There’s a nutrient your government seems hell-bent on depriving you of. They have practices that are keeping you from getting enough.

They set up policies that force the small farmer out of business. Farmers can only make a profit under these rules by growing just one thing… only soy, or only corn, or only wheat.

Farmers then have to use all their land to grow these huge crops, and that means they can’t have animals there living in the same place to re-fertilize it with its native nutrients and minerals.

They only fertilize with factory-made chemicals, so the crops don’t have one of our most important nutrients that you used to get from the soil.

I’m talking about selenium.

Geographic studies have found that in parts of the world where soil and the foods people eat are low in selenium, rates of colon, liver, lung and prostate cancer are all significantly higher.¹

In fact, one of the risks of selenium deficiency is called “Keshan’s disease.” It’s named after a province in China where people weren’t getting enough selenium.

Governments and huge agribusiness companies are forcing this kind of farming on growers in the rest of the world, too. And it’s sending levels of almost every nutrient, especially selenium, right down into the basement.

This might be one of the reasons why sperm counts are dropping everywhere.²

Selenium is essential for making sperm, and the male reproductive system depends on it. Your body has to have the right amount to stay fertile and potent.

In one study published a couple months ago, researchers took a group of infertile men and gave them 200 mcg of selenium and 400 IU of vitamin E every day. In just over three months, more than half the men made more sperm overall, and had more functioning and more mobile sperm.³

The study didn’t say if those men were deficient in selenium in the first place, but it does make me wonder.

Another thing I wonder about is why, right after the Great Depression and dust bowl, when many of these farming practices were implemented, did sperm counts in the United States start dropping? When massive single-crop farming was introduced to Europe in the ‘70s, their sperm counts started dropping even faster.

Look at this analysis by the University of Missouri. They reviewed 61 studies published since 1938 that looked at sperm counts for over 15,000 people.

In the chart to the right, you’ll see that the study found average sperm counts for men in the United States had dropped by over 55 percent – from 113×106/ml in 1938 to just over 50×106/ml in 1988. And counts are dropping 1.5 percent per year.

In Europe, sperm counts have fallen to about the same level, but they’re dropping twice as fast – by 3.1 percent each year.⁴

And selenium does much more than just keep men fertile.

The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study showing that people supplementing with selenium had a 20% reduced chance of dying from any cause, and a 50% reduced chance of dying from cancer.⁵

Plus, with enough selenium, you can:

• Have bones of steel – A University of North Carolina study found that an increase of just one-tenth of a part per million of selenium in your body decreased their risk of osteoarthritis by 15 to 20 percent. The higher the amount of selenium, the more their risk dropped.⁶
• Have lots of energy and a strong metabolism – Selenium helps you make the critical thyroid hormones T3 and T4.
• Fight the effects of aging and live younger – Your body uses selenium to make glutathione peroxidase, a powerful antioxidant.
• Avoid illness and disease – More selenium helps your body make more of your strongest immune cells, killer T-cells.⁷
• Drop your risk of many kinds of cancer, including lung, liver, colon and most importantly for men, prostate cancer.

Thankfully, you don’t have to be part of an infertility or cancer study to benefit from selenium.

You should get at least 55 micrograms, and up to 200 micrograms of selenium a day. It’s a small amount, but that doesn’t make it easy to get.

You see, you can’t get selenium in high amounts in fruits and vegetables anymore because of soil depletion. The best way you can get selenium is from organ meats from grass-fed animals, garlic, nuts or fish.

• Fish is loaded with selenium. You can get all the selenium you need from a can of tuna or a serving of swordfish. If you are concerned about mercury in big fish like tuna or swordfish, you can go with cod. Three ounces of cod has 32 mcg of selenium.
• Organ meats like chicken livers or turkey and chicken giblets have a lot of selenium, too. For instance, one chicken liver will give you 140 micrograms of selenium. Muscle meat has less selenium. Three ounces of cooked beef have 35 mcg.
• One medium egg has 14 mcg of selenium.
• If liver and eggs aren’t your speed, you can eat some nuts. An ounce of walnuts has 5 micrograms. Almonds have a little less. A cup of almonds gives you 2.5 mcg.
• One variety of nut offers a full day’s worth of selenium in just one bite. It’s the Brazil nut. Brazil nuts grow in the Brazilian jungle where the soil is rich in the anti-cancer mineral. Just one single Brazil nut eaten right out of the shell will provide you with 100 mcg of selenium. That’s more than what you’ll find in most selenium supplements!
• If you don’t like fish or liver, and are allergic to nuts, then you’re going to want to supplement. If you take a multi-vitamin there’s probably selenium in it. If not, you should switch. And if you’ve had cancer or are at risk for the disease you should talk to your doctor about adding an additional selenium supplement. You can find these at any health-food store.

Hypoallergenic Dogs

Most allergy specialists will recommend that individuals with pet allergies do not bring furry, dander-producing pets into their home. This is well-intended and sound advice – are dogs “good” for allergy sufferers? Physically, no. Allergy sufferers would likely be more physically comfortable not sharing their home with a furry pet. For allergy sufferers with mild to moderate reactions, the emotional benefits of having a pet trump the physical discomfort or a runny nose, sneezing, or itchy eyes.

If you’re one who will not be dissuaded, there are breeds which tend to produce relatively low-allergen dogs because they have hair and not fur. Generally, these breeds are characterized by an assortment of coat types:  very curly coated dogs ( Poodles, Portuguese Water Dogs, Bedlington Terriers, Bichon Frises), hairless dogs (Inca Orchid, Xolo, Chinese Crested Hairless, Hairless Rat Terrier), corded dogs ( Puli, Komondor), and wire-haired dogs (Wirehaired Fox Terrier, Broken Coat Parson/Jack Russell Terrier, Wirehaired Dachshund, Rough Coat Brussels Griffon, etc.). These breeds tend to have less fur than other breeds, but more importantly, generally shed less dander.

