Are Emotions Scientific?

Recently I saw the tail end of an interview with David Suzuki. I have a lot of time for this forward thinking man. The bit I heard made a big impression on me, but I didn’t get the details, so please bear with me.

He was talking about a species of animal, found only on one island (or group). A biologist had discovered that this animal only fed on vegetation that was also unique to this island. When a big corporate company wanted to exploit the island, and so destroy the habitat, David asked the biologist to join in the protest.

The biologist refused, on the grounds that it was ‘emotional’, and so deemed to be unscientific.

David (and I, along with probably many other viewers) felt this to be unacceptable. But science is often banded as only being true if it remains unemotional, totally detached.

My understanding is that emotion is the driving force of the whole universe, let alone the world. It is emotion that drives our thinking. It is our thinking that creates. To deny emotion is to deny life.

However, there are different ways to use emotion. Sympathy is easily felt for those going through a tough time, especially abuse. But often, this sympathy will get in the way of healing the abuse. While it can be healing to offer someone a shoulder to cry on, it has to be a supportive shoulder, figuratively speaking.

By sympathising with someone, you can keep them in the abuse, rather than helping them out.

Sympathy on its own won’t help anyone in a serious situation. But it can stimulate us into searching for appropriate action that will help.

One of the biggest lessons I have had in the past year is to appreciate this in horses. Horses are highly sensitive animals, being a prey animal. An abused horse is just as likely to bite and kick you, grouping you with every other nasty human, even though you sympathise with his condition. You need to provide strength that he recognises, to allow healing to occur.

In effect you need to know how to be a strong leading stallion or mare, one he can see will lead him out of trouble. Horses are herd animals and they rely on their leading stallion or mare for direction. You need to lead the horse back to himself, not by sympathy or by brute force, neither of which works. But by being true to yourself, to your feelings. To your emotions. This shows him the way.

In achieving this, you will be growing and evolving yourself, as everything works together.

This is true in every species, including our own, and in every situation. It is learning to be free of judgement and of the desire to control and manipulate. It is the desire to allow others to be themselves. To be who they are. To be who you are.

If the desire to preserve a unique species for eternity, as opposed to allowing its destruction for a quick and short lived profit, is emotional and unscientific, then is this science? Or is the word ‘science’ just another fashionable word that is used to placate the majority while the minority exploits?

Quote
The saddest thing is actually inner cold - because this is the place where the soul dies.
Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling

Homeopathy Works by Searching for the Cause

I was once called out to see a horse with chronic diarrhoea. Diarrhoea in anyone is inconvenient at best, messy and can lead to dehydration and nutrition loss at worst.

The hind legs of the horse were constantly needing to be washed and the rugs were getting splattered.

Horses are flighty, anxious animals, being a prey animal. Although some people will say their horse is not like this, a prey animal must be this way to survive. Those horses who are not anxious or flighty have probably ‘died’ spiritually and no longer care. Sadly this is still a common scenario with training, although things are slowly improving, with new trainers becoming more sensitive and aware of horses needs.

After questioning the horse’s person, as homeopaths do, trying to find the cause, it transpired that another horse had just been stopped from attacking him, while he was lying down, dozing.

Horses are extremely vulnerable when lying down. Even though they need to lie down to get their REM sleep, they rarely will without another herd member standing by to warn against predators. This is true for domestic horses as well as wild ones.

To be attacked (or nearly) while lying down is a huge shock for any horse. It’s as if they almost died. So a remedy which has shock as a strong symptom was needed. One that also covered loose stools or a gastro focus.

in just a few doses, the remedy cleared up the diarrhoea by clearing the after effects of the shock.

Treating animals is no different from treating people. Animals have the same emotions, the same causes of disease, the same pathology.

However, it does mean you also have to understand the species. And you also have to get used to treating on objective symptoms, not being able to hear what the animal is saying. And you have to rely on the animal’s person being a reliable source of information.

So all this can limit deep healing, leaving you only able to prescribe on the pathology.

One UK homeopathic vet got round this limitation, but employing the services of a psychic on his rounds. She supplied him with what happened in their life just before the condition started, and he used the information to get to the right remedy.

