Past Articles
"Acupuncture"
"Healing Ulcers Naturally"
"Homeopathy"
"Homeopathy 2"
"Herbs"
"Latent Psora"

"Treating animals with minute doses"

Never did I imagine that I would be using strange substances such as bee venom, spiders, tiger lilly, marigolds, and minerals such as sulphur, sodium chloride, and arsenic to heal patients, both animals and people, when I graduated from Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine in 1985. Upon graduation, fairly disgusted with modern medicine, and knowing nothing of “holistic medicine”, I turned to even more post graduate training in medicine and surgery, thinking that if I knew more about the intricacies of CT scans, MRI’s, diagnostic lab testing, internal medicine and more advanced surgery, I would have the magical answer to every animal and eventually human ailments. Not being even vaguely familiar with the terms “holistic”- let alone homeopathy and acupuncture, I began my venture out into medicine only to find that I was treating the same symptoms of the same animals and eventually humans, day in and day out with only temporary response at best. I was an automaton, handing out antibiotics and steroids like a mindless robot according to “protocols” set up by someone who had never seen my patient.

I remember Cici, the female grey Standard Poodle, continuously on antibiotics for ear infections, just like some of the children I treat now. Every time we would take her off the antibiotics, the ear infection would just come right back within days. The reason, I know now, is that we were not really treating the problem, just covering it up, suppressing it, only to have it pop back up like an ice cube in your Coke glass. Sometimes I explain to my patients that what has been done with drugs, and inappropriately used herbal therapies, is that we have killed the scum on the pond, but we have weakened the pond underneath. Even when we stop putting the chemical in the pond i.e. the drug into the body, the pond is so weakened, the scum just grows back faster every time the chemical is removed.

The goal of homeopathy, and any other form of “holistic” medicine, when used properly is to yes, kill the scum on the pond and make the person or animal feel better, but more importantly detoxify and cleanse the pond. In other words, strengthen the entire mind, body and spirit. This is something that Western medicine does not do, or even know about.

Homeopathy- let’s break down the word. Homeo- means “similar” and “pathy” means suffering. So, we are using a substance that when given in a very diluted way to a normal healthy person, produces symptoms similar to the symptoms the sick person is having. Let me give you an example. Let’s say that someone has severe arthritis that is causing their joints to be hot to the touch, red, burning, and inflamed similar to how you would feel if you were stung by a bee. It is possible that a homeopathic remedy called Apis mellifica- which is Latin for honey bee, might be indicated. Like cures like.

Imagine that you have a little too much to drink one night. What helps? Drinking a small amount of alcohol in the morning. Like cures like. How about some noise reduction devices on airplanes. The loud noise of the airplane vibrates at a certain frequency, so that same frequency is given back to eliminate or at least diminish that noise. Once again, like cures like.

When homeopathic remedies are given to you, you are not taking a straight substance such as arsenic, for example. The substance is so completely diluted, that there are no remaining molecules of that substance in the container. Only the energetic memory of that substance remains. This then stimulates the body to heal itself on every level.

New research by Professor Emoto in Japan has revealed that water molecules have memory of the substance that is put into the container. It is speculated that water molecules take on the 3 dimensional configuration of the marigold for example, so that all of the healing properties of marigold are magnified, without any side effects. In addition to diluting the substance, it was determined by Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy in the 1700's that agitation or shaking of the liquid is also required to “potentize” or make the substance stronger.

