Aromatherapy is used by enthusiasts, groomers and pet salons to treat mild ailments such as skin inflammations, itchy skin ear infections, rashes, bad breath, flatulence and motions sickness. Psychologically, certain oils also have a calming or relaxing effect on animals. For example lavender oil not only helps kitties repel insects but it also makes them feel sleepy or content. Roman chamomile can be used to treat an ear infection as well as soothe the nerves of a dog in pain.

Essential oils are also frequently used as home remedies. However before you attempt to use aromatherapy on your own pets, keep in mind that essential oils are always diluted before they are applied to a pet’s skin or sprayed on their coat. Almond oil, olive oil and jojoba oil are common base oils to which a few drops of the essential oil is added. Usually all that is needed is about one ounce of the base oil combined with two to three drops of the essential oil.

Essential oils can also be diluted in a spray bottle and misted onto the pet or the pet’s bedding. You can simply dilute a few drops in distilled water or you can use water and a mixture of aloe, witch hazel or cider vinegar. The traditional recommendation is to use 20 to 30 drops of oil per eight ounces of liquid. Any less might not be effective and any more might be toxic to the pet.

Oils can also be diluted in vodka or brandy and dabbed on the bottom of the pet’s paws or on an acupressure point such as the tips of the ears. This is the technique to use if you are dealing with a panicky pet. Never feed your pet alcohol or essential oil directly.

Essential oils are also effective flea and tick repellents and are nearly as effective as sprays and powders that contain a lot of toxic chemicals. Oils such as peppermint, citronella, lavender, eucalyptus, lemon, geranium, bay and myrrh have been components of herbal flea sprays and flea collars for many years. You can easily make your own flea and tick spray by combining about 25 drops of any of these oils into eight ounces of water. Shake the mixture well and spray it on your pet, being careful to shield its eyes from mist. This mixture can also be sprayed anywhere that you suspect there may be a breeding bug infestation.

When using essential oils it is also essential for you to remember that a dog or cat’s sense of smell is much more acute than our own. Signs that an aromatherapy treatment is too overwhelming for your pet are tearing eyes, sneezing, pacing or whining. Cats may lick themselves excessively and dogs may rub their head on the ground in order to escape the smell. Many pets also have allergies to essential oils. For instance, chamomile is related to the ragweed plant, which is a common allergen for both pets and humans. This is why it is so important to use a mild solution at first and use your powers of observation the first few times you use an essential oil mixture on a pet.

 Special thanks to Geet Singh for her contribution to this article.

More than 60 percent of U.S. households include pets, and those pet owners pour $41 billion a year into pet care [source: APPMA]. This may seem like a lot of money. But when you consider the fact that owning a pet could very likely add years to your life, a pet can quickly seem like a wise investment.

According to a study by the Minnesota Stroke Institute that followed more than 4,000 cat owners over 10 years, owning a cat can dramatically reduce a person’s chance of dying from heart disease [source: Mundell]. Specifically, people who owned cats were 30 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack. Although those researchers cannot make the same conclusions about dogs based on the data they gathered, they suspect a dog study would provide similar results.

That study reinforces what I’ve been saying for some time, that having animals around you can significantly increase your health. For example, psychologists have found reason to believe that owning a dog helps lower your blood pressure and your cholesterol [source: BVA]. And other research shows that pets help us feel better overall and help us to deal with stress, which can be a source of illness [sources: Laino, BBC News].

And let’s not forget the benefits for the elderly. For example, one study observed neural activity in seniors while they walked or interacted with a dog [source: Motooka]. It turned out that walking with a dog gave seniors a boost in parasympathetic nervous system activity, which is good because the parasympathetic nervous system helps calm and rest the body.

Stories abound about the healing abilities of pets. For instance, one boy who did not talk for six years finally chose to start talking after a therapy dog visited his school [CBS News]. Organizations, such as the Delta Society, train dogs to help disabled people perform tasks. The Delta Society feels so strongly about the health benefits of animals to humans that it is dedicated to spreading knowledge about the issue as well as services.

The psychological benefits of pets can make a big difference in someone’s life. This seems to be especially true for kids who are struggling to deal with death or illness in the family. Certain studies have concluded that children with dogs cope better with these serious situations [source: Howie]. Researchers believe this probably has to do with the obvious fact that pets provide love and with the fact that the structured routine required for taking care of a pet is a positive for the child. Kids aren’t the only ones who benefit from pets during these difficult times; the spouses of cancer patients said they believed pets helped them cope as well.

