Posted in Pets on 07/19/2010 03:15 pm by madeleine
Biggest Health Issue In Older Cats
One of the biggest health issues in aging cats is diabetes and subsequent kidney failure. This is more likely to occur in obese cats, and more often then not, in males. But my 17 year old O’Shay is both female and skinny, and suffers from this condition. Excessive thirst, ammonia smelling urine, and vomiting are the prominent characteristics of the onset of diabetes. The gait of cats can also be affected and a general weakness can set in. After recently consulting a homeopathic doctor for my daughter, we also discussed O’Shay. There is no known homeopathy to repair the kidneys, but a remedy called iodium (that’s right- from iodine) can help open the deteriorating passages than allow toxins to leave the kidney and release thyroid hormones that help govern the rate of the body’s metabolism (its total life processes). I read about some allopathic kidney treatment using radioactive iodine- ew- not for my family or pets. Since 3 or 4 doses of iodium, O’Shay has ceased vomiting and excessive drinking, and she has been switched to a very low protein diet, as protein is very hard for older cats to process through the kidneys. O’Shay seems back to her old self! Your comments and success stories are always welcome.
Posted in Habits, Addictions, & Detox, Natural Health on 06/21/2010 02:33 pm by madeleine
I’m not sure what constitutes “expert” when it comes to addiction. Since I have directly been involved with friends or family suffering from all kinds of addictions from alcohol to heroin, and helping to strategize recovery and support programs, I consider myself an expert. Learning the mind set, behavior patterns, red flags, and learning just what “enabling” really means (it doesn’t mean you have to kick your kid out of the house- necessarily) gives us a snapshot of the mind when the little voice of addiction buzzes in the back of the mind of every addict. When I read about addiction, treatments, successes and failures, be it an article or forum, I never hear the mention of detox cleanse (getting the substance out of your blood and fat cells- not just the general system)or the use of homeopathy to quell urges. The detox cleanse is so important to remove all traces of whatever substance you are trying to stop using, from your blood, liver and kidneys, muscles and fat cells. Preventing the future release of these substances into the body once it has withdrawn is paramount in the recovery process, as this is what can trigger relapse. There are several natural products I recommend. Nux vomica the classic hangover remedy, has been know to curb cravings for heroin and help subdue the chills and nausea of withdrawing from heroin. It has also been used to curb other compulsive disorders such as shop lifting. The 30c dilution is low enough to comfortably take the remedy 5 or 6 times a day. Addictions is a formula that also addresses cravings and withdrawal symptoms from substance addiction. It contains several flower essences as well as other natural elements. Tru cleanse is a 3 step, 10 day cleanse, using the ancient secret of clay (nature’s ‘draw’) to strip the body of toxins, and is a must in any withdraw program. Any questions, comments and success stories are welcome here or at our wellness forums.
Posted in Natural Health on 05/16/2010 10:14 am by madeleine
In keeping with fresh and innovative food, supplements, and products, I have found a unique addition to our product line- THE HYDROPONIC GROW BOX. Now, some of you know nothing about gardening, much less hydroponic indoor gardening, but this system is designed for the novice, boasting great yields on the first grow cycle (which could be anywhere from 6-12 weeks depending on what you are growing). Why hydroponics?; Lack of land space, the ability to control nutrients, pests, and light, and growing in a sterile environment. The grow boxes look like an ordinary piece of furniture (stealth and discreet), and are small enough to fit in a closet. They are quiet, odor-free, low energy, and completely self contained. It is unbelievable how much you can get out of each box ( 5-8 pounds per year on the small PC Planter 2-plant box, and 9-14 pounds per year of plant matter from the larger 14 plant Mini Caddy box). This type of home growing is becoming popular all over the world. Imagine growing lucious strawberries in the dead of winter in Russia, or producing your own herbal medicine in the privacy of your own home!! By being able to control nutrients and light, you can produce abundant crops with shorter grow cycles. Green thumb or not, this set-up will bring out the Zen gardener in you, and pay for itself in no time.
