$15 Million Zyprexa®
lawsuit settlement against Eli Lilly reached.  State of Alaska alleged the drug caused health problem that cost Medicaid program hundreds of millions.

FDA and Vioxx®
Recent report reveals new drug approvals are down by 31% this year.  This results from the stinging exposure and resulting suits over approval of the drug Vioxx®.

But there's good news as more and more people are turning to natural solutions.  Among nature's most potent healers, there's ...

Honey For Coughing
PA State University College Of Medicine conducted a study on children 2 to 18 years of age with upper respiratory infections and coughing.  30 minutes before bedtime, they were given one tea-spoon of buckwheat honey, no treatment, or honey-flavored dextromethorphan (DM), the latter is the most common OTC syrup.

Honey was found to be the only thing that reduced frequency and severity of cough and improved sleep.

Honey For Healing
Honey is also one of the most effective healing therapies for wounds, burns, surgical cuts, and lesions.  A research study in the U.K. recommended honey to treat surgical wounds. 

They also found that honey acted as a barrier against tumor implantation following lapraropscopic cancer surgery which, when the instruments are withdrawn leave a small hole that can spread cancerous tissue, a not-uncommon risk involving any type of cancer surgery. 

Current attempts to reduce this risk involve using various drugs or placing a barrier about the incision. It is just a matter of time before patented and therefore, expensive honey products will be used.

Honey vs Sugar
Got a sweet tooth?  Don’t worry about dental decay from honey.  Unlike sugar, you can use honey to sweeten tea or coffee because honey’s strong anti-bacterial properties help protect teeth against plaque and gums against gingivitis, both caused by bacterial growth. 

“Real Honey?” 
A word of caution here, whether for medicinal or health reasons, avoid any honey that doesn’t say something like “raw”, unfiltered, or pure on the label.  It may have been processed so it will go further and pour easier but that usually means sugar has been added to boost sweetness.  I know, trying to find truly natural anything can drive you nuts but real, unprocessed honey will be NOT be clear and golden.  It will be dark, “honey” colored and slightly cloudy. 

Honey For Allergies 
Local honey is always best, especially for allergies.  Like an allergy shot but much cheaper (!) honey harvested from local hives stimulates your immune system against allergy-causing pollens particular to your area.

For more on the benefits of honey for wound dressing, burns, and antibiotic properties, click here.

CAUSE AND CURE FOR HYPOTHYRODISM

 Can’t get her pregnant?  She’s lethargic, fat, skin problems?  What about your show dog?  Has he lost his edge along with that naturally glossy coat? 

 Cancer, allergies, and hypothyroidism head a long list of immune system disorders in both dogs and humans.  I’ll keep this short but there is solid science behind that which I report to you.  Most of you don’t have time to do your own research but there is a vast amount of reliable info out there that can’t be totally suppressed. 

 You will not get it on TV.  By now everyone knows about the deadly side effects of cox-2 inhibitors even though you were bombarded by ad after ad.  Merk alone spent an estimated $45 million, the largest consumer targeted campaign in drug-pusher history.  As potentially deadly as a dark-cloaked figure in the alley, sales of Vioxx reached $2.5 billion last year.  Pfizer (the same company that gave us Rimadyl which killed so many dogs) says its Celebrex is safe but contradictory studies are emerging.  Dr. Julian Whittaker exposed cholesterol-lowering (statin) drugs but Lipitor, the best selling drug in the U.S., is still prescribed by doctors who simply don’t have time to keep up with adverse reactions and let’s face it, the drug companies are the last source for such research!  Following a government funded study, the FDA actually admitted that it is under-staffed and “incapable” of overseeing the drug industry and safety!

 Okay so what about thyroid problems?  In addition to complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) journals, there is plain old fashioned common sense.  For instance, my friend in England had never heard of thyroid problems back in the early eighties when it was becoming common here.  She fed meat to her own dogs and the hundred-plus dogs in her quarantine station.  She supplemented with wheat-based “kibble” formulated specifically to balance a high meat diet.  Gradually though, the Brits, including my friend, Chairperson of the TKC Breed Standards Committee and one of the most knowledgeable dog people I’ve ever known, were swayed by the marketing and convenience of “prepared” foods.  Now they and their dogs, have the same thyroid problems we’ve experienced for over two decades.

