Integrative medicine is the best medicine

Most pet owners are familiar with two different approaches to prevention and treatment of disease in pets.

The first approach, also known as the traditional or "western" approach to veterinary medicine, primarily focuses on targeting and treating disease and symptoms of disease as they arise. Patients are grouped together by species according to their reaction to disease and to the pharmacological, medical and/or surgical management of such reactions. This approach to pet health care is the one utilized by the majority of veterinarians today.

The second approach, the holistic or "alternative" approach, tends to stress wellness and disease prevention in the individual more so than its "traditional" counterpart. Holistic medicine, which encompasses therapies such as herbal therapy, nutrition/nutraceuticals, acupuncture, and chiropractic, is not only geared at treating disease, but also toward stimulating the body's own natural resources and internal mechanisms to afford self-healing and self-protection against disease. It also stresses that no two individuals have identical responses to disease. Therefore, treatment approaches are not "grouped" but rather customized to the individual.

Imagine, though, having the best of both worlds when it comes to your pet's health care. Enter a third approach: The "Integrative" approach. Integrative veterinary medicine merges traditional medicine with holistic medicine. And in the eyes of many veterinarians, including yours truly, this integrative approach is the "best" approach to pet health care.

Ardent practitioners of traditional veterinary medicine often scoff at holistic approaches, claiming them to be unsubstantiated by research, which invalidates their supposed effectiveness. Conversely, some holistic practitioners insist that Western medicine does more harm than good.

Both camps are wrong. It goes without saying that both traditional and alternative approaches have their inherent strengths as well as their weaknesses. When it comes to the prevention of infectious diseases and the treatment of acute life threatening injuries or illnesses, traditional medicine still offers the most effective solutions. However, chronic health challenges that have responded poorly to traditional methods, plus the promotion of overall health and well-being, can and should be addressed holistically as well.

Oftentimes, when traditional and holistic medicines are used in synergy, their combined strength serves to diffuse any weaknesses that one or the other may possess. Veterinarians who practice integrative medicine and use the best that both traditional medicine and holistic medicine have to offer are the ones equipped to provide the most comprehensive care. There is no doubt that the combination provides a powerful punch in the fight against illness and disease in pets.