Current News

Doggie Massage Class

Saturday, January 13, 2007, 1:00-3:00 pm
My Pet's Place, Littleton, CO

Fee: $35 per person

Dogs have muscles too! Massage is no longer just for humans--dogs can benefit just as much as humans. Come learn how to help your dog feel better with massage and acupressure. Class topics will include:

• Benefits of massage for dogs
• How to do a simple relaxing massage for your dog
• Acupressure points that provide specific benefits
• Tuning in to your dog energetically
• How massage helps older dogs feel better

Registration: Call My Pet's Place at (303) 683-0330 to register. For more details, click here.

Hurricane Katrina cat available again

It is now January and no one has stepped forward yet to adopt this sweet kitty that lost its home in July. Won't you consider opening your heart to a Katrina animal? Cajun was rescued from a shelter in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, brought to Denver in September 2005 and quickly found a home. He thought he had his forever home, but the owner's situation changed and he became available again in July 2006 (through no fault of his own). Optimum Choices helped adopt out this cat when it first arrived here from Louisiana. Click here for more details.

Oil of the month

by Russell Louie

Release^TM

(#3408) - $30.75/$35.61/$40.46

How many of you make New Year's resolutions (or attempt any life changes) and never succeed? Do you constantly repeat the same patterns? I have found that whenever the simple solution (i.e., formula, product or therapy) does not work, then there generally is an emotional, mental or spiritual imbalance or blockage that I need to resolve first. Essential oils excel at helping us release these stuck patterns and blockages by accessing the amygdala gland, the seat of our stored emotions. When we get in touch and release the emotional pattern or blockage, then the solution can now take effect. I personally have used the Release^TM essential oil blend to help release anger over a parent's death and being laid off three times in less than one year. I also used Release^TM to help me forgive the driver who ran a Stop sign and totaled my car. After I got in touch with the stored anger and allowed forgiveness, I could then move forward with my life and make the meaningful changes necessary to start my own business.

Usage

May help stimulate a sense of harmony and balance within the body, mind and spirit to facilitate releasing anger and frustration. Helps release memory trauma from the liver in order to create emotional well-being. Letting go of negative emotions and frustration enables one to progress in a positive way bringing about a sense of peace and emotional well-being.

Ingredients

Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) increases relaxation; balances male and female energies. It also restores confidence and equilibrium.
Lavandin (Lavandula x hybrida) is antifungal, antibacterial, a strong antiseptic, and a tissue regenerator.
Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) stimulates nerves and assists in balancing hormones. Its aromatic influence helps release negative memories, thereby opening and elevating the mind.
Sandalwood (Santalum album) is high in sesquiterpene compounds which stimulate the pineal gland and the limbic region of the brain, the center of emotions and memory. Used traditionally in yoga and meditation.
Blue Tansy (Tanacetum annuum) is anti-inflammatory and helps cleanse the liver and lymphatic system. Emotionally, it combats anger and negative emotions and promotes a feeling of self-control.
Carrier Oil: Olive oil.

Application

Diffuse, directly inhale, or add 2-4 drops to bath water. Apply over liver or as a compress. Massage on bottom of feet and behind ears. Dilute 1:15 with vegetable oil for body massage. Put 4-8 drops on cotton ball and locate on vents.

©2005 Essential Science Publishing. The information in this article is from the Essential Oils Desk Reference, which can be ordered here:
Essential Science Publishing, 1216 South 1580 West, Orem, Utah 84058, (800) 336-6308, www.essentialscience.net.

Click here to order on our Young Living World Essential Oils website. Click on Product Catalog, then pull down the menus Essential Oils/Blends N-Z to find Release^TM, or call us at (303) 271-1649 or (866) 305-2306 (toll-free).

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

When "Less is More"

by Margaret Auld-Louie

There's a line in the movie Sabrina I really like, when the heroine says "more isn't always better, sometimes it's just more". She is referring to taking excessive photographs to show the pretty view from a cottage rather than picking the best view, but this saying could apply to many things in life. When it comes to healthcare for ourselves and our pets, more isn't always better, either. One of my bodyworkers recently told me the story of a 16 year old diabetic girl that was in the hospital for 10 months because the doctors couldn't get her blood sugar regulated and get her stabilized. Finally, they brought in a whole new team of doctors who started from scratch and took her off the long list of drugs she was taking. Once she was taken off all those drugs she got better and was able to go home. Most people who have explored holistic health options know that drugs can be hard on the body, and you can end up taking one drug to counteract the side effects of another drug. However, even too many "holistic" remedies can be hard on the body as well. The remedies can end up working at cross purposes or causing so much detoxing that the body can't handle it and becomes overly stressed, trying to process all the toxins. The end result is not always healing because the body gets too out of balance dealing with the overload.

