Insulin Resistance, cinnamon, herbs

As spring approaches in most parts of the country, we have to turn our thoughts to the flush of spring grass. For many of us, that beautiful spring green has become a curse as our horses gain weight and consider foundering or becoming Insulin Resistant (IR). We spend hours researching the latest information and wind up more confused than ever. The Harmany Equine (http://www.harmanyequine.com) website is at the forefront of safe, credible information and will be updated this spring with more information.

Here is this week's tip. Cinnamon is an herb that has received some press about its effectiveness in treating obesity and IR. Many supplements now contain cinnamon, some contain large amounts. Lets try to understand this herb, its actions and where it is useful and where it is dangerous. Just because an herb is "natural" does not mean it is safe.

Herbs have many properties that determine how best to use them. Some herbs, such as Chamomile, are relaxing, some are stimulating such as green tea. Some herbs are cooling such as peppermint, while some are warming, such as cinnamon. Think about a cup of hot cinnamon tea or hot chocolate with cinnamon. In the winter that sounds fantastic, but if i offer that to you on a hot summer day, you would think i was nuts. But you would drink that peppermint tea.

Internally some of run warm–think about the spouse that always turns the heat down or the horse that always removes his blankets. Some of run cold–think about your grandmother who has the heat at 90 and is wearing a sweater, or the horse (often an older one) who shivers easily and really loves his blankets. And herb that is appropriate for the warm horse may be inappropriate for the cool horse and vice versa. In fact, the inappropriate herb may actually be bad for the wrong horse.

This is where information about cinnamon is important. Yes, there is research that shows it helps IR. But, the problem lies in identifying which horses are cool, where cinnamon would helpful and which are warm, where adding more warmth could precipitate a case of laminitis. I see this happen on a regular basis in my practice, someone buys a supplement with cinnamon, feeds it to an already warm horse and the horse founders. It could be 2 weeks, it might not be for 6 months. The people most qualified to determine a horses internal temperature are acupuncturists and vets trained in Chinese medicine. You cannot take your horse's temperature to find this out, it is a Chinese medical diagnosis.

This idea of warm and cool also applies to other herbal products, especially Chinese herbs sold through the internet. Chinese herbal formulas are very specific in their actions, while western herbal products are less so.

Look for IR updates and tips to keep you out of trouble this spring. The safest basic IR formula is OB Formula form Harmany Equine (http://www.harmanyequine.com/shop/index.php?cPath=4).

Enjoy the warmer weather.

What is homeopathy, can it benefit my horse?

Homeopathic medicine has been practiced around the world for about two hundred years; it is presently receiving more recognition because of its non-invasive but effective powers of healing. Veterinarians are becoming interested in homeopathy as an alternative to conventional drugs, especially in some of the chronic problems horses have. Horse owners are interested because homeopathy is an excellent treatment for many simple acute problems. When used correctly there are no side effects.

Homeopathy utilizes medicines derived from plants, animals and minerals. The medicines, or remedies as they are often called, are made under FDA regulation, by diluting each substance many times, and "succeeding" or shaking the solution between each dilution. The diluted remedy is generally put onto a small lactose or sugar pellet, making a very palatable and easily administered medicine.

To understand how homeopathy works it is easiest to use an example. If a person has a red itchy, hot rash that feels better under hot water, like poison ivy often does, the remedy would be the dilute homeopathic form of poison ivy, called Rhus Tox. This would trigger the body to heal itself from that specific problem.

Homeopathy can be used easily by the horse-owner to treat the every-day problems horses create for themselves, such as wounds, bruises and colds. Some other chronic conditions treated with homeopathy are: colic, "heaves", tendonitis, laminitis, allergies, behavior problems and skin diseases. It is important that the person prescribing remedies for chronic disease problems in your horse be a veterinarian trained in homeopathy, because a diagnosis is always required in order to accurately select the remedy. There are veterinarians knowledgeable about homeopathy throughout the world (link to organization for homeopathic vets).

You can learn more about homeopathy through reading (my First Aid booklet is a great starting place) and occasional courses that we will list here. Books are also available at some health food and book stores. The homeopathic remedies are available at many health food stores as well as on our web site – the ones for humans are the same ones we use for the animals.

Welcome to our blog

Welcome to Harmany Equine's blog. I, Dr. Joyce Harman will write notes, tips and present new findings in the world of natural medicine for horses (with a few dog tips also :). i hope you check back often to keep up with the latest information. For a natural medicine web site and blog that have lots of information already up, check out http://holistichorse.com/. We are also on Facebook at Harmany Equine.

Joyce