Mary Allen
What is there? How does it help? We explain what is meant by the healing methods of complementary medicine, how these complementary therapies differ from each other, and how they can be used in cats
In addition to recognized conventional medicine, there are alternative healing methods that can help your cat.
Homeopathy
The naturopathic therapy form of homeopathy tries to intervene in body processes with the help of processed substances. Her main concern is not just to treat symptoms, but to find the causes of the disease. Therefore, in homeopathy, not only the respective disease is considered, but the patient, his living conditions, and the course of the disease as an individual whole. Plants such as arnica, animal products such as e.g. B. those of the honey bee, minerals and organ preparations or nosodes. The latter refers to processed pathogens and products such as blood or pus.
Mode Of Action
“Similia similibus curentur” – “like is cured by like” is the basic homeopathic principle established by the German doctor and pharmacist Samuel Hahnemann (1755 – 1843). According to the simile principle, the administered substance is able to cause the symptoms of the disease to be treated in a healthy person in a similar way as part of a so-called drug proving. This also explains the term “homeopathy”: It is made up of the Greek words for “equal” (homoios) and “suffering” (pathos).
Application Areas
Homeopathy is not used against disease but for an individual. It appears to be particularly effective when the whole individual, whether human or cat, is to be treated in its individual characteristics. Above all, however, homeopathy is also used in chronic disease processes and in the prevention of diseases. It is also often used for “minor illnesses” such as coughs, runny noses, and indigestion. According to homeopathic understanding, however, such supposedly harmless diseases can be indications of a disturbance in the overall function of the organism; they can therefore be regarded as indicators to be taken seriously.
“Biochemical Healing” – Schuessler Salts
The homeopathic doctor Wilhelm Schussler (1821 – 1898) is considered the founder of the “biochemical healing method”. According to his theory, the prerequisite for an orderly physiological cell metabolism is the presence of minerals in the body that are precisely matched to each other. Schussler placed twelve mineral salts in the blood and tissues at the center of his therapy. He called them functional agents or salts of life since each affects specific functions of the organs. If the balance of minerals gets out of balance, the fine molecular stimuli of the salts stimulate the inhibited body cells to regenerate and absorb the required substances themselves.
Mode Of Action
Many mineral salts cannot find their way into the individual cells if they are taken in concentrated form. Therefore, Dr. Schuessler the idea of potentizing substances from homeopathy. In a potentized form, i.e. when the mineral salts are heavily diluted, they can make their way through the digestive tract, via the bloodstream, to the individual cells. There they can be absorbed through the cell walls and regulate the disturbed balance.
Application Areas
The aim of therapy with biochemical agents is to stimulate the body’s own regulatory ability so that the mineral balance can be restored. According to the principles of Dr. Schuessler, each patient is treated with a drug that is individually tailored to him and his particular clinical picture. The twelve different mineral salts can be used for a wide variety of diseases. They are usually administered in tablet form so that the minerals can be absorbed through the oral mucosa.
Comparison: Homeopathy – Schuessler Salts
Homeopathy is based on the principle of simile – like can be cured by like. Schuessler, on the other hand, traced his theory of mineral salts back to biochemical processes in the human organism and wanted to make up for what was missing with substitution therapy. What both have in common, however, is that they each involve knowledge that is not recognized by conventional medicine.
Bach Flowers
In the 1930s, the English doctor Edward Bach (1886 – 1936) developed a healing method based on the thesis that stress and psychological problems in people lead to physical illnesses in the long term. On the other hand, if the psyche is balanced, physical illnesses can heal better. Based on this knowledge, he developed his so-called Bach flower therapy – 38 drops from different individual flowers and a combination preparation. The remedies are derived from certain wild-growing, non-poisonous flowers, bushes, trees, and water from a medicinal spring.
Mode Of Action
Apart from water and alcohol, Bach flower drops do not contain any chemically defined ingredients and they do not work like conventional medicines. Their effect is based on physical phenomena such as vibrations and resonances. Therefore, it does not matter whether the cat gets the flour mixture in the bowl or simply dripped onto the body.
Application Areas
Above all, the areas of mental and psychosomatic illnesses are the domains of Bach flower therapy. Problems that arise are often not serious illnesses, and yet they disrupt the coexistence of humans and cats. For example, if the cat reacts anxiously to visitors or is completely confused after a move and may start scratching various pieces of furniture. In such cases, Bach flowers can help.
Phytotherapy
According to old folk wisdom, there is a herb for every ailment. Phytotherapy – or herbal medicine -, probably the oldest of all forms of therapy, attracts a range of wild and medicinal plants that can also help cats. The term herbal medicine refers to the use of plants or individual parts of plants and their preparation for medicinal purposes.
Mode Of Action
A feature of phytotherapy is that medicinal plants counteract the symptoms of the disease, but do not suppress them as much as chemical drugs. Knowing which plants can help with which ailments and in which dosage form (e.g. infusion, fresh juice, ointment, tincture) they are best used in individual cases require extensive study of the topic.
Application Areas
The spectrum of phytotherapy is comprehensive. It ranges from the well-known herbal tea in the medicine cabinet, such as chamomile tea for external and internal inflammation, to rosemary for tinctures for massaging in arthrosis, to fennel, aniseed, and caraway for digestive problems.
Comparison: Phytotherapy – Homeopathy
In principle, phytotherapy always uses the whole plant or individual parts of the plant in the form of seeds, roots, bark, leaves, or flowers. On the other hand, she does not use any individual substances extracted from the respective plant. In contrast to this, homeopathic substances contain very dilute to undetectable amounts of herbal active ingredients. This mixture is administered according to the law of similars, whereby the cause is decisive in phytotherapy. An example from everyday life: Orange juice, diluted from concentrate, is chemically identical to freshly squeezed orange juice. However, both taste different and are also different in price.