ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS .. THE HEALING FATS
Essential fatty acids are the building blocks of fats. There are two types: linoleic (Omega 6) or LA and alpha-linolenic (omega 3) or LNA. There is also gamma-linoleic acid (GLA, dihomogamma-linolenic acid (DGLA and arachidonic acid (AA). GLA is found in evening primrose , borage, hemp and black current seed. DGLA is found in mother's milk. AA is found in meats, eggs, and dairy products. They function as essential building blocks in every membrane of every cell in your body, keeping beneficial substances within your cells and harmful ones out. Because our bodies cannot make them, we have to obtain them from vegetable and fish sources, where they are naturally occurring.
The major functions of EFA's include:
· a ready source of energy
· regulate oxygen use,electron transport and energy production
· help form red blood pigment (hemoglobin) from simpler substances
· insulation for your body against heat loss
· prevention of the skin for drying and flaking
· help make joint lubricants
· help the immune system fight infections by enhancing peroxide production.
· a cushion for tissues and organs
· production of prostaglandin families; hormones necessary for cell to cell biochemical functions such as energy metabolism and immune system health; regulate blood pressure, platelet intake, and determine the health of our cardiovascular system.
Both omega-3 and omega -6 EFAs are necessary in our canine's diet, but must exist in the proper ration. Good quality omega -6 is available in fresh vegetables. The best omega-3 vegetable source is flax seeds. The seeds must be ground up to a fine powder to be of benefit and stored in the refrigerator.
Omega 6 to omega 3 ratios should range from 2:1 or 3:1. Today the scale has tipped to a whopping 20:1 ratio with the use of polyunsaturated oil diets, which are associated with degenerative conditions.
Frying and deep frying destroy EFA rich oils by the combined effects of light, oxygen and heat; producing toxic substances (trans fatty acids) that can produce atherosclerosis and cancer.
Another thing to consider is that the enzyme lipase must be present to break down fats. If EFAs are not broken down by the body, they will not be absorbed and their benefit will be lost. If your dog's level of enzymes are depleted due to a constant cooked food diet the EFAs and other fats will not be digested. Supplementation by digestive enzymes are therefore needed in order for your dog to obtain the benefit of EFAs.
Look for organically grown seeds and oils . Also oils that have been processed oxygen free and at low temperatures. Packaging should be in opaque containers that have an expiry date on the package. Oils should always be refrigerated , even then their shelf life is usually about 6- 8 weeks.
Cannabis Sativa aka Hemp Oil
Hemp seed oil is one of nature's most perfectly balanced EFA oils. It contains both EFAs in the right proportion for long term use and also contains GLA. It is the only vegetable oil with this combination.
Hemp is one of the sturdiest plants known to us. It can grow to a height of 10 feet or more in a year and its roots penetrate equally deep into the ground. Hemp roots draw minerals buried deep in the soil up to the surface. As a result they enrich the soils on which they grow and require little fertilizer.
Another unique feature of hemp is that most pests leave it alone and therefore it can be grown without pesticides. (Take that Monsanto!) Hemp has been used as companion plants to cabbage and other vegetables to protect them from pests.
Hemp seed oil's uniqueness lies in the high quality of Omega 3 that it contains in combination with Omega 6. Only flax seed oil has a higher Omega 3, which contains comparatively little Omega 6. Hemp seed oil is the only seed oil which contains Super Omega-6; gamma-linolenic acid; t he natural precursor to the prostaglandins to which linoleic acid is converted. This provides the means to bypass any blockages to Omega -6 conversion caused by such factors as trans-fatty acids, body stress or auto-immune conditions.
Dietary Fat Composition of Oil: (by percent)
Hemp: Saturated Monounsaturated Linoleic (omega 6) Alpha Linolenic (Omega 3) GLA
9 13 58 20 1.6
Flax: 9 19 14 58
Nutritional Information of hemp oil: 1 tsp. contains
Fatty Acids: Linoleic (Omega -6) 7.0 g.
Alpha Linolenic (Omega-3) 2.4 g.
Gamma Linolenic (GLA) 0.2 g
Monounsaturates 1.6 g
Saturates 1.2 g
An excellent 3:1 ratio of Omega - 6 to Omega -3
Taste:
Hemp seed oil tastes like sunflower oil. It is green in colour due to its content of magnesium-containing chlorophyll. Most people that sampled hemp oil preferred its taste over the taste of flax oil.
