# Does anyone here use



## KanoasDestiny (Feb 25, 2008)

I've been doing a lot of research on alternative and holistic methods, and was wondering if anyone here uses them. I'd be interested in finding a good website, that can help in my research. Also, if you do use these methods, and wouldn't mind sharing your experience, I'd love to hear it...PM's might be easiest, since I know there is a lot of debate about alternative methods. Thanks.


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## HorseMom (Feb 25, 2008)

I went to school for massage for 2 years before I figured out that I can't stand normal people. I can handle horses and horse people. I've used a number of alternative methods. My favorites are reiki, meditation, and herbal teas. I don't know any great websites on any of those. I have a friend that is a master in all three so I go see her when I need anything.

-Heather


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## sfmini (Feb 26, 2008)

I was listening to Dr Oz on XM radio this morning and he interviewed a holistic vet. VERY interesting interview. Those of you with Directv can get the show at 7am, 1pm, 7pm, 1am.... on channel 807. You can find info on this particular show at http://www.oprah.com/xm/moz/moz_main.jhtml and there are links and a synopsis of what they discussed.

I just may be changing how I feed my pets and especially vaccination.


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## barefoot (Feb 26, 2008)

I really like the website www.naturalhorsetalk.com . They are a radio show, but archive alot of their shows.

Emma


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## AngieA (Feb 26, 2008)

I have done away with the vaccinations every year for about 10 years now...I also don't vaccinate my pups, when I was breeding until they went to their new homes, which was never before 10 weeks.

I also don't vaccinate my horses every year....and have run titers on them if they were going to be shown....I have done all of this with the help and agreement with my "Normal" vet....She and I were on complete agreement on the over vaccinating in this world. Of course she did not bring this up ....I did ...and was surprised she agreed with me.

As far as the food...my dogs think they are sorta vegitarians...lol...you should see them act like fools in the morning for their pieces of Apple, spinach, what ever I am juicing....I have a 10 year old English Bull Dog that chases the tractor and still is healthy and looks like he may be around for a while longer....and all of his parts are his...lol If you know Bull Dogs you will know what I mean...NO surgeries ever......

It is something that is worth discussing with your vet...This is JMO...

I would recommend reading and doing research before I would start anything new, and as I said talk to your vet.....I don't think many of them bring up this subject on their own....


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## DrivinTime (Feb 26, 2008)

Not sure if you wanted to focus on horse remedies or human ones, but here's my 2 cents...

I've been getting monthly acupuncture treatments from a doctor of traditional chinese medicine for the past several years, and I highly recommend it. (Re: my horses: If I could afford it, I'd have an acupuncturist come work on them, as well.)

I had been taking 3 asthma medications a day, plus an allergy med and advil for sinus pain, and it was just getting worse... The "regular" doctor wanted to put me on another inhaler. I was feeling really trapped, couldn't do much because breathing was such a chore. And if I caught a cold, I was out of commission for weeks...

At my first acupuncture session, I felt my sinuses drain and the pain go away. Wow! And my breathing was a little better, too. I had sessions once a week for a month, then every two weeks for a bit, then once a month. After 2 months I could stop taking my regular medications. After 6 months I realized I hadn't used my rescue inhaler in a while... After 3 years, I can walk 3 miles, or up and down stairs, without gasping or having my chest feel all tight. I haven't used asthma meds in 2 years at least. Allergy meds only when the pollen is bad, and then only a pill or two. Very few sinus headaches, and those are manageable. This doctor has even helped with my lower back pain and plantar fasciitis. I haven't been to a "regular" doctor in all this time, except for annual checkups.

If you do consider acupuncture, make sure it's a qualified (preferably Chinese-trained) professional. Not everyone who says they do acupuncture is really properly trained...

I had never considered acupuncture until a person I trusted told me about this Chinese doctor who had really helped with her rheumatoid arthritis. Now I am totally SOLD on acupuncture, and even though my insurance doesn't cover the treatments, it's way better than paying for all those prescriptions.

Sorry for the long post, but it's worked so well for me that I feel a need to spread the word...


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## KanoasDestiny (Feb 26, 2008)

Thank you everyone for your replies. I guess I should have mentioned that I was more interested in human alternative methods, then for animals. But it was really interesting reading about them too. Thanks for sharing.





I've never thought about acupuncture before, and unforutanetly, I doubt we have any Chinese trained ones in my small town. But it is something that I'll look into.


