WHAT IS HOMEOPATHY

Homeopathy is a wonderful healing art that was discovered by Samuel Hahnemann(1755-1843) in the 1700s while he was working as a translator.  Hahnemann was a medical doctor and chemist.  Disenchanted by medicine, he stopped practicing medicine and was translating medical texts.  While translating a book by a physiologist named William Cullen, Hahnemann disputed the author's explanation of how Peruvian bark cured malaria.  Hahnemann actually took several doses of Peruvian bark that caused him to develop fever, chills and symptoms similar to malaria.  Similia Similibus Curentur- "Like Cures Like".  Any substance, which can produce a totality or symptoms in a healthy human, can cure those symptoms in a sick human being. Hahnemann went on to develop "Homeopathy", from the Greek words homoios meaning similar and pathos meaning suffering.  Homeopathy recognizes it is the symptoms that will lead the doctor to the cure, not just the disease.

Homeopathy works on an energetic level.  Hahnemann used the term "vital force" to describe the spirit-like energy force that maintains the life of the individual.  Without the vital force, the body dies.  When the vital force is in a state of balance, health exists.  There is never one particular remedy for a disease condition.  For example, a cat with inflammatory bowel disease would receive remedies based on the symptoms the cat was expressing, not the inflammatory bowel disease.  Also, emotional issues have to be addressed, in which case, Bach flowers are used.

Another term coined by Dr. Hahnemann was "Miasm", which explained an underlying tendency to get sick.  In lay terms, a miasm is a weakness or susceptibility that leads to disease or illness, often passing through generations, although miasms are not always inherited.  Some are "created" miasms, due to drug toxicity, environmental causes, stress, vaccines and natural diseases.  These created miasms can also pass through generations.  Disease or illness does not necessarily come from viruses of bacteria, it comes from within the pet.  Bacteria and viruses are opportunistic and infect unhealthy or susceptible creatures. The disease and the pet are linked on an energy level.  A miasm is a weakness in the pets vital force that allows an opening to form, letting in disease.

HOW HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES WORK

Homeopathy works assuming that the body knows best how to respond to illness and that it only needs assistance in its efforts to heal, not resistance..  Symptoms are actually the healing process.  The remedy creates similar symptoms, which reinforces the body in the direction of healing. Conventional medicine works by treatment of opposites, for example, if a pet has a fever, antibiotics are taken to bring down the fever. This supports the theory that the symptoms are the illness and that these symptoms are of no benefit to the body.  But actually, the word symptom is derived from the Greek word meaning, "sign" or "signal".  A symptom is not a disease, but a sign or signal of a disease process.  Although symptoms may suggest that an organism's health is disturbed, homeopaths and a growing number of medical scientists recognize that symptoms are adaptive responses of the organism to physiological stress.  The symptoms are innate obligatory efforts on the part of the organism to defend and heal itself.  Therefore suppressing the symptoms without addressing the source of the problem tends to suppress the body's healing responses.

For instance, a nasal discharge is a response of the body to viruses that cause upper respiratory infection. This nasal discharge is composed of virus and dead white blood cells.  If a pet with an URI (upper respiratory infection) takes a medication that dries mucous membranes, elimination of this dead matter is suppressed, which may lead to head and chest congestion.  From a homeopathic perspective the body is not as efficient in expectorating mucus through the mouth as it is in discharging it from the nose, and the resulting chest congestion is more likely to lead to  more serious health problems.

The homeopathic remedy works on an energy level.  The energy of the homeopathic remedies are similar in action to the energy of the disease.  As the remedies rid the body of the disease, the vital force becomes in balance.  The difference between treating a pet with homeopathy compared to conventional treatment is that with homeopathy, the disease state is removed, not the symptoms.  When the disease state is removed, the symptoms go along with it.

For the past 200 years, homeopaths have performed experiments called "provings" (derived from the German word pruefung, which means "test"), in which healthy subjects are given repeated doses of a substance from the plant, animal , or mineral kingdom, which is where homeopathic remedies are derived from.  These experiments are conducted only on humans, as they are able to communicate their symptoms.  For example, the remedy China, which comes from the Kina-kina tree, will repeatly cause intermittent fever in healthy subjects. This was one of the first remedies proved and used to treat malaria, which causes intermittent fever.   Because of the similarity China's effects to the symptoms of intermittent fever, it is this similarity that enables China to treat intermittent fever, by curing diseases which have symptoms similar to the remedies effects, thus "law of similars".

