Remedies for Osteoarthritis
By Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa
American Massage Therapy Association
This condition can be as painful as stepping on broken glass, but herbal and complementary treatments, combined with massage, can work wonders.
Photo by Leonard Gertz.
http://www.amtamassage.org/journal/sp02_journal/osteoarthritis_pg2.html
Power Up Your Brain
Psychology Today
http://health.yahoo.com/alzheimers-prevention/power-up-your-brain/pt--Psychology_Today_articles_pto-20020801-000001.html
Lily Hearst is trim, fit and trilingual. She practices piano an hour a day, a passion she has indulged since she first learned the instrument a hundred years ago. At lunchtime she visits the local senior center in Berkeley, California, where she gives regular concerts. She enjoyed rock climbing and skiing when she was younger and now swims for 20 minutes every day. "At my age, I'm glad I can do that," says Hearst.
As a centenarian, Hearst belongs to an elite club whose numbers are swelling: There are about 75,000 Americans age 100 and up, and the U.S. Census Bureau projects that figure will rise to some 800,000 by the year 2050. Like many centenarians, Hearst attributes her longevity to good genes and healthful habits. Her parents remained vigorous into their 80s; her sister to age 90. She eschews wheelchairs, eats well ("a grapefruit every morning"), drinks socially and doesn't smoke. Add to that a healthy dose of optimism, and her modus vivendi starts to jibe with current findings about lifestyle choices and sustained vitality.
Researchers confirm that genetics need not be the decisive factor in determining how long and how well we live. Certainly, genes are linked to neurodegenerative ailments: Investigators at Duke University recently reported that genes tied to Alzheimer's, found in about 2 percent of the population, can speed the onset of everyday memory loss and may predict the age at which signs of the illness will first appear. Hormones also may be a factor: Women are one-third more likely than men to develop Alzheimer's, and large trials are under way to determine whether hormone-replacement therapy at menopause protects against Alzheimer's and memory loss. In elderly men, higher testosterone levels were linked with concentration and memory skills in one recent study. But gender and genes aside, a growing body of research suggests that sustained cognitive activity may hold the key to how well we age.
In 1996, Richard Snowdon, Ph.D., professor of neurology at the University of Kentucky Medical Center and author of Aging with Grace, published results from his so-called nun study, in which nuns' mental acuity was analyzed in conjunction with autobiographies they had handwritten some 60 years earlier. Those who lived to a vigorous old age were more apt to have used unusual and multisyllabic words in rich, idea-laden sentences. Nuns who developed Alzheimer's had kept their syntax simple.
The nun study underscores much that researchers do—and do not—know about Alzheimer's. Sophisticated cognitive activity may build neural connections that thwart the disease altogether, but it is also possible that people who are cognitively active—either thanks to genes or education—amass a brain "reserve" that simply retards the noticeable symptoms of Alzheimer's, which can only be definitively diagnosed after death. One nun, for example, lived to be an alert 102, yet her autopsy revealed a brain ravaged by the sticky protein plaques and tangles of nerve cells that signify Alzheimer's.
When highly educated Alzheimer's patients were matched with less educated patients whose symptoms indicated comparable neurological degeneration, brain scans revealed that the disease was in fact more advanced in the educated group. Studies that controlled for literacy, high occupational status and multiple leisure activities drew the same conclusion. So patients who are better educated or more intellectually engaged seem better able to compensate for the disease, lending credence to the brain-reserve theory. It's not unlike the "bone reserve" theory of osteoporosis: We're urged to build up bone density when we're young so that the bone-thinning changes that await us are less likely to weaken hips or vertebrae when we're older.
The brain-reserve hypothesis may also explain why college graduates appear less vulnerable to memory loss than people with only an elementary school education: Learning strengthens the brain. And among individuals who are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's, those with small heads—and hence smaller brains—are 14 times more likely to develop the disease, according to researchers at the universities of South Florida and Washington (although, head size alone is not a significant risk factor).
A disease like Alzheimer's, though, is very different from ordinary absentmindedness—the inability to recall a name or find our car keys. This "normal" cognitive decline begins in middle age. "People who think they're doing well on memory tests at age 30 are not doing as well as they did at age 20 or 25," says Kenneth Whang, Ph.D., of the National Science Foundation.