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## AngieA (Feb 26, 2008)

I should have added that I who have been so sick had 4 major surgeries in a 2 year span...to make a long story short....lol....thru it all over 200 staples with the surgeries...all of them failed and resulted in me losing my left kidney (which was fine when all of this started)......I have now went to a massage therapist...accupuncturist, and herbal medicine.....I have taken MY life into MY hands and I feel look and function so much better. I am not healed....but I am..so much better...I even like me better now...lol. I still do take some of my Dr. perscribed medication...but have stopped many of the things that were subscribed.....after new testing...Dr. felt they were not needed any longer. We all need to look further and ask questions and try different things...

Of course this is all JMO but worth checking into.....


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## Laura (Feb 26, 2008)

sfmini said:


> I was listening to Dr Oz on XM radio this morning and he interviewed a holistic vet. VERY interesting interview. Those of you with Directv can get the show at 7am, 1pm, 7pm, 1am.... on channel 807. You can find info on this particular show at http://www.oprah.com/xm/moz/moz_main.jhtml and there are links and a synopsis of what they discussed.
> 
> I just may be changing how I feed my pets and especially vaccination.


I feel this way about barrage of shots we give kids as "standard practice"...


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## KanoasDestiny (Feb 26, 2008)

You know...my grandmother never gets the flu. When the flu shot first came out as the biggest craze, they said that the elderly needed to definately go in and get it. She went in and got it, and she ended up getting the flu so bad that she almost died. It actually infected her system with it. I have never gotten the flu shot, and I never plan to...the last time I had the flu was 20 years ago.

I have been reading about how doctors are overprescribing medications, and I am noticing that there are more and more commercials on tv, geared towards prescription medications. It really makes me wonder why people are sooooo much sicker now days, then say 10 years ago. I know that they were actually trying to make it the law that young girls had to get that shot to help prevent ovarian cancer. Why are they trying to force medicines on us?


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## sfmini (Feb 26, 2008)

I for one am for the cervical cancer shot. As someone who is going to lose a young niece who is a new mother to that disease.......


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## Laura (Feb 26, 2008)

sfmini said:


> I for one am for the cervical cancer shot. As someone who is going to lose a young niece who is a new mother to that disease.......


[SIZE=12pt]Oh Jody, I am so very sorry. My prayers are with your family.[/SIZE]

The shot is so new, I so hope it is the miracle it seems to be.


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## KanoasDestiny (Feb 26, 2008)

SFmini - I'm sorry to hear about your neice.

I just don't feel that the government has the right to say that all girls between the ages of say 13-18 HAVE to get the shot. I feel it should be a personal decision between parents and child, of whether or not they get it. I would be most upset if the Government tried to FORCE me to get the flu shot or any other vaccine/medication.


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## Reijel's Mom (Feb 26, 2008)

KanoasDestiny said:


> It really makes me wonder why people are sooooo much sicker now days, then say 10 years ago.



I think this has to be in part the way our society has changed. We are constantly on the go, in contact with multiple other people, lots of stress, etc.


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## Laura (Feb 26, 2008)

KanoasDestiny said:


> SFmini - I'm sorry to hear about your neice.
> 
> I just don't feel that the government has the right to say that all girls between the ages of say 13-18 HAVE to get the shot. I feel it should be a personal decision between parents and child, of whether or not they get it. I would be most upset if the Government tried to FORCE me to get the flu shot or any other vaccine/medication.


[SIZE=12pt]I agree. Did you know that there are quite a few "non-opt out states" where it's illegal to choose refuse any state mandated vaccination for your children? In Texas, that includes Gardasil...[/SIZE]



KanoasDestiny said:


> You know...my grandmother never gets the flu. When the flu shot first came out as the biggest craze, they said that the elderly needed to definately go in and get it. She went in and got it, and she ended up getting the flu so bad that she almost died. It actually infected her system with it. I have never gotten the flu shot, and I never plan to...the last time I had the flu was 20 years ago.
> 
> I have been reading about how doctors are overprescribing medications, and I am noticing that there are more and more commercials on tv, geared towards prescription medications. It really makes me wonder why people are sooooo much sicker now days, then say 10 years ago. I know that they were actually trying to make it the law that young girls had to get that shot to help prevent ovarian cancer. Why are they trying to force medicines on us?


They are not trying in Texas, it is the law there already.


