Buy Handmade vol 53

This week we head out to Prescott, AZ

 

Name:  Kerry Estey Keith
Age:  48

Occupation:  Photographic Artist/Treasure Maker, Wilderness Wanderer, Optimista
Blog:  www.womanwild.org
Etsy Shop:  www.etsy.com/shop/WomanOnWildMountain

Tell us a little about yourself. 

I find this part hard: the telling about myself.  I have always been a content loner, contemplative wilderness lover.  I grew up with horses and was off riding through the forests and fields of New England at a very young age.  Creative endeavors supported me through college where I earned a double major BA in Expressive Arts and Transpersonal Psychology (I know, right?): I set up a little booth in the student lounge and sold batik t-shirts, beaded necklaces, even haircuts.  I taught rock-climbing and led backpacking trips.  I also met the love of my life at Prescott College and together we created three wild, tree-climbing, dirt-loving children.  Our two sons are now off at college, the 12-year old daughter is still creatively learning about life while “un-schooling.” (You can read about our home-schooling style on my blog.)  In 2005, we moved to a remote off-the-grid environmental education and research center.  We managed that center until last year, when we moved closer to town for the children.

When did you start creating and how long have you been on Etsy? 

I have been creating and selling art, photography, and crafts since college in 1987.  However, I put my work aside to create a thriving home-schooling environment and run the environmental education center until just recently.   I have been selling on Etsy for about four months.  

How did you come up with your business name, is there any special meaning behind it? 

I named the shop after my blog, Woman on Wild Mountain, which documents and records my life as an artist living a wilderness-based life.  My original blog was called “Creek and Mesa” named for the two wilderness areas we lived between:  Juniper Mesa Wilderness and Apache Creek Wilderness 

Has your Etsy shop become your full time job? If not, would you like it to be?I am lucky enough to have an amazing man who really is the “bread winner.”  I took on the role of full-time parent, home schooling mom, gardener, creator of art, and research center manager.  I do bring in a steady income from my Etsy shop and gallery show sales, but at this point it would not be a full supporting income on its own.  My Etsy shop is slowly building on itself and my sales have been steadily increasing as more people read my blog and see my work around.  

Where do you get your inspiration from?  

Every drop of my inspiration comes from the wild places of the earth, a simple life and the silence between the moments of “busy”. I walk, hike and run every day that I can; these are the moments I get inspired to create art.  For many years, my art was my garden and my children.  I felt that everything I had (creatively speaking) was being poured into providing the most nurturing home-schooling environment and abundant garden I could man. I did not create any art to sell.  I did, however, learn to brain-tan elk hides into buckskin, make beaded buckskin bags, develop and print film in a darkroom, make fire with a bow drill, track critters in a creek, pit-fire pottery made with local clay and work with elk and deer antlers.  So in a way, much of my inspiration comes from these special years with young children where I learned many new things.  Although my daughter is still learning at home, she is now the age where I can disappear into my studio for a few hours or go running in the forest while she studies French, trains as a gymnast or goes rock-climbing with her papa.

Do you also sell your work at craft shows?  

I have had several photographic art and jewelry exhibits since beginning my work as a craftswoman/artisan/photographer.  My first show took a lot more time to prepare for than the ones I do now.  I have had very good feedback from my shows and generally get the vibe that people appreciate my work and I should continue.  

What is your most cherished handmade item? 

My most cherished handmade item is one that I ended up selling because a woman wanted an antler/turquoise pendant from me, but she wanted the ONE I WAS WEARING! It was the first one I ever made (2005) and the reason I began making them to sell was because I got so many compliments on that particular one.  As soon as I started making them to sell, I couldn’t keep my inventory up.  It was quite exciting.  

Apart from creating things, what do you like to do? 

I have always been a solitary wilderness explorer.  When I was 19 I hiked for three months (alone) on the Appalachian Trail.  I have been exploring, collecting and photographing ever since. I am a rock climber, forest runner and general bushwhacker.  I hike mostly off-trail and this is how I find most of my natural treasures (twig, stone, feather and bone.)

