Aloha,

It’s been awhile since my last newsletter. Please forgive me for not updating sooner, but lots of things have been happening.

I moved my clinic to a new location, and we have new women on staff, Patricia, Leila, and Karen in addition to Yolande. Joy is on sabbatical indefinitely attending Art School in the East

I am also planning an Herbal Workshop & Spiritual Retreat for veterinarians and their staff December 4 – 9, 2005 on Kauai, as well as an acupuncture workshop & spiritual retreat for the Spring of 2007 in Kyoto, Japan.

While in the process of writing my new nutrition and cook book, I continue to research new breakthroughs in animal medicine, nutrition and health to share with you all.

For weekly updates, information, music, entertainment and news please check my radio show on line at www.kkcr.org every Saturday from 9-10 AM Pacific Standard Time (3-4PM EST).

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News From Around The World

With the focus of today’s news on Iraq, bombings in London, the flood of illegal “aliens” and Hurricanes in the Caribbean, the rest of the world’s issues remain a mystery to most Americans.

News From Romania……..

Due to heavy rains, a section of the Danube River over flowed parts of Eastern Europe the first week of July, and now again in August flooding farms and homes, causing catastrophic destruction to100’s of thousands of homes and the death and displacement of many animals.

I will spare you all the gory details, but animals as well as humans are in dire need of help.

The Big international animal welfare organizations have refused (so far) to help the Romanians with their animal disasters.

One old lady described the situation as: “Emptyness and hopelessness are the feelings haunting a flooded land that looks like……..after a bombing.”
Of a total of some 90,000 animals were killed by the floods, 20,000 died in the raging waters in Vrancea county alone. About 85,000 hectares of farmland and nearly 1,300 hectares of pastures have been inundated and more than 550 bridges have been damaged or destroyed. In addition, a total of nearly 500km of roads have been damaged.

If you want to help, and share your resources whether they be money or airline miles (yes, you can donate your miles!), or whatever (they need helicopters) please be generous. IF you got the dough, then let it go, and make a difference!!!

FOR MORE INFORMATION: http://www.relieffundforromania.co.uk/floods_romania_pictures.html
http://act-intl.org/appeals/appeals_2000/EURO01.html

Please check it out, and see if it’s in your Heart and wallet to help.

Floods have ravaged India and China in the last 2 weeks and many poor people’s lives have become more miserable. We can complain about gas prices, but people are always starving somewhere in the world (Africa). Please send what you can plus prayers. We in the USA have been bestowed with many blessings…Pay it Forward!

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Pet Tip of the Season

Damp hot weather brings on many more ear problems than owners can deal with. Prevent ear problems through better diets.

Avoid commercial dog food that contains: lamb (too greasy & warming), corn meal (genetically modified) soybean oil (very warming), and chemicals (preservatives, pesticides, food coloring and rancid fats)…….that eliminates 95% of all dog foods. Instead, consider feeding home prepared cooked or raw.

Proteins that are cooling in nature and do not cause a lot of ear wax build up are: fish, pork, eggs, and tofu.

Vegetables that are “cooling in nature” that can be added to other meat dishes are: cucumber, tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, alfalfa or mung bean sprouts, carrots, and celery (raw or cooked). Cooling vegetables that should be cooked are: beets, eggplant, cauliflower, and squashes.

In general this rule of thumb for combining foods for adult dogs works well and I have used it for many years: 1/3 meat 1/3 starch 1/3 vegetable, and from this formula depending upon the animals condition and problems, a person can add more or less meat, vegetables or starch.

Cooling starches are: millet, barley, sweet potato, beet root, and cooked carrot.

Cooling fruit snacks giving in small amounts are: watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberry and banana.

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Summer Recipe for a Fido

Ingredients
1 cup of baked sweet potato (cubed)
½ cup of slivered carrots (raw)
½ cup of chopped broccoli (raw)
½ cup of mung or soybean sprouts
2 cups of cubed pork meat
2 tablespoons of coconut oil or olive oil
¼ cup of canned coconut milk

Directions
Mix the oil with the pork and add to a skillet or wok and heat on medium high heat for 15 minutes………….stirring often.

Add carrots and broccoli and mix in well, and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.

Add sprouts & the baked cubed sweet potatoes stir in well.
Heat another 5 minutes

Add the coconut milk. Cover with lid and remove from heat.
Let sit for 20 minutes undisturbed. Serve at room temperature.
In general:
Feed ½ -3/4 cup to dogs weighing 15-25lbs
Or about 1 cup per 25-40 lbs twice daily

If you don’t have a dog, try it on your boy or girlfriend!!!!

