Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (47 page)

It would require many volumes to thoroughly describe all of the possible therapies that could help your animal. However, let’s look at the general philosophy and methods of some of the more common holistic therapies that veterinarians and others have used to heal animals. Then I’ll describe in greater detail the approach that I favor, homeopathic medicine.

Bear in mind that these therapies are not as separate as they may appear. Most of them share the basic philosophy that I’ve been talking about here, and many include more than one alternative therapy. For instance, herbal medicine and dietary changes are often used along with acupuncture. As we discuss these treatments, I will suggest which methods will work best together.

NATUROPATHY

Defined by a medical dictionary as a “drugless system of therapy by the use of physical forces, such as air, light, water, heat, massage, etc.,” naturopathy entails a comprehensive
approach that emphasizes supporting the whole body’s physical attempts to eliminate disease; that is, it assists the discharge of disease products. Naturopaths consider the major physical cause of disease to be an excessive buildup of toxic materials, often due to improper eating and lack of exercise. They say these clog the usual avenues of waste disposal.

Naturopaths employ a number of techniques to clean out the body, including some used by various cultures throughout recorded history. One is fasting, a way to rest the digestive system and allow the body to do some internal housecleaning. Patients who are fasting are often advised to drink a lot of pure water or juices to flush out the kidneys, and to take enemas or colonic irrigations to clean out the lower intestines.

Hot and cold treatments may be used to stimulate the circulation or encourage sweating. They may include baths, saunas, packs, compresses, fomentations, steaming, and the like. Other naturopathic methods include exercise, sunbathing, good hygiene, and various massage and brushing techniques. Besides the cleansing processes, patients are put on supportive programs of good nutrition (often emphasizing raw, organic foods and juices), proper food combining (to aid digestion), and judicious use of specific food supplements, vitamins, minerals, and herbs.

Some of these methods are rather difficult or awkward to apply to animals, but others lend themselves easily—particularly fasting, exercise, good nutrition, sunbathing, and grooming (a form of massage). I encourage their use in many cases.

Donald Ogden, DVM, who made extensive and successful use of naturopathic methods for years in animal medicine, reported that nine out of ten of his skin irritation cases would improve within only two weeks. He has attributed his success to thoroughly bathing the animal, then fasting it for seven days on vegetable broths and then for seven additional days on vegetable solids and soups. He has advised breaking the fast with raw meat and raw or steamed leafy vegetables, followed by a balanced natural foods diet.

Dr. Ogden has also found that quiet rest and fasts of three to ten days (until the pet’s temperature is normal and symptoms disappear) are very beneficial for many conditions, including obesity, rheumatism and arthritis, constipation, chronic cardiac insufficiency, bronchial diseases, heart worm, kidney and bladder stones, gastritis, kidney disease, pyorrhea, diabetes, liver disorders (unless cirrhosis has developed), open sores, and the fever stage of distemper.

However, he has advised against fasting an animal with a wasting disease such as cancer, advanced uremia, tuberculosis, prolonged malnutrition, hookworm disease, or distemper.

Naturopathic medicine works well in combination with other holistic approaches, including herbal medicine, chiropractic and other manual therapies, acupuncture, Chinese
medicine, and homeopathic medicine. In my practice, I use fasting and enemas occasionally but rely more on the nutritional and hygiene aspects of naturopathic medicine to supplement my treatments.

HERBAL MEDICINE

Herbalists utilize many of the same methods as naturopaths. Their main emphasis, however, is upon the specific use of herbal leaves, roots, and flowers to stimulate healing. Basic to folk medicine in every culture since ancient times, herb use is probably the most fundamental system of applying specific remedies. When ill, wild animals have used herbs instinctively for eons.

In fact, many of our modern pharmaceutical drugs are actually compounds originally isolated from herbs and considered to be their active elements. For instance, digitalis derives from foxglove, atropine from belladonna (deadly nightshade), caffeine from coffee, theophylline from tea, arecoline from the areca (betel) nut, and reserpine (used for high blood pressure) from
Rauwolfia serpentina
.