The curly-coated and corded dogs require significant grooming commitments. Many of these breeds are high energy and can be challenging – they require a lot of physical and mental stimulation to live happily in a home. Many of them require experienced dog owners and are not good “getting your dog ownership feet wet” breeds.

If you choose to bring a pet into the home despite the inevitable allergy symptoms, consult with your allergist about appropriate air filters and vacuums – clean frequently and thoroughly. Keep your dog out of the bedroom at all times. Bathe your dog once every four weeks using anti-allergenic shampoos. Ask your allergist about cleaning products that can help reduce the allergens in the home.

Many allergists will recommend that the dog should live outside. Virtually every behavior expert would strongly disagree. Dogs are social creatures and desire companionship. Your dog would much rather live in your house than in your yard, and relegating him to the backyard may produce any number of unwanted behaviors, including but not limited to: barking, digging, destruction of property; and are also subject to injury, poisoning, attacks by other dogs or wild animals and even unscrupulous humans. If you get a dog, make him part of your family by allowing him to live inside.

Doodles And Poos

Often, the designer dog craze, which revolves around mixing a poodle with nearly every other breed on the planet to play on the heartstrings and wallets of allergy sufferers seeking hypoallergenic dogs, is very  misleading to potential pet owners. Do not assume that mixed breeds with one poodle parent will automatically be low-allergen dogs.

Breeders of mixed breed dogs should be held to the same high standards as any breeders – insist on health checks appropriate to both parent breeds, meet both parents if possible (and the mother at a minimum), view the areas where the puppies will be whelped, ask for detailed descriptions of the type of socialization the puppies are provided with, look for breed-appropriate titles and conformation championships.

The Future Of Hypoallergenic Pets

Science has also taken notice of the pet-owning/allergy-suffering quandary. A company called Allerca has created what they call “lifestyle pets.” Allerca has allegedly produced the world’s first “scientifically proven hypoallergenic cats and dogs.” For as “little” as $5,000 (this is a special, limited time price) and as much as $16,000, you can bring one of these lifestyle pets into your home.

Obtaining one of these pets involves a 9-12 month wait list at this time. While these prices are out of reach for many pet allergy sufferers, the fact that this type of research is being done bodes well for the future of allergy sufferers who are also animal lovers. Perhaps someday, truly hypoallergenic pets will be available to individuals with dog and cat allergies.

Until then, there are a number of low-allergen dog breeds that are worth considering. Careful research will help you decide which breed is the best match for your family. Once you bring your new pet home, meticulous cleaning to remove dander from the environment, as well as allergy medication prescribed by your allergist, and keeping your dog’s coat clean and healthy will help keep the sneezing, wheezing, and red, itchy eyes to a minimum.

I feel that there may be (at least) three different causes for thunderstorm phobias.  Here are training techniques selected to address these problems may vary according to which aspects are triggering the phobic thundestorm response. These three are:

• Fear of the sound of thunder: Does your dog’s fear response begin when he first hears the thunder?  Does he startle quickly at other loud, sharp sounds or sounds without easily identifiable sources?  Fireworks?  Cars backfiring?  A dropped pan?  Doors slamming?
• Static electric change in the environment: Does your dog try to “ground himself” by seeking shelter in a bathtub, under a table on a ceramic floor tile, or on any sort of rubber matting?  Does your dog normally like touch but avoid your touch during a storm?
• Change in barometric pressure: These are the dogs that generally try to get to “low ground” – running to hide in the basement, getting in a bathtub and not wanting to come up until the storm has passed.

These three factors are not mutually-exclusive, some dogs may trigger off all three triggers that are  mentioned, for them a combination of rehabilitation treatment techniques will be indicated.  For all three situations, the use of general calming aids may help you establish a less stressful environment for your dog.  Calmative aids may include:

• Massage can reduce the chemicals associated with fear.
• The Tapper combined with Dog Stress Reduction Program can have immediate results
• Dog Appeasing Pheremone or DAP – this is a synthetic replicate of a pheromone a dam would release while whelping her puppies to calm them.  It’s available in spray, collar, and plug-in form.
• Aromatherapy – my personal favorite is pharmaceutical grade lavender and vanilla essential oils diluted in distilled water.  BEWARE!  EO (essential oils) are not recommended for use in homes with resident kitties – their livers cannot appropriately metabolize EO in the environment, given internally, or applied to their skin.
• Supplements – .  She should be able to instruct you which, if any, may be appropriate for your dog and in what doses.  Some supplements which may help:  melatonin, valerian root, supplements containing kava, chamomile, passion flower, or lemon balm, B-vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, GABA, l-theanine, and 5-HTP.
• Flower essences – while many are familiar with Rescue Remedy (which is a blend of a variety of flower essences and availability in a variety of forms including sprays, topical creams, drops, etc.), few know that there is a very wild world of flower essences – the difference can be remarkable in dogs for whom the right essence or blend is found/created.
• Dietary modification – you may find that making changes to your dog’s diet can help reduce his anxiety.  Turkey-based foods are wonderful for anxious dogs who can tolerate them, l-tryptophan is an essential amino acid in turkey and is responsible for your feelings of sleepiness after Thanksgiving dinner! Adjusting levels of protein and carbohydrates according to your dog’s needs and incorporating whole, fresh foods may make dramatic changes in his behavior.
• Standard Western Medications – prescription medications for anxiety reduction are available and their use may be indicated in some dogs.  When indicated, their use may be permanent or temporary depending on the dog.  Meds alone will not solve this problem, so while you can talk to your vet about medication and if it may be right for your dog, expect to do dog behavior training to reduce his anxiety as well.