One of the latest questions is if the antioxidant juices people drink can be good for pets, even as a last resort. One question in particular is if Nopalea, which is made from the juice of the Nopal cactus, can be also used for canines and felines who are suffering from inflammation. Firstly, the Nopal cactus comes from the Opuntia family, more properly, Opuntia Ficus Indica. The Opuntia is a tree cactus. According to the ASPCA, Opuntia is nontoxic to dogs and cats. If a pet accidentally eats a small piece of the plant, the results might be prickly, but there will be no poisoning.

Although the plant itself does not pose a high toxicity risk, the juice itself is not formulated for pets. Cactus juice, which as a slight laxative effect, is not sold in its pure form. To be palatable, Nopalea juice includes other ingredients as well as supportive antioxidants. The other ingredients, and not the cactus juice, makes it potentially highly toxic to dogs. The following is the list of Nopalea ingredients. Outlined in bold are ingredients helpful to humans but toxic, or possibly toxic to dogs and cats.

Proprietary blend of Water (filtered), Opuntia concentrate (nopal concentrate), Agave Nectar, Grape Seed extract (vitis vinifera), Raspberry extract (rubus idaeus), Strawberry extract (fragaria chiloensis), Cranberry extract (vaccinium macrocarpon), Apple extract (malus domestica), Apricot extract (prunus armeniaca), Mango extract (mangifera indica) fruit, Orange concentrate (citrus aurantium) juice, Papaya concentrate (carica papaya fruit with papain), Tomato concentrate (lycopersicon esculentum) fruit, Kiwi concentrate (actinidia chinensis), Guava (psidium guajava powder), Lemon concentrate (citrus lionum juice), Opuntia concentrate (nopal concentrate) powder, Peach concentrate (prunus persica) juice, Pomegranate extract (punica granatum with ellagic acid and punocaligans), Green Tea extract (camellia sinensis), Beet (beta vulgaris) juice, Bilberry concentrate (vaccinium myrtillus), Acerola cherry extract (malphigia glabra), Amylase, Cellulase, Hemicellulase, Proteases [bromelain from pineapple (ananas comosus) and papain (carica papaya) from papaya, lipase, phytase], Stevia extract (stevia rebaudiana) leaf, Guar gum, Maltodextrin, Natural flavor, Cherry powder, Xanthum gum.

• Stevia can be upsetting to the stomach or even fatal to dogs.
• Grapes are known toxins, which can cause hypercalcima, anorexia, lethargy and kidney damage.
• Parts of the prunis family, such as the leaves, stems and pits are toxic. The prunis family includes apricots, peaches and cherries. The actual fruit is not toxic, but in the blending process, other pieces of the fruit could potentially intermix.
• Healthy dogs produce their own Vitamin C. The jury is out on whether C supplementation is harmful or helpful, or may only be helpful in severely ill animals.

Before giving your pet a “home remedy,” note that their systems are not completely like ours. Read the ingredients very carefully. Not all products that do you good will do your dog or cat good, even if they are “natural.” Enjoy a glass for you, but don’t be tempted to give Mittens or Duke a sip.

One of the latest questions is if the antioxidant juices people drink can be good for pets, even as a last resort. One question in particular is if Nopalea, which is made from the juice of the Nopal cactus, can be also used for canines and felines who are suffering from inflammation. Firstly, the Nopal cactus comes from the Opuntia family, more properly, Opuntia Ficus Indica. The Opuntia is a tree cactus. According to the ASPCA, Opuntia is nontoxic to dogs and cats. If a pet accidentally eats a small piece of the plant, the results might be prickly, but there will be no poisoning.

Although the plant itself does not pose a high toxicity risk, the juice itself is not formulated for pets. Cactus juice, which as a slight laxative effect, is not sold in its pure form. To be palatable, Nopalea juice includes other ingredients as well as supportive antioxidants. The other ingredients, and not the cactus juice, makes it potentially highly toxic to dogs.  The following is the list of Nopalea ingredients. Outlined in bold are ingredients helpful to humans but toxic, or possibly toxic to dogs and cats.