Lets talk about a couple of cases: April Goodwin of Mesa, a dental student, adopted Callie, a 7 yr old female calico cat from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. Callie had a history of skin problems since kittenhood. Open oozing sores covered her body making her miserable. She had been on steroids, antihistamines, allergy injections, anti-parasitic drugs and had been extremely over-vaccinated. Her chart was as thick as a telephone book when I first took the case. I spoke with April for about an hour on the phone, learning everything possible about Callie in as much detail as April could describe. When does she itch? where does she itch, are there any odors to the discharges, what is her personality like, does she hide when people come in, or is she more outgoing, what kind of food does she eat, is she finicky or ravenous, Many other questions are asked, much more in depth than the Western medical history. I then took some time and studied all that April had told me. I chose a homeopathic remedy called Sulphur that corresponded to the patient as a whole, not just the skin problems. We gave the remedy several times, seeing just minimal response, which is typical at first. After several months, her body (we call it the Vital Force) started to respond. Little by little the skin lesions lessened as we weaned her off the steroids and other drugs. Today, she is mostly itch-free with a few ups and downs along the way. She is not totally cured, but certainly is well on her way after just a few months of treatment. This is somewhat unusual, as most patients take longer with the amount of drug therapy Callie had. It just shows us how amazing homeopathy is.

How about Chris Vaughn from Queen Creek with his dog “Prince”. Prince is at 14 yr male West Highland White Terrier. If it has been written in a western medical textbook, Prince has had it. Everything from chronic diarrhea, bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis, coughing, allergies, itching, ear infections, vomiting, chronic pancreatitis and more. We have treated Prince off and on since 2004 with amazing results. Even though radiographs still show that Prince has permanent changes in his lungs due to the bronchitis and fibrosis, he is not coughing. He is not vomiting, has a normal stool, and his allergies are gone. This is an amazing testament to what homeopathy along with a few supplements can do.

Buddy McCartney, shown in the picture, a 10 year old poodle yorkie cross is a very happy patient. Last year, Buddy had severe debilitating neck and shoulder pain. He would scream out when he moved. He was initially treated with drugs which were not helpful. After learning all about Buddy’s individual particular symptoms, we treated him homeopathically with a remedy called Calcarea carbonica as well as an anti-inflammatory herbal supplement. Since Buddy is here in the Arizona City/Casa Grande area, we also gave him acupuncture- the subject of next months article. Buddy has been pain free for almost a year, and higher energy than he has ever been, according to his owner and caretaker, Tammy McCartney, a realtor in Arizona City.

It’s never too late or too early to start homeopathic and nutritional care. Most people consider symptoms in their pet to be “normal” when they are not “normal”, only “common”. For example, it is not normal to have dark brown ear wax, eye discharges, oily or scaly skin, frequent vomiting of hairballs in cats, mucous in the stool, hyperactivity, low energy, ravenous or finicky appetite, chewing feet, and many others. Most people take these symptoms for granted in their pets, thinking they are normal, when they are not. Many times, starting homeopathy and a good diet early, will eliminate these symptoms and not allow them to evolve into more serious problems later on. The most common complaint I hear from people is “I wish I would have started this sooner”.

In addition, homeopathy works synergistically with a “good diet”. What is a “good diet”? What did animals eat 40-50 years ago prior to processed food? Fresh meat, bones, and a small amount of vegetables. In her book about animal nutrition, “Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats, Kymthy Schultz describes re-crreating what the animal would eat out in the wild. Their digestive tract has not changed after hundreds of thousands of years to suddenly eat crunchy highly processed food. I recommend following Kymthy’s guidelines, which, if you imagine a rabbit.... we have flesh, bones, organ meats and small amount of stomach contents which would be analagous to cooked vegetables. If you did this for your animal, and nothing else, you would notice brighter eyes, cleaner ears, nicer teeth and better hair coat.

I would like to stress that homeopathy is not a cure all. In my practice, we can treat anything : allergies, cancer, liver disease, chronic digestive complaints, diabetes, almost any diagnosis in any patient --- in all species, humans, horses, dogs and cats with a combination of homeopathy, nutraceuticals, and acupuncture. A very attractive aspect for many people is that their pet’s case history is taken over the phone. No one knows their pet better than the caretaker. The animal doesn’t have to be stressed by going into a clinic with lots of smells and other scary scenarios. The remedies can be sent long distance and treatment can be continued when the patient travels. It’s a win-win situation for the patient and the caretaker.

Dr. Judy Stolz is a naturopathic physician and a veterinarian practicing in Casa Grande, AZ.