Being a veterinarian for the past 18 years has allowed me to see many things and encounter many challenges when it comes to health care for my patients. It has also created many challenges for my own health but opened many doors for possibilities.
“To take medicine only when you are sick is like
digging a well only when you are thirsty — is it not
already too late?” (Chi Po, c 2500 BC).
I like this quote as it revolves around an approach that I have undertaken for myself and many of my patients. It is also a subject that I have found increasingly important when it comes to health, but unfortunately not shared by many.
The more I explore in my research and the more I discover with my patients, it becomes readily apparent how important preventative medicine is for overall health. The above quote implies the importance of preventative medicine, however, the majority of people fall into the second scenario where they are seeking solutions only once disease has set in.
As a veterinarian, we are presented a multitude of clinical conditions much similar to human maladies, which could often be better managed through lifestyle, dietary changes and herbal therapies rather than medications. Often these problems could have been curtailed initially if only the proper diet or supplements were implemented, which could have enhanced health and potentially minimized future health problems. It is a frustrating problem for a clinician, as the patient (or owner) wants a resolution to the condition but on the same side, often does not want to put much effort forth to aid in that management.
The reality is that many health problems ranging from arthritis to even various forms of cancer could be better managed through preventative therapies, which include lifestyle changes and dietary or supplement modifications. The other reality is that people, as a whole, often don't see the purpose of intervening if there is no problem present. They don't see the value in enhancing health to prevent disease. This is a shame from my perspective as many conditions could be more easily managed or possibly prevented.
In our patients, we use a multitude of herbal formulas to address ongoing inflammation, impaired cellular function and oxidative stress in our patients. Most of them present for obvious clinical problems ranging from ongoing pain, joint deterioration to overt organ damage. Often, we can improve the quality of life for that animal, but I have to step back and wonder what if this patient had assumed this lifestyle years ago? Would we still be contending with this problem now? Would it have been less severe or possibly delayed by years?
We don't know the answers to these questions for a variety of reasons, with the main one being that simply owners rarely take the proper preventative approach. In those patients that do, we often do not contend with major health problems, so it is hard to conclude if we prevented anything but just note good health. We could have a comparison of a specific breed of dog, which may be more predisposed to allergies for instance. One would take a preventative approach, while the other a more traditional line. I can almost be certain that the one on the proper preventative approach would be less likely to develop allergies, but if this was proven to be a fact, the opponents would contend that genetics or other factors played a part.
The whole concept of preventative health is frustrating for me as I see and read the research regarding the impact of various herbs and nutrients on pathways involved in cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and immune health. To me, the evidence is in black and white and the results are evident in a multitude of my patients. The sad discovery is that despite education to clients, we can implement a course of therapy for a clinically ill pet, which then recovers but they fail to see and make the changes for other pets in the household. Then soon we are presented that pet for health problems and seem to have to have that talk once again.
Maybe it is a problem in transference of information? Maybe it is a lack of my ability to educate? Or maybe it is just a lack of 'want' on behalf of us as people to take the initiative to try to head off clinical health problems? People question the effectiveness of preventative actions, but to me the evidence is in my own pets, myself and my family. Our 12 y.o. female Doberman has been on one of our preventative herbal formulas for the past 7 years, essentially as a guinea pig. She had no health problems but is three legged and of average size. At the time of this writing, she could physically pass for a dog half her age, demonstrating energy of a young dog, no pain, no stiffness and few gray hairs around the muzzle. She runs and enjoys life to the fullest. The last time I saw a 12 y.o Doberman as a veterinarian, he was debilitated, ridden with arthritis and could barely even stand, destined for euthanasia. My family takes the preventative approach too, each day faithfully consuming our herbal shakes. Considering our age and our kid's level of physical activity, we maintain our health pretty well and no medications.
The reality is that we are in charge of our health and can chose to be pro-active or reactive. However, if we chose to be reactive and find that our therapy options are limited, there is ultimately only one to blame.
Take care,
Tom Schell, D.V.M.
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