Animal homeopathy, like its human counterpart, is a form of holistic medicine. “Holistic” refers to a variety of different medical modalities that look at the body as a whole and enable it to heal itself.
Other Holistic Medical Modalities Include:
- Acupuncture
- Reiki
- Nutrition
- Massage
- Energy healing
Although homeopathy is a subset of holistic medicine, it is a complete form of treatment and can be used to address any disease that conventional medicine can treat.
Many veterinarians are turning to animal homeopathy because they are frustrated with the approach of conventional veterinary medicine, which (like its human counterpart) uses drugs to stifle the disease’s symptoms, rather than seeking to rid the body of the disease.
Conventional medicine works by the “law of opposites”: Identify a symptom, and then treat it with a drug that produces the opposite effect, thereby suppressing the symptom. A patient with arthritis that exhibits the symptom of joint swelling might be given an anti-inflammatory drug. When the symptom (the joint swelling) stops, the drug is said to have been successful.
The opposite is true with homeopathy.
In homeopathy, the disease is the body’s imbalance, not the symptoms it exhibits.
Veterinary homeopathy helps the body to rid itself of the imbalance, resulting in a healthy, disease-free and symptom-free animal.
To treat the body’s imbalance, homeopathy uses the “law of similars”: If you give a substance that can create a certain set of symptoms similar to the symptoms exhibited by the sick animal (or person), then you will trigger the body’s self-healing mechanism.
An example of this would be treating someone who has burning eyes and a runny nose from a cold with a remedy made of onion – a substance that causes those very symptoms in a healthy individual.
In this way, homeopathic remedies actually push the disease out of the body by triggering the body’s natural ability to heal itself.
Two Types of Diseases
There are two types of diseases – acute and chronic. Acute diseases are those that come on suddenly, such as an infection or food poisoning. Chronic diseases are those that the body has had for a long time (heart disease, diabetes, etc.).
Homeopathy can work quicker than traditional medicine to treat acute diseases, because it uses energy medicines that dissolve on the tongue and instantly enter the body.
Homeopathy is also more effective at removing chronic disease from the body, rather than merely suppressing symptoms, as in conventional medicine.
The result? The animal remains healthier as he ages, rather than getting sicker and requiring additional drugs to mask each symptom.
Pet parents interested in exploring veterinary homeopathy for their companion animals can contact the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy.
There are only approximately 62 certified veterinary homeopaths in the country, and the AVHA can provide information on how to find the closest one.