This is to be expected: Brain cells, or neurons, may shrink as we age. But neurons don't just die off by the thousands starting shortly after birth, as scientists once believed. We now know that the brain exhibits plasticity, allowing neural connections to be forged even late in life. Novel activities may actually "cross-train" or strengthen neural networks, building agility and disease resistance. A study published in 2002 in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who regularly read, solve crossword puzzles, play cards or checkers, or visit museums are less likely to experience mental decline than those who do not.
"Further research is needed to better understand what kind of activity is most beneficial," says lead author Robert S. Wilson, Ph.D., of the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago. Indeed, the list of "stimulating activities" in Wilson's 2002 study includes watching television, and British psychologists recently reported that chewing gum boosts cognition.
Anders Ericsson, Ph.D., has shown that mental exercises can expand working memory, which allows us to remember a seven-digit telephone number but, generally, not longer sequences. One of his college students could recall 80 numbers (after 200 hours of practice). Others could store as many as 20 numbers after 50 hours of training. Unfortunately, the students' numerical facility didn't carry over to other tasks. When given a string of letters, the students' recall was only average.
Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D., co-author with Manning Rubin of Keep Your Brain Alive, believes there are many ways to lead a brain-healthy lifestyle. "For some people it may be doing crossword puzzles or learning a musical instrument, but there are less daunting ways to access your brain's potential."
Katz and Rubin coined the term "neurobics," for simple exercises designed to enrich the connections between brain cells. They advocate doing ordinary activities in a novel way; for example, rearranging the items on your desk, brushing your teeth with the opposite hand or taking a new route to work.
It remains unproven whether such cross-training boosts brainpower. "No one has done, or is likely to do, a true clinical trial," admits Katz. The fact is that all studies linking mental stimulation to enhanced cognitive performance in humans are correlational and fall far short of definitively proving that we can boost brainpower. But since controlled studies of laboratory rats confirm the importance of environmental stimulation, it can't hurt to look generously upon the wealth of research suggesting that we can, in fact, improve or maintain cognitive abilities, even if researchers are divided as to the most effective means of enhancing mental acuity.
For example, Snowdon, who conducted the nun study, is not a proponent of neurobics, arguing instead that mental stimulation in the first 12 to 14 years of life is key. "Mental stimulation in adults may have only a negligible effect in reducing the risk of Alzheimer's," he says. "The evidence is growing that physical exercise is important in a variety of chronic diseases, including brain diseases. If you have to choose between a crossword puzzle or exercising, get out the door and exercise your entire body."
Exercise boosts circulation, including blood flow to the brain, which uses a full 25 percent of the oxygen that enters our lungs. It also bolsters brain-nurturing chemicals and reduces stress, which has been shown to damage the brain. Physical activity can also ease depression, which slows thinking and may precede the onset of Alzheimer's. For similar reasons, relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation are often recommended, as is avoiding smoking and not consuming too much alcohol, though research indicates that moderate drinking may help reduce stress. Dutch researchers recently found that up to three servings of wine, beer, or liquor, a day may decrease the risk of Alzheimer's.
Cholesterol may also be a factor in Alzheimer's. Doctors at Boston University School of Medicine reported a link between high levels of the amino acid homocysteine—which is believed to be associated with heart attacks and strokes—and Alzheimer's, and several studies have noted an association between high cholesterol and brain decay. Research from the University of California at San Francisco suggests that popular cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Lipitor and Zocor might also improve mental functioning and ward off Alzheimer's.
Many studies confirm the benefits of social interaction for mental vigor, including a landmark 10-year trial by Marilyn Albert, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School, co-author of Keep Your Brain Young. A sense of purpose in life, close family and friends, community activities and satisfaction with one's accomplishments all seem to be key to well-being. "The best stimuli are other human beings," agrees Katz.
Coping style may also influence how we fare. Follow-ups to the nun study, by Deborah Danner, Ph.D., of the University of Kentucky found that the sisters who wrote words like "joy" and "thankful" lived up to 10 years longer than did those who expressed negative emotions. Danner is currently analyzing data indicating that nuns who smile more may also live longer. Her advice? Read. Learn. Stay involved with what interests you. Be positive. And smile.
Last Updated: 07/31/2006
Copyright © 1991-2007 Sussex Publishers. All rights reserved.
http://health.yahoo.com/alzheimers-prevention/power-up-your-brain/pt--Psychology_Today_articles_pto-20020801-000001.html
Lily Hearst is trim, fit and trilingual. She practices piano an hour a day, a passion she has indulged since she first learned the instrument a hundred years ago. At lunchtime she visits the local senior center in Berkeley, California, where she gives regular concerts. She enjoyed rock climbing and skiing when she was younger and now swims for 20 minutes every day. "At my age, I'm glad I can do that," says Hearst.
