Author Archives: Dr. Kristi Henderson

It’s all-natural; so, it must be safe – right?  Not necessarily. 
Ebola, rabies, arsenic, radon, and curare are all-natural; however, none of them are “safe.”  Even though nature provides us with excellent nutrition, livelihoods, therapy, recreation, and much more, some of the world’s most powerful toxins exist naturally.  Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium that’s commonly found in soil, produces one of the most deadly neurotoxins ever known.  The Box jellyfish, death cap mushroom, foxglove, and blue-ringed octopus are just a few more examples of the plethora of nature packing a deadly punch.  Lesser known or publicized, yet with potentially the same final outcome for those effected, are situations in which people or animals are given or exposed to seemingly “safe” natural products.  Grapes and raisins are simple and all-natural, but they can cause renal failure and death in dogs.  Yard clippings seem pretty harmless, yet feeding them to a horse may result in a fatal colic.  Imbalanced or unnecessary supplements can also cause problems such as overdosing your dog with vitamin C could result in it developing urinary stones.  Thus, to blindly equate the term “all-natural” with the notion that it must be safe and good for you is a naïve and potentially fatal mistake.

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