What Is a Holistic Vet?
Doctors for humans have begun to embrace a holistic approach to medicine. This trend is occurring in the veterinary medical world as well. Increasingly more veterinarians are choosing to study holistic medicine as the demand for these services increases.
Other People Are Reading
-
Identification
-
A holistic veterinarian uses all aspects of the dog's life to come up with a diagnosis. Holistic veterinarians use conventional, complimentary and alternative treatments, according to the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.
Features
-
In addition to physical exams, holistic vets examine environmental factors, stress and an animal's behavior to determine the cause of a problem. Along with conventional treatments like medication and surgery, holistic vets work with alternative treatments such as homeopathy and massage therapy.
-
Misconceptions
-
Holistic vets do not rely solely on alternative treatments. Holistic veterinarians must be licensed and knowledgeable about the same practices and standards as other veterinarians, as well as specialty practices and standards. Holistic veterinary medicine uses an integrated approach to solve problems.
Benefits
-
Holistic veterinary medicine is touted as providing solutions where conventional medicine has failed.
History
-
The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association was founded in 1982, though practitioners were in existence long before the formation of this governing and educational body.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit massage image by Anthony CALVO from Fotolia.com
