Article: Natural And Alternative Means Of Healing For Pets: Holistic, Homeopathic And Naturopathic

Originally published and posted in Bubblews~July 22, 2014 HERE

Just as many people are turning to alternative means of health and healing, so are pets owners. I've never been a great fan of the medical profession to begin with and I've gotten that viewpoint no doubt from my great-grandmother who was a nurse, for the most part thought doctors were idiots, was a walking encyclopedia of natural remedies, never took anything stronger than aspirin, and lived to be 98; I can only hope I can live that long!

Now I'm not saying one should completely forsake and dismiss the medical profession altogether , whether for humans or for pets, but I think a good number of people are getting a bit more wary. You no doubt, when watching TV for instance, will see those commercials about some medication that is good for a specific medical problem, and then of course the announcer starts rattling about the potential side effects and to tell your doctor if you get certain side effects that could be detrimental, or in extreme cases life-threatening. I sit back and listen to all this and think to myself, just why on earth would a person want to take this?

Also, another point. Just because a medication has been FDA "approved" does not mean the medication entirely safe in other regards. By this I mean, not all side effects are recognized at first and can often trigger other health problems later on that were not known when they were initially tested. A good example is the cholesterol lowering medication Lipitor now linked to triggering off Diabetes in women.

You may wonder why I'm bringing all this up; quite simple. What is one of the questions a doctor will ask you as a patient when he or she is prescribing a medication? Are you allergic to it? This has to be one of those like duh moments. How can one tell if one is allergic to a medication if one has never had it before? One has to consider this with pets as well. Many of the medications designed for humans are also prescribed for pets, just at a much lower dosage.

Just as we humans may suffer from side effects of medications or may be allergic to them, so can pets, but there's a big difference. If we start experiencing what could be detrimental side effects from a medication, we at least can say something about it, pets can't until perhaps unfortunately too late.

I had a horrific experience in the past with one of my cats many, many years ago back around the late 1970s. One of my younger cats had developed a mild URI (Upper Respiratory Infection). No real big deal, right? It's a condition that is very treatable with antibiotics. So I went to the vet, he examined her and gave me a common penicillin type antibiotic, Amoxicillin. In the past, a few of my other cats would also have URI and would give them the same medication without a problem. So I came home and prepared the Amoxicillin and proceeded to give her the medication. Within minutes she started having not only horrific seizures but worse, passed on. Do you have any idea how guilty I felt? Here I was trying to help my young cat but instead due to the medication in which she had a rare and fatal reaction, she died from it.

IMPORTANT: Before I continue on, once again, I'm not saying one should completely forgo any medications for pets, just be wary, and perhaps investigate more holistic means of healing.

Not long after this horrific incident occurred, I started looking into a more holistic means of healing for my cats. In fact, it was back in the 1980s I happen to come across the book, The Natural Cat: The Comprehensive Guide to Optimum Care by Anitra Frazier. Let's put it this way, it has virtually become a "bible" for me in helping and healing my cats in a more natural, holistic way. Think of and name the potential and possible health condition a cat may face, and Ms. Frazier has fantastic suggestions how to heal and heal naturally. I might add, she also doesn't completely ignore veterinary help.

Well, many years have passed, and yes from time to time I do still rely on veterinary care, but before racing to a vet, I now attempt alternative means of healing and with great success I might add. There are numerous books out there for one to explore about natural alternative means for healing not only cats, but dogs, of course top on the list should be Anitra Frazier's book. I include a listing of just some of the books available. Do a google search under holistic and/or natural healing for cats, or dogs or pets in general for a more comprehensive listing.

Also, with such "alternative" means of healing pets, there are of course, homeopathic/naturopathic medications one can buy to give pets and I've included the websites of just two places where one can get such natural remedies; again, one can do a google search for more websites where one can obtain such natural medications. Be prepared though, these medications can be quite pricey.

