccines – which include toxic adjuvants, given to a young, less than 10 kg bundle of a new human life. This has driven some parents to refuse to have their child vaccinated, with the aim of protecting their child from harm. Perhaps it not surprising to know that many doctors also refuse to vaccinate their own children with all the available vaccines, because they are witnessing the fall out from vaccine related illness. On the other hand the media relishes in showing cases of young babies suffering from Whooping cough, a disease that the current vaccines do not adequately protect against, and one which vaccinated individuals carry and shed; hence vaccinated individuals are actually becoming a source of infection when handling infants! The media incorrectly blames this on all the antivaxers. The information about vaccine adverse events goes unnoticed or ignored by the majority of the populace. The uproar from the masses that believe that vaccines can cause no harm, and only lead to beneficial herd health is alarming. Their animosity and vehemence against pro-choice intelligent parents is frightening and shameful. Australia’s popular cartoonist, Michael Leunig, released his statement about the governments action with his cartoon ‘ Mothers’ in the morning Melbourne Herald, and was immediately besieged by haters . The cartoon was posted on MLAP this morning but was removed after Michael, his children and the page admin received death threats. This is unacceptable and also a criminal act. Leunig antivax “Michael Leunig is in support of the right of individuals to conscientiously refuse vaccination for their children. This support does not necessarily indicate his position on vaccination per se, it is primarily a human rights issue that he addresses in his cartoons. He also illuminates questions regarding maternal instinct and concern, and appeals for tolerance to be extended to the possibility that a mother’s personal wisdom and insight concerning her child’s health has been traditionally near-sacred and may be of enormous ongoing value. He contends that such conscientious maternal concern should not be dismissed too lightly or overruled so belligerently. Most of humanity owes much to the natural care of a mother at the beginning, with all the intuition, attunement and skill involved in that individual mothering process. Michael feels the punitive approach by the government to people of conscientious belief regarding this matter is coercive and unjust, and sets an appalling example to society about how those opposed might be universally regarded and treated.” Providing a “one size fits all” policy on vaccinating the population of newborns does not fit well with the diversity of genetics and epigenetic factors. WE need to scientifically and medically examine each individual’s family risk factors, and understand their immunogenetic capabilities, and find out how they can be given supportive nutritional components. Tony Abbot’s plan of throwing a magnitude of vaccines into the crowd of babies and to just cross our fingers hoping that no damage might occur is a bit like the Leunig cartoon- mother’s are justifiably concerned and are running away. It would be wise to obtain further information for each parent group about how we can shield our genetically weaker and susceptible individuals. There is some testing that can be done prior to vaccinating willy nilly. The genomic knowledge of MTHFR and Pyroluria are just 2 of the genetic predisposition genes where epigenetic factors (food, synthetic chemicals, artificial dyes, parabens, BPA, plasticizers, inutero stress- ie mother’s cortisol levels while pregnant) and vaccines all come together to create an immunological soup where the microbiome of the mother and her child are affected. These people have metabolic pathways where their folates, zn and other trace minerals get flushed out so any inflammatory process (eg being vaccinated, stressed etc) creates a myriad of problems, unless they are supplemented and put on excellent diets and provided with a low stress environment/lifestyle. Here is a good article on the brain/gut function for an MTHFR individual- folinic acid supps and methyl B12 plus Zinc and a diet high in omega 3’s can change the life of some individuals. Vaccinate these guys and they just CRASH without adequate support.http://m.adelaidenow.com.au/…/story-fnizi7vf…

How a vitamin cured my anxiety: Elisa Black’s story of lifelong struggle…

The gut microbiome is centrally important to nerve and hormone function. Vaccines disrupt the system. This is also why so many autistic (and those on the ASD scale) kids have constipation and gut problems, and likely why we see megacolon in cats– weakened tissue, inflammatory mediators burning magnesium levels up as cofactors in the body’s antioxidant pathways etc and the gut/brain connection disconnects. It’s all about the toxin load displacing good bugs for bad bugs, and affecting the individual’s metabolic processes. Healthy, happy immune and endocrine systems make good gut bugs. Plastic food and incipients in vaccines affect cells at the tiniest immunological level. Body’s are a very complex microbiome- in fact no two individuals have the same identical microbiome pattern, we are all more bacteria then human in a ratio of about 10/1. Vaccines are part of the “antimicrobial brigade” and the consequence of changing our immune microbiome definitely is one of the negative variable triggers for some- which is why the meta analysis studies actually fail at identifying problems! Rebalancing patients is an individualised medicine, it is not a “One size fits all” and this is what good holistic integrative healers do. What really needs to happen is a critical analysis of which vaccines are necessary for each individual. HOW those vaccines are manufactured and WHAT goes into them is also an important consideration. For instance I suggest that the injection of BB (Bordetella Bronchiseptica in dogs) is an allergenic trigger as I have seen anaphylaxis from that one- I recommended that Fort dodgem remove that from their line- and only recommend intranasal BB for kc. I don’t know why they need to put red dyes in vaccines (they don’t! need to ..I think they just think it looks good.) which sets a lot of kids up with immunocompromise for the future. Go the the Suzanne Humphries lectures on youtube when you have time. Most vaccine manufacturers are NOT doctors, are NOT integrative specialists, and are JUST BUSINESSES. The politicians that make the recommendations are equally not qualified to make those health decisions, they are taking advice from businesses. There should be an integrative well trained doctor overseeing all manufacturing of FOOD, agriculture and VACCINES! Not all individuals will be at risk for adverse vaccine reactions, and for those in that majority we can support their decision to have the full array of vaccines, but let’s not make the mistake of not recognizing individual differences in immune response and uptake. Let’s review the history of how this number of vaccines have come in to play today. I think you can see where the money trail comes from. Vaccine manufacturing is big business, and the more you can put into the general population the bigger the profit. One needs to question why the sudden requirement to vaccinate such young bodies in ever increasing amounts of adjuvant toxic laden jabs arises, as these diseases were also around in the 70’s and 80’s and only a very few vaccines were given then. Most of these diseases are not life threatening, and with good nutrition, nature and nursing care, including adequate levels of vitamin C and chicken soup, juices and preventing dehydration, shaking off the virus and developing long lasting immunity can be obtained. This is the schedule from 1983, for American kids, which is very similar to Australia. Looks like an increasingly profitable business to me- let’s see how many vaccines we can introduce to give to kids, the parents/government will be happy to pay for that! http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/…edule1983s.jpg By 1989, a new vaccine, Hib was added, and it was only one dose at 18 months. http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/…edule1989s.jpg By 1994, http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/…edule1994s.jpg they added more doses of Hib, one more dose of MMR, and a new vax consisting of 3 doses, Heb B. Prior to 1995, the childhood schedule was published periodically, as part of the ACIP’s General Recommendations. By 1996, varicella (chickenpox) was added to the schedule, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00039897.htm 1999 brought another new vaccine to the schedule, and this was year I realized I knew nothing about the vaccines I had allowed to be injected into my children beginning in 1984. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056261.htm Rotashield (Rota virus) vaccine was added this year, but then pulled due to several infants died and far more needed surgery to reconstruct their bowels because of this vaccine that appears to have been approved by people with severe conflicts of interest (one of the panel members held a patent to a rotavirus vaccine that was in production by another company. The approval of this vaccine would pave the way to $$$$$$ for his company’s vax.) 3 doses of this vaccine were added the schedule in 1999. By 2000, we see the rotavirus vax gone but Hep A added in selected areas. No doubt this was only a temporary measure until the drug company could lobby Hep A across the country, making it required for ALL children. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4902a4.htm By 2001, 4 doses of ANOTHER new vaccine was added to the schedule, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5001a3.htm Prevnar. For 2001, ACIP, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Academy of Pediatrics have added pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to the schedule (2) and have extended the recommendation for the use of hepatitis A vaccine to include persons through age 18 years in selected geographic areas and in certain high-risk groups (3). Detailed recommendations for using vaccines are available from the manufacturers’ package inserts, ACIP statements on specific vaccines, and the 2000 Red Book (5). ACIP statements for each recommended childhood vaccine can be viewed, downloaded, and printed from CDC’s National Immunization Program World-Wide Web site, http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/ACIP-list.htm. By 2002, they sneak in influenza (flu vax) for hi risk children. Another temp move like the Hep A vax. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5102a4.htm By 2003, they have widened the recommendations for the flu vax, now being added to the group, all infants 6-23 months. Watch for this recommendation to widen even more as time goes on…. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwr…nizationa1.htm By 2005, they got influenza recommended for all http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwr…nizationa1.htm So by 2006, as we close out the year, the drug companies were successful in getting Hep A and Influenza vaccines recommended for all. http://www.cdc.gov/nip/recs/child-sc…olor-print.pdf

