Feeling sad and stressed due to COVID-lockdown?

Depression in winter time is quite normal, because we aren't exposed to the vitamin D-generating sunrays, which also enhances immunity levels. Fortunately, we can take vitamin D supplements to combat seasonal depression as well as enhance immunity levels.

Another way to chase sadness away is by celebrating, no matter whether that's Sinterklaas, Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas or New Year. We will decorate our houses, exchange gifts and overeat , get a bit tipsy and enjoy ourselves.
This year is different: restaurants, shops and even gyms need to close down and we are not allowed to gather together in groups. Lack of entertainment, retail therapy and exercise will make it much more difficult to overcome feelings of depression.
It gets worse when you are among those who work in the tourism or entertainment industry and have lost your job as well as most of your income.

For now it is probably best to just accept the current state of affairs and try to console yourself with non-edible goods, such as nice music with a good book, entertaining movie, and aromatherapy (perfume/room fragrances).
And, weather permitting, put on your walking shoes and go for a long walk in the forests or local park.

But perhaps you have been feeling too stressed to enjoy whatever you still can do to relax? Or you were already feeling sad before COVID-19 came along? In that case, DHEA might help.

Common foods that are dangerous for our pets

Last week we sold SAM-e to a dog owner who had been told by her vet to give it to her dog that accidentally was poisoned eating xylitol.
Xylitol, I asked in disbelief? That sweetener that is recommended by each dentist to use as a chewing gum because it is even healthy for us?
Yes, indeed, xylitol can and will poison your pet as it can't process it and as a result will cause damage to the liver.

After having induced vomiting, and being put on intubation to keep fluids up, the dog could go back home with his owner with the advice to give it one tablet of SAM-e every day in order to heal the liver.

Most of you probably also didn't know either how xylitol can be poisonous for pets. Which begs the question: what foods that we love to eat are poisonous for cats and dogs and should never be fed to them?


If your pet eats any of these things then the best thing to do is to get advice straight away from your local vet. Don't wait until they are developing problems because by then it could be too late. It will certainly be much more expensive. Don't leave them lying around and make sure they are stored away safely in cupboards. Preferably ones your pet can't open!

Here's a list of the most common poisonous foods that can kill your dog or cat.

Which nutritional supplements can you give to your pet?

Just as many pet parents are paying more attention these days to the quality of food they feed their companion animals, they are also realizing the potential benefits of nutritional supplements.

Supplements are becoming more and more recognized as a valuable component of a comprehensive care program for pets.

The primary categories for supplements include joint support, skin and coat health, GI tract health, and liver and kidney support. A less well-known but equally important type of supplement supports healthy circulation, optimal immune function, the healthy presence of oxygen in tissues, and cardiovascular health.

Why do elderly people suffer more easily from dehydration?

Normally, our summers tend to alternate between cooler and warmer days with plenty of rain, but at the moment we experience a prolonged period of unusually warm and dry weather. This is probably why it is not so common to warn against dehydration among elderly adults on hot summer days, which is a grave mistake. 
While even healthy younger adults have a hard time staying properly hydrated in the heat, elderly citizens have an especially hard time because they don't even drink enough in cooler weather.

It’s important to prevent dehydration because it’s a common cause of hospitalization in people over 65 and can even cause death.
Dehydration can also cause other major health problems like kidney stones, blood clot complications, passing out, rapid but weak pulse, and lowered blood pressure. Being properly hydrated is also very important for certain medications to work.

Because water has numerous functions in the human body, it is one of the most important nutrients and is essential in every life stage. However, with aging, the body’s mechanisms of water balance are disturbed, increasing the risk of dehydration among the elderly.
There are high rates of dehydration in the elderly population and dehydration is one of the ten most frequent diagnoses reported for hospitalisations of persons over 65 in the United States. 

Older and stronger

It's often thought that older adults must tolerate the strength and muscle loss that come with age. However not only can we fight the battle of strength and muscle loss as we age, we can even build muscle and strength well into our Golden Years.
Getting older doesn't mean giving up muscle strength. Not only can adults fight the battle of strength and muscle loss that comes with age, but the Golden Years can be a time to get stronger.

Resistance exercise is a great way to increase lean muscle tissue and strength capacity so that people can function more readily in daily life.
Through resistance training adults can improve their ability to stand up out of a chair walk across the floor, climb a flight of stairs -- anything that requires manipulating their own body mass through a full range of motions.

The most important factor in somebody's function is their strength capacity. No matter what age an individual is, they can experience significant strength improvement with progressive resistance exercise even into the eighth and ninth decades of life.

Epidemiological study: more muscle strength with more magnesium

The more magnesium elderly people have in their blood, the more muscle strength they have. This is the conclusion from an Italian epidemiological study done at the University of Palermo, which examined eleven hundred people aged between sixty and seventy. Magnesium increased the strength with which the elderly Italians could close a grip spring, the amount of kilograms they could raise with their calves and the weight they could shift doing leg extensions.