I've just finished reading a book which I thought might be of interest to
list members. It's called "Wild Health" by Cindy Engel, and is about how
animals medicate themselves through eating particular substances. She
points out the implications for human health and the last chapter pretty
much advocates a paleo lifestyle for humans. The book is full of
fascinating anecdotes about animals (but it's not at all sentimental). Some
snippets:

"Sheep experimentally dosed with E. coli 1057 completely cleared themselves
of the pathogen within 15 days if allowed outside onto a sagebrush-
bushgrass range, yet remained infected if kept indoors on standard grain
feed".

"When avoidance fails and pathogens gain a hold, there is still much an
animal can do to help itself. One of the more subtle approaches is the
behavioural manipulation of body temperature. Microorganisms can be killed
by high temperatures, but so can many vital enzymes in the body. So to rid
the body of infection, animals need to hold body temperature at an optimum
level - not too high for their own enzymes but high enough to harm
pathogens... A fever is a defence against infection, not a symptom to be
depressed. In an experimental trial, children with chickenpox who were
given fever-reducing medication took a whole day longer to recover than
those given a placebo."

Finally (just for Dr Bernarr): "Often the first indication of sickness is
that an animal goes off its food - an observation that has led many
traditional herbalists to conclude that fasting is a natural and beneficial
response to sickness... This lack of appetite can be an effective way of
speeding recovery. Bacteria need iron, and the body makes many adjustments
to reduce the availability of iron during an infection. If an animal keeps
eating, any iron in its food also feeds the pathogens, so force-feeding a
sick animal or patient can be counterproductive. Fever reduces appetite, so
if a fever is artificially suppressed with drugs and appetite returns, not
only do we lower temperature but the increased iron intake can keep the
infection going longer. The traditional dictum "Starve a fever" is
medically sound advice."

The author has a website at www.animalselfmedication.com and the book is
very well-written and well-referenced. I'd definitely recommend it.

Cheers,

Jo