The health benefits of dogs go beyond psychological factors. As it turns out, dogs might be useful in the field of medicine to detect and predict medical problems. In one study, trained dogs were able to identify patients with bladder cancer by smelling their urine [source: Willis]. Although the dogs were not accurate all the time, they identified the right patients at a rate much better than chance. This revealed surprising evidence for the use of dogs as well as further knowledge about the effects and detection of bladder cancer.

What’s perhaps more amazing, however, is that certain dogs can predict when their owner is about to suffer an epileptic seizure. Trainers can teach some dogs to help a person in various ways during a seizure. In addition, some of these dogs end up developing the mysterious ability to actually warn the owner before he or she suffers a seizure [source: CBS News]. The group that trains these dogs, Canine Assistants, claims that most dogs develop the prediction abilities within merely a year of being with their owner. Researchers are at a loss to explain how exactly dogs can do this.

Getting the right animal for you and your family is critically important. If you find that an animal causes more stress, then one or more things may be the cause.  That animal may not be right for you, they may have a message for you, the job you are asking them to do is not a good fit for them, you may be rewarding bad behavior in some way and/or a host of other factors.  Getting the aid of an animal communicator to help in the beginning will go a long way to ensure that you and your animal friend are a good fit for each other and that your animal friend will indeed be a boost to your health.

Special thanks to Dr. Andrew Jones, DVM, for his contribution to this article.

Did you know that dogs have a 1 in 2 chance of developing cancer?  That means that 50% of dogs WILL develop cancer.  It’s an epidemic!  Did you also know that you can easily increase your dog’s chances of remaining healthy significantly?  It’s very simple, feed your dog a healthy diet and educate yourself about the everyday hazards that your dog faces.

Andrew Lewis has done a remarkably good job of educating K9 lovers about preventing cancer, AND, if your beloved beastie already has cancer, you’ll learn what to do to help them recover too!  Check it out at:

http://budurl.com/caninecancersecrets

“Two years ago, I heard about a therapist in Hawaii who cured a complete ward of criminally insane patients–without ever seeing any of them. The psychologist would study an inmate’s chart and then look within himself to see how he created that person’s illness. As he improved himself, the patient improved.

“When I first heard this story, I thought it was an urban legend. How could anyone heal anyone else by healing himself? How could even the best self-improvement master cure the criminally insane? It didn’t make any sense. It wasn’t logical, so I dismissed the story.

“However, I heard it again a year later. I heard that the therapist had used a Hawaiian healing process called ho ‘oponopono. I had never heard of it, yet I couldn’t let it leave my mind. If the story was at all true, I had to know more. I had always understood “total responsibility” to mean that I am responsible for what I think and do. Beyond that, it’s out of my hands. I think that most people think of total responsibility that way. We’re responsible for what we do, not what anyone else does–but that’s wrong.

“The Hawaiian therapist who healed those mentally ill people would teach me an advanced new perspective about total responsibility. His name is Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len. We probably spent an hour talking on our first phone call. I asked him to tell me the complete story of his work as a therapist.

He explained that he worked at Hawaii State Hospital for four years.

That ward where they kept the criminally insane was dangerous.

Psychologists quit on a monthly basis. The staff called in sick a lot or simply quit. People would walk through that ward with their backs against the wall, afraid of being attacked by patients. It was not a pleasant place to live, work, or visit.

“Dr. Len told me that he never saw patients. He agreed to have an office and to review their files. While he looked at those files, he would work on himself. As he worked on himself, patients began to heal.

“‘After a few months, patients that had to be shackled were being allowed to walk freely,’ he told me. ‘Others who had to be heavily medicated were getting off their medications. And those who had no chance of ever being released were being freed.’ I was in awe. ‘Not only that,’ he went on, ‘but the staff began to enjoy coming to work.

Absenteeism and turnover disappeared. We ended up with more staff than we needed because patients were being released, and all the staff was showing up to work. Today, that ward is closed.’

“This is where I had to ask the million dollar question: ‘What were you doing within yourself that caused those people to change?’

“‘I was simply healing the part of me that created them,’ he said. I didn’t understand. Dr. Len explained that total responsibility for your life means that everything in your life- simply because it is in your life–is your responsibility. In a literal sense the entire world is your creation.