Birth	Hepatitis B
2 months	Diphtheria Tetanus Pertussis Polio Hib Hepatitis B Pneumococcal Rotavirus
4 months	Diphtheria Tetanus Pertussis Polio Hib Hepatitis B Pneumococcal Rotavirus
6 months	Diphtheria Tetanus Pertussis Polio Hib Hepatitis B Pneumococcal Rotavirus

Your child’s immunisation schedule

The National Immunisation Program Schedule specifies at what ages your child should receive certain vaccines.

HUMANSERVICES.GOV.AU

The science is out there fore those kids that do have problems- but many doctors and nurses are not yet educated adequately about the immune system or the epigenetic factors- although recently some doctors are looking into it. The science is definitely there- go to pubmed there are 3752 articles on MTHFR polymorphism published in the last few yearshttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=mthfr+polymorphism– but it is still not part of nursing or doctor’s training. I know because I am married to a doctor and have extensive medical training, and only in the last few years have I become aware of the connections. The point is we should not discredit parent’s findings or the new science simply because we have not studied it. Singlenucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR)gene is associated with the risk of AE (Adverse events in vaccination) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18454680

mthfr polymorphism – PubMed – NCBI

The Paediatrician Dr Palevsky states that tragically, most doctors are far too arrogant to even consider that there is any possibility that there might be something wrong with vaccines. Most pediatricians are indoctrinated to simply tell parents that anything related to a bad outcome from a vaccine is a mere coincidence. But how come there are so many of these “coincidences”?Says Palevsky ,http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/14/expert-pediatrician-exposes-vaccine-myths.aspx

“It is heartbreaking, because I see many of these kids who were developmentally normal, who were doing well, who were speaking, then whose voices and eye contacts were lost, who went into seizures, who developed asthma and allergies, and they had nowhere to go because their doctors told them that they don’t know what they’re talking about. These kids are real. The literature is showing that there are changes in the immune system of children who are vaccinated, especially if we vaccinate them before one year of age or even at one day of age. The literature is there. It’s good scientific literature, and it shows that more and more of these kids who are suffering from chronic illness are suffering from impairments of their immune system. Whether vaccines are causative or contributory, the literature is showing that there is a role that vaccines are playing in creating the groundwork for these children’s immune systems to start to show signs of impairment and destruction. The list of vaccine links to autism are on the website “Greater good” http://www.greatergoodmovie.org/learn-more/science/autism/ which explains about methylation genetic problems, gastrointestinal diseases, heavy metal toxicity etc linked to vaccines.

Adjuvants in vaccines were placed because it was thought babies did not respond adequately to vaccines without them. Dr Suzanne Humphries, who lectures extensively about vaccines has this to say :A baby’s immune system produces only very small amounts of IL-1B and TNF-alpha. There was a time when experts thought that this was simply a DEFECT in all newborn humans. In 2004, a study by Chelvarajan suggested that if vaccine manufacturers added various immune system kickers into vaccines, this would solve the problem and fix these perfectly normal children’s immune systems, which are so often described in terms of “defective”, or “inadequate”, when they are completely age appropriate, with characteristics shared by all land mammals. – See more at: http://drsuzanne.net/dr-suzanne-humphries-vaccines…/… Even though Australian immunization authorities ‘removed’ mercury (Thiomersal) from “all’ childhood vaccinations in 2000 – it does still exist in a few adult vaccines and it has been found in trace amounts in at least one childhood vaccine – please see the following article http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15287391003613994 the point is made by the researcher that we should not believe blindly everything that we are told. The National Centre for Immunization in Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) still listed Thiomersal as an ingredient in some Australian vaccines in 2013. Many vaccines do contain antibiotics and other adjutant’s, aluminum is particularly interesting – and if anyone has the time, its worth looking up the research on the ‘safe’ levels of aluminium exposure for the infant brain and the cumulative levels for vaccines across the first 18 months of life. There is never a need to have aluminum in one’s body, it’s just not necessary. There has been some mention of Sudden Infant death Syndrome (SIDS) linked to vaccination. The following article addresses this. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3170075/(Infant Mortality Rates Regressed against number of vaccine doses routinely given: Is there a biochemical or synergistic toxicity?) Then there is this article which addresses all age group deaths post vaccination … and it shows mortality in groupings of days post vaccination.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2013.02.020 (Mortality Rates and Cause of Death Patterns in a Vaccinated Population) Recently a large payout has occurred for vaccine injury in over 800 children from the swine flu vaccine- many now with permanent brain injury.The swine flu vaccine caused severe brain damage in over 800 children across Europe, and the UK government has now agreed to pay $90 million in compensation to those victims as part of a vaccine injury settlement. This is the same swine flu vaccine that the entire mainstream media ridiculously insists never causes any harm whatsoever. From the quack science section of the Washington Post to the big pharma sellout pages of the New York Times, every U.S. mainstream media outlet exists in a state of total vaccine injury denialism, pushing toxic vaccines that provably harm children. “Across Europe, more than 800 children are so far known to have been made ill by the vaccine,” reports the International Business Times.The vaccine caused narcolepsy and cataplexy in hundreds of children. Both are signs of neurological damage caused by vaccine additives which include mercury, aluminum, MSG, antibiotics and even formaldehyde. Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/049423_swine_flu_vaccine_brain_damage_financial_compensation.html#ixzz3Y16PtFPu The point is that some vaccine caused harm occurs; which varies from minimal reactions (pain, swelling) to allergic sensitisation to brain/neurological damage and even death. We should not be complacent about this, but should aim to find a way to reduce the risk per every individual.

