Integrative Holistic Animal Healthcare
What is Integrative Holistic Animal Health Care?
Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M., M.S.
Welcome to this new column on integrative holistic animal health care! There is a tremendous increase in interest in natural holistic approaches to both human and animal health care these days. As one of the pioneers in acupuncture and holistic veterinary medicine, I am elated to see this new enthusiasm. However, while practicing, teaching and writing on the future of this field, I have come to appreciate that there is a balance between exploring the benefits of natural health care and acknowledging the benefits of conventional western medicine as well.
The philosophy of this column reflects the insights that I have gathered over the past sixteen years of practicing this integrative approach. Dr. Andy Weil is one of the major proponents of this approach in human medicine. What actually is Integrative animal health care ? The vision of this approach is to take the best of both holistic, natural approaches to animal health and combine them with the best of conventional veterinary medicine. No one form of medicine has all the answers, cures to all problems. It just seems prudent to take the best from all fields and integrate them into a new comprehensive form of animal health care.
What this means in practice and to you as an animals companion is that we do everything as naturally and health conscious as possible to prevent disease in our furry friends. If this isn't enough and they become ill, then we look at all the best approaches to both diagnosis and treatment of the problem. This may include conventional medical examinations, blood tests, x-rays etc.. In addition, a holistically oriented veterinarian may look at other possible causes of disease such as environmental conditions, nutritional deficiencies, potential vaccine reactions, as well as others Treatment might consist of conventional medications as well as holistic approaches to help the animal heal more quickly
"No one form of medicine has all the answers, cures to all problems."
For instance, if your pet develops a bacterial infection, the conventional approach would be to administer an antibiotic. This certainly seems prudent. However, from an integrative approach, one might also support the bodies defense systems with various herbs and nutritional supplements to help the body fight it off. An integrative approach may also include an evaluation of your pets health to see if there was some predisposing weakness that might have allowed your pet to come down with the infection.
This approach differs from other holistically oriented approaches such as classical homeopathy in which the practitioner would probably not use an antibiotic at all, but would rather choose a specific homeopathic remedy , an extremely high dilution of various herbs, minerals and plant products, that would stimulate the bodies defenses to fight off the infection.
Where do we start with integrative animal health care then? First let me suggest some good reference sources for some of these different approaches to animal health care. There are numerous books out on natural health care for pets, some are better documented than others. The classic standard in this field is "Dr. Pitcairns Guide to Natural Animal Health" by Rodale Press. This is an excellent resource for novices in this approach. Other books for animal caretakers representing different approaches to this field include: Anitra Fraziers "The Natural Cat", Cheryl Schwartz's "Four Paws, Five Directions, Chinese Medicine for Dogs and Cats" and " Love, Miracles and Animal Healing" by myself and Pam Proctor.
"The Good Doctor simply awakens the physician within.",Albert Schweitzer
There are terms that are commonly used in the natural field that may be somewhat foreign to some of you. It is amazing how many people including many veterinarians and human doctors do not realize the difference between the terms holistic and homeopathy. Holistic Veterinary Medicine is a term that the American Veterinary Medical Association defines as "a comprehensive approach to health care employing natural and conventional diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. In practice, it incorporates but is not limited to the principles of acupuncture and acutherapy, botanical medicine, chiropractic, homeopathy massage therapy, nutraceuticals and physical therapy as well as conventional medicine, surgery and dentistry".
As you can see, it is quite comprehensive and does not exclude conventional approaches. On the other hand, homeopathy is a complete separate form of medicine that utilizes remedies composed of extremely high dilutions of various herbal, mineral and animal substances These substances are administered to stimulate the bodies own healing processes. Many holistic practitioners also used the term animal companions or animal caretakers rather than animal owners, which may denote heirarchal concepts that are objectionable to some.
Other terms that are used include natural and complementary. Alternative means that the approach used is an natural to conventional medicine and in this may be the case in some conditions. Complementary means that the approach can be used along with conventional medical therapies and support the bodies abilities to heal itself. In the past, some called these approaches "New Age" medicine. Actually, this could not be farther from the truth. Many of these therapies are hundreds, if not thousands of years old. The roots of holistic medicine can actually be traced to ancient chinese medicine where there are many levels to medicine including nutrition, meditation, exercise, both mind body techniques and aerobic, massage as well as acupuncture and physical adjustments similar to what is now called chiropractic.
My goal in this column is to offer the reader a balanced approach to animal health care, offering the best of both conventional and natural and complementary medicine and to suggest practical options that you can do to help your pets!
