Researchers attempted to determine whether the technique works by analyzing 17 small trials with a total of 366 volunteers. Cold water baths proved to be much more effective than resting at helping sore muscles.

According to Medical News Today:

“It is difficult for researchers to determine exactly how much cold water immersion helps sore muscles, because of the wide variety of different temperatures, exercise, and timing that the different studies used. Also, the amount of evidence that there are possible side effects to the cold baths was inconclusive, due to the fact that most of the studies did not report any bad side effects.”

Pleasure and happiness might actually be opposites.  And as the use of sugar for pleasure has increased, happiness has decreased.  Long-term stimulation of your brain's pleasure center, called the nucleus accumbens, drives the process of addiction. When you consume sugar, the nucleus accumbens receives a dopamine signal, from which you experience pleasure. But with prolonged exposure, the signal gets weaker, so you have to consume more to get the same effect.  And if you reduce your intake, you go into withdrawal.

According to The Atlantic:

“Tolerance and withdrawal constitute addiction. And make no mistake, sugar is addictive ... As our obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, and dementia rates continue to skyrocket due to our sugar over-consumption, the idea that a bottle of Coke holds the key to happiness is nothing short of pulp propaganda.”

The electromagnetic fields produced by laptop computers likely induce currents within your body at unsafe levels.  Laptops connected to the internet through Wi-Fi can also decrease sperm motility and increase sperm DNA fragmentation.

According to Green Med Info:

“Laptop computers are far more convenient than desktops and difficult to avoid, especially if your livelihood is in any way connected to computer work and the internet. An effort should be made to use them cautiously and to avoid putting them directly on your lap.”

In fact, not only should it not be put on your lap, but you should not type on it.  I have used a gauss meter on many notebook computers, and found EMF levels higher than 100 milligauss on most of them.  Safe ranges are less than 0.3.   I do still have a notebook, but I have been using an external keyboard ever since I found out, and I never put the device on my lap unless there is a 1 foot cushion under the notebook as that is about how far the field extends out

This high level of EMF does not appear to be present in tablets like the iPad, which are in the acceptable range.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are a complex group of compounds formed when sugar reacts with amino acids.

This can occur both in the food you eat, and inside your body.

It's is a fitting acronym because – along with oxidation – it's one of the major molecular mechanisms whereby damage accrues in your body, which leads to disease, aging, and eventually, death.

For example, there is mounting evidence that AGEs may be implicated in the development of the chronic degenerative diseases associated with aging, including but not limited to:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Alzheimer's disease, and
• Diabetes

Several studies have shown that restricting the consumption of AGEs can lead to an increased lifespan in animal models.

According to a paper that summarizes recent research on AGEsⁱ:

"... [T]he data are supportive that endogenous AGEs are associated with declining organ functioning. It appears that dietary AGEs may also be related.

... As of today, restriction of dietary intake of AGEs and exercise has been shown to safely reduce circulating AGEs, with further reduction in oxidative stress and inflammatory markers."

Why Limiting Sugar is Key for Longevity

Limiting sugar in your diet is a well-known key to longevity, because of all the molecules capable of inflicting damage in your body, sugar molecules are probably the most damaging of all. Fructose in particular is an extremely potent pro-inflammatory agent that creates AGEs and speeds up the aging process. It also promotes the kind of dangerous growth of fat cells around your vital organs that are the hallmark of diabetes and heart disease. In one study on fructose, 16 volunteers on a controlled diet including high levels of fructose produced new fat cells around their heart, liver and other digestive organs in just 10 weeks!

Sugar/fructose also increases your insulin and leptin levels and decreases receptor sensitivity for both of these vital hormones, and this is another major factor of premature aging and age-related chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease. Keep in mind that while it's perfectly normal for your blood sugar levels to rise slightly after every meal, it is not natural or healthy when your blood sugar levels become excessively elevated and stay that way.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what will happen if you're eating like the stereotypical American, who consumes a staggering 2.5 pounds of sugar a week on average!

And when you add in other low-quality carb foods such as white bread, sugar, pasta, pastries, cookies, and candy, which also break down to sugar in your body, it's not so difficult to see why so many Americans are in such poor health.

This type of high-sugar (high-carb) diet is also what's driving the obesity epidemic—not diets high in fat. An infographic created by Column Five for Massive Health, based on Why We Get Fat by science writer Gary Taubes, explains why. In short, carbs, like fructose and other sugars, destroy your insulin and leptin sensitivity, which in turn causes your cells to accumulate more fat, and makes it more difficult to get rid of the extra weight as well. So, the bottom line is this: If you want to look and feel younger longer, avoid all forms of sugar (including grains) as much as possible!

IMAGE COURTESY OF MASSIVE HEALTH. READ ABOUT THIS INFOGRAPHIC

Glycation 101

Fructose adversely affects your body in a number of ways, but one of the mechanisms that causes significant damage is glycation. As already mentioned, glycation is the process in which sugar bonds with protein to form advanced glycation end products, or AGEs.

This process creates inflammation, which can activate your immune system.

Macrophages are scavenger cells that are part of your immune defense system, and as such they have special receptors for AGEs, aptly called RAGEs (think: raging inflammation). These RAGEs bind to the AGEs in your body and get rid of them. Unfortunately, this defensive process can also cause its fair share of damage. Inside your arteries, for example, the scar tissue created from this process is called plaque.

You really want to limit the AGEs in your body as much as possible, so your immune system won't have to work so hard to defend against them. As a standard recommendation to limit glycation, I strongly advise keeping your TOTAL fructose consumption below 25 grams per day.

However, most people would be wise to limit their fructose to 15 grams or less, particularly if you have elevated uric acid levels, which can be used as a predictor for fructose toxicity. (For more information on this, please see this previous article.) This includes keeping track of your fructose intake from whole fruits. For additional information about the fructose content of common fruits, please see this helpful fructose chart. I recommend this lower level simply because if you consume processed foods or sweet beverages at all, you're virtually guaranteed to consume "hidden" sources of fructose.

Fructose Metabolism Basics

Anyone who still insists that "sugar is sugar" is way behind the times... There are in fact major differences in how your body processes different sugars, and it's important to understand that when you consume fructose, your body packs on pounds at a much higher rate than it does when you consume glucose. The following summary details the main metabolic differences between fructose and glucose to help you understand how fructose can wreak such havoc with your health, and why it's considerably worse for you than glucose:

• After eating fructose, nearly all of the metabolic burden rests on your liver. But with glucose, your liver has to break down only 20 percent.
• Every cell in your body, including your brain, utilizes glucose. Therefore, much of it is "burned up" immediately after you consume it. By contrast, fructose is primarily converted into free fatty acids (FFAs), VLDL (the damaging form of cholesterol), and triglycerides, which get stored as fat.
• The fatty acids created during fructose metabolism accumulate as fat droplets in your liver and skeletal muscle tissues, causing insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Insulin resistance progresses to metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes.
• Fructose is the most lipophilic carbohydrate. In other words, fructose converts to activated glycerol (g-3-p), which is directly used to turn FFAs into triglycerides. The more g-3-p you have, the more fat you store. Glucose does not do this.
• When you eat 120 calories of glucose, less than one calorie is stored as fat. 120 calories of fructose results in 40 calories being stored as fat. Fructose is essentially largely converted into fat!
• The metabolism of fructose by your liver creates a long list of waste products and toxins, including a large amount of uric acid, which triggers your "fat switch," causing you to gain more weight.
• Glucose does not do this, as it suppresses the hunger hormone ghrelin and stimulates leptin, which suppresses your appetite. Fructose has no effect on ghrelin and interferes with your brain's communication with leptin, resulting in overeating.

How to Tame Your Sugar Cravings

As mentioned earlier, I recommend that you avoid as much sugar as possible. Do your best to keep your fructose consumption below 15-25 grams a day. This is especially important if you are overweight or have diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure.

Sugar is highly addictive, so cutting down can be a real challenge for some, especially if you're consuming very high amounts. If you're struggling with sugar addiction, I highly recommend trying an energy psychology technique called Turbo Tapping, which has helped many "soda addicts" kick their sweet habit. If you still want to use a sweetener occasionally, here's what I recommend in lieu of sugar:

1. Use the sweet herb stevia.
2. Use organic cane sugar in moderation.
3. Use organic raw honey in moderation.
4. Avoid ALL artificial sweeteners, which can damage your health even more quickly than fructose.
5. Avoid agave syrup since it is a highly processed sap that is almost all fructose. Your blood sugar will spike just as it would if you were consuming regular sugar or HFCS. Agave's meteoric rise in popularity is due to a great marketing campaign, but any health benefits present in the original agave plant are processed out.

The Anti-Aging Lifestyle

Of all the healthy lifestyle strategies I know of that can have a significant impact on your longevity, normalizing your insulin and leptin levels is probably the most important. Cutting out sugar and grains and increasing exercise are two effective ways to accomplish that.

But to truly optimize your longevity and slow down the clock, your entire lifestyle needs to be taken into account. So, here are the rest of my top "anti-aging" recommendations. Incorporating these healthy lifestyle guidelines will help set you squarely on the path to optimal health and give you the best shot at living a much longer life:

• Learn how to effectively cope with stress – Stress has a direct impact on inflammation, which in turn underlies many of the chronic diseases that kill people prematurely every day, so developing effective coping mechanisms is a major longevity-promoting factor.