I have experienced this myself for many years, as I am very sensitive to not only drugs but natural remedies and techniques including herbs, drainage remedies, nutritional supplements, bodywork and even energy work. Even stuff that "tests good" for me can make me very sick, severely unbalancing my body and making me feel so awful that I would rather die than feel the way I do (like when you have a severe flu and you just want to die). It didn't occur to me, though, that the same thing can happen to our pets until our cat experienced this. Our cat, Connie, is about 20 years old and has severe arthritis that has not been responsive to treatment (it could be helped by surgery but she is too old for that). The holistic options we tried include acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, Reiki, veterinary orthopedic manipulation, homeopathic remedies, Zeel®, flower remedies and a variety of supplements, such as Cosequin®, which upset her digestion so we had to discontinue it.

Nothing holistic helped and she had episodes of severe pain last spring, so we decided to try Metacam®, the only NSAID (non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug) approved for cats. Since cats' livers lack some of the enzymes in more omnivorous animals, such as dogs and humans, they have difficulty processing and tolerating many drugs. The Metacam® helped Connie tremendously--she was a different cat, running around the house and in a good mood. The "grumpy old Connie" was gone. We didn't even realize how much pain she had been in until she went on the Metacam® and changed. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of Metacam® is acute kidney failure and after 4 days on it, Connie went into kidney failure. I knew that was a possible side effect so we quickly took her to the hospital for treatment. After 4 days of hospitalization and IV treatment, she recovered enough to go home but that was the end of using Metacam®. After she recovered, we continued searching for pain and arthritis remedies that she could tolerate. Since glucosamine upset her digestion, we tried DGP (Dog-Gone Pain), an herbal remedy for dogs that can also be used in cats. Unfortunately, it made her vomit and had to be discontinued. We then tried aspirin (low dosage 81 mg) but it also upset her digestion (note: aspirin is toxic to cats if given daily but can be safely used if a small, weight-appropriate dose is given every 2 to 3 days--do not use except under a vet's supervision). Then we tried Myristol, a veterinary formula containing myristic acid among other ingredients. She seemed to tolerate it, but I saw no discernible change in her symptoms. We also continued trying various homeopathics prescribed by our vet, with minimal results. About once a month, I would give her an oral dose of Buprenorphine, a morphine-like drug, to reduce her pain, but it was too expensive to administer frequently. Then I learned that it could be administered on the ear daily (made into a cream and rubbed in) so we decided to try that, since it is fairly safe for cats. About the same time, we were also having our chiropractor provide some drainage and homeopathic remedies for our animals, which I thought would help Connie's kidneys recover from the Metacam® episode. So, by the time we started the Buprenorphine cream in October, Connie was on the following supplements:

• Standard Process thyroid, renal support, thymus and calcium supplements (prescribed by vet)
• Liquid potassium supplement (prescribed by vet based on Connie's bloodwork)
• Probiotics
• BioPreparation algae
• Myristol (for arthritis)
• 2 bottles of numerous drainage and homeopathic remedies (prescribed by chiropractor)
• Water from Water Star carafe (to energize water)
• Slim Spurling Light Life Rings (one around neck, one under bed)
• Subcutaneous fluids (for supporting kidneys)

After a week on the Buprenorphine, Connie became constipated (a side effect of morphine-like drugs) so then we added slippery elm and pumpkin to her food (plus her usual array of supplements). The second week on it, she became more depressed and lethargic, as well as reluctant to eat. Normally she has an excellent appetite so I was concerned that this indicated kidney failure again. We took her to the vet for an exam and bloodwork. Her bloodwork was pretty good (and her kidney values were normal) but in describing to the vet everything she was on, it dawned on me that Connie could be detoxing excessively, in addition to reacting to the Buprenorphine. Since the various treatments and supplements for Connie were each started at different times, it wasn't obvious to me that we were doing too many things until I started listing them all for the vet and thought about it. The chiropractor who had recommended the water carafe to me had experienced excessive detoxing herself when she drank too much of the energized water. In addition, I knew from my own experience that the drainage remedies could cause severe detoxing. When the chiropractor checked in with Connie intuitively, she felt Connie was getting ready to pass on and I had to agree with her, based on Connie's behavior. In case the problem was excessive detoxing, we decided to not only discontinue the Buprenorphine but to also stop all the supplements, remedies and energized water. We did still leave the life rings in place. After a few days off of everything, Connie started eating well again and her attitude improved. We started up a small dose of BioPreparation again (since it is a whole food rather than an isolated supplement) and continued subcutaneous fluids but added no other supplements to her food.