As a centenarian, Hearst belongs to an elite club whose numbers are swelling: There are about 75,000 Americans age 100 and up, and the U.S. Census Bureau projects that figure will rise to some 800,000 by the year 2050. Like many centenarians, Hearst attributes her longevity to good genes and healthful habits. Her parents remained vigorous into their 80s; her sister to age 90. She eschews wheelchairs, eats well ("a grapefruit every morning"), drinks socially and doesn't smoke. Add to that a healthy dose of optimism, and her modus vivendi starts to jibe with current findings about lifestyle choices and sustained vitality.
Researchers confirm that genetics need not be the decisive factor in determining how long and how well we live. Certainly, genes are linked to neurodegenerative ailments: Investigators at Duke University recently reported that genes tied to Alzheimer's, found in about 2 percent of the population, can speed the onset of everyday memory loss and may predict the age at which signs of the illness will first appear. Hormones also may be a factor: Women are one-third more likely than men to develop Alzheimer's, and large trials are under way to determine whether hormone-replacement therapy at menopause protects against Alzheimer's and memory loss. In elderly men, higher testosterone levels were linked with concentration and memory skills in one recent study. But gender and genes aside, a growing body of research suggests that sustained cognitive activity may hold the key to how well we age.
In 1996, Richard Snowdon, Ph.D., professor of neurology at the University of Kentucky Medical Center and author of Aging with Grace, published results from his so-called nun study, in which nuns' mental acuity was analyzed in conjunction with autobiographies they had handwritten some 60 years earlier. Those who lived to a vigorous old age were more apt to have used unusual and multisyllabic words in rich, idea-laden sentences. Nuns who developed Alzheimer's had kept their syntax simple.
The nun study underscores much that researchers do—and do not—know about Alzheimer's. Sophisticated cognitive activity may build neural connections that thwart the disease altogether, but it is also possible that people who are cognitively active—either thanks to genes or education—amass a brain "reserve" that simply retards the noticeable symptoms of Alzheimer's, which can only be definitively diagnosed after death. One nun, for example, lived to be an alert 102, yet her autopsy revealed a brain ravaged by the sticky protein plaques and tangles of nerve cells that signify Alzheimer's.
When highly educated Alzheimer's patients were matched with less educated patients whose symptoms indicated comparable neurological degeneration, brain scans revealed that the disease was in fact more advanced in the educated group. Studies that controlled for literacy, high occupational status and multiple leisure activities drew the same conclusion. So patients who are better educated or more intellectually engaged seem better able to compensate for the disease, lending credence to the brain-reserve theory. It's not unlike the "bone reserve" theory of osteoporosis: We're urged to build up bone density when we're young so that the bone-thinning changes that await us are less likely to weaken hips or vertebrae when we're older.
The brain-reserve hypothesis may also explain why college graduates appear less vulnerable to memory loss than people with only an elementary school education: Learning strengthens the brain. And among individuals who are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's, those with small heads—and hence smaller brains—are 14 times more likely to develop the disease, according to researchers at the universities of South Florida and Washington (although, head size alone is not a significant risk factor).
A disease like Alzheimer's, though, is very different from ordinary absentmindedness—the inability to recall a name or find our car keys. This "normal" cognitive decline begins in middle age. "People who think they're doing well on memory tests at age 30 are not doing as well as they did at age 20 or 25," says Kenneth Whang, Ph.D., of the National Science Foundation.
This is to be expected: Brain cells, or neurons, may shrink as we age. But neurons don't just die off by the thousands starting shortly after birth, as scientists once believed. We now know that the brain exhibits plasticity, allowing neural connections to be forged even late in life. Novel activities may actually "cross-train" or strengthen neural networks, building agility and disease resistance. A study published in 2002 in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who regularly read, solve crossword puzzles, play cards or checkers, or visit museums are less likely to experience mental decline than those who do not.
"Further research is needed to better understand what kind of activity is most beneficial," says lead author Robert S. Wilson, Ph.D., of the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago. Indeed, the list of "stimulating activities" in Wilson's 2002 study includes watching television, and British psychologists recently reported that chewing gum boosts cognition.
Anders Ericsson, Ph.D., has shown that mental exercises can expand working memory, which allows us to remember a seven-digit telephone number but, generally, not longer sequences. One of his college students could recall 80 numbers (after 200 hours of practice). Others could store as many as 20 numbers after 50 hours of training. Unfortunately, the students' numerical facility didn't carry over to other tasks. When given a string of letters, the students' recall was only average.
Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D., co-author with Manning Rubin of Keep Your Brain Alive, believes there are many ways to lead a brain-healthy lifestyle. "For some people it may be doing crossword puzzles or learning a musical instrument, but there are less daunting ways to access your brain's potential."
Katz and Rubin coined the term "neurobics," for simple exercises designed to enrich the connections between brain cells. They advocate doing ordinary activities in a novel way; for example, rearranging the items on your desk, brushing your teeth with the opposite hand or taking a new route to work.
It remains unproven whether such cross-training boosts brainpower. "No one has done, or is likely to do, a true clinical trial," admits Katz. The fact is that all studies linking mental stimulation to enhanced cognitive performance in humans are correlational and fall far short of definitively proving that we can boost brainpower. But since controlled studies of laboratory rats confirm the importance of environmental stimulation, it can't hurt to look generously upon the wealth of research suggesting that we can, in fact, improve or maintain cognitive abilities, even if researchers are divided as to the most effective means of enhancing mental acuity.
For example, Snowdon, who conducted the nun study, is not a proponent of neurobics, arguing instead that mental stimulation in the first 12 to 14 years of life is key. "Mental stimulation in adults may have only a negligible effect in reducing the risk of Alzheimer's," he says. "The evidence is growing that physical exercise is important in a variety of chronic diseases, including brain diseases. If you have to choose between a crossword puzzle or exercising, get out the door and exercise your entire body."
Exercise boosts circulation, including blood flow to the brain, which uses a full 25 percent of the oxygen that enters our lungs. It also bolsters brain-nurturing chemicals and reduces stress, which has been shown to damage the brain. Physical activity can also ease depression, which slows thinking and may precede the onset of Alzheimer's. For similar reasons, relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation are often recommended, as is avoiding smoking and not consuming too much alcohol, though research indicates that moderate drinking may help reduce stress. Dutch researchers recently found that up to three servings of wine, beer, or liquor, a day may decrease the risk of Alzheimer's.
Cholesterol may also be a factor in Alzheimer's. Doctors at Boston University School of Medicine reported a link between high levels of the amino acid homocysteine—which is believed to be associated with heart attacks and strokes—and Alzheimer's, and several studies have noted an association between high cholesterol and brain decay. Research from the University of California at San Francisco suggests that popular cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Lipitor and Zocor might also improve mental functioning and ward off Alzheimer's.
Many studies confirm the benefits of social interaction for mental vigor, including a landmark 10-year trial by Marilyn Albert, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School, co-author of Keep Your Brain Young. A sense of purpose in life, close family and friends, community activities and satisfaction with one's accomplishments all seem to be key to well-being. "The best stimuli are other human beings," agrees Katz.
Coping style may also influence how we fare. Follow-ups to the nun study, by Deborah Danner, Ph.D., of the University of Kentucky found that the sisters who wrote words like "joy" and "thankful" lived up to 10 years longer than did those who expressed negative emotions. Danner is currently analyzing data indicating that nuns who smile more may also live longer. Her advice? Read. Learn. Stay involved with what interests you. Be positive. And smile.
Last Updated: 07/31/2006
Copyright © 1991-2007 Sussex Publishers. All rights reserved.
Try Cocoa for High Blood Pressure
Colombian Nurses Animals Back to Health
By INALDO PEREZ The Associated
Press
Sunday, January 7, 2007; 10:07 PMCALI, Colombia -- Through the bars of his cage, an African lion named Jupiter stretches his giant paws around the neck of Ana Julia Torres and plants a kiss on her puckered lips.
It could be a kiss of gratitude: Since Jupiter was rescued six years ago from a life of abuse and malnutrition in a traveling circus, Torres has fed and nursed him back to health at her Villa Lorena shelter for injured and mistreated animals.
"Here we have animals that are lame, missing limbs, blind, cross-eyed, disabled," said Torres, 47, who relies on donations and her own modest teacher's salary to run the shelter in a poor neighborhood in the southern city of Cali. "They come to us malnourished, wounded, burned, stabbed, with gunshots."
Torres said her work rehabilitating animals began more than a decade ago when a friend gave her an owl that had been kept as a pet. Later, when she asked her students to bring their pets to school, she realized many families illegally kept wild fauna from Colombia's biologically diverse jungles in their homes.