It worked like a charm, providing him with more information than either he or the animal’s person could possibly know.

One case that I recall was of a new horse, teamed up with another, established horse as carriage horses. The new horse was slow, seeming to lack energy and could not focus on the job in hand. The psychic told the homeopath that the horse was grieving for his old carriage partner. He had been separated suddenly, when sold, and was very sad about it.

The homeopath admitted that he would never have thought of this possibility, but prescribed the appropriate grief remedy, according to the horse’s symptoms.

The horse quickly recovered and set about his work with the enthusiasm he was previously known for.

In my limited experience, a psychic seems to be able to pick up more than an animal communicator. At least, more symptoms that are useful for a homeopath.

I find it fascinating and encouraging that humans are (finally) branching out into the realms of the ‘unknown’ to seek answers to deep questions.

Can You Separate Your Animal's Health from Your Own?

When I first became interested in a natural diet and health care for my animals, I was invited to a public talk, given by my veterinarian. She was heavily into alternative health care and soon after, she gave away the veterinary side of her practice all together

Even though this resulted in a substantial income reduction, she felt she could no longer carry out procedures which she knew to be harmful. Her biggest bug bear was vaccination.

Her talk inspired me. She narrated how she had been visiting a relative overseas, who wanted her to treat her cat.

The cat was very timid, spending much of the day hiding under the bed covers. Geraldine, my vet, observed that this was exactly how her relative, Odette was. She was hiding at home, hardly daring to leave her home unless it was absolutely necessary.

Geraldine was an old hand at observing the similarities between people and their pets, so she set about treating Odette, rather than her cat. She decided to use the Bach Flower Essences.

Odette kept in touch, and over the coming weeks and months, reported her progress. She was becoming increasingly brave, venturing out and about at an increasingly regular rate.

AT THE SAME TIME, almost in step with Odette's improvement, her cat started venturing around the house and then outside. He even wanted to spent a night outside on occasion, something that was completely unusual as it was formally very fearful for him.

And yet, he had received no treatment AT ALL!

Why am I telling you this?

Natural therapists know only too well that animals seem to take on the  same attributes as their humans. It's as if they are helping us carry the load, by sharing it. Or perhaps they are reflecting back to us, who we are.

Whatever it is, your health is inextricably linked to that of your pets.

If you want the best for your animal, then the first thing to do is to start by sorting out your own problems. Lighten up. Seek appropriate health care, preferably holistic, preferably homeopathic. By sorting yourself out, you have gone a long way to sorting out the health of your animal.

Natural Treatment of Infections

I had a worrying 24 hours this week. When I went out to feed my horses one evening, one was down. I’d noticed vaguely earlier in the day that he seemed a bit under the weather, but then dismissed it when he started grazing.

He showed no inclination to get up, and occasionally lay down flat, then ‘sat’ up. He wasn’t interested in eating his meal, which was highly unusual.

Although I couldn’t discount colic, it wasn’t likely. Sand colic can occur at this time of year, but I use psyllium husk and linseed in their daily feed. Colic from stress (the most common form of colic) had to be ruled out as there had been no deviation from the routine of a normal and relaxed way of life. Colic from overfeeding was a possibility, with the new grass, but not likely. And in all my years with horses, I have never had one with colic.

Initially I started on a remedy that sprang to mind because of other past problems he’d had. Within half an hour, he had got up and wandered off to get a drink. He still wasn’t interested in food. Still, possibly that would come.

I kept dosing with the same remedy for a couple more hours, as he seemed marginally better. But it didn’t hold. I’d often find him down, with an increased breathing rate.

So I dosed for colic just in case. He didn’t like the remedies and there was no change. At about 11.30 that night, he finally got up and wandered off to nibble on some sedge. I decided I could get some sleep at this point, that he would be OK for the night.

Early the next morning, I found him down again. At this point, I would like to say that I never like to interfere with what an animal does naturally. I know some people think a horse should always remain standing, especially with colic. I strongly disagree with this idea, which discounts all wisdom the horse has of their own condition.

I know animals know what they want. So I use how they act as the basis of my treatment. I work with them and their natural inclinations, not against them.

