“You can tell from this video how much we love each other” 💞

When Hayden Kristal brought Bitsy home five years ago, her dad, Steve, had some concerns. He worried about what kind of life the 5-week-old deaf and blind puppy would have, and whether she’d be able to get around on her own.

But Steve’s fears were erased as soon as he met the energetic, happy-go-lucky dog.

“She has been her own woman since day one,” Kristal told The Dodo. “The first thing she did when I brought her home was to make a beeline for the food dish, crawl into it and eat until she passed out.”

Bitsy is far from the helpless dog her grandpa imagined. She’s traveled all over the country with her mom — hiking, canoeing, riding the subway and even skateboarding. “Bitsy is the sweetest, friendliest, most loving and loyal dog in the world,” Kristal said. “She is bold and sassy and she loves adventure!”

Kristal’s dad loves his granddog more than he could’ve ever imagined, and the two hang out together whenever they have the chance.

“He is her number one fan and her biggest champion,” Kristal said. “He will tell anyone who will listen about what an amazing dog she is and how much he loves her. He does the typical grandpa things of spoiling her with treats and toys and she loves to just hang out near him.”

But when COVID restrictions went into effect last year, Bitsy and her mom’s life slowed down. Among the hardest changes for Kristal and Bitsy was that they had to be separated from family — including Kristal’s dad.

Over a year later, Bitsy was finally able to join her grandpa for an emotional reunion:

After so long apart, Steve worried that Bitsy wouldn’t remember him. But nothing could’ve been further from the truth. “As soon as I got within scent range, she totally lost her mind with joy,” Steve Kristal wrote on Facebook. “So did I.”

“Once again Bitsy proved that the abilities she has are far more impressive than the ones she’s missing,” he added. “What a truly amazing and wonderful soul. Maybe you can tell from this video how much we love each other.”

Kristal knew all along that her faithful dog would never forget a person who cared so deeply for her. And the world looks a little brighter for everyone now that the family is together again.

 

Health Benefits of Black Pepper Essential Oil

Black Pepper Essential Oil offers various amazing health benefits owing to its antioxidant, antiarthritic, antispasmodic, carminative, digestive, antibacterial, diaphoretic, antirheumatic, and aperient properties.

Once prized as a currency—significantly having more value than gold—due to its long shelf life and relative value in the market, black pepper has now just been reduced into becoming the healthful spice which adds a unique taste to an otherwise bland cooking or as a treatment to a certain ailment. Despite this kind of demotion, black pepper is still a widely popular cultivar. Its produce is among the heavily used ingredient in certain cooking or seasoning to foods across the globe.

Black Pepper

For certain cultures, on the other hand, black pepper is an essential part of traditional medicine as accentuated by its diverse health properties.

Peppercorns are where black pepper is harvested from. They are most abundant in certain places as coming in black coloration. Peppercorns are actually able to yield three kinds of produce, namely green, white, and black. Each varies according to a certain condition.

Although originally native to South India, black pepper is a flowering vine that is also a popular cultivation in other tropical regions. Of all these countries, however, Vietnam appears to be the number one producer and exporter of black pepper in the international market, as of 2013 record.

Black Pepper Essential Oil

Black pepper is not only for human consumption as an added flavor or spice to certain dishes. It also produces an extract in the form of an essential oil. Black Pepper Essential Oil is well-known for its therapeutic use in terms of aromatherapy or as an active ingredient in certain perfumes.

As an essential oil, the black pepper essence contains the following major constituents: Limonene, Pinene, Phellandrene, Myrcene, B-bisabolene, Beta-caryophyllene, Linalool, Sabinene, a-Terpineol, Pinocarveol, a-Terpenene, and Camphene.

Health Benefits of Black Pepper Essential Oil

Black pepper essential oil might be a popular topical solution for body massage or as an aromatherapy solution for relaxation. However, this essential oil is also truly a boon to the body when consumed properly for various intentions.

1. Antibacterial

There are cases that pathogenic bacteria are able to invade the human body. It is important not to opt for antibacterial drugs right away. There are side-effects of using these antibacterial drugs. As an antibacterial, black pepper essential oil can address the infection minus the adverse effects.