Vaccines are BIG business and large profit making industries. The industry can afford to pay out when a few horrible events cross their path- but they sure don’t want the media to get hold of those tragic cases. If you are interested in seeing some of the 5.5 BILLION dollar court cases involving vaccine adverse reactions go here:http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/FY14%20Annual%20Judgment%20Report.pdf

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is in the news again making headlines after having to settle another major lawsuit bringing the latest total to over $9.1 billion since 2003. This time, it is due to GSK’s product Pandemrix, which was the swine flu vaccine forced upon the public during the pandemic of 2009 http://naturalsociety.com/brain-damaged-victims-of-swine-flu-vaccine-win-63-million-lawsuit/

AUTISM

There are several studies cited in the journals of science that state- no make that SHOUT- unequivocally that AUTISM IS NOT CAUSED BY VACCINES! What keeps me scratching my head are the multiple families I have met where the chronological sequence of regression is very much linked to the vaccine, and the interviews from families that are educated and followed through with their lawsuits and WON (after many years of fighting lawyers from the drug manufacturing side) defy these journal articles. What is very obvious to medically informed and curious skeptics is that the terminology is allowed to be misrepresented in the regular journal articles (guess who funds them!) so in a roundabout way it becomes obvious when you use alternate search words for their data base. For instance substitute the word encephalopathy+vaccine for autism and plug that into the pubmed search engine and BINGO you have it! To couch the seriousness of the events the science writers actually call it “Mild encephalitis” post vaccination! I would never call this event “mild” if it was my child! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25542078 It is these events that once calmed can be forgotten after the 6-18 month event but may be behind the “slow learner, ADHD, ASD on the spectrum” scale. The epigenetic factors that may cause autism when vaccines are introduced include certain genetic weaknesses phenotypic heterogeneity of CACNA1A loss-of-function mutations http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25735478, and “acute anoxic encephalopathy” is frequently identified in lawsuits against the vaccine manufacturers http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21854821 Most commonly implicated vaccines were DTP/DTaP, followed by MMR and IPV/OPV, but almost all of the vaccines currently given to infants/children were alleged to be responsible for the illness/death. Here is a link to 99 articles associating vaccines to Autism: http://www.scribd.com/doc/220807175/86-Research-Papers-Supporting-the-Vaccine-Autism-Link#fullscreenhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/220807175/86-Research-Papers-Supporting-the-Vaccine-Autism-Link#fullscreen

Also if you are researching for your family go here to review vaccine safety product inserts click on the vaccine and scroll down to warnings/contraindications/adverse events for each (note all do not recommend vaccinating pregnant women or sick individuals, or individuals with previous allergies) : http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/package_inserts.htm?hc_location=ufi

Finally if you need to see a short video summarising problems with vaccines go here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLSZKJDfY-k#t=209

My friend Maree sums this up nicely in her PS— in my experience there are many people who have already made up their mind about their stance on this, ( I have several FB ‘friends’ like this) who are actually completely closed minded to any new information on the topic and it doesn’t matter how much science or how many research articles you present to them, they will never hear them. It actually shows them up to be terribly ignorant and unwilling to consider the ongoing health of ALL children.. Very sad for those ( many) children who have had their lives altered with disability as a result of a ‘one size fits all’ vaccine schedule. In their minds they are doing the right thing, and perhaps just don’t posess the intellect or logical capacity to make the connections. But someone has to. We once thought the earth was flat and those who said otherwise were ridiculed.

“Natural” is a marketing Tool: Beware of Synthetic Cosmetics and fake- Frankenfoods!

Posted on January 7, 2015 by ecvetdoc under Uncategorized

BANG ON 2015!

Congratulations everyone! By reading this, and being *here* – this means you have made it to 2015!

Not a small feat in today’s world of cancer, sickness and ill health. I personally have lost a few loved ones last year, as have many of my friends. I commiserate with the mind numbing grief that you might experience. January is a time of introspection, a kindness to ourselves to start over again, to move forward.

Let’s try to turn this year into one of ACTION instead of Re-action. Being Wellness is about being proactive. Find the weak spots and Tweak ’em. For more hints and tips hop over to our dual facebook sites- the human side of Being Wellness is https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beingwellness/1508587542703500

and the Veterinary Pet site is here: https://www.facebook.com/animalwellness

As a Naturopath and Veterinary Surgeon and Physician I am known for my enquiring mind- WHY? is a common question to come from me. The next question to follow is “What can we do to fix it?” followed by “How can we prevent this from happening?” I am sure it drives my staff and family nuts sometimes- and certainly it may not be good for my adrenals, however THAT is the stuff I am made of, and I guess I must be OK with that because it somehow seems to work for me most of the time. You have to ask what the pay off is for me personally, and for others that are somehow “driven” to fight the good fight and to see what we can achieve. Guess I was just born that way.

Today I want to talk to you about MINDFULNESS ingestion: what you eat and what you put on your body. Did you know that your skin is a carrier, NOT a barrier- as was previously thought. That means whatever you put On your skin is carried INTO your body and absorbed until it is eliminated. This has implications for nanoparticles in sunscreen (linked to cancer) and phthalates and parabens in soaps, shampoos and cosmetics.

Natural does not necessarily mean “Natural” as in “gift from Nature”. It may NOT be a carbon life form derived product. It may, in fact be chemical mimicry that could be dangerous to your bodies’ chemistry.

It is most likely a marketing tool- it really means “can taste like a natural food” or smells like a “Nature derived smell” when in fact it can be entirely synthetic and made from plastics and coal tar- a by product of the petrochemical industry. Its a lot cheaper and therefore more profitable for the company to make a Rose scent in a test tube than to grow the roses, transport them to a distillery, and make a pomade, bottle it etc. Its the same for Vanilla, an orchid seed pod- very expensive to grow and then bottle. That’s why most of your chocolate and cookies use ethyl vanillin- its cheap, but WHAT is THAT doing to your body and organ systems- especially if your body has no way of breaking it down? Where is it stored (think fat, liver etc! ) and how is it removed from your body? Much of it must pass through into urine and faeces- because it is found in our seawater, which means both the liver and the kidneys had a “go” at filtering it. What does it do the the environmental food chain then?

Some contaminants in our food chain bioaccumulate. This means that if it is in the soil or seawater (via sewerage) the smaller organisms eat it, incorporate this into their bodies, and as the larger organisms consume them in turn, there is a greater toxic dose per gram ingested. As Man is an “Apex” predator we end up with the stuff back in our bodies at a higher dose than the little guys. This is true for everything that is NOT food. Food gets broken down by your digestive system or by your liver to its primary components: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen plus some sulphur micro and macro minerals calcium, magnesium etc. Every cell gets washed in the serum that carries these molecules and each cell tries to figure out if it is food or foul—If you can’t build cells or run enzymes with the molecules there, then the chemicals are either stored or put away or flushed out. Its vitally important that you feed your body daily with the building blocks for your cells to regenerate and that you avoid putting bad stuff into the system.

Don’t be fooled! If a substance has “not yet been found” to cause cancer it might just mean that the correlation has not been documented in enough places- and that possibly too many doctors /research scientists are on the receiving end of a pay back! (Conspiracy theorist? nah, its just business as usual! If your research funding pays your mortgage who/what ya gunna call??) . You can check pubmed entrez – the scientific research site– for information about the anthropogenic (ie synthetic man made substances) found in the atmosphere that DO NOT BREAK DOWN in the ocean’s waters.

However pubmed is not a complete site as articles written in Chinese or non recognised journals are not listed.

For example heavy metals and organochlorines were found in wild caught fish in New Zealand. (e.g., organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), PCBs and selected heavy metals) were analysed in http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21402398 A cumulative lifetime cancer risk assessment showed potential health risk for consumption of some species, even at low consumption rates and provided the basis for establishing recommended dietary consumption limits for harvest sites within the study region.