“Whew. This is tough to swallow. Being responsible for what I say or do is one thing. Being responsible for what everyone in my life says or does is quite another. Yet, the truth is this: if you take complete responsibility for your life, then everything you see, hear, taste, touch, or in any way experience is your responsibility because it is in your life. This means that terrorist activity, the president, the economy or anything you experience and don’t like–is up for you to heal. They don’t exist, in a manner of speaking, except as projections from inside you. The problem isn’t with them, it’s with you, and to change them, you have to change you.

“I know this is tough to grasp, let alone accept or actually live. Blame is far easier than total responsibility, but as I spoke with Dr. Len, I began to realize that healing for him and in ho ‘oponopono means loving yourself.

“If you want to improve your life, you have to heal your life. If you want to cure anyone, even a mentally ill criminal you do it by healing you.

“I asked Dr. Len how he went about healing himself. What was he doing, exactly, when he looked at those patients’ files?

“‘I just kept saying, ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you’ over and over again,’he explained.

“That’s it?

“That’s it.

“Turns out that loving yourself is the greatest way to improve yourself, and as you improve yourself, you improve your world.

“Let me give you a quick example of how this works: one day, someone sent me an email that upset me. In the past I would have handled it by working on my emotional hot buttons or by trying to reason with the person who sent the nasty message.

“This time, I decided to try Dr. Len’s method. I kept silently saying, ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you,’ I didn’t say it to anyone in particular. I was simply evoking the spirit of love to heal within me what was creating the outer circumstance.

“Within an hour I got an e-mail from the same person. He apologized for his previous message. Keep in mind that I didn’t take any outward action to get that apology. I didn’t even write him back. Yet, by saying ‘I love you,’ I somehow healed within me what was creating him.

“I later attended a ho ‘oponopono workshop run by Dr. Len. He’s now 70 years old, considered a grandfatherly shaman, and is somewhat reclusive.

He praised my book, The Attractor Factor. He told me that as I improve myself, my book’s vibration will raise, and everyone will feel it when they read it. In short, as I improve, my readers will improve.

“‘What about the books that are already sold and out there?’ I asked.

“‘They aren’t out there,’ he explained, once again blowing my mind with his mystic wisdom. ‘They are still in you.’ In short, there is no out there. It would take a whole book to explain this advanced technique with the depth it deserves.

“Suffice It to say that whenever you want to improve anything in your life, there’s only one place to look: inside you. When you look, do it with love.”

For more information on Ho’oponopono please visit http://hooponopono.org

Dr. Andrew Jones, DVM, shares with us an article from DVM Newsmagazine.  This information is critical for both humans and animals alike.  New studies are being administered every day in centers around the world, and I would like to thank people like Dr. Jones for keeping us up to date on important findings that can make a significant difference in the quality and longevity of our lives.

DVM NEWSMAGAZINE

West Lafayette, Ind. — We know that women tend to live longer than men, but a new study shows that the same may be true in dogs, especially if a female dog’s ovaries are not surgically removed early in life.

A study conducted at the Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation compared the medical histories, ages and causes of death in 119 long-lived rottweilers with a longevity of at least 13 years with 186 rottweilers with a normal longevity of about 9 years. The study was published in the December issue of the journal Aging Cell.

“Like women, female dogs in our study had a distinct survival advantage over males,” said the lead researcher David J. Waters, associate director of Purdue University’s Center on Aging and the Life Course and a professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences.”But taking away ovaries during the first four years of life completely erased the female survival advantage. We found that female rottweilers that kept their ovaries for at least six years were four times more likely to reach exceptional longevity compared to females who had the shortest lifetime ovary exposure.”

This study’s findings are in line with those of a study conducted earlier this year at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, Calif., of 29,000 who had hysterectomies because of benign uterine disease. Although those women whose ovaries were removed before 50 years of age were protected against ovarian, uterine and breast cancer, increased mortality from other causes was noted compared with those who had their ovaries for at least 50 years.

Both studies call into question the automatic removal of the ovaries when hysterectomies are performed in dogs and women.

So do you NOT spay your dog?

Dr. Jones shares his thoughts with us on that age old question. “I always said what I was taught that the benefit of spaying is to PREVENT things like Mammary Cancer.

Now I would wonder about spaying ( and neutering) the larger breeds later in life- such as after 2 years of age. Clearly we are in a learning phase- Talk to your own Veterinarian, and point him or her to the article.”