Of many places, the black pepper essential oil is potent in fighting off infections in the mouth, digestive system, urinary tract, and colon.

Intuitively, adding this essential oil to food helps prolong its freshness thanks to the same antibacterial properties it demonstrates against infection.

2. Digestive

Consuming black pepper essential oil before or after meals help the body break down the foods ingested for metabolism. This is thanks to black pepper’s power to stimulate the production of saliva in the mouth for mastication. By the way, mastication is the release of gastric juices which further breaks down the chewed foods in addition to bile from the liver.

For people who are suffering from conditions which mandate a bland diet—meaning, no irritants like the spice in chili—black pepper still remains good for consumption. For example, those who suffer from mouth and stomach ulcerations and hyperacidity could still consume black pepper even when chili pepper is not.

3. Carminative

The amount of gas formed in our GI tract is not always constant as affected by the quality of the foods we eat. The formation of stomach gas is normal for the most part as it is something we can normally release. However, not all gases in the GI tract are easily released, thus causing problems like bloats and pains.

Ingesting black pepper essential oil as a proper mixture help address this common stomach problem. It acts as a carminative agent to inhibit the formation of too much gas. One way this essential oil does its job as a carminative solution is by inhibiting the bacteria in our GI tract that are responsible for the production of farts.

4. Antiarthritic & Antirheumatic

Winter is a time when cases of rheumatism and arthritis are common, possibly induced by cold weather.

When either rheumatism or arthritis strikes, choosing to apply a generous amount of black pepper essential oil to the affected area helps ameliorate the pain caused by either condition. This is due to the warming and stimulating effect of this essential oil to the body’s circulatory system.

There are cases that the occurrence of each condition is as a result of excessive uric acid in the body. Fortunately, black pepper essential oil has the power to rid the body of this toxin. Thus, it helps in easing the discomfort brought by the disease.

5. Aperient

If you are having frequent issues with a regular bowel movement and is in dire need to release the bulk in your intestine, consuming black pepper essential oil acts as a laxative which promotes defecation. As a purgative, not only does it help the body release its solid waste via the rectum, it also cleanses the intestine and rids it of unwanted infections.

6. Diaphoretic & Diuretic

This essential oil is important when deciding on a hot spa is not an option but remaining healthy via detoxification is. Choosing to consume black pepper essential oil can help stimulate sweating and frequent urination. Thus, it also helps in getting rid of toxins in the body.

Choosing to detoxify the body via these two methods is an effective and proven way of eliminating the body’s waste. Not to mention, it also helps it remove unwanted fats, lower the blood pressure, and even relaxes the body.

7. Antispasmodic

Spasm is a painful involuntary muscle control—such as cramps, muscle pulls, and convulsions. People afflicted with muscle spasm-related conditions may find relief to their discomforts thanks to black pepper’s antispasmodic benefits.

8. Antioxidant

Known as a secret against premature aging, a treatment against certain diseases, and even a prevention to some of them, antioxidants gained prominence as a miracle wonder to the human body.

For the most part, antioxidants do their wonder by being able to combat free radicals. By the way, free radicals are unstable and inherently harmful elements to the body.

For issues related to aging, antioxidants not only just prevent the skin from wrinkling prematurely, but it also helps other parts of the body defy wear-and-tear resulting from age. For example, ample intake of antioxidants helps delay vision loss, macular degeneration, loss of joint movements, etc.

Black pepper essential oils have enough antioxidants to sustain the body of its needed well-being.

Other Benefits

Retaining the same nutrients found in its original form, black pepper essential oil is rich in vitamins and minerals. Both of these nutrients work side-by-side in maintaining optimum health.

Precautions

Like many solutions, they come with either benefit or harm. This essential oil is not an exception. The key to getting black pepper essential oil’s gain is in its moderate intake or use. Taking it in large quantities results in toxicity in any of its inherent chemicals. Symptoms of food poisoning include uneasiness, unrest, irritation, sleeplessness, loose motions, and colitis.

There aren’t any cases of death resulting from the too much consumption of black pepper essential oil. Probably, it is because knowing to take it with moderation should always be a strong concern.

Lastly, black pepper essential oil has a rather strong property. It would be best to avoid splashing it on the eyes or applying it in the nose. Otherwise, irritations may occur.