Posted in Asthma and Breathing, Natural Health on 05/06/2010 08:31 am by madeleine
Asthma is a condition that I am all too familiar with, as my husband suffers from it. When I first met Jimmie, almost 14 years ago, he was already a ‘natural’ and ‘herbal’ type man, using coltsfoot tea as his primary weapon in the asthma battle. As time went on, we discovered homeopathy, with A. Vogel being the first brand we ever experimented with. Over the years, he has tried several other remedies by other manufacturers, but never with the same excellent result as with the Vogel. It has been said that the herbs with which you will respond best to are native to the area where you were born, and after reading about the origin of the cardiospermum (main ingredient) being from the Catskills, and Jimmie being an east coast man, it confirmed it for me. Because of presure from the FDA, the product has been renamed Allergy Relief.
Here are some other tips for help with times when breathing becomes a problem; learn to understand what triggers your asthma, and then try to avoid those triggers- this is a key factor in controlling asthma. Think calming thoughts. Exercise to reduce stress. A hot steamy shower will open your chest and relax the muscles. Hot tea of any kind, preferably coltsfoot tea, will also open and relax your chest. Jimmie has been know to chew on raw garlic when nothing else is available. It works!!!
The latest and most sophisticated natural formulas are now both herbal and homeopathic formulas, taking the best of both worlds and combining them, as herbal and homeopathic remedies work hand in hand together. I am happy to say that I have expanded the product line at Peoples Organic Pharmacy to include many new exciting products for not only specific aliments and conditions, but also for prevention, and maintenance of vibrant health. Your comments and success stores are always welcome on our blog or wellness forums.
Posted in Children's Health & Fitness, Cold and Flu on 04/24/2010 08:27 am by madeleine
I am always looking for new health tips, products, and successstories, and recently came a new product that I am very excited to carry. It’s called Sniffly Sprinkles, probably because you take it by putting a few sprinkles on your tongue. It was formulated with children in mind, but can actually be taken by people of all ages. This remedy addresses the fussy, irritable and miserable feelings that often accompany a stuffed up nose. It can be a frightening thing to witness a baby with so much mucus then can hardly breathe, but Sniffly Sprinkles can quickly and gently open the air passages and bring relief. As with all of the products we carry, this one is 100% safe and natural.
Here are some other natural ways to treat a cold;
1. Take a steamy shower to open nasal passages and relax you.
2. Get plenty of rest- your body will heal faster when rested.
3. Make a tea of raspberry leaves and lemon, and add honey, and use as a gargle to reduce the tickle in your throat.
Check out our web site for many other natural healing remedies, and please comment on our health forums.
Posted in Natural Health, Pets on 03/17/2010 06:00 am by madeleine
Her name is Susan, and I am sure she was a God-send. Just 10 days before our big trip, Pet Airways suspended operations (for expansion purposes) and my pets were bumped off their flight from the east coast, to Los Angeles. I immediately went into gear, got on the internet looking under “pet transport”, to see how we would safely and quickly get Brandi and O’Shay to our destination. There we found Pet Taxi, who at such short notice was able to book a flight around the same time, from the same airport, on the same day! When I called out to Pet Taxi in Los Angeles the first time, it was 6am the morning there, and I was just expecting to be leaving a message, but Susan answered the phone and, early as it was, gathered all the info she needed, and made the necessary arrangements to satisfy picky me. She also passed on every trick she knew about flying a dog and cat cross country, so as to make traveling as easy as possible on them, and gave me a detailed account of how the travel would be for the pets, so as to ease my worried mind.
