A holistic approach to a medical condition does not stop to look at the individual problem but tries to see the complexity of elements that affect an organism. Holistic veterinarians do not stop at an injured paw or a skin infection ‘ they decide to go above and beyond that so that they determine the underlying cause of the illness. Holistic veterinarians try to offer both short-term healings as well as a long-term system that will help the pet develop a stronger immune system and have more chances of fighting against diseases on its own. While treating a disease, the holistic veterinarian will look at a series of factors such as the environment in which the pet lives, dieting and nutritional factors, psychological state of the pet, and so on.
Traditional and holistic medicine
Holistic veterinarians do not exclude some benefits of modern medicine. They advocate the use of some medical procedures such as surgical procedures, chiropractic procedures, therapeutic massage, and so on. However, most holistic veterinarians will tell any pet owner that antibiotics and steroids often used in pet vaccination and treatment are a negative factor, at least on a long term basis. Modern medicine fights of illnesses in a somewhat artificial way’, for example, vaccines introduce small and controlled elements of the disease they will, later on, fight against. While this makes the immune system react positively to outer stimuli and avoid illness, it also makes the organism ‘addicted’ to the vaccine. As years pass by, the pet’s body depends heavily on the vaccine ‘ if left without it, and the pet will have virtually no protection against disease. The introduced substances also manage to wear and tear the immune system, reducing the life of your pet.
Holistic veterinarian organizations
There are a few national organizations that train and acknowledge holistic veterinarians. The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (or AHVMA) is one of them. Many veterinarians seeking to develop alternative medicine practices have joined AHVMA, and the organization is seeing an increase of vets that wish to practice holistic medicine. You can find different holistic veterinarians, each specialized in a specific area of medicine. Acupuncture and herbal treatments are among the most popular specializations, but most of the holistic veterinarians are general practitioners. Another interesting fact is that many holistic veterinarians were formed as traditional vets. However, when they used holistic approaches to their patient’s problems and saw the results, they decided to focus on alternative medicine.
