A Word on Holistic Veterinary Medicine

I believe that traditional and integrative veterinary medicine play equally important roles in an animal's well-being, and that both modalities can and do complement each other. I bring Opal and Dixie to their traditional, "family" vet annually for their check-ups. Although neither of them has ever had a serious illness, were either of them to fall ill, I would first bring them to their regular vet. After a diagnosis were made and treatment prescribed, if I felt their situation warranted it, I would then bring them to a holistic vet for a second opinion. I care for them no differently than I care for myselfl. While I am currently undergoing traditional medical treatment for breast cancer, I also visit my acupuncturist weekly at UCSF's Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and take various supplements, herbs and mushrooms.

Holistic, or integrative veterinary medicine examines an animal considering all aspects of the animal's life and employing all of the practitioner's senses. The holistic vet typically uses a combination of both conventional and alternative methods of treatment. When a holistic veterinarian sees a pet, besides giving it a comprehensive physical examination, he/she wants to find out all about its behaviors, distant medical and dietary history, and its environment including diet, emotional stresses, and other factors. Holistic medicine focuses on resolving the cause and the problem, not just on alleviating symptoms. Overall improvement of the health and quality of life is the goal. In addition to western approaches such as antibiotics (drugs) and surgery, holistic approaches include acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic, herbs and nutritional therapy.

One thing that astounds me is when a "human" practitioner presumes that similar care is appropriate for our animal friends. In some cases, yes, what works for us, will work for an animal. However, people medicine is not animal medicine, and no physician or veterinarian would condone acupuncturists, homeopaths and chiropractors prescribing care for animals unless trained in veterinary medicine. My friend, Holly Tse, recently posted a terrific blog on the topic of traditional vs. alternative medicine on her site, GreenLittleCat.com. For this piece, she interviewed Dr. Sara Skiwski of The Western Dragon.