To clear up some misconceptions: First, comfrey does not have proven efficacy against tooth decay, either as a preventative or to reverse decay that's already underway. Safety as a mouth rinse is probably not a major concern apart from possible local irritation, if one is careful not to swallow any. Many responsible herbalists recommend against any internal use of comfrey because of the risk of pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicity, implicated in some cases of acute liver failure and a concern for possible carcinogenicity. Oral formulations are banned in most countries for this reason. Young children are especially susceptible to toxicity from comfrey (even a few days of taking comfrey internally can be fatal). Contrary to what's been stated, acute liver failure is not a significant consideration when it comes to use of NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Tylenol (acetominophen, which can be hepatotoxic) is not an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) like aspirin or Motrin. Tylenol is not an anti-inflammatory agent - it works by a different mechanism than NSAIDS to reduce pain and fever. Used in proper dosage and not combined with other things that can damage the liver (i.e alcohol) it is a generally safe as well as effective drug. The real problem is when people take too much, which may happen when they combine or otherwise overdose on over-the-counter cold meds. The big difference between Tylenol and comfrey is that Tylenol is a proven effective drug. Comfrey may have limited value in topical pain control (when applied for limited periods on unbroken skin), but in general the claims made for it have not been backed by quality studies (something to consider when weighing a decision whether to ingest it). You cannot count on drying to significantly reduce the harmful alkaloids. Unfortunately, you also can't count on comfrey sellers to be knowledgeable and upfront about the composition of their products in our current, largely unregulated supplement market. I rarely take acetominophen, but feel a lot more confident about its safety than I do comfrey. And based on what we've seen already, if Americans began to ingest comfrey as commonly as they do acetominophen, it's extremely likely that comfrey would quickly pass acetominophen as the leading cause of acute liver failure in the U.S.

There must be at least one good Golden forum out there. Most of the forums I'm on are dog-related -- either breed-specific (a different breed) or training-related. There are literally thousands of pet-related forums at Yahoo. If you do a group search at the main groups page and search "Golden Retriever" you will get a ton of hits and can poke around to see if any look appealing. Personally, I'd look for one directed toward pet owners, NOT breeders and not primarily people into showing or trialling. I can almost guarantee that there will be separate Golden-specific forums for people who meat-hunt, people who field-trial, people who hunt-test, people who show in conformation, people who show in obedience, people who show in agility, people who track, people who live in specific geographic areas, people whose dogs have specific health problems or all breed-specific health problems, etc etc. Check it out. The main challenge will be not getting overwhelmed with the choices. By the way... I have no idea what advice you received, but I agree that it's very likely that Bitter Apple is not a good answer other than for its intended use (spraying on the dog's injury, or on household stuff, to prevent chewing on it). And people tend to be very opinionated about this stuff, and extra passionate if they think you are harming an animal. So, you have to put up with a certain amount of passion and perhaps rudeness if you want to be on a pet forum. I'm on 30 of 'em, so I'm pretty familiar with the phenomenon. :) Try to slough it off and "use what you need and leave the rest."

Even if they've never exercised, the middle-aged and older can still benefit by beginning now. Experts say sedentary people will actually fare better in percentage gains relative to active people, since they're starting from zero. "It doesn't matter how old you are," says Colin Milner, founder and CEO of the International Council on Active Aging in Vancouver, British Columbia. "It's never too late to start exercising." Here is a link that might be useful: Exercise Is Healthy, but Does It Make You Live Longer?

Seems kind of slow around here, as well.