Going to the dogs is not so bad

I would like to tell you about my dog, Bones. I hadn’t planned on getting a dog, because I have always fancied myself a bit of a cat person. Before I go into what Bones has to do with AIM BarleyLife®, you are going to have to endure the story of how I came to know Bones.

Late this summer, while Brad McNish’s (president of Sepallo as you are likely well aware) boys were playing in their tree house, a great white beast appeared on the horizon and began loping toward them. At first it appeared to be a large timber wolf and the boys were startled enough to shout to their father and quickly clamber up into the tree house.

However, it turned out that the “loping wolf” was actually an abandoned, emaciated dog complete with a limp, a smile, and warm brown eyes. Brad took him in and soon realized that this dog would be the perfect companion for his friend, Nicole. Brad has known me for many years now, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when he was right (he would tell you that he is always right anyhow). I adore this dog.

However, all relationships have their problems. I don’t think Bones likes my cats and I don’t like his stinky dog smell. He can’t do anything about the cats aside from eat them, which he is too good natured to do, but I most certainly set out to take care of the smell issue by researching chlorophyll which, as you know, is highly concentrated in AIM BarleyLife®.

Historically, especially in the ’40s and ’50s, chlorophyll and its synthetic derivative, chlorophyllin, have been used orally in people as aids to reduce odors from colostomy or ileostomy and also as aids to reduce fecal odor due to incontinence. There is also a disease called Trimethylaminuria, which is a hereditary disorder characterized by excretion of a compound that has a foul “fishy odor.” A study in 2004 showed that oral chlorophyllin supplementation significantly reduces this compound and, therefore, the odor associated with it. Chlorophyll derivatives are effective enough that they are listed as internal deodorants under the FDA’s regulations regarding miscellaneous products for over-the-counter use.

I always knew intuitively that chlorophyll was good for you. It wasn’t until I began researching this article that I began to see the overwhelming current research that is illustrating the role of chlorophyll in disease prevention. Chlorophyll and chlorophyllin definitely have antioxidant effects as they can neutralize several physically relevant oxidants. They may also have antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic activities. Chlorophyll and chlorophyllin are able to form tight molecular complexes with certain chemicals known or suspected to cause cancer, including those found in tobacco smoke and cooked meat. This may interfere with the absorption of carcinogens and, therefore, their damaging effect.

Clearly, I am now feeding Bones AIM BarleyLife®. He enjoys half a tablespoon in his large bowl of water in the morning and a half a tablespoon at night. He is a picky eater and doesn’t like it in his food, but adding it to soft food works for a lot of dogs. The message is clear – chlorophyll in AIM BarleyLife® is good for both you and your pet!