The first things in this balanced, integrative approach to animal health care that I would like to leave you with are basic common sense preventive health ideas. These include exercise and good nutrition. Exercising with your pet can be extremely beneficial for both of you.
It is important that you both do not overdue it at first, but a regular exercise program can bring you both closer and improve the loving relationship you have with each other, whether you have a cat or a dog. With dogs, if you are not already, make your dog walk a meaningful and fun experience. Make sure to walk your dog at least two to three times a day if not more. Make sure if it is extremely hot or cold out or if your dog has a debilitating condition that you do not overdue it and that you both have plenty to drink so as not to dehydrate in hot weather.
If you have a cat, exercise is also critical. If your cat tends to be a couch potato, develop some games to play that gives them exercise. We will go over these in more detail in future columns
Magnetic Therapy: Fact or Fiction
The Healing Arts: Animal Magnetism Magnetic Therapy: Fact or Fiction?
Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M., M.S.
When one thinks of magnetic therapy for animals, one might envision those classic horseshoe magnets pulling a dog off the ground, but actually there has been quite a bit of scientific research documenting the benefits of magnetic therapy. Magnetic therapy has enjoyed a recent resurgence as a safe, simple and inexpensive method that produces positive results without harmful side effects. The most recent review of magnetic therapy for animals is by D. Hudson in the new textbook "Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine, Principles and Practice" published by Mosby in November, 1997. Hudson defines magnetism as "the alignment of magnetic of magnetic, or permeable material so that the molecules face in a uniform direction (i.e. north facing one direction and south facing the other direction).Both the composition and the size of the magnet affects its strength. Magnets are thought to work by means of magnetic lines of force, measured and quantified in units called gauss.
There are two classifications of magnets, permanent (or static) magnets and pulsed electromagnetic field magnets (PEMF). Normally permanent magnets are taped over an effected area on an animals for a period ranging from a few minutes to a few hours to days. A relatively new addition to permanent magnets are bipolar magnetic strips or pads that can be taped on to a patient. These have been made for animals both large and small as strips that are wrapped around injured or arthritic joints or tendons, as blankets for horses and dogs as well as magnetic ped pads for older dogs. Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy systems are devices that generate a pulsating electromagnetic field. Coils that produce the field are placed on the patient, generally for 30 to 60 minutes daily. Therapeutic permanent magnets usually range from 200 to 3000 gauss. The earths magnetic field is 0.5 gauss for comparison. The most recent addition to the field of magnetic therapy are bipolar magnets. Bipolar magnets are magnets where the north and south face are laid down parallel to each other side by side or in concentric circles. One manufacturer lays them down in checkerboard patterns. With all these patterns, both the north and south pole come in contact with the skin. These strips usually have a field strength of 500 gauss. Each manufacturer often claims that their magnetic configuration is the best. Clinically I have found that it is difficult to compare and some work better on some animals than others, but it is often a trial and error procedure.
There are different theories as to what is the best approach to applying magnets. Some recommend placing one specific pole, north or south on the injury, north relating to the negative pole and south relating to the positive pole. Advocates of this approach recommend using the north pole for healing injuries. Some practitioners report that the south pole stimulates growth of living tissues, which includes bacteria and viruses or even cancerous cells. Hence, they feel that the south pole should never be used. However, manufacturers of bipolar magnets disregard this theory. There is still quite a lack of agreement of concerning these theories. Most veterinary practitioners recommend using the north pole only facing the skin. Though many people use the bipolar magnets, apparently without any problem.
As far as the research goes, there are a handful of studies that do demonstrate that magnets do demonstrate biologic effects. However, there have been no good double blind studies to definitively document magnetic effects on living tissue. Actually, there are some concerns regarding the possible negative effects of high power tension wires and electromagnetic fields from cellular telephone towers and other smaller electromagnetic fields in houses. The concerns are related to the power of these fields and the long term chronic exposure to them. These are discussed in detail in two books by a famous orthopedic surgeon from Syracuse Medical school, Dr. Robert Becker . The books are titled "Cross Currents" and " The Body Electric". Both are excellent books on the subject. I would highly recommend reading these if you have concerns about this subject.
The big questions for our friendly pets are: 1. what are they used for and 2. how do I use them? Magnetic therapy can be used alone or in conjunction with other modes of therapy, both traditional and natural.
Sometimes static magnets are used over acupuncture points, apparently helping to stimulate the points. The main indications for magnet therapy seem to be musculoskeletal problems such as arthritis in joints such as elbows, knees & as well as with back problems and hip dysplasia. I have a few clients who have used the magnetic blankets for their old arthritis dogs and claim that it has made a big difference in their pain relief and their energy levels and their ease of getting up and down and walking better. Many of my horse patients have definitely improved with magnets on their backs and around tendons. Some are very pleased with their pulsed electromagnetic blankets as well. They can be used in horses for tendon and ligament injuries. Studies have shown that PEMF units have helped heal non healing fractures and poorly healing wounds in humans and nonhuman animals.
