You panic and call the vet, anxious to know how to help him.  She told me there were 2 things that would make a horse breathe that fast, neither of which I wanted my friend to have.  One was tying up, and the other was anhidrosis.

The heat index in south central Texas has been brutal this summer, and she has seen more horses than usual afflicted with anhidrosis.  Seems the veterinary world doesn’t really know what causes this.

I took him to see Madalyn and she did body work and acupuncture on him every couple of weeks.   In between I did some basic Equine Touch work on him also.  He is on a good nutrition program of Simplexity Essentials and ABC minerals, but she added vitamin C, Chia seeds, daily electrolytes and a dark beer!

The dark beer is interesting.  I had to syringe it into his mouth the first day.  The next day I used 2 buckets, one with all his supplements and some grain, and one had the beer mixed with some grain.  By the third day I was able to mix it all together.  This is a horse that has always dropped grain all over the ground, but with the addition of the beer he puts his nose in the bucket now and doesn’t pick it up til he is done licking the bottom!  My beagle/mix is disappointed, as she made it her mission every morning to clean up what he dropped, and now there isn’t anything to clean up.

I continued to ride the horse lightly, early in the morning, but watched his breathing closely.  I would rinse him off and then scrape the excess water off.  In August there is little to no wind, and without the wind to dry him quickly the water would act like a wet suit and actually keep him hotter.  I also used Sore No More as a brace to cool him.

It took 3-4 weeks for him to start sweating again, but it seemed an eternity.   For now I will continue all his supplements, especially the beer.  My beagle/mix might lose some weight!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, holler at me if you want to know how I fund my horse addiction … and you can, too!

When I can’t ride anymore, I shall still keep horses as long as I can hobble about with a bucket and a wheelbarrow.

When I can’t hobble, I shall roll my wheelchair out to the fence of the field where my horses graze, and watch them.

Monica Dickens

Guest post by Stephanie Valentine

Dick Francis is one of my favorite mystery writers for many reasons, not the least of which is that he writes mystery novels about horses. But more importantly, I love his novels because all of his main characters, sleuths, have one thing in common:

Integrity

Sadly, integrity is a quality that most MLM marketers claim to have, but is questionable at best. Why is integrity so hard to come by, especially in online MLM marketing? Because it’s so much harder to be honest and have integrity. Having integrity often means that your business builds slower than the people who have the flashy websites featuring lots of happy people laughing on a yacht or bunches of “promises” highlighted in neon-yellow.

It’s sad. It’s also true. The good news is that you can (and should) build your MLM business online with integrity. It will serve you better in the long run.

Online MLM: Integrity Makes You the Last Man Standing
Talk to any successful MLM marketer who has been in business for 20 years or more, online or offline, and you will find people of integrity. The MLM marketer with integrity is literally the “last man standing.” Why? Because they make promises, and then they make good on their promises. Translated into “MLM  Speak” that means that they promise to train and lead prospects, often through a duplicatable system that has been proven to work, which eventually creates successful MLM business builders who contribute to the MLM marketer’s check … month after month after month.

In short, MLM marketers with integrity often take longer to build their businesses but end up with larger checks, stronger downline networks, and more residual income with less work over time.

And that is exactly how certain main characters in Dick Francis novels “make it” – they do it with integrity. They find that business growth is slower but business keeps getting better over time. For instance, in a recent Dick Francis novel I just read, “Knockdown,” bloodstock agent Jonah Dereham starts out lean and hungry but ends up with more business that he can handle as he becomes notorious for being one of the only honest agents around.

Online MLM: What it Means to Have Integrity
Since “integrity” is one of those vague words that is quicksilver to define, it might be a good idea to get  down to brass tacks and figure out what the word means in the world of online MLM. There are lots of ways to have integrity when promoting your MLM business online. I’ve started a short list here just to get you thinking.

To have integrity in online MLM, you can:

• speak honestly about your own experiences (good, bad, or ugly) – read why a little grunge is sometimes a good thing
• share real experiences and successes from your upline or downline
• be honest about the amount of time and effort that went into creating those successes
• demonstrate your approach to online MLM marketing on a consistent basis, be it daily, weekly, or monthly
• encourage downline members and support them with leadership and training, but be clear that success ultimately resides in the member’s own initiative and efforts
• match downline members with the prospecting and training programs that best fit their needs (i.e., would article marketing be a better fit or social media? Perhaps both?)
• be straightforward with the amount of time and effort you are truly willing to invest in downline business builders
• be honest about your own skills and achievements (just remember that honesty never means that you have to sell yourself short!)

