Promoting Pet Wellness Through Holistic Veterinary Care
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health suggests that more than a third of people regularly try holistic methods in lieu of or conjunction with traditional health care approaches. Is it any wonder that pet parents are turning to natural animal health remedies, too?
Dr. Linda Stern, Owner of Healing Creatures, Camp Hill, has spent her decades-long veterinary career advocating for a novel combination of eastern and western medicines for all creatures. Her unrushed approach typically starts with comprehensive diagnostics, such as vitamin D and omega-3 testing. Depending upon her findings, she can then suggest a wide array of possible solutions including animal acupuncture, organic supplements, cold laser therapy, food therapy, veterinary orthopedic manipulation, homeopathy, Chinese herbs, and more standard choices like pharmaceuticals and surgical interventions.
One of Dr. Stern’s newest investments is a non-invasive Qest bio-energetic frequency machine. Not only can it help screen for food and environmental allergies, but it can also verify the likely presence of lyme disease in pets. “The Qest machine works by testing frequencies,” she explains. “Everything has a frequency: body organs, pathogens, bacteria, metals. When a pet has a frequency imbalance, the Qest will show it. From that point, we can work on ways to restore harmony.”
In addition to the new Qest testing, Healing Creatures now sells several non-toxic ways to deal with pests. For example, beautiful collars specially made from potent Lithuanian amber help repel fleas and ticks, lessening the likelihood of attachment. One-hundred percent organic neem oil has also proven successful in fighting off insects, as has food grade diatomaceous earth when sprinkled in places where fleas and ticks hide.
The key, of course, is patience. As Dr. Stern explains, holistic care and natural preventatives are never quick fixes. “Natural bug control takes longer,” she says. “But it prevents pets from exposure to chemicals that could make them sick or even kill them. That’s important to remember for people who want to give their dogs, cats, small mammals, reptiles and birds the longest, healthiest lives they can. Holistic care is a journey, not a destination.”