If you weren’t an artist, what would you be and why? 

If I weren’t an artist, I would be a research biologist living at a remote field station somewhere in Idaho, Wyoming or Montana studying one of the many earth creatures I love and writing a book.

Five years from now you will be… living in a cabin in the wilderness, creating art, running in the forests, collecting bones and photographing the things I love.  I will be growing veggies, hugging my people, horses, cats and dogs.  I will be making a full-time income from my online shop, craft fairs and gallery shows.  Or maybe traveling with husband and daughter to British Columbia in the little vintage trailer I just bought to restore. So you see, I love my life and would change very little.  I would be doing all the same things I am doing now (except making a little more money doing it.)

Describe yourself in five words: In-love, self-reliant, happy-hermit, tree-hugger, GRATEFUL!

Carrying on with the five theme, if I were to turn on your <insert whatever type of music player you use here>, what five artists/songs would I see on your recently played list? 

Blind Pilot, Alexi Murdoch, Three Tall Pines, Ray LaMontagne, Avett Brothers

Lastly, do you have any advice for anyone thinking about opening their own shop or participating in craft shows?

Oh My Goodness, follow your heart and inspiration!  Be Grateful every day for the gift of creativity and let your shop and business grow organically.  It will come together if you keep your vision strong with intention.  What I mean is if you keep your intention and desire and passion clear and strong, you will accomplish amazing things.

fff vol 59

Favorite finds from the past week:


Etsy find of the week:

source

I'm not a "beachy" type of person. You will never catch me sunbathing or anything like that (especially seeing that I seem to have some weird allergy or something when I get in the sun- I've talked about it before) But I dream about rocky beaches..the beaches of Maine and growing my smooth rock collection. I would like this towel to go with me so that I can sit on it after a day of rock collecting to see my treasures.

Please can I move in?

source

I completely want to live here, own a big wheel and just ride around all day from space to space. "Oh wait, gotta get on my big wheel to trek off to the bathroom". Such an amazing space.

Get in my belly!

source

I'm not a huge chocolate fan (gasp)- when I say that I mean you won't catch my eating a solid chocolate bar. But I do like things like chocolate cakes, brownies, whoopie pies etc. Last year was the first year I tried a cadberry egg. And I must say, it was pretty darn good. I won't be eating like handfuls of them. But one or two little mini ones were pretty tasty. So it being Easter this weekend..I figured I' find something "Easterish" to share..and check these out! Holy crap! I may have to give this recipe a try and take it with me for Easter on Sunday when we go to my sister's.

Tee shirt Dress of the week:

source

I'm loving way too many awesome dresses at Modcloth right now.

Well it's been a pretty sad week here for us, but I want to thank everyone so much for all the kind comments about our baby Lola. I really and truly appreciate all the love and heartfelt comments both on here and in emails. It meant a lot to me. So thank you all. It's still obviously very fresh. I have random outbursts of sobbing. But other times we are just sharing stories and there is laughter and tears mixed together. She was buried right next to my shop in our backyard so that she will always be next to me...

Next week I am on vacation the entire week. It definitely couldn't have come at a better time. I need to just unwind, de-stress and relax. My dad had surgery on Thursday so I know I will be over visiting him and making him treats, we have some plans to begin cleaning up the yard and possibly a small hiking getaway. We shall see. It depends on the weather (which keeps changing)

I also might get my little butt back out into my glass shop. It's been WAY too long since I've been out there. I have no excuse - I need to get back into it or there is no sense having all my gear.

I have some new things for the soap shop as well..and have been thinking up even more new things too... so I'm getting excited about all that. 

How has everyone been? Any plans for Easter - do you celebrate? Sorry that I have been so wrapped up in cancer research the past month. You have me back, no more mentions of cancer here. I did learn an awful lot though- so honestly if anyone has any questions (or needs some supplements!) please feel free to ask away.

Love all you guys .. xx

Alternatives to prednisone..