Listing of just a few suggested books on alternative health and healing for pets:

The Natural Cat: The Comprehensive Guide to Optimum Care http://www.amazon.com/The-Natural-Cat-Comprehensive-Optimum/dp/0452289750/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1ZDACARP7ZVEEM67KDTE

The Natural Cat: The Comprehensive Guide to Optimum Care

Veterinarians Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs : Safe and Effective Alternative Treatments and Healing Techniques from the Nations Top Holistic Veterinarians

http://www.amazon.com/Veterinarians-Guide-Natural-Remedies-Dogs/dp/0609803727

Veterinarians Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs

Veterinarians Guide to Natural Remedies for Cats : Safe and Effective Alternative Treatments and Healing Techniques from the Nations Top Holistic Veterinarians http://www.amazon.com/Veterinarians-Guide-Natural-Remedies-Cats/dp/0609803735/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=12MHZDFM4QN7DMDW0SEC

Veterinarians Guide to Natural Remedies for Cats

The Nature of Animal Healing : The Definitive Holistic Medicine Guide to Caring for Your Dog and Cat

http://www.amazon.com/The-Nature-Animal-Healing-Definitive/dp/0345439198/ref=pd_sim_b_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=19FDMXHP7JA4KV7KV1PA

The Nature of Animal Healing

The Complete Guide to Holistic Cat Care: An Illustrated Handbook

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Guide-Holistic-Care/dp/1592535666/ref=pd_sim_b_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=1WJ3FY0PARN96C0BMG6E

The Complete Guide to Holistic Cat Care

Listing of Homeopathic and Natural Medications For Pets:

Pet Alive Website For Homeopathic Medications

http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/

Pet Alive Website

Only Natural Pet Website:

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/dogs/

Only Natural Pet Website

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian, but am passing on this information based on some of my own personal experiences.

ARTICLE: Exploring Alternative Medicine and Healing Therapies: Using the Herbal Approach in Health Issues

(Originally published at Yahoo.voices formerly Associated Content~10/1/2008)

ABSTRACT: More and more people are getting turned off by the Western approach for healing health problems due to medicines that may have a whole listing of potential sides effects or cautionary warnings.

CONTENT: I think it can be said that a vast majority of people are becoming less and less trusting of the formal Western type approach to health and healing, and in particular the medicines that are available. I'm not completely knocking the medical profession, as it is true that there have been many great strides in combating many illnesses and diseases. Many of the diseases that could have literally killed us, like the flu or pneumonia, while they can still create a few fatalities, are no longer as widespread as they were only a century ago.

However, with all the wonderful supposed miracle treatments, remedies and drugs that are now available to us, more people are getting dissatisfied with the Western approach to healing. Almost on a weekly basis, one may hear of yet another prescription medicine that may either be reissued with severe, cautionary warnings, or taken off the shelves entirely. Such is the case with the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medication Vioxx which was pulled off from the market as there were alarming facts that this medication was linked to triggering heart attacks. It's near "cousin" also in the same type of NSAIDS, that is Celebrex, while not discontinued, also has cautionary has severe warnings that it can trigger blood clots, strokes and heart attacks.

There is not one, repeat not one medication that doesn't have side effects, they all do and many of these side effects are only the potential possible ones that may occur while taking a medication, and it doesn't necessarily mean one will actually develop such side effects. But if you ever start reading the long listing of these potential side effects one wonders...why take it? The listing can often be staggering as there just too many of them. Also, doctors themselves may not always be aware of all the side effects involved. The agent representing some pharmaceutical company comes into the doctor's office, tells the doctor that this latest medication is for this medical condition or problem, and maybe gives the doctor a brief brochure of just some of the potential side effects, but not all. And granted, lets face it, doctors can't memorize each and every medication out there in the market and all the potential side effects or cautionary warnings. Usually, it's the pharmacist that is more aware of all the facts behind each medication.

I can, for instance site two examples in my own life. Many years ago, I had a terrible bout of asthmatic bronchitis and went to my doctor, and he was a good one at that. He prescribed two medications to me, an antibiotic and an asthma type medication and these weren't new types of medications either, but ones that had been around for many years. Now this bout of bronchitis occurred before I became computer savvy and could look up the medications myself, so I was in the dark of what effects the medications may have had. I took the two prescriptions to my local pharmacist and practically fainted. He told me if I had taken this particular combination of medications I would be six feet under as it was a lethal one.

Then just recently, I came down with a lesser case of bronchitis and decided to nip it in the bud before it became any worse so therefore I went to my doctor. Now I have no problem with penicillin type medications, and usually for any kind of infection in my system, my doctor will usually prescribe such a medication to me. This time he decided to give me a none penicillin type, Ciprofloxacin, and I went to my pharmacist and got it filled. Before I took any however, I went to my computer and decided to look it up. You can imagine my alarm then, when the information I found had nothing to do with potential side effects, but of the cautionary warnings, one being that one should NOT take this medication if one has joint pain, which I do have. As I read more and more about this medication, from class action lawsuits, to testimonial cases of how this particular medication affected people in such a way in which they became virtual wheelchair bound cripples from the aggravated joint pain and ruptured tendons they received while taking it, you better believe I decided not to take it.

