The Five Elements

This article is an introduction to a different way of looking at our pet's health. As we progress, there will be practical applications and some interesting explanations about common conditions such as itching, allergies, paw licking, behavior challenges, digestion, foods, etc.

First things first - We need to start with some background information to better understand our dog's health and behavior from this alternative perspective. Let's get started.

In ancient times, long before modern 'medicine' - people relied on their senses - sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch to diagnose and treat illness. Because people were so connected to the land and their environment - early doctors began to see connections between the major forces of nature and our bodies.

This is not so unusual as we and our animals friends are very much a part of the earth.

What developed from these careful observations became known as the Five Element or Phases Theory. The five elements are:

• Earth
• Metal
• Water
• Wood
• Fire

Each element is linked to an organ system -

• EARTH - is linked to DIGESTION (spleen/pancreas/stomach
• METAL - is linked to RESPIRATION and ELIMINATION (lungs/large intestine)
• WATER - is linked to PLUMBING (kidneys/urinary bladder)
• WOOD - is linked to TOXIC PROCESSING (liver/gall bladder)
• FIRE - is linked to CIRCULATION (heart/small intestine)

With us so far? Here's an example - follow along....

Remember we said each element is related to an organ system?

Let's say there is a problem with the EARTH element (STOMACH) - look at the picture above and you will see the black arrow pointing left to METAL (LARGE INTESTINE) Metal follows earth in the cycle - The stomach (earth) and large intestine (metal) are part of the digestive system. In our dogs, this may show up as vomiting and diarrhea. Ha! - now we have a real life problem we can relate to.

In Western medicine the vet may prescribe a drug to slow down the digestive tract - that's one approach. But consider this - what if we were to give an herb or use acupuncture/acupressure to strengthen or boost the EARTH (STOMACH)? That's a different way to address the problem.

The whole idea of 'health' in this system is to keep a balance among the elements.

How is this done? Well, there is no magic pill or herb to fix everything - this is where the holistic approach comes in -  good diet, exercise, lifestyle, and stress management. With an understanding of the five elements we can correct problems as they come up - and most treatable at the early stages. We will start learning to use our senses (like the ancient observers) to maintain health and detect problems as soon as the imbalance starts.

As we move on in our next article, we are going to explore the Five Elements and their Relationships. Each organ is related to a time of day where it functions best, a season where it is most vulnerable - and going even deeper each organ is related to specific emotions, body parts, colors and food! This gets interesting.

The next article will be posted in about 2 weeks - stay tuned!

Pug aces math test!

A 3-year-old dog living in a Northwest Province of China, knows how to add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers up to 10.

The small, white pug known as "WaWa" ( meaning "baby"), can correctly answer questions such as "How many is 2+2 equal to?" and "How many is 3 x 3 equal to?"

WaWa responds by barking the appropriate number of times and sitting when finished.

To test the claims, a reporter visited the home of Mr. and Mrs. Pang where Wawa lives.

"How many is 9 divided by 3 equal to?" asked the reporter. Wawa barked 3 times and sat on the floor.
Skeptics, believing that Mr. Pang was covertly signaling the answers to Wawa, decided to test the dog without Mr. Pang present. Wawa still responded with perfect accuracy.

Mr. Pang says he began tutoring Wawa in math two years ago after noticing that the pooch showed a natural sensitivity to numbers. He began with hand gestures, showing one finger and saying, "Wawa, this is one," and training the dog to bark once. After a few weeks, Wawa graduated to 2, 3, 4 and so on. Within 6 months, the precocious pup had mastered 1-10 and began learning arithmetic operations.

What's next for Wawa? Geometry, maybe. Everyone knows dogs love to sink their teeth into pi.

Good health in old age

A healthy dog is happy and carefree. He is alert, inquisitive and the eyes are bright and clear. He will immediately notice and react to any change in his environment. His coat is shiny, his fur is thick and evenly distributed over his body. He enjoys movement and is playful when young.

When you come home the tail is wagging - and you are welcomed by a happy dog. When you are ready to go for a walk, he senses this in advance.

He has a good appetite and eats without hesitiation, finishing every bite. He drinks now and again - not too little, not too much.

He produces formed stools 2-3 times a day - the color depending on what he has been eating.
The dog's bodily orifices such as jaws, ears, eyes, anus and vagina are squeaky clean - neither dirty nor sticky and no unpleasant smell.

What is important to your dog?

For the dog, the MOST important thing is his relationship with his master - the person who brings him up lovingly and consistently - giving praise and occasionally a reprimand. Brushing his coat and other grooming related gestures are felt by the dog as an expression of love.

Special characteristics of old age

Ageing is a complex process which begins at birth - here are 2 main principals of ageing:

1. a decrease and reduction in the supply of blood to all organs including the brain.
2. an accumulation of toxins, the body's own 'rubbish', in the tissues - metabolism slows down and waste is no longer satisfactorily expelled.

