Soul Touched by Dogs

Welcome to the Soul Touched by Dogs
Podcast, the show for dog lovers who

see dogs not as toys or tools, but
wise souls worth our respect and care.

I'm an Herrmann, and I'm your host.

I talk to poor some humans, people who
do great work for dogs and their people.

So come and join us for
today's conversation.

Hello and welcome, Dr.

Marlene.

I'm very excited to have you here.

Well, I am just thrilled to be here and
to be able to share with your audience

all the things that I am passionate about.

Well, and we know there's a lot of it.

So let's just get started.

Let people know, where in this
lovely world are you based?

And, you know, what is all the
stuff you're passionate about?

Well, I physically have a practice in
Tampa, Florida, but I do travel worldwide.

I lecture worldwide and I do
consultations for clients worldwide.

Okay, so you're a holistic vet,
like people like, you know, imagine

people know nothing about you.

So, you know, we talk about a holistic
vet and a lot of people have a

misconception that holistic means
woo woo and kind of out there crazy.

And what holistic actually means
is that we look at the whole

organism, body, mind, and spirit
and all the parts work together.

So holistic actually means that
we're integrating the body as a whole

and treating the body as a whole.

We know we're trained in this western
world that there's the eye doctor,

there's the kidney doctor, there's the
liver doctor, there's the skin doctor.

And sadly, they don't talk to each other.

It's almost like they think their
world is just their little topic.

And the rest of the body
doesn't communicate with that.

Well, we obviously know
that's not the case.

So I do what is more called
bioregulatory medicine, which

actually comes from Germany.

And it's where we understand
the biology of the body.

We're a big machine.

We're a big vat of chemistry and
biological pathways that are going on.

And we were designed to be able
to function with certain support.

And then there's things that will inhibit
or damage the body from functioning.

So what I do is I help identify what
are the things that the body needs and

how can we make sure that it's provided.

And, and we're in a world of deficiency.

So of course that's, you know,
really, really big problem.

And then the other side
of that is the toxicities.

We want to make sure that we're
identifying all the toxins that this

particular animal may be exposed
to so that we can help mitigate the

damage, remove it if it's possible,
and help, help the owners be aware

of how to avoid it, which would
even be the best of the solutions.

So all of that to said, to say that
with bioregulatory medicine, we're

literally understanding the biology
of the body, Helping it to function

in its highest and best way so that
we have that health and longevity that

we came to earth school to experience.

I love that.

I love that so much.

And I think it's, you know, it feels
to me, there's a bit of a wave towards

that in human medicine as well.

Right.

So we've started to recognize, yeah, when
all the different doctors don't talk to

each other, we have a problem and things
don't really get addressed at the book.

So we're just huffing
around on the surface.

So you mentioned the parts that the
body needs and often doesn't get, and

then there's the things that the body
does get and shouldn't, so can you

mention a few examples on each category?

Absolutely.

So when we were kids, I don't know
if they had it in Germany, but we had

Flintstone vitamins here in the U.

S.

Candies, you know, and your, your mom
gave you your Flintstone vitamins.

So you had your vitamins for the day.

And we really didn't
know, what do vitamins do?

Well, vitamins and minerals
are the cofactors that actually

run our metabolic pathway.

So they are quite important.

Take vitamin D as an example,
that's D like in dog.

Vitamin D in humans can be
synthesized either from our diet,

the meat that we eat, or it can
be synthesized from the sun.

Herbivores, like the cows and deer
and the animals that are grazing on

grasses, they can only synthesize
vitamin D from their outside environment.

So they get it from the sun.

If they're not in the sun, they
can't synthesize vitamin D and

incorporate that into their meat.

Carnivores only get vitamin
D from their protein source.

So think about the fact that if that
cow was in a feed light all of its

life, was never really out in the
sun, it was not grass fed, grass

finished, then that animal is going
to be deficient in vitamin D itself.

Then whoever eats that animal is going to
be vitamin D deficient if they're relying

on that protein to provide the vitamin D.

So that's just one example.

Eighty five percent.

of animals that were tested on a
kibble diet through a university.

were found to be vitamin D insufficient.

Now why that's important is
because vitamin D is one of the

two critical nutrients necessary
to run the innate immune system.

That's the immune system portion
that we don't have to think about.

Our body does it automatically.

