It's Pet Cancer Awareness Month

Posted on 3 November 2015
By Dr. Jill Tack
Posted in Awareness, cancer, Month, pet
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Cancer - the word itself can send terror running through you. This disease doesn’t appear overnight. In fact, it's the body’s final response after a long-running fight. Cancer, like any other disease, isn't a death sentence if you have the right knowledge, tools, and strength to help your pet fight.

By Erica Cook

What is cancer?

Cancer is used as a catch-all phrase for many diseases that have to do with cells. Cells are small units that make up all living things and animal bodies contain billions of them. When cells mutate and become irregular, they stop listening to the rest of the body and divide more rapidly, causing a takeover. Simply put, cancer is when irregular cells divide uncontrollably and destroy body tissue.

How do our pets get cancer?

All diseases start with a weakened immune system. When the immune system is weakened and not rebuilt, it can flow into more and more serious ailments. The body has an inherent way of trying to tell us something is wrong and as pet parents, we need to watch and listen for these signs so we can help our fur kids before their ailments reach the final stage - cancer. This stage is the body's last attempt to restore homeostasis. In order to understand the progression to cancer, we must first look at the flow of disease in the body.

The Flow of Disease:

Step 1: Weakened Immune System

The immune system is an intricate and delicate balance that can be easily disturbed. The environment, travel, stress, poor nutrition, bad water, vaccines, and medications can all cause the immune system to weaken. The immune system can even be affected by birth, especially those who are born by cesarean section or have other birth traumas.

Step 2: Leaky Gut

Over 80 percent of immune system cells are located in the gut. When the immune system is in a constant fight mode, or when it is not supported, our immune cells are not able to protect us like they should. Leaky gut occurs when microscopic holes are made in the small intestine allowing bacteria and other pathogens to pass through the lining and enter our bloodstream. When our animals have leaky gut, their bodies are not able to properly absorb vitamins and minerals, which can cause greater health concerns.

Step 3: Allergies

Allergies are a red flag that something is going on internally that needs attention and are caused by dirty blood due to leaky gut. The liver, which filters our blood, is sent into overdrive to try to clean the debris.

Step 4: Skin Imbalance

This is the physical manifestation of disease - the slap in the face - telling us that we need to do something to boost the vital force NOW. The skin is the outward expression of the liver. This is the body putting up flags to get attention. Skin imbalances are seen as hot spots, itching, chewing, biting, and even cysts. The body likes to encapsulate threats to reduce risk of infection, causing cysts. Unlike humans, animals cannot sweat, leaving the skin as one of the only sources for toxin elimination.

Step 5: Autoimmune

This occurs when the immune system can no longer determine self from nonself and the immune cells start attacking healthy body cells. The most common autoimmune diseases are arthritis, diabetes, IBD, Crohn's Disease, and Addison’s Disease.

Step 6: Cancer

Cancer occurs when the cells of the body stop responding to signals and grow out of control. In a healthy body, cells are produced as needed and old cells die off, creating a balance. Cancer does not listen to these rules and, instead, makes old cells survive when they should die and cells reproduce when not needed. These cancer cells then take over healthy tissue. If left untreated, cancer cells can eventually take over the entire body.

How do herbs help support the body with cancer?

All modern medicines are derived from herbs. Currently over 75 percent of pharmaceutical compounds being used are derived from traditional healing plants. Though modern medicine pulls the active ingredients from plants, they replicate them using chemicals, making plants and herbs in their natural forms far safer than modern medicines.

Cancer is never caused by just one thing, cancer is the body's failed attempt to try to return to homeostasis. By using herbs, we are able to support multiple body systems at the same time with no threat of side effects or interactions. Using herbs is also a way for the body to pull and assimilate vital nutrients it is lacking.

Herbs are safe to use long term and do not present harm to the body like most pharmaceuticals do. Modern medicines used to treat cancers attack the whole body in attempts to “cure” cancer. By supporting the body naturally, we are able to help the body's inherent healing process by building up systems, allowing for cancer to be eliminated.

Which herbs can be used?

A few herbs that can be used for cancer are Red Clover, Chapparell, Animal Essentials MycoTriplex, Nature’s Sunshine Paw Paw Cell Regulator, Nature’s Sunshine High Potency Protease, and digestive enzymes.

Red Clover - This herb helps to cleanse and purify the blood. The National Cancer Institute has also found that this herb has anti-cancer properties. Red clover is great at helping to heal respiratory issues, tumors, and skin disorders.
Chapparel - This herb, also known as Creosote Bush, has been widely used by North American Indian tribes for its effectiveness at dissolving tumors and cancers. Chappearel is an anti-fungal and is also a strong blood, bowel, and lymphatic cleanser and detoxifier.
Animal Essentials MycoTriplex - Animal Essentials MycoTriplex is a blend of Cordyceps, maitake, and reishi mushrooms. Cordyceps and maitake stimulate the immune system. Maitake also helps stimulate the immune system and slow the growth of tumors, while reishi helps to stop the growth of cancer and strengthens the immune response.
Nature’s Sunshine Paw Paw Cell Regulator - Nature’s Sunshine Paw Paw Cell Regulator, an extract of acetogenins, is from the American Paw Paw tree and has been shown to cause apoptosis of cancer cells.
Nature’s Sunshine High Potency Protease - Nature’s Sunshine High Potency Protease helps the body break down the protein shell around cancer cells. It also helps to reduce toxicity from the breakdown of cancer cells.
Digestive Enzymes - Enzymes help aid the digestion of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. When taken on an empty stomach, they can also aid in ridding cancer from the body by destroying cancer cells. Enzymes also help to support the pancreas, liver, and the immune system.

What can you do to prevent cancer?

There are many simple things that can be done to prevent cancer from occurring. Supporting the immune system throughout the year and providing your pet with optimal nutrition are key. Reducing stress and providing exercise are also great ways to reduce the risk of cancer.

You can also:

Switch to filtered or reverse osmosis water, as tap water often has many contaminates in it.
Use a natural flea and tick treatment in lieu of conventional ones, which are often full of chemicals.
Avoid the use of chemicals in your home and outdoors (lawn spraying, chemical cleaners, etc.).
Avoid smoking around pets.

Our pets are a part of our families, and as such we want to provide them with the best care that we can. By doing simple things daily and feeding them with a great diet, we are able to keep them strong and healthy.

If you think that your pet may be at risk for cancer, please do not think that it is too late to help him or her. There are many ways to help our pets regain an immune system and reverse the timeline of disease progression. We encourage all concerned pet owners to take a look at our one-on-one pet wellness services.