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## Zora (Oct 20, 2009)

We use Holistic, Natural rearing for are animals. We have Chihuahuas, cats horses.

The chihuahuas get raw food chicken/bones and herbal supplements. We also use Standard process pills and Homeopathy.


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## Nuzzle (Oct 20, 2009)

I am a big fan of homeopathy and have used it succesfully on my whole family and on my animals. Homeopathy can be very empowering once you learn the basics of it. With homeopathy I have successfully eliminated my sons eczema, I have shortened healing times for viruses, surgeries and traumas. I have used homeopathy to pull my mini through a colic episode and I have even used homeopathy to treat ulcers in my mini. I have one particular remedy I keep in my first aid kit and have used it in place of bute for an unexplained swelling and lameness on my paint. By the next day his swelling was gone, and he was pain free.

I have a friend who is a homeopath and she uses homeopathy and nutrition to work with autistic children and is doing wonderful things for these kids. She has really brought some of these kids out of their "autistic " shell and has helped them to be able to communicate and socialize again. I have watched some of these transformations and they are incredible.

I am also a big fan of essential oils also though when doing homeopathy you really need to know which ones to avoid since essential oils can antidote homeopathic remedies. Essential oils and homeopathy can be used together you just need to know which ones can be combined.

I have tried and found benefits to acupuncture also but my issue with acupuncture is you always need a practitioner to do it for you. With homeopathy once you learn it you can start working on yourself. Most natural health stores carry homeopathic remedies and they are readily available online also. There are some potencies that you can only get through a homeopath though.

I believe alternative medicine can be so complementary to traditional medicine. If you can treat something naturally and safely why not go for it.


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## uwharrie (Oct 20, 2009)

I have a friend who practices Homeopathy. She has convinced us to change our diet to a more natural one. It has been a slow process for us but we are getting there





http://www.onlynatural.info/


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## uwharrie (Oct 20, 2009)

Check out the Weston Price Foundation and read Nourishing Traditions and Traditional Foods are Your Best Medicine.

Real eye opening infomation as to why Americans are not healthy



KanoasDestiny said:


> It really makes me wonder why people are sooooo much sicker now days, then say 10 years ago. I know that they were actually trying to make it the law that young girls had to get that shot to help prevent ovarian cancer. Why are they trying to force medicines on us?


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## Nuzzle (Oct 20, 2009)

I agree the Weston Price foundation has so much information on there. It's amazing to learn that practices we thought were healthy are really not. I also really like Dr. Mercola.

I started changing my families eating habits 7 years ago. It was a long slow process but now the though of eating some of the things we used to churns our stomachs. We feel so much better and are so much healthier because of it. My kids are calmer also after getting rid of all the food colorings, preservatives and sugar.


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## FoRebel (Oct 20, 2009)

I have been using essential oils for myself, my husband, and kids for everything since I got pregnant again. There is a few oils that can be used to ward off or fight colds that I've been using for my oldest since he's in school as a kindergartner this year and the school has had 10 cases of confirmed swine flu. My oldest was also a preemie so his lungs aren't 100% and the oils have been keeping him healthy so far. We buy our oils from www.youngliving.com and my midwife is the one who has been helping us out with which oils we should be using.

We eat healthier too. We eat a lot of home-grown meats, vegies and limit the sugars and preservatives we ingest. Like Nuzzel said, the foods we used to eat make our stomachs churn and the kids and I actually get physically sick if we eat some of the stuff. Also, with the vaccines, we do a delayed vaccination schedule. This baby we are expecting now is due January 28th. We will not start shots until the cold/flu season is over. This shouldn't pose too big of an issue since I will be exclusively breast feeding again.


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## ChrystalPaths (Oct 20, 2009)

KanoasDestiny said:


> Thank you everyone for your replies. I guess I should have mentioned that I was more interested in human alternative methods, then for animals. But it was really interesting reading about them too. Thanks for sharing.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Totally my whole life's work....


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## Sonya (Oct 21, 2009)

I didn't read all the replies, and I am guessing that my opinion is not going to be popular. I am all for alternative/natural medicines......*but only when combined with scientific medicine*...I had a very dear friend leave this world way too early (29) over cervical cancer. She thought she could beat it with diet and faith...didn't work....she is gone. She would still be here if she listened to her doctors...