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RECIPES for Ear Health

A good ear antiseptic can be made with the following ingredients:

1 oz Neem oil
1 teaspoon of tea tree oil
½ oz mullein or olive oil
½ teaspoon of eucalyptus oil

First flush out the ear with a mild cleansing solution such as this mixture:

1 oz white vinegar
1oz Aloe vera juice
1oz witch Hazel
½ teaspoon of Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap

Or pour about half of this solution into a box of “baby wipes”, and use the wet tissues to extract wax and dirt from your pets ear using your finger.

Dry the ear well with cotton balls ( use Real cotton, and do NOT use Q tips)

After the ear is dry, instill 10 -20 drops of your Neem oil mixture to prevent yeast and bacteria infections once daily.
Clean out the ears every 3-5 days.

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ECHINACEA : Fact or Fiction

A recent study at Tufts University concluded that their echinacea preparations did not prevent or help treat symptoms of a rhinovirus applied artificially to test subjects. The misinterpretation of this result was broadcast throughout the media, TV, radio, and newspapers giving a strong impression that Echinacea was bogus and a waste of money. Unfortunately, the results of the study were skewed.

The American Botanical Council, Texas-based research and education organization, has reviewed this clinical trial and found several aspects of the design of the study worthy of clarification, and comments on the potential misinterpretations of the significance of this study.

“First of all, the extracts used were made in a university laboratory and do note correlate with commercial Echinacea products currently available to consumers.” This means the process of making an Echinacea extract is suspect. I got some first hand information from former Tufts University staff that drug companies were pressuring the university by threatening to withdraw financial support if the university continued it’s open mined policies towards alternative methods of therapies.

“Second, the dosages used in this trial were probably too low”. The Echinacea preparation used in the study might have shown activity at more frequent dosing intervals and/or higher dosage levels…as I often the case with contemporary Echinacea use.

According to the American Botanical Council the majority of herbal specialists and physicians who commonly use Echinacea in their treatments commented that the dosage levels should have been 330% higher than what was used in the study.

“It would have been optimal if this trial had tested the Echinacea preparations at more frequent and/or higher doses,” said Mark Blumenthal, Founder and Executive Director of the American Botanical Council. “Dosage is one of the most important aspects in assessing any therapeutic agent. Many clinicians who recommend Echinacea for the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections related to colds and flu normally utilize a frequency of use and/or a total daily dose that is higher than the one used in this trial….3,000mg or more".

Because the pharmaceutical drug lobby permeates every aspect of our society. politics and research, it is difficult to get accurate information out to the public about herbs, vitamins, and other supplements that can help and benefit our lives and the lives of our pets……..minus the drugs!

Besides colds and flu Echinacea has been used for many centuries by the Native Americans against snake bite wounds. You can take it internally and use it topically.
Of all the herbs first introduced to the “white man” by the Native Americans……..early physicians found Echinacea root herb the most important to survival, and could be considered the root that helped the Europeans to conquer the “wild West”.

Other uses for echinacea herb are:
• Urinary tract infections
• Abscesses, boils and gangrene
• Prostate enlargement
• Syphilis
• Blood poisoning / septicemia
• Bleeding or infected gums
• Sore throat

More reasons to take antioxidants, and work to clean up world pollution.

A lot of people are in denial about the impact our culture has on our standard of living and on the environment in which we all live.

Perhaps many of you listen to the advice of such mind benders as Rush Limbaugh & the O’Reilly Factor or to our present advisors to the president and believe their words. Kyoto Treaty or not, our country still produces a lot of pollution in the world in which we live. We can’t just blame it all on the Chinese.

Here on Kauai, we get so upset about traffic jams, while behind the scenes we have a power plant on the Island that is burning fossil fuels and spewing toxins in the air near schools and into the air we breathe in Paradise.

We welcome large cruise ships, (barges without borders), to our Islands because they are good for business, and close a blind eye to the. dumping of thousands of tons of sewage around the waters of Kauai in which our children and our tourists swim. The profit motives justify everything……eh?

Thank your local government elected by you. Pollution is permeating everything and it’s almost impossible to run away from it.

A recent article by Maggie Fox (Reuters New Service) “ Survey Finds Unborn Babies Soaked in Chemicals” brings out the sad and scary facts about pollution in the United States.

The report on samples taken from the blood of the umbilical cord (the lifeline to the baby) show a “stew” of chemicals present including: gasoline by products, pesticides, mercury, Teflon ,and over 287 contaminants that should not be present in baby’s blood. 180 of these contaminants are known to cause cancer.

Among the chemicals found in the cord blood of babies were methylmercury produced by coal fired power plants

Also found were polyaromatic hydrocarbons which are produced by burning gasoline and garbage and which may cause cancer.

It is evident that our government cannot be relied upon to protect our babies, children, adults, and definitely our animals from the onslaught of exposure to chemicals that will harm us now and in the future. So what can we do?

The Environment Working Group report coincided with a Government Accountability Office (or the GAO) report issued last Wednesday that said the Environmental Protection Agency does not have the powers it needs to fully regulate toxic chemicals.

