b"Arizona Ask the VetREAL COUNTRY HOLISTIC HORSE CARE the magazine WHAT DOES IT MEAN?Mike BarnaPublisher By Stacey Oke, DVM, MScArizonaRealCountryMagazine@gmail.com Reprinted from The HorseErika Smith Royal What Is Holistic Medicine?Holistic medicineperhaps more aptly thought of as Editor whole-istic medicine refers to the practice of treating the entire patient rather than just the clinical signs of erika963realcountry@gmail.com disease. The American Holistic Health Association defines it as: The art and science of healing that Misty Voitovski addresses the whole personbody, mind, and spirit. The practice of holistic medicine integrates conventional and Creative Director alternative therapies to prevent and treat disease and, most importantly, to promote optimal health.Contributing Writers In essence, holistic medicine falls under the realm ofWhen Should Vets Offer CAIVM?what we now refer to as, complementary, alternative,In the case of CAIVM, both owners and veterinarians Lee AndersonBob Boze Bell and integrative veterinary medicine, or CAIVM. Theowe horses the utmost care to maximize quality of life. American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)The best medicine is whatever works on that day and is Violet LambertJustin Legler describes CAIVM as a heterogeneous group ofthe least invasive, says Harman. A horse suffering colic Betsy LemaireDakota Livesay preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic philosophies anddue to a twisted loop of bowel obviously requires surgery. practices that are not considered part of conventionalHowever, for many chronic problems in horses, the least Dodge MarshallRandy Miller (Western) medicine as practiced by most veterinarians. invasive and most successful treatment is CAIVM.Stacey OkeJim & Bobbi Jeen Olson Examples of CAIVM include veterinary acupuncture,Regardless of how you ultimately choose to treat your Alan RockmanBob Roloff homeopathy, manual or manipulative therapy (e.g.,horse, every patient should undergo a complete physical chiropractic), nutraceutical therapy, and phytotherapyexam by a veterinarian first. Only then can the horses John SamsillBrett Spear (herbal medicine). care team consider the best treatment option, be it using CAIVM, Western techniques, or any combination thereof.Michele Wilson The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA), describes holistic medicine ashumaneFor example, does your horse always seem to have to the core. The techniques used in holistic medicine arecracked quarters of the hoof wall? Sure, you can take 801 W. Wickenburg Way gentle, minimally invasive, and incorporate patient well- your barn mate's advice and start supplementing with a Wickenburg, AZ 85390 being and stress reduction. hoof product containing biotin and methionine. Thats a natural, complementary therapy that cant hurt, right? (602) 254-6644 In treating an animal, a holistic veterinarian willNot necessarily, our sources say, because there are other determine the best combination of both conventionalreasons for having chronically cracked quarters, such as and alternative (or complementary) therapies for apoor conformation or even back pain altering how the ArizonaRealCountry.com given individual, it continues. This mixture of healinghorse bears weight.arts and skills is as natural as life itself. Therein lies the very essence of the word (w)holistic. It means taking inIn real life, inappropriate application of holistic care can the whole picture of the patientthe environment, thedelay the treatment of the underlying problem. If the disease pattern, the relationship of pet with ownerandhoof is cracking because of a functional issue that needs developing a treatment protocol using a wide range ofto be addressed, for example, no amount of biotin will therapies for healing the patient. The holistic practitionerfix it. Alternatively, if the foot appears balanced and the is interested not only in medical history but also genetics,veterinarian notices no other issues, such as hoof capsule Follow Arizona Realnutrition, environment, family relationships, stress levels,distortions, during a complete physical exam, then biotin Country for news, events,and other factors. supplementation might very well be indicated, as long as its a quality product. What makes a good holistic giveaways and more! Who Offers These Services? veterinarian is realizing when to use what.The AVMA states that any treatments falling under the CAIVM umbrella must be implemented only when aWhat makes a good holistic veterinarian is realizing Arizona Real Country is owned andvalid veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR) existswhen to use what, says Ben Espy, DVM, Dipl. ACT, published by Barna Broadcastingand only by a professional with proper training. a Texas-based practitioner and veterinarian for the LLC. No person, organization or partyProfessional Rodeo Cowboys Association who is also Joyce Harman, DVM, owner ofHarmany Equine Ltd.,licensed to practice acupuncture. While Espy has can copy or reproduce the contentin Flint Hill, Virginia, is one veterinarian committed tospent a great deal of time training in acupuncture, he on our website and/or magazine orthe practice of CAIVM. Shes certified in acupunctureacknowledges that he still identifies as a primarily any part of this publication withoutand chiropractic and has completed advanced training inWestern veterinarian.a written consent from the editorsveterinary homeopathy, nutrition, and herbal medicine.panel and the author of the content, asWhen my Western medical approach isnt producing the applicable. The publisher, authors andIf youre looking for a local practitioner, find one withdesired results, I reach into my Eastern toolbox, he says. extensive training in the modality youre interested in,I warn owners that acupuncture may not work, but if I contributors reserve their rights withshe says. For help finding a qualified holistic veterinarycan stick needles in a horse and potentially make it better regards to copyright of their work. practitioner, the AHVMA provides a Find a Vet linkwhile doing no harm, why not? If I dont, then my success (ahvma.org/find-a-holistic-veterinarian) to get you started. rate will continue to be zero percent. continued on page 7ArizonaRealCountry.com April 2022 5"