If they do not break down in the salt water, which is similar to the human body – what are we doing in our own bodies with this substance? the branding of “Natural” is a lie, synthetic GRAS (generally recognised as safe) does not necessarily= safe. Think DDT and various Monsanto poisons- glyphosate advertising (weedicide) was that it is so safe you can drink it. We have a rate of cancer that is approaching 100%, as in” everyone will have some form of cancer in their lifetime”. We should not be ingesting or putting on our skin non food. Synthetic stuff is NON FOOD. simple.

Certified Synthetic- Dangers of Ethyl Vanillin

Doterra: Gift of the Earth or of the Laboratory? Certified Synthetic The Birch Report Overview: Doterra’s Birch Oil has been scientifically analyzed by a world leader of environmental laboratory services. It was discovered in this analysis that the Methysalicylate was an artificial additive.

instituteoflightandsound

I went to a talk on chemical additives last year – it was a good night overall with some great discussion and wonderful food by a Brisbane group Lost Boys. The topic raised the issue of FRAGRANCES and what “certified organic” means. Miranda Kerr’s mum presented ,and is staunchly on the side of positive choices for confirmed certified organic produce and beauty and fragrance care. She is positive that the Pthalates had caused her to have splenic tumours and to be unwell. I asked the question about ethyl vanillin as I am aware that this is in many chocolates (eg. on the packet of biscuits in Ikea) and in doTERRA essential oils. I have studied aromatherapy, use many brands of essential oils, and have been concerned over misrepresentation of the word “Natural” flavouring- which ethyl vanillin is labeled as. It is NOT Natural in that it is a synthetic petrochemically derived substance, and therefore it is misleading to have this in our food or in topical essential oils especially when most people will read the word “Natural” and assume it is from nature (which I guess petrochemicals are…but that is beside the point!) I want to eat organic plants and food, not artificial dyes or possible poisons. I’m not even sure that it breaks down in our bodies, as it certainly hangs around in the environment a long time- often a sign of ongoing toxicity. ***** see below–vanillin= ethylvanillin–is found as a marine water pollutant. (hence it stays in the environment a long time) see the reference below. Unfortunately this ingredient is in every confectionary, cookie, cake etc but we shouldn’t be eating it most likely! Lindt has bourbon vanilla beans!! yay. win.

Anyway I thought it was essential that people understood the difference in the wording so that when they read a packet of food -or essential oil, and see the word “Natural” they will now know that it is NOT necessarily natural at all. Vanillin is not natural. Its synthetic.
Apparently someone in the audience took offence at this as I mentioned both Ikea cookies and DoTerra have ethyl vanillin in them, and she pretty much threatened me with libel after the talk– and wanted to argue with me about this, saying that there was no evidence that doTerra had ethyl vanillin in their oils and she was of the opinion that I was a Young living spy (inferring that I was making this up). Of course this has nothing to do with any affiliation- I would use doTerra if they didn’t do the adulteration with synthetics, but I told her I am 100% correct and have done my research. Synthetic incipients smell good but have no place on my body or in others trying to detox. I’ve actually gotten pretty good at sussing out synthetic essential oil smells, AND they give me a headache! I have some inherited mitochondrial defects, so I suppose I am a canary in the mineshaft of fragrances.
Well I am sorry that she was offended, but I have researched this quite thoroughly and I am referring to independent labs that verify this. She asked me to show her the data- so here is some data- I asked her to prove me wrong- and to take this up with her doTerra manufacturers, not merely her “upline” who have a vested interest in cover up.

Here is the impartial external lab testing on seve
http://www.learningabouteos.com/…/3rd-party-test-results-f…/

Comments and conclusions from our Chemist, as cut and pasted right from the report:

% of trans-Thuyanol and Neomenthol too low,
% of Limonene and 1,8-cineole too high :
BATCH NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE NORM OF MENTHA PIPERATA US ESSENTIAL OIL: NF T 75-210 : 2008

You can view the report for yourself by clicking here: doTERRA Peppermint Analysis.

Although our Chemist only commented on the constituents that were out of range, you can see from the report that “ethyl vanillin” is listed as the last constituent in the analysis. When I asked Mr. Dantin about the constituent, he told me ethyl vanillin is a “synthetic compound.” The sample only contains 0.07% ethyl vanillin, which is technically a trace amount. However, according to Mr. Dantin, “ethyl vanillin is a huge odor, more than vanillin!”

To confirm our Chemist’s comment that ethyl vanillin is a “huge odor,” I overnighted doTERRA’s Peppermint to our Essential Oil Expert and asked his advice.

Our Essential Oil Expert comment after an organoleptic assessment (sniff test!): This essential oil smells very pleasant, but it lacks the “clean” odor of a quality peppermint oil. It is over-sweet and reminiscent of a peppermint and dark chocolate candy. This would be consistent with a low concentration of added ethyl vanillin, a powerful odorant that smells of vanilla/chocolate.

Essential Oil Expert comments: Two samples (DoTerra and Heritage) were clearly from the same source. Both samples also contained 0.07% ethyl vanillin, which is a synthetic compound. The fact that many samples were run on the same equipment, but ethyl vanillin only showed up in two oils (which were virtually identical in every other respect as well) suggests that this was not an aberration or contamination that happened during analysis. *******Mar Pollut Bull. 2011 Nov;62(11):2404-11. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.08.029. Epub 2011 Sep 13.
Differential presence of anthropogenic compounds dissolved in the marine waters of Puget Sound, WA and Barkley Sound, BC.
Keil R1, Salemme K, Forrest B, Neibauer J, Logsdon M.
Author information
Abstract
Organic compounds were evaluated in March 2010 at 22 stations in Barkley Sound, Vancouver Island Canada and at 66 locations in Puget Sound. Of 37 compounds, 15 were xenobiotics, 8 were determined to have an anthropogenic imprint over natural sources, and 13 were presumed to be of natural or mixed origin. The three most frequently detected compounds were salicyclic acid, vanillin and thymol. The three most abundant compounds were diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), ethyl vanillin and benzaldehyde (∼600 n g L(-1) on average). Concentrations of xenobiotics were 10-100 times higher in Puget Sound relative to Barkley Sound. Three compound couplets are used to illustrate the influence of human activity on marine waters; vanillin and ethyl vanillin, salicylic acid and acetylsalicylic acid,

3rd Party Test Results for Peppermint Essential Oil | Learning About EOs – Using Essential Oils…

Learning About EOs – Using Essential Oils Safely

learningabouteos.com

Learning About EOs – Using Essential Oils Safely | One Drop at a Time – Using…

Learning About EOs – Using Essential Oils Safely

learningabouteos.com

Here is some further information about Vanilla oil from Mercola.com:contains approximately 150 aromas, many of which are present in very small amounts. Vanillyl ethyl ether, acetic acid, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and caproic acid are among the chemicals present in it. ⁷

Benefits of Vanilla Oil

In ancient Africa, healers used vanilla for stomach problems. The European doctors of the 16th and 17th centuries used it as an antidote for poisoning and stomach complaints, and as an aphrodisiac.

