Animals
Mel (@hotrodmel) • Instagram photos and videos
Hot Rod Mel has a neurological disease so he can't get around by himself without falling over. But Eddie's Wheels made him a 4-wheel doggie wheelchair and now he is running!
This and That
For inmates at SCI-Mercer, dog-training program has mutual benefits | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Rejected dogs get a second chance when inmates help train them.
People And Pets – Healing Each Other | Care2 Healthy Living
Dr. Thomas changed from conventional veterinary medicine to an alternative healing practice, as he saw how the heart-to-heart connection of pets and people let them heal each other
Research
Are mushrooms medicinal? - PubMed - NCBI
Although this review article says there is no proof that mushrooms treat disease, it also says that the presence of certain chemicals in mushrooms suggests that secondary metabolites with useful pharmacological properties are widespread in these fungi. I suspect the "no proof" articles were not using them in a way that integrative medicine would, especially since there is good evidence for mushrooms increasing numbers of immune cells.
Lentinan mitigates therarubicin-induced myelosuppression by activating bone marrow-derived macrophages in an MAPK/NF-κB-dependent manner. - PubMed - NCBI
An extract of Shiitake mushrooms increases the number of various immune cells, as well as the factors that stimulate their growth.
Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. - PubMed - NCBI
Eating Shitake mushrooms increased immune cells and decreased inflammatory markers
Polysaccharide from Lentinus edodes inhibits the immunosuppressive function of myeloid-derived suppressor cells. - PubMed - NCBI
A polyuscaccharide from Shitake mushrooms stimulates the differentiation of immune suppressor cells (T regs) and reverses their immunosuppressive functions, shedding new light on developing novel anti-cancer strategies by targeting immune suppressor cells.
Study on vitamin D2 stability in dried mushrooms during drying and storage. - PubMed - NCBI
Storing dried mushrooms for a year and a half resulted in a decrease of vitamin D2 to 1/3 or less of their orignal content. But shining ultraviolet light on them can increase the vitamin D2 level.