Thursday 29 January 2015

HERBS FOR A HEALTHY HEART

Conventional treatment of heart disease in dogs is to use medicine to counteract the symptoms in an attempt to extend the life of the sick dog.

However , some conventional medication for canine heart problems do cause side effects which puts additional burden on the already weakened dog's body.

The good news is , natural herbs can greatly improve the quality of life of a dog suffering from heart disease without the side effects.

If your dog has been diagnosed with any of the following:

• CHF Canine Congestive Heart Failure
• Valvular Disease
• DCM Dilated Cardiomyopathy
• Canine Heart Murmurs
You can try some traditional herbs and remedies which have been used for years, to treat heart problems in humans and animals,  to heal and strengthen his heart without poisoning his body.

First step is to cook or feed raw diet, and give filtered clean drinking water.

HAWTHORNE (berry, flower and leaf):
Hawthorne contains potent phytochemicals which have been found in medical studies to:
• Increase the contractions of the heart muscle
• Improve left ventricle ejection fraction
• Reduce peripheral vascular resistance by dilating the blood vessels
• Be a mild diuretic
• Powerful antioxidant
Overall Hawthorne helps the heart pump more easily, but with more force and protects the heart from any future damage.
This herb is considered to be the user friendly Digitalis.

Hawthorne has been used by great herbalists for thousands of years. It has been proven to be effective for high blood pressure, angina, cholesterol, arrhythmias, atherosclerosis, and congestive heart failure. Hawthorn has been shown in clinical studies to help the heart in at least five ways. It reduces peripheral vascular resistance by dilating the blood vessels, it increases the contraction of the heart muscle, it improves left ventricle ejection fraction, it is a powerful antioxidant and it improves blood flow to the heart. In one study (Tauchert et al 1994) Hawthorne was found to be at least as good as the ACE inhibitor Captopril in an eight week double blind study of 132 people with congestive heart failure. In another study (Leow et al 1996) people with congestive heart disease were given Hawthorne extract and their symptoms were decreased by 66%. Hawthorne is extremely safe and can be used daily without any harmful side effects.

CACTUS GRANDIFLORUS STEM AND FLOWER:



Contains powerful cardiac glycosides which increase the heart’s pumping force without increasing the heart’s oxygen demand. This makes the heart a more efficient pump and able to meet the demands of the circulatory system. I like to think Mother Nature created this herb specifically for congestive heart failure.

MOTHERWORT HERB:



Used in Asia for centuries as an all around heart tonic these are a few benefits:
• Helps with cardiac arrhythmia and tachycardia
• A strong influence over the regularity of the heart
• Strengthens weakness of the heart

RED CLOVER BLOSSOMS:



This herb has proven itself to be a potent heart and circulatory tonic. Red clover thins the blood and helps maintain elasticity of the hearts large arteries.
CAYENNE (HABANERO) AND GINGER:
Two of the worlds best known circulation stimulants. Cayenne rushes instantly to the heart and then works its way out to the rest of the body, ginger does the opposite going to the extremities first then working its way back to the heart. They go hand in hand as the most powerful circulation stimulants.
All herbs should be either organic or wild harvested.
CAYENE:

One of the greatest herbs in the world, used by the famous Dr. Richard Schulze and Dr. John Christopher to heal thousands of people and animals from heart disease, circulation problems, internal and external bleeding etc. Its healing power is only questioned by those who have not used it. The hotter the cayenne the better, it is natures heart food. Cayenne not only feeds the heart it stimulates circulation (a must for any disease) and therefore gets more oxygen rich blood to the oxygen starved heart. Cayenne is added to most of our formulae because it intensifies the metabolic action of the other herbs. It is extremely safe and should be used daily.
Ginger
Ginger has the same effects as cayenne, only milder. It also soothes the stomach and helps digestion. Cayenne goes directly to the heart and then works it’s way to the body’s extremities; where Ginger goes to the extremities first then works its way to the heart, making cayenne and ginger the dynamic duo of circulation stimuli.


SPIRULINA AND CHLORELLA – not only are these two algae full of nutrients, ounce per ounce spirulina has twelve times the digestible protein than beef and one ounce of chlorella contains more calcium than once ounce of milk.
ALFALFA, BARLEY & WHEAT GRASS – grasses are full of vitamins and minerals, they have been making animals healthy and strong since the beginning of time.
KELP – a seaweed used for centuries to cure many ailments. It is also an anti-rheumatic and anti-inflammatory. Kelp helps balance out the thyroid and contains 20 key amino acids.
IRISH MOSS – a sea vegetable that fights respiratory diseases and has amazing anti-microbial and anti-viral effects. Irish moss is very effective for digestion problems and will strengthen your dog nails and hair.
WARNING: Always buy organically grown super foods (spirulina, kelp, barley grass etc.) If not grown in pristine monitored conditions, they could contain high levels of heavy metals and toxic poisons thus making your dog sick.

L- CARNITINE:
L-Carnitine is a natural protein like substance that enables cells to carry fuel (fatty acids) to the heart. When a dog is unable to synthesize carnitine or is not getting enough carnitine, the fuel does not reach the heart, resulting in heart disease.
TAURINE:
Taurine is an amino acid that is found in muscles, it is most abundant in the heart tissue. It maintains cell membranes, regulates the heart beat and protects the heart from calcium overload. One study showed it to be more effective than CoQ10.
To get a little more technical, Carnitine’s job is to carry fatty acids in to the mitochondria. Fatty acids are metabolized by the mitochondria within the cell. Each molecule of fat must be attached to a molecule of Carnitine in order to be transported across the mitochondria. After the fat has been metabolized in the mitochondria and has generated the energy ATP, Carnitine is again needed to remove the waste product from the mitochondria.

Canine heart disease including DCM is believed to be caused by deficient diet, poor genetics (poor breeding etc.), or the inability to synthesize carnitine and taurine naturally in the body or a viral cause.
A healthy dog produces L-Carnitine and Taurine naturally by using vitamins and amino acids obtained through a healthy diet (Lysine, Methionine, B6 etc.). However, some animals are unable to synthesize Taurine and L-Carnitine even with proper nutrition. This can lead to a deficiency causing heart disease, including DCM.

I would strongly recommend Five leaf pet pharmacy and their products for any sort of heart disease. They are organic and wild harvested and I have had some brilliant results using their powerful heart tonics and tinctures, and supplements.
These herbs not only protect the heart from future damage they can alleviate heart murmurs, regulate heart beats, build the heart’s muscle and valves and restore proper circulation (these are traditional herbal remedy uses and may not be supported by significant scientific agreement).
You can go to Caninehearthealth.org for more information.
With the right diet, natural herbs, supplements, Reiki healing , hydrotherapy, you can support your animal's heart beautifully without damaging or poisoning their body.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Priya! Thanks for your healing blog! I have a border collie mix, 9 years-4 months weighing 20.5 kgs who has been diagnosed with DCM and prescribed diurectic Furosemide 20 mgs (divided twice a day) and Cardisure 5 mg (given twice a day) but I am weaning him off Furosemide with dandelion leaf and am looking at using Hawthorn (I have gaia herbs organic 675 mg of leaf, flower and berry) to replace Cardisure...do you have any suggestion, advice, input as to the dosage of Hawthorn to be given in place of Cardisure? Thank you, Melina

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