Environmently Friendly:
As a result of Hemp's innate sturdiness, hemp fits the requirements for organic cultivation; without special growing methods having to be instituted, compliance having to be confirmed and verified or cheating becoming necessary to save an organic crop from infestation.
As Hemp is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet, it has been recommended as a way to slow down and reverse the greenhouse effect resulting from carbon dioxide released by our massive burning of fossil fuels. Hemp fixes this carbon dioxide and turns it into oxygen and fibre more quickly than most other green plants, including grasses and trees.
Other Uses:
Did you ever wonder where the word canvas comes from? You guessed it - Cannabis as in Cannabis Sativa. Sailing ships used hemp rope to fasten sails as it does not stretch ( as does a sail made from synthetic fibres like nylon); an important point, as in an storm the movement of sails could turn out to be disastrous, besides being inefficient.
Hemp clothing is extremely durable and properly worked are softer than cotton. Linen is also made from hemp.
Hemp fibre makes extremely durable paper; it is excellent for archival material and as a matter of fact the first and second drafts of the US Declaration of Independence were printed on hemp paper.
Cellulose for pulp and paper products. Because of its rapid growth hemp can provide 4 times more cellulose over twenty years than an equivalent acreage of trees.
Using modern methods hemp fiber can also be used to make building materials and lumber as durable as, and at a fraction of the cost of, wood which has been pilfered from our dwindling old-growth forests.
Did you know that Henry Ford built a car body out of hemp and sisal ? and the original Diesel engine was built to run on vegetable oil. Three hundred to 1000 gallons of hempseed oil can be grown per acre, which in turn can be made into biodiesel.
The Conspiracy:
How come hemp is illegal to grow in North America? Well, according to the book, The Emperor Wears No Clothes..Hemp and the Marijuana Conspiracy; DuPont in 1937 patented a new (sulfate/sulfite) process for making paper from wood. They were also involved in synthetics, munitions and processing cellulose. They hoped that synthetic fibres would replace natural fibres. The newspaper giant Hearst had interests in timber and paper. New technology had put hemp in a position to replace wood (cellulose) as raw material for paper. According to the author; these two industrial giants set out on a disinformation campaign. They hired someone to travel around the country to give hemp a bad name. They renamed the well-known and useful hemp plant (which had been grown in the US, by thousands of farmers for almost two centuries,) marijuana, the killer weed from Mexico. They combined anti-racist Mexican images from the war between Mexico and the US, with their anti-hemp propaganda to create a negative public perception of hemp. They invented undocumented, unsupported claims that it leads to criminal activities. (Although..it now is a big part of criminal activities; could we say that their propaganda techniques backfired?) Hearst used its newspaper chain to mobilize public opinion against hemp. Their business interests and political clout prevailed over truth, and laws were enacted to entrench their vested industry interests.
Hemp became illegal. Its drug properties were blown out of proportion. It's commercial value for food, clothing, paper, tents, shoes, rope and building materials was completely ignored. The vested interests behind the killer weed image duped an entire continent for a whole generation of private gain.
The good news is that it is now legal to grow hemp in Canada. As of March 1998, The Department of Health gave the go ahead to farmers who can now grow hemp commercially and sell it on the open market.provided they have a license. Canadian farmers will be restricted to certain strains, with a limit on the amount of THC ( the euphoric content !) which is pegged at 0.3 percent. Unfortunately the best strains of industrial hemp for northern climates are from Eastern Europe, but are above that 0.3 percent THC content. Farmers are forced to use a less suitable seed for our climate because of this THC ruling.
The best part of using hemp oil is that it can be used long term to maintain a healthy EFA balance without leading to either EFA deficiency or imbalance. This is because it contains w6 and w3 EFA's in a good long term balance of 3 to 1. In addition, it contains almost 2% GLA, the w6 derivative that is the key active ingredient in evening primrose oil and borage oils.
While flax oil is useful for treating degenerative diseases, it is too w3 rich, (3 times as much w3 as w 6) to be used exclusively in the long run. One can develop w 6 deficiency by using only flax oil for too long.
A good idea is to alternate the use of hemp oil and ground flax seeds or oil as an EFA supplement.
Hemp oil is available through health food stores . There are two good sources of hemp oil, both Canadian companies. For further information you can contact: Hempola at :1-800 -240-9215 or Omega Nutrition: 1-800-661-3529.