Vanilla oil has been documented to have antispasmodic, balsamic, calming, emmenagogue,⁸ antioxidant, antidepressant, and aphrodisiac properties,⁹ which enables it to assist in the following:

Fight some types of cancers

Regulate menstruation

Relieve nausea

Ease stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia

Heal wounds

Enhance your libido¹⁰

Induce sleep and encourage dreaming¹¹

Vanilla oil can also work as a fever reducer due to its eugenol and vanillin content, the same compounds that lessen inflammation and strengthen the body’s immune system. ¹²

How to Make Vanilla Oil

It’s important to establish that finding 100 percent pure vanilla oil today is highly unlikely, as it is extremely expensive. Most of the cheap vanilla oils available commercially are either heavily processed or contain loads of synthetic materials, and are unfortunately passed off as the real deal by unscrupulous manufacturers. Unlike other essential oils, vanilla oil cannot be obtained through steam distillation because of its very delicatestructure.

There are 3 types of vanilla oil extracts:

Vanilla carbon dioxide (CO₂) – The vanilla pods are put inside a stainless steel chamber that has been injected with CO₂ gas. The air inside the chamber is then pressurized. Under these conditions, CO₂ liquefies and becomes a supercritical fluid that pulls the oil from the pods. In the end, the CO₂ turns back into gas again, leaving the vanilla essential oil.

Vanilla absolute – Preferred in perfumery products, absolute vanilla is obtained by selective solvent extraction, using initially non-polar solvent such as benzene, followed by a polar solvent such as ethanol. ¹³

Vanilla oleoresin – This is a semi-solid concentrate produced by solvent extraction from macerated beans. Vanilla oleoresin is actually just a commercial term, as the liquid extract is not really an oleoresin but a resinoid obtained from the vanilla pods. ¹⁴

Each type is claimed to be better and purer than the other. But remember, the more processed it is, the less pure and the lower-quality your vanilla oil will be. More often than not, the natural aroma and essence of vanilla oil is lost during these processes. To avoid the risk of being duped into purchasing chemical-laced vanilla oil, I recommend making your own vanilla tincture and infusion at home. Try using these recipes:

DIY Vanilla Tincture

Simply soak whole vanilla pods in a jar of 151-proof rum. After 2 weeks, transfer the mixture in a separate container. Sift the solid particles away using a strainer, and you’ve gota high quality vanilla tincture. .¹⁵

DIY Vanilla Oil Infusion

Here are 2 ways to do vanilla oil infusion:

Mix 1 teaspoon of your homemade vanilla tincture with 8 ounces of an essential oil of your choice, or

Get whole vanilla pods or beans. Chop them into pieces and remove their seeds. Add them directly to your carrier oil. Although it’s ready to use after a week, letting it sit longer will make your vanilla oil infusion stronger and more effective. It’s okay not to filter out the vanilla pods from the oil if you want, but make sure that it’s completely immersed and it’s kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation.

For carrier oils, I recommend jojoba, almond, and apricot essential oil, for they don’t have a strong odor that may overpower vanilla oil’s sweet-smell. ¹⁶ I also advise using only organic vanilla pods to get optimum

Holistic = Homeopathy (only)??

Posted on August 31, 2014 by ecvetdoc under body, detox, diet, Health, Naturopathy, Nutrition, supplements, Uncategorized

Greetings Sentient ones!

I had an interesting weekend attending a surgery conference. On the whole it was most enjoyable, but it did raise my awareness that there is still an ignorance about what the term holistic entails. Holistic practitioners embrace a “heal the wholeness” of the individual.

There are many therapeutic models that are employed by the Naturopath, some would say this type of para-professional medical team member uses functional pathology, analysis of physical features and dietary/lifestyle/developmental history in a thorough way.

Often I am approached by clients and requested to “get to the bottom” of why they are experiencing different signs and symptoms. This means that I require a whole history and also review of their previous test results. (There is no point in spending extra dollars retesting eg. intestinal biopsies, recent blood work etc if they have recently been done!).

What I find fascinating is that some GP doctors or even specialists completely discredit the word “Holistic” as they simply have no idea about the meaning of the word. These doctors are simply confused about the terminology.
Although I have clients that tell me incredible stories about their, or their relatives healing at the hands of a Homeopathic practitioner, (ie this is a Homeopath- using a diluted water based therapy orally) many doctors assume that the word Holistic equals Homoeopathy=water=nothing in it (equates to quackery in their mind). They then further confuse the word Holistic with Naturopath and rudely disregard an entire profession of Natural healers!

I do wonder why these otherwise intelligent people (Doctors, Specialists) have no understanding of the functional pathology and mind-body medicine that Naturopaths practice. It seems that there is a separation of body parts in the minds of the standard western medical paradigm. That is the process by which emotions, and the hormones released by certain thinking processes (anxiety, worry, anger) leading to a cortisol stress response and physical body breakdown, is simply not recognised. Naturopaths like to delve down and get to the bottom of WHY this is happening, correcting the gut biome and changing diet, attitudes, and lifestyle while doing so.

It is for this reason that multiple supplements and lifestyle/nutritional changes are recommended. This may take several visits to the Naturopath while the client undergoes paradigm changes and baby steps forward. Its not too different to “going on a diet” and “getting more exercise” which is REALLY what the medical profession should be recommending anyway- instead of drug therapies!

In my Animal work I find that many of my veterinary patients reflect lifestyle concerns of the owner- that is the stresses of the home are also impinging on the health of their pet. Diet is also implicated as a factor, or cause of some of the dis-ease.

A Holistic practitioner recognises this, and although some Naturopaths also use Homoeopathy, most of us do all the above, and include diet recommendations, some form of body work, exercise, Herbal therapies and macro and micronutrient changes.

So please, inform your doctors and let them know that Naturopaths CAN and DO work with the medical profession as allied health care professionals. We ARE covered by most health care funds.

Go and drink some water now! 😉

That Trying Testing Technical Trap for Thyroid disease!

Posted on June 24, 2014 by ecvetdoc under Uncategorized

Hello folks,

There seems to be an epidemic of Hypothyroidism caused by the autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

This is basically where the body turns on itself and starts “eating” its own thyroid.

Very often people have not had adequate testing to diagnose this, as thyroid autoantibodies need to be identified.

Here is a list for you to print off and take to your doctor if you are having any of the following signs:

Unexplained weight gain, lethargy, itchy dry skin, tiredness, puffiness, constipation and other GI signs, cold hands and feet, sluggish in the morning, slow heart rate, faint, feeling weak.

SUGGESTED TESTINGS FROM HASHIMOTO’S AUSTRALIA

Thyroid Testing

Full Thyroid Testing of:
TSH, FT4 & FT3, TPOAb & TgAb (antibodies)**
RT3 (Reverse T3) This is NOT covered by Medicare. It will be a private cost to yourself. Costs range from $50 – $80 upwards dependant on the lab you use.

Recommended labs for RT3 testing in:
WA = Clinipath
SA=
NT=
VIC=
NSW=
QLD=
ACT= Capitol
TAS=

**Please see page 3, it has important Medicare advice for you AND your doctor to enable Medicare to cover the costs of some or all of these tests (excluding RT3)

Blood Testing

FBC (Full blood count)
U & E (Urea & Electrolytes – includes Potassium & Sodium)
Full Fasting Cholesterol
Fasting Glucose
Full Iron Panel (includes: Iron, Transferrin, Saturations & Ferritin)
Full Liver Panel
Full Kidney Panel
AM & PM Cortisol (Saliva testing is more accurate but is NOT covered by Medicare, check for costs involved))
Urinary Iodine testing (NOT covered by Medicare, around $50+, check for costs)
H. Pylori (if required)

Magnesium
Calcium
Selenium
Folate/Folic Acid
Zinc
Copper

Vitamin Testing

Vitamin D
Vitamin B1, B6 & B12
Vitamin A, C** & E (not as important but “may” be worthwhile)

**Vitamin C – check with your own state’s lab of preference. In WA through St John’s Pathology, you are required to attend their Head Lab in Subiaco due to the extra requirements of the testing procedure.

