tag:www.naturalawakenings.com,2005:/categories/in-print?page=75In-Print | Natural Awakenings Magazine Page 75Healthy Living Healthy Planet2022-01-01T21:01:59-05:00urn:uuid:e57a8b31-40a0-423a-a2b6-a093b00e156e2021-09-16T14:01:49-04:002022-01-01T21:01:59-05:00Cannabis and Canines: How Cannabidiol Benefits Dogs2021-09-30 09:30:00 -0400Caroline Coile<p>Struck with severe arthritis, Topper, a 7-year-old Ibizan Hound, was in such pain he could hardly walk. He had to be carried outside to eat or use the bathroom, and medication wasn’t working. On a friend’s recommendation, his owner, Christy Moore, of Florence, Arizona, gave him cannabidiol (CBD). “Within three days, he could walk on all four legs and I was crying tears of joy,” she recalls. “It was the miracle we needed.”</p><p>Topper is among the thousands of furry family members that have found relief with CBD, one of 113 cannabinoids found in cannabis (hemp) plants. Success stories abound of how CBD has helped dogs overcome anxiety, reduce seizures and even beat cancer. </p><p>Cannabinoids, including CBD and the psychoactive compound THC, are substances that mimic the naturally occurring chemicals produced in all vertebrates. Receptors for these endocannabinoids are found throughout the body, especially in the brain, nervous system and immune system, as well as the heart, lungs, liver, spleen, intestinal tract, muscles, bones and both the reproductive and circulatory systems. They act as master regulators that signal other systems when to speed up or slow down, working to stabilize the body and return it to homeostasis. Cannabinoids from the cannabis plant affect these same receptors, each in slightly different ways.</p><p>Unlike THC, which is toxic for dogs at prescribed human dosages, the most significant, documented side effects of CBD are diarrhea and changes in some liver enzyme values after several weeks. The main concern with CBD is that it inhibits cytochrome P450, a chemical in the body responsible for metabolizing most drugs. That means CBD could affect the effective potency of a prescribed drug. </p><h3>What Research Shows</h3><p>While thousands of reports on CBD’s effect on laboratory animals and humans have been published, only a few have been conducted with dogs or cats. Still, CBD seems promising for arthritis, anxiety, itchiness and possibly seizures, cancer and other maladies.</p><p><b>Arthritis:</b><span><b> </b>In a </span><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2018.00165/full" target="_blank">Cornell University study</a>, some dogs were initially so decrepit that their owners considered euthanasia, but after just days on CBD they were trotting around and even climbing stairs. A <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32345916/" target="_blank">Baylor University study</a> found similar improvement.</p><p><b>Itchiness: </b>An <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cbd-substantially-improves-atopic-dermatitis-symptoms-in-dogs-301095965.html" target="_blank">Australian study</a> found CBD reduced itchiness, inflammation and skin lesions by 51 percent after eight weeks of treatment. An <a href="https://www.ellevetsciences.com/blog/treating-severe-itching-in-dogs-a-veterinarians-experience/" target="_blank">American study</a> also found CBD significantly reduced reports of itchiness.</p><p><b>Cancer:</b><span><b> </b>Cannabinoids are reported to induce </span><a href="/article_tags/cancer" target="_blank">cancer</a> cell death and prevent metastasis. A <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33247539/" target="_blank">Cornell University study</a><span> found that CBD along with a standard chemotherapy drug reduced cancer cell proliferation <i>in vitro</i> more than the chemotherapy drug alone. Anecdotal reports from veterinarians have claimed CBD shrunk cancer cells or put dogs into remission.</span></p><p><b>Behavior:</b> No controlled study has shown CBD to be more effective than prescription medications in reducing anxiety. A <a href="https://uknowledge.uky.edu/animalsci_facpub/33/?utm_source=uknowledge.uky.edu%2Fanimalsci_facpub%2F33&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages" target="_blank">University of Kentucky study</a> found physiological measurements of anxiety in response to noise were not significantly different for CBD versus a placebo, and were worse compared to trazodone (a <span>drug commonly prescribed for anxiety). A<b> </b></span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-82439-2" target="_blank">University of Western Australia study</a> found shelter dogs with aggressive tendencies exhibited less aggression toward humans after two weeks of taking CBD.</p><p><b>Seizures:</b><b> </b>Many anecdotal reports hail CBD’s success in combatting seizures in dogs, but the single controlled study delivered only moderate results. A <a href="https://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.254.11.1301?journalCode=javma" target="_blank">Colorado State University study</a> found CBD only worked with some dogs, and it reduced, but didn’t eliminate, seizures.</p><p><b>Other:</b> Evidence from laboratory animals supports CBD’s effectiveness in promoting bone healing, fighting infection, treating inflammatory bowel disease, slowing degenerative myelopathy, quelling nausea and relieving pain.