How to Locate a Holistic Veterinarian - What Questions Do I Ask?
Allopathic vs Holistic/Wholisic Medicine - What is the Difference
Allopathic medicine basically treats the symptoms and for me it means a one-glove-fits-all sort of treatment. If your dog has an ear infection, you're given antibiotics to administer. If your dog has diarrhea, you're given medication to stop it. If you dog has allergies, you're given steroids to quell the itching. Allopathy is, therefore, the treatment of disease by creating conditions that are opposite to the conditions resulting from the disease itself: from Greek roots meaning other and disease. Drugs and surgery are allopathic treatments.
Holistic/Wholistic medicine targets the whole individual-mind body and spirit. Wholistic medicine considers not only physical health, but also the emotional, spiritual, social and mental well being, too. It is a broadly descriptive term for a healing philosophy that a patient is a whole individual not as just a disease or a collection of symptoms. A simple appearing symptom may have several layers of causation, for example, diarrhea, which is a symptom. Only when the true cause of the ailment has been found is there the possibility for a lasting recovery or healing (curing). The goal of treatment is to bring greater health (wellness/oneness) to the patient. Within Holistic medicine are many modalities such as:
Homeopathy (including Classical Homeopathy)
Acupuncture
Acupressure
Nutritional Therapy
Kinesiology
Aromatherapy
Chiropractic
Traditional Chinese Medicine
How Can I Find Out About Holistic Medicine?
There is a wealth of information on the Internet that can be tapped into. You can also do some reading. An excellent book is "Homeopathic Care for Dogs and Cats" by Dr. Donald Hamilton (www.amazon.com for $17.50). I strongly urge anyone who is considering holistic medicine to do plenty of reading beforehand. There is a totally different philosophy (from allopathic medicine) in regards to disease and healing and how that is approached and accomplished. Allopathic medicine, to me, is a quick fix while holistic medicine may require a longer period of healing. That can be frustrating to some people, especially when we want immediate relief to a problem. One must be comfortable with the medicine of choice but it is up to each of us to fully understand what is available to us before embarking on that journey.
To locate a list of holistic veterinarians, you can go to www.altvetmed.com on the Internet. Veterinarians are listed by state. However, as with anything, you have to do some interviewing before selecting the right holistic veterinarian for you. By educating yourself as to the many modalities of holistic medicine, you can make an informed choice as to the "type" of holistic veterinarian you want to use. For example, Dr. Michele Yasson, who was our speaker in April, is my holistic veterinarian and she practices Classical Homeopathy. Classical homeopathy rests on three principles: the law of similars, the single medicine, and the minimum dose. The principle of the single remedy states that a single medicine should cover all the symptoms the patient is experiencing: mental, emotional, and physical. The medicine is given in an infinitesimal dose. Homeopathy attempts to stimulate the body to heal itself. All symptoms, no matter how uncomfortable they are, represent the body's attempt to restore itself to health. So instead of trying to stop a bout of diarrhea, a homeopath will use a remedy that will stimulate the body to move in the direction it is already going, and, in the process, stop the diarrhea! It is a system that looks at individuals and not at diseases.
What Questions Do I Ask?
Once you've familiarized yourself with the various modalities of holistic medicine, it's time to start looking for a veterinarian that fits your criteria. Holistic veterinarians are very few, compared to allopathic veterinarians, but there is a resurgence of holistic medicine in both animals and people. Unless you live in the town the vet happens to practice in, you will find yourself having to drive a distance to your holistic practitioner. I have to drive 1-1/2 hours to Dr. Yasson. You can see why, as we talked about in the previous column, it is important to have a local allopathic veterinarian to work on your team of three. For emergencies you need to get your pet to a veterinarian, quickly. For urgent medical problems, you may need to get your pet to a veterinarian fast. As in a case I recently had with one of my puppies. I visited my allopathic veterinarian because I could make the trip in 10 minutes, and when I had the veterinarian's assessment of the puppy (it was not life threatening), I was able to call Dr. Yasson and we continued to treat homeopathically with excellent results. I thus was able to avoid giving the antibiotics that the allopathic veterinarian prescribed.
Ask the veterinarian where s/he graduated and how many years in holistic practice. What are their credentials? Where did s/he get the holistic training that s/he practices? Why did they go into holistic medicine? Do they do continuing education? What is their philosophy for addressing disease or illness? Are they available for phone consultations? What is their hourly fee? You will soon learn that holistic practitioners charge by the hour and the initial visit will usually be one hour. Do they perform any diagnostics (blood draws, x-rays, etc.) in their practice? Do they do any surgery and if so, what? You will find that most homeopaths do not do surgery or diagnostics. If they do, do they use a gas/anesthetic machine and do they have supports for life threatening emergencies such as trained staff, i.v. fluids, etc.
Certainly find out how far the veterinarian is from you. If you have to travel an hour or less, consider yourself lucky. Ask about their practice, the hours they are available. Do they have staff and if so, what is their training? What is their opinion of a "healthy" diet for dogs? This is very important as holistic veterinarians can vary in their recommendations. Many promote a raw food diet (you are what you eat) while others may promote a home cooked or better quality grade kibble. Ask for their opinion of vaccinations. Be ready for an earful! Assuming you already have your opinions established about diet and vaccinations, those are important questions. Finally, visit the veterinarian. Meeting someone in person can make a big difference. This will give you the opportunity to also know how long it takes to get to their practice, and you can see their facilities. Do not expect any elaborate hospital or clinic setting and don't expect a hustle and bustle atmosphere like those of most allopathic practices. Holistic practices are quite different. There is no reception room full of waiting clients and patients and animals tend not to be nervous, but calm. It is quite a different and most pleasant experience.
For me, the mark of success is not having to use a veterinarian and certainly not on a regular basis. If my Westies are staying in the best health they can, visits to any veterinarian should be rare. Since I support natural immunity, aside from a wellness exam for puppies and older Westies, the goal is to have limited visits, even if that means for many years. We have many choices today to help our Westies achieve a long life of wellness. Make them informed choices.
{Christine Swingle has been a breeder/exhibitor of Westies, under the Bonnie Brier prefix, since 1964. Since 1996, she now raises her Westies the Natural Rearing way, which focuses on long-term wellness and well being through feeding a species-appropriate raw food diet (ARF), supporting natural immunity and using safer and natural alternatives to conventional drugs and chemicals.}
©2003