Used some 15 years ago on some Q.rubra planted alongside the driveway and grafted pecans we were planting. Didn't have a control group planted at the same time to compare to, but comparing those to subsequent oaks & pecans I've grown, dug, and transplanted, I can't give any positive review suggesting that the mycorrhizal inoculants did anything. If anything, those inoculated trees have grown much less vigorously than bigger specimens I've grown, hand-dug, and transplanted. I doubt that the mycorrhizae caused poorer performance, but they sure haven't given me any reason to spend those $$ again.

pnb - from NIH (link follows): Sources of Selenium Food Seafoods and organ meats are the richest food sources of selenium [1]. Other sources include muscle meats, cereals and other grains, and dairy products. The amount of selenium in drinking water is not nutritionally significant in most geographic regions [2,6]. The major food sources of selenium in the American diet are breads, grains, meat, poultry, fish, and eggs [7]. The amount of selenium in a given type of plant-based food depends on the amount of selenium in the soil and several other factors, such as soil pH, amount of organic matter in the soil, and whether the selenium is in a form that is amenable to plant uptake [2,6,8,9]. As a result, selenium concentrations in plant-based foods vary widely by geographic location [1,2]. For example, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Composition Database, Brazil nuts have 544 mcg selenium/ounce, but values from other analyses vary widely [10-12]. The selenium content of soil affects the amounts of selenium in the plants that animals eat, so the quantities of selenium in animal products also vary [2,5]. However, selenium concentration in soil has a smaller effect on selenium levels in animal products than in plant-based foods because animals maintain predictable tissue concentrations of selenium through homeostatic mechanisms. Furthermore, formulated livestock feeds generally contain the same levels of selenium. Here is a link that might be useful: Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Selenium

mare-wbpa - My husband uses one of the dental devices you referred to in your post. But we live in Canada - and no we had to pay for it. He is now past 65 and when he needs a new (third device) we will have to pay for it as well.. About 8 years ago I finally managed to have him mention his very loud snoring to his doctor. His doctor referred him first to his dentist - who in term referred him to a specialist who makes the sleeping aid device. The doctor told my husband - as did the specialist that often the dental device will solve the issue. However, the specialist had to take several measurements of my husband's mouth to determine if he would be a candidate for a device. Not everyone is. He was a candidate and so the appliance was made. The first once cost $1,000 Cdn. - neither our provincial health plan nor his office plan would pay towards the cost. If you take care of it, the lifetime expectancy is 5 years. My biggest fear was that he would not wear it. But after the first night he was very happy - the device just opened his airway enough that it made a huge difference. He still snores loudly if on his back, but not nearly as much as when on his side. At the 5 year mark he had to go back and have another device made - this one cost $1,200. Actually, the dentist said that despite being 5 years old it was in better shape than others he had seen that were 1 year old. The trick was the container I bought for him to keep it in - one of those small thermal jars. And he had to use the Polident retainer cleanser on the device. He does have eye issues - including glaucoma in one eye. A few months ago his eye specialist decided he should send my husband for a sleep study because often sleep apnea can be related to glaucoma. He was a 5 on his side and a 7 on his back - so he was cleared of sleep apnea since he only reached a 7 when he was sleeping on his back. I was grateful because I have seen the machines and read all about them on the website that was provided by another poster - and my husband is a mouth breather so that would have made using the CPAP machine more difficult. But if he needed it, he would have needed it - no questions asked. A look at the site would not hurt, the posters are good people. My husband is not overweight nor does he have diabetes. When he had his eye surgery he was the only one in the waiting room who did not have diabetes - and again at the sleep study they were surprised he was not over weight or suffering from diabetes. The dentist did warn him against buying one of the dental devices sold at the pharmacy - or "as seen on TV". It most definitely has to be made to fit your mouth. I would not have been comfortable had he been asked to send back an impression - the dentist did it. Sometimes he will put one of those Nose Strips on his nose together with the appliance - especially when we are away from home. This helps his snoring even more. Snoring and bad vision are very common in his family. I hope you are able to find a solution. I am a diagnosed insomniac who also had a sleep study performed many years ago. I do not have sleep apnea, but I do have the opposite reaction to anything that would sedate the normal person. So sleeping pills, anti-histamines, locals etc. have no effect on me. I would give up something to be able to sleep - but it is not in the cards for me. If you could somehow manage it, I would try for a device.

Thanks :) I know there are no guarantees. While the hope of course is that Molly does well during and after surgery and lives until 17 or 18, anything can happen at any time. But, I don't want to see her get weaker and sicker from this terrible disease, so at the very least I can prevent that. Preventing that alone is worth the money and effort, no matter the outcome. She is too happy and kind of a creature to have any suffering in her life and I will do everything I can to prevent her from experiencing it. I'm very hopeful about some of the clinical trials going on now. Not for Molly, they won't be in time for her (hence why we're going overseas) but I think/pray a breakthrough is just a few years away. MVD is one of the leading causes of death and disability in dogs, and it affects millions of dogs. I truly hope that some of these non-invasive valve replacement solutions will mean far fewer dogs suffering from this horrible condition. {And potentially some of these solutions could one day be used to provide a less invasive option for people with mitral valve disease too).