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The Immune System
Let’s assume we have a water lily and plant it in very sandy
soil on the beach. When we are at the beach, we dig up some couch
grass and take it back to the pond where the water lily would normally
take root. Now lets think about the consequences of this action.
Keeping both plants alive would be very difficult. The water lily
would require constant watering and the couch grass would be drowning.
Lets assume we now return the plants to their original locations.
A few days after re-planting we return to see that both the water
lily and couch grass are looking better and obviously appreciating
the correct conditions. They are healing because the correct conditions
allow them to thrive. In other words, if we give the plants the
correct conditions, they flourish.
It is no accident that they were in their respective positions
in the first place – they took root naturally in an environment
which was best suited to their individual needs and lifestyles.
The exact same situation exists for our pets and, for that
matter, ourselves. We need the correct conditions to thrive and
be healthy.
An equally important aspect is the ability to heal. The plants,
once back in their natural environment returned to their normal
stature of good health. Let’s take an example each and every
one of us have experienced at some point in our lives. If we cut
our finger, firstly the blood flows and we respond by cleaning it
and then use something to stem the flow. Within a short period of
time the blood coagulates and healing starts to take place. A week
later, depending on the cut, there is usually no sign of any disturbance
to the skin - we have healed ourselves.
Essentially, all organisms, plant or animal, up to the point of
death, attempt to return to the ideal state. With
animals, this can be explained as steady temperature, blood pH,
blood glucose, blood pressure etc. This is known as ‘Homeostasis’
which means, from the Collins English Dictionary "the
maintenance of metabolic equilibrium within an animal by a tendency
to compensate for disrupting changes"
This is where it gets really interesting because when we see a
dog or cat chewing its feet or with itchy skin, waxy ears, excessive
shedding, runny eyes etc, what we are really seeing is the immune
system attempting to return the animal to the ‘Ideal’
state or ‘Homeostasis’
In very simple terms, these are really symptoms or signs that the
immune system is attempting to heal.
Click here to
read the textbook version.
Please click here to see
the full range of health problems in pets. Alternatively you can
fill out our questionaire
for specific health issues but please read through the site first
or go to our section on frequently asked questions.
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Health Questionnaire |
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Spotlight |
| Pet
Boost - herbal formula to support a healthy immune system.

Ingredients
Asian ginseng root, atractylodes rhizome, poria sclerotium
(hoelen), licorice root, ginger root, jujube fruit, kelp thalus,
garlic bulb, astragalus root, schisandra fruit, stevia leaf.
Symptoms
Cancer, radiation/chemo support, cirrhosis, Feline Immune
Virus (FIV), chronic weakness, repeated illness, surgery,
auto- immune disease, injury recovery, fatigue, viral infections,
feline leukemia, peritonitis, parvovirus, hepatitis, distemper,
lepospiris, feline AIDS, FIP |
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In
Focus |
| "The immune system represents
the most complete form of disease intervention on earth. If
allowed or enabled to function, it is infinitely more efficient
than anything human beings can comprehend, much less devise.
"Herbs for Pets"– M. Wulff-Tilford & G.
Tilford
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