The challenge with animals is how to keep the magnets on when they are always moving around. Different manufacturers have developed various ways to meet the challenge of moving animals! One approach is a magnetic bed that the dog or cat can lie on. Some dogs and cats, seem to gravitate to the bed and get on and off it as they wish, apparently sensing when they may have had enough. Others don't seem to like them at all. Do they sense something we do not know? Good question! I certainly do not have the answer to that one.
Some manufacturers have developed magnetic blankets to wrap around horses and dogs backs. This seems to work out quite well. They have also made magnetic strips and that you can wrap with gauze around a particular joint as well as electromagnetic fields that can be held in place over the joint for a short period of time. This works well in horses, but is much more challenging with dogs and cats. Few cats will tolerate magnetic wraps or wraps of anything for that matter and on moving joints such as dogs knees, it is virtually impossible to keep the wrap on without sliding off.
The other option is to create some quiet time with you canine or feline companion and hold the magnets in place over the effected area while you pet them and enjoy the moments together. For our small animal companions, the magnetic strips or blankets or beds are probably the best options. The pulsed electromagnetic fields are more powerful, but are more expensive and are usually used by the veterinarian on your pet at the animal hospital, or some horse owners may have them if they have multiple horses. There you have, the positive and negative of animal magnetism. Till next time, may the beneficial effects of the electromagnetic force be with you!
If you would like a consultation with one of my Veterinary associates in the greater New York or Connecticut region, you can go to the practice part of my website, call the appropriate office and make an appointment with one of them to see how we can help your kindred spirit.
No article can replace the services of a trained veterinarian. This article is not intended to encourage treatment of illness, disease, or other medical problems by the layman. Any application of the recommendations set forth in this article is solely at the reader’s discretion and risk. You should consult a veterinarian concerning any veterinary medical or surgical problem. If a veterinarian is caring for your pet, for any condition, he or she can advise you about information described in this article.
testimonials for magna-mat magnetic pet beds
Listed below are the comments of some of Magna-Mat's satisfied customers. If you have had a good experience with one of our products, or have any suggestions for improvement, please let us know. We here at Magna-Mat are always striving to enhance the quality of our products to improve the quality of your pet's life.
"Our dogs absolutely love your magna-mat! They try to out-manuever one another in order to be first to curl up on the one we have..."
-Steve & Jill Flinn, Glasgow, MD.
"I was a skeptic. However, when my 13 year old dog came down with serious back problems I took a chance and ordered a magnetic mat. That was 5 months ago. Since then she has exhibited new energy and the signs of arthritis have diminished considerably. I attributed her renewed vitality to your product. Thanks."
-Bill Lawrence
"Our two English Bulldogs love their Magna-Mats!! We appreciate the extra covers we purchased for each bed so there is no down time with the dogs usage while washing the covers, there would have been a problem otherwise! They're on the beds all the time, expecially the older bulldog. It appears that the joint movement has improved and they have more energy.
Thanks for a great product... we are recommending your product to all our pet lover family and friends."
-Debbie & George Lothes, Akron, OH.
"I want to congratulate you on the success of your magnetic pet beds. Although a relatively new concept in veterinary medicine, there is no doubt that Magnetic Therapy can play a unique role in the relief of pain in arthritic pets…magnetic therapy has reduced the amount of medication needed and, in some cases, eliminated the need for oral or injectable medication…"
-Dr. Steven Hicks, Akron, OH
Akron-Medina Veterinary Hospital, Inc.
"We decided to try the Magna-Mat and we're very pleased with the results. Heidi loves to lay on her mat and we can definitely tell a difference in her activities. She is much more active since we purchased the Magna-Mat for her. We would highly recommend this product for all pet owners who want to provide a happier and more healthy life for their pets…"
-Harold G. Goble, Mesa, AZ
"I bought my Mom's aging (He's 11) Siberian Husky a magna-mat and purchased one for my 13 year old cat--They are feeling their best thanks to all the Magnets--I personally use magnet therapy for myself and when I found out that there are magnetic pads created solely for animals, I knew that I needed to get them some too!! Very effective for our older aging pets--it seems to make them feel a bit younger!!! Thanks for a great product!!!"
