From the desk of Sharda Baker.



Saturday, February 19, 2011



Hi and welcome everyone!

This is Sharda with pet health newsletter.

Today, we will be tackling one of the most debated topic about natural health care and pet health which is the pros and cons of providing your dog with natural dog medicine.

I don’t want to bore with a topic that’s too long so I will be slicing this natural health care newsletter into 2 parts.

So, before we proceed to the pros and cons about natural health care let’s take a look at some aspects of this pet health area.

Let’s start shall we?


NATURAL HEALTH CARE – AN INTRODUCTION TO NATURAL DOG MEDICINE

The pros and cons of natural dog medicine is one area that is literally a loaded landmine for many people. Whether you are a dog owner who wants to try natural medicine, a Vet who practices it, an herbalist who advocates it or a person who has tried it.

You ALL have different opinions on the subject. The bottom line for most of you though is "Did it work?"

And if the answer to that question is yes it worked, then you are a pro for natural medicine. If natural medicine did not work that well for you, then likely you will be in the con camp.

At the end of the day, the only person who can decide if natural dog medicine or natural health care works is YOU, and that will depend on what research you have done, how you feel about the answers you got to questions, and if you got results for your canine companion.

What is quite well known is that herbal medicine (natural dog medicine, phytotherapy, phytomedicine or botanical medicine) is THE most ancient form of natural health care on the planet.

Virtually all cultures have used herbs in some form since the dawn of time. The pull to use natural medicine is so strong and pervasive (for many reasons) that many alternative therapy practitioners will not only use herbs, but naturopathy, ortho-molecular medicine and even Ayurveda, not to mention the other alternative remedies you hear about.

And this is often done in conjunction with conventional vet medicine as well. Bottom line though is if you are going to use alternative medicine routes for your dog, then make sure you see a holistic vet or practitioner.

They're your best bet for a definitive naturadiagnosis. Did you know that roughly 25 percent of all prescription drugs are actually derived from trees, shrubs or herbs?

Or did you know that the World Health Organization estimates that of 119 plant-derived pharmaceutical medicines, about 74 percent are used in modern medicine?

There are an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 plants on earth today. Only about 5,000 of these have been studied for their medicinal applications.

So in some ways if you are taking conventional medicine for something, you may well be taking an herbal (natural medicine). Kind of makes you wonder what the rest of the herbs will yield up in terms of healing properties doesnít it?

Think about this. Chinese Herbal Medicine is well over 5000 years old, and modern day Western Medicine Pharmacology is less than 80 years old. Antibiotics were discovered in 1928.

The defining line between herbal or natural health care and conventional is rather blurred to say the least. One other thing you need to remember is most of the prescriptions used as treatments in natural medicine are NOT just one herb for one disorder.

They are mixtures of herbs, plant extracts and other organic substances. If you have allergies or sensitivities to herbs or plant extracts, beware, be AWARE and read the labels carefully.

If what's in the bottle or preparation does NOT list ALL the ingredients ñ then don't take it or administer it to anyone you know that has herb or plant sensitivities. And yes, that includes dogs.

Speak to you holistic vet about any herbal remedies you are considering. They will be able to put you on the right path and tell you how to properly use the preparation. There's a rip-roaring debate about using herbs in their complete form.

Should pharmaceutical companies extract the potent ingredients from the herbs and synthesize their own man-made herbs?

Or should herbs and plant extracts etc. be prescribed in their purest form.


Any highly trained herbalist will tell you they prefer the pure form, and they also insist most herbs are just as effective as drugs, but without the side effects.

Now, you'll remember that many of the traditional drugs we take are derived from plants etc. So it's rather of an oxymoron to say most herbs are just as effective as drugs isn't it?

It's also rather odd to say most herbs don't have side effects when the whole premise of homeopathy is to treat like with like (evil with evil). Remember the premise of giving a disease a disease to heal?

Giving the herb and its effects etc. to the person with the disease to produce the same symptoms to drive it out. So really, which is it??

Just because you are dealing with an herb does NOT mean it is NOT toxic. Ever heard of deadly nightshade or poisonous mushrooms?

These are drugs and must be used with caution, but if they are used properly then they will benefit your canine buddy. Of course your holistic vet or practitioner will be able to tell you immediately what to use and when.

For the best natural health care for your dog, always consult a holistic vet.

So, there you go!

I hope that you learned a lot from today’s introduction about natural health care and natural dog medicine.

We will be digging a bit deeper into this topic in the next update so we could understand more about this natural dog medicine.

Thanks for listening!

All the best and take care

Warmly,