A little later on, he got up and remained up all day. There seemed to be a problem at night. Or possibly the chill of the evening, night and early morning was a problem for him. Although his ears were warm (a good way to check body temperature), he could still have an aggravation in cooler weather.

I noted a few other strong symptoms. He stood in a mild urinating position, indicating a possibility with his renal system. So I changed the treatment to include this, to no avail. He found it difficult to support his weight on his back legs, constantly shifting from one to the other, every few seconds. I didn’t know what to do with that symptom, other than it may have confirmed the renal connection.

At some stage during the day, I suddenly got a whiff from his mouth - highly offensive smell. THAT was something I could work with.

I changed the treatment again. Progress was a little slow so I did change the treatment, but reverted back when things deteriorated. Over several doses and hours, he gradually improved. He did go down again at about 4 in the afternoon, but after another dose, he seemed ravenous, grazing while he lay. Then he consumed a bucket of chaff. That was a great sign. Return of appetite is one of the strongest indications of real improvement.

A little later he was up, went for a drink and remained up thereafter. He was better each time I went to see him after that and in the morning was grazing normally, with an almost normal breathing rate and no odour from his mouth.

I continued treatment over the next couple of days to ensure all the healing was complete. Without access to subjective symptoms, it’s best to keep going for a little time after a full recovery is apparent.

I can’t tell you the label of the problem he had, as homeopaths don’t work that way. But I can tell you that the treatment that worked for him is one which we give for septicemia or blood poisoning. He wouldn’t eat because he was seriously ill, not because of colic. He was down because he had no energy.

The smell could have indicated a tooth problem, a stomach problem or something else entirely. It didn’t matter because the treatment covered this. His problem, whatever it was, had suddenly deteriorated to become a systemic problem, hence the renal connection.

Obviously it was an infection. But treating the infection alone does not get to the cause. Appropriate homeopathic treatment eliminates the effect, the infection, because it resolves the cause.

Treating animals can be hard, as homeopaths rely on subjective symptoms and animals only give us objective symptoms. But, if you remain calm, focussed and observe everything about their behaviour, you can achieve great results.

Whilst this would have been beyond the scope of most homeopathic home prescribers (unless of course, you had done one of my home prescribing courses...), the principle stands.

Some people say homeopathy is rather slow to work. From the start of the appropriate treatment to when he was eating again took about 6 hours. And that included a deviation. Is this slow?

Natural Treatment of Sand Colic

Sand colic is prevalent in parts of the world when there are periods of no rain or drought and the soil is sandy, such as here in Perth, Western Australia. If the grass dries out from a lack of rain, the horses are hungry for the new shoots when the rain does come. This means the new grass can be pulled up by their roots. Although horses usually spit out the roots, with its covering of sand, some inevitably gets ingested. Over time this can develop into sand colic.

When I first got my mare, she had a huge stomach. I gave her psyllium husk (about 1 tablespoon) in her daily food. Within a week, she had slimmed down to a normal size.

Now I start to feed the horses the psyllium husk a week or two before the rains start, all through the wet period and into the spring for a time, too. You can see the psyllium working - the sand comes out as the last part of their stool so it lands on top. It is also a different colour to the surrounding sand.

When I can’t see that anymore, in the dry summer months, I stop the psyllium.

I think that soaked (not boiled) linseed would have the same effect as it’s quite gluey, but I haven’t tested it out for myself yet.

I have never known a horse to get sand colic under this treatment.

Psyllium husk is a natural plant fibre, with no detrimental effects. Drenching horses with a petroleum based oil can have many side effects including destroying their oil soluble vitamins.

Sand colic can be treated by feeding one tablespoon of the psyllium husk in a very small feed, about once an hour, for how ever long it takes to fully recover. You should see some encouraging results after the first dose.

Reading Horse Body Language

Reading the language of horses can be challenging. It means we have to be very aware, very present, taking everything into consideration.

As many of you know, I always try to involve an animal in their treatment. I like to get a confirmation with the animal that the treatment I am suggesting is appropriate. Animals know what they need and their body language speaks volumes when we bother to observe and ‘listen’.

My mare summed it up quite nicely for me, recently.

She has been lame for some time. Not badly, but enough to need attention. She seemed to disapprove of every remedy I showed her. She’d sniff at the bottle then walk away.

