What is Holistic Veterinary Medicine?

Holistic Veterinary Medicine, from the term "wholistic" is based on health and healing of the "whole" patient by focusing on physical and emotional balance and a lifestyle that supports wellness. This approach encompasses many forms of older, but effective forms of healing used in contrast, or along with, more recent science based Western medicine. It is sometimes referred to as Alternative, Natural or Complementary Medicine. Many people now seek methods of healing that sidestep the shortcomings of modern medicine such as invasiveness, side effects, or poor results as often seen with chronic conditions. Many Alternative Healing methods, such as Traditional Chinese medicine or Homeopathy, are based on balancing the body's energy, or life force, a concept yet to be defined in Western-based Modern Medicine.

Veterinarians and physicians who practice “Integrative Medicine” have the training to offer the best options from Alternative and Science-based Medicine for each patient. At Hastings Animal Hospital and Holistic Wellness Center, we offer acupuncture, Chinese and Western Herbal Medicine, Homeopathy and Homotoxicology, nutritional counseling, and Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation (VOM Chiropractitioner). We commit to the contemporary use of the Holistic approach by offering our patients complete options for healing, in addition to lifestyle balance with natural nutrition, dietary supplementation, exercise, disease prevention, and physical and emotional well being. I hope to see these exciting methodologies used more in the future in veterinary medicine to allow us more ways to heal and still abide by our professional oath to “Do No Harm”.

Natural Medicine and Nutrition

Naturopathy is using natural, drugless therapies to support the whol body’s attempts to eliminate disease. Cleaning the body of toxins that build up due to improper diet or lack of exercise is central to naturopathy. Combining naturopathy with natural holistic, species appropriate nutrition and dietary supplementation is very effective to support wellness.

Herbal Medicine

Herbalists use many of the same methods as naturopaths but employ specific use of plant leaves, flowers, and roots to affect healing. While pharmaceutical companies make many drugs from plant extracts, herbalists maintain that there is more benefit from use of the whole plant. For example, a given plant may contain a second or third substance that balances or enhances the main substance or counteracts any negative effects. Western Herbal Medicine is based on the use of, usually, a single herb to treat specific symptoms of mild disease. Chinese Herbal Medicine is more complex, using elements of plants and other natural substances combined into formulas of four to ten ingredients. Many of these formulas are patented, ancient, and very powerful. In the right hands, they can be used to treat serious and chronic illness.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy has been used worldwide to treat animals for over 200 years. The basic principle is “like cures like”, known as the “law of similars” acknowledged by Hippocrates. The patient is treated with very small amounts of substances known to cause symptoms similar to the patient’s symptoms, resulting in the body using its own energy to cure the illness. Related healing systems include Bach’s Flower essences and Homotoxicology.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture may be defined as the insertion of needles into specific points on the body to cause a healing effect. Stimulation of acupuncture points alter various biochemical and physiological condiditons in order to acheve the desired effect and to help the body heal itself. Acupuncture has been used for 4000 years on animals as well as humans. As a matter of fact, it is still the treatment of choice for one quarter of the worlds population for many medical problems. It is now being used by an increasing number of veterinarians in the Western world to treat a variety of maladies in every species of domestic and exotic animal. It is not a cure all but when it is indicated, it works very well. Acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine is the basis of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. T.C.V.M. is the contemporary practice of many of the concepts of Ancient Chinese Medicine. Acupuncture is mainly indicated for functional problems such as pain, paralysis, and non-infectious inflammatory conditions (such as allergies).

Chiropractic

Manipulative therapies used in animals are drugless healing and include chiropractic, osteopathy, Chinese Tui-Na, and Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation (V.O.M.). Chiropractic and V.O.M. are therapies based on realignment of spinal vertebral subluxations. These subtle misalignments interfere with neurological impulses and result in pain and other symptoms. Veterinarians or Chiropractors that treat animals with manipulative therapies require special training.