Holistic Pet Supplements: What Are The Different Healing Modalities?

Have you ever wondered about holistic pet supplements and different healing modalities in veterinary medicine? As a loving pet parent, you may be searching for a more natural approach to your pet’s wellness. With the rising interest in holistic animal care, you may be asking yourself: “what is the difference between a naturopathic vet and a ‘regular’ vet?” Or “what healing modality is NHV pet products part of?” Well the vet team at NHV is here to answer these questions and more!

Naturopathic vets vs. ‘regular’ vets

Naturopathic medicine or naturopathy is based on the healing power of nature and using natural remedies to help support the body. It utilizes non-invasive treatments like herbs, massage, acupuncture, exercise, and diet to help restore and maintain health. Conventional medicine (a.k.a. allopathic medicine) is an approach that utilizes pharmaceutical medication and or surgery to address specific diseases, conditions, and symptoms. Examples of conventional medicine are pharmaceutical dewormers and yearly vaccinations, which can be integral for maintaining your pet’s health.

What is a holistic vet?

Holistic veterinary medicine is an approach to wellness used by vets with a conventional education (DVM). Holistic vets believe in treating the whole picture of a furkiddo’s health alongside conventional options. They care for the pet’s body, spirit, mind, and emotional well-being to encourage healing.

NHV products are western herbal naturopathic botanicals.

What healing modality are NHV products a part of?

At NHV, we have an integrative wellness philosophy. We believe in using diet, nutritional holistic pet supplements, and other therapeutics to support the body alongside medication when needed. You can use our unique formulations for added support.

In terms of holistic pet supplements, NHV products are considered western herbal naturopathic botanicals. We use plants known to have medicinal properties in western herbal medicine to create our supplements.

What is herbalism?

Herbalism is the applied use of plants for their medicinal or therapeutic properties. It goes back thousands of years and forms the basis of a lot of modern medicine. Herbalism has influenced many cultures. Places such as Europe, The Americas, India, and China have even established their own specialized herbal traditions. These are western, Ayurvedic, and traditional Chinese.

Healing modalities for pets

Western herbalism derives its practices from the use of medicinal plants in Europe and the Americas since ancient times. In traditional western herbalism, herbalists bring together many philosophies to encourage whole-body healing. This includes the scientific method, historical or traditional uses, and using herbs to support the body.

Ayurvedic medicine began in India and the Middle East over 5000 years ago. It focuses on the metabolic body type of an individual (doshas). By using this understanding of an individual’s body type, Ayurvedic medicine seeks to heal the entire body. It uses a mix of herbs, nutrition, meditation, and other mechanisms in order to address more than just symptoms.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) utilizes many of the same principles common to the practice of Ayurvedic medicine. However, instead of seeing the body in terms of doshas, TCM views the body in terms of channels. TCM practitioners look for energetic blockages or disruptions in the flow of qi (life force energy, pronounced “chee”).

Homeopathy is a system of medicine developed in Germany over 200 years ago. The system is based on the principle that “like cures like,”. It uses substances (like plants or minerals) that produce symptoms similar to the disease for curing that disease. Homeopathy makes use of highly diluted substances that no longer have toxic properties.

Are NHV products homeopathic?

No, NHV products are not homeopathic. Our products are Western herbal naturopathic botanicals.

Western herbalism makes use of beneficial properties from plants.

These properties are extracted and administered to support the body. In the case of NHV supplements, these properties are extracted into a liquid. Many of our formulations use vegetable glycerin for extraction. The glycerin is what gives NHV supplements a naturally sweet taste that is palatable for pets!

We advise using our dietary supplements under the guidance of your veterinarian. We formulated our supplements for safe use alongside vet-prescribed medications as additional support. For the best results, it’s important to give your furkiddo the supplements consistently twice per day. We recommend administering our supplements 2 hours, or at least 30 minutes, apart from medications.

For any other pet-related questions, we are here to extend a hand or paw whenever you need it! If you’d like to speak with an NHV Pet Expert, tap the button below to start chatting with us!