Connie continued improving--her good appetite and happy disposition returned. While her mobility did not improve, she seemed in a much better mood and much happier. In fact, her mood was better than before we started the Buprenorphine. After reflection, I realized that when I'm detoxing severely, I don't want to be in my body, so if Connie was detoxing severely, it's little wonder that she wanted to leave her body as well. It wasn't necessarily her time to "pass on", as I initially thought, but rather she felt so awful she didn't want to be here.

As I am writing this in early January, it has been 2 months since Connie's episode when she was overdosing on everything and quit eating. She has only been on BioPreparation since then and I continue doing subcutaneous fluids one to three times a week. She does object to the fluids but they are necessary due to the kidney damage caused by the Metacam®. Since I am not forcing anything else on her (not squirting or pilling her daily), she is happier. Although her mobility is very limited (she spends all day lying in her "cave" by the heater vent in our bedroom), her mood is good, she gobbles up her food and seems happy.

This week we noticed a positive change in Connie--a benign lump on her leg that had been there for several years has now disappeared. In November it started scabbing over and shrinking and now it is totally gone. We can only speculate on why it disappeared--perhaps the heavy detoxing in October removed toxins from her body that were causing it. Or perhaps all the supplements were causing too much detoxing and the toxins were therefore pushed out into the skin and collected in this lump. Skin lumps (lipomas?) in animals seem to be one of those mysterious things that even holistic veterinarians have difficulty explaining or treating successfully. All we know is that something must have shifted for the better to result in it disappearing from Connie's leg.

Connie is happier and healthier at this point with a minimum of intervention and supplements. We tried the Myristol again after she recovered and now it upsets her digestion. Chiropractic adjustments are no longer tolerated well--not only is the travel to and from the chiropractor stressful but the adjustments seem to be too harsh for her aging body, even though they are gently done. I noticed this as well in my previous cat, Tabby, when she became old and very ill. However, it's not just Connie's body that has difficulty tolerating things; it's hard on her personality and spirit as well. She no longer tolerates being stuffed (with pills), squirted, poked and prodded--she wants to have her body left alone, except to be petted. Connie's attitude has taught me that it's not always best to keep doing and giving a multitude of things to our pets.

We have the physical power to do anything we want to our pets but that doesn't mean it's always right to stuff and squirt whatever we want into them. Even if the supplement or remedy is "beneficial" for them, will it have a beneficial effect in our pet's body if they strenuously object to having it forced into them? While you can explain to your pet what it is for and that it benefits them, that doesn't mean they will always consent to it. They have free will and it may be that as they near their end of life, they no longer want us stuffing everything but the kitchen sink into them to try to cure their ailments and make them feel better. Sometimes pet owners become desperate when their animals get old and ill and start giving them every remedy and treatment they can find to prolong their life. However, even gentle treatments such as Reiki energy work can feel invasive to animals if they don't consent to it. My previous cat, Tabby, always resisted when I tried to do Reiki on her in her old age--she didn't seem to like it at all. It was only after she died (killed suddenly by the neighbor's dog) that it became appropriate to do Reiki on her (to help her transition). Perhaps if Connie were younger it would be appropriate to use more supplements and treatments (for instance, we were able to normalize her hyperthyroid condition a couple of years ago by using several supplements) but at this point in her life, "less is more".

It isn't always easy to understand or follow a "less is more" philosophy in the face of a society (and individuals) that are constantly offering solutions to fix what ails us or our pets. Even in the holistic health world, the tendency is to push a multitude of remedies and treatments onto people and animals. Connie has taught us many lessons about healing during her life, particularly the last few years, but perhaps her greatest gift to us is showing us that she can be happy and functional (even though not physically healed) with a minimum of intervention. Connie is living proof of how "more isn't always better, sometimes it's just more." By the way, this same philosophy can also apply to people. That is one reason why we prefer the whole food approach and do not sell isolated supplements, vitamins, herbs, extracts, liquid concentrates, or any other non-whole food products on our website.

Contact us

Click here to give your pet the fountain of youth today!

E-mail

General Information: Russell@OptimumChoices.com
Webmaster: Webmaster@OptimumChoices.com
Newsletter Editor, Margaret Auld-Louie: Editor@OptimumChoices.com

Telephone

303-271-1649
866-305-2306 (toll-free)
Normal office hours are 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM Mountain Time (U.S.). If you would like a return call outside those hours, please specify what days and times are best.

Location (call first for appointment)

416 Plateau Pky
Golden, CO 80403-1533
U.S.A.

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