Now that you know a little about Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine you may be wondering about how it differs from Western (Conventional) Medicine and how it may be better in certain conditions
Western medicine is very successful at treating diseases for which there is a specific known cause such as bacterial infections or parasites. Where Western medicine often fails are when a conditions is caused by more than one problem. Some examples are: immune-mediated diseases (where the body mistakenly attacks itself), allergies, idiopathic diseases (diseases for which no cause can be determined), kidney disease, epilepsy, and cancer. Even when Western Medicine treats many of these diseases, there are often unwanted side effects of the medications that are used. Have you ever noticed that almost every Western medication is an anti-something? You have antibiotics, antacids, anti-inflammatories, antiemetics, etc. Most of these medications with the exception of antibiotics are merely an attempt to suppress symptoms of disease and are not capable of actually helping the body to resolve the problem(s) that created the disease in the first place.
Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine can work much better than Western medicine when we cannot determine the exact cause of a disease or when there are many factors contributing to the disease syndrome. This is because TCVM actually helps the body to correct imbalances that may have weakened the system allowing the disease to happen in the first place. TCVM also helps to strengthen the immune system helping the body to fight off disease. TCVM can help with many diseases that may not respond to Western Medicine or when conventional medications have unwanted side effects. As mentioned above, TCVM can be very helpful for multi-factorial conditions such as allergies, immune-mediated disease, cancer, pain for which a cause is not known, disc disease, kidney disease, and many other conditions.
The best results, however, can be obtained by integrating practices from both Western and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. Why limit your pet to only Western Medicine options when they are likely to benefit from TCVM as well?
Western medicine is very successful at treating diseases for which there is a specific known cause such as bacterial infections or parasites. Where Western medicine often fails are when a conditions is caused by more than one problem. Some examples are: immune-mediated diseases (where the body mistakenly attacks itself), allergies, idiopathic diseases (diseases for which no cause can be determined), kidney disease, epilepsy, and cancer. Even when Western Medicine treats many of these diseases, there are often unwanted side effects of the medications that are used. Have you ever noticed that almost every Western medication is an anti-something? You have antibiotics, antacids, anti-inflammatories, antiemetics, etc. Most of these medications with the exception of antibiotics are merely an attempt to suppress symptoms of disease and are not capable of actually helping the body to resolve the problem(s) that created the disease in the first place.
Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine can work much better than Western medicine when we cannot determine the exact cause of a disease or when there are many factors contributing to the disease syndrome. This is because TCVM actually helps the body to correct imbalances that may have weakened the system allowing the disease to happen in the first place. TCVM also helps to strengthen the immune system helping the body to fight off disease. TCVM can help with many diseases that may not respond to Western Medicine or when conventional medications have unwanted side effects. As mentioned above, TCVM can be very helpful for multi-factorial conditions such as allergies, immune-mediated disease, cancer, pain for which a cause is not known, disc disease, kidney disease, and many other conditions.