# Nutrition : Selenium (Bo-se) Email from Sue Reith



## Sondra

I read with interest your nicely detailed account of how you repaired = 
the conditions experienced by your young kids with selenium injections. = 
I know that had to be tremendously rewarding for as you, as well as = 
highly educational for the list members. Thank you for taking the time = 
to share the experience!

But it worries me a bit that you've singled out selenium as the sole = 
hero of your story (ie: ".5 mg selenium injection to each of the three", = 
and "gave the dams 5 mg selenium" and "plan to call vet as soon as they = 
are open this AM to see how much more selenium I can give safely") even = 
though in fact you used BoSe. You even went so far as to say that = 
selenium is the generic name for BoSe! (..."I just find it safer and = 
more accurate to use the generic name for the drug.") This is a bit = 
misleading to the reader, Jenny.=20

Selenium, far from being merely a generic name for the drug, is the name = 
identifying one of the two equally important active ingredients in the = 
product. Vitamin E is the name of the other ingredient. For many years = 
we've been calling this combo 'selenium-tocopherol'. In the current VPB = 
it is identified as 'selenium-Vitamin E'. For those who are interested = 
in achieving the same level of success in repairing their own goats that = 
you did with yours, I believe it's vital to let them know that you = 
didn't do it with just selenium injections as you indicated when = 
recounting the experience, but that in fact the selenium and Vitamin E = 
work as a team to bring about this rapid improvement in debilitated = 
mammals. And BTW, that's ALL mammals, not just goats. And, it's used for = 
that purpose in all parts of the country, not just in 'selenium = 
deficient' areas. Using BoSe as a part of the adjunct therapy, for years = 
now I have been routinely repairing cats and dogs, and helping other = 
people in all parts of the country to do the same thing for their own = 
animals, achieving the same level of success on them with it that you = 
talk about in your post. In fact, I myself take a 200mcg tablet of = 
selenium along with a 1000 unit capsule of Vitamin E daily (my own = 
version of BoSe!), and have done this for many years. And trust me, I'm = 
one very healthy ol' broad! <grin>=20

So... No matter what your veterinarian may tell you (and what he says is = 
frankly merely a 'guesstimate' on his part anyway), BoSe should not be = 
relegated simply to use in so-called 'selenium deficient' areas! In my = 
view it should be incorporated into the treatment of debilitated animals = 
whenever and wherever there is a need for immune system stimulus. This = 
'selenium deficiency', after all, cannot be readily determined, = 
excepting in individual animals, and through blood testing. Even using = 
that approach, an accurate selenium level in a living animal is hard to = 
pin down... And frankly, the most reliable way to measure it is by = 
checking a sample of liver tissue at necropsy. Those maps defining = 
selenium-deficient areas of the USA that we see occasionally are not = 
absolute... They are generally produced by, say, doctoral candidates, to = 
fulfill requirements for their advanced degrees, and I guarantee you = 
that those Doctorial students are not actually out there testing soils = 
in the different areas, but only regurgitating for the most part the = 
work of previous doctoral candidates that used that same approach. Thus, = 
there is no actual way for the herd owner, or for the veterinarian, to = 
positively determine that what those maps indicate has any validity at = 
all. =20

And that 1mg of selenium combined with 50mg of Vitamin E in the BoSe = 
product is designed essentially to boost the effectiveness of the = 
Vitamin E in stimulating the immune system, and is not really sufficient = 
to replace selenium in an actually selenium-deficient mammal. So if I = 
had a positively ID'd selenium-deficient animal, one that was deficient = 
enough to be showing classic symptoms of same, I would certainly be = 
dosing it with a product that contained more selenium than BoSe does!=20

For those who are interested in learning more about the levels of = 
selenium present in the popular selenium/Vitamin E products on the = 
market today, here is a list of them.=20

BoSe: 1mg selenium, 50mg Vitamin E, in each ml of the product. 
MuSe: 5mg selenium, 50mg Vitamin E, in each ml of the product. 
Myosel B: 1mg selenium, 50mg Vitamin E, in each ml of the product. 
Myosel E: 2.5mg selenium, 50mg Vitamin E, in each ml of the product. 
Myosel M: 5mg selenium, 50mg Vitamin E, in each ml of the product.