Given this information by Dr. Jones, I feel it is more important now than ever to make sure you are feeding your dogs good quality food, giving them a supplement to help support their immune system, keep them away from pesticides and cleaning chemicals, and communicate directly with them to ensure you are dealing with issues in the early stages of development when you have more options for treatments.

Need a good quality supplement developed by a vet? http://budurl.com/dogsupplement

I realize this blog post has a gruesome subject but knowing this stuff is better than remaining unaware.

My friend Andy Lewis has put together critical information that every dog (and cat) owner needs to know so I’m glad to share it with you today.

He reveals the statistics about canine death rates & then shows you how they link to the food your dog (or cat) may be eating.

It’s important you see the video, now viewed by 1,102,546 shocked dog owners, and read the disturbing report here, read by over 5,354,931 dog owners that Andrew has created.

See them now and then come back here to continue…

Andrew’s findings:

The Three Leading Causes of Death in Dogs are:

1. Cancer

2. Heart Disease

3. Kidney Disease

This is how they link to your dog’s diet..

1. Cancer: The chemicals & preservatives used in many commercial dog foods are known to cause these cancers..

- Kidney cancer

- Bladder cancer

- Skin cancer

- Stomach cancer

- Spleen cancer

- Leukemia

The same cancer-causing chemicals & preservatives have been banned from use in human foods because of these known problems…but continue to be used in Fido’s food.

2. Heart Disease: The high proportions of cheap unhealthy fats found in many commercial dog foods cause arteriosclerosis and arterial blockages resulting in death by heart attack.

But also, the lack of more expensive omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) also causes canine heart failure because without omega-3, ventricular arrhythmias occur and can result in sudden death.

3. Kidney Disease: An 11-year study of acute renal failure in dogs concluded 45% of cases are caused by toxins and 35% by infectious disease.

In the US, April-May 2007, over 2200 dogs died in a 3-week period from poisonous toxins found in the commercial dog foods they ate.

And nutritionally inadequate diets lead to defective adrenal glands unable to manufacture adequate cortisol, a hormone vital for health and resistance to infectious disease (Dr. Alfred Plechner DMV).

If you feed commercial dog food, than consider very carefully the possible consequences.

Andy never did and his dog Noble, died. Many owners ignored the warnings back in 2006 and were devastated by the Dog Food Scandal of 2007.  (Yes, Andy’s been doing this for a long time.)

But the good news is, the many thousands that listened and took his advice, followed his guidelines still have healthy dogs today.

Andrew Lewis, author of Dog Food Secrets – Get your copy today!

Dr. JJ Virgin, wellness coach to the celebrities, shares with us these 7 foods that you may be eating everyday that are harming you instead of helping you!

1.  Light Yogurt. Yogurt plus artificial sweeteners does not equal good health!  Plus regular yogurt is a carb bomb and the sweet taste just leaves you craving more sweet.  Lateral shift:  Greek yogurt.

2.  Soymilk. You get a load of sugar and a cupful of potential negative effects from soy including lowered thyroid function.  Soy is one of the top genetically modified crops, bred so that it can withstand the effects of Roundup.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t kill the plant but it soaks right up into it which means you get some too.  Lateral Shift.  Heart healthy coconut milk.

3.  Flavored Power Waters. The power is really a blood sugar spike because these drinks are sugar, sugar and more sugar, or if you are getting the “light” version – artificial sweeteners.  Lateral Shift:  Sparkling water with some Emergen-C

4.  Energy Bars. Sugar, artificial flavorings, soy protein…check the label and see if you can pronounce much of what are in these.  They are adult candy bars.  Lateral Shift:  Try a piece of fresh fruit or better yet, skip it altogether, because you don’t need this high calorie snack or any snack if you are eating three great meals a day.

5.  Lowfat Muffins. It is just an adult version of cake.  Many supposed healthy muffins that call themselves banana bran whatever are just 500 calorie, sugar-packed carb bombs.  Lateral shift:  2 poached eggs and steel cut oatmeal.

6.  No Sugar Added Jam. Remember that no sugar added means that there is already sugar from the fruit and then more added by concentrating that fruit, but they are just not dumping in table sugar.  Lateral shift:  spread a little almond butter on your toast and top with apple slices.

7. Cereal and Milk. A total carb bomb that sets you up for mid-morning blood sugar blues.  Lateral Shift:  Try not eating breakfast for breakfast.  You can take your protein from last night plus leftover grilled veggies and make a deelishis wrap.  That you definitely satisfy you until lunch.

