Mary Allen
This is one of those features of homeopathy: one person believes in it, another thinks that it is a useless hocus-pocus … The same is with Bach flowers. Your wildlife expert on dogs Rickard Kraikmann will explain if drops really work.
Against travel sickness, New Year’s Eve panic, or aggression against other dogs: Many dog owners find – often after consulting their veterinarian – the right Bach flower essence for every problem with their four-legged friend.
And the choice is quite large: for the inclined user, 38 essences are available from different, not known as medicinal plants, flowers – depending on the problem. British physician Edward Bach chose plants in the 1930s – not for their medicinal properties, but rather intuitively.
To obtain Bach flowers, the flowers of the respective plants are placed in water or boiled. Flowers transmit their vibrations and healing energy to the water. Then water is mixed in equal parts with alcohol to preserve it and diluted in a ratio of one to 240 to obtain a finished essence.
Scientists: Bach Flowers Don’t Work Without a Placebo Effect
And what helps with real problems or illnesses? At the moment, opinions differ greatly. “We believe the combination of 38 resources is sufficient to treat every imaginable emotion,” writes the Das Bach-Center on its website. … “We do not consider it our task to ‘prove’ that the funds work. Instead, we just show you how to use them and let people experience the effect for themselves. ”
Scientists, on the other hand, always arrive at the same result: Bach flowers only work with a placebo effect. This means that anyone who takes Bach flowers or any other drug that expects to have a healing effect will feel relief.
And it also works with animals that can’t figure out whether they are being given antibiotics or Bach flowers. This is called a “placebo for care”. In a study, dogs with joint problems were given pain relievers or a placebo without medication, and then veterinarians evaluated the gait of the paralyzed animals.
Pet owners and veterinarians also better assess lameness in dogs treated with placebo, although instrumental gait analysis showed no improvement, according to the scientific journal WDR Quarks, for example. The dogs were no better. Instead, veterinarians and pet owners simply assumed it based on their subjective perceptions.
Many Veterinarians Sell Bach Flowers
However, many veterinarians sell Bach flowers to their clients, often in combination with conventional treatments. Maybe because they themselves believe in the effect of the drops, maybe also because their customers expect them – or simply because it is a profitable business.
But there are also many veterinarians who oppose the use of homeopathy and Bach flowers. I am “the scientific veterinarian in mind and body,” writes blogger and veterinarian Ralph Rückert. … “Therefore, in my practice, there is only evidence-based veterinary medicine, which has proven its effectiveness, no vows like homeopathy, Bach flowers, Schussler’s salts, and other nonsense.”
But is it worth treating the dog with Bach flowers now, or all this does not help? We advise you to always consult a veterinarian or dog trainer if your dog has health or behavioral problems.