So if you're deficient in vitamin D
as a human or a dog or a cat, you are

not going to be able to utilize the
importance of your innate immune system.

So that's just one example.

And another one would be
when we have imbalances.

A lot of pet food companies that
are making frankenfood, it's not

real food, and they're selling
this kibble loaded sugar rich

enzymatically dead garbage to our pets.

They're using synthetic vitamins in order
to be able to meet the AFCO standards.

That doesn't mean that it is
bioavailable to the animal to utilize.

And if they get the percentages
wrong, Everything is affected

on how it's absorbed.

So if you have too much copper and
not enough zinc, you're going to

affect how each of them is absorbed.

Calcium in proportion to phosphorus
and also the other minerals.

So it is really important
that we eat real food.

with real sources of natural vitamins and
then minerals and fatty acids because our

bodies require this in order to function.

And I do want to mention on the fatty
acid side, we are so conditioned

now to be taught to eat Fish oils.

Oh, we have to have the Omega
6 and Omega 3 fish oils.

Well, what we aren't told is
that that was a marketing craze

that happened some years ago.

And fish oils nowadays are extremely
high in mercury and they go rancid

extremely quickly when exposed to
air and then they become toxic.

So yes, we do need essential fatty acids.

We need the ones that I call the parent
essential fatty acids because they make

up 40 to 60 percent of our cell membrane.

So yes, we do have to have them,
but I use them from plant based

materials like Primrose oil
and hemp oil and pumpkin seed.

There's so many oils that will provide,
Flax, will provide the fatty acids that

we need, essentially need for our body.

And then how miraculous is this?

We have enzymes in our bodies that
take those parent essential fats and

will convert them into those other
fatty acids that we need to have

at the time that we need them and
in the quantity that we need them.

Oh, that's, that's fascinating.

And it's shocking at the same time.

You know, when you think about it,
it's almost like a miracle that.

You know, I think it feels to
me like especially dogs that

don't live as long these days.

Oh, they don't.

Conclusive.

And so with what you've just
explained, it's like it's a

miracle to survive at all, right?

Oh, absolutely.

And so two points that you just made.

Number one, the life expectancy
of dogs right now is seven years

shorter than it was 25 years ago.

That is documented.

And we're not understanding the why.

We're just We're being taught to accept
the fact that when we get old, we're

going to fall apart and get crickety and
need a whole basket full of medicine.

No, that is not true.

I am reaching 70 years of age.

I feel 70 years young and I am vibrant
and I have energy and I am more

functional than I was in my twenties
when I was in Beth's school and I was

under so much stress and At that time,
we didn't have genetically modified

foods, but we had junk food, right?

So people like junk food
to just survive in college.

So yeah, it's a really big deal.

So, you know, we really need to be looking
at why are we living shorter and then

what is happening in our lifestyles that
is creating this dysfunction because we

are now, we are only in survival mode.

There's a difference between
survival and thriving.

Our bodies, because we are regenerative
machines and we were built to

adapt and survive, that means when
circumstances are not ideal, our

bodies just don't stop running.

They don't die.

Like your car, if you didn't
put in gasoline, that's an

essential nutrient to a car.

If you didn't put gasoline in
the car, it just wouldn't run.

But we, if we don't get the right
nutrients in our body, we have all these

adaptive mechanisms, and our pets do
as well, obviously I'm talking to both,

they have these adaptive mechanisms
that will help the body to survive

because it is assumed that once you
get through the crisis, whatever that

cataclysmic Problem is, it will pass
and then you can go back to thriving

because then your lifestyle will improve.

And the way it worked for our ancestors
is when they had blizzards and freezes

and they didn't have enough resources to
make it through the winter, they A lot of

people and a lot of animals starved, but
those that could survive once the spring

came back and food was plentiful, then
they stuffed themselves with food again.

And they were then being
able to go back to thriving.

So these mechanisms, we call them
hormetic stressors, that our bodies

were actually designed to adapt to.

For our purpose of surviving and
then thriving in the next era that

was coming forward, you know, so it
was basically all the time, right?

Exactly.

You have to go from that
surviving phase into thriving.

And then you made these genetic
adaptations so that you are now more

prepared to function well and pass on a
better gene pool for the next generation.

But what's happening now is we're staying
in survival mode and getting more and more

chronic degenerative diseases to where
the body goes, I got to, I'm going to

give up because nothing's getting better.

