First of all it’s important to note that fleas prefer weaker, less healthy animals and very young puppies and kittens with undeveloped immune systems. Knowing this, we can arm our pets for flea resistance by boosting their health and immunity. If you have a flea problem, this is the first place to start.

Diet is the foundation of health. Nothing you give your dog or cat can do as much good for their health and immunity as a proper diet. The books, Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog and Whole Health for Happy Cats, have natural recipes that will give you many ideas how to adjust your pet’s diet. Of course, if you can’t manage to feed raw natural foods, just give them the very best diet that you can. At the minimum this means top quality processed foods that do not contain fillers, chemical preservatives or food colorings. No “by-products” or “digests”. Meat should be the first ingredient and should not contain grains. Dogs can be fed a mix of canned and dry foods, but cats should be fed only canned foods if they are to be fed processed diets.

Supplementing their diet can also help. Essential Fatty Acids like: Flax Oil for Animals and Pet Cod Liver Oil and Immune Boosting Supplements like: Whole Dog Daily and The Missing Link Wellness Blend for Dogs and Cats will help to strengthen their bodies and support the health of your pet’s skin and coat. Digestive Enzymes like: Healthy Digestion for Dogs and Hairball Formula for Cats & Probiotics like: Pet Dophilus will help them get the most nutrition from their food and aid the digestive process. Natural Shampoos & Sprays like: Neem "Protect" Shampoo and Neem "Protect" Spray will help to keep fleas at bay without compromising the health of your furry friend.

Over-vaccination is taxing on the immune system of dogs and cats as well, so you may want to educate yourself about the risks of too many vaccinations. 

For specific natural options for controlling fleas in your house or yard, Dr. Obando DVM suggests the following protocols.

If I can answer any additional questions you might have about Natural Flea Control, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. Hoping you and your furry friends have a happy ‘flea-less’ summer!

Nearly all of us CRAVE sweets. If you are anything like me, you can't have just one! That first rush of sweetness on your tongue sets off a creshendo of cravings that doesn't quit until your stomach begs for mercy, your calories are blown for the day, and your blood sugar level has just reached a new height and is preparing for rapid descent. A lot of this has to do with the highly addictive nature of high fructose corn syrup in everything. There is good news though. Not all sweeteners are created equal. Moderation and satisfaction can coexist in the form of dessert!

From my perspective there are two categories of non nutritive sweeteners, the artificial ones and the natural ones. Three comon artificial sweetners include Acesulfame Potassium, also known as Acesulfame K or Ace K. Recent studies have shown that Ace K may affect prenatal development, breastfeeding infants and have carcinogenic properties. (Environ. Health Perspect ). Sucralose or Splenda is a bleached sugar product that among other negative qualities destroys the beneficial flora in your digestive tract which help immune function, digestion, and elmination. This upset in your digestive system has been shown to increase appetites and cravings. Last but not least, Aspartame which is still found in products like gum and diet beverages is quickly losing popularity due to the correlation it has with cancer. (Int'l Food Information Council Foundation)

Stevia, a plant that is also called sweetleaf is a natural sweetener. It is so sweet that only a few drops of the extract are needed to sweeten whatever you use it in. It can have a bitter taste, some brands taste better than others. My favorite brand is NOW Foods, Better Stevia. I use it in Sparkling water to make calorie free soda. For the best flavor in baking I use it in conjunction with Xylitol. Xylitol, is a naturally occuring sugar alcohol found in birch and corn husks. It has a unique cooling effect and is popular in gum because of its ability to remineralize teeth. Xylitol does have a minor side effect in that it can cause gas and bloating. This can be avoided by starting with small amounts and gradually increasing it.

Both Xylitol and Stevia have spared me from the guilt of overeating and from the headaches which are common with the artificial sweeteners. Coffee, tea, cookies, and yogurt can all be made satisfyingly sweet for even the most demanding sweet tooth!

"Everything You Need to Know About Acesulfame Potassium."  Int'l Food Information Council Foundation (1998): Web. http://www.nutritionexpress.com/article+index/vitamins+supplements+az/showarticle.aspxid=120

"Acesulfame Potassium: Soffritti Responds." Environ Health Perspect (2006): Web September 2006. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1570058/ 

The endeavor to wellness has challenged many of us in the past. My friends, I have had bumps in the road and I’m not just talking about warts. Think about how you can take control of your health today and not let it control you. The following is a list of “missing elements” that may provide significant benefits in the human diet.

ANTIOXIDANT / IMMUNE SUPPORT / SYSTEMIC SUPPORT

• Greens SuperFood Powder – these powders contain 10-50+ freeze dried greens, herbs, organic vitamins and minerals, natural phyto-chemicals and all combined to support the body in a lot of ways! Plenty of good brands available.

PROMOTES LONGEVITY / ANTI-AGING

• Turmeric – For good reason, Turmeric is internationally recognized as the number one yellow spice in the world because of inflammatory and cuisine related benefits! Use in your food or select high quality extracts in capsule form.

NEURAL / BRAIN ENHANCEMENT

• Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), includes the Omega-3 family (ALA, EPA, and DHA) – Fish and Flax both provide significant EFA content.

• Lion’s Mane – Whether you are a centenarian, athlete, or everyone else, cognitive function is important and this is one fungi to know about. Lion’s Mane is said to support neural ability by strengthening electrically charged impulses between cells.

REBUILD / SUSTAIN

• Proteins – You know that protein is key, let me just say that quality matters every time.

• Electrolytes - always ask about absorption when deciding on products. ConcenTrace is a good pick.

The perspective for my Health & Wellness philosophy continues to be shaped by years of experience, knowledge-seeking, and community. I believe we should live and let live and if you’re anything like me, you want to live a little bit stronger than before. Maybe a LOT stronger! Stay tuned for more…