People are enamored with the word holistic. It seems like today people everywhere are concerned with the word holistic as it applies to veterinary medicine and their own personal health-care. They want a holistic labeled pet food. They want supplements labeled holistic. There is even a company marketing a holistic dog bed. Again, the question begs: What is holistic veterinary medicine?
Holistic veterinary medicine is ultimately practiced in both the Western and Eastern worlds, however on distinct and different levels. For example, in the Western world, a dog presenting with clinical signs of food allergy is treated oftentimes with certain foods that are perceived to be hypoallergenic. Food is part of the treatment plan. This could be perceived as somewhat holistic since the practitioner is evaluating and treating more than just the clinical symptom. The practitioner is addressing the root cause of the disease process. As an aside, if a dog has food allergies, generally speaking, they have other allergies as well.
In the Eastern world, holistic veterinary medicine extends to a much deeper level. The Eastern practitioner focuses on other inherent factors that we tend to either ignore or disregard in the Western treatment and diagnostic plan. Factors such as the animals’ constitution, the season of year, the place of birth, nutrition, and the social status are all evaluated in the Eastern diagnostic and therapeutic plan. This approach is true holistic veterinary medicine. A true holistic approach is based predominately on two Eastern medical theories: 1)the Yin-Yang theory and 2) the Five Element theory. These two theories address the animal as a whole entity and take into account all of the different parts that contribute to the whole. The summation of all the parts should ultimately be balance-balance with oneself, balance with the external environment, and balance with other animals. In Eastern medicine, balance is synonymous with health.