Both crating and flying are foreign to my animals. We reluctantly used crating with Brandi for a short period when we first adopted her 2 years ago, but she hated it, and the need diminished. My fear of her flying cargo was about her trying to escape the crate after being left alone. I consulted my homeopathic vet and we decided on melatonin-1 dose before crating at airport, and aconite water/ice chips for her carrier. Melatonin is widely used as a sleep aide for people, and also for pet anxiety. Aconite is for fear. For kitty O’Shay, HomeoPet travel anxiety in her carrier water. I think she will eventually just sleep though most of the trip. Susan has urged me to use Benadryl for Brandi, believing that with high anxiety, homeopathic and natural remedies do not work, but if that concept were so, then the Benadryl might do little or no good under extreme conditions as well, and I do know first hand how dramatically the right remedy can change your mind set and anxiety level from 10 back down to 1, in just moments. Now I’m not contradicting Susan’s years of knowledge and experience- I’m just suggesting that this way works too. We’ve assembled Brandi’s traveling crate, and miraculously enough, she has taken to it this time (circumstances being quite different, and the crate being lined with our bed quilt which scent didn’t mean a thing back in the days when she first arrived). Perhaps we can demonstrate with Brandi, a dog who originally was not a good candidate for flying cargo, how a little ground work with the crate along with the right compliment of natural and homeopathic remedies, can work!
Posted in Natural Health on 03/17/2010 05:40 am by madeleine
Her name is Susan, and I am sure she was a God-send. Just 10 days before our big trip, Pet Airways suspended operations (for expansion purposes) and my pets were bumped off their flight from the east coast, to Los Angeles. I immediately went into gear, got on the internet looking under “pet transport”, to see how we would safely and quickly get Brandi and O’Shay to our destination. There we found Pet Taxi, who at such short notice was able to book a flight around the same time, from the same airport, on the same day! When I called out to Pet Taxi in Los Angeles the first time, it was 6am the morning there, and I was just expecting to be leaving a message, but Susan answered the phone and, early as it was, gathered all the info she needed, and made the necessary arrangements to satisfy picky me. She also passed on every trick she knew about flying a dog and cat cross country, so as to make traveling as easy as possible on them, and gave me a detailed account of how the travel would be for the pets, so as to ease my worried mind.
Both crating and flying are foreign to my animals. We reluctantly used crating with Brandi for a short period when we first adopted her 2 years ago, but she hated it, and the need diminished. My fear of her flying cargo was about her trying to escape the crate after being left alone. I consulted my homeopathic vet and we decided on melatonin-1 dose before crating at airport, and aconite water/ice chips for her carrier. Melatonin is widely used as a sleep aide for people, and also for pet anxiety. Aconite is for fear. For kitty O’Shay, HomeoPet travel anxiety in her carrier water. I think she will eventually just sleep though most of the trip. Susan has urged me to use Benadryl for Brandi, believing that with high anxiety, homeopathic and natural remedies do not work, but if that concept were so, then the Benadryl might do little or no good under extreme conditions as well, and I do know first hand how dramatically the right remedy can change your mind set and anxiety level from 10 back down to 1, in just moments. Now I’m not contradicting Susan’s years of knowledge and experience- I’m just suggesting that this way works too. We’ve assembled Brandi’s traveling crate, and miraculously enough, she has taken to it this time (circumstances being quite different, and the crate being lined with our bed quilt which scent didn’t mean a thing back in the days when she first arrived). Perhaps we can demonstrate with Brandi, a dog who originally was not a good candidate for flying cargo, how a little ground work with the crate along with the right compliment of natural and homeopathic remedies, can work!
Posted in Natural Health on 03/13/2010 05:57 pm by madeleine
SWAMP FEVER
Hurricane season has classically brought an unwelcome guest to Cuba each year, leptospirolis, commonly known as swamp fever. Vaccination used to be an annual event, costing the tiny island about 3 million, to “protect” against the swamp fever, an aggressive protocol that still was unable to prevent suffering and death. Hundreds continued to be stricken. In December 2008, an international conference was held at the Finlay Institute in Cuba, attended by world renown homeopaths from North America, South American, Australia, Canada, Kenya, and Cuba, where it was revealed that a ”nosode” (a homeopathic preparation of less than a molecule of substance) to prevent leptospirolis was given in place of the vaccine, with incredible success. The dilution of the substance is so minute, that all that is left in the base water is energy, so to speak. The nosode directs the body to produce antibodies against the leptospirolis. Subsequent to this new approach, only a few cases of swamp fever were reported, and NO deaths. It cost Cuba only a modest $250,000 to supply their citizens with this simple and effective remedy, not to mention the diminished agony of experiencing the disease, and all with a zero death toll. This comes to no surprise to the natural medicine community, as we who use and practice homeopathy know one amazing story after another.