</p><h3>Choosing Wisely</h3><p>Broad-spectrum products work better than isolated CBD because they use the whole cannabis plant. Choose those with third-party certificates of analysis of potency and testing for heavy metals, mycotoxins or pesticides. Avoid human edible products that often contain ingredients such as xylitol that are toxic to pets.</p><p>Aim for about 0.1 to 0.2 milligram per kilogram of a dog’s weight, given twice daily by mouth. Work up gradually, but beware that more is not always better with CBD, because sometimes the response is biphasic—it doesn’t work if they get too little or too much. </p><p>Discuss CBD with a veterinarian, but realize that not all of them are familiar or comfortable with the subject. CBD, like many supplements and drugs designed for humans and used on canines, is not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. </p><p>Overall, the evidence is compelling that CBD can help some conditions. The endocannabinoid system is the largest system in the body and the least explored. CBD is not a miracle drug, but it may be the miracle our four-footed friends need.</p><p><br></p><p><a href="http://www.carolinecoile.com/" target="_blank"><i>Caroline Coile, Ph.D.</i></a><i>, is an award-winning writer of 34 books, thousands of magazine and web articles, and an app, All About Dogs.</i></p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakenings.com">Natural Awakenings National</a></small></p>urn:uuid:3e614afd-4ad8-4e62-9d0a-4529130b3d012021-09-27T11:20:22-04:002022-01-01T21:02:00-05:00The Quiet Power of Intuition2021-09-30 09:30:00 -0400Marlaina Donato<p>Albert Einstein considered knowledge secondary to intuition and inspiration, and modern visionaries like Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg have all endorsed the practical magic of gut feelings. The rest of us that have had that unexpected hunch to take a chance in business or get off the highway via a different exit than we first planned are in good company.</p><p>Intuition—once a key factor in our ancestors’ ability to survive and later reduced to a New Age curiosity—is now a <a href="https://time.com/4721715/phenomena-annie-jacobsen/" target="_blank">subject of research in the military</a>, which has renamed it “sensemaking”. Beneath the clatter of modern living, the quiet voice within each of us is alive and well, an often-ignored superpower. Intuition gives us the opportunity to leave the comfortable shore of left-brain reasoning to dive into immediate somatic response. This sixth sense in our everyday toolbox can enable us to not only endure, but prosper.</p><p>Research has shown that believing in the value of intuition and trusting gut feelings in business pays off. In the 1970s, parapsychologist Douglas Dean and John Mihalasky, an engineering professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, tested 385 American CEOs on their intuitive capacities. Eighty percent of the individuals with the highest scores had previously increased company profits twofold within five years.</p><p>Out-of-the-blue flashes of “knowing” usually come without warning and can dissolve like a flake of snow under the glare of too much analysis. This sense can also warp and prove unreliable during extreme emotional states like anger or fear. Being aware of subtleties and trusting the energetic current beneath the surface invites more accurate and fruitful results.</p><p>Cultivating internal knowing is a wise investment that can also quell frazzled nervous systems in the process. Adopting simple habits and activities can dial down the fight-or-flight stress response and make room for the inner voice. We might wonder how we know if it’s our fear or our desire talking, and the answer is simple: Listen to feelings, not thoughts. Other suggestions include:</p><ul><li><a href="/article_tags/meditation" target="_blank">Meditation</a> or meditative movement like <a href="/article_tags/dance" target="_blank">dancing</a> or repetitive, mindful activities like kneading bread or painting</li><li>Creative projects like scrapbooking or journaling</li><li>Spending quality time in <a href="/article_tags/nature" target="_blank">nature</a></li><li>Dialing into our everyday senses</li><li>Taking a social media sabbatical for more unplugged downtime </li></ul><p><br></p><p><a href="http://autumnembersmusic.com/" target="_blank"><i>Marlaina Donato</i></a><i> is a body-mind-spirit author and a visionary recording artist.</i></p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakenings.com">Natural Awakenings National</a></small></p>urn:uuid:2b87410f-e80f-4a40-93a5-3eb0b26aad352021-09-29T09:25:56-04:002021-10-27T00:27:16-04:00Electric Vehicles Demand Far Less Maintenance2021-09-29 09:25:55 -0400Rachael Oppy<p>The <a href="https://www.anl.gov/article/argonne-study-on-costs-and-benefits-of-new-transportation-technologies-the-most-comprehensive-to" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory reports</a> that overall maintenance costs for a light-duty, battery-powered car are around 40 percent less per mile than for a gasoline-powered model. Not only do they not require motor oil, they also have no timing belts, oxygen sensors, fuel filters, spark plugs, multiple-speed transmissions and other parts. The difference is on average for gasoline-powered cars—10 cents per mile; hybrid cars—nine cents per mile; and electric cars (EV)—six cents per mile. EVs may have a higher initial investment cost, but their lower maintenance and increased mileage make them especially attractive to companies or government agencies with large fleets of vehicles. <a href="https://www.motortrend.com/news/government-ev-ice-maintenance-cost-comparison/" target="_blank"><i>Motor Trend</i> magazine estimates</a> that an all-electric fleet of the federal government’s light-duty vehicles would be $78 million cheaper per year to maintain than if it were entirely gas-powered.