BTW: If anyone reading this doesn't have a veterinary source available = 
to provide BoSe for you, please contact me, [email protected], and I can = 
probably direct you to one.=20

Below is an article I wrote some time ago explaining just how the BoSe = 
works to stimulate the animal's immune system, enabling it to help in = 
its own repair from within, while we humans work on it from the outside. = 
As I've sent this post to the list previously, for those who are in a = 
rush and/or don't want to wade thru the pertinent details again, I'll = 
sum it up right here as briefly as I can:

BoSe works so well to improve the health of mammals because of the = 
teamwork involved. In each ml of the product there is 1mg of Selenium, = 
combined with 50mg of Vitamin E (an already well-known immune system = 
stimulant in its own right), with the result that the selenium causes = 
the Vitamin E to work 6 times better than it could by itself, and at the = 
same time the Vitamin E renders the selenium in the combo non-toxic!=20

The details backing up that statement are found below... For those that = 
are inclined to seek further input on this... Happy reading! (smile) = 
BTW At the very bottom of the article, for those who are interested in = 
reading about it, I have provided an overview of my own routine approach = 
to treating a sick animal, including the adjunct therapy.

Sue Reith 
Carmelita Toggs 
Bainbridge Island WA=20 
[email protected]=20

_________________________________________________________________________= 
________

=20 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sue Reith" [email protected] 
Sent: Monday, May 24, 1999 11:52 AM 
Subject: BoSe; Selenium/tocopherol: How/why it works to stimulate the = 
immune 
system (Dwight Cochran DVM)

A list member asks:

>>Where did you get the info on the reasons behind combining selenium = 
and 
Vit E?<<

Sue Reith responds: Here's my article on BoSe and how it works...

BoSe; Selenium/tocopherol: =20 
How/why it works to stimulate the immune system=20 
(including the research done by Dwight Cochran DVM)

The means by which BoSe works is essentially that the presence of that 1 = 
mg of Selenium with the 50 mg of Vitamin E in each ml of BoSe makes the = 
Vitamin E work 6 times more efficiently, while the 
presence of the Vitamin E makes that 1 mg of Selenium in the product = 
non-toxic. You might want to present this to a vet you have a working = 
relationship with, and tell him it is important to you to keep your = 
goats' internal defenses strong. It would be helpful if vets would = 
realize that the owner has a right to maintain a strong immune system in = 
his/her animals as a management tool.

Vets should not be afraid of BoSe, which I believe is what we are = 
dealing with here, and further I suspect it is simply because of their = 
own lack of understanding regarding the subject. They hear that = 
Selenium is toxic, and by itself in large amounts it certainly would be, = 
and as a consequence they fear that by providing a client with BoSe they = 
might be decreeing the death of the client's animal, which is not good = 
for business. But in fact the issue has nothing to do with whether or = 
not the area in which they live is 
sufficient/deficient in selenium, but rather it is the presence of that = 
1mg of selenium in combination with the 50mg of Vitamin E in the = 
injection that is so critical to the strengthening of the animal's = 
immune system.

The vet meds reference book, called the VPB (Veterinary Pharmaceuticals = 
and Biologicals) does not address the detrimental effect on livestock of = 
too much available environmental selenium that worries vets so when they = 
are considering the potential use of BoSe, as it isn't really a relevant = 
issue in discussion of the BoSe product. However, they do discuss the = 
synergistic effect of selenium in combination with Vitamin E. This = 
synergistic effect may be a basic concept simply understood and taken = 
for granted by chemists and pharmacologists today, although it appears, = 
from the reticence of Vets to prescribe BoSe, that may be an = 
unproductive approach... I really don't know why you can't pick up your = 
average livestock management book and read about it... I guess it is one = 
of those things you soak up with research and experience along the = 
way... Who knows?