  Meditation, prayer, physical activity and exercise are all viable options that can help you maintain emotional and mental equilibrium. I also strongly believe in using energy psychology tools such as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to address deeper, oftentimes hidden emotional problems.

• Eat a healthy diet focused on whole, ideally organic, foods – My nutrition plan, based on natural whole foods, is your first step toward increasing your chances of living a longer, healthier life.
• Optimize Your Vitamin D Levels. This is another very powerful and inexpensive intervention that can have profound benefits on your health. In the summer you can do this for free by careful and safe sun exposure. In the winter a therapeutic level of oral vitamin D can be achieved with an oral supplement (around 8,000 units of vitamin D3 a day for most adults)
• Animal based omega-3 fats – Correcting the ratio of omega-3 to healthful omega-6 fats is a strong factor in helping you live longer. This typically means increasing your intake of animal based omega-3 fats, such as krill oil, while decreasing your intake of damaged omega-6 fats (think trans fats).

  I do not, however, recommend the new prescription strength fish oil medication, sold under the name Lovaza. Don't be fooled by their "all-natural" PR campaign. This is actually a drug to treat very high triglyceride levels. However, as with most other drugs, Lovaza comes with potentially dangerous side effects that you would not experience with a natural fish oil or krill oil supplement. Side effects include flu-like symptoms, infections, back pain, skin rashes, upset stomach, taste changes, digestive issues, chest pain, migraines and respiratory problems!

  Additionally, new research strongly suggests that 500 mg of krill oil is more potent and far less expensive.

• Get your antioxidants from foods –Good sources include blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, beans, and artichokes.
• Use coconut oil – Another excellent anti-aging food is coconut oil, known to reduce your risk of heart disease and lower your cholesterol, among other things. In fact, it's doubly beneficial because it can be both eaten and applied directly to your skin. Coconut oil can be used in place of other oils, margarine, butter, or shortening, and can be used for all your cooking needs.
• Get your resveratrol naturally – Resveratrol is one of the forerunners in the anti-aging pill race, but more than likely, by the time they've manipulated it into a synthetic pill (like the fish oil discussed above), it won't be healthy for you.

  Although resveratrol is the antioxidant found in red wine, I can't recommend drinking wine in the hopes of extending your life because alcohol is a neurotoxin that can poison your brain and harm your body's delicate hormonal balance. Instead, get your resveratrol from natural sources, such as whole grape skins and seeds, raspberries, mulberries, and peanuts.

• Exercise regularly and smartly -- Studies repeatedly show that regular, moderate-to-vigorous exercise can help prevent or delay your onset of hypertension, obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis, and the falls that lead to hip fracture. Although a lifetime of regular exercise is ideal, it's never too late to start. It's been shown that even individuals in their 70's can substantially increase both strength and endurance with exercise.

  High-intensity, interval training can also increase longevity as this specific style of training promotes human growth hormone production – yet another aspect of the longevity puzzle.

• Avoid as many chemicals, toxins, and pollutants as possible – This includes tossing out your toxic household cleaners, soaps, personal hygiene products, air fresheners, bug sprays, lawn pesticides, and insecticides, just to name a few, and replacing them with non-toxic alternatives.
• Avoid pharmaceutical drugs – Pharmaceutical drugs kill thousands of people prematurely every year – as an expected side effect of the action of the drug. And, if you adhere to a healthy lifestyle, you most likely will never need any of them in the first place.

Reference:

• ⁱ Dietary Advanced Glycation End Products and Aging,Nutrients. 2010 December; 2(12): 1247–1265

In the United States, virtually everyone has seen the "pink ribbon" campaigns plastered on everything from make-up and cupcakes to t-shirts and fried chicken buckets, and recognize the symbol as a sign of breast cancer awareness.

It's certainly a noble cause, considering that if current trends continue one in 8 U.S. women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point during their lives.

Unfortunately, this cause is noble only in appearance; in reality, the multimillion-dollar company behind all those pink ribbons -- the Susan G. Komen Foundation – uses less than a dime of each dollar to actually look for a breast cancer cure... and that's just the surface of the problem...

Former CEO of Komen's "Race for the Cure" Made More than the President of the U.S.

Hala G. Moddelmog, former CEO and president of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, made over $550,000 one year -- more than President Obama makes (she is now the president of Arby's Restaurant Group).

Employee salaries, or "administrative costs," actually eat up about 11 percent of the company's annual revenues, which might not sound too extreme until you consider what their annual revenues are.

The Komen Foundation has assets totaling over $390 million, and according to Charity Navigator had a total revenue of nearly $312 million in the fiscal year ending in March 2010.ⁱ

A breakdown of how this money was spent was given in a recent article on AlterNet, written by Emily Michele, which showed that only 20.9% of funds are actually used for research – even though a "search for the cure" is their most highly advertised mission.ⁱⁱ Where else does the money go?

• 13% for health screening
• 5.6% for treatment
• 10% for fundraising
• 11.3% for administrative costs
• 39.1% for public education

While public education may seem like a worthwhile effort, this is only true if it includes education about prevention! But as Michele writes:

"There are no mentions of eating healthy foods, getting proper levels of cancer-preventing Vitamin D, or cutting out sugar — the substance that feeds cancer cells — in any of its "public health education" efforts. Even though these are scientifically proven ways to prevent cancer."

What it amounts to, more accurately, is a wildly successful advertising campaign, from which the Komen Foundation profits handsomely. What is mentioned, often, is the importance of screening for early detection of breast cancer, along with the pink ribbon trademark intended to bring awareness about the disease. Michele continues: "It's not curing breast cancer to be aware that you could get it, nor is finding out that you have cancer and treating it in the early stages in hopes of entering into remission. That's not a cure."

Pink Ribbons are a Money Maker, Not a Cancer Cure

Plastering pink ribbons on every conceivable product has much more to do with raising awareness of the Komen Foundation than it does curing breast cancer. As Michele states:

"... the pink-ribbon-plastered "awareness" and "education" campaigns are often little more than a highly effective form of advertising — which in turn, brings in Komen's millions. In other words, a way to raise funds for itself, while getting a pat on the back for its efforts to "save lives.""

The most atrocious part of this ad campaign is when the ribbons are used on products containing substances that may actually cause breast cancer, including:

• Fried chicken
• Yogurt that contains artificial growth hormones linked to breast cancer
• Cosmetics and fragrances that contain cancer-causing chemicals
• Alcohol

The term "pinkwashing" has been coined to describe this deceptive trend, with sponsoring companies claiming they have joined the fight against breast cancer while engaging in practices that contribute to the disease. The Komen Foundation receives mega-millions in sponsorship dollars from such corporations...

"Komen receives over $55 million in annual revenue from corporate sponsorships, from such health-minded companies as Coca Cola, General Mills, and KFC — ...Buy a bucket of junk food, and pretend as though you're helping to save lives while you slowly take your own," Michele writes.

Then there are the ties to the drug companies... it's reported that the Komen Foundation owns stock in several pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, the maker of Tamoxifen, a cancer drug that has been found to increase the risk of certain cancers.ⁱⁱⁱ They also reportedly own stock in General Electric, which makes mammogram machines. Their focus on early screening, detection and drug treatment fits these ties to a "T," while education about the real underlying causes of cancer are sorely missing from their campaigns.

Komen Founder's First-Class Travel Expenses Also Questioned

The Komen Foundation has been making headlines for its recent decision to pull funding to Planned Parenthood (a decision they reversed just days later following public outcry), but less highly publicized is an expense report from Komen founder Nancy Brinker, which was brought forward by The Daily Beast.

Brinker reportedly billed the charity over $133,000 for expenses from June 2007 to January 2009, which might not be so unusual except that at the time she had a full-time job with the federal government, serving as chief of protocol for the State Department. Also questionable are her preferences for five-star hotels and first-class travel, which some former Komen employees have said are "at odds with the organization's important mission."

The Daily Beast reports:^iv

"... the perception that she could be taking liberties with charity funds could be troublesome, some observers and former colleagues say. [Rick] Cohen of [the journal] Nonprofit Quarterly points out that first-class travel at a nonprofit organization not only is unusual, but also can create the perception that donors' dollars aren't reaching the intended beneficiaries. "For most nonprofits, they wouldn't think of first-class travel," he says. "There is the issue of perception.""

Perception is reality after all, and it's hard to have a positive perception of a company that also reportedly spends nearly $1 million a year suing small charities that use the word "cure" in their names or advertise in pink – even if they're raising money for the same cause! The Wall Street Journal reported:^v "[The Komen Foundation is] launching a not-so-friendly legal battle against kite fliers, kayakers and dozens of other themed fund-raisers that it contends are poaching its name. And it's sternly warning charities against dabbling with pink, its signature hue."

American Cancer Society More Interested in Wealth Than Health?

The American Cancer Society, which has colored its Web site with pink ribbons, along with the National Cancer Institute also almost exclusively focus on cancer research and the diagnosis and the chemical treatment of cancer, much like the Komen Foundation.

The ACS also has close financial ties to both the makers of mammography equipment and cancer drugs, as well as ties to, and financial support from, the pesticide, petrochemical, biotech, cosmetics, and junk food industries—the very industries whose products are the primary contributors to cancer.