For more information on how Dr. JJ Virgin can help you with your weight and health management I invite you to listen in on her next free call on February 18, 2010.  To register for the free call visit http://www.budurl.com/JJVirgin

Many people are familiar with the concept behind music therapy, but not everyone thinks to incorporate this into their own life.  Armed with the knowledge that listening to certain types of music can lift your mood or alter it in other desirable ways, you can create your own reality.  This knowledge can also inform your decision when it comes to music that would negatively affect you.

One of the most obvious things that music does is alter your mood. The next time you’re feeling down, think about what kind of music you feel like listening to.  It might be that you instinctively go for something sad to match your mood.  When you catch yourself doing that, pick out music that feels joyful to you, and listen to that instead.  Before you know it, you’ll be feeling better.  One thing that happens in your body is that your brain waves shift to match the tempo of the music.  A faster tempo will enhance your alertness and lengthen your concentration span.

A study at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore discovered that listening to music that you find to be joyful can actually improve your cardiovascular health. When participants in a study listened to joyful (in their opinion) music, their blood vessels dilated by as much as twenty three percent.  Meanwhile, when they listened to music that caused them anxiety, their blood vessels constricted as much as nine percent.  Hearing music you enjoy can increase blood flow throughout your entire body.

Music also directly affects heart rate as well as breathing rate. To slow down, relax, and meditate, listening to music that is calming can help you relieve stress and enter a meditative state.  Decreasing stress levels is one of the best things you can do for your health, both physically and mentally, so the next time you turn the stereo on, think about your choice in music and how it will affect you.

Additionally, many of my past students have had difficulty in quiting their mind to be able to enter a meditative state in order to be able to communicate with their animal friends.  Music is a great way to help get into that space that allows you to better hear your animal friends.

A colleague communicated with a cat recently. When she asked the cat about why it waited for hours outside the bedroom door early in the morning to be fed, the cat replied:

“I enjoy waiting. I find purpose in it. People think waiting is a waste of time and so often get frustrated and angry if they have to wait in line, wait for someone who’s late, etc. But waiting gives rich opportunities to expand one’s awareness, to tap into something outside of ourselves while we stand in “suspension”. Time is a malleable thing and can even cease to exist for those who truly appreciate the art of waiting.”

The noise of the day often silences the intuitive voice, but when it gets a chance to speak clearly, it provides warning, direction, clarity and guidance. If you pay attention, be aware and listen, you can learn amazing things — from your animal’s unique viewpoint and wisdom, from dreams, and even seeming coincidences.  You can retrieve invaluable information by opening the intuitive gateway, learning from your own bodymind and the world around you, which is a wealth of information, connections, wisdom and insights.

Often people don’t hear their intuitive voice during the day, but rather in the still of the night, when we are more receptive. Sometimes this feels like insomnia, when you can’t go to sleep.  Our busy minds are often trying to tell us things we didn’t take enough time during our day to listen to, to process fully, or to pay attention to.  And guess what?

If enough time isn’t allowed when it is needed, then the bodymind stores it up for processing later. And if you don’t take enough time for too long, then that stuck stored energy trapped in the body becomes degenerative, offering painful symptoms of illness and dis-ease.  I suppose the bodymind feels that only then will we get the time we need to fully address the issues being presented to us.

We are designed to heal and rebalance rapidly and quickly – it is a matter of survival.  When we don’t, that tells us there is something in the way that is unresolved and not at peace, something that stops us from being well and whole, living a life full of purpose, clarity and prosperity.

“The Issues are in the Tissues” means that the wisdom of the bodymind knows exactly what is wrong, where it is stored and why.  Our job is to listen and learn from it, to use our waiting time productively. When we do, amazing things can happen!

Animals are spiritual teachers. In every relationship with an animal teacher, they are talking to us.  The question is:  Are we listening to them? Will we take the time we need to heal, to reconnect and to live balanced, full happy lives?  Or will we just spend our lives being frustrated while we wait…

So, what are you waiting for?

The Bottom Line:  If you are not healing quickly and easily, are not resilient and adaptable, or are not enjoying your life — then there is something blocking you. I am trained to discover and help you resolve that, and with your help and commitment to the process, you can expect to see things improve — sometimes dramatically and quickly, other times more slowly and surely.

Whether you choose to work with me or another practitioner, Please!  Do yourself and your animal friends a favor and get the help you need to rebalance your life, to decompress your mind, to regenerate your body and spirit.