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Also known as alternative therapies, complementary therapies include homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, chiropractic, massage therapy, nutraceuticals, physical therapy, and trigger point therapy. During the past decade, these treatments have gained more and more credence not only among dog owners but also among veterinarians. Some conventional practitioners use herbs and acupuncture along with surgery and antibiotics. Veterinarians who don't use complementary therapies themselves may refer clients to colleagues who practice these therapies.
Sometimes the use of complementary therapies is described as holistic medicine, which is a comprehensive approach to health care that employs alternative and conventional diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. Holistic veterinary medicine incorporates but is not limited to the principles of acupuncture and other forms of acutherapy, chiropractic, herbal medicine, homeopathy, massage therapy, nutraceuticals, physical therapy, and trigger point therapy as well as conventional medicine, surgery, and dentistry.
Next step: Acupuncture
Reprinted from The Original Dog Bible © 2005. Permission granted by BowTie Press.