What can we do?
The diseases associated with old age can be, to a great extent, moderated or even totally eliminated by using preventivie measures. Apply these measures while you dog is still healthy - there is no 'cure' for getting old!

The first anti-ageing remedy is to reduce the meat in the diet by half - and compensting for this by giving protein from living animals, yogurt, cottage cheese and eggs.

The second is to use herbal and homeopathic remedies - mild and gentle, these remedies frequently prove possilbe to prevent the dog from falling ill. (See our Senior Dog Kits )

Why Organic?

The Organic Premise: Many pet owners are aware that food grown organically is free from exposure to harmful herbicides and pesticides, but that is only one small aspect of organic agriculture. 

A larger part of organic agriculture involves the health of the soil. Organic farmers recognize that healthy, vibrant, and live soils and ecosystems significantly benefit crops. Natural, undisturbed soil is alive with microbiotic organisms that exist in harmony with the native plant life.

Synthetic chemicals (such as herbicides, pesticides, and/or fast acting inorganic fertilizers) applied in or around crops interrupt or destroy the microbiotic activity in the soil. Once the microbiotic activity in the soil has stopped, the soil becomes merely an anchor for plant material. In this conventional method of agriculture (in use for only the past 75 of 10,000 years of recorded agriculture) plants can receive only air, water, and sunlight from their environment -- everything else must be distributed to plants by farmers, often from inputs transported thousands of miles to reach the farm. Plants are commonly fed only the most basic elements of plant life and so are dependent on the farmer to fight nature's challenges, e.g. pests, disease, and drought.

So what about our dogs? Dogs have even a greater need for fresh, wholesome, organic food. Our pets are smaller and do not live as long as us humans, so toxic ingredients work more quickly to cause 'dis-ease'. The food you feed your dog turns into dog - out dogs are made up of the food they eat. This is why it is important to feed fresh, wholesome. organic food. 

It takes its toll... Dog are very adaptable - they are carnivore and 'omnivores' and can eat all sorts of things - some quite unsavory. Over time the constant intake of food that is preserved with chemical, artificial colors and flavors and ingredients that may contain toxic chemicals build up and begin to accumulate in the organs of your dog. What happens next is that the dog can no longer process or effectively eliminate the toxins and these are the points where the energy stops flowing and disease begins to set in.

Enter GreenPower! - Our Natural Canine GreenPower! is concentrated and 100% Organic! We cannot stress how important this supplement is for dog owners who are feeding home-prepared diets - whether they be cooked, raw, or combination. All you need is a small amount - our 200g container lasts about 3 months for a medium sized dog. Very economical and highly recommended.

Pred? What's it all about...

WHAT IS PREDNISONE?
Prednisone is a synthetic hormone commonly referred to as a "steroid". Prednisone is very similar to the hormone Cortisone, which your own body manufactures. Prednisone is used to treat many illnesses.

HOW DOES PREDNISONE WORK?

Prednisone acts in part as an immunosuppressant. "Immune" refers to the immune system. The immune system protects you against foreign bacteria, virus, etc. In some illnesses, the immune system produces antibodies which become overactive and cause undesirable effects. Prednisone suppresses the production of antibodies. This can make it slightly harder for your to fight off infection, but also stabilizes the immune system if it is overactive. 
Prednisone also works against inflammation to reduce the heat, redness, swelling, and pain. 
When beginning Prednisone, there is a small chance that it may cause increased weakness for a short period of time. It therefore may be necessary for you to be hospitalized for the first few days for observation.

WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF PREDNISONE?
Side effects do not occur in all patients and are usually related to the amount and length of time Prednisone is used. Potential side effects will be monitored by your vet and include:


Weight gain. Prednisone increases appetite. Follow a diet to maintain weigh. Develop and feeding schedule and stick to it. 


Susceptible to infections. Prednisone slightly decreases your dog's resistance to infection. Avoid dogs with infectious illnesses if possible. Notify you vet if your dog develop persistent signs of an infection. 


Stomach upset or ulcer. Prednisone may increase acid secretion. Give Prednisone with meals, milk or antacids. Do not take on an empty stomach. 


Insomnia and mood changes. The cause is uncertain. It is best to take prednisone at least 3 hours before bedtime. If you are on a daily schedule it is best to take it in the morning. 


Hyperglycemia. Prednisone may increase the amount of sugar in  blood to rise. This can be treated by your vet. 


Hypertension. Prednisone may cause blood pressure to rise. This can be treated by your vet, if necessary. 


Fluid retention. Prednisone can cause dog to retain fluid. This will be monitored by your vet. 


Osteoporosis. Prednisone can make bones become brittle. This usually occurs after taking Prednisone for a prolonged time. It may be recommended that you give a calcium supplement.