-Kelly S., Denver, CO
"We wanted to avoid surgery if possible, so we bought him a Magna-Mat. I had used magnets before for my fibromyalagia (like arthritis), so I was impressed with the medical quality and specifications of the Magna-Mat, as well as its sturdy construction and workmanship. And we were not disappointed. We put it in his crate, and with only a few nights' sleep he was no longer limping…"
-Dana Beck, Blackwell, OK
"Enclosed are pictures of my dogs enjoying their beds. There is no doubt in my mind that they really love them and I do believe that they help with old age and joint problems…They sleep deeply and snore loudly…"
-Marlin J. Stulo
"She (Missy Sue) suffers from a very bad neutering job that she received by an animal clinic when she was found as a stray…After the first night's sleep on her new bed, my husband and I could not believe how active she was. She started running up and down the steps…trying to get us to chase her around the house. It was amazing. I regret that I deprived my cat of this bed's therapy by putting off getting one for so long."
-Anita Kelly
"Heidi is a 9-year old Doberman Pinscher who weighs almost 100 pounds. We have had her to the vet numerous times for a severe case of arthritis in all of her lower leg and ankle joints. We had heard about magnetic therapy, and decided to stop the medications and try the therapy. Within about three weeks, there was a noticeable improvement in her movements…She is not as lethargic as she was, and brings her toys for us to throw again…"
-Judie Snivley, Akron, OH
"I ordered a 'Feel-Rite Magnetic Pet Bed' for her about three months ago and have been amazed at how she had improved only sleeping on it at night. Even her vet has been pleased by how much better and how much more walking she is doing now…"
-Shirley Kinzy, White, GA
| © 1999-2006 Feel-Rite Magnetic Pet Products, Inc. For general information, please e-mail: Info@MagnaMat.com For distributor information, e-mail: Distributors@MagnaMat.com |
About Magnetic Therapy
About Magnetic Therapy
Help Your Pet Recover with Magna-Mat Magnetic Therapy
What Is It?
Magnetic therapy has been helping humans for hundreds of years. Now this revolutionary treatment is available for pets. Magnetic therapy is used to bring relief and healing to almost any illness or injury present in dogs, cats, or other warm-blooded animals. It is a method of applying a magnetic field to the body that sends weak electrical signals to cells, which influences their interaction with ions. These signals initiate biological reactions, which accelerates the healing process and promotes pain relief from arthritis or hip dysplasia.
Magnetic Strength and Gauss Rating Factors
Ceramic 5 magnets, each with a Br rating of 3950 gauss and surface gauss rating of approximately 800 to 900 have been determined to provide the best therapeutic results. Br is a magnet's intrinsic or internal magnetic field. Gauss determines the speed in which the magnet works (or the number of flux lines per unit area). Flux lines are invisible lines of force emanating from a magnet. A 3950 gauss rating occurs at zero air-gap and with no demagnetising forces present.
Importance of Magnet Placement
The size and placement of magnets determine the optimum magnetic field and are important factors in magnetic healing. In products using more than one magnet, proper spacing is crucial for the magnets to work together correctly and form a complete circuit among themselves and throughout the body. For best results, based on calculations and experimentations, Magna-Mat uses only magnets which are 1" in diameter and 1/8" thick called Ceramic 5 Button magnets. These magnets are spaced 4 1/2" from each other and no more than 1/2" to 3/4" from the top surface.
Magnet Position is Critical
While there are many applications for magnetic therapy, using the north (negative) pole is the predominant use for pain relief. All reactions of an injury, pain or illness produce an acid/low oxygen state in those tissues where the injury, pain or illness is being manifested. Negative magnetic energy alkalinizes (which is the normal state of cells and tissues), oxygenates and normalizes cellular metabolism. Exposure to negative pole magnets encourages healing by pulling alkaline/high oxygen and nutritional fluids into the affected area.
Benefits
- Increasing blood flow
- Relieving pain
- Attracting oxygen and increasing tissue oxygenation
- Reducing bone and tissue regeneration
- Reducing inflammation and swelling
- Promoting a sound and restful sleep
Notes:
- Magna-Mat products are designed and recommended solely for animals in need of magnetic therapy.
- Magnetic therapy does not claim to cure any disease or illness. It is an effective alternative to surgery or medicine.
For more information go to www.magna-mat.com
Help your pet recover from arthritis
Help your dogs recover from arthritis or hip dysplasia with a Magna-Mat Magnetic Therapy Dog Bed.
For details visit www.magna-mat.com or call 1-866-928-9007.
Magna-Mat the #1 choice in magnetic therapy for pets.
Feel-Rite Magnetic Pet Products, Inc.
1799 Akron-Peninsula Road
Akron, OH 44313