And now pathogens take over
because they're going, the

motherships, it's crashing, it's
burning, it's not coming back.

So let's become pathogenic
and try to at least send

something that may survive this.

It's such a, it's such a
vicious cycle as well, right?

So, so with what you explained at
the beginning with the vitamin D,

so now we mess up our immune system.

So we have less to fight with against all
the other toxins that we are exposed to.

So if I'm now determined to say, well,
okay, at least for my own body and for

my dogs, I want to do the best I can.

What do you recommend?

Like, okay, where do I start?

That's a great question.

Um, and we start with education.

So I'm going to plug my Empowered
Pet Parent course because it

is so critically important for
people to start with knowledge.

You know, we have the internet, which
is an amazing source, this amazing web.

However, not all the information that
you get is good information, right?

And so we have to learn how to
cut through the noise, how to cut

through the marketing, and the
BS, which I call belief systems.

So, is it a belief system?

Is it BS that's supporting you?

Or is it BS that needs to be changed?

Because If you don't keep up with the
changing times, then you're living

in the past and you're thinking about
things in the past and you can't

adapt to what's happening in the now.

So it's extremely important
to start with education.

Once we educate our pet parents, we teach
them how to identify through testing.

We, we test, don't guess.

What are those deficiencies?

What are those toxicities?

And now we can very
target what we need to do.

We know exactly what
we need to supplement.

We know exactly what we need to
detoxify from, and we detoxify

all six organs of elimination.

We have a kidney, colon, lungs, liver,
skin, and lymphatics slash fascia.

We, I always include fascia now
in my discussion of lymphatics.

So these are organs that were built
into our pets bodies and our bodies,

and they were designed to get rid of the
toxins that we were exposed to, because

there's always been toxins around.

The problem is that since World War II,
1942, there have been over a hundred

synthetic toxins developed, released
into our food, water, our environment.

And so we just have this
overwhelming amount of toxicity.

And then our lifestyles have dramatically
changed to where we're so sedentary.

We're not out in the sun,
we're not sweating, we're not

exercising, we're not moving.

And Now our organs of elimination
aren't able to function, let alone

keep up with the level of toxicity
that they're inundated with.

So it, when you say it that way, you
go, wow, that makes a lot of sense.

So we start with, after you get
your education, we start with

identifying the deficiencies and
toxicities, really simple test.

I can actually mail a kit to
people so they can even do

it themselves for their pets.

Uh, there, you will have to
get somebody to draw some blood

and put it into the test kit.

But then you mail it off.

And then I helped with the
interpretation of the results.

And then we start making sure we have all
the essential nutrients that are provided.

So this magnificent machine that we call
home in our bodies, it relies on a few

critical things that it has to have.

And those are essential vitamins.

minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids.

And these are the ones that
the body cannot manufacture in

sufficient quantities on its own.

You have to get them in your food, or
you have to get them as a supplement.

Well, everybody recognizes that the
foods that we're eating today are

loaded with chemicals, pesticides,
genetically modified ingredients,

glyphosate, and our foods are being
grown on nutrient depleted soils.

So if you If that plant doesn't
have the nutrients in the soil to

absorb, then when you eat that plant,
you still don't have the nutrient.

So I think in today's modern age,
it is critical that we are able

to supplement what we now know
are those essential nutrients.

So that's what I did.

I created a supplement line so that I
know my patients, no matter what their

deficiencies are, I can make sure that
they have those essentials in their diet.

Now the metabolism has
the ability to function.

Then number three is we heal the leaky gut
and we know glyphosate being the number

one thing that damages the gut lining.

So our gut lining looks like a piece of
cheesecloth and all those fibers that

hold the cheesecloth together, those
are called actin filaments in our gut.

Glyphosate literally melts that.

So it'd be like taking and burning
holes into that cheesecloth.

Now, what's the cheesecloth
going to do when you're trying

to strain out your soup?

All the pieces, your vegetables and
your herbs and all, they're going

to fall through into the soup.

And if you only wanted the liquid,
you got holes, you're going

to get a lot of other stuff.

And that's what happens in leaky gut.

Things come in through that gut membrane
that were not supposed to come in, travel

by the bloodstream, go to the liver, and
then the liver mounts an inflammatory

response to get rid of the invaders.