Once you realize that these conflicts of interest are there, it becomes quite easy to understand why the ACS and other cancer organizations rarely addresses the environmental components of cancer, and why information about avoidable toxic exposures are so conspicuously absent from their national "awareness" campaigns. The truth of the matter is that you have to be very careful when donating to any charitable organization, and be sure that the money you are giving is in fact going toward the purpose you intend to support.

In the case of ACS and most other large cancer charities, your money will go toward research to create new, often-toxic and sometimes deadly cancer drugs, questionable screening programs like mammography, and into the bank accounts of its numerous well-paid executives -- all while the real underlying causes continue to be ignored or intentionally concealed.

What Can You do to Help Prevent Breast Cancer?

If buying pink t-shirts is not likely to save many lives from breast cancer, what will? I recently interviewed Dr. Christine Horner, a board certified general and plastic surgeon, who shared her extensive knowledge about breast cancer—its causes and treatments, and the pro's and con's of various screening methods. I suggest you listen to that interview now, in addition to learning about the many all-natural cancer-prevention strategies below.

Download Interview Transcript

• Eat healthy. This means avoid sugar, especially fructose, as all forms of sugar are detrimental to your health in general and promote cancer. Also, focus on eating whole foods and fresh vegetables while avoiding cancer-causing foods.
• Exercise. Research suggests that one of the most powerful ways to lower breast cancer risk substantially is through the simple act of exercise.
• Vitamin D. There's overwhelming evidence pointing to the fact that vitamin D deficiency plays a crucial role in the promotion of cancer... You can decrease your risk of cancer by MORE THAN HALF simply by optimizing your vitamin D levels with adequate sun exposure. And if you are being treated for cancer it is likely that higher blood levels—probably around 80-90 ng/ml—would be beneficial. The health benefits of optimizing your levels, either by safe sun exposure (ideally), a safe tanning bed, or oral supplementation as a last resort, simply cannot be overstated.
• Get proper sleep, both in terms of getting enough sleep and sleeping between certain optimal hours. According to Ayurvedic medicine, the ideal hours for sleep are between 10 pm and 6 am. Modern research has confirmed the value of this recommendation as certain hormonal fluctuations occur throughout the day and night, and if you engage in the appropriate activities during those times, you're 'riding the wave' so to speak, and are able to get the optimal levels. Working against your biology by staying awake when you should ideally be sleeping or vice versa, interferes with these beneficial hormonal fluctuations.
• Effectively address your stress. The research shows that if you experience a traumatic or highly stressful event, such as a death in the family, your risk of breast cancer is 12 times higher in the ensuing five years. So be sure you tend to your emotional health, not just your physical health.

References:

• ⁱ Charity Navigator, Susan G. Komen for the Cure
• ⁱⁱ AlterNet February 4, 2012
• ⁱⁱⁱ International Journal of Gynecological Cancer 2007
• ^iv The Daily Beast February 13, 2012
• ^v WSJ.com August 5, 2010

The cornea is the outermost covering or layer of your dog's¹ or cat's eye².

All other parts of the eye, including the iris and pupil, lay behind it.

The cornea is transparent and admits light into the eye.

It also serves as a barrier to protect the inside of the eye from bacteria, chemicals, foreign objects – anything that could cause damage and interfere with vision.

The cornea is actually composed of four layers.

The outermost layer is the epithelium.

Below the epithelium lays the basement membrane.

Next is the stroma, which comprises most of the thickness of the cornea.

The innermost layer is called Descemet's membrane.

Causes of Corneal Ulcers

Corneal ulcers are wounds to the cornea usually caused by an abrasion, scratch, puncture or other trauma to the eye.

Other causes can include a foreign body in the eye, a chemical burn, infection, lack of adequate tears, inability to completely close the eyelids, entropion (where the eyelid folds inward), disease, and facial nerve paralysis.

These ulcers, sometimes called ulcerative keratitis, are a common eye injury in dogs and cats.

They can cause a great deal of irritation and discomfort for your pet.

A corneal ulcer can involve one layer up to all four layers. A mild or superficial ulcer involves just the epithelium. Ulcers are considered severe or deep when they also impact the middle and innermost layers of the cornea.

Superficial ulcers result in loss of a part of the epithelium. Deeper ulcers involving the stroma can cause significant scarring and perforation of the cornea.

When an ulcer extends through the stroma to the Descemet's membrane, a condition known as Descemetoceles, the problem is quite serious and can result in perforation.

The location of a corneal ulcer depends to some extent on what is causing it. An ulcer caused by trauma to the eye, dry eyes, bulging eyes or a paralyzed facial nerve are most often located in the center of the cornea.

If there is foreign matter trapped beneath the third eyelid, the corneal ulcer is usually seen toward the inside of the eye near the nose.

If there is entropion or a wayward eyelash rubbing against the eye, the ulcer will often be seen in the peripheral cornea.

An immune-mediated disease of the eye can cause ulcers at the borders of the cornea.

Symptoms

Because sensitive nerves are exposed when the cornea is injured, you may notice your pet's eye running or tearing more than normal, and she may also squint or paw at her eye.

There can be sensitivity to light, a noticeable film over the eye, discharge, or a red, inflamed, painful appearance. Your pet may also try to keep the painful eye closed.

Corneal ulcers are more common in dogs, but cats develop them as well.

Certain pets – those with flat faces (brachycephalic breeds) – are more prone to corneal ulcers. These breeds include the Boxer, Boston terrier, Bulldog, Pekingese, Pug, Shih tzu, and any breed of dog or cat with a short, flat muzzle and prominent eyes.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis involves a thorough examination of the eye and cornea, and direct observation of the ulcer using a diagnostic stain. The stain or dye will allow visualization of erosions, ulcers or other injuries to the cornea. It will also indicate how deep the ulcer is into the layers of the cornea.

Staining the eye also helps rule out other eye conditions with similar symptoms to corneal ulcers.

Other tests can include a dry eye test, analysis of facial nerve function, cultures to look for bacteria or fungi, and blood tests to check for the presence of viral infection.

Unless your pet's corneal ulcer is mild (involving only the outer layer) and not caused by an underlying condition – or unless your veterinarian is very skilled in treating eye conditions – I recommend you ask for a referral to a veterinary ophthalmologist³ or other eye specialist.

Treatment

Treatment of a corneal ulcer will depend to some extent on what caused the injury. Underlying conditions like dry eye, and infection or disease must be resolved or treated along with the corneal injury to prevent recurrence of the ulcer.

Treatment can include topical antibiotic therapy, pain medication and drugs to control eye muscle spasms.

Superficial ulcers can usually be healed in a week or less. During treatment, your pet may be fitted with one of those annoying plastic neck collars to keep his paws away from his eyes.

Deeper, more serious ulcers may require sutures, conjunctival grafts, conjunctival flaps, the insertion of soft contact lenses, or even a corneal transplant.

Ineffective, counterproductive treatments include oral antibiotics. They can't be absorbed in sufficient concentration to effectively treat or prevent infections of the cornea.

Topical corticosteroids and anesthetics should also be avoided because they can prevent healing and often make the ulcer worse.

Melting Ulcers

Melting ulcers are a type of corneal ulcer in which the stroma layer progressively dissolves.

This type of ulcer is most often seen in pets with an infection, either bacterial or fungal. The infection produces enzymes that break down the corneal stroma.

Complete loss of the stroma can occur in as little as 24 hours in these cases.

Treatment includes antibiotics, drugs to inhibit the action of destructive enzymes, and sometimes surgery.

Refractory Corneal Ulcers

Also known as indolent ulcers or Boxer ulcers, these are a type of superficial ulcer that doesn't heal well and tends to recur.

Refractory ulcers are thought to be caused by an abnormality in the basement membrane layer of the cornea. They weaken the epithelium surrounding them, which can be easily peeled back.

Refractory corneal ulcers are usually seen in middle aged or older dogs and tend to develop in both eyes at different times. They are seen in a wide variety of breeds.

These ulcers can take months to heal. Topical antibiotics and pain medications are given on an as-needed basis. Other topical treatments found to be useful include glycosaminoglycans, chondroitin sulfate, N-acetylcysteine, and Aminocaproic acid solutions that are made specifically to be put in the eye.

Loose epithelium must be removed (under topical anesthesia) to allow healing to progress.

Sometimes more invasive treatment is required, including a keratotomy, which involves cutting or piercing the cornea to promote attachment of new epithelium.

References:

• ¹ Anatomy of a dog's eye,
• ² Anatomy of a cat's eye
• ³ American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists

By Dr. Becker

A recent study of obese dogs with osteoarthritis and lameness proved how little effort it can take to vastly improve the quality of life of overfed, disabled pets.

The purpose of the study, conducted at the Small Animal Hospital at the University of Glasgow Veterinary School in Scotland, was to evaluate both subjectively and objectively the effect of weight loss on lameness.

The results of this elegantly simple 18 week study are fantastic.

Every parent of an overweight dog who suffers with arthritis and has difficulty walking, running, and being the physically active animal he was born to be, should be extremely excited by this news.

The Dogs

The study involved 14 family dogs including a Border Collie, a Bearded Collie, a Rottweiler, a Springer Spaniel, two Staffordshire Bull Terriers, two mixed breed dogs and six Labrador Retrievers.

The ages of the dogs ranged from 10 months to 13 years, with a mean of about 7 years.