Proprietary blend of Water (filtered), Opuntia concentrate (nopal concentrate), Agave Nectar, Grape Seed extract (vitis vinifera), Raspberry extract (rubus idaeus), Strawberry extract (fragaria chiloensis), Cranberry extract (vaccinium macrocarpon), Apple extract (malus domestica), Apricot extract (prunus armeniaca), Mango extract (mangifera indica) fruit, Orange concentrate (citrus aurantium) juice, Papaya concentrate (carica papaya fruit with papain), Tomato concentrate (lycopersicon esculentum) fruit, Kiwi concentrate (actinidia chinensis), Guava (psidium guajava powder), Lemon concentrate (citrus lionum juice), Opuntia concentrate (nopal concentrate) powder, Peach concentrate (prunus persica) juice, Pomegranate extract (punica granatum with ellagic acid and punocaligans), Green Tea extract (camellia sinensis), Beet (beta vulgaris) juice, Bilberry concentrate (vaccinium myrtillus), Acerola cherry extract (malphigia glabra), Amylase, Cellulase, Hemicellulase, Proteases [bromelain from pineapple (ananas comosus) and papain (carica papaya) from papaya, lipase, phytase], Stevia extract (stevia rebaudiana) leaf, Guar gum, Maltodextrin, Natural flavor, Cherry powder, Xanthum gum.

• Stevia can be upsetting to the stomach or even fatal to dogs.
• Grapes are known toxins, which can cause hypercalcima, anorexia, lethargy and kidney damage.
• Parts of the prunis family, such as the leaves, stems and pits are toxic. The prunis family includes apricots, peaches and cherries. The actual fruit is not toxic, but in the blending process, other pieces of the fruit could potentially intermix.
• Healthy dogs produce their own Vitamin C. The jury is out on whether C supplementation is harmful or helpful, or may only be helpful in severely ill animals.

Before giving your pet a “home remedy,” note that their systems are not completely like ours. Read the ingredients very carefully. Not all products that do you good will do your dog or cat good, even if they are “natural.” Enjoy a glass for you, but don’t be tempted to give Mittens or Duke a sip.

Today, the company offers a line of fashionable, understated medical and surgical scrubs in flattering cuts, such as low rise scrub pants. Far from revealing, the well-placed darts and seams simply eliminate baggy, excess material.

While the company does its duty to keep the medical and veterinary industry well-turned-out, Blue Sky also gives back to cancer patients. Through Project Blue Sky, a free hat is given to a patient with every order. According to the project, “Our Blue Sky scrub hats offer a way to cover hair loss with a cheerful and sophisticated look. Our hats are fun and they make people feel good. When patients receive our beautiful package, it makes them smile.”

Losing one’s hair during cancer treatment can be extremely traumatic, especially when it happens raipdly. While sometimes health insurance helps provide wigs, Blue Sky’s generous offer alleviates the burden on insurers and also helps patients with limited options. Next time you are ordering vet tech scrubs, hospital uniforms or perhaps nursing uniforms from BlueSky Scrubs, you can feel confident that you are also “giving back.”

Don’t let the model fool you, they also offer men’s scrubs, too: http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Men/

There are plenty of fine centers for counseling in Houston TX that offer all types of affordable therapy and counseling programs. People often feel as if seeking help from a counselor would be too expensive for them. But a lot of health insurance plans cover different types of counseling and some counseling centers charge based on your income so anyone can afford to get help when they are in need.

In addition to worrying about whether they can afford to see a therapist or counselor, many people think seeing someone is a sign of weakness; however, it is just the opposite. It takes a strong person to admit to needing help with anything in life. When you are grief stricken, it is difficult to seek help when all you want to do is stay inside and avoid socializing in any way. But there are compassionate counselors that are dedicated to helping others with high-quality care in a sensitive way. They are educated, understanding and there to assist your recovery.