 The point is that for centuries, domesticated dogs ate home-cooked meat and table scraps.  Neither humans nor dogs suffered from the immune disorders so rampant now. 

 About forty years ago, as fewer people baked, iodine was added to “store bought” bread.  One slice contained about 150 micrograms of iodine, the RDA amount.  Then the food industry decided to replace iodine with bromine, something that belongs to a pretty scary group of elements that include fluorine, chlorine, and of course, iodine. 

 But wait, bromine doesn’t help the thyroid gland, in fact, it inhibits iodine’s activity!  When food producers stopped enriching grain products with iodine and replaced it with an element that doesn’t work, it spelled trouble for both people and dogs. 

 There are other factors that inhibit the production of thyroid hormone in all mammals.  The most common inhibitors are certain antibiotics which, while they may solve one problem, often create another.  Before we and our dogs took so much medication and ate so little “real” food, thyroid imbalance was a negligible condition. 

 The current “low carb” craze is good only if we replace white sugars and grains with something that has life and nutrients.  The same science applies to the canine population, now largely fed corn and beet pulp, i.e. sugar. 

 Back in the eighties, I reported that cats were suddenly dying with previously unknown heart and thyroid problems until a researcher tumbled to the fact that cat food lacked taurine.  It is coincidence that the critter highest in taurine is a mouse?  No… Cat food manufacturers hastened to add taurine, solving that mystery.

Okay so what can you do for your dog?  I hear you long-time breeders shouting “kelp!”  Do NOT try salting your dog’s food.  That’s another subject and there’s not enough iodine in there to help.  You could use Lugol’s solution, a nasty tasting iodine/iodide preparation that’s been around forever.  Or you could use Iodoral, a dried Lugol’s solution that provides 12.5 mg of iodine/iodide. 

Unused iodine will be excreted in the urine which by the way, is an excellent but little-used test for iodine deficiency.  Note: If you have a dog with mammary cancer, be SURE to supplement.  In one human trial, 100% of cancer patients tested iodine deficient!

If you want to protect yourself and your dog, there are excellent kelp products.  Brown and red seaweeds such as kombu contain the most iodine.  Visit a health food store or an Asian market.  It’s cheap, effective and comes in many convenient forms.  

Do not just take your dog off thyroid supplementation without talking to your vet but here’s the key.  Whether vet or medical doctor, you may have to push for sound advice and not just accept the “standard” answer.  Here’s just one example of getting a medical practitioner to put aside the indoctrination of prescribed drugs. 

Blood thinners are prescribed under many different pharmaceutical names but basically they are warfarin, i.e. rat poison!  Coumadin, a commonly prescribed blood-thinner received a “black box” label warning in Oct. 2006 but is still routinely used for chemo patients.  Then on June 1, 2008, the FDA updated its report of deaths associated with Heparin use to include 86 deaths in the United States.

Vitamin “E” is a natural blood thinner with tremendously beneficial side effects rather than adverse side effects.  When pinned down, most doctors will agree and remove the patient from warfarin-based prescriptions.  As an aside, "E" research was pioneered by Dr. Wilfred E. Shute, a Canadian All Breed Judge... So, ask your vet if natural sources for iodine will work to boost the immune system.

 Akitas, a Japanese breed genetically “programmed” to eat iodine-rich seafood, became so challenged on our western diet that thyroid problems were rampant.  Estrus cycles became flakey and non-productive.  Males suffered from low libido and/or sperm count and often became overly aggressive.  I wondered why my dogs weren’t affected but it took a visitor from Japan to turn on the lightbulb.  We had always supplemented with kelp!

 Sooo, that’s my layman’s advise but discuss it with your vet or as we did when my husband was battling cancer, ask your doctor.  When asked why he had prescribed coumadin and actually told Bill to not take vitamins, particularly "E" (which would thin the blood with no risks and great benefit) his oncologist looked down, then sighed and said "Yes it will.  He can stop the prescription."

- Barbara J. Andrews, ShowSight Magazine, 2008