The dogs were from 20 to 34 percent above ideal body weight, with an average of 24 percent.

Five dogs had bilateral hip dysplasia and secondary osteoarthritis (OA).

Two dogs had unilateral (single) hip dysplasia and secondary OA.

One of the two had a total hip replacement.

Only one dog of the 14 had a clearly identified cause of OA and hip dysplasia.

One dog had osteoarthritis in both hips and elbows; one had it in both elbows and one hip. Both these dogs had primarily forelimb lameness.

Seven dogs had the greatest degree of lameness in a forelimb and the other seven had a bigger problem with a hind limb. These were the limbs used to monitor progress in decreasing lameness during the study.

The Study

The dogs' body weight and pelvic circumference were measured at the beginning of the study, along with severity of lameness.

Lameness was evaluated using three different measures – a numeric rating scale (NRS), a visual analogue scale (VAS) (both of which are subjective measures), and a kinetic gait analysis (objective measure).

The dogs were placed on a weight loss program using commercially available food. Owners were instructed not to change the dogs' level of exercise for the duration of the study.

They were evaluated by the same person every 2 weeks for 12 weeks, then 4 weeks apart for the final 2 visits. Weight, pelvic circumference and severity of lameness at a walk and at a trot were measured at each visit.

The Results

Starting with visit 3, body weights were significantly decreased from starting weights.

Starting with visit 5, pelvic circumference was significantly reduced from starting measurements.

By the final visit, the dogs had lost on average 8.85 percent of their initial body weight. The pelvic circumference of the dogs was reduced on average almost 7 percent.

From visit 2 on, VAS lameness scores for both walking and trotting significantly improved week by week.

At visit 5, significant improvement in NRS lameness scores for trotting was seen.

At the end of the study, 82 percent of the dogs showed improvement in lameness.

The results indicate that when an overweight dog reaches about a 6 percent decrease in body weight, lameness is significantly decreased. Additional improvement is seen as additional weight is lost.

Kinetic gait analysis showed decreased lameness at a body weight reduction threshold of just under 9 percent.

So these results confirm that an obese dog with osteoarthritis can have noticeable improvement in lameness after losing just 6 to 9 percent of body weight.

Applying These Study Results at Home

Let's say the ideal average weight for a Labrador retriever is 70 pounds. And let's say your Lab weighs in at about 88 pounds, which is 25 percent over the ideal.

Chances are if your overweight dog doesn't already have some obvious arthritis and lameness, those issues are right around the corner. Bigger dogs, as we know, tend to have more joint and movement problems than the little guys.

Now let's say you put your dog on a portion-controlled, balanced, species-appropriate diet, with a weight loss goal of .5 to 1 percent of body weight per week. In as little as 6 to 7 weeks, with a weight reduction of between 5 and 6 pounds (about 6 percent of 88 pounds) over that period, you will have significantly reduced the stress on your dog's joints and improved his ability to walk, run and move around freely and comfortably.

Or ... let's say you have a sturdy Maltese whose ideal weight should be about 7 pounds. But your little guy is 30 percent heavier than he should be, tipping the scales at a little over 9 pounds. This is an obese Maltese.

Hard to believe a 9 pound dog is technically obese, but the smaller the animal, the quicker those ounces and pounds add up.

Using the .5 to 1 percent reduction in body weight per week goal, in 5 to 6 weeks your little munchkin will be a not quite svelte 8.5 pounds, and his little legs will have a much easier time helping him bounce around your house.

In another 6 weeks he'll be under 8 pounds, and you just keep up the good work until he's at his ideal weight and no longer at high risk for developing (or worsening) arthritis, lameness, and a host of other weight related health problems.

Feeding Tips

The commercially available food used in the University of Glasgow study was a 'prescription' diet dog food I absolutely do not recommend.

I also don't recommend non-prescription weight management or 'low fat' diets.

Your favorite canine should be fed balanced, species-appropriate nutrition, not the carb and fiber filled junk marketed as good for overweight dogs. In my experience those formulas aren't good for any dog, fat, lean or somewhere in between.

Portion control is another key element in helping your pet lose weight. For lots of information and suggestions on getting excess weight off your dog, view my 2-part video series:

Part 1 ... Why Heavy Dogs Are Becoming the Norm

Part 2 ... How to Help Your Chunky Dog Release Excess Pounds

Luke, the orange tabby, and Tally, the beagle mix are inseparable at naptime. Watch as they interrupt their snoozefest just long enough to give each other a reassuring hug before they drift off to sleep again.

One research team recently gathered several groups of volunteers, including sedentary but generally healthy middle-aged men and women, and patients of a similar age who had been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.  They were asked to undertake e a newly devised program of cycling intervals -- repeated short bursts of strenuous activity, divided by rest periods.

According to the New York Times:

“Despite the small time commitment of this ... program, after several weeks of practicing it, both the unfit volunteers and the cardiac patients showed significant improvements in their health and fitness.”

At the end of January, 55 farmers belonging to the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) traveled to Manhattan.   In a New York courtroom, Monsanto was trying to dismiss their lawsuit, which argued that family farmers are threatened by genetic trespass on their fields due to Monsanto’s aggressive enforcement of their alleged patent rights on their genetically modified (GMO) seed.

Federal Judge Naomi Buchwald will rule on the motion to dismiss the trial or move forward by the end of March.

In the past five years, about a third of the FDA's funding has come from company fees. Under the new proposal, the amount would increase to 45 percent.  The products that the FDA regulates make up about a quarter of the U.S. economy.

Reuters reports:

“Obama's plan must be approved by Congress, where it could it could be stalled by wrangling over spending cuts and tax hikes.”

Circadian rhythms are cyclical processes that rely on light to function properly.  People whose circadian rhythms are thrown off are at risk for illnesses ranging from insomnia to heart disease to cancer.

According to the New York Times:

“... [C]ells in the inner retina, called retinal ganglion cells ... are especially responsive to the blue part of the light spectrum. Among other implications, that discovery has raised questions about our exposure to energy-efficient light bulbs and electronic gadgets, which largely emit blue light.  But blue light also is the part of the spectrum filtered by the eye’s aging lens.”

Dr. Oz invited me back to New York to tape another segment for his show. The show, which will mark my fourth appearance as a guest, will be airing today, Tuesday February 21.

Check the schedule for your area in this link.

We talked about a number of interesting topics, but one in particular left the audience completely shocked...

Eggplant Cream for Skin Cancer

I started the show off with a discussion of skin cancer. Non melanoma skin cancer affects over 3 million people every year in the US alone.

This is more cases of cancer than all other cancers combined.

Fortunately there is a cream derived from plants in the Solaceae family of eggplant, tomato, potato, and Bell peppers.

It's called Solasodine rhamnosyl glycosides, BEC5 or Curaderm and is available online. It works by targeting a receptor that is only on the cancer cells so is very safe to use.

It is applied directly over the skin lesion twice a day under occlusion and treatment lasts about 14 weeks for most small skin cancers.

While eating these plants can be healthy it will not address the skin cancer as a glucose molecule needs to be attached and this does not occur during normal digestion. The cream is essentially a natural safe drug.

The cost is typically about 1% of the cost of traditional treatment and you can read more about it in an article I wrote in December.

The treatment has been around for nearly 200 years but, of course, has been suppressed by the conventional medical approach. While the cream is very safe it is recommended that one consult with a professional to make the initial diagnosis as one must be absolutely certain the skin cancer is not a melanoma as more aggressive treatment will be needed. Melanoma cells can spread to distant areas of the body and the cream will not work as it must be in direct contact with the lesion. If this happens the disease can be fatal. So if you elect to use this treatment you simply must see an expert.

Silver Fillings in Your Mouth Release Mercury

Most people are aware that mercury is a poison, but many overlook the fact that they have this toxic metal implanted in their mouth in the form of "silver" (amalgam) fillings. I explained on the Dr. Oz show that three out of four adults have silver fillings -- and the primary ingredient in them is mercury.

There are 1,000 mg of mercury in the average filling -- this is about 1 million times more mercury than is found in seafood, which is in microgram quantities.

Even the conservative EPA and CDC advise pregnant women to avoid high-mercury fish like tuna, due to the well documented adverse effects on fetuses.

Mercury is an incredibly potent neurotoxin; it doesn't take much to cause serious damage because it's an absolute poison. If you were to take the amount of mercury in a typical thermometer and put it in a small lake, that lake would be closed down due to environmental hazards.

Yet, amounts much higher than that are readily put into people's mouths daily, with many unaware of the risks. It's estimated that 75 percent of Americans are ignorant about the fact that amalgam fillings are actually 50 percent mercury. Worse still, every time you chew you liberate mercury from your fillings. Actually, almost any kind of stimulation can cause your fillings to release mercury, including eating, drinking, brushing your teeth, grinding your teeth and chewing gum. If you want to see the vapors released for yourself, watch the shocking video below.

Mercury vapor from amalgams pass readily through cell membranes, across the blood-brain barrier, and into your central nervous system, where it causes psychological, neurological, and immunological problems. Children and fetuses, whose brains are still developing, are most at risk, but really anyone can be impacted. So, as I explained to Dr. Oz, if you have silver amalgam fillings it would be wise to take chlorella with every meal until you are able to have them SAFELY removed by a biologically trained dentist.

