There's More to Herbs
Than Catnip
By Carol Shenold
What do you do if a member of your family is given a diagnosis of incurable illness? Most people would not stop at one doctor's opinion, or stop looking for treatments just because the treatment is unusual.
Dusty Rainbolt, a pet owner in Dallas, remembers when she first became concerned about her cat. "It was November 1997, and my husband and I were getting ready to leave town. Chani, my cat, had climbed on my lap for a pet and was resting on my chest. It was when I scratched her ear that I found the cyst."
The first vet Dusty took Chani to, diagnosed Hemangio Sarcoma (an aggressive cancer of the blood vessels) and prescribed Amoxicillin, a broad spectrum antibiotic. He advised Dusty to wait and see. She waited but the tumor didn't shrink.
"I was afraid if I waited, Chani would be dead," she says. "So at six in the morning, before our scheduled trip, we drove Chani across town where Dr. Hague, a vet recommended by a friend, removed a date-sized tumor from Chani's throat, but gave her a poor prognosis due to possible spread of the cancer. A week later, I was scheduled to go to a conference in Atlanta. Afraid that Chani would give up without me, I took her along."
The last day of the conference, Dusty saw an herb dealer who recommended an herb that had been successful for other people. She said her first thought was that it was stupid to even think about off-the-wall therapies, but then had second thoughts. She bought the herbs, and that night shoved them down an extremely unhappy cat.
By the first week of December that year, the cancer was gone. A year-and-a-half later, no cancer has come back. Her traditional vet considers Chani a "miracle kitty" but has no explanation of how the miracle occurred. Dusty is convinced the herb is the answer.
Dusty's story of her search for a cure is only one of many stories from owners who have gone beyond the traditional for the sake of their pets. Resources in both the traditional and alternative medicine worlds have been sought by concerned owners. Among the alternative techniques some owners and veterinarians claim to be successful are herbs, both Chinese and Western.
HERBAL THERAPY
Dr. George Carley, D.V.M, Tulsa, says he's found success treating animals with a combination of techniques, such as traditional medicine, natural foods, herbs, Chinese and Western, and acupuncture.
Feline leukemia, aids, diabetes, asthma, bladder diseases and mega colon are all diseases Dr. Carley has found Chinese and Western herbs most helpful in treating. He believes that a combination of herbs can have less side effects, especially with the Chinese herbs, which appear to be more gentle, and the effects are well documented. The milder Chinese herbs take longer to work and may combine as few as six or as many as twenty different herbs. Western herbal preparations may combine only two to three different ingredients but can work more quickly.
Dr. Carley believes that a combination of techniques, technology as well as natural treatments, are the most effective for his patients. He has not hesitated, for example, to surgically remove the bulk of a tumor when indicated, and then use herbal treatment to treat the microscopic cells that might be left. Dr. Carley also believes in the importance of obtaining results by methods that are based on well documented clinical research rather than a company's ability to pursue publicity or on hearsay.
Dr. Nicholas Dodman, B.V.M.S., professor of behavioral pharmacology and director of the behavior clinic at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in North Grafton, Mass., has found combinations of herbs useful for treating a variety of symptoms. For example, a combination of herbs counting kava kava, chamomile, St. John's wort and valerian root may help animals become calmer. Every pet needs different amounts, so a vet would need to compound the most effective dosage for a particular pet.
In the quest for ways to help their pets and themselves, many people find themselves stepping off the well-traveled road and onto alternative pathways. With a new century will come new methods of healing for both animals and humans. What is now new and controversial, may soon be commonplace and traditional as we find more and more ways to heal a cat.
Carol Shenold is a registered nurse and freelance writer. She has written for Cats Magazine, Home Life and Oklahoma Today. She does medical-technical writing and teaches writing for Francis Tuttle Vo-Tech.
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