Drugs, Devices, and Herbs, OH MY!!!
by William Pelkey founder of Equigetics
I came to the holistic way from a traditional scientist’s approach. I worked, and continue to consult as a biostatistician in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries for human patients, but I am also a holistic practitioner, providing wellness services to the equine industry.
After years of scrutinizing and analyzing patient data, and seeing wildly diverse outcomes in identical patients undergoing the same treatment, I came to realize there was something else at work in many of these patients.
Without sounding too cliché, there is wisdom in the old proverb, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Going hand in hand with that piece of sound advice, “knowledge is power.”
Choosing a holistic approach over an allopathic approach for your horse’s health and wellbeing is a minefield requiring your diligence with each step. Likewise, blindly accepting your doctor’s or veterinarian’s treatment course can lead you to the same dangerous place.
Many pharmaceuticals find their origin in Nature. But, since a natural substance cannot be patented, most pharmaceutical companies compound or synthesize a chemical agent that mimics the action of the natural substance, with similar, and sometimes better results than the natural.
Pharmaceutical drugs have been studied in animals and humans extensively, albeit not without flaw. As a biostatistician, I can tell you the very best thing you can do as a horse owner is to not only read the label on the medication, but ask for the package insert as well.
Take a look at the contraindications, suggested treatment, and potential for adverse effects. Realize that just because there’s only a 2% chance of one adverse effect, there are also probably a score or more of other, independent adverse effects which may rear their ugly heads by the time the course of treatment is complete. Using mathematics and probability, you may find that instead of only a 2% chance something specific will happen, your horse has a 20% chance or more of presenting with some adverse effect of the drug.
Similarly, whether a pharmaceutical or natural substance, realize that putting a foreign substance in the body will ALWAYS result in some alteration of the body’s chemistry, which may be beneficial or detrimental to the horse’s well-being.
However, there are definitely times when the synthetic substance is more desirable than something natural. Although you can treat a topical staph infection with tea tree oil, honey, or a baking soda paste, the staphylococcus bacteria has become so virulent and resistant to treatment, your best choice may be a trip to the doctor or visit by the vet to have some powerful antibiotics prescribed.
Likewise, simple wounds or skin eruptions may more greatly benefit from a “more natural” approach.
I have a colleague, who while training a client’s horse was approached by the next-door neighbor about another horse with a problem. It seems the horse had been under a veterinarian’s care for a wound on the pastern which just wasn’t healing after 8 months’ treatment.
Upon examination, the wound was ugly and surrounded by proud flesh. Having dealt with such things before, my friend suggested what he would do were the horse his own, concocting a poultice using readily-available over the counter creams and salves from the back of his truck, instructing the owner how to mix, and how to apply.
Flash forward a week, the owner showing my friend with a tear-streaked face, how much the wound had improved in such a short time. Another week, and the wound is closed and healing nicely using the same treatment. Yet another week, and the horse is back to work.
Does this mean the owner chose poorly by calling the vet? Absolutely not. When in doubt, call the vet, but what the owner didn’t do which caused the horse more pain than it should have was not to question the course of treatment or discuss alternatives when the wound didn’t heal after a reasonable period of time.
Likewise, I’m sure many of us can relate stories of horses going through more than they should by the owner not calling the vet until after trying every possible alternative.
What is ideal, then? First and foremost, become an informed horsekeeper. If not already, become a member of HHCC, attend the meet and greets, Holistic Horse Affair, and attend workshops and seminars. Members are a braintrust of knowledge and wisdom in horse-keeping. Buy a copy of Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook and the Merck Veterinary Manual in addition to all the herbal, massage, and aromatherapy books and DVDs you already have. Remember, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!
Enlist a team of practitioners, including yourself, in your horse’s health. A veterinarian open to holistic treatment options is invaluable, as is a natural hoof care professional or farrier, massage therapist, acupressure therapist, dentist, and cranio-sacral therapist. The list could go on and on.
But, the keystone is YOU, the owner. Well-informed, knowledgeable about both allopathic medicine and holistic methods, and willing to put in the study time and ask questions of professionals and peers you respect.
Your horse deserves no less.