Chlorella Expels Mercury from Your Body

Chlorella, a single-celled fresh water algae, acts as an efficient detoxification agent by binding to toxins, such as mercury, in your body and carrying them out of your system. It is the chlorophyll in chlorella that makes it so powerful, as chlorophyll helps you process more oxygen, cleanses your blood and promotes the growth and repair of your tissues.

In one study, when mice fed methylmercury were given chlorella, they excreted approximately twice the amount of mercury in their urine and feces as mice not treated with chlorella.ⁱ This is important, as chlorella plays a particularly crucial role in systemic mercury elimination because the majority of mercury is rid through your stool. Once the mercury burden is lowered from your intestines, mercury from other body tissues will more readily migrate into your intestines -- where chlorella will work to remove it.

Chlorella is Only Digestible if it has a "Broken Cell Wall"

One important caveat you need to be aware of: chlorella is completely indigestible by humans, as we simply do not have the enzymes to break down its cell wall.

Unlike other green foods, chewing and digesting chlorella will not release the powerful health benefits contained within this green algae. This is because chlorella's tough outer cell wall, which is also chemically responsible for binding with the toxins inside your body, cannot be broken down by your biology. Therefore, it is imperative that the manufacturing process break down the tough outer cell wall for you, as this is the only way to make the chlorella biologically available to help remove toxins like mercury from your body.

This is why I only recommend supplementing with Broken Cell Wall chlorella, because this is the only form that allows your body to use this powerful detoxification agent.

Another concern when choosing your chlorella is to be sure that the source waters where it is grown and harvested are free of any contamination. Since chlorella is a natural green food, it will be affected by polluted water and will retain environmental toxins if it's grown in contaminated waters. So be certain any chlorella you supplement with comes from a naturally clean water source. One final consideration, mixing chlorella with the cilantro may enhance the detoxification benefits. If you have multiple silver fillings and are concerned about your body's heavy metal burden, this is a complementary strategy to consider.

Join the Fight to Get Mercury Out of the Dentist's Office

As a result of enormous public pressure from dentists, health professionals and consumers, we are on the brink of prompting real change in the fight for mercury-free dentistry; you can help us reach the tipping point in order to bring about permanent change. You can find out more about this important issue, and how to voice your opinion here.

IMPORTANT: Find a Good Biological Dentist

If you are convinced of the importance of removing your mercury let me caution you to avoid the mistake I made. After being convinced of the danger by watching the 60 Minutes program on the topic 20 years ago (you can see the video below) I actually had over a dozen of my amalgam fillings removed.

I saw a competent conventional dentist but he was absolutely clueless about the dangers of mercury. As a result I had large amounts of mercury liberated improperly and I believe it was largely responsible for damaging my kidneys.

SO PLEASE...

Avoid my mistake and see a biological dentist who is trained in properly removing mercury so it doesn't go into your body during the removal process. This typically involves the use of high-powered suction and rubber dams. One simple strategy is to ask your friends or local health food stores who these dentists are in your community, or you can also contact The International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine, which is the organization that created the video above.

Why Barefoot is Best

Many people realize while on vacation, how great it feels to walk barefoot on the beach. I have personally prioritized grounding myself to the earth as much as possible for over 5 years. The preliminary information confirms what I have believed for years, grounding yourself to the earth may significantly improve your health. The soles of our feet are the best contact to make with the earth, and will naturally discharge inflammation.

You can view the videos where Dr. Oz and I speak on Earthing by clicking here!

The details can be found by listening to my interview with Clint Ober:

Reference:

• ⁱ Journal of Toxicological Sciences 2010; 35(1): 101-105

Dr. Oz invited me back to New York to tape another segment for his show.

The show, which will mark my fourth appearance as a guest, will be airing today, Tuesday February 21.

We talked about a number of interesting topics, but one in particular left the audience completely shocked...

Silver Fillings in Your Mouth Release Mercury

Most people are aware that mercury is a poison, but many overlook the fact that they have this toxic metal implanted in their mouth in the form of “silver” (amalgam) fillings.

I explained on the Dr. Oz show that three out of four adults have silver fillings -- and the primary ingredient in them is mercury.

There are 1,000 mg of mercury in the average filling -- this is about 1 million times more mercury than is found in seafood, which is in microgram quantities.

And remember, even the conservative EPA and CDC advise pregnant women to avoid high-mercury fish like tuna, due to the well documented adverse effects on fetuses.

Mercury is an incredibly potent neurotoxin; it doesn't take much to cause serious damage because it's an absolute poison.

If you were to take the amount of mercury in a typical thermometer and put it in a small lake, that lake would be closed down due to environmental hazards.

Yet, amounts much higher than that are readily put into people’s mouths daily, with many unaware of the risks. It's estimated that 75 percent of Americans are ignorant about the fact that amalgam fillings are actually 50 percent mercury. Worse still, every time you chew you liberate mercury from your fillings. Actually, almost any kind of stimulation can cause your fillings to release mercury, including eating, drinking, brushing your teeth, grinding your teeth and chewing gum.  If you want to see the vapors released for yourself, watch the shocking video below.

Mercury vapor from amalgams pass readily through cell membranes, across the blood-brain barrier, and into your central nervous system, where it causes psychological, neurological, and immunological problems. Children and fetuses, whose brains are still developing, are most at risk, but really anyone can be impacted. So, as I explained to Dr. Oz, if you have silver amalgam fillings it would be wise to take chlorella with every meal until you are able to have them SAFELY removed by a biologically trained dentist.

Chlorella Expels Mercury from Your Body

Chlorella, a single-celled fresh water algae, acts as an efficient detoxification agent by binding to toxins, such as mercury, in your body and carrying them out of your system. It is the chlorophyll in chlorella that makes it so powerful, as chlorophyll helps you process more oxygen, cleanses your blood and promotes the growth and repair of your tissues.

In one study, when mice fed methylmercury were given chlorella, they excreted approximately twice the amount of mercury in their urine and feces as mice not treated with chlorella.ⁱ This is important, as chlorella plays a particularly crucial role in systemic mercury elimination because the majority of mercury is rid through your stool. Once the mercury burden is lowered from your intestines, mercury from other body tissues will more readily migrate into your intestines -- where chlorella will work to remove it.

Chlorella is Only Digestible if it has a "Broken Cell Wall"

One important caveat you need to be aware of: chlorella is completely indigestible by humans, as we simply do not have the enzymes to break down its cell wall.

Unlike other green foods, chewing and digesting chlorella will not release the powerful health benefits contained within this green algae. This is because chlorella's tough outer cell wall, which is also chemically responsible for binding with the toxins inside your body, cannot be broken down by your biology. Therefore, it is imperative that the manufacturing process break down the tough outer cell wall for you, as this is the only way to make the chlorella biologically available to help remove toxins like mercury from your body.

This is why I only recommend supplementing with Broken Cell Wall chlorella, because this is the only form that allows your body to use this powerful detoxification agent.

Another concern when choosing your chlorella is to be sure that the source waters where it is grown and harvested are free of any contamination. Since chlorella is a natural green food, it will be affected by polluted water and will retain environmental toxins if it's grown in contaminated waters. So be certain any chlorella you supplement with comes from a naturally clean water source. One final consideration, mixing chlorella with the cilantro may enhance the detoxification benefits. If you have multiple silver fillings and are concerned about your body’s heavy metal burden, this is a complementary strategy to consider.

Join the Fight to Get Mercury Out of the Dentist's Office

As a result of enormous public pressure from dentists, health professionals and consumers, we are on the brink of prompting real change in the fight for mercury-free dentistry; you can help us reach the tipping point in order to bring about permanent change. You can find out more about this important issue, and how to voice your opinion here.

IMPORTANT: Find a Good Biological Dentist

If you are convinced of the importance of removing your mercury let me caution you to avoid the mistake I made.

After being convinced of the danger by watching the 60 Minutes program on the topic 20 years ago (you can see the video below) I actually had over a dozen of my amalgam fillings removed.

I saw a competent conventional dentist but he was absolutely clueless about the dangers of mercury. As a result I had large amounts of mercury liberated improperly and I believe it was largely responsible for damaging my kidneys.

SO PLEASE...

Avoid my mistake and see a biological dentist who is trained in properly removing mercury so it doesn’t go into your body during the removal process. This typically involves the use of high-powered suction and rubber dams.

One simple strategy is to ask your friends or local health food stores who these dentists are in your community, or you can also contact The International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine, which is the organization that created the video above.

References:

• ⁱ Journal of Toxicological Sciences 2010; 35(1): 101-105

A paper published by the American Medical Association's Virtual Mentor is concerned that current enrollment in vaccine trials is extremely low.¹

The proposed solution?

Creating a federal law that would force each individual to make a "mandated choice" to participate in vaccine trials.

Such a law would give drug companies a more or less guaranteed supply of human guinea pigs.

According to the featured paper:

"... The lack of animal models that can reliably predict vaccine efficacy means that development still unavoidably relies on testing of novel vaccines in healthy individuals...

In recent decades there has been a distressing decline in the numbers of healthy volunteers who participate in clinical trials, a decline that has the potential to become a key rate-limiting factor in vaccine development.

... The modest financial remuneration commonly provided often means that students and the unemployed make up the bulk of volunteers.

As a result, the risks of developing a health intervention that would benefit the whole population are carried disproportionately by some of society's most poor and vulnerable.