Sometimes a remedy will work quickly, usually in an acute case.  With a chronic condition, homeopathy is probably not going to work as quickly as conventional medicine.  This is where combining conventional medicine and homeopathy is recommended.

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DISEASES and Species TREATED WITH HOMEOPATHY

The following diseases can be treated with Homeopathy, although this is not all-inclusive:

Keep in mind all of these treatments will probably involve the use of conventional medications.  In the case of cancer treatment, homeopathy will be used to support the immune system through chemotherapy/ radiation, NOT replace it.

All species can be treated with homeopathy, such as, birds for feather picking,

As with any disease process, a full diagnostic work-up with lab work, etc. will be recommended as holistic treatment involves treating with both eastern and western medicine

Homeopathy is not a "magic pill", but can achieve some amazing results.  The following are two case studies.

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This is a 12-year-old female, spayed, Yorkshire terrier, which was presented for "very bad skin".  The condition had been presented for years.  The owner had been to two other veterinarians, but the condition continued to worsen.  The pet had been on antibiotics, antihistamines and steroids with no improvement.

The patient was given a remedy and the owner called three months later to say her pet's fur had completely grown back.

This is the pet 6 months later on a recheck

The next case is a 9 year old, male, neutered Jack Russell Terrier who was presented for a chronic skin condition which had started 2 years prior.  The pet had been to various veterinarians, including a veterinary dermatologist . The pet ended up on chronic antibiotics, steroids, antifungal and antihistamines, along with expensive hypoallergenic diets.  The pet's skin never seemed to improve and the pet was very uncomfortable.

This pet has been on homeopathic remedies along with minimal use of steroids for several months, and as you can see from the photo, this pet's quality of life has improved.

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WHAT CHANGE WILL YOU SEE FIRST

Initially when a homeopathic remedy is taken nothing may appear to happen.  The remedy will start to work, but you may not notice a change.  In acute conditions, the effect may be more rapid.  One important thing to look for is an aggravation- this refers to a slight worsening of symptoms for a short while, followed by improvement.  This is the healing reaction to the body, and is a good sign that the correct remedies were chosen.  Usually, in chronic disease, the aggravation may be seen after about three to five days.  Than gradual improvement should be noted.  Even though there may be some worsening of the symptoms, the pet overall should have more energy and vitality.  Sometimes suppressed symptoms from the past may appear.  This is because a specific symptom that was treated with suppressive drugs may come to the surface to be released.  Healing may go backwards through the history of illnesses that the patient had suffered, but in a much milder fashion.  The body may also heal from the inside of the body to the outside.  For example, a liver condition may resolve, only for a skin rash to appear.  This may be a skin rash from the past, or the body externalizing the disease.  Often, there are various layers of disease that need to be peeled away.

EQUIPMENT AND TECHNIQUE

The equipment used to make your pets remedies includes remedy vials, which are used to select the proper remedies needed to treat your pet's illness.

The remedies are selected based on a Q-tip swab with a sample of your pet's saliva and muscle testing with the use of one of our technicians as a surrogate for your pet, so your pet does not have to be involved.

Also, there are 37 types of Bach Flowers which are used to treat emotional issues, such as, separation anxiety, excessive skin chewing, aggressiveness, gastrointestinal symptoms associated with stress, to name a few.

A 30 to 60 minute diagnostic kinesiological process is performed on your pet's saliva sample.  Through this testing, a list of weaknesses in your pet's body are determined, relating to pet's problem.  Next, the remedies required to heal those weaknesses are determined.  A combination of those remedies is made into small pellets.

ADMINISTRATION

The remedy pellets (or beads), can be put in your pet's drinking water, given orally, or with or without food.  If other pets drink the same water, that is fine.  It is not a problem for all your pets to take the remedies as the remedies are very safe and may even be helpful to you other pets, as a single remedy can cure several different problems

FOLLOW UP

Every 30 days you will return the original vial the remedies came in (keep any remaining pellets to use until you get the new remedy), also get a small amount of saliva on a Q-tip and place it in a small baggie, along with an update of how your pet is doing.  Include everything that is different, in your update, whether it is attitude, appetite, etc.  Every small change is important for the doctor to know to adjust the remedy.  You will drop off the vial, saliva sample and update prior to 1PM on a Wed. and will be able to pickup the adjusted remedy after 3PM the same day.  We are open 7 days a week, so you could even drop-off the remedy on a Sun, if you like.  Based on the update you give the doctor, there may be an addition of remedies, a change in potency of the remedy, or if emotional issues appear, Bach Flowers may be added to help with those issues.

There will be directions on your pet's vial regarding the above information.