[The Doctor Is In offers select chapters from Healing Pets with Nature’s Miracle Cures by permission of the author, Henry Pasternak, DVM.]
An Ounce of Prevention
An evolution in the healthcare
system for man and animal is sweeping the globe. Science and medicine
have the technology to understand and appreciate the value of integrating natural
and conventional therapies. The roots of natural medicine can be traced back to the
philosophy of Hippocrates, a health-oriented system of medicine that
stresses main¬tenance of health and prevention of disease.
Conventional
medicine is superb in acute, emergency, and traumatic situations; I often use
conventional medicine initially to stabilize the patient. Then I always
follow up with alternative medicine for long-term treatment.
More Cost-Effective
Holistic medicine is more cost-effective over the long term because it seeks
to treat the root of the problem and not only the symptoms;
it doesn't trap the patient on a merry-go-round that begins with
one drug and ends up requiring others to compensate for the side effects caused
by the initial drugs.
Many holistic methods work
by assisting the body's own natural
healing system instead of introducing
strong drugs.
Best Pharmacy—The Body
The fundamental philosophy of natural medicine is that the body has the
ability to heal itself given the proper opportunity. For example, some herbs
seem to have organ-specific actions and by implementing these herbs for
certain diseases, the body may be able to heal much faster without side effects.
Milk thistle is a good example of an herb used to treat liver disease.
Certainly, bacterial infections require appropriate antibiotics; however, chronic
infections can be cured much faster with good nutrition, herbs, acupuncture,
homeopathic remedies, and other modalities.
[To purchase a copy of Healing Pets and Nature’s Miracle Cures log on to www.pasternakvetcenter.com. For a private consultation with Dr. Pasternak, call 310-268-2275.]