While we decided against Lola undergoing chemo treatments, we were advised to at least place her on prednisone. The statistics I have read time and time again are: 

Life expectancy following a diagnosis of Lymphoma: (in general)

3-4 weeks, without any form of treatment

7-8 weeks, with the use of prednisone alone

Up to 8 months, with chemo treatments

Currently she takes 20mg a day and sometimes also receives a shot at the vet called Dexamethasone. 

Dexamethasone is a potent synthetic member of the glucocorticoid class of steroid drugs. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant. When taken orally, it is 26.6 times more potent than the naturally occurring hormone cortisol and 6.6 times more potent than prednisone.  The "dex" shot works almost immediately to help open her airways to allow her to breathe easier.

Having her take these medications does not make me happy, as I know the harmful side effects they can have. Which leads me to my research in trying to find a natural route to ween her off the pred and only have her on natural remedies. Unfortunately, as I write this, she is having a horrible spell and is having extreme difficulty breathing. She didn't get much sleep Saturday night (neither did I) and all I can do is wait until Monday morning to rush her into the vet to get her shot. 

I have been researching anything that may help her during these sorts of spells. Until we are able to shrink that tumor in her lungs, this will be a constant battle.

The following is what I have come across in my research and will be remedies that I will begin to put into place.

Prednisone

Prednisone is a steroid which is used to stop inflammation. This is treated for skin disorders, allergies, rashes, breathing difficulties and ulcerative colitis. This drug is very powerful but many people have stopped its use because of its side effects.

Dogs that get prednisone as a short term treatment (i.e. 1 to 4 weeks) may not experience any side effects. However, if the treatment is lengthy, prednisone may cause a number of side effects, including:

• Immunity suppression, which makes the dog more susceptible to infections; the immune system cannot protect the dog, so his health must be carefully monitored and secondary diseases must be treated as soon as they occur
• Increased appetite, that leads to weight gain
• Increased thirst and more frequent urination
• Water retention, caused by the sodium in the salt, in case the dog has a diet rich in salts
• Fluid in the stomach
• Myocardial arrest
• Oily skin, which may be due to hormonal imbalance
• Coarse hair, unhealthy looking coat
• Sudden aggressiveness
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Nausea
• Kidney problems
• Ulcers, stomach problems
• Colitis
• Diabetes mellitus
• Hypertension

Alternatives:

Chinese Herbs

Chinese herbs are used as an alternate remedy to prednisone and other types of medicines. There are three types of Chinese herbs called Lig-Zhi, Ku-Shen and Gan-Cao which are combined together. These herbs is an alternate for prednisone without having any side effects on the patients.

These three Chinese herbs showed remarkable results and also improved the health of patients suffering from asthma and arthritis. These herbs are nearly impossible to find but reading one article advises that "Phyocort" is similar in herbal makeup. I'm not sure. I'm not 100% sold on this.

The other Chinese herb which is called Dong quai is an excellent alternate for prednisone and also controls pain. Dong quai has anti-inflammatory properties and gives an instant boost of energy. Since this herb also has antispasmodic qualities it helps in curing pain in the abdominal region, arthritic pain and headaches. This herb can be consumed with a daily dosage of 530 mg capsules.

This herb should be taken with meals. Nature's Way actually sells this, so I know (or hope) they will have it at my health food store as that is the brand I'm currently using for Red Clover.

Turmeric 

Curcumin is a compound found in Turmeric and is considered a natural steroid. It is a highly anti-inflammatory supplement that reduces pain and swelling. Curcumin is the active ingredient in the traditional herbal remedy and dietary spice turmeric (Curcuma longa). Curcumin has a surprisingly wide range of beneficial properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activity.  

One thing to consider however, is turmeric can be difficult to absorb.  A way around this is enteric coating. An enteric coating is a barrier applied to oral medication that controls the location in the digestive system where it is absorbed. 

