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Holistic health is an ancient concept, a reminder of life's
unity, wholeness and balance. The holistic perspective looks
beyond the immediate symptom to the deeper cause with emphasis
on prevention, maintenance and retaining wellness. All types
of disharmony reflect symptomatically in the body with subtle
hints and early warning signs. Holistic healthcare is an
open system based on the assumption that we are compatible
with nature and have the ability to take control of health
and well being naturally and efficiently.
Holistic and alternative medicine does not replace the traditional
approach, but is a complementary and integral part of the
whole and a necessity for a comprehensive health program.
Holistic health is an evolving concept and is often a term
used for everything from acupuncture to psychic healing.
However, I refer to alternative therapy as a way to define
our expanding awareness and vision of multi-faceted, multi-dimensional
healthcare with limitless options.
Holistic healthcare puts more responsibility and involvement
of the individual for the welfare of their animals. The
holistic assumption is that the body knows innately how
to heal itself and constantly strives to be in balance.
Physical and behavioral symptoms are viewed as important
feedback to the body's response to the environment rather
than the manipulation of the body to fight, conquer and
destroy disease and alter or curb unwanted behavior without
going to the root cause.
The World Health Organization states, "Health is a
state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing,
not merely the absence of illness and disease." The
ultimate goal is to use expert authorities in all fields
teaching individuals to assume responsibility for their
animal's health by modifying unhealthy lifestyles and practices.
Prevention and maintenance are cheaper, simpler and much
less disastrous that a cure. Health education, resolving
environmental health issues and prevention are major parts
of holistic healthcare.
Holistic healthcare is a system of practices unified by
a central philosophy. We are fortunate in these times to
draw upon both the ancient and contemporary holistic philosophy.
Many owners are disillusioned with the dehumanization of
their animal's healthcare and are seeking other options.
Some professionals are afraid that alternative medicine
will be taken too far and that people will forego allopathic
treatment for themselves and their animals when the true
and better model is to use the holistic approach. Alternative
and conventional medicine both play a crucial and vital
role in healthcare and education.
Though most natural remedies are effective and safe, a do-it-yourself
approach can be harmful or even fatal to animals. Natural
treatments, herbs and vitamins are generally safer than
some medications but can interact adversely. Working with
no diagnosis or on assumption can often waste valuable time
when a professional should have been consulted. Some natural
remedies counteract vital life-saving medications that have
been prescribed by a veterinarian. Megadoses of herbs and
vitamins can cause dysfunction of an organ. Homeopathic
remedies which are of great value for many conditions can
be rendered ineffective when combined with certain other
therapies. This can also discourage pet owners from benefiting
from many healing therapies because they think they don't
work.
Our approach to wellness is through the choice of diverse
therapies that support the healing process with appropriate
care, health management and education. The Center encourages
participation of owners to work with their animals through
education, experience and continuous development of these
programs. An involved, caring and educated owner is the
animal's door to good health.
Here are some vital points to consider when making healthcare
decisions for your animals. When you find a core group of
healthcare providers, make it clear that you desire to combine
therapies. This will ensure that the choices you make will
be supported by all informed professionals. Seek veterinarians
and healthcare providers who recognize the importance of
touch and personalized contact with your animal and will
answer your questions and be open about treatment and therapy.
Listen to your intuition and find help when you have concerns.
However, it is the responsibility of the owner to gain closer
communication by becoming a more education animal owner.
After all, no one knows your animal as well as you. Patience,
consistency and love go along way in healthcare and are
often the key to recovery when other methods have failed.
More…
Consider the body as a computer with the immune system as
the mainframe of the body's health computer. When this system
works properly, the body's other programs receive correct
messages just like the programs in a computer. When the
immune system shuts down or has problems, WATCH OUT. You
can expect problems in your programs. So, this immune system
must be kept in tiptop condition or repaired to feed proper
information to the other systems. Don't keep correcting
the program (or the symptom) until you fix the mainframe
(immune system).
EXAMPLE: A dog that constantly scratches. This is annoying
to both dog and owner. We want the scratching to stop so
we reach for "cures" to stop the scratching. So,
it stops for a while. Then it comes back as scratching,
but accompanied by chewing at the root of the tail; then
loss of hair accompanied by redness and heat.
WHOA. STOP. Another approach is to help soothe the itching
(so both owner and dog won't go nuts), but to look for other
signs (no matter how small) of the deeper cause. Bad breath,
smelly ears, poor overall coat condition and other abnormalities
are signs of deeper conditions. Continuing to suppress symptoms,
conditions become much more serious, harder and more expensive
to treat. Scratching has a multitude of causes: reaction
to chemical or environmental additives, fleas or allergic
reaction to fleabite and even reactions to food. Stress
is one of the leading causes of severe itching. Stress related
itching causes actual skin irritation creating a vicious
cycle. Instead, document all changes in the household and
try to remember the smallest incident that could contribute
to the dog's dilemma. Every detail, no matter how small,
is important. Treat the cause, not the symptom.
What exactly is holistic healthcare and where do
you start?
Holistic healthcare is the supportive use of natural therapies
to maintain health and treat injury, illness and disease.
Holistic means "wholeness". This natural system
is based on treating animals naturally without using surgery
and medication. If surgery and medications must be used,
natural remedies and treatments can enhance healing and
speed recovery. Treatments include all health and lifestyle
models from bodywork, diet, herbs, essential oils, exercise,
environment, behavior modification, lifestyle changes and
attitude and knowledge of the owner.
The holistic approach to healthcare is:
- To help humans take a more active role in their animals
healthcare while the animal is healthy and not wait until
there is an emergency or problem.
- To educate and guide humans in adopting a more natural
lifestyle for their animals (and themselves) to prevent
illness and to maintain good health.
- To recognize even the smallest change in their animal's
behavior, condition, appearance and habits.
- To choose the best healthcare professional team and
to be more involved in the recovery process.
- To "not" self-diagnose and prescribe treatments
for conditions that could become very serious when valuable
time may be lost.
- To know that even natural remedies and treatments are
not always completely safe and effective for a particular
animal or condition.
- To know the difference when "bad" behavior
is actually a sign of pain caused by a health problem
or training issue. "Solve the problem and keep your
animal".
WARNING
Though most natural remedies are effective and safe, a do-it-yourself
approach can be harmful or even fatal to animals. Natural
treatments, herbs and vitamins are generally safe but can
cause adverse and severe side effects used indiscriminately.
Guesswork wastes valuable time when a professional should
have been consulted. Some natural remedies counteract vital
life-saving medications prescribed by a veterinarian. Megadoses
of herbs and vitamins can cause dysfunction of an organ.
Homeopathic remedies are of great value for many conditions
but rendered ineffective when combined with certain other
therapies. This discourages pet owners from benefiting from
many healing therapies because they think they don't work.
Holistic and alternative medicine does not replace the traditional
approach, but is a great asset to conventional medicine
for a complete and well-balanced health and training program.
Submitted
by:
Bennie Jean Kuehnle
The Animal Institute of Holistic Health
Twin Kreek Ranch Performance Horses
Petspeak@swbell.net
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