</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakenings.com">Natural Awakenings National</a></small></p>urn:uuid:293056f2-8f0a-497f-a069-1d8fbae8ddba2021-08-10T17:35:40-04:002021-10-06T18:11:40-04:00Plant-Based Meals Reduce Severe COVID-19 Risks2021-08-31 09:30:00 -0400Rachael Oppy<p>Eating more plants than meat is not only good for the planet, it might also be protective against COVID-19 severity, reports a new <a href="https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2021/05/18/bmjnph-2021-000272" target="_blank">study</a> in<i> BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.</i> Researchers from Johns Hopkins and other universities analyzed web-based responses from almost 2,900 frontline doctors and nurses in the U.S., France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK that had been significantly exposed to COVID-19, 95 percent of which were doctors and 70 percent males. Those that ate a plant-based diet, described as high in vegetables, legumes and nuts, and low in poultry and meats, were 73 percent less likely to contract moderate to severe COVID-19. Those with pescatarian diets allowing fish were 59 percent less likely. However, those following low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets had 48 percent greater odds of moderate to severe COVID-19. “Our results suggest that a healthy diet rich in nutrient-dense foods may be considered for protection against severe COVID-19,” researchers concluded.</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakenings.com">Natural Awakenings National</a></small></p>urn:uuid:70b5695f-63f4-445f-a2a6-3adedb7c1c842021-08-12T14:13:15-04:002021-10-06T18:11:39-04:00Certain Fruits Can Protect Against Diabetes2021-08-31 09:30:00 -0400Rachael Oppy<p>Eating two servings of fruit a day lowers the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 36 percent in five years compared to eating less than half a serving, suggests <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcem/advance-article/doi/10.1210/clinem/dgab335/6290732" target="_blank">research</a> from Australia’s Edith Cowan University Institute for Nutrition Research. The study followed 7,676 people and found that higher total fruit intake of apples, bananas, oranges and other citrus fruits was linked to better measures of glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. The same pattern did not hold for fruit juice. Previous U.S. cohort studies have found that eating three servings per week of certain fruits lowers the risk of Type 2 diabetes by the following percentages: blueberries (26 percent), grapes and raisins (12 percent), apples and pears (7 percent) and bananas and grapefruits (5 percent). Three servings of cantaloupe, however, raises the risk by 10 percent.</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakenings.com">Natural Awakenings National</a></small></p>urn:uuid:39891089-baf0-4611-99d9-b904ac2216c22021-08-12T14:19:02-04:002021-10-06T18:11:38-04:00Healthy Choices Mitigate Cognitive Health Reduction2021-08-31 09:30:00 -0400Rachael Oppy<p>A Chinese <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003597" target="_blank">study</a> of 6,160 adults 80 or older found that a healthy lifestyle cuts the risk of cognitive impairment by half, even if a person carries the APOE ε4 gene that is linked to cognitive loss and Alzheimer’s. Researchers used data from the ongoing Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey to determine the eating, exercising and smoking habits of subjects. They found that those with healthy lifestyles were 55 percent less likely to be cognitively impaired and those with intermediately healthy lifestyles lowered their risk 28 percent. This reduction was greater than the increased risk of cognitive impairment resulting from the APOE ε4 gene, which was 17 percent.</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakenings.com">Natural Awakenings National</a></small></p>urn:uuid:dce2c752-2327-4a0e-9a76-cf04e4c62e452021-08-12T15:17:22-04:002021-10-06T18:11:37-04:00Lower Pregnancy Risks with a Healthy Diet2021-08-31 09:30:00 -0400Rachael Oppy<p>Expectant mothers that follow a healthy diet from conception through the second trimester lower their risk of such pregnancy complications as gestational diabetes, hypertension, preeclampsia and preterm delivery, concludes a new <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ajcn/nqab145/6285446" target="_blank">study</a><span> in <i>The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition</i></span><i>.