Whether you need individual therapy or group counseling, you are sure to find it in the Houston area. There are programs that address divorce issues, depression, domestic abuse, post-traumatic stress, anxiety treatments, mental illness, and drug or alcohol abuse for teens and adults alike. A lot of partners go to marriage counseling, with or without their entire family. It takes a strong person to seek out a treatment or counseling program that will make for a happier life.

In today’s world, our health is becoming more and more important. We want those who care for us and our health needs to be partners in health with us, not just faceless entities. Here are some tips to finding a good doctor:

Board Certification

Did you know that not all doctors are board certified? It’s true. You want the very best expertise and knowledge as well as experience. Before you choose a doctor, find out if he or she is Board Certified. This will go a long way to making you feel comfortable with the level of care you will be getting.

Ask Around

As with many businesses, doctors often work on referrals. Each one is different with their own personalities and ways of working. Especially if you are looking for a specialist, you want to ensure that the doctor is not only qualified, but has a good bedside manner and listens to your questions.

If you know someone who has been to the doctor, ask about their experience. It could save you a lot of hassle in the long run, especially if your health needs will be ongoing such as with a chronic condition.

Search

There are many search functions on the Internet which give you a chance to review the ranking of your doctor. While you shouldn’t rely completely on this, it can be a very good adjunct to your search for a doctor. Try Premiermedicalspecialists.com if you are in the St. Louis area.

Guest Blog By:  Rick L.

It is a proven fact that those who are healthy have lower levels of stress. You can do a lot for yourself to ensure that you are healthier than ever before so that you don’t have to deal with stress as much on a day to day basis.

Take Care of Yourself:

• Diet
• Exercise
• Alone time
• Hanging out with Friends

Diet and exercise are often taken for granted. When you are following a diet and exercising for at least 30 minutes a day, 4 times a week, you will stay healthier.

Having time set aside for alone time can do wonders, as will time with your friends to socialize. It’s important to spend equal parts of your week with others and by yourself so that you can help to de-stress and enjoy yourself.

Visit the doctor when you’re sick. Over the counter medicine works for the common cold, but if the coughing and sneezing persists, sometimes an antibiotic is going to be the only thing that will knock the cold out of you for good. The longer you’re sick, the more stressed you become simply because you don’t feel well.

If you don’t have medical insurance, visiting the doctor can be a financial burden. You can visit Kaiser Quotes online and find out how much health insurance will cost you so that you can always see the doctor when you need to.

Our products are safely tested by humans, in the manner for which the products are intended, not on animals. We believe that this method is more reliable, and more relevant. Due to the significant differences between species in skin, hair, eyes, metabolism and absorption rates, animal testing cannot define clear relationships between the test and the intended product use.

You don’t see a lot of Lush coupon code, aka Lush promo codes, bombing along on the internet. Maybe items sell at a fast enough clip that they don’t need to create artificial sales or entice newcomers with coupons. Surprisingly enough, I found a Lush coupon code that seems to work. If you use code 15VISA80 at checkout and also use your VISA card to pay at Lush’s website, you’ll get $15 off an order of $80 or more. Price Pickle scouted that one out for me. If you see any more that you have tested as reliable, drop us a line!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nutrish for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

The HoundsGood hounds were approached to sample and give their review of Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 dry dog food, which they wholeheartedly and quickly agreed to. I, on the other hand, like a mother sorting through Halloween candy, have the more serious task of disseminating the boring nutrition facts (the little guys snored through the next part). In fact, you can go to the Nutrish site for a free sample to follow along at home. Just be warned: The sound of an opening bag will wake him.