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## HorseMom (Oct 21, 2009)

Sonya said:


> I didn't read all the replies, and I am guessing that my opinion is not going to be popular. I am all for alternative/natural medicines......*but only when combined with scientific medicine*...I had a very dear friend leave this world way too early (29) over cervical cancer. She thought she could beat it with diet and faith...didn't work....she is gone. She would still be here if she listened to her doctors...


I agree. I use several holistic methods but always listen to my doctor first. Thankfully my doctor embraces the holistic methods and encourages trying different things in teamwork with scientific medicine. I was diagnosed with Emphysema at 21 (Never smoked, not hereditary, we can only guess as to why), I was given an inhaler if my breathing got bad. Inhaler just doesn't help very well, but I buy this tea from a Herbal Apothecary in RI that clears up my lungs instantly. I can breathe well for the rest of the day after one cup of tea. I have a few friends that also use this tea to help manage their asthma and they have the same reaction. I also do guided meditations and that also seems to help. But I still do everything my doctor said I should do, exercise, eat right, drink plenty of fluids, and I still go to my regular cat scan visits to see if it's still dormant.


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## SampleMM (Oct 21, 2009)

sfmini said:


> I for one am for the cervical cancer shot. As someone who is going to lose a young niece who is a new mother to that disease.......



I am so sorry about your niece. Does she have the human papilloma virus? My best friend who was also a horse person died from this disease 14 years ago, when her daughter was 2 years old.

Before she died, she went to many schools talking about the importance of abstinence and also safe sex. This is a horrible disease and again I am so sorry about your niece.


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## ChrystalPaths (Oct 21, 2009)

Sonya said:


> I didn't read all the replies, and I am guessing that my opinion is not going to be popular. I am all for alternative/natural medicines......*but only when combined with scientific medicine*...I had a very dear friend leave this world way too early (29) over cervical cancer. She thought she could beat it with diet and faith...didn't work....she is gone. She would still be here if she listened to her doctors...



Agreed...on my website I placed this:

{Disclaimer}

"I am not a doctor or a veterinarian"

Please be sure to check with a doctor or vet for serious illness or injury, but know there are alternatives that can be used in co-operation with modern medicine, or in place of it at times.

I say the last words because it was Reiki that healed my herniated discs not the medics who wanted surgery or PT or heavy drugs. Reiki heals but we do like to work with ones Dr and/or vet to be thorough. Just my humble input.


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## hobbyhorse23 (Oct 21, 2009)

KanoasDestiny said:


> I just don't feel that the government has the right to say that all girls between the ages of say 13-18 HAVE to get the shot. I feel it should be a personal decision between parents and child, of whether or not they get it. I would be most upset if the Government tried to FORCE me to get the flu shot or any other vaccine/medication.


I sympathize- as a healthcare worker, my hospital is considering making it mandatory for all employees to get the flu shot and it really hacks me off. First of all, not all of us work in patient contact areas. I work at an offsite CALL CENTER, for pete's sake! The only people I see are my few coworkers, the people at the grocery store at midnight, and horse folks during the summer. I live like a hermit. I know it costs them employee hours if I come down sick, but ya know what? I got the vaccine for the first time last year when they insisted and spent most of March out ill with sinusitis, conjunctivitis, and other symptoms that felt exactly like the flu (fever, coughing, chills, body aches, the works.) Think that had anything to do with getting live flu virus shoved up my nose?



I haven't been that sick since I was a little kid so fat lot of good it did me. I got it again this year because I was tired of being lectured by my management and didn't want the hassle of completing the new mandatory "Learning Module" I had to watch before signing the refusal paperwork and guess what? Yep, sick again with sinus congestion, general malaise and increasing feelings of unwellness. That was almost three weeks ago and my sinuses are still not right.

It is MY body! If I get sick, it's _my_ vacation time that I'm using up. (Yep, we don't get sick leave anymore...just one big vacation/sick "Paid Time Off" pot). I do respect how serious the flu is and think most people should probably be vaccinated, but if I choose not to because I listen to my body and I feel it makes me unacceptably unwell, that should not cost me my job when I don't even work directly with patients. The idea of the government requiring my daughter or myself to get a particular vaccine I don't yet trust on pain of jail time chills my blood. I'm frankly terrified this new H1N1 vaccine will be required by my employer- I have no intention of getting something so new and untried and neither does my mother, who is normally religious about vaccinations and other preventative measures. She gets a seasonal flu shot every year and has no side effects from it, just as most people don't. But it is and must be OUR CHOICE.