And that is the source of our
dis ease, is inflammation.

Inflammation will hit the weakest
link in the body, or plural, weakest

links, depending on the individual.

And so for our dogs, our weakest
link is typically the skin.

So we see ear infections is number one
because the ear canal is skin wrapped

into a tube and stuck down a deep hole.

So it's usually the first place that
we'll see an issue and then once it moves

out of the ear canal it moves into the
skin of the body where now it becomes

very visible and we have itching and
scratching and seborrhea and hot spots

and hair falling out and all the symptoms
that people recognize in their pets.

Sadly.

Our industry treats the symptoms.

It's literally symptom suppression.

And so they get stronger and stronger
immune suppressive medications to

make the immune system stop when
the immune system isn't the problem.

The problem is toxins coming in through
that leaky gut inciting the inflammatory

reaction, which is doing its job.

So wouldn't it be kind of novel if we
maybe fix the reason why we have the

leaky gut, stop doing the things that
are causing it and then heal it and

then let the body go back to doing
what it innately knows how to do.

Yeah.

So, so let's take the, the skin,
like, you know, I don't know, like,

Example, a friend of mine, you know,
her dog licks his paws the whole time.

So she goes to the vet, they give her
some cortisol kind of cream thingy.

And it doesn't help, you know.

What would you suggest?

Like, is there, you know,
where would she start?

Or is there a lot of, you know?

Yeah, she's going to start.

Especially if she's in
Europe, like, okay, you know.

Even in Europe, actually, they have some
really good raw food companies out there.

So she starts with, once she understands
what the problem is, stop doing the

things that are causing the disease.

Stop feeding processed foods.

Stop Exposing our animals to toxins
in the water and in the air and in

products that you put on their skin.

You know, our laundry
soaps is a great example.

They're loaded with xenoestrogens.

These are estrogen mimicking compounds
and they're disruptors to our hormones.

So we're touching something 24 7 as
humans and our animals are typically

on our lap or they're laying next to
us or they're in our beds so they're

exposed to this stuff as well and with
their body surface area they're probably

absorbing more than we are because we
know our skin is the largest organ of

absorption and excretion so We have to
stop doing the things that are causing it.

You cannot keep taking a
medication to suppress the

symptom and expect it to go away.

So she has to feed a better food.

She has to make sure the
water quality is good.

She has to make sure that the essential
vitamins, minerals, fatty acids,

and amino acids are provided in the
diet and then heal that leaky gut.

And step number four is detoxification
of the six organs of elimination.

So I actually have a I have
two courses on my website.

One is for lymphatic therapy
and the other one is fascia

decompression for your fur baby.

And these are things that we teach pet
parents how to relieve fascia compression

by using their hands and gravity.

So you don't have to have any
equipment whatsoever and you can

improve the fascia network in your
own pet's body in your own home.

I love that.

I love that.

So where can people go and find out more?

Because we obviously can't
go and scratch the surface.

It feels like, you know what I
think is actually interesting?

That if I look at everything you've shared
through the lens of, okay, this is for

my dogs, I'm like, yeah, you could have
just as well talked about us, right?

So it feels like it's the
same for people and, and dogs.

So maybe.

The exact vitamins and minerals
and proportions might be a

different species, but the
underlying principles are the same.

So if we were to say, well, actually,
let's kind of live a bit more consciously.

And, you know, I think, Everybody wins.

Wins.

Including including our dogs, right?

So where can people go and
find out more about your work?

Can get on your email list,
can check out the courses.

Where are we gonna send them?

Thank you Dr.

Like in doctor marlene
siegel.com made it super easy.

That is the hub of everything me.

So the hospital website is there.

My.

We have blogs, my courses,
we have an online store.

I don't, I think we can ship
some things into Europe.

I don't think we can ship everything,
but even equipment things to

be able to empower people to
detoxify at home with their pets.

I have created a It's a blueprint
for people to follow so that

you are truly empowered.

That's why it's called the
Empowered Pet Parent Course.

But I also have a course for
veterinarians because my other massive

quest is transforming vet medicine.

You know, we, we don't do
a lot of work to do that.

Here I am trunking along, right?

But I still remember the vet when I
first got my first dog, you know, and

I asked the vet about like, okay, so
I don't know, new dog parent here.

What should I feed my dog?