But what I do know is that a well-known and highly respected Caprine Vet = 
by the name of Dwight Cochran, a teaching Prof at Purdue University = 
School of Vet Medicine, gave a talk back in 1979 (and probably at other = 
times as well, but I only have a copy of this one) overviewing the = 
research done by the 
AASGP (American Ass'n of Sheep and Goat Practitioners) (currently = 
renamed AASRP, after they included Llamas among their interests) on this = 
subject in which he stated (and I am only giving you a pertinent = 
paragraph here, as the speech was very long):

To wit:

FUNCTIONS AND INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF = 
SELENIUM-TOCOPHEROL 
By Dwight E = 
Cochran DVM

Selenium functions as an essential component of glutathione peroxidase, = 
the enzyme that breaks down peroxides, while tocopherol appears to = 
function as a secondary line of defense against peroxide damage. In the = 
absence of an adequate intake of selenium, tocopherol will act to = 
protect the cell 
membrane. Tocopherol, however, cannot replace the need for selenium. = 
This mechanism is the basis for describing tocopherol as an antioxidant = 
for Vitamin A and necessary polyunsaturated fatty acids. Selenium = 
compounds also function in the transport of tocopherol within the body. = 
Further biochemical interrelationships are beyond the scope of this = 
discussion, but it should be noted that various researchers have shown = 
that there is a close relationship in the biomedical activities of = 
selenium and tocopherol and that there is a definite synergistic effect = 
when the two are used together. Tocopherol reduces the toxicity of = 
selenium drastically and selenium potentiates the effects of tocopherol = 
as much as six times.

end of paragraph.

Sue Reith 
Carmelita Toggs 
Bainbridge Island WA

------Addendum------

My own approach, developed over the past few years through observation = 
of the results with and without the use of BoSe as adjunct therapy, = 
along with whatever else is being used to restore the animal to good = 
health, is that using BoSe to stimulate the immune system so that the = 
body of the debilitated animal can help itself while I treat it = 
therapeutically speeds up the repair time markedly.

My routine approach these days when treating a sick animal is the = 
following:

BoSe inj (at the rate of 1cc/40 lbs SQ) is given once daily for 3 = 
days... 
Then it is given once every 2nd day for 3 doses... Then once a week for = 
a 
month...

However, in an animal that is older, so that his/her own immune system = 
functions less efficiently than it did in earlier years, and in = 
particular when there is some disease involved for which, in this older = 
animal, there is no known cure, I have found, much to my astonishment, = 
that continuing BoSe monthly on a permanent basis after having = 
introduced the initial regimen outlined above results in markedly = 
increased health and greater expectation of longevity in that animal.

To illustrate by drawing from my own experience:

A couple of years ago I discovered a large tumor about the size of a = 
goose egg on the front leg of my 12 year old male Australian Shepherd. = 
Biopsy revealed that it was a spindle-cell-sarcoma. The veterinarian = 
immediately suggested surgery to remove it, but I declined, having = 
learned from experience that once surgery is performed tumors generally = 
metastasize rapidly. I preferred not to put my old dog thru that = 
stressful process and opted instead to begin the BoSe regimen I spelled = 
out above. I had hoped 
that the stimulation of his immune system in this manner would keep the = 
tumor from enlarging more and/or spreading. Instead, a month later the = 
tumor had actually shrunk! It was all but imperceptible when palpating = 
the leg! About 6 months later I tried to skip the monthly BoSe = 
injection, and 
after 2 months went by I found it had started to grow again, so I = 
immediately went back to the month injections, which reduced the tumor = 
once again and kept it under control in an all-but-non-existent state = 
for the remainder of my dog's life. He passed away at just short of 14 = 
years old, of an unrelated cause.

Sue Reith 
Carmelita Toggs 
Bainbridge Island WA=20 
[email protected]


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## Sondra

*Re: Selenium (Bo-se) Email from Sue Reith*

email me at a2zdair[email protected] for more info on getting BoSE


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