I must admit, my whole attitude about my caution sometimes with the medical profession in general stems from my great-grandmother, who was a nurse, a mid-wife, and none too pleased with the medical profession herself just on principle. After all, many nurses even today can often see the mistakes doctors can make especially in prescribing medications. She was a walking encyclopedia of the more natural and herbal remedies, and was living testimony to their effectiveness, as she never took anything stronger than aspirin, relying only on her natural remedies and lived to be 98 years. She was definitely ahead of her time, for what she was doing, in effect, is what we now call alternative medicine and healing.

Just what is alternative medicine or healing? Exactly what it implies, that is, using other methods to help medical problems by using more natural approaches rather than relying on Western medicine and one form is by using herbal applications. Of course there are other forms of "alternative" medicines or practices, from anything to acupuncture, homeopathic remedies to even hypnotherapy.

Now I do must caution here first of all, one vital thing. Just because an herb or a combination of herbs is a more natural approach, doesn't always mean it's safer. Herbal remedies can have their own side affects as well, but usually not as drastic or severe, but some herbs must be used with extra caution. To give a case in point. Some years ago, St. John's Wort was toted as being a natural remedy for depression. Yet as natural as it is, it too can have side effects one should be aware of, such as an increased sensitivity to the sun, anxiety, dry mouth, dizziness, fatigue, headaches and sexual dysfunction.(1) Also, cautionary measures should be taken into consideration in combing this herb with other herbs or while taking certain medications as well. In one book I have on herbs, it also warns about eating certain foods while taking St. John's Wort such as potatoes and anything with caffeine in it which would of course mean coffee, tea, cola sodas, and chocolate.

Another thing that one has to be aware of, is not all herbs can be taking internally, as some can only be safely used externally. For instance, the herb Bloodroot has been effectively used externally for skin diseases, and warts, but severe caution must be accounted for if taken internally as an overdose of this herb can be fatal.(2) One also has to be aware as well, that many herbs have the affect of lowering blood sugar levels, meaning that if a person is diabetic is already on medication for this medical problem, may have to use caution if using the herb.

It may also surprise people to know that herbs are often classified as feminine or masculine, that is, some herbs are beneficial solely to women, while other herbs are beneficial only to men. Some of the feminine herbs are Sage and Black Cohosh, the latter herb is often found in natural supplements for women going through menopause. An example of masculine herbs are Ginkgo Biloba and Ginseng both thought to be nature's "Viagra".

When deciding to go the more natural herbal route for helping one's medical problems, one needs to be aware exactly what the herbs are good for and to use any precautionary measure for specific health problems. For instance, many herbs have the affect of lowering blood sugar levels, meaning that if a person is diabetic and is already on medication for this medical problem, may have to use caution if using the herb. A few such known herbs are Aloe Vera, Ginseng, Cinnamon, Fenugreek, Devil's Claw, and Ginger (3).

Also, just because the herbal remedy may be a more natural one to help in one's health problems, one shouldn't go overboard in using too much of the herb in question, like everything else in life, moderation is the key. One needs to become educated in the proper usage and amounts of any herb one wants to use for medicinal purposed. While there are scores of books out in the market, one excellent book I recommend as an almost "bible" of herb knowledge is The New Healing Herbs: The Ultimate Guide To Nature's Best Medicine by Michael Castleman. This book not only list all the possible beneficial properties of a wide variety of herbs and the safety factors, but also tells the proper amounts of each herb and how to use it, from infusions (that is a tea type form) to tinctures. Of course, one can always look at the myriad of websites that discuss herbal remedies as well and I've listed two such websites in my reference section.

So if you're tired of getting Western medicines that have a load of potential side effects that could trigger off other health problems, that have cautionary warnings attached to them that could be life threatening and want to help heal yourself more natural, you just might want to explore nature's cornucopia of herbal remedies.

References:

St. John's Wort

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/stjohnswort/#cautions (1)

Bloodroot

http://www.altnature.com/gallery/bloodroot.htm (2)

Websites About Herbs

http://searchwarp.com/swa75811.htm (3)

http://altnature.com/

Books on Herbs

The New Healing Herbs: The Ultimate Guide To Nature's Best Medicine by Michael Castleman (Bantam Books)