Oh, you've got to give him that kibble
and never give him anything else.

I do, but you know, here's where I know
that there's hope because there is not

a single veterinarian I have ever met.

that intentionally, willfully, and
consciously wants to harm an animal.

We do not go into this industry
because we want to do harm.

We all want to do the very best.

We want to be the heroes to our pet
parents and the heroes to our patients.

However, If you don't know
better, you can't do better.

And you only know what you know and
you don't know what you don't know.

And sadly, our education was
influenced by the Rockefellers and the

Carnegies through the Flexner Report.

If somebody doesn't know what the Flexner
Report is, you look up that report and you

now know why all of these other modalities
are no longer taught in the mainstream

educational process because the whole idea
was to get us hooked onto pharmaceuticals

and a pharmaceutical company.

model of health care, which
is really a broke care model

designed to be a cash cow.

I can't say that any nicer.

You know, that's what it is.

And it's time for all of us to
Wake up and take control because no

one's out there going to save us.

There is nobody coming down
on a white steed who is going

to say, look, I'm your savior.

It isn't going to happen.

There's not one government out there
that is really going to protect us.

We the people, we have to be
responsible for our own health.

We are the only ones that are going
to be there for our pets and our

pets rely on us We are it for them.

They can't make choices for themselves
because they don't have access

to go out and hunt and forage.

So we really have to start taking
responsibility and owning their

health, owning our health, and
owning the health of our planet.

So I, I'm going to go a little even
broader because all those toxic decisions

that we make affect Mother Earth.

Everything we're talking about
will be a mute issue if we don't

have a planet that's alive.

Right?

I think the planet will kill us
off before it'll kill itself.

But If, uh, if you
listen to Zach Bush, Dr.

Zach Bush, who is world famous, he talks
about we have 70 years left on this planet

as a species before we go extinct because
we have not lived a sustainable lifestyle.

And it's not about, you know,
climate warming and all that.

It's about our lifestyle.

It's about the things that we're
doing that are killing ourselves,

our pets, and our planet.

And it can be turned around
in one single thought.

Stop doing the things that are harmful.

Read the ingredients.

Don't buy from companies that
are making toxic products.

This is not hard.

This is really, I guess, especially
with the awareness, right.

And then knowing what
the alternatives are.

So, you know, there's a one thing,
go, go, go check her out, you know,

educated and, uh, let's turn this around.

Yeah, there's a wonderful
website for consumers.

It's called ewg.

org.

It's the, you know,
consumer awareness program.

And so people can go online and look
up products if they're not sure.

For me, if I can't pronounce the
name and I don't understand what that

product is, I'm not going to use it.

Right?

If there's more than four ingredients,
I'm probably not going to eat it.

That didn't come from nature.

I live in a food forest.

I literally created a food forest.

I grow food 360 degrees around my home.

I use all organic products in.

We're going to come to your place.

Watch it.

Yes.

Yes.

Come and learn how to grow food.

It's, it's amazing.

Um, you'll see every Friday
I post food forest Friday.

So I do things showing
how food is our medicine.

It really is.

It's where medicine originally came from.

They took compounds out of natural
products and then made a patent with it.

But they also took it
out of its natural form.

So now you don't have all of the other
synergistic pieces that go along with it.

So it's really, it's a symphony of
things that help to keep us healthy.

And when you take one element out and
you say, Oh, that's the only element

that's effective, you've lost all
the other parts that add to that.

Beautiful, cooperative, cohesive type
of exposure that nature gives us.

We just need to go back to nature.

I think so.

Who are we going to give our dollars to?

We are voting with our dollars.

Are you going to vote to keep companies
out there killing us and killing

our children and our pets or are we
going to stop giving them the money

and give it to companies that are
really trying to do the right thing,

sustainably, ethically, morally, etc.

Thank you so much.

I, I just hope people will literally just
like flush to your website and, and check

you out because it's like, it's kind of
like you, you've got a movement going

and I think we'll wanna be part of it.

So thank you so much.

I hope so.

For coming and um, yeah, I
can't wait to find out more.

I'm gonna go and follow the , you know.

Thank you.

Food Friday, forest Friday.

Thank you so much.

Food Forest Friday.

Food Forest Friday.

That's it, right?

That's it.

Thank you so much.

Bye everyone.

Thanks so much for listening.

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That's A N k E at Soul
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