The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, found that the EPA’s Toxic Substances Control Act gives only “limited assurance” that new chemicals entering the market are safe and that the EPA only rarely assesses chemicals already on the market.

With all this information it is foolish to believe that the commercially prepared and processed food for pets is free from these chemical contaminants that over time accumulate and cause such diseases as cancer, heart disease, kidney problems, and liver disease.

Since it seems almost impossible to eliminate exposure to pollutants in our lives, it just makes sense to take supplements that will help the body’s physiologic functions work better to prevent the diseases that haunt our lifestyles. The supplements that are the most beneficial for both humans and animals are: antioxidants, medicinal mushrooms, and adaptogenic herbs.

In many clinical studies throughout the world of medicine especially in Japan, Russia, and Europe these supplements have shown promise in aiding the liver in detoxification, preventing DNA damage and the resulting cell mutations, in helping to repair damaged organs and protecting the immune system from crashing during stressful situations

The list includes:

I. Medicinal mushrooms: Shiitake, Maitake, Reishi, and Cordyceps

II. Antioxidants: Natural vitamin E, Selenium, Vit C, Green Tea Extract, Milk Thistle, Dandelion, alpha-lipoic acid, and N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), and L-glutamine

III. Adaptogenic herbs (help deal with stress): Eleutherococcus (Siberian ginseng), Rhodiola rosea, American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium, and Chinese ginseng

If you are in need of a high quality source of these supplements, there are two products that I have formulated for use in animals: CAS Options & Canine (or Feline) Antioxidant Support You can order them through your veterinarian, or call for more information: 1-877-P-E-T-S-4-L-I-F and check out the website: www.genesispets.com for other Genesis/Resources products to help your pets live longer and healthier lives.

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Last But Not Least: Metabolic Syndromes

Metabolic syndromes have been characterized as a conglomeration of many disorders found in humans, pets, and horses such as:
1.) elevated cholesterol
2.) obesity and fatty deposits (lipomas)
3.) insulin resistance and diabetes
4.) hypertension
5.) laminitis (in horses)

Various studies point to the fact that both humans and animals are eating too many refined carbohydrates (food with a high glycemic index) which cause stress to the pancreas gland and the resulting “burn out” of that organ.. This event also begins a cascading effect on the body’s metabolism affecting many organs. Treatment of the diseases is both time consuming and expensive.

Besides eliminating processed foods (most commercial foods for pets), some supplements that have recently proven promise in reducing the stress on the pancreas are:
1.) beta glucans ( from oat bran )
2.) vinegar
3.) garlic

In recent animal studies (Japan) adding a little vinegar to white rice reduced the carbohydrate’s effect on the pancreas by lowering the quick rise in blood glucose levels and decreasing insulin requirements.
When you eat sugar or highly refined carbohydrates the opposite happens, and over time high glucose levels over work the pancreas and type -2 diabetes results.

When you eat Sushi, the rice has vinegar in it already, and is perhaps why Japanese people have the lowest rates of diabetes in the past.

Adding a little vinegar to your pets food will help to prevent diabetes, by improving the blood glucose metabolism with the pancreas gland.

Adding oat bran fiber to an overweight pet’s diet will help them loose weight, by decreasing the amount of fat and carbohydrates that are absorbed in the intestinal tract.

In addition to vinegar and oat bran, garlic also has many benefits especially in obese humans and pets.

The addition of garlic can help improve fat metabolism, prevent (and reverse) plaque formation in the arteries, and help repel parasites (flies, mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas)

Dosages:
Apple cider vinegar, Rice wine or Red grape vinegar
1/2 teaspoon per meal per every 10 lbs of weight
Oat bran (double this dose if your pet it obese or you want to reduce weight)
2teaspoons per meal for every 10lbs of weight
Garlic (Kwai Brand garlic extract) powder
50mg per 10 lbs of body weight daily
This amount should be doubled in dogs with lipomas, or that are obese.

Garlic use in cats may cause anemia, and therefore should only be prescribed by your veterinarian and monitored with blood tests.

For horses, as an aid to help repel biting flies, assist in losing weight and prevent metabolic syndrome use the following formula:

½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of regular garlic powder
2 cups of Oat bran
Mix this with oat/alfalfa cubes and water and feed twice daily.

That’s All Folks
See you Next Time!

If you need any help with your pets, please check my website consultation form, complete it email it back to me along with your veterinarian’s records, and call for an appointment 808-822-4229 on any Monday, Wednesday, Thursday or Saturday from Noon to 3PM PST.

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All Creatures Great & Small, Inc.
P.O. Box 159 Kapaa, Kauai, Hawaii 96746
(808)822-4229 Telephone - (808)822-5229 Fax
E-mail: drbwavevet@hawaiilink.net
©2003 Ihor Basko, DVM

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