The number of animals under her care grew, and today Jupiter is among 800 recovering creatures at Villa Lorena _ from burned peacocks and limbless flamencos to blind monkeys and mutilated elephants.
Most of the animals are caged, though some, like iguanas, roam freely around the impeccably clean grounds enclosed by a 13-foot wall. Inside is a monument that the state governor dedicated in recognition of Torres' work.
Torres said many of the animals were rejected as infants by their parents in the wild or found abandoned on the streets of Cali, a city of 2 million.
Others were rescued from cruel treatment by owners. One mountain lion kept illegally as a pet had its two front legs cut off by its owner after it clawed a family member's face.
Torres said that of all the animals she has cared for, she is proudest of having rescued Yeyo, a now-deceased spider monkey who had suffered violent, drunken beatings at the hands of an alcoholic owner.
"The monkey would scream every time it was beaten, until one day the police came and found the wall covered in blood," she said.
Two veterinarians saved Yeyo from death, though it lost an eye and its teeth from the abuse. Yeyo remained terrified of people, cowering in the corner of the cage at the sound of footsteps, she said.
Torres said she opposes exhibiting animals in circuses and has therefore kept her shelter closed to the public.
"We want the animals to live in peace," Torres said. "All their life they were shown at circuses and shows _ this is a paradise where they can finally rest."
Paving the Way for Memory Lane
Posted Tue, Mar 20, 2007, 8:18
am PDT
Feeling like the absent-minded professor lately? Here are some memory-improving strategies to keep your brain sharp.
Ginkgo to Think Ginkgo, the oldest surviving species of tree, has been traced back 300 million years and is one of the most widely studied plants. The leaf of the ginkgo tree is shaped like a human brain, and some believe this is why, in Asia, it has always had a reputation of benefiting the mental processes.
A dwindling memory and decreased concentration is largely caused by decreased blood flow to the brain and loss of brain cells; ginkgo has been confirmed to boost circulation to the brain and other organs, improving memory and cognitive functions. Additionally, ginkgo is used far and wide as a longevity tonic in Asia and Europe.
The best-known and most commonly available form of ginkgo is as teas and herbal extracts, but ginkgo nut, used in the culinary traditions of Asian cultures, also has therapeutic properties and is also said to strengthen lung function.
Mental Gymnastics Keep Your Mind Nimble It is normal to become more absent-minded as we age, and in fact, most people over the age of 40 experience some memory loss. The most likely causes of a forgetful memory include poor concentration due to brain-chemical imbalance, tiredness, depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders.
If you find you are more forgetful than usual, try these steps and see if there isn't some improvement in your cognitive clarity:
• Get an uninterrupted eight hours of sleep each night.
• Do a half an hour of cardiovascular exercise every day, such as brisk walking, slow jogging, biking, or swimming. This will improve circulation and increase blood flow to the brain.
• Turn yourself upside down for a couple of minutes daily.
• Mental fitness activities are imperative to prevent age-related cognitive decline. Read and learn new things, find new hobbies, do crossword puzzles, add up your bill in your head while shopping, memorize a set of phone numbers forward and backwards; all these can stimulate brain cell activities and in some cases even grow new brain pathways.
• Work with your physician to find a supplemental regimen that helps improve your cognitive capabilities. Memory-enhancing supplements and herbs include B-complex vitamins, magnesium, CoQ10, alpha-lipoic acid, fish oil, flax seed oil, Chinese club moss, ginkgo, and ginseng. A supplement that has been well-documented in Europe for reversing age-related dementia and memory loss is phosphatidylserine (PS), a compound made by the body from the amino acid serine. Taken in supplement form, PS lowers stress response and promotes the release of neurotransmitters in the brain that facilitate thought, reasoning, and concentration.
I hope you find your days more memorable for many years to come! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy! Dr. Mao
Tea drinking is Associated with Benefits on Bone Density in Older Women
Amanda Devine, Jonathan M
Hodgson, Ian M Dick and Richard L Prince
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 86, No. 4, 1243-1247, October 2007
© 2007 American Society for Nutrition
Background: Impaired hip structure assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) areal bone mineral density (aBMD) is an independent predictor for osteoporotic hip fracture. Some studies suggest that tea intake may protect against bone loss.
Objective: Using both cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs, we examined the relation of tea consumption with hip structure.