I hope this short list gives you some ideas of how integrity might look in an online MLM business. There are lots of ways to exercise integrity when you promote your business online and as you support your downline. The goal is to find ways of working your business that are principled yet still allow you to work your MLM business in a way that suits your personality.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Or contact me if you want to join our MLM team. We are teaching people to dive into online MLM head first … successfully! Find out how to work with me. I’m holding out for a few good people. Really.

Guest post:  Madalyn Ward

Wood horses are high-energy individuals who love physical challenges, and must be kept active or they will develop bad habits like kicking and biting. Wood horses also tend to become unhealthy if they are not exercised enough. While the Wood horse is not a picky eater, he does have a very sensitive liver and is prone to ulcers, especially if he doesn’t get enough entertainment and exercise. Feeding the Wood horse is all about selecting horse feeds and horse supplements with few ingredients so the diet stays simple. Too many ingredients in horse feeds and supplements can be aggravating to the liver.

Wood Horse Nutritional Support
The healthy Wood horse has a high level of Qi(energy), is more Yang(high metabolism), is affected by Wind and benefits from the sour flavor. The bitter flavor is also good for the Wood horse because it helps to disperse the Qi.

Neutral to cooling foods which build Yin and contain the sour or bitter flavor should predominate in the diet of the Wood horse.

Examples of ideal foods for the Wood horse include:
•    barley
•    grass hay
•    alfalfa hay
•    wheat germ(1/4 to 1/2 cup a day)
•    wheat bran
•    rice bran( up to 1 cup a day)
•    beet pulp
•    black sesame seeds(1 to 2 TBS a day)
•    parsley
•    seaweeds
•    micro-algae, especially chlorella(1 to 2 tsp), spirulina( 1 to 2 TBS), and Omega Sun blue-green algae(4 to 8 tablets) from Simplexity.
•    citrus fruits (contain the sour flavor)
•    apple cider vinegar (contains the sour flavor)

Herbs that contain the sour or bitter flavor and help with Qi dispersal include:
•    Buck Mountain hawthorn (10 to 15cc twice a day)
•    Digestive Product milk thistle (1 to 2 TBS twice a day for a 10 to 21 day course)
•    devil’s claw(combined with Yucca in the form of Ani-Motion )
•    red clover(contained in Four Hoofs )
•    aloe vera( 1 to 2 ounces a day)
•    black cohosh(contained in RelaxHer Blend )
•    chickweed(contained in Bleeders Blend )
•    dandelion(contained in Four Hoofs )
•    hops(contained in Relax Blend )
•    licorice(contained in Digestive Product UF )

Many of these bitter herbs also have a cleansing effect on the blood which lowers the work of the liver in detoxifying the system. Burdock is considered a mucilaginous herb but it also has some bitter detoxifying action. This herb, like dandelion, often grows around barnyards and should be left for the animals to eat as they need.

Even though many horse feeds and horse supplements can be included in the diet of the Wood horse temperament, it is best to select only a few at a time and avoid horse feeds or horse supplements with many ingredients. It is best to keep the Wood horse diet simple. Madalyn

For more information about Five Element Horse Temperaments check out Horse Harmony.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, holler at me if you want to know how I fund my horse addiction … and you can, too!

All go and no whoa

He is 20 years old now, and our barrel racing career would have been so much different had I known and understood TCM ( traditional Chinese medicine) and natural horsemanship when I first started him.

Typical traits of a Water horse:

*    Highly sensitive
*    Strong-willed
*    Athletic
*    Beautiful, sculpted features

Patterns when out of balance:

*    Fearful
*    Needy
*    Physically and mentally weak under pressure
*    Unpredictable when in pain
*    Prone to joint stiffness
*    Weak and sensitive teeth

These all describe Quattro perfectly.  He could run barrels with the best of them…when he was balanced and calm.  He won money for me every spring, but by summer he was fried.   He always wanted to please, and worried about it, mainly because he wasn’t sure what I wanted from him.  He didn’t trust me to keep him safe, and he desperately needed to feel safe and protected.

He was a natural at barrel racing, but he developed some nasty habits that finally ended his career.   Fear was a major player for him, as well as severe ulcers.   I couldn’t get him in the arena the last few years, and by the time he would go in we were both so frazzled that the run was awful.   He would get diarrhea just getting in the trailer…but he always got in!

I have retired him; he is now just a pasture ornament.  At first he was not happy with being retired, but he has adjusted.  I still see fear in his eyes when I have the occasion to halter him…he’s still not sure he can trust me, and he’s been turned out for 3 years.  If I had known about TCM 18 years ago, and how to handle a Water horse, our barrel racing career would have been much different.  Knowing your horse’s temperament is great, but I had to change my training techniques also.  TCM and natural horsemanship is benefiting my other horses, and Quattro is living the retired life of leisure.  Type your horse for free here.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.   Also, holler at me if you want to know how I fund my horse addiction … and you can, too!