This is a situation few would judge to be fair or ethical. Compulsory involvement in vaccine studies is one alternative solution that is not as outlandish as it might seem on first consideration.

Many societies already mandate that citizens undertake activities for the good of society; in several European countries registration for organ-donation has switched from "opt-in" (the current U.S. system) to "opt-out" systems... and most societies expect citizens to undertake jury service when called upon...

Mandatory involvement in vaccine trials is... perhaps more akin to military conscription... In both conscription and obligatory trial participation, individuals have little or no choice regarding involvement and face inherent risks over which they have no control, all for the greater good of society."

Medical Tyranny of the Worst Kind!

From my perspective, the idea of compulsory involvement in vaccine trials "for the greater good of society" is not only outlandish, it's a complete abomination. It's tyranny of the worst kind, and the epitome of a heartless system based on broken ethics. Sadly, there are signs that we're already sliding in that direction. For example, consider the fact that the US government has already ok'd the testing of the incredibly controversial and dangerous anthrax vaccine on infants. And the fact that when 14 babies died in an Argentinean vaccine trial, the drug company, GlaxoSmithKline, was fined a measly $250,000.

Download Interview Transcript

Again and again, we see that life is not valued as highly as the prospects or promises of financial profits... Human experimentation -- the practice of subjecting live human beings to science experiments that are sometimes cruel, painful, or deadly -- is a shameful part of U.S. history that you won't find in most history or science books. But it is a practice that is still continuing to this day, and if Susanne Sheehy and Joel Meyer, the authors of the featured paper, have anything to say about it, medical experimentation on ALL infants would not only be possible, it would be mandatory! Folks, this is an absolute nightmare; one that I hope will never actually come to fruition.

Know Your Rights!

While you may one day have to opt out of vaccine trials for your child, we're not quite there yet. However, you do need to educate yourself about your rights when it comes to vaccinating your child.  There are currently three different types of exemptions you can use to avoid vaccinations of all kinds:

• Religious exemption
• Medical exemption
• Philosophical/conscientious exemption

Download Interview Transcript

Unfortunately, the religious exemption is being targeted for elimination by lobbyists working for pharmaceutical corporations and medical trade associations funded by Pharma. In some states, like New York, parents are being grilled about the sincerity of their religious beliefs by state officials and denied religious exemptions to vaccination for the purpose of barring their partially vaccinated or unvaccinated children from attending public schools.

All 50 states allow a medical exemption to vaccination if you or your child has a verifiable medical reason to defer or avoid use of one or more vaccines. However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have eliminated most of the officially recognized contraindications for vaccination, to the point that almost no medical condition qualifies for a medical exemption to vaccination...

Still, depending on where you live, you may have the option of using a philosophical or conscientious belief exemption. This exemption, like the religious exemption, is under attack by forced vaccination proponents. Only 18 states (listed below) still allow conscientious, personal or philosophical belief exemption to vaccination. These states come the closest to protecting a citizen's right to exercise voluntary, informed consent to vaccination in America:

What You Can Do to Make a Difference

While it seems "old-fashioned," the only truly effective actions you can take to protect the right to informed consent to vaccination and expand vaccine exemptions, is to get personally involved with your state legislators and the leaders in your community.

THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY.

Mass vaccination policies are made at the federal level but vaccine laws are made at the state level, and it is at the state level where your action to protect your vaccine choice rights can have the greatest impact.

Signing up for NVIC's free Advocacy Portal at www.NVICAdvocacy.org not only gives you access to practical, useful information to help you become an effective vaccine choice advocate in your own community, but when national vaccine issues come up, you will have the up-to-date information and call to action items you need at your fingertips to make sure your voice is heard.

So please, as your first step, sign up for the NVIC Advocacy Portal.

Contact Your Elected Officials

NVIC will help educate you about how to write or email your elected state representatives and share your concerns. You might even want to call them, or better yet, make an appointment to visit them in person in their office. Don't let them forget you!

It is so important for you to reach out and make sure your concerns get on the radar screen of the leaders and opinion makers in your community, especially the politicians you elect and are directly involved in making vaccine laws in your state. These are your elected representatives, so you have a right and a responsibility to let them know what's really happening in your life and the lives of people you know when it comes to vaccine mandates. Be sure to share the "real life" experiences that you or people you know have had with vaccination.

Internet Resources Where You Can Learn More

I encourage you to visit the following web pages on the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) website at www.NVIC.org:

• NVIC Memorial for Vaccine Victims: View descriptions and photos of children and adults, who have suffered vaccine reactions, injuries and deaths. If you or your child experiences an adverse vaccine event, please consider posting and sharing your story here.
• If You Vaccinate, Ask 8 Questions: Learn how to recognize vaccine reaction symptoms and prevent vaccine injuries.
• Vaccine Freedom Wall: View or post descriptions of harassment by doctors or state officials for making independent vaccine choices.

Connect with Your Doctor or Find a New One that Will Listen and Care

If your pediatrician or doctor refuses to provide medical care to you or your child unless you agree to get vaccines you don't want, I strongly encourage you to have the courage to find another doctor. Harassment, intimidation, and refusal of medical care is becoming the modus operandi of the medical establishment in an effort to stop the change in attitude of many parents about vaccinations after they become truly educated about health and vaccination.

If you are treated with disrespect or are harassed in any way by a doctor (or government official), do not engage in an unproductive argument. You may want to contact an attorney, your elected state representatives or local media if you or your child are threatened.

However, there is hope.

At least 15 percent of young doctors recently polled admit that they're starting to adopt a more individualized approach to vaccinations in direct response to the vaccine safety concerns of parents. It is good news that there is a growing number of smart young doctors, who prefer to work as partners with parents in making personalized vaccine decisions for children, including delaying vaccinations or giving children fewer vaccines on the same day or continuing to provide medical care for those families, who decline use of one or more vaccines.

So take the time to locate a doctor, who treats you with compassion and respect and is willing to work with you to do what is right for your child.

References:

• ¹ Virtual Mentor. January 2012, Volume 14, Number 1: 35-38

The study found that nut consumption was associated with a decreased body mass index and waist circumference, and a lower risk of hypertension.  Tree nut consumers, in particular, were also found to have lower weight, lower abdominal obesity, and a lower risk for metabolic syndrome.

According to the study, as reprinted on the website Green Med Info:

“Nut/tree nut consumption was associated with a decreased prevalence of selected risk factors for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and [metabolic syndrome].”

16 healthy young males were asked to perform resistance exercises in the evening.  Thirty minutes before they went to bed, half of them drank a high-protein beverage.

According to the research:

“This is the first study to show that protein ingested immediately prior to sleep is effectively digested and absorbed, thereby stimulating muscle protein synthesis and improving whole-body protein balance during post-exercise, overnight recovery.”

Researchers recently examined more than 100 studies on the topic, and discovered that both resistance training and aerobic exercise provide mental benefits, but in different ways.  Aerobic exercise improves your long-term planning capability, and your ability to stay on task.  Resistance training improves your ability to focus amid distracters.

According to the Los Angeles Times:

“... MRIs of people in their 60s showed increases in gray and white matter after just six months of exercise. This happens in the prefrontal and temporal lobes, sites that usually diminish with age. With exercise ... they grow ... [T]he hippocampus area of the brain, key for memory formation, shrinks 1% to 2% per year in those older than 60, but when people in this age group begin fitness regimens, it grows by 1% to 2% instead.”

Researchers recently created a mouse model for celiac disease to study the influence of probiotics on the development of the ailment.  The mice were fed the probiotic strain Saccharomyces boulardii KK1, and the disease progression began to reverse.

According to the study, as reprinted on the website Green Med Info:

“The selected probiotic treatment reversing disease development will allow the study of the role of probiotics as a new therapeutic approach of [celiac disease].”

There is 1000 mg of mercury in the average filling.  That is about one million times more mercury than is in seafood, and every time you chew you liberate mercury from the fillings.  So it would be wise to take chlorella with every meal if you have silver amalgam fillings.

My segments with Dr. Oz will air later this month or early March.

A recent study found that when the glyphosate-containing herbicide Roundup was tested on human embryonic kidney cells, it induced cell death at concentrations as low as 50 parts per million (ppm), far lower than agricultural dilutions.  The researchers also found that insecticidal toxins produced by GM plants were capable of causing cell death at 100 ppm concentrations.

Green Med Info reports:

“These disturbing findings follow on the heels of recent revelations that Roundup is several orders of magnitude more toxic than previously believed ... Roundup is toxic to human DNA even when diluted to concentrations 450-fold lower than used in agricultural applications.  This effect is likely due to the presence of the surfactant polyoxyethyleneamine within the Roundup formulation which may dramatically enhance the absorption of glyphosate into exposed human cells and tissue.”

Honey was a conventional therapy in fighting infection up until the early 20th century, at which time its use slowly vanished with the advent of penicillin.

Now the use of honey in wound care is regaining popularity again, as researchers are determining exactly how honey can help fight serious skin infections.

According to their findings, certain types of honey might be more effective than antibiotics!

After any skin injury, bacteria that live on your skin can infect and penetrate the wound site.

One particularly common type of strep (Streptococcus pyogenes) can result in wounds that refuse to heal.

But honey, especially the kind made by bees foraging on manuka flowers, was found to destroy these bacteria.

