Hi again, Mary Beth.

I don't pretend to be an expert re: all things Cushing's -- not by a long shot. Over my years here, I've had my eyes opened multiple times. Just when I think I've got something doped out, a new fact or approach may appear. However, when it comes to "Atypical Cushing's," I've always felt that Dr. Jack Oliver at UTK truly has been a premier scientific authority on the subject. He is no longer alive, but as I say, I don't believe Caroline Levin's theory/approach is new, and it is something that he would have had the opportunity to investigate and subsequently endorse if he believed it had merit. Over-the-counter melatonin and lignans have remained a first-line recommendation of UTK, and neither of those drugs are expensive nor fancy. So I don't believe there would be any financial motivation for them to ignore prednisone if there was evidence that it was helpful.

The thing is, prednisone is not a benign drug. So even at a low dose, I would personally want assurance that there was a valid, solidly researched basis for administering it to my dog. As far as I know (and once again, of course I don't know everything ), I am unaware of any veterinary endocrinologist who endorses this treatment.

As far as financial incentives, here's a link to the "Order" page for Lantern Publications which is listed as the publisher of Ms. Levin's research summary. You will see that Lantern publishes her other materials, as well, and that payment for books and DVDs goes directly to Ms. Levin.

http://www.petcarebooks.com/orders/ordering.htm

Marianne