Herbalists contend that the pharmaceutical derivatives and the whole plants from which they come are not the same, however, and I agree with this from my experience. The strength of herbs is in the unique and complex properties of the original natural substance. Again, the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

As compared to their pharmaceutical counterparts, herbs generally exhibit a slower and deeper action. They assist the healing process by helping the body to eliminate and detoxify, thus taking care of the problem the symptoms are expressing. For instance, they may stimulate physiological processes like emptying of the bowels or urination. In addition, they can serve as tonics and builders that resonate with and strengthen tissues in specific parts of the body (or the whole body, depending on the herb in question). They can also be highly nutritious, containing large amounts of various vitamins and minerals and other nutrients. And there are some herbal practitioners who believe that plant medicines, particularly those found locally, bring the healing energy of the environment to the user.

Herbal remedies have been successfully used to treat many illnesses in animals throughout the centuries. In recent years Juliette de Bairacli-Levy has popularized their use for this purpose through her detailed writings (which also emphasize the importance of natural diet and fasting). She’s reported good results in using herbs to treat dogs with worms, fleas, skin problems, mange, distemper, kidney and bladder trouble, arthritis, anemia, diabetes, leptospirosis, obesity, wounds and fractures, constipation, diarrhea, jaundice, heart disorders, warts, and cataracts. De Bairacli-Levy recommends using the freshly gathered herb whenever possible and replacing dried herbs yearly. I concur with this advice. In chapter 15, I will describe the standard methods of
preparing infusions, decoctions, and tinctures from herbs. In the “Quick Reference” section, I suggest specific herbs for various illnesses.

Besides the difficulty of finding fresh herbs, one disadvantage of using internal herbal therapy for companion animals is that the remedies are usually administered in sizable quantities at frequent intervals over long periods of time (weeks to months). Since they rarely taste appealing, you need to give them to a pet in capsules or else disguised in food (and that can be tough to do—they have really good taste buds). As every animal lover knows, it’s not easy to force medication down a pet’s throat, much less over a long period.

For that reason and others, I prefer to emphasize homeopathic medications, which taste good and are given less often. Many of these are derived from plants. Another related system I have used with animals are the 38 flower essences discovered by Dr. Edward Bach. (Both systems are described later in this chapter.)

I have, however, seen the power of well-chosen herbs as well and recognize their value. I find them most useful for
external
treatments on animals (as in flea powders and rinses, mite control, skin problems, and wounds) or for
minor
upsets (such as diarrhea, indigestion, and the like) that do not require prolonged treatment.

In summary, herbal medicines will act physically by providing nutrients and substances that promote more normal functioning. They also can stimulate the natural healing processes of the body. In this way they serve as a sort of bridge between drug use and the more subtle effects of homeopathy and Bach Flower Essences.

Herbal medicine works well with naturopathy, chiropractic and other manual therapies, acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and,
when restricted to the milder herbs
, homeopathic medicine.

CHIROPRACTIC AND OTHER MANUAL THERAPIES

Since the time of Hippocrates, manipulative therapies have been in use throughout the world. Some of these, like chiropractic and osteopathy, both founded in the 19th century, view disease conditions as the result of misaligned or abnormal bodily structures (especially in the spine) that interfere with the normal flow of life force, nerve impulses, and blood circulation.

Of these, chiropractic has become the largest drugless healing profession in the U.S. I first became interested in the potential this therapy holds for animals when I talked with a local chiropractor who told me that many different conditions in pets have been helped by chiropractic, including epilepsy.

The original theory of chiropractic holds that subtle vertebral misalignments can block the essential flow of nerve energy passing through the spinal column. This irregularity, known as a subluxation, puts excessive
pressure on the spinal nerves, thus interfering with various body functions. Treatment consists of careful manipulation of the vertebrae to restore correct alignment and full working order. To achieve this specialized skill, practitioners usually undergo at least four years of medical training.

