Homeopathy for our Furry Friends
ochmadmin Homeopathy for our Furry Friends
March 28, 2016
Homeopathic medicine is increasingly becoming popular among local pet owners. Veterinary surgeon Zoran Jankovic can attest to this fact and to the benefits of homeopathy, which he describes as “a sophisticated medical system aimed at complete restoration of health and prevention of recurrence”.
“At this perilous time in our civilisation development, when it is essential to utilise practices that strengthen the immune and defence system, homeopathic medicine is quite naturally gaining popularity,” says Jankovic.
“More and more people are realising the importance of the holistic approach to health and, since the majority of pets in Malta enjoy the status of family members, this trend translates to them.”
He explains that, contrary to ‘traditional’ or conventional medicine – which normally uses substances that have the opposite, suppressive or extinguishing effect on a causative agent, disease process or symptom – the fundamental principle of homeopathy is the similarity principle or “let like be cured with like”. “With homeopathy, we try to stimulate the organism to fight the disease process by administering a substance which in overdose would cause similar symptoms to those the sick individual is experiencing. Such substance is given in very small, safe doses with dramatic effect.” Research has shown that rather than a drug having increased effects as the dose is increased, the opposite is true: the larger the dose, the more reduced the effect. And exceedingly small doses of the same drug will actually increase its effectiveness. “We must not forget the fact that the law of similarity has been known to humanity since ancient times. In the 4th century BC, Hippocrates, regarded by many as the ‘father of Western medicine’ was known to have said: ‘Through the like, disease is produced, and through the application of the like, it is cured’.”
One of the fundamental tenets of homeopathy is that it does not treat disease, but a patient – human or pet – with disease.
“No matter what the individual symptoms are, they are recognised as primarily an intrinsic effort of the organism to adapt to and deal with various internal or external stresses,” he explains. “Homeopathic medicines are prescribed to aid the organism in its highly-sophisticated efforts to heal. Therefore, inherent in the homeopathic approach is a basic respect for the body’s wisdom.” Homeopathic medicines are prescribed to aid the organism in its highly-sophisticated efforts to heal Jankovic claims that homeopathic medicine can be used to treat all kinds of pets and adds: “The British Royal Family has been intimately involved in homeopathic medicine since the 1830s when Queen Adelaide sought homeopathic care from Ernst Stapf, a colleague of German physician Samuel Hahnemann, who is credited with creating homeopathy. In other words, if it is fit for royals, why wouldn’t it be fit for our furry, feathery or scaly family members?”
Homeopathic medicines are normally given orally in the form of tablets, granules, pills or dissolved in water. In the conventional approach, drugs are expected to act on particular tissues or organs. When several organs are affected in chronic disease, symptoms are addressed by a number of drugs given in a mixture.
In homeopathy, since the remedy has to match the whole totality of the symptoms, there cannot be more than one remedy at a time. It must have the following characteristic features to be in accordance with homeopathic principles:
• It must be based on the totality of the symptoms, including mental and emotional symptoms, not just physical.
• It must be a single remedy, never a mixture.
• It can never be administered in a substantial dose.
When asked what happens if a remedy does not work, the vet is quick to point out that the same could happen with conventional medicine.
“What if the antibiotic your doctor prescribed doesn’t work? He or she prescribes a stronger one. If the homeopathic medicine does not work, there is usually a problem with the prescribing process,” he says.
“This means the homeopathic practitioner has not matched properly the totality of patient’s symptoms with the right remedy. So he has to put in more investigative effort to find the right homeopathic medicine. The only difference is that homeopathic remedies are not nearly as dangerous as antibiotics.”
Always consult with a Registered Homeopath before treating your pet with homeopathic medicines.