The medical articles on this site are for informational purposes only, and are not meant to be used to diagnose or treat your pet, or to replace the recommendations of a qualified veterinarian that has examined your pet.

Holistic Medicine

Dr. Betsy W. Krueger

Whole Pet Healing

Employing a holistic medical perspective is a powerful approach to treating disease and preserving or restoring health. This is especially true for our pets, who can't directly tell us what they are experiencing.

A holistic (a.k.a. “wholistic”) medical practice considers the whole body all at once rather than just an isolated area or part of the body. Therefore, diagnosis and treatment reflect the fact that it is a dynamic, interactive, and interdependent system rather than merely a collection of unaffiliated parts. It is always important to consider how a primary disease has affected other body systems, and in turn, how the prescribed treatment itself might affect the whole body.

Examples of holistic medical systems include Japanese Kampo and acupuncture, Ayurvedic medicine, and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM), which includes Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture. A veterinarian that combines conventional medicine with a holistic discipline such as TCVM is practicing integrative medicine. An integrative veterinarian will have specialized training in a holistic medical system like TCVM, in addition to standard conventional medical training.