Reading The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman was a real eye opener for me.

The five love languages of people are:

Words of Affirmation
Quality Time
Receiving Gifts
Acts of Service
Physical Touch

This book explained how good intentions do not replace giving a person what they want in relationships. This certainly helped explain to me why I am still single.

It also got me thinking about what the love language of a certain horse temperament, based on Five Element typing , would be.

Here is what I came up with:

Fire – Quality Time. The Fire horse temperament is all about relationship so spend lots of time grooming and hanging out with him.

Earth – Food. The Earth horse temperament is all about food so extra grazing time after a ride and the occasional treat will go a long way.

Metal – Respect. The Metal horse temperament wants to be respected and will not work for someone he does not respect.

Water – Safety. The Water horse temperament has to feel safe. An example of helping the Water horse to feel safe would be working at home with lots of obstacles and set up “scary” events to teach him to respond rather than react. Building his trust in you in his home area will prepare him for new environments.

Wood – A challenging job. The Wood horse temperament loves competing so give him lots of variety and difficulty in his work so he does not get bored.

So, good intentions are not the same as getting to know your horse’s love language and building a solid relationship. Madalyn

For more information about Five Element Horse Temperaments check out Horse Harmony

What about the less obvious damage that occurs from financial stress:

Disappointment in your kid’s eyes when you missed his birthday party because you had to work overtime.

Regular frustration from working at a job you hate because it pays the bills.

Less robust health from eating only conventionally grown food because organic is more expensive.

Weight gain from skipping regular exercise because you are too tired.

Chronic health challenges that could have been avoided with buying good nutritional supplements and better eating habits.

So even if you can pay your bills, don’t have debt, ulcers or clinical depression you may still suffer from financial stress that is less obvious. An extra $500 of cash flow monthly could shift you into financial peace. Helping a few other people have financial peace can bring you financial freedom.

A home based business that can be built along side your current source of income is what many Americans are choosing to relieve financial stress. A home based business can be started with a minimum investment and can grow as big as you are willing to grow it. Think about it. Madalyn

Can you see the power of a home based business?

Guest Post: Madalyn Ward

Guest Post by Jeannie Choate

Can fibrocystic breast disease morph into breast cancer?

A diagnosis of breast cancer strikes fear in the heart of every woman, but when it’s your mother that receives the diagnosis, emotions go into overdrive.

My mother has a history of fibrocystic disease breast, and has had several breast lumps aspirated over the years, none of which were malignant.  She has a mammogram every year, and always gets a good report.  This year was different.  This year she had to have a breast biopsy.

She had a partial hysterectomy in the mid-70’s, and afterward they put her on Premarin.  They left her ovaries, but still put her on Premarin, which was standard medical practice at that time.  Bad thing is, they left her on it til the early 2000’s.

Ten years ago as I started into peri-menopause I began reading about HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and all the problems associated with it.  Having had problems when I took the birth control pill, I was concerned about HRT and menopause.  After compiling all the information I advised her to get off the Premarin – she was in her late 60’s.  Her female physician fought to keep her on it….after all, the drug reps were still telling physicians that women needed the stuff.  She eventually did quit taking it.

You see, the drug companies fund the medical schools, and the drug reps give info to the physicians on new drugs coming out.  The physicians are taught early in their career that what the drug companies are dishing out is gospel.  For them to go against that philosophy takes time and money, neither of which most of them are willing to give up.  I had one physician tell me many years ago, as I was first looking into alternative medicine, that if he didn’t learn it in medical school, then it couldn’t be good!

Fast forward to today, 10 years later, and she is diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer.  Stage 1 is the good news.  Bad news is she has more than one type of tumor.  The breast biopsy showed two different types of tumor and that they were multifocal, or in more than one location in the breast:

*    DCIS – ductal carcinoma in-situ.  This is the one you want.  It comes out intact and nothing else is needed.

*    IDC – invasive ductal carcinoma.  This is the most common type.  It begins in the milk ducts and invades nearby tissues.

There are 4 different stages of cancer, I-IV.  (Stage 0 is pre-cancerous, no invasion of surrounding tissues)  Mother’s tumor is 1.8 cm, and anything under 2 cm is considered Stage 1.  The biopsy showed some lymph involvement and the margins were not clear, but they were well differentiated.  The margins are the edge of the tissue surrounding the tumor that the surgeon removed.  To simplify, Mother’s margins showed some micro calcifications and an infiltration of cancer cells, but they were not of the aggressive type.  Micro calcifications are tiny bits of calcium found wherever cels are dividing rapidly; it’s considered a first sign of breast cancer, pre-DCIS.