Hormonal Testing

E1, E2, E3 & Progesterone (Saliva testing is more accurate, but is NOT covered by Medicare, please check for costs involved)

Autoimmune/Inflammatory Markers Testing (if required due to family history)

ANA
ENA
ESR
CRP
Complements C3 & C4

Allergy/Coeliac Testing

IgE (Rast) – includes Animal, Food, House Dust/Mite, Grass & Mould panels (if required)
IgA & IgG Coeliac screen (Negative result “may” not mean you are not Gluten Intolerant/Sensitive)
DQ2/DQ8 Gene Test for Coeliac (if required)

A good website for a “symptom checker” of gluten intolerance can be found at
www.glutenfreesociety.org

Additional Information

If you are on any antidepressants, please check with your doctor if you should be monitored with any extra blood testings involving that. Some meds have leaflets which state requirements of monitoring via blood tests but it’s not always the case your doctor does any monitoring.

REMEMBER

ALWAYS ask for copies of all your blood tests. Ask your doctor to specifically write “copy to patient” on any and all lab requests. Your doctor’s “normal” result for yourself “may” not always the case. If you need copies of prior tests and your doctor is reluctant to provide them, please contact your lab for instructions on how to obtain your copies. It may mean signing an authority and once ID is provided you can get your copies sent to your home address.

*** Important Medicare Advice

The item number for thyroid function test, comprising of TSH, free T4 and free T3 is 66719.
The TSH test is covered by Medicare, but the free T4 and the free T3 will only be paid by
Medicare if at least one of the following conditions is satisfied (see MBS schedule below).

However if one of the following conditions is NOT satisfied, you can request for private billing.
The laboratory should test the free T4 and/or the free T3 if the tests have been requested on
the referral form by the doctor and it is clear you will be paying for the tests.

If the doctor writes down TFT then the laboratory may only test the TSH and the free T4.

If the doctor writes down TSH, free T4 and free T3 separately on the form then there will be
no confusion and the proper tests will be done.

For more information on item numbers you can check online at www.mbsonline.gov.au under
MBS.
“Thyroid function tests (comprising the service described in item 66716 and 1 or more
of the following tests – free thyroxine, free T3, for a patient, if at least 1 of the following
conditions is satisfied:
(a) The patient has an abnormal level of TSH;
(b)The tests are performed:
(i) for the purpose of monitoring thyroid disease in the patient; or
(ii) to investigate the sick euthyroid syndrome if the patients is an admitted patient; or
(iii) to investigate dementia or psychiatric illness of the patient; or
(iv) to investigate amenorrhoea or infertility of the patient;
(c) the medical practitioner who requested the tests suspects the patient has pituitary
dysfunction;
(d) the patient is on drugs that interfere with thyroid hormone metabolism or function
(item is subject to rule 9)”

This schedule from the MBS was up to date in January 2012

Medicare information provided by www.thyroidwa.com

Tinnitus: Those bells are ringing!

Posted on April 26, 2014 by ecvetdoc under Uncategorized

Tinnitus: Those bells are ringing!

Tinnitus is a condition in which there is “ringing” in the ears. The noise can be intermittent or continuous, and can vary in loudness. Some people hear a hissing or buzzing, rather than ringing.

Many causes – almost everything that can go wrong with our ears can produce tinnitus as a symptom! Perhaps as simple as wax against the eardrum, or as serious as a tumour on the hearing nerve. Otosclerosis (fixation of the tiny stirrup bone in the middle ear) can produce tinnitus; so can Meniere’s disease. . Noise destroys! EXPOSURE TO EXCESSIVE NOISE, e.g. chain saws, machinery, rock concerts, IPODs/music earphones. Damage to the middle or inner ear can create an annoying buzzing or ringing sound that can become worse with age and is related to a progressive arthritis or otosclerosis (bones of the ear) Treatment therefore depends on limiting factors that will cause further damage and considering the sorts of treatment you might consider for generalised arthritis, plus increasing blood flow and circulation to the specific affected areas.

Hearing aids Good quality and properly fitted- can reduce and even eliminate most tinnitus associated with hearing losses. Hearing aids take away the strain of listening and distract from the tinnitus by bringing you more environmental sounds from the outside world.

Therapeutic Noise Generator– if the tinnitus or ringing is constant and annoying this device which looks like a hearing aid and recommended for people with no hearing loss. It produces a blend of external sounds which stimulate most fibres of the hearing nerve helping to deviate attention away from the tinnitus, and may help people adjust to living and studying/reading etc.

Nervous system diet:

Go High antioxidant,low carb, High fat (saturated, monounsaturated fatty acids and omega 3 fish and flax oils) protein + EFA oil, multicoloured fresh foods- as many vegetables as you can get into your system. Vitamins A,D, E are fat soluble and need a protein/fat source such as cold water fatty fish 3-5 times a week to help your gut absorb these essential nutrients. B vitamins,meat nuts and seeds.Try green smoothies for breakfast, with Spirulina, chlorella and parsley, plus add trace minerals to your smoothie, particularly chromium and vanadium to balance your insulin levels and prevent a proinflammatory state. Supplement with omega 3 oils 3 capsules 3x/day.

Treatment:

Once the condition occurs it is managed by attempting to correct the source- treat and manage infections such as viral causes with Vitamin C, L-lysine, herbal supplements (Echinacea, Elderberry, turmeric, ginger, Golden Seal) and manage stress with Herbs (Withania, ginseng, Rehmannia) yoga, relaxation/meditation, massages, osteopathy, acupressure and acupuncture.

5% of tinnitus is caused by a jaw joint (TMJ) problem as jaw muscles and a muscle in the middle ear are closely connected. When jaw muscles spasm the ear muscles react by pulling the eardrum too tight, and this situation can result in tinnitus. A remedial massage therapist using essential oils of helichrysum, lavender and copaiba may help reduce these taught trigger points.

In many people the middle ear is at fault, but virtually any part of the hearing system (includes ear and brain) may be the culprit. If the inner ear, or cochlear, is involved it may progress to hearing loss, a decreased ability to hear, which is divided into two main categories: Conductive, which is hearing loss due to something interfering with the sound passing to the inner ear; and sensorineural –caused by nerve or organ damage within the ear (viral, bacterial, trauma). Loud noise, aging, infection, ear wax, tumors and other conditions can cause hearing loss. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
Effective in alleviating distress and producing adaptation to tinnitus. CBT is threefold: changing the way a person perceives tinnitus; teaching ways to focus attention away from tinnitus and achieving control over stress. Offered by clinical psychologists.

Eat to Nourish your Nerves! Try to eat a salad a day and a piece of fish such as sardines, salmon or an egg plus flax oil dressing and a couple of handfuls of nuts -walnuts and cashews have adequate vitamin B6 and some oils to replenish your nervous system.

