ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT FOREST FIRES!

Those of us who practice alternative medicine commonly state that traditional Western medicine is great for putting out fires. Drugs are used to treat things that are inflammatory, like arthr-ITIS, pancreat-ITIS, dermat-ITIS, encephal-ITIS, etc. "Itis" indicates inflammation and drugs are used to decrease the symptoms and pain of inflammation. Therefore - putting out fires. But wouldn't it be better if you could PREDICT where inflammation might occur BEFORE it occurs? Wouldn't you rather be pro-active and stop the train before it gets going at 100 miles per hour? That's were alternative medicine like Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine can be a powerful ally.

I did a consultation the other day for a dog with kidney disease. The dog was a typical "Water" dog,

Toxic Red Tongue

meaning it's five element constitution was Water - fearful, apt to bite when afraid, black coat color, thin build. Because the Water element is ruled by the Kidney and Bladder systems, it would have been predictable that this dog would develop kidney issues later in life. If we had designed a diet and lifestyle to support the Kidney system early in life, there is a greater chance this pet would not have developed kidney issues. No guarantees, but certainly worth consideration. Of course, genetics plays some role in the course of certain diseases over a lifetime. But if you KNOW the pet has a genetic predisposition toward developing a certain disease, wouldn't you do everything in your power to prevent or delay the onset of disease and symptoms?

My head receptionist has a senior dog that appeared to be the picture of health. But she was slowly losing weight. Most pet owners would not have noticed a problem. The weight loss was subtle. Lab work showed all systems were normal. But the one thing that was abnormal on exam was this dog's tongue color. It was brick red, something I call toxic red. I knew something wasn't right (and actually was very wrong!) based on the tongue color. Most traditional veterinarians would have proclaimed everything was in great working order. But based on the tongue color, I insisted on an abdominal x-ray. We were going on a tumor hunt because I knew there had to be one somewhere. The x-ray showed her spleen to be somewhat enlarged, with a very small bulge along one edge. The dog was taken for an ultrasound, where it was proclaimed the spleen had abnormal texture and contour. We went to surgery and removed a VERY abnormal spleen, filled with cancer. Parts of the intestine looked thickened and scarred, so we performed an intestinal biopsy as well. We are still waiting for the biopsy results to confirm what kind of cancer was lurking. The big question - what would have happened if we had waited? How much would this pet's life have been shortened by allowing the cancerous organ to remain until it ruptured and the cancer spread? This dog is a typical Earth personality, which is ruled by Spleen and Stomach. See any connection here? Tumor in spleen, Earth dog ruled by Spleen......

Unfortunately, too many pet owners wait until the fire has been burning out of control, treating the "symptoms" with drugs and medications. If given the right tools, the body could help itself heal and medications could be diminished or eliminated altogether. Early intervention can help pets live longer. Holistic medicine saves lives.