The GOOD:

• Rachael Ray’s Nutrish LAMB MEAL AND RICE formula does not contain any corn, wheat or soy. It appears that Ray’s folks listened to the negative criticism over including hard to digest corn in other or prior formulas. The variety suits dogs who are either allergic to wheat or people who are leery of possibly tainted wheat gluten.
• The price is slightly higher than Old Roy, but very comparable to grocery and discount store-obtainable brands like Pedigree for the budget-minded.
• There are no artificial colors or sweeteners.
• The food is as advertised…six ingredients, plus added vitamins. Those ingredients are lamb meal, brown rice, ground rice, dried beet pulp, poultry fat and natural chicken flavoring. I personally wish the chicken flavoring was chicken stock or fat rather than “flavoring.” Ground brown rice and chicken fat are ingredients shared with premium foods.
• Rachael Ray’s Nutrish gives back. 100% of the proceeds goes to Rachael’s Rescue which supports some very fantastic organizations such as Bad Rap and North Shore Animal Rescue League. Bad Rap exclusively assists PitBulls in need and NSARL is the oldest and largest no kill shelter and adoption organization in the country.
• Nutrish contains glucosamine chondroitin, Vitamin E and Zinc.

The QUESTIONABLE:

• Nutrish contains meat meal versus meat. Meal contains far less moisture than meat. Therefore, the protein can be more concentrated. The con is that it is more processed than meat. This is pretty standard for dog foods of this price point. Some higher end dog foods contain a high quality meal as a second ingredient to meat to obtain the protein concentration. However, if you are feeding your dog Solid Gold, you are probably not a target customer for Nutrish. The meal may not be of the same ilk, but some say meal is meal.
• Nutrish contains Menadione, a synthetic Vitamin K3. While Vitamin K is a safe nutrient found in leafy veggies and seafood, K3 is a synthetic form. The jury is out. Some experts conclude that K3 is safe. It is indeed safely used in livestock feed. It is also argued that synthetic K is better than none. Others argue that K3 canot be metabolized properly and affects the liver and kidneys over time although the dose is small. It is a personal choice for dog owners to study the facts and come to their own decision.

THE CONCLUSION:

We aren’t debating a raw food diet versus a commercial dog food diet in this article. We are comparing apples and apples. (Just addressing some potential mail).

If you are feeding your dog a supermarket dog food, such as Old Roy or Kibbles N Bits, a switch to Nutrish is a very wise decision. Your dog will thank you for it. Just read the list of artificial sweet4ners and dyes in competing foods you are feeding your dog to compare.

If you are currently feeding your dog Solid Gold, or Blue Buffalo or the like – stick with what you have. Nutrish is probably not something geared to your demographic and you are better off where you are.

As far as the HoundsGood hounds, ages 7 and almost 13, they found the little snack most delectable, although they will be sticking to their current diet based on their very specific health needs. They will finish their sample as training treats and as backup. However, I would not hesitate to recommend Nutrish to folks who were consistently buying sweetener-heavy foods as dog rescue donations or food banks and were looking for an economical alternative.

(Other little factoids: Nutrish contains 20% minimum crude protein and 13% min. fat. Maximum moisture is 11%. (Compare this to the nutritional needs of your individual dog. Remember, however, a smaller amount of protein that is high quality and more digestible to a dog may have more fire power than a larger amount of protein of lower quality.)

I have a relative who has tried to quit on several occasions and it just has never seemed to stick. They have tried cold turkey, they have tried asking folks to give them ultimatums and threats and it just hasn’t worked. I have noticed that there are two components of smoking addiction. First off, its really the nicotine. But what often actually prevents people from stopping is the social implications. Fewer and fewer people smoke, but the ones that do often find kinship in one another during smoking breaks or have relatives who also smoke and socializing with them puts them in the line of temptation. A smoker also misses the actual act of fiddling with or holding a cigarette. Kojak turned to lollipops, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Lollipops don’t actually make someone quick, but just fills the need to fiddle or hold something in one’s mouth to distract oneself.