Alterations in hair growth. Prednisone can cause a darkening and/or increase in hear growth. This disappears when the dose of Prednisone is decreased. 


Cataracts. After prolonged use of Prednisone, cataracts may develop occasionally. This will be monitored by your vet by periodic examinations. 


Skin changes. Prednisone can cause a change in the condition of  skin. 


Nausea, vomiting, pain, fever, and/or flare-up of disease. Rapid withdrawal or stopping of Prednisone may cause these side effects. Never stop or change your Prednisone dose without your vet's consent.

Our Philosophy - Good Canine Health

Good Canine Health

What does it mean for your dog to be healthy?
Most of us would say that their health simply means not being sick. Our dogs are considered to be healthy if they don’t show any obvious signs of disease.

Health is much more than the mere absence of disease. Health is a state of complete balance of our pet’s physiological, emotional well being (temperament), energy and flexibility. In a Health/Disease Model (either healthy or sick), health and disease form two ends of a continuum. As the body drifts out of balance, your dog’s general resistance is impaired, and she will start to move toward the middle of the Health/Disease continuum, experiencing  minor ailments such as allergies, skin, ear, digestive problems, changes in behavior, joint problems, etc. Diagnosable illness results from increasing imbalances on the ‘‘micro-level’ of physiological functioning. These are most often caused by the poor quality of commercial food, even the so-called ‘premium’ brands (dead and lifeless). Over time, these subtle imbalances gradually lead to a breakdown of the ‘‘macro-level’ physiological processes and the emergence of what we call disease. In other words, long before diagnosable symptoms appear in your dog, there exist detectable preconditions for disease.


I would like to present another model for you to consider. In this model the disease process passes through six stages of development.


1. Accumulation – the first stage is the accumulation of imbalances in the physiology – in this stage you are feeding bagged food and your dog ‘looks’ healthy – but on the micro-level the over processed ‘food’, toxins and metabolic wastes have begun to clog up the system.
2. Aggravation – this is stage two when the imbalances have accumulated to the point where they are predisposed to spread. If the imbalances are not corrected at this point then the third stage begins. (“She did really well on this food for years!”)
3. Dissemination – this is the actual spreading of imbalances through tissues and organs. (“He doesn’t act like he used to…”)
4. Localization – with their localization in certain tissues or organs, imbalances will begin to cause sub clinical impairment. This impairment reaches the point where you begin to notice that something is not quite right;
5. Manifestation – when actual symptoms occur. (“She never used to shake her head and scratch all the time, maybe we should bring her to the vet…”)
6. Disruption – this is the sixth and final stage of the disease process which, if not checked, will progress to the point of impairment, disability or death. (“Your telling me my dog has diabetes??”)


As long as the health and disease are viewed as a dichotomy in which the dog is considered either healthy or sick, then certainly the bulk of health care efforts must focus on neutralizing (suppressing) or removing factors that cause the slide toward the Disease end of the continuum.


The answer is a balanced, home-prepared diet made of fresh, wholesome, chemical-free, real food. Raw, cooked, and combination cooked/raw diets will provide the benefits of a healthy, vibrant, disease-free life!

NaturalCanine.com

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a system of medicine that utilizes micro-doses of natural substances -- herbs, bark, seeds, berries, flowers, minerals and animal matter. Unlike powerful pharmaceutical drugs, homeopathic remedies have no side-effects or interactions with other medications. The use of conventional drugs and preparations often means the risk of side effects. In some cases, the "cure" is worse than the problem. An example is steroids to treat skin conditions also destroy the liver.
Although the principles of homeopathy date back to the great Greek physician Hippocrates, and before him to the ancient Hindus, modern homeopathy was founded in 1810 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. The system is based on a concept called the law of similars in which remedies containing minute amounts of natural substances stimulate the body's own defenses against specific symptoms and imbalances. These substances, if they were given in large doses to healthy individuals or animals, would produce those same symptoms.


Here's an Example: If you were to cut an onion, you would quickly experience watery eyes and a runny nose. In homeopathy, a remedy made from onions (allium cepa) is often applied to relieve the runny nose and watery eyes common in colds and hayfever. A coffee remedy is often used to calm the nerves and help promote sleep. Sulfur, in a large dose, can cause a rash. In homeopathic amounts, it can help heal rashes, scratching and skin problems, and is a popular remedy for those conditions in animals.


The ingredients in homeopathic medicines are so diluted that they carry virtually no trace of the original substance. For this reason they cause no side effects. Homeopathic remedies are FDA approved - (the doctor who started the FDA was a homeopathic physician!)


The healing power of homeopathy does not come directly from the substances themselves, but rather from the energy released from them during a special refining process of shaking and dilution.


Visit our Homeopathy Page