Other studies of turmeric and curcumin have shown the following benefits:

• Turmeric extract worked as well as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug for treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee in a study published in the August 2009 issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
• Laboratory studies suggest that curcumin acts as a weak phytoestrogen and seems to have cancer protective effects.
• Lab studies have also shown that curcumin induces programmed death of colon cancer cells, and clinical trials are investigating the use of curcumin in treatment of colon cancer.
• Curcumin suppresses microinflammation in the GI tract associated with inflammatory bowel disease.

Neither curcumin nor turmeric taken orally is well absorbed unless taken with black pepper or piperine, a constituent of black pepper responsible for its pungency. When shopping for supplements, make sure that the one you choose contains black pepper extract or piperine. (If you're cooking with turmeric, be sure to add some black pepper to the food.). Be patient when taking turmeric supplements: the full benefits may not be apparent for eight weeks.

I think I am going to test out Dong Quai as the alternative and see how she makes out with that. I also am going to ask my vet if he knows of any alternatives to getting her fast relief if something like this should happen again when they are not open.

If anyone has tried anything else, please let me know.

the passing of a legend

Lola

aka. Lola-Ebola

aka. Lola-Baby!

aka. chicken salad

March 17, 2002 - March 26, 2013

Lola lost her battle with cancer today. We are heart broken here in the Pelletier house. So please excuse a short absence. I already had written up a post for Thursday regarding the dangers of constant use of prednisone. I will still publish it for anyone interesting in the article.

We will miss our baby, I wanted to share this fabulous shot of her in her under-roos that was taken when she was just a pup. She was always my sweetheart, and will always remain my baby.

tasty tuesdays.. classic shortbread

Classic Shortbread (via Martha Stewart's Cookies Cookbook)

Ingredients:

2 Cups Flour

1 1/4 tsp coarse salt (I used fine sea salt)

1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 Cup confectioner's sugar

Easy peasy:

1. Sift flour and salt in a bowl. Put butter in your stand mixer and mix on medium for 3-5 minutes, until fluffy. Gradually add in the confectioner's sugar, beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture and mix until combined.

2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with rack on the upper third

3. Using plastic wrap, press dough into a buttered 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom. (I dont own a tart pan- something on my baking wishlist, so I substituted a cheesecake pan. So mine don't have the fancy edges but it still worked) With plastic wrap on the dough, refrigerate for 20 minutes. 

4. The recipe now says to cut out the center using a 2 1/4 inch cookie cutter and discard. Why on earth would you do this?!that seemed absolutely silliness to me. More cookie bits for me to eat. So I left the center in and I also cut into more than 8 pieces, because well 8 pieces would be enormous! Of course mine came out all wonky and uneven sized. But I don't care! So cut as many as you want! Then take a wooden skewer and prick holes 1/4" intervals. Again. I went all willy-nilly and poked where I wanted to! I was not feeling like following the rules.

5. Bake until golden brown and firm, about an hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack. Recut shortbread into wedges; let cool completely in pan. Cookies can be stored in airtight pan for up to two weeks.

**

They came out so awesome. I was really impressed with myself. I've never made shortbread before. Had I known it was so simple I would have been making it for years. Shortbread is one of my favorites. I love the sweet/salty combo of them. They are just perfect. They also remind me of when I was little. My grandmother would come back from her trips to Ireland and always bring my mom back classic shortbread from over there. It was so yummy. 

In other news (you are all probably sick of me talking about her) but Lola had a horrible weekend. She ended up going backward and her breathing completely declined. Of course things like this always happen on the weekends immediately after the vet closes. Her and I didn't get much sleep. I was up and worried she wasn't going to make it through til Monday. There was a lot of time researching and on the computer, a lot of time rubbing her back, and a lot of time just plain being sad.

She made it to Monday, and Kevin took her in to the vet first thing. I guess He was pretty blunt with him (because she was in such rough shape) He said obviously he will do what we want and can continue giving her steroid shots but basically her immune system has completely failed at this point and that it may be best for us to let her go...

He had him give her the shot, to well..give her a another shot at life. But I can't be put through this again. If we are only going one week at a time and she is in any sort of pain, it's not worth it to us to see her suffer. Dr Mike said, "She's basically a 77 year old, little old lady, who was diagnosed with cancer...it's not good"

so... that's that. Time will tell. Until then I just continue to give her hugs and the best treatment we can.