Recently, I have read some cigrx reviews. It is a type of mint-flavored nicotine lozenge that doesn’t attempt to eliminate smoking, but substitute it. =. It is much more discreet than the chewing sound effects of gum. While I think it is dangerous in the hands of young people, it might be a viable way for smokers to participate for longer periods of time at wedding receptions and running around an amusement park. While it doesn’t prevent the nicotine from coursing through their blood, perhaps it will strengthen some social ties that became distant. If they no longer are puffing in people’s faces, the friends that just had a baby might invite them into their home more, and they will re-establish a support network so that when they are ready to throw away the habit for good, they will have more people to call them out for disappearing with a cigarette. They just won’t be able to.

I am not demonizing smokers, but just like any other habit, the more support you have and the longer you can interact in social situations without excusing yourself, the richer and healthier life becomes.

I am an incessant sun screen user in the summer. In the past year, I have become very conscious of the chemicals in sun screen and have ditched a few that contain titanium dioxide and now use one with zinc oxide exclusively. Not only am I not burning, but I noticed any redness from dermatitis on my face is no longer red. Sure, it could be the Vitamin D of the sun, but I attribute it to the zinc. Because of the thick consistency, I am hesitant to use it elsewhere on my body.

There is another product that uses zinc oxide, Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, which is a diaper rash cream. It is also good for razor bumps, and I have heard some folks using it for prickly heat and psoriasis. I am not surprised, also, to hear folks using it for their scalp. The first time I heard about it was actually when I ran into someone who used it for their dog. The dog has alopecia and was always suffering from a raw tail. His tail would wag so much and beat against chair legs that the skin would be very dry and it would crack and bleed.

The ingredients are natural and contain zinc oxide and balsam oil. Just make sure you don’t have a balsam allergy before you try it.

Right now, you can receive a free sample if you send a 6×9 self addressed envelope stamped with $1.39 in postage to:

Boudreaux’s Butt Paste
1600 Brian Drive
Columbus, IN 47201

Let me know what you think of it.

P.S. Balsam Pear plants are poisonous to dogs and cats.  The Balsam pine will upset stomachs if large quantities are consumed, but is not fatal, especially in the sparing amount in a tiny dot of paste.   Of course, keep all topical applications out of the reach of children and pets, even if non-toxic in normal use.

There are different non-profit organizations that provide life changing medical surgeries for individuals. There are doctors that provide surgery to correct cleft palates to give children in third world countries a better sense of self esteem, for example. I have never heard of individuals competing for a procedure until I heard about the iLASIK Video Contest.

Entries were called for and individuals sent in creative videos on why their lives would be improved by iLasik surgery to correct nearsidedness or farsightedness. You may say that its a bit vain. However, the price of contact lenses and glasses over time can equal a few thousands or even over $20,000 as one entrant illustrates. For some it is not merely cost savings. There are folks who have such severe nearsightedness or farsightedness that they are far from a “correctable range.” Even with glasses, the world looks fuzzy. If their vision were to be corrected, or if not, and they were just brought into a correctable range, it could be even more life changing. Also, folks who were turned down for service as a pilot in the armed forces could pursue their dream not having to rely on corrective lenses. Truth be told, the prize was not a surgery per se, but the cost of the surgery. This was probably legally better to offer because not everyone medically is a candidate for the surgery and it allows people to do what they want with the money.

It was refreshing to see while the winner had some polish and appeared to me had some pretty sophisticated equipment, there were video winners  that appeared to be average folks who were not in the production industry or obvious film students that were taking a go at it. One entrant showed how annoying fumbling around with contact lenses were, while another employed stop action and toy army men to get their point across.

To see the rest of the winners and entrants, check out the iLASIK Video Contest on the web.

One company that provides Natural Meat to suppliers and restaurants is Niman’s Ranch. They source meat from small, 650 family farms across the United States where cattle, swine, and sheep are raised in a humane and organic way. All animals are fed the finest of vegetarian feeds, and are independently inspected by veterinarians regularly. Since small, independent farmers raise the animals, you are also helping family farms stay in business. While much of American food is going overseas, these small farms are committed to keeping it local.

