Dear Pet Parent,
We hope you are enjoying summer time as much as we are! We have been so busy, we haven't even had time to write our bi-weekly
emails!
It is obvious summer is a YANG season. This means our energy is directed up and outward! We tend to be busy, busy, busy.
As we mentioned in our last email, this yang season is related to the heart BUT there's another component to the heart that we will discuss this time: THE SMALL INTESTINE
- The small intestine is the yang counterpart of the heart
- The small intestine receives chyme from the gallbladder, absorbs food nutrients and transforms them
into blood to enrich the heart
- The small intestine receives and processes excess heat from the heart
For thousands of years Chinese medicine has coupled these two organs together. But it hasn't been until recently that scientific research has discovered the symbiotic relationship of the heart and small
intestine.
The small and large intestine and a healthy gut flora:
The small and primarily the large intestine are populated by billions of colonies of microorganisms. These colonies are destroyed by antibiotics but are replenished with probiotics. There are many strains of probiotics but
the most common strains are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Probiotics nourish the gut, fight yeast and candida, reduce inflammation throughout the small and large intestine and improve immune function. Remember, 70% of the immune system lies in the gut.
The small intestine has a direct affect on heart
health:
Science is no longer able to deny the positive effects that healthy gut bacteria have on the heart.
Dr. Sinatra, one of the nation's leading cardiologists, agrees that a healthy gut flora and/or supplementation with probiotics improve the body's ability to regulate the production and breakdown of cholesterol as well as prevent high blood
pressure, both of which have a positive effect on cardiovascular health. Science is now understanding that Congestive heart failure is associated with chronic inflammation, increased permeability of the wall of the small intestine (leaky gut) and increased endotoxins from bacteria absorption.
The small intestine and the heart have a direct affect on urinary
health:
When the heart shifts heat to the small intestine we may see a reddish tongue, sores in the mouth, painful urination and/or cystitis symptoms. Most often these inflammatory symptoms of cystitis are confused with bacterial infections of the lower urinary tract. There are many reasons for this but the primary one being, a western practitioner does not understand this heart/small intestine
relationship.
So what does all this have to do with your pet?
We want to see our patients well! And while we are not the primary care provider for most of you, we want to provide you with helpful information so you can make informed decisions that will protect both you
and your pet's health.
It is common for us to see urinary issues during the summer due to heart fire. However, antibiotics are not always the answer.
Let me give you a quick scenario:
- Your pet displays urinary symptoms: difficulty urinating, straining, squatting frequently and may even have blood in the
urine.
- A sample is collected but NOT in a sterile container or handled in a sterile manner.
- A urinalysis will detect the bacteria from either the container or collector.
- Antibiotics will be prescribed and the symptoms will clear.
So
what's the big deal?
Antibiotics have a cooling effect on the bloodstream so your pet's symptoms will resolve BUT this is at the expense of destroying your pet's healthy gut flora.
This gut flora is vital to your pet's immune system providing healthy bacteria to every system in the body including the heart, kidneys, gallbladder and even the skin and ears. A
healthy gut flora prevents yeast overgrowth, inflammatory bowel disease, leaky gut and now we have seen the benefits it has directly on heart health.
It can take years to restore a healthy gut flora after just one round of antibiotics.
The next time your pet shows signs of a urinary tract
infection we recommend:
- requesting a sterile container for sample collection
- requesting a culture and sensitivity test to confirm bacterial strains and antibiotic susceptibility
- seek out holistic methods to treating the infection, we have many Chinese and western herbs that have powerful effects on urinary health and bacteria
overgrowth
- restore good bacteria with probiotics and enzymes if antibiotics are necessary
Be Well,