Gah, don't get me started.














On the original subject of the thread, yes, I've been using alternative healthcare for the last few years and am quite impressed with the results. I still see my dr for annual exams and went to an urgent care for the above-mentioned sinusitis, etc., just as my animals still see the vet. I got a tetanus vaccine because it is stupid not to. But when my joints start losing limberness and feeling painful I go to my osteopath who does some non-invasive manipulation and restores my body's natural movement patterns without surgery. After my positive experience with him, when Kody hurt his back this spring and traditional veterinary medicine could do nothing for it I turned to alternative treatments like myofascial release, massage, laser/magnetic therapies and Reiki and saw an immediate improvement in his wellness. I was so impressed by his results that I started using some homeopathic products the bodyworker recommended on myself and it's been amazing! Arnica, Witch Hazel and Yucca in a gel do wonders for bruises, which I've had plenty of this year.



Spyder has really benefited from regular Reiki sessions since this summer and even my empirical mind has plenty of evidence to convince me that it's really working. The practicianer (ChrystalPaths



) lives on the opposite side of the country but I can tell to the minute when she starts and finishes a session on the boys by their behavior and she makes a real and visible improvement in Spyder's swellings or weepy eyes in one session. It's astonishing to watch and the boys love her. When I had my flu vaccine reaction right before my recent trip to Kentucky I called Deb in a panic and she did a session on me which not only relieved the symptoms enough for me to fly but left me with a feeling of calm energy that lasted for about three days. I'm very excited about becoming further involved with Reiki.

Western Medicine has made some amazing advances and can do many things homeopathic and holistic medicine can't. At the same time, however, it makes sense to treat the body as an inter-related system and look for underlying imbalances that may be throwing the rest of the body off and causing specific symptoms in another part. We, and this whole planet, are far more connected than most western philosophies want to admit!





Leia


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## ChrystalPaths (Oct 21, 2009)

Thank you Leia, I love working on your boys and you!


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## KanoasDestiny (Oct 22, 2009)

Oh wow guys...this topic was actually started over a year and a half ago. I'm not quite sure how it got brought back up to the top, but thanks for your responses.





When I posted it, I had an ailment that I had been on numberous prescription medications for, and they didn't help what so ever. So I had to investigate and come up with my own treatment, which I had wonderful results with and cleared me right up. While I do believe that doctor's can help in most cases, I also believe that there are other treatments out there that can be just as beneficial if you know how to use them. Thanks again!


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## Shari (Oct 22, 2009)

Acupuncture, can't recommend that enought but you do need to find someone that knows what they are doing and willing to work with you.

Because I am either highly sensitive to or out right Allergic to all the different types of Anitbiotics... I have been using Garlic instead. So far it has worked very well for me and no side effects.

I have used Magnets from this maker... to take away pain. I don't use it on my neck but where ever it is needed. Works really well.

http://www.smartpakequine.com/productclass...uctClassid=2571

I do all kinds of things that are not main stream but they seem to work for me.

As for vaccines.. I have seen first hand what Polio can do to a person, so my DS was vaccinated when he was a child. Also have an Artist friend who wasn't given the Polio shot and now she is in a wheel chair due to the Polio.

I also get a yearly flu shot because I end up in the hospital if I don't. Vaccines can and do help if they have been properly tested and used properly.

My horses get the basic vaccines once a year.. I have seen a horse die of tentnus and don't care to see one of my horses go through that.

However, won't be getting the swine flu shot because I really think they rushed this and did not take the time to properly test it. Infact.. I think most of the new meds are the same.


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## Marty (Oct 23, 2009)

This is a great topic and I'd like to keep an open mind to it, but first, I would want a scientific diagnosis from a MD and not a self-diagnosis and no guess work from anyone of what the problem is. Then I would decide which way to go from there and see what worked for me.

I know when I was hurt in an accident I welcomed morphine!


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## RobinRTrueJoy (Oct 23, 2009)

I have been going to an ancupunturist for 2 months now. The first time I went, I had been having a lot of pain due to tendonitis both elbows, and bioth wrists, neck pain, upper and lower back pain. By the next day, all of those areas were pain free.

Currently I have been seeing him because of torn rotator cuffs and severe pain. Now this will not fix the torn rotator cuffs but it has reduced my pain considerably.

Robin


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