The Hive 100 Giveaway

Triple digits..I have finally reached triple digits on GFC. Now watch - I put this up and someone decides I suck and deletes me and I fall back below the 100. But thats okay. It was awesome to at least see it, even if it may only be for a moment!

I have been telling you all, that once I hit double digits, either in GFC readers or in my shop there would be a giveaway.

I am not going back on my word..so here it is!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Goods:

My new mini sampler pack (not even for sale yet!) In either, sensitive / normal / or problematic skin type

One regular sized bar - Winner choice

One lip balm - Winner choice

One wash cloth - Winner choice

The Rules: 

You need to either be a reader via Bloglovin or GFC - All other entries are extra bonus entries

The Timeframe:

You have until April 7th at 11:59 pm to enter

Good luck and Spread the Word!!!

Buy Handmade vol 52

This week we head to London

Name: Michelle Kreussel

Age: 33

Occupation: I work at a catering company, but going to do The Fox in the Attic full-time in July.

Etsy Shop: The Fox in the Attic

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Michelle Kreussel.  I was born and grew up in Parys, South Africa, and am now settled in London, England. I live in a small house near the River Thames with my fiancé and our naughty ginger cat.

When did you start creating and how long have you been on Etsy?

I have always been creative, from a very young age my mum encouraged me and my brother to be creative through many processes including painting, playing with clay and lots of reading. One day on a spontaneous whim I decided to start sewing and doing embroidery. I had lots of help and encouragement from friends and family, so after experimenting with my toys for a while I decided to sell them online. I joined Etsy in March 2011.

How did you come up with your business name, is there any special meaning behind it?

Where I live I frequently see wild urban foxes on the street, or in the garden, and on the shed roof.  I knew I wanted the word ‘fox’ somewhere in the name, and the first idea I came up with was Velvet Fox.  But after some more thought, the phrase The Fox In The Attic just popped into my head and my mind was made up.

Has your Etsy shop become your full time job? If not, would you like it to be?

Etsy has not become my full time job quite yet, although it sometimes feels like it is! I recently handed in my notice at my day job, in order to give me more time to work on my Etsy products and focus on The Fox In The Attic more.  

How would you describe your creative process?

Ideas are always popping into my head.  Often I will focus on a particular 'season' that may be coming up, like Easter/Spring or Halloween, Christmas or Valentines, and have a brainstorming session where I will doodle out ideas. I have lots of little sketch books that fill up with new creatures and designs. When I get stuck I page through my books to help inspire new ideas.  After that, I usually create one prototype of an item to see if it will work and by posting images on my Facebook or Instagram I get lots of feedback from my fans and customers.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

My inspirations come from all over the place.  I love going to exhibitions of famous artists (Van Gogh, Gauguin, Kahlo) and more esoteric museum exhibitions.  Nature is a central well-spring of inspiration, along with looking at nature illustrations and paintings from the past and present.  Trees, flowers, botanical plants, insects, animals all find their eventual expression somewhere in The Fox In The Attic, along with historic pattern and architecture and a whole host of other varied sources.

What is your most cherished handmade item?

My mum is constantly making hand-made items as well as my grandmother, so I have many special items, but I think a green crochet teddy that my mum made and a crochet blanket from my grandmother are amongst my favourites. I also treasure the very first bunny I made.

Apart from creating things, what do you like to do?

Cooking, and particularly baking, is a huge passion of mine.  I enjoy learning how to make different types of bread, and my husband-to-be enjoys any new cakes I like to try out.  Reading biographies of historical characters is also something I massively enjoy, from Shakespeare to Queen Elizabeth I to Byron and Dickens. I also love visiting National Trust and Heritage sites and gardens of all sorts, as well as hiking and rambling in the countryside. (Not much time for doing this at the moment) 

If you weren’t an artist, what would you be and why?

