Holistic Medicine Misconceptions
There are many misconceptions about holistic medicine but there are four that top the heap! Lets go through these four....
1. Holistic or alternative medicine is not based on research, it is all anecdotal or in other words because someone else tried it and it seemed to work then it must work.
Absolutely not true! Research has been going on for centuries and is ongoing today! There are several journals that contain research studies including the "Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine", the "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine", and several others for human medicine. Looking for a list try this link. Looking for some research papers in veterinary medicine contact the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA).
2. Alternative medicine is natural so it can't be harmful.
All I have to say is Hemlock is natural and so are several poisonous mushrooms. A cobra is natural! Just because something is natural does not mean that it is safe! It is important to know if there are any side-effects or complications or contraindications of any treatment or any substance you put in your animals body. Many times combining products can be very harmful even though when each product is taken separately they are safe. Knowledge is your best defense. Know everything you can about the treatments you or a professional are administering to your animal.
3. It is cheaper. You can do it at home just read a book or go to a website.
This is probably by far the most dangerous and most untrue of the misconceptions. It is vitality important for a professional to be involved in the treatment of your animal, preferably a veterinarian trained in alternative and complementary medicine and second an individual who is trained with credentials from a reputable school in the therapy they are administering. Not your next door neighbor who read something in a book and definitely not a website that is trying to sell you their product (except mine of course).
You absolutely must have a professional identify the exact cause of an animals illness and there is no one more qualified than a veterinarian to do this. Even if your veterinarian is not open minded and is not trained in alternative therapies it is essential for the therapist you use for the alternative choices to have a proper diagnosis from that veterinarian.
Now for the number one misconception held by even some practioners....
4. Holistic medicine works against or opposite to conventional medicine. Or Holistic medicine is better than conventional medicine.
This is the reason why I write “wholistic” instead of holistic. Because the real definition of holistic is to be inclusive. It means taking into account everything involved in the animals life. So holistic medicine includes everything involved in medicine which would include conventional medicine. I will use alternative in this website to describe what most people feel is holistic, but I am adamate that holistic medicine is an all inclusive just like the word "whole", so you will see me use the term wholistic medicine to describe what I believe.
There are times when conventional medicine is the best treatment of choice. In most emergency cases conventional medicine beats alternative medicine. For example, a broken leg will need to be repaired by conventional medicine. Now in emergency situations there is no reason for a veterinarian not to incorporate alternative therapies because in most cases an animal will respond best by combining the two. That same animal with a broken leg can receive acupuncture to help with pain. They can also receive physical therapy and a homeopathic to help in the healing process. Working together as a team is best!
That is what (my) website is about; giving you the best information on the therapies available for your animal. It may be conventional, it may be alternative, and many times it will be a combination of the two. I have taken a wholistic approach and you will find a little bit of everything that has to do with your animal and given my professional opinon on it!
About Dr. Dan
From the West Coast to the East Coast, up into Canada and in his own backyard, international presenter Dr. Daniel Beatty (Dr. Dan) has been on a quest for the past 10 years to find the best of the best horse & pet health information.
Dr. Dan is a 1996 graduate of the University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine. He began his career as a large animal general practitioner in Princeton, Illinois. While there, he completed advanced course work in animal chiropractics and became certified by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) .
Also, as a member of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) , Dr. Dan is devoted to the full availability of medical options for all animals, especially your horse, dog or cat.
Visit his e-Vet Clinic website at eVetClinic.com