What Can Make Tinnitus Worse and how can I help prevent and Treat?
1. Loud noise! – Exposure to sudden or long-term noise can damage your hearing with resultant deafness and tinnitus. High-risk groups include industrial workers, farmers, transport workers – and don’t forget that noisy lawn mower! Reduce the noise source or protect your ears with earplugs, or ear muffs. Leisure noise can also be a hazard, e.g. rock concerts, boom boxes in cars and misuse of a digital iphone/ipods – never play it loudly.

2. Stress and Fatigue – They make tinnitus worse! Keeping busy – trying to focus your energies OUTWARD AND AWAY from the tinnitus – is an excellent idea, but stress and fatigue only undermine your healing. Minimise them by rethinking your lifestyle. Relaxation therapy can help greatly if practised daily.

Hypnotherapy from a qualified practitioner may help. Also good – sports, hobbies, yoga, t’ai chi, reflexology or massage.

3. Medications – It is essential to tell your family doctor about your tinnitus; some common medications cause tinnitus as a side effect or make your existing tinnitus worse. Take special care with medications for arthritis, rheumatic diseases, some antibiotics, and anti-depressants. Also aspirin – ask your doctor about alternatives.

4. Try easing off caffeine (tea, coffee, coca-cola, chocolate), and alcohol as they can temporarily worsen tinnitus for some people. Avoid quinine – as in “tonic” water .Avoid Nicotine and marijuana too. Smoking narrows your blood vessels which supply vital oxygen to your ears and their sensory cells. PLEASE – quit smoking!

5. Take supplements: Gingko biloba, Gotu kola essential anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids (DHA, EPA) Quercetin, Vitamin A,D,C,E, B’s Zinc, Magnesium, Selenium and a diet high in antioxidants (berries, green leafy veges) will help reduce stress and repair your body. Check with your Doctor for doses if on warfarin.

6. Eat a well balanced diet, get adequate exercise 20min/day- maintain a healthy weight; being obese results in an proinflammatory state. Exercise helps to lubricate your body and allows the nutrients to get through to your cells. Reducing atherosclerosis and plaque build up with good nutrition and exercise will keep the circulation to your nervous system active and healthy.

7. Keep your Ears/head and neck warm! If your circulation to your ears is reduced with your body’s attempt to stay warm, the tinnitus can get more pronounced.

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Chai tea for Ear health: in a large pot 5 cups of water and 5 tbsp of Dandelion tea/coffee and brew with 2 tbs each of coconut milk, coconut oil, 3 cm of Rehmannia glutinosa root (from chinese supermarket) pinch of turmeric, cardamom pods, anise, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg, plus 2 drops of stevia or honey to taste, blend in 1 tsp of flax oil prior to serving .

8. Get regular soothing, gentle neck and shoulder massages this will keep the blood circulating efficiently through your auditory nervous system, oxygenate and cleanse and prevent toxin build up.

What do I eat NOW?

Posted on February 27, 2014 by ecvetdoc under detox, Health, Naturopathy, Nutrition, Uncategorized

I hear ya, you want 2014 to be the conquering year of getting in shape (round is a shape, right? ;-))
So here is a great kick start Joe Cross style (yes, grab that “Fat Sick and Nearly Dead” DVD http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/),
This means getting rid of sugar, carbs and increasing your nutrient value especially greens. Try this for breakfast and for a fast pick up during the day. Drink 6 glasses of mostly vege juices daily.

Green Smoothie Boost
Mix in high speed blender:
1 cup water (or coconut water)
1 stick celery
2 leaves kale
1 green apple
1/2 small cucumber (lebanese)
1 kiwifruit
50 gm baby spinach leaves
Juice of half lemon or lime
and organic spirulina, wheat grass, alfalfa, broccoli sprouts or phyto organic essential powder- 2 tsp.

Off you go! and have a GREAT day!

A variation to boost your detox and help your liver is to add 1-2 small pieces of turmeric. This is very helpful as an anti-inflammatory, antiarthritis, anticancer treatment. If you are detoxing for brain/neurological function (MS, Alzheimers etc) swallow 2 tablespoons of coconut oil twice a day as well.

If you have had many amalgam fillings it will take 1 month for every year you have had them to slowly detox your heavy metals out of your bones and fat deposits, your liver will need support while you do this to methylate the free radical toxins out (and into your poo! and out of your body) so you will need fibre daily. Try flax seed crackers- I love love love these ones from iherb.com http://www.iherb.com/search?sug=mary%27s+gone+crackers&kw=gone+crack&rank=2&x=0&y=0#p=1 and when you check out use my priority value code vet344 and you will receive 5-10$ off your first order! Its rewards based (not network marketing) so you will get your own code when you check out – share this and you too will gain rewards. Awesome way to shop for organics and yummy foods and supplements.

Happy Holidays without the Heartburn!

Posted on January 1, 2014 by ecvetdoc under Uncategorized

Happy New Year 2014! Today is the first day for a wonderful new start for health in 2014! January is going to be the month to sort out your digestion issues. Let’s start at the Upper Gastrointestinal tract.

If you have been Living Hard these Holidays you may be experiencing that “Burning” Desire for a New Healthy Year!

Oesophagitis/ otherwise called “Heart burn” is exacerbated with typical holiday fare: alcohol, sugar and a high carbohydrate diet.

READ about the causes and what you can do to prevent it, but if you are in a hurry HERE are my HANDY HELP Tips: Oesophagitis needs an increase in gut function and better digestion.

Firstly let me dis-spell a myth: the burning is NOT generally caused by too much stomach acid, but by the acid being in the wrong place! This is because often as we age, we decrease the amount of stomach acid we produce. Digestive bitter herbs and tonics can increase this, but our Western diet and our taste buds prefer sweet- not bitter. TAKING ANTACIDS SUCH AS NEXIUM AND OTHER PPI (proton pump inhibitors) have a negative impact on digestion, Vitamin B12 and cause MORE heartburn *

Therefore our food sits undigested for longer in our stomach, and this is what causes the gastric reflux- a lack of motility and the belching and bloating is a byproduct of poor acid production.

Here are some helping hints:

Stay hydrated! Drink one glass of water every 2 hours (more in the heat) Dissolve 2 Blackmore’s SPPC tabs in your drinking water and sip this throughout the day. Chew one if experiencing stomach pain. Start your day by-Drink 2x 200 ml glasses of warm water with 1/2 a lemon squeezed into it, or a cup of warm water with 1 tbsp. honey and 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (ACV) upon waking as you will be slightly dehydrated after your last intake of fluids- which was probably about 12 hours previousl. If either of these drinks gives you a burning sensation then see your doctor for gastric ulceration investigation; stomach ulcers often need triple drug therapy to treat Helicobacter pyloris. Otherwise the lemon or the ACV will rebalance the poor stomach acid, which is often deficient.
Mix 1 tsp of slippery elm powder with warm water and drink this 1 hour before meals. This will coat the sore areas and soothe them.
Do not eat anything for 3 hours before bedtime, go for an 20 minute walk an hour after eating dinner, and spend the evening relaxing- eg. with a hot Epsom salts bath.
Sleep with the head of the bed slightly elevated.
Try Iberogast or equivalent essential oils or peppermint, dill, fennel teas.