Although it's pretty much unimaginable for me not to be creative in some way, I suppose a home-making life involving growing and tending a garden with vegetables and animals would be what I'd want to do. I would love to have an orchard, beehives and to be a bit more self-sufficient.

Five years from now you will be…

Almost certainly living somewhere in the English countryside (Somerset, Devon or Cornwall maybe), with a little family of my own, and definitely still busy with The Fox in the Attic.

Describe yourself in five words:

Ambitious, Creative, Wilful, Interested, Open.

Carrying on with the five theme, if I were to turn on your iPhone what five artists/songs would I see on your recently played list?

Pink Floyd - 'Wish you were Here'

Alistair Griffin - 'Just Drive'

Gotye - 'Somebody That I Used To Know'

Will.i.am - 'Scream & Shout'

Queen - 'Under Pressure'

Lastly, do you have any advice for anyone thinking about opening their own shop or participating in craft shows?

Look at other people’s shops, and really think about what type of shop you want to have. Spend a lot of time honing and revising and tinkering. Be prepared to take some knocks. If you have doubts in yourself or your products, don't let it linger too long, try something new or reinvent something old and remember that if you love what you do you are already one of the lucky few. x

Michelle is also offering everyone a promotional code for the month of April: HappyApril13

**photography by Angela Donnithorne

Lola's cancer diet

As many of you have been following along our cancer journey the past few weeks, I wanted to report Lola seems to be doing fairly well. We are now 3 1/2 weeks since she has been diagnosed with Lymphoma and a week into her holistic diet. On here two week checkup, we thought we may have to put her down and were heart broken. But the vet said he had hope for her, that the lymph nodes had shunk a small bit in size and he wanted us to possibly look into a holistic route.

That night I began research and between extensive resources came up with the following diet we are following. I am not a vet, I am not trained in the art of holistic healing or diet, please use this information as a stepping off point for your research. As well as follow our story and what is working (and isn't working) for us.

Please also note that at this time we did decline to place her under chemo treatments but she does receive 20mg of prednisone each day. It is my goal to be able to ween her off the prednisone and be able to treat her fully with just my holistic treatments.

The Diet: (Lola is a 20 pound dog - please base your calculations around this)

Breakfast:

2 ounces Essiac Tea

1/2 Cup Fruit/Veggie/Supplement Mix*

Mid-morning snack:

2 TBS yogurt/1 TBS flaxseed oil/ 1 Red Clover Capsule 

Snacks during the day/ evening: (we mix it and vary it)

Organic baby carrots

Blueberries

Strawberries

Apples

Dinner:

1/2 Cup Fruit/Veggie/Supplement Mix*

2 "medallions" (Nature's Variety Raw Frozen foods)

1 Omega 3 Fish Oil softgel

2 ounces Essiac Tea

Evening snack:

2 TBS yogurt/1 TBS flaxseed oil/ 1 dropper full of Red Clover liquid

*Fruit/Veggie/Supplement Mix:

Chop of the following in your food processor:

4-5 apples

Large handful of baby carrots

handful spinach

handful parsley

handful kale

This mix makes a apple sauce type of consistency. I then add my supplements to the mixture, and stir:

2 TBS Hemp protein powder

4 Capsules of Red Clover (I open the capsule and pour in the powder)

2 TBS Nutritional Yeast 

This amount fills a large pyrex refrigerator dish (I posted a picture of it on Tuesday) and lasts her for roughly 3-4 days.  

After following this diet for a week, we took her back to the vet and he was in shock at the difference in her. All of her lymph nodes had completely shunk and she was breathing much better, was wagging her tail, running around, and a happy furry monster. 

She has a long way to go, she is definitely not in remission and has better days than others. But it's a step in the right direction. Especially from being almost put down, to now running and playing...definitely a good sign.

Now a little lesson on what all these supplements do.

Nutritional Information

Essiac Tea 

Essiac tea is a blend of four or more herbs; it was made famous by Canadian nurse Rene Caisse. Its name comes from her name, “Caisse,” spelled backward. She obtained the recipe from a shaman of the Ojibwa tribe in Ontario in the early 1900s and claimed to have had a great deal of success in using it in dealing with cancer. Essiac tea has since become very popular, with many holistic practitioners reporting similar successful treatments.