</i> Researchers from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development surveyed nearly 1,900 women at two points in their pregnancies. Their responses were scored according to three measures of healthy eating: the Alternate Healthy Eating Index, Alternate Mediterranean Diet and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet. All three emphasize consuming fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes, while limiting red and processed meat. </p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakenings.com">Natural Awakenings National</a></small></p>urn:uuid:183ef3bb-660d-4a91-b667-5a130e9e21c32021-08-12T15:22:40-04:002021-10-06T18:11:36-04:00Stay in Tune with Our Body Clock to Sidestep the Blues2021-08-31 09:30:00 -0400Rachael Oppy<p>Being an early bird or night owl is more than a matter of preference: A person’s natural rhythms are dictated by 351 genetic variants, scientists have found. New <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-021-01157-3" target="_blank">research</a><span> published in <i>Molecular Psychiatry </i>shows that sleeping out of sync with that inborn body clock makes a person more likely to experience depression, anxiety and reduced well-being. Researchers from the UK University of Exeter used genetic data on more than 450,000 people to determine their natural body clocks, including whether they identified themselves as a morning or evening person. Data from the digital wrist devices of 85,000 people was also used to measure the “social jet lag” of variations in sleep patterns between work and free days—when early birds stay up late to socialize on weekends or night owls wake up early for work. The researchers found that being genetically programmed to be an early riser protects against major depression and improves well-being, perhaps because society’s 9-to-5 working pattern coincides with early risers. Generally, morning people had a lower BMI and were older, more likely to be female, of higher socioeconomic status and less likely to be current smokers than evening people.</span></p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakenings.com">Natural Awakenings National</a></small></p>urn:uuid:1e5e6c0e-3bd8-43cb-bc31-895dcf4f97ab2021-08-12T15:31:04-04:002021-10-06T18:11:35-04:00Wild Bees Thrive on Forest Deadwood2021-08-31 09:30:00 -0400Rachael Oppy<p>Scientists from the University of Freiburg surveyed the German Black Forest National Park to determine the number of tree species, how the trees are scattered, the heights of individual tree crowns and if there are fallen trees or hollowed-out tree trunks. They found that creating deadwood in coniferous forests is a promising restoration measure to promote an abundance of aboveground nesting bees. Their findings, “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378112721005004" target="_blank">Wild Bees Benefit from Structural Complexity Enhancement in a Forest Restoration Experiment</a><span>,” were published in the journal <i>Forest Ecology and Management.</i></span></p><p>As part of an experiment, structural richness was artificially created in 2016 on several sample plots by felling and uprooting 20 spruce trees per plot, creating deadwood and small gaps. Six other plots were left in their natural state as a control group. The researchers compared how many wild bees were in the different plots in June 2018 and 2019. Results show that deadwood increases the abundance and biodiversity of wild bees. Professor Dr. Alexandra Klein, head of the Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, says, “In the course of climate change, forest areas will be increasingly characterized by deadwood and sparse areas caused by storms, droughts or bark beetles. As a result, forest habitat will increase in importance for wild bees.”</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakenings.com">Natural Awakenings National</a></small></p>urn:uuid:c2aa96e4-6908-4a4a-b3fe-bd4230d961e42021-08-12T15:53:35-04:002021-10-06T18:11:33-04:00Farm Waste Doubles as Construction Material2021-08-31 09:30:00 -0400Rachael Oppy<p>Agricultural waste (agro-waste) such as manure, leaf litter and crop residues may not be thought of as likely raw materials for sustainable construction, but with traditional materials like concrete eliciting a negative environmental reputation, implementation of agro-waste is being explored around the world. Recycling, as an important part of agro-waste’s green potential, is making the use of construction materials more organic and sustainable, and helping reduce landfill issues.</p><p>A 2018 study, <a href="https://bioresourcesbioprocessing.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40643-017-0187-z" target="_blank"><i>Agro-industrial wastes and their utilization using solid state fermentation: a review</i></a>, notes agro-wastes are an eco-friendly means of manufacturing “biofuels, enzymes, vitamins, antioxidants, animal feed, antibiotics and other chemicals.” This same study observed, “Many agro-industrial wastes are untreated and underutilized, therefore disposed of either by burning, dumping or unplanned landfilling, which contributes to climate change by increasing greenhouse gases.” Another study found that integrating agro-wastes such as sugarcane bagasse, rice husks and groundnut shells improved the construction materials by enhancing their sustainability properties, boosting their durability and reducing costs.</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakenings.com">Natural Awakenings National</a></small></p>