| When your horse gets sick, do you find that your first | | | | is a side-effect of suppression. The skin rash was a |
| instinct is to "fix it"? Do you feel the need to make the | | | | sign of a liver imbalance, and when this expression of |
| symptoms go away immediately so that both you and | | | | the imbalance was blocked by steroids the body was |
| your horse can feel better right now? This is an | | | | forced to express itself at a deeper and more serious |
| understandable reaction, since none of us want our | | | | level. In this example, besides serious personality |
| horses to suffer if we can help it. But while the "quick | | | | changes, the energy of the disease will also eventually |
| fix" often makes us feel better about our horses, it can | | | | manifest again physically, but in another, more serious |
| actually be detrimental to our horses' overall health. | | | | way than a skin rash. The usual result is liver damage. |
| The quick fix is a poor choice for horse health care. | | | | Cure |
| Horse Health Care - Three Options | | | | Cure is, of course, the best solution because it both |
| When it comes to horse health care and coping with | | | | relieves the symptoms and removes the root cause |
| your horse's symptoms, you have three options: | | | | of your horse's health problem. However, when it |
| Palliation | | | | comes to horse health care, the problem with cure is |
| Suppression | | | | that it's no quick fix. It can take quite a bit of time and |
| Cure | | | | patience. |
| Let's take a look at each of these three options, and | | | | With cure, your horse's system must be strengthened, |
| their overall effect on your horse's health. | | | | the obstacles to cure must be removed, and the |
| Palliation | | | | overall systemic balance must be restored. This |
| Palliation means alleviating your horse's symptoms with | | | | involves an in-depth look at the nutrition, management, |
| some form of treatment. With palliation, the symptoms | | | | and personality of the patient-a comprehensive |
| will most likely return as soon as you stop treatment. | | | | approach that is not considered in a conventional |
| An example of palliation is using Bute to lessen arthritis | | | | treatment of symptoms alone. |
| pain. Your horse feels better when he's on Bute, but | | | | In the arthritic horse, for example, I would give the |
| will have painful joints as soon as you take him off the | | | | horse the nutritional support it needed to help the |
| medication. Palliation reduces symptoms but does not | | | | cartilage heal faster. I would also investigate the source |
| address the root cause of the problem. | | | | of free radicals that were causing damage to the |
| In this case, the joint fluid has been damaged by an | | | | joints. If I found the source to be external, I would |
| excess of circulating free radicals, which prevents it | | | | remove it and probably add appropriate supplements |
| from properly nourishing the joint cartilage. The | | | | to the diet to combat the existing free radicals. If the |
| cartilage then begins to break down faster than the | | | | source was internal, I would use a healing method such |
| body can replace it, creating instability in the joint. The | | | | as acupuncture or homeopathy to bring the body back |
| body's response to all of this is to deposit calcium | | | | into balance. With cure, not only do symptoms |
| around the joint in an effort to stabilize it. Giving your | | | | disappear but the vital force comes into full expression. |
| horse Bute will in no way slow down or stop the | | | | The hair coat shines, the eyes brighten, and the playful |
| process, which allows permanent damage to | | | | spirit returns, even in older animals. |
| eventually occur. As you can see, palliation is not the | | | | Horse Health Care: The Road to Cure |
| best long-term horse health care option. | | | | As a holistic veterinarian, I am often called in to treat |
| Suppression | | | | horses with severe symptoms that are the result of |
| Suppression is similar to palliation in that it makes your | | | | long-term palliation and/or suppression. Unfortunately, |
| horse's symptoms disappear. However, unlike palliation, | | | | bringing these horses back to a state of true health |
| with suppressive therapy your horse's symptoms | | | | takes much longer because their systems have been |
| disappear and do not reappear after the course of | | | | so weakened by palliative or suppressive approaches. |
| treatment. Unfortunately, rather than solving the | | | | It's much easier to treat a disease in the early stages |
| problem, suppressive therapies drive the problem | | | | using holistic methods aimed at producing cure, even if |
| deeper into your horse's body, worsening his overall | | | | it means seeing your horse suffer through some |
| health. | | | | temporary symptoms like painful feet or itchy skin. |
| For example, a common therapy for treating allergic | | | | These are simply ways your horse's body uses to |
| skin reactions is to give steroids. These drugs will stop | | | | express what's wrong. If you can learn to "read" these |
| the rash but will likely bring about an undesirable | | | | symptoms and address the root cause rather than |
| change in behavior as well. As a result, your | | | | reaching for the quick fix, you'll have a healthier happier |
| once-friendly horse is now aggressive and hateful. This | | | | horse in the long run. |