22 www.petloverscompanion.com • 703.780.4400 An Introduction to Holistic Veterinary Medicine By Jordan Kocen, DVM, MS, CVA, Veterinary Holistic Center “Holistic Medicine” has come to mean any of the non-conventional medical systems. Alternative and Complementary are also terms that are used to describe these medical therapies. At this time all nutritional supplement tends to be classified as Holistic and it is assumed that a “Holistic” practitioner is familiar with all of the different medical systems and products available to the general public. The multitude of supplements flooding the market make it almost impossible for anyone to be familiar with all of the products. The term “Holistic Medicine” doesn’t refer to any particular therapy; it is more a way of looking at the case. Holistic, in its broadest sense, means that all of the symptoms are taken into account in the case evaluation. This includes mental, physical and emotional symptoms. The entire symptom picture is recognized as inter-related, that is, the whole animal is considered. Examples of therapies that fall under the Holistic umbrella include Acupuncture, Western and Chinese Herbal Medicine, Chiropractic and Homeopathy. By their very nature these therapies tend to be “Holistic”. They focus on evaluating the entire patient. They work by stimulating the immune system and the medications used are usually of a non-synthetic or unrefined nature as opposed to modern drug therapies. Many Holistic practitioners focus on preventive strategies as well as working on current problems. Issues that come up are diet, vaccination protocols and lifestyle. Some of these new therapies may be applied in a very “conventional” way, but the results are much more significant if the principles of a Holistic approach are also applied to the case. In my experience all theories are just a way to explain observed phenomenon. And different approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive. It is important to understand the strength and weakness of each approach so you can determine what the most appropriate therapy is for any given situation. Holistic Therapies tend to all have several things in common that differentiate them from conventional medical therapy.
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