Their site has an online store coming soon, where you can order meat and specialty products for your family to enjoy in your own home, skipping the middle man of a restaurant or market.  I do not eat beef, but My Favorite Guy and other relatives do.  I am going to definitely consider ordering, as eating humanely raised, vegetarian fed, and antibiotic free meat keeps your loved ones healthy.  It looks like they are going to have some specialty products as well.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, and in honor of the connection it has to their services, Cryo-Cell is giving a C’Elle Breast Cancer Donation of $25.00 for each sign up for their service.  Funds will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  The C’elle program involves preserving stem cells from a woman’s menstrual blood.  There is also a service that protects the infant as well.  In addition to the C’Elle service, the umbilical cord of the infant is preserved.  The best time to sign up is before the baby is born. The  Cyro-Cell Breast Cancer Donation to the Komen Foundation for the package is $50.00.

In the future, the stem cells will be preserved if the donor or immediate relatives ever need therapy for various genetic conditions or cancers.  The method is also compatible with the beliefs of many different individuals and groups, as it uses biological material that would normally be shed or thrown away.

Now that I am an adult, I am more concerned about what goes into the stomachs of the children than what goes outside of them. I don’t have any children myself, but I have neighbors under five years old (oh, yes, they do live with parents. The neighbor couple is older than five years old), the nieces and nephew of My Favorite Guy, and of course, my cousins children. It is not so much about nutritional value. I will let the actual parents worry about that. It is the big sugar rush that may occur that I could somehow be in the line of fire of. I won’t pretend it doesn’t exist. I remember late night candy trading sessions with my friends and brother. We crashed right there on the living room floor.

Luckily, there is a Trick Or Treat Me blog which helps the adults in charge make the right decision. It also suggests that one should give out milk for calcium, in the new safe Tetra Pak cartons. I was a little skeptical about giving out milk, but apparently, Hershey’s Chocolate milk comes this way and is supposedly safe for many hours outside of the refrigerator.

In correspondence with this, you can Trick Or Treat Me on Twitter, or anyone else you know. For every tweet originating from Trick or Tweet Me, Tetra Pak will donate 10 cents to the World Wild Life fund. You can choose if your twitter friend deserves a Trick or a Tweet.   The more people you Trick or Treat, the more likely you are to become the scariest Twit on Twitter.

If you want to Trick or Treat me, I am at @thesnackhound.  I’ll Trick or Tweet you back!

Luckily, I did.

This weekend I had a fun filled trip to the emergency room. I can definitely say that I am bouncing back better because of the foundation of back exercise from the past few weeks.  It wasn’t a back injury that I had, but getting the core and the back in good health just helps you all around when you injure yourself.  Half of the trouble is when you favor one side or the other and you feel lopsided.  I will tell you all more about it later when I bounce back completely.  It’s rather embarrassing to talk about exactly what I did.

Before embarking on a program, some people need a complete change in their environment to begin the healing process. It is not about running away from one’s problems, as they tend to follow you. The intent is when someone is particularly weak, to remove the powerful influences of peers for a short time until the individual can gain a little strength. I have known people that have an addiction, whether it is to alcohol or to shopping that find themselves relapsing because there are enablers, on the mild end, in their life, to people who also have the same issues and belittle them for no longer participating.

I always try to keep a list of places that offer drug rehabilitation in Michigan (thedrugrehab.com has a good resource), because now that I am in the helping role, I tend to have people cross my path who ask.  I recommend that you keep a list of books that have helped you the most, and phone numbers of resources too. Of course, I keep a very short list of animal rescue resources too.  People tend to flit into your life in line at the grocery store, at a meeting, or at the counter of a consignment shop.  You may never see them again, and exchanging numbers with an almost stranger doesn’t always gel.  Don’t be pushy, but sometimes it naturally comes up in conversation when someone asks and you are scrambling around in your brain a bit too much to find it.