Scientific American recently reported ⁱ:

"In lab tests, just a bit of the honey killed off the majority of bacterial cells -- and cut down dramatically on the stubborn biofilms they formed.

It could also be used to prevent wounds from becoming infected in the first place."

According to the authors of the study,

"These findings indicate that manuka honey has potential in the topical treatment of wounds containing S. pyogenes." ⁱⁱ

Should You Dress Your Wounds with Honey?

As long as you use the right kind of honey, science does back up its use for wound treatment, which is especially relevant today as antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections are on the rise.

Five years ago, the FDA authorized the first honey-based medical product for use in the US. Derma Sciences uses Manuka honey for their Medihoney wound and burn dressings, which can be found online from medical supply stores. Amazon.com also sells them. These products can also be found in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

When considering using honey for the treatment of wounds, it's extremely important to understand that there's a major difference between raw honey—and especially Manuka honey, which is in a class of its own—and the highly processed "Grade A" type honey you find in most grocery stores. The latter is more akin to high fructose corn syrup, which is more likely to increase infection, and should never be used to treat topical wounds! (It also will not offer you the same health benefits as raw honey when consumed.)

Manuka honey, on the other hand, is made with pollen gathered from the flowers of the Manuka bush (a medicinal plant), and clinical trials have found this type of honey can effectively eradicate more than 250 clinical strains of bacteria, including resistant varieties such as:

• MRSA (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
• MSSA (methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus)
• VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococci)

Compared to other types of honey, Manuka has an extra ingredient with antimicrobial qualities, called the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF). It is so called because no one has yet been able to discover the unique substance involved that gives it its extraordinary antibacterial activity. Honey releases hydrogen peroxide through an enzymatic process, which explains its general antiseptic qualities, but Active Manuka honey contains "something else" that makes it far superior to other types of honey when it comes to killing off bacteria.

The level of UMF can vary between batches, so each batch is ranked and priced accordingly. The higher the concentration of UMF, the darker, thicker, and more expensive it is.

To determine its rating, a sample of the honey batch is placed on a plate with a bacterial culture. The area where the bacterial growth stops is then measured. This area is compared to a similar area produced by a solution of phenol and water. The UMF number refers to the equivalent percentage of phenol in water, so, for example, honey with a UMF rating of 10 has the same antibacterial strength as 10 percent phenol. A rating of UMF 10 or higher is recommended for medicinal use.

Evidence Supporting Use of Honey against Infectious Bacteria

Aside from the featured study, many others confirm the soundness of using good-old-fashioned honey for the treatment of bacterial and fungal infections. For example, a 1992 study found that honey sped up the healing of caesarean sections ⁱⁱⁱ, ^iv. Another study found that honey cured the intractable wounds of 59 patients, and it's been known to help heal everything from ulcers to sunburn. According to the International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, positive findings on honey in wound care have been reported from ^v:

• 17 randomized controlled trials involving a total of 1965 participants
• Five clinical trials of other forms involving 97 participants
• 16 trials on a total of 533 wounds on experimental animals

A study published in the summer of 2009 also found that chronic rhinosinusitis sufferers might benefit from honey ^vi. In 11 isolates of three separate biofilms, honey was found to be significantly more effective than commonly-used antibiotics in killing both planktonic and biofilm-grown forms of pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) and staphylococcus aureus (SA), two important factors in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

The findings may hold important clinical implications in the treatment of CRS, which affects 31 million people each year in the United States alone, and is among the three most common chronic diseases in North America.

Helpful Additions to Your Home First Aid Kit

If you're considering using honey to treat a mild burn, sunburn, or small wound at home, make sure to use either Manuka or raw honey. Like the Manuka honey, high quality RAW honey will help draw fluid away from your wound and suppress the growth of microorganisms. Part of what gives raw honey its antibacterial properties is an enzyme called glucose oxidase, which the worker bees excrete into the nectar. This enzyme releases low levels of hydrogen peroxide when the honey makes contact with your wound. A chemical reaction between the honey and the tissue also makes your wound smell good. Heated honey will destroy this perishable enzyme which is why you want to only use raw honey for this application.

For your home care kit, two other natural wound dressings that offer impressive results without drugs are Duoderm and HemCon bandages. The HemCon bandages are made from a natural protein found in shrimp shells, which not only promotes clotting, but also offer an effective antibacterial barrier against microorganisms such as MRSA and VRE—two common antibiotic-resistant strains.

While the focus of this article is on the topical uses and benefits of honey, it also has numerous health benefits when consumed in moderation.

Unfortunately, bee populations are rapidly declining.  Farmers are forced to import bees from other countries or truck them across the states for different seasons of produce.  Toxic chemicals, genetically engineered crops, overuse of antibiotics in animals (their waste is typically used as fertilizer) and monoculture farming are likely the primary contributors to the collapse of the bees.

The collapse of bee colonies should be looked at as yet further proof of our unsustainable farming methods.

References:

• ⁱ Scientific American January 31, 2012,
• ⁱⁱ Microbiology January 31, 2012 [Epub ahead of print],
• ⁱⁱⁱ Topical Application of Honey in Treatment of Abdominal Wound Disruption, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, November 1992, Volume 32, Issue 4, pages 381–384, Winit Phuapradit MD, Nopadol Saropala,
• ^iv Sweet Salvation - WOUND HEALING
• ^v The Evidence Supporting the Use of Honey as a Wound Dressing, International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, 2006:5;40,
• ^vi Effectiveness of honey on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms, Otolaryngology Head Neck Surgery, July 2009;141(1):114-8,

Diet soda is often perceived as being "healthier" than regular soft drinks because it contains artificial sweeteners in lieu of sugar, and therefore has no calories.

Many conventional nutritionists will even go so far as to recommend diet soda as a sensible beverage choice.

Sugar, and particularly the sugar often used to sweeten regular soda, is clearly something you need to limit for optimal health... but, while I do not recommend you drink any soda, if given the choice, between regular soda and diet, the regular soda would likely be less damaging to your health

In fact, before you reach for another can, you might want to get up to speed on the latest research, which shows that drinking diet soda results in an increased risk of vascular events such as stroke, heart attack, and vascular death.ⁱ

Is Drinking Diet Soda Worth Increasing Your Stroke Risk?

Diet soda can be addictive, so if you need incentive and motivation to quit this habit, ask yourself whether the pleasure you get from drinking it is worth having a stroke.

This is a very real scenario, as researchers found that people who drank diet soft drinks daily were 43 percent more likely to have suffered a vascular event, including a stroke.

This significant association persisted even after controlling for other factors that could increase the risk, such as smoking, physical activity levels, alcohol consumption, diabetes, heart disease, dietary factors and more.

According to the authors:

"This study suggests that diet soda is not an optimal substitute for sugar-sweetened beverages, and may be associated with a greater risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, or vascular death than regular soda."

Vascular events like strokes and heart attacks typically occur suddenly without any warning, which is why prevention is so important. I like to refer to the most common type of stroke as a brain attack, which is similar to a heart attack; the only difference is that the blood clot blocks blood flow to your brain instead of your heart. As a result, brain cells begin to die. Naturally, the longer your brain goes without oxygen, the greater your risk of lasting brain damage.

This is one area where conventional emergency medicine excels, as there are emergency medications that can actually dissolve a blood clot that is blocking blood flow to your brain, and if done quickly enough can virtually reverse any permanent neurological damage.

In order to be effective, you typically need to get treated within one hour. This is clearly one of the miracles of modern science, however it all goes to waste if you do not address the underlying conditions after the stroke. Again, prevention is your best option, and research is now suggesting that eliminating diet sodas may be an important way to dramatically reduce your stroke risk.

While more research will likely be needed to confirm this potential link, there's plenty of evidence showing that artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose (Splenda) can be dangerous to your health. I believe aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous artificial sweetener on the market. Reports of adverse reactions to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also support this, as aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA.

Need Even More Incentive to Ditch Diet Soda? It May Make You Fat

If potentially lowering your risk of heart attack and stroke doesn't spur you to ditch this dangerous habit, maybe the fact that diet soda will make you fat will.

A study by researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, presented at the 2011 meeting of the American Diabetes Association, followed 474 diet soda drinkers for nearly 10 years. They found that their waists grew 70 percent larger than the waists of non-diet soda drinkers. Furthermore, those who drank two or more diet sodas a day had a 500 percent greater increase in waist size!ⁱⁱ

As you may know, your waist size is not only a matter of aesthetics, but also one of the most powerful predictors of lean body mass and your risk of serious degenerative disease. Your waist size is a far more accurate predictor of your heart risks than your body mass index (BMI), so any habit that has the potential to increase your waist size by 500 percent more than someone who does not have that habit is one worth breaking.

A second study by some of the same researchers also revealed that mice eating food laced with the artificial sweetener aspartame had higher blood sugar levels than mice eating food without it, which suggests it may increase your risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome.ⁱⁱⁱ In a statement, the researchers noted:

"These results are consistent with data from community-based epidemiologic studies in which the consumption of diet sodas was shown to be associated with increased incidence of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. They suggest that aspartame exposure may in fact directly contribute to increased blood glucose levels, and thus may contribute to the associations observed between diet soda consumption and the risk of diabetes in humans."