A broader way to understand how manipulative therapies may work is to view the body and mind as one whole. Each part of the body both reflects and affects the whole system. Disturbances in one local part are felt throughout the entire system and may cause “resonant” problems in a generalized way. There are a number of advocates of diagnostic and manipulative therapy who focus on certain parts of the body from the understanding that they reflect or represent the whole organism. For instance, an iridologist “reads” disturbances in various organs by a careful examination of the iris of the eye. Practitioners of reflexology pinpoint and treat disturbances elsewhere in the body by manual pressure on certain points of the feet and hands. Some acupuncturists diagnose and treat problems solely at points on the ear, which is said to reflect the whole body. I have met one veterinary acupuncturist who now uses only the ear to successfully treat health problems in horses—even lameness! Polarity therapy, which involves the placing of hands on different parts of the body to channel energy flows, has also been used on pets and relies upon a method of reading and treating disturbances by a similarly holistic approach.

In the same way, it may be that body and mind disturbances are reflected in the spinal column, associated with irregular muscular tensions and vertebral displacements. If so, they should respond to corrective spinal manipulation.

Regardless of how and why it works, chiropractic manipulation has proved to be a real boon for many animal patients. For example, a
Prevention
magazine reader wrote me to describe the amazing response of her 18-year-old cat to chiropractic therapy. Twelve years prior, her cat began developing severe attacks of vomiting, loss of appetite, and intense itching of the face and shoulders. The poor cat licked and scratched until its skin was bloody. The owner consulted several different veterinarians, but their drug therapy offered only temporary help, at best.

By chance, this woman mentioned the situation to her chiropractor and he offered to try to help. Just one adjustment brought startling results: The cat stopped vomiting and began to eat well. Four adjustments were done and the condition has not reappeared in the two years since.

Another case that was reported in a veterinary publication concerned a silky terrier diagnosed by his veterinarian as having a “protruding disc,” with pain and loss of function. X-rays revealed calcium deposits in the area and a misaligned vertebral joint. Surgery was rejected because of the high cost. After two weeks of unproductive drug therapy and confinement, chiropractic treatment was suggested. Though the dog had to
be carried into the office, within a couple of minutes after the adjustment, he walked out painlessly. The improvement was lasting.

The use of chiropractic manipulation by veterinarians has developed rapidly in the last decade, and it is more common now to find a veterinarian who can offer this treatment. The American Veterinary Chiropractic Association trains veterinarians and can give you a referral (see www.drpitcairn.com for contact information).

Chiropractic works well in conjunction with herbal medicine, naturopathic medicine, acupuncture and Oriental medicine, and homeopathic medicine.

ACUPUNCTURE AND ORIENTAL MEDICINE

One traditional holistic approach that has made fairly significant inroads into the modern veterinary profession is acupuncture and other aspects of Oriental medicine. There are texts on the subject, as well as organizations for the training of veterinarians—the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) and the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture (see www.drpitcairn.com for both). In response to growing interest among students, some veterinary schools are also offering an elective course in acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

The basic theory behind this ancient and comprehensive system is that the fundamental energy fields (
chi
) that comprise the body (as well as all aspects of the universe) manifest as two poles,
yin
and
yang
. They are reminiscent of the positive and negative electrical charges described by physics.

Yin is described as disruptive, distributing, expanded, and negative. Yang is said to be constructive, focusing, contracted, and positive. Your state of health depends on the proper balance between these two two sides of the same coin. A skilled therapist can correct excesses or deficiencies by manipulating certain critical acupoints along the body’s meridians, the channels through which energy flows. The flow of energy must be redirected. This may be done with needles (acupuncture), finger pressure (acupressure or shiatsu), burning the herb mugwort near the point (moxibustion), or, in modern times, electrical stimulation (electroacupuncture), injection of various solutions (aquapuncture), the use of ultrasound (sonapuncture), lasers, and the implantation of small gold beads.