Design: Randomly selected women (n = 1500) aged 70–85 y participated in a 5-y prospective trial to evaluate whether oral calcium supplements prevent osteoporotic fractures. aBMD at the hip was measured at years 1 and 5 with DXA. A cross-sectional analysis of 1027 of these women at 5 y assessed the relation of usual tea intake, measured by using a questionnaire, with aBMD. A prospective analysis of 164 women assessed the relation of tea intake at baseline, measured by using a 24-h dietary recall, with change in aBMD from years 1 to 5.
Results: In the cross-sectional analysis, total hip aBMD was 2.8% greater in tea drinkers (: 806; 95% CI: 797, 815 mg/cm2) than in non-tea drinkers (784; 764, 803 mg/cm2) (P < 0.05). In the prospective analysis over 4 y, tea drinkers lost an average of 1.6% of their total hip aBMD (–32; –45, –19 mg/cm2), but non-tea drinkers lost 4.0% (–13; –20, –5 mg/cm2) (P < 0.05). Adjustment for covariates did not influence the interpretation of results.
Conclusion: Tea drinking is associated with preservation of hip structure in elderly women. This finding provides further evidence of the beneficial effects of tea consumption on the skeleton.
1 From the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia (JMH, IMD, and RLP); the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia (IMD and RLP); and the School of Exercise, Biomedical and Health Science, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia (AD)
Hotel Chain Offers Massages for Dogs
By Phil Davis, Associated Press
Writer, January 2007
SARASOTA, Fla. — Austin ricochets around the Ritz-Carlton hotel room, bouncing from bed to chair and leaping high to lick the face of his personal masseuse. He's an energetic 4-year-old pug, so there is a lot of wriggling as his "privileged pup" pet massage begins. But soon his eyelids droop and his tiny muscles relax under the soothing touch of Darlene Davison, the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota's spa director.
"OK, sweetheart, OK. There you go," coos Davison, creator of the luxury hotel chain's latest indulgence — the $130 dog massage.
Figure in the hotel's 20-pound weight limit and the additional $125 non-refundable pet fee and the "privileged pup" plan comes out to a minimum of $12.75 a pound. And that's the basic package.
For another $220, the Ritz throws in gourmet dog biscuits, an in-room pet massage, a choice of nail buffing or nail polish, a souvenir photo, a brisk walk over Sarasota's scenic Ringling Bridge and a gourmet meal of organic stew and designer water served on a silver tray.
Americans spend about $38.4 billion on their pets annually, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturer's Association. Spending on pets increased an average of $2.3 billion a year since the association started tracking numbers in 1997.
"The trend, in the last year especially, is people enjoying things they can do with their pet," said Charlotte Reed, the New York-based author of the upcoming book "Miss Fido Manners Complete Book of Dog Etiquette." Reed has four dogs, three cats and several birds.
"People take their dogs to baseball games," Reed said. "People are going to fashion shows with their pets. People are going to benefits and art shows with their pets. You all dress nicely, put on your big diamonds and put on your pet's boa, or tuxedo shirt if it's a boy."
The platinum and pocket pup set are defintely the Ritz's target demographic.
The Ritz packages remain a budget buster for the average pet owner. An hour on the massage table at the Ritz equals an average year's worth of dog grooming and treats.
Davison said the blow is softened a bit by the obligatory massage lesson. Florida law says veterinary procedures — including massages — must be done in a vet's office unless it is for educational purposes. So Davison and five other dog-certified spa employees use the hour to demonstrate Swedish, sports or relaxation massage techniques to dog owners.
The lesson sold Austin's owners, Larry and Deborah Colton of Oldsmar, Fla. The couple drove about an hour to the Sarasota Ritz to celebrate Larry Colton's 59th birthday and do some shopping. They brought their pugs, Austin and 2-year-old Phoenix.
Deborah Colton said she wanted to learn pet massage for her 11-year-old lab mix, Kalua, who has arthritis. Kalua is too big to stay at the Ritz, so Austin got the massage.
"Massage is very important," Colton said. "I tend to do for my pets what I do for myself. I know the wonderful effects of massage so that's why I wanted to do this."
The Sarasota Ritz dog massage program is a pilot program for the whole chain, Davison said. She began offering services about three months ago and said business has varied from a peak of three canine customers in a week to no takers for several weeks in a row.
The hotel is working on more owner-pet pampering packages, although the human indulgences are being planned for the Ritz's luxury spa. No dogs allowed.
That rubs Reed the wrong way.
"I would spend $250 to get us both rubbed down ... so I can look over and smiling adoringly at my pet enjoying herself," Reed said. "That would be fun for me."
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