Artificial sweeteners also tend to trigger enhanced activity within your brain's pleasure centers, yet at the same time providing less actual satisfaction. This separation of the taste of sweetness from caloric content means that when you consume artificial sweeteners, your brain actually craves more of it because your body is not satisfied at a cellular level by the sugar imposter! This can actually contribute to overeating and weight gain. Furthermore, research by Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, who was also involved in the studies noted above, and her colleagues found that your risk of obesity increases by 41 percent for each can of diet soda you drink in a day!^iv

Another Powerful Strategy to Reduce Your Stroke Risk

If you want to decrease your risk of stroke, along with ditching diet soda one of the best things you can do is get some sunshine. A research team recently used NASA satellite data to determine how sunlight corresponded with stroke risk, and found that people who got less than the midpoint level of sun exposure were at a 60 percent increased risk for stroke.^v

The connection is most likely due to the "sunshine vitamin," vitamin D, which is produced when your body is exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D has been associated with a lower risk of stroke and heart attack risk in previous research. Not only is vitamin D known to help reduce your risk of arterial stiffness, a major risk factor for stroke, but it can also:

• Increase in your body's natural anti-inflammatory cytokines
• Suppress vascular calcification
• Inhibit vascular smooth muscle growth

Ideally, your body will make all the vitamin D you need from safe sun exposure or a safe tanning bed. But if you are not able to get sun exposure on a regular basis (and the exposure must be on large portions of your skin, not just your face or hands), you may need to supplement with oral vitamin D3. You can find more information to optimize your vitamin D levels here.

Up to 80 Percent of Strokes are Preventable

A stroke can be devastating to your quality of life, impacting speech, movement and memory; it can also be deadly. Strokes are currently the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, along with a leading cause of disability. The good news is that up to 80 percent of strokes are preventable, according to the National Stroke Association—so you have a lot of "say" in whether or not you're going to end up as a statistic.

Your diet, vitamin D status, and exercise habits are three important lifestyle factors that have a direct bearing on your individual risk. In terms of diet, foods to avoid—because they can directly increase your risk—include processed foods containing trans fats, smoked or processed meats, and diet sodas. You can find guidelines for healthy foods to eat more of, namely unprocessed, preferably organic foods, in my nutrition plan.

Two additional risk factors that can have a direct impact on your stroke risk are:

• Psychological distress. The more stressed you are, the greater your risk. One study found that for every notch lower a person scored on their well-being scale, their risk of stroke increased by 11 percent.^vi Not surprisingly, the relationship between psychological distress and stroke was most pronounced when the stroke was fatal.
  
  

  Embracing strategies to support your emotional health can be invaluable here. Along with exercise, journaling and relaxation, you can also try the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which incidentally may also help you to kick your diet soda cravings.

• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and birth control pills. If you're on one of the hormonal birth control methods (whether it's the pill, patch, vaginal ring or implant), it is important to understand that you are taking synthetic progesterone and synthetic estrogen -- something that is clearly not advantageous if you want to maintain optimal health. These contraceptives contain the same synthetic hormones as those used in hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which has well-documented risks, including an increased risk of blood clots, stroke, heart attack, and breast cancer.

I want to mention again that in the event you suffer from a stroke, the sooner you get medical help the better are your chances of reversing any permanent neurological damage. So if you notice any of these signs of stroke, you should get emergency medical help right away:

• Sudden trouble walking (dizziness, loss of balance, etc.)
• Sudden confusion
• Sudden numbness or weakness (especially on one side of your body only)
• Sudden trouble seeing
• Sudden severe headache

REFERENCES

• ⁱ Journal of General Internal Medicine January 27, 2012
• ⁱⁱ Study presented at the meeting of the American Diabetes Association, San Diego, California, June 26, 2011
• ⁱⁱⁱ Study presented at the meeting of the American Diabetes Association, San Diego, California, June 26, 2011
• ^iv Study presented at the meeting of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego, 2005
• ^v Study presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in New Orleans, February 2012
• ^vi Neurology March 4, 2008 vol. 70 no. 10 788-794

By Dr. Becker

In this video and part 2 which will be available next week, I’ll be discussing the problem of bone diseases in growing puppies.

This week in part 1 of 2, I want to talk about angular limb deformities.

Angular Limb Deformities: What They Are and How They Happen

An angular limb deformity is a bone growth problem that causes the limb to develop in a curved or crooked direction rather than straight.^1,2

These limb deformities occur in young, developing animals as a result of some sort of trauma to the growth plate in the leg.

Often the trauma is caused by a puppy being hit by a car, stepped on, dropped, or injured in some other way.

However, sometimes an angular limb deformity is the result of premature closing of the growth plates.

Certain breeds, for example the basset hound, Shih tzu and dachshund, are genetically predisposed to premature growth plate closure.

Many of these dogs have short, slightly crooked legs.

And while this leg development is technically normal for some of these breeds, the problem is sometimes so pronounced it can cause lameness.

Why Growing Puppies Are So Vulnerable

Most of your dog’s growth occurs between four and eight months of age.

The bones grow and lengthen -- a process made possible by the growth plates at the end of long limb bones.

When a puppy reaches about one year old, the growth plates seal closed. After natural closure of these plates, an injury to the leg won’t result in the overwhelming damage or deformity seen in younger dogs.

However, if an immature growth plate – which is often softer than other parts of the bone – becomes injured, the damaged cells stop growing. Meanwhile, the uninjured cells continue to grow.

Since growth plate injuries typically occur on one side of the plate or the other, the damaged side of the bone quits growing, but the healthy side continues to grow. This is how the bone ends up anything but straight.

How a Curved or Bowed Limb Develops

The most common angular limb deformity occurs in a puppy’s forearm, which has a two-bone system comprised of the ulna and the radius.³

If the growth plate of either of these bones is injured (usually it’s the ulna), the damaged bone will stop growing, but the other bone in the two-bone system will continue to grow.

The damaged, no-longer-growing bone acts like a rubber band, putting tension on the growing bone. This causes the healthy bone to bow, curve or rotate as it continues to develop. In some worst-case scenarios, the bone can develop all three deformities – it can bow, curve AND rotate.

Younger dogs whose bones are still growing – especially large and giant breed puppies – are at much greater risk for developing a severe deformity than older animals after a traumatic injury.

If the problem isn’t diagnosed quickly and corrected with surgery, there can be much bigger problems in the future for the injured puppy.

Abnormal limb deformities result in abnormal joint movement, which can be quite painful for the dog.

Arthritis is another common outcome, along with the inability to move normally.

If the deformity is severe and is left untreated, a dog can actually lose all function in the affected limb.

Diagnosing Growth Plate Damage

If you have a young, growing puppy and you know she’s been injured, it’s important to get her seen by your veterinarian right away.

Early diagnosis of traumatic bone injuries is essential if your pup is to have a good treatment outcome.

Crushing injuries that damage the cells of the growth plate aren’t picked up on x-rays. In addition, it can take a few weeks after your puppy is injured for an angular limb deformity to start to become obvious.

So it’s extremely important to know if your pet has sustained an injury, and you also need to continuously compare the length and straightness of a potentially damaged leg to the length and straightness of the uninjured leg.

If you detect any developing differences between the two legs, you should seek immediate veterinary care.

Treatment Options

In some cases, surgery is necessary to make every effort to straighten the damaged bone. In severe cases, often multiple surgeries will be required.

The type of surgery will depend on the injury, which bone is damaged, your dog’s age, and how much growing she still has left to do.

There are two primary types of procedures performed to correct angular limb deformities.

For young dogs with forelimb damage and plenty of growing left to do, often the ulna (which is usually the injured bone) will be cut and detached from the radius. This allows the radius to straighten and the limb to grow normally.

In older dogs that are at or very close to their full adult size, the corrective surgery often performed is called an osteotomy.⁴ An osteotomy involves cutting both the ulna and radius at the point of the greatest curvature. The radius is then straightened, which allows for proper alignment of the elbow and wrist joints.

This procedure requires about four to six weeks for healing, and during this period it’s really important your dog remains strictly confined to limit mobility. This will insure efficient healing and the best outcome post-surgery.

Some dogs will require a second surgery called a limb lengthening procedure in addition to the surgery to straighten the leg.

Prevention

Needless to say, the goal of any pet owner should be to avoid trauma to a growing puppy altogether.

This is why veterinarians warn new puppy parents not to engage their pets in rigorous jumping or other very strenuous exercises until all the growth plates have had time to close and seal.

Many proactive veterinarians, including me, encourage pet owners to provide high-risk breed puppies with joint support (glycosaminoglycans) or chondroprotective agents (for example, chondroitin) to help reduce damage to growth plates.

I also highly recommend having your growing puppy regularly adjusted by a licensed animal chiropractor⁵ to keep the limbs and joints properly aligned. This can serve as a sort of insurance plan in case trauma to a growth plate does occur. Stress from injury is minimized when the body is in proper alignment.

Stay tuned next week for part 2 of this 2-part series on bone growth problems in puppies and young dogs. I’ll be discussing the diseases known as panosteitis, hypertrophic osteodystrophy, and osteochondritis dissecans.

References:

• ¹ Image of angular limb deformity,
• ² Image of angular limb deformity,
• ³ Image of canine forearm,
• ⁴ Image before and after osteotomy,
• ⁵ American Veterinary Chiropractic Association; Options for Animals College of Animal Chiropractic,