Acupuncture, homeopathic therapies, probiotic therapy, herbs ….”  When we think of holistic veterinary medicine we tend to associate it exclusively with the practice of complementary and alternative therapies and believe that it takes no account of conventional veterinary practice. Although many of these therapies are already familiar to us worldwide, some “myths” about their clinical use and effectiveness still prevail. People still tend to wait until no more results can be achieved by conventional medicine before they look for a different approach. Though this attitude is starting to change, most of the cases that come to us are a “last cry for help” involving terminal patients or those where recovery is proving difficult.

The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) defines Holistic Veterinary Medicine as the “(…) examination and diagnosis of an animal, considering all aspects of the animal's life and employing all of the practitioner's senses, as well as the combination of conventional and alternative (or complementary) modalities of treatment.(…)”.

In our approach and philosophy, we give more importance to the benefits that this medical approach can bring to the quality of life and well-being of the animals we treat, when practiced with the correct diagnosis  and therapy, than to regard it as a contest between allopathic and holistic, complementary and conventional, scientific and non-scientific, rationalistic and empirical or occidental and oriental medicines.

We have set out below  a little of the history and a short explanation of  each one of our different alternative and complementary medicine approaches, so that the reader can better understand our approach to Holistic diagnosis and therapy.


TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

Acupuncture is one of the disciplines of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This ancient medicine had its origins in the Old China, thousands of years ago. Since the second half of the 20th century, acupuncture has spread widely and rapidly throughout the world especially in the West.

The practice of acupuncture in the western world has extended also to veterinary medicine, where it has become as an important part of complementary and alternative therapies. Its use has become generalized in countries such as the U.S.A., Brazil, and many European countries as a therapeutic tool used in the prevention and treatment of a wide range of conditions and diseases and to support patient’s quality-of-life.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has its own diagnostic approach – energetic diagnostic – which relies mainly on detailed questions about the patient’s lifestyle and condition, palpation of the pulses, observation of the tongue and palpation of specific diagnostic points. This approach allows the practitioner to identify the energetic imbalance, which is responsible for the condition or the disease.

Veterinary acupuncture makes it possible to correct the imbalance through the use of acupuncture needles applied at specific points of the animal’s body, the so called energetic points or acupoints. Applied to the points over the meridians pathway, it promotes the recovery of several pathologic conditions and the quality-of-life support, through the regulatory effect it has on the nervous, hormonal and immune systems. Digestive, respiratory, dermatologic, uro-genital, neurological, behaviour, immune, hormonal and orthopaedic conditions are amongst the ones that benefit most from this kind of therapeutic approach.

There are several methods and techniques used in the practice of acupuncture. These include dry needle puncture with or without needle manipulation, aquapuncture – administration of substances (saline, vitamins, homeopathic preparations, allopathic preparations and medications) in acupuncture points -, and electric stimulation of acupuncture points, also called electro-acupuncture.

Another way to stimulate acupoints is through heat. This technique is called moxibustion and is best known in animal acupuncture for the use of Artemisia rolls. The heat produced by the roll can be applied directly over the acupoint or next to the needle cable, which in turn punctures the desired acupoint.

Eastern herbs therapy – phytotherapy – is another important MTC discipline. Plant preparations have an energetic action over specific meridians or organs. Herbal preparations are usually available in drops or pills for oral administration, or cream preparation for local skin application.


BIOLOGICAL MEDICINE

Biological medicine is another specialism used in holistic medicine practice.

Biological medicine aims to stimulate the physiological reactions in the body during the healing process that are necessary to fight disease and restore health, while regulating the intensity of the symptoms, rather than suppress them entirely.

Homotoxicology and probiotic therapy are two of the therapies available within the field of biologic medicine.

Homotoxicology was created in Germany, in 1969, by Dr. Hans Reckeweg who has built his theory on the principles of Hippocratic medicine and Hannemann’s classical homeopathy. One of the most important features of homotoxicology is to build a bridge between the allopathic medical approach and the holistic approach in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Its therapeutic principles are based on the use of homeopathic products.

Probiotic therapy is a nutraceutical approach to the management of several body conditions. Animal gastrointestinal (GI) systems are home to a considerable number of different bacteria which are responsible for the healthy functioning of the GI and immune systems. Several diseases can be treated through the use of probiotic and food therapy.


CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE

Conventional veterinary medicine is also known as allopathic medicine. Thought it is often seen as being in opposition to the approach of holistic medicine, it can also be combined with the holistic method to examine animal patients. Blood samples, biopsies, x-rays, ultrasound, can help us to “see through” and confirm some differential diagnosis. Besides that, a complete anamneses record, clinical history and an, intensive, detailed physical examination should provide valuable information to back up the holistic examination of our patients.

Through its effectiveness in dealing with acute diseases,  preventing certain kinds of diseases through public health and animal health programs and for its developments in the field of surgery, conventional veterinary medicine has helped increase life span and has for that earned its privileged place and  strong public acceptance in western societies since the beginning of the 20th century.