The 4 herbal ingredients in Essiac Tea are Burdock Root, Sheep Sorrel, Slippery Elm and Turkey Rhubarb Root.

1. Burdock Root helps to stimulate the immune system and reduces free radicals. It is an excellent blood purifier by supporting liver and kidney detoxification. In fact, Japanese studies have indicated that Burdock Root has anti-mutagenic and anti-cancer properties

2. Sheep Sorrel has also been studied extensively in laboratories. Sheep sorrel is anti-parasitic, anti-viral, anti-bacterial and has regressed tumors in laboratory animals. It is important to note that the whole plant must be used, including the roots of the plant.

3. The inner bark of Slippery elm supports the digestive and urinary systems. It also helps to reduce inflammation.

4. Turkey Rhubarb root contains a plant chemical called emodin, which can have a laxative affect. Emodin also has anti-cancer properties by stimulating the production of certain enzymes.  

Red Clover

Red Clover Red Clover is known to purify the blood, clear mucus from the lungs, improve circulation, and cleanse the liver. It is traditionally used for whooping cough, cancer, respiratory problems, and skin inflammation from psoriasis and eczema. Red clover is one of the richest sources of isoflavones. Isoflavones are water soluble chemicals that act like estrogens. The isoflavones found in red clover have been studied for their effectiveness with some forms of cancer and their ability to destroy cancer cells. It also contains bio-available calcium, chromium, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus

Hemp Protein

Hemp Protein Hemp protein is made by milling (grinding) the THC free hemp seeds into a powder and then sifting some of the fiber out. It is possible to grind your own hemp seeds and use the whole seed, or sift it yourself. This is obviously a much cheaper alternative. Hemp seed is considered to be a nutritional powerhouse packed with a full spectrum of proteins and amino acids as well as other great health attributes. It’s a very clean protein source that can easily be found organic, raw, and non-genetically modified. Hemp is also considered to be very allergy friendly.   

Flaxseed Oil

The oil extracted from flaxseeds is said to lower cholesterol levels, boost the immune system, and prevent cancer. Flaxseed oil is high in alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid that is thought to have beneficial effects against cancer when consume. Omega-3 fatty acids can also be found fish and fish oils, as well as in some other plant oils.

(found in the refrigerated section in your local health food store)

Fish Oil

The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil for dogs have been shown to inhibit the growth and spread of cancerous tumors. A study published by The American Cancer society in April 2000, reviewed the efficacy of the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish oil to reduce inflammation, and extend and improve the quality of life for dogs treated for lymphoblastic lymphoma. Researchers believe they have identified a link between DHA and EPA (two fatty acids), and the prevention of the spread of tumors, development of new tumors and occurrence of cachexia. Cachexia is the weight loss that is experienced by dogs (and all animals) with cancer. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to normalize elevated blood lactic acid and insulin levels which in turn may help reduce or eliminate cancer related cachexia. (general rule of thumb is 1000mg per 20 pounds of body weight)

Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional Yeast Containing 18 amino acids, nutritional yeast is a complete protein. It’s loaded with high quality proteins as well as 15 essential minerals. It also improves blood production as well as liver function, two important factors when dealing with a cancer. In dogs it also promotes a shiny coat

I have read so much over the past couple weeks and continue to read and learn more. One of the diets I read about was the Budwig Diet -  If your dog has been diagnosed with cancer I highly recommend you read about this. I have adapted it into my diet for Lola. Some days we use cottage cheese other days we use yogurt. Yogurt is a lot easier to digest for older dogs, so that is why I chose the yogurt/flaxseed oil combination instead.

I hope this information will help anyone looking to get started on a diet and give you some basic information regarding why I'm using what I currently am.

If you have any questions, comments, suggestion or would like to share your story, I would love to hear.

I am lucky enough to live near some amazing health food stores, but you can also find all of these ingredients online through various markets as well.