	Approximately 20% of the adult population over the age of 50 will have some upper gastrointestinal discomfort, and of these a majority will be on the spectrum of GORD or GERD (the “O” or “E” depends on which part of the equator and English syllabus you reside in!Oesophagitis/Gord (Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease)= Gerd(gastro-esophageal dyspepsia or disease) is a burning sensation which sometimes mimics a cardiac pain, hence the term ‘Heart Burn”. It’s always a good idea to see an internist to rule out primary heart problems, however be aware that it is almost impossible to diagnose heart problems- which may present in a similar fashion. Although an ECG (electrocardiogram) and blood tests may not pick up any coronary vasculature blockage, a stress test and an angiogram will. I have seen several patients (human variety) who had recently visited their GP and been declared within normal on basic testing for heart health, only to find them suffer a major coronary attack days to weeks later. (GP by the way is General Practitioner, not “Guinea Pig”—laughing out loud as there are so many ways to confuse the veterinarian talk with the human medical talk!) Many doctors prescribe antacids for this GORD, as the acid reflux is very painful and analgesia is important to the patient The common pain relieving medications such as the NSAID’s (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, are contraindicated (not recommended) because they cause gastric ulceration and kidney disease. The pain from the acid reflux should be addressed at the root cause, which generally is a poor digestion system. This is contrary to the general medical profession’s concept which states that there is OVER production of acid. What is really happening is that there is NOT ENOUGH stomach acid, or a deficiency of movement from the gastric juices downwards. To fix the problem at the root cause means to improve digestion and to get the contractility moving! Naturopaths will take a careful history and find out what is in the diet that is slowing down digestion. It’s very important to fix this system, as a prevention of chronic inflammation- not only to reduce the pain in the oesophagus, but also to stop the progression oesophagitis to Barrett’s disease. Barrett’s esophagus is a serious complication of GERD. In Barrett’s esophagus, changes to oesophageal mucosal tissue occur—to less keratinized and softer more vulnerable tissue that resembles the lining of the intestine. About 10% of people with chronic symptoms of GERD develop Barrett’s oesophagus
	Contributing Factors:Medications that patients are on can predispose to developing poor motility and oesophagitis. Antacid tablets that decrease or act as proton pump inhibition such as Nexium slow down digestion, and anticholesterol statin drugs lead to muscle weakness and slow contractility. -Putting / eating bad combinations of food together, such as carbohydrates with proteins (sandwiches and pasta require a lower stomach acid to digest the carbohydrate, while meat proteins require a higher pH, thus the combination is difficult to digest). A diet full of preserved meats is also problematic, as salami, pepperoni, Ham, release nitrosamines and are known carcinogens and pro inflammatory agents. – dehydration-1.4-2 litres of isotonic water is needed to keep the body lubricated. A dried out intestinal tract will not contract efficiently. Chyme needs to churn over with a steady intake of fluids. A dry mouth and oesophagus will lead to food clogging and difficulty swallowing. – Stress! Adrenaline (epinephrine if you live in the northern hemisphere and speak “American”) causes xerostomia, or dry mouth, which leads to tacky and sluggish gut movement. -Food triggers / allergenic foods- high gluten diet consisting mainly of wheat is as a cause of inflammation. – Heart disease- both medication and sluggish vascular movement secondary to heart disease will lead to a slower digestive system. – smoking – this dries out the oesophagus as well as adding carcinogenic substances and inflammatory mediators directly to the mucosa – alcohol and spicy foods induce GORD Sustaining Factors:
	– Medications- acid inhibitors such as Nexium and Statin drugs ( which are often recommended by doctors for elevated cholesterol and cardiovascular disease) perpetuate GORD; Nexium reduces stomach acid and therefore decreases digestion; causing a slower gastro-intestinal emptying with food fermenting in stomach and leaving partially digested; therefore bloating pushes the antrum and stomach opening up in to the chest causing a hiatal hernia and burning sensation at the base of oesophagus.Statin drugs cause myopathy, with decreased peristalsis measured by an increase in serum CK (creatine kinase) levels as well as decreasing mitochondrial enzyme function and necessary coenzyme Q 10 – an antioxidant system for the “powerhouse” cell. This causes more cellular damage and decreased muscle function- often resulting in micro tears and bruising of ligaments, tendons and muscles. -Poor choices and Putting / eating bad combinations of food together -Continuing to eat food triggers / allergenic foods -Eating food close to bedtime – not sure if client does that -Lying down immediately after eating Naturopathic Analysis/Causative Factors: What’s possibly making it happen physically –based on biochemistry and personal choices as listed above
	In this condition, there are a number of factors that increase pressure on the lower oesophageal sphincter muscle, preventing it from effectively blocking acid from washing into the oesophagus.Hiatal hernia is one reason why the upper part of the stomach protrudes above the diaphragm which can result in GORD or GERD. Excess weight can also increase pressure within the abdomen. The excess weight in pregnancy teamed with hormonal effects can result in GORD or GERD. Particular foods (acidic foods) such as onions, garlic, citrus foods, mint, chocolate and tomato based foods etc can potentially irritate the oesophagus or relax the sphincter too much. In addition, if the stomach is not positioned where it should be and intra-abdominal pressure is increased, this can irritate / exacerbate GORD or GERD such as in the case of lying down immediately after eating or sleeping with piles of pillows on the bed, wearing tight belts, lifting, bending and more. Poor food choices and particular foods or food combining create a decrease in digestion and slow peristalsis down, hence the GORD / GERD burping, belching, and bloating occur. Smoking, drinking, and alcohol imbibation plus medications that can perpetuate oesophagitis. Be mindful or how you eat—sitting, and portion control at correct times 3 meals a day, how relaxed you are at meal times, how your parasympathetic calm feeling is at the time of eating, the foods you choose and how you combine them, and the time you go to bed in relation to when you have eaten. Think about your emotional state, and practice enjoyment of life and your food! Take up yoga, Tai chi, Bush walking, snorkelling, swimming or some other relaxing exercise that allows your body to move and helps move your digesting tract along as well as supporting your mood.

http://www.alternet.org/personal-health/7-drugs-whose-dangerous-risks-emerged-only-after-big-pharma-made-its-money?paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark

Nexium: What is the second bestselling drug, after Lipitor? The Purple Pill. Like statins, Nexium and the other Proton-Pump Inhibitors (PPI) to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), became household medications thanks to direct-to-consumer advertising. Before Proton-Pump Inhibitors, people took over-the-counter treatments like Tums or Tagamet when they had heartburn or indigestion. As the afflictions were upgraded into the “disease” of GERD, Nexium made almost $5 billion in the US in one year and the class of PPIs made $13.6 billion in one year, translating into 119 million prescriptions.

In 2012, the same year the FDA warned about statins, the FDA warned the public that Nexium and the whole class of PPIs are linked to Clostridium Difficile, a stubborn and sometimes deadly intestinal infection that is becoming increasingly drug-resistant and hard to treat. In 2013, medical literature linked PPIs to fractures, calcium and magnesium deficiencies, community-acquired pneumonia and vitamin B-12 deficiencies. Research by John P. Cooke, clinical professor at Houston Methodist Hospital, found in 2013 that PPIs might cause blood vessels to constrict and cardiovascular risks. Not a great ending for the blockbuster Nexium, whose patent runs out in 2014.

naturopathvet

A Veterinary Surgeon, and Physician, who has also taken degrees in Education and is now a Qualified Naturopath and Remedial Massage Healer shares her views and tips

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