From Rainforest News, Volume 1, Issue 7
How Herbs from the Rainforest changed the
history of the world-famous Iditarod sled dog race
Sixteen gung-ho dogs linked and ready to pull a sled, supplies, and a musher are a sight to behold. The dogs radiate power and energy and have no other desire than to pull the sled to its final destination.
Once on the trail, each dog has a clear-cut job. Some trade off being the leader, others act as guides to keep the sled traveling on the right trail, and the strongest dogs balance the sled around curves. They work in unison. And they depend on the true leader of the sled, the musher, to lead them to their destination as quickly and safely as possible.
A musher's first concern is always the well-being of his or her dogs. That's why Jamie Nelson of Togo, Minnesota, was determined to run the world-famous Iditarod sled dog race with a supply of herbs from the Rainforest.
Amazing Herbs from the Amazon Rainforest
While training for Iditarod 2000, Jamie incorporated an herbal health plan of Recovery, Radiance, Combat and Endocrine Support into the dogs' daily diet, and tested the effects of Recovery when it was applied to their feet.
Two months prior to the Iditarod, Jamie decided to run a short 260-mile race called the Grand Portage Passage, to get the dogs used to running on snow. At each checkpoint during the race she gave the dogs a generous serving of the herbal mixture, and Recovery was applied to their feet.
She hoped applying Recovery topically would help reduce swelling and enhance the healing of old wounds and soft tissue cuts between the pads of the dog's feet.
Sure enough, at the end of the race the dogs had fewer cuts on their feet, less red, raw feet, and less muscle pulls and sprains. "This is the first race I've ever ran where the dogs had no slits inside their feet!" Jamie explained in amazement.
But what happened in March when Jamie crossed the finish line at Iditarod 2000 was even more incredible...
Iditarod 2000
On March 4, 2000, Jamie Nelson braved, for the 3rd time in her life, the potentially life-threatening Iditarod sled dog race with a team of dogs attempting their first Iditarod. Competing against more than 80 experienced mushers, Jamie and the other Iditarod participants started the race with an enthusiastic team of 16 dogs per sled.
The trail offered breathtaking views of the Alaskan countryside including the glorious northern lights, but also frigid temperatures, blinding windstorms, hairpin turns, and a rough trail that contributed to over 40 broken sleds by the end of the race.
The Iditarod is truly a marathon event - a test of physical and emotional strength for musher and dogs alike. Most teams travel over 100 miles in a day, and run 6 to 10 hours at a time...
Can the Dogs Stay Healthy?
The first test of the herbs occured when Hitch, in swing position, developed kennel cough just before the race started. It didn't take long for the cough to spread to the other dogs in the team.
"What a nightmare," Jamie thought. "This is the type of disaster that takes a team out of the race." But with the help of the dogs' herbal mixture of Recovery, Radiance, Combat and Endocrine Support, the cough disappeared and the dogs completely recovered early in the race.
The grueling schedule invites fatigue, weakens the immune system, and increases the chance for injuries. In fact, three of Jamie's dogs, Speck, Fly, and Pirate, developed shoulder injuries about half way through the race. Speck's injury was very serious, she was using only three legs when she came into the checkpoint.
The veterinarian wanted Speck to sit out the remainder of the race so she could heal, but Jamie was determined to have all of them cross the finish line.
Speck's shoulder was drenched in Recovery and then massaged so the herbs could be absorbed through the skin at the point of injury. Six hours later, Speck was walking on all four legs and ready to leave the checkpoint with the other dogs.
The veterinarian was nearly speechless. "What's going on here?" she said as she re-inspected Speck's leg. "I can feel crackling under the skin...as if the healing process is being accelerated."
Jamie just smiled and hooked Speck up with the rest of the team. Fly and Pirate also had shoulder injuries, but not nearly as serious as Speck's injury. They too were rubbed down with Recovery and easily bounced back to finish the race.
The Big Mystery
Under the rules of the Iditarod every musher must fit his or her 16 dogs with special booties to protect against ice and hard packed snow injuries. But even with the boots, the dogs may experience sore, cracked and cut feet from sharp ice.
As Jamie learned from her test runs prior to the Iditarod, the key is to apply the herbs directly to the dog's feet in order to keep them healthy.
At each checkpoint, the dogs received their serving of herbs, and patiently allowed Recovery to be applied to their feet as they rested.
The race pushed on and as the days passed all but one musher had to run their teams with less than 16 dogs because of injuries or sore, cut feet. In fact, the top five winners of the race came in with only 8 or 10 dogs.
The big mystery during and after the race was focused around Jamie and her team: why didn't her dogs have the same injuries and paw problems everyone else was experiencing?
Jamie knew from past experience that it was because of the Amazon herbs. In her 30 years of sled dog racing, she had only experienced these kinds of results when she used the Recovery, Radiance, Combat and Endocrine Support.
On March 16, 2000, for the first time in more than 20 years, a musher crossed the Iditarod finish line with all 16 dogs. Congratulations, Jamie, to you and your team on your remarkable accomplishment.
First Disclaimer
The company that produces these amazing herbal formulas forbids the use of their name or any of their trademarked product names on any independent website, so this site uses ficticious names for these formulas.
For more information and testimonials on these and other valuable supplements for athletes please visit Herbs-For-Athletes.com.
Second Disclaimer
The information presented on this website has not been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration, nor have the herbs discussed here gone through the rigorous double-blind studies required before a particular product can be deemed truly beneficial or potentially dangerous and prescribed in the treatment of any condition or disease.
Furthermore, the information presented here is not intended to diagnose any disease or condition or prescribe any treatment. It is offered as information only, for use in the maintenance and promotion of good health in cooperation with a licensed medical practitioner.
If any individual should use the information presented here without a licensed medical practitioner's approval, that individual will be diagnosing for him or herself. No responsibility is assumed by the webmaster, publisher or distributors of this information should the information be used in place of the services of a licensed medical practitioner.
© 2003 RaceForTheRainforest.com
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