Newsletter - August 2012
I'd worked throughout the night. It was 6 a.m., and the smoke alarm began shrieking just as I was about to drift off. Three panicked hearts were pounding. Tori ran around in complete hysteria, Morley bolted to see where the smoke might be, and I was so exhausted that I couldn't think straight. Not to worry. The smoke alarm gave us instructions. " Fire! Evacuate! Call 911". The darn thinks speaks. Who knew?
There was no smoke and no fire. Batteries had been replaced just a couple of months ago, so it was obvious that we were dealing with a malfunction. Morley removed the batteries. A few minutes later the shrieking started again. Morley removed it from the ceiling, but it kept on shrieking. I don't know what the heck the thing is made out of, but I was ready to take a hammer and kill it. Tori was taking the evacuation order seriously and began to scratch at the back door in an effort to save herself. It ended with Morley tearing the detector apart, cutting the wires and heading out to buy a new one. Tori had gone into the bathroom and closed the door with her paw. And I finally got some sleep.
CoQ10 on Sale
We received another great deal a couple of days ago, and we're able to share it with you. Buy our CoQ10 now, and save $2 per bottle. We have a limited quantity at this reduced price. Limit: 6 bottles per order. Read below to learn why I'm in favor of CoQ10 and why there's been controversy regarding the best way to take this supplement.
Making The Case for CoQ10
Coenzyme Q10 helps to convert food into energy. It's found naturally in almost every cell in the body and works as a very powerful antioxidant. Since antioxidants fight free-radicals that tamper with DNA, cause cell damage and even cell death, CoQ10 plays tremendously important roles - some of which are still being discovered and chatted about for both dogs and people. One such chat happened when I ran into a doctor who had brought her dog to the same clinic we take Tori to. It happens that this lady is a kidney specialist and researcher and her focus is on - you guessed it - CoQ10. Obviously, there are differences between dogs and people, and ongoing questions as to which way of consuming CoQ10 supplements is best. This doctor gives her own dog and her mother (who is in kidney failure) the dry version. For valid reason, I think.
One of the controversies about this supplement is whether or not it needs to be encapsulated in oil. Because it's a fat-soluble substance, several studies have focused on this and the results are all over the map, but many (some sponsored by the manufacturer of a product) suggest that it should be in oil. I'm not so sure because I've seen great results with the dry version in both dogs and people. Unless a home-prepared diet for a dog needs to be low in fat due to pancreatitis, the diet itself provides plenty of fat. We add this supplement to food, so it makes sense to me that this is all it takes and we don't need to spend the big bucks on other forms of CoQ10. But I really question how necessary it is for people, too. My husband takes 2 of our CoQ10 (30 mg each) capsules am and pm and his blood pressure has come down. It wouldn't have if his body wasn't absorbing it. I get migraines and my doctor suggested taking 100 mg of CoQ10 daily, but if I take the one encapsulated in oil, or too much of our own product, my migraines are worse and arrive more frequently. If I take 30 mg (1 capsule) of my own brand both am and pm, migraines are under much better control. I'm not alone in this. Friends with migraines have told me the exact same thing. That wouldn't be possible if the dry CoQ10 wasn't being absorbed. My naturopathic doctor reports the same results. So, I'm not sure what to make of the studies, but frankly, I'm in the esteemed company of many scientists and doctors in this regard. What I know is what I've seen and experienced, and for my money, the dry version is certainly great.
Studies in older dogs (see previous newsletter) show that enriching the diet with antioxidants helps to sharpen the mind.So, for all the benefits that CoQ10 can provide, I believe that using it sooner rather than later makes sense.
Toxicity: Toxicity: Under the conditions of a Japanese study (2008 Mar-Apr;27(2):189-215. PMID: 18404543 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]) in 8 Beagle dogs, there lies the suggestion that Co10 toxicity was estimated to be more than 600 mg/kg/day. Obviously, pet owners would not feed such a great amount, if for no other reason than cost.
Personally Speaking
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Monica
"You move toward that which you think. So think good thoughts." ~ Lou Tice