Michael Moore first introduced us to the medical practices of Cuba when he took a discouraged group of Americans there, to try a different approach to medicine, in the movie “SICKO”. These unfortunate folks were all victims of either financial devastation due to illness and medical expense, misdiagnosed illness, over medication, and/or foot dragging and claim denial from insurance companies. Now Cuba is discovering the low cost and high effect of the homeopathic approach to health care. It is not only low in cost, high in success and safe from side effects, it also will not interfere with an allopathic medicine a person might be taking, however many people who start out using homeopathy find that within time, the allopathic medicine may no longer be needed. Homeopathy is also widely used in India as well as Europe. I am not sure if Mr. Moore himself, uses homeopathy, but I do plan on dropping him a note and forwarding this article to him!
Posted in Cold and Flu, Natural Health on 03/03/2010 09:40 am by madeleine
Wet Dosing For Acute Situations- Homeopathy
A few weeks ago I had a terrible bout with what I presumed to be strep throat. Now strep throat, untreated, can lead to rheumatic fever or meningitis- nothing to fool around with. Had I correctly dosed myself with the right remedy, I might have nipped it in the bud. Instead, I took 1 dose, and expected to be cured. When I wasn’t, I went on to the next remedy, with the same “no result”. My throat got worse, and I ultimately opted to go get antibiotics- something I rarely-to-never do. I know that antibiotics only suppress symptoms, and the same symptoms that were just suppressed, or others, may appear soon after the alleged “cure”. Sure enough, a new sore throat appeared 2 days ago. This time I was prepared. I dissolved a tablet of Throat (a wonderful sore throat remedy that covers just about every type of sore throat), into water, and began sipping periodically throughout the day. The lump in my throat lessened and I continued the sipping method throughout the night. I had a huge sweat during the night, and woke up fine as a fiddle the next morning. When you have an acute situation such as a cold or flu or sore throat or a sprain or injury, your body will burn through a remedy fast, and the liquid dosing has proven a superior delivery to the body, as the constant dosing floods the body with the energy it needs to begin to heel. For those of us who have had the experience of taking a homeopathic remedy and getting instant relief, we are spoiled, and tend to expect the same result every time. But some things need more than 1 dose to cure, and perhaps a different method of consumption.
Your comments and questions are always welcome her, or at our wellness forums.
Posted in Asthma and Breathing on 02/26/2010 07:47 am by madeleine
Homeopathy- Treating Symptoms Not Disease
This week has been a crazy mix of sorting, packing, cleaning, and selling. Moving, after 20 years in the same 3 bedroom home, is a rather large task. Although I have only had the “pleasure” of a big move like this, just twice, and it is usually my lower back that gets aggravated after all that physical work, this time, it is my lungs that are acting up. All the dust and dampness from the basement, and dusty boxes in closets, etc, has caused a rebellion in my chest. The symptoms commence when I lay down at night to go to bed. My chest becomes tight, I cough and wheeze, and have to sit right back up. I could swear I have bronchitis, but I know these symptoms are not caused by a bacteria or virus. Enter, natural medicine. Jimmie made me a hot cup of coltsfoot tea, which I quickly downed, and got a warm relief from. Then I placed one tab of Bronchitis under my tongue, and within moments, the tightness in my chest disappeared. I was soon able to lay down and sleep. I have had to repeat this for several nights now, but know that after the packing is down, this will all go away. My point is, I don’t have bronchitis, but since I do have the symptoms of bronchitis, the remedy works anyway!
Here are some other natural ways to help with bronchial conditions; hot teas relieve and break up flem- coltsfoot is one of our favorites. Also try slippery elm tea, which contains mucilage, a gel-like substance thought to calm irritated or inflamed tissues. Cayenne pepper can break up congestion, and stay away from dairy products. If you are desperate for relief and have nothing else on hand, chew on a piece of raw garlic.
Your comments and questions are welcome.