She had 2 options for treatment, modified radical mastectomy or lumpectomy.  She chose to have a mastectomy because of the multifocal aspect of the tumors, the invasive aspect of the tumors and the lymph involvement.   Stage 1 breast cancer has a 5-year survival rate of 100%.  The 5-year survival rate refers to the number of patients who live at least 5 years after their cancer is found.

Think twice or maybe six times before you take prescription HRT.   The incidence of breast cancer continues to increase, in spite of the latest technologies and medicine.  20 years ago the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer was 1 in 10.  Today it’s 1 in 8!  Studies have shown that synthetic hormones INCREASE your chances of breast cancer 25-30%.   Contrary to popular belief, the minuscule amount of good that HRT does the heart is far outweighed by the cancer risk. ( Mother had to have a pacemaker put in last fall)  There are other risk factors such as age, family history, specific genes, obesity and such.  The National Cancer Institute provides an online tool to help you figure out your risk.

There are a lot of great natural hormones out there, you just have to try them and find one that works for you.  Ask your current physician to work with you, or find one that is open to alternative medicine.  Statistics don’t mean much til it’s you or someone in your family diagnosed with breast cancer.

My mother is 77 and still working full-time, although she will retire for the second time this fall.  She is healthy, on a good supplement program, and has a great attitude.  Her faith in God is strong and she has the love and support of her family and friends.

When you first hear about it, network marketing with a residual income business  sounds easy, right?

You sign up and then you begin to wonder what it’s really all about.  My online MLM business partner has a great post this week talking all about this, and she says it better than I can.

Guest post:  Madalyn Ward DVM

I remember when I was first introduced to network marketing. I had no frame of reference for what was being presented to me. I was working 60 to 70 hours a week, and barely paying my bills despite having a thriving veterinary practice. I can recall the moment like it happened yesterday (which is amazing since these days I can’t remember what actually happened yesterday). I was sitting across the table from my friend, Alan Joel, and he was attempting to explain to me how I was going to be able to work fewer hours and still have extra money coming in every month.

I distinctly remember thinking Alan had lost his mind. He was saying how my income would grow exponentially as I brought in new customers and taught them to bring in customers, but I heard how I might only make $50 or so in the first month and I never got past that.

Alan said I would invest 10 to 15 extra hours and a few hundred dollars a month now, and in the future my income would grow to the point that I would be able to work many fewer hours in my veterinary practice, but still have the same or more income. I only heard the additional time and money part and the investment concept went right over my head.

Alan talked about inviting people to look at the possibilities the products and business offered, and I heard that I needed to sell lots of product. He suggested I bring people to him for him to explain how the process worked, and I figured I could study the products and explain them to people perfectly well myself.

The reason I could not hear what Alan was saying was because I had never had any kind of financial training outside of being taught to work harder and put in more hours. I had never been introduced to the concept of leveraging money or the efforts of others. I had never been taught to invest or even save, for that matter, although I knew successful people did these things. I thought that if I worked harder I would make more money and then I could invest or save, but that never happened.

I did not understand the process of working with a mentor in learning network marketing despite the fact that I understood the mentor concept when it came to my veterinary practice. I did not want to start my own veterinary practice right out of school so I worked with another vet for at 5 years before I felt I was ready to venture out on my own.

Even though I did not get what Alan was saying to me I still knew in my heart that what I was doing was not working, and I was desperate to change something in my life. I did join his network marketing company and spent the next 10 years being frustrated and demoralized. I could not for the life of me convince people to work as hard as I was working selling products. I heard people in my company speaking about duplication and exponential growth, but it was not working for me.

The reason it was not working was pretty simple. I wasn’t doing what the successful people were doing, or thinking the way they thought. Through listening to these people I learned about a book called Rich Dad Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki and when I read it my whole life turned upside down. Without going into detail about the book, suffice to say it helped me understand that I thought only from a “time for money” model, and until I learned to understand and embrace leverage I would continue to work hard and have little free time. Suddenly, all the things I had been hearing for years clicked into my awareness and I understood. When I made this shift my business changed dramatically. I began to have the things working for me that I had only heard others talk about.

Now my network marketing income is easily one-third or more of my total income and I work a very reasonable 30 to 40 hours a week between my network marketing efforts and veterinary practice activities. Although my total income has not increased dramatically yet, my quality of life sure has. I talk to many people who are where I was 10 years ago and suggest that they check out books and other learning tools to help them shift their thinking. Without the understanding of leverage and other business concepts it is hard to see the incredible power of network marketing. I am so glad my stubborn nature kept me in the game long enough to get it.

If you would like to hear additional testimonials on how building a XanGo network has enhanced the lives of others let me know.  I have so many stories to share.

Photo Credit:  http://www.americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=1791