Homeopathy
Explained by Dr. Noel
Overview
Homeopathy is a system of natural medicine, used by millions of people worldwide for more than 200 years to achieve wellness. In the United States, it is a federally recognized form of medicine regulated by the FDA. The objective of homeopathy in veterinary care is to trigger the animal's natural defenses, and support its innate ability to heal itself.
The conventional (allopathic) approach to medicine is to diagnose a disease, attach a name to it, then prescribe multiple types of pharmaceuticals to control or suppress the symptoms. If you have an infection, you take an antibiotic. If you have pain or inflammation, you take an anti-inflammatory. Accordingly, a conventional veterinarian treats isolated symptoms in an ill animal, but does not address the underlying susceptibility of the animal to develop disease.
By contrast, the homeopathic veterinarian sees the pet's entire unique symptom picture as their own individual expression of an illness. In consultation with the pet owner, the homeopathic veterinarian will identify physical, mental and emotional symptoms, exercise habits, environmental influences (which can include toxins as well as stressful situations), and diet. All previous medical records are reviewed so that the veterinarian has a thorough history of the animal. Once this information is obtained, the symptoms and behaviors act as clues that guide him/her to prescribe a homeopathic medicine to work with the animal's body in the healing process, with a goal of optimum health and vitality.
To better understand how homeopathy works, Dr. Richard Pitcairn explains the findings of Dr Samuel Hahnemann (a German physician who developed homeopathy over 200 years ago):
Dr. Hahnemann found that substances could be used to stimulate healing by applying the principle of 'like cures like' in very specific ways. He would give the patient a substance that would gently nudge their system in the direction of the 'disease', reproducing the same (or almost the same) syndrome or whole set of particular symptoms in a mild form.
He found this to be a very effective way to stimulate their natural defenses. It is almost as if the patient's defenses cannot distinguish between the natural disease and what the similar substance is doing. Thus homeopaths fine-tune the use of medicines to enhance the patient's own attempts to overcome the disease. (Richard Pitcairn, DVM, PhD, Pitcairn Institute of Veterinary Homeopathy)
Benefits
If you are ready for a holistic approach to your pet's health problems, please contact Dr. Noel to schedule a consultation.
Disclaimer: The information on this website should not be used as specific veterinary advice, and is not a substitute for professional veterinary diagnosis or treatment.
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