So back I’d go to the drawing board and start again.

After a while, I thought that I couldn’t be THAT bad a prescriber, so started looking for why she might be refusing every remedy.

Although she is dominant, being the mare, she allows her favourite gelding to push her around a bit. He likes to know what’s going on. He wants to poke his nose in and see why I am attending to another horse and not him.

Finally, the penny dropped. Of course she was walking away. She didn’t want to be disturbed. Once I realised that, I followed her as she walked away. When she stopped, in a safe and undisturbed place, I walked up to her from behind and stopped at her shoulder. She curved her head round my body and opened her mouth!

What an idiot I had been.

Supplementing Your Horse’s Diet

A horse, just as any animal, should get all their nutrition from food. This is how everyone has evolved.

However, the diet we provide our animals with is not always as nutritious as it should be. The food farmed today tends to look good, but has a major shortfall of nutrients. 

Allowing horses to graze on naturally fertilised grass is, without doubt, one of the best sources of nourishment both for your horse's physical body and their emotional well being.  Horses evolved to spend about 20 hours a day eating. They are happiest when they can do this, especially in a herd environment.

But even with this ideal food supply, a working horse is likely to need additional food and a supplement. And not horses have this ideal life style.

Over my years as a homoeopath, I have come to realise that humans, who arrogantly think they know best, fall very short of that. Animals, actually know best what they need. They have an inner wisdom we humans lack, or at least choose not to connect with.

Animals should be involved in their lifestyle. They need to be allowed a choice. We need to learn to respect this.

Although many horse people leave a mineral lick out for their horses, I believe that all horse nutrition should come from plants. Minerals don't digest well and can cause problems such as kidney stones and arthritis. 

Conversely, plants grown on mineral rich soils provide all the mineral requirements in an easily digested and utilised form, even though the food will have lower mineral amounts.

Don't be taken in by the amount of the nutrient. Consider also its digestibility, its availability.

Recently I decided to change my habit of adding kelp to my horses feed. Kelp is a wonderful, mineral rich plant-based supplement in perfect natural balance. However, it does come from seaweed, so may have a higher than desirable salt content.

Bearing that in mind, I decided to put some in a bucket and allow my horses to free feed on it.

Initially they ate it like food. I had to keep buying more. Which made me realise that I hadn't been giving them enough. Then they went through a period of ignoring it totally for weeks.

Now, they top up periodically with a small amount.

By anchoring a small bucket to a post, tree or old tyre, you will prevent spillage. Keep it in the shade, as the summer sun can reduce its effect. Put a small amount out at a time, so as not to spoil. Although they will eat it when soggy, it's better kept dry.

Let your horses choose. They know best.

Natural Treatments for Horses - Fast, Effective

Natural treatments for horses should cover their whole environment. This is important as there are many factors which can trigger your horse’s ill health. And the best example is to look at how a wild horse lives. Although it is not possible to completely adhere to this, if you follow some of the most important guidelines, your horse will be all the more healthy for it.

1. Company is one of the basic requirements of all horses as they are herd animals. And not just company, but contact too. Horses are very tactile and touch is immensely important to them. This companion could be you if you have the time to give to your horse. This is not normally the case, so a well matched companion is needed.

2. Grazing freely is another basic requirements horses need. A myriad of vices only occur in horses who never have access to this most basic need. Standing in one place, eating hay is not the same. Even short periods daily, can go a long way to making your horse happier.

By denying these basic needs, you are likely to have an easily stressed and unstable horse.

3. Commercial horse feeds often contain products from a rendering plant. These may be listed as the macro minerals on the pack, but they never tell you the source. Products from a rendering plant are animal based. Horses are vegetarians. By going back to basics, and feeding your horse only those ingredients you know are safe (such as whole grains), you can make a huge difference to the long term health of your horse.

4. Good health care is critical to keep your horse happy and in work. One of the fastest and more effective modalities of health care is homeopathy. It is a natural and complete form of health care. Its powerful yet gentle ability goes far beyond any other modalities. Not only do horses enjoy the treatment, making it easy, they also respond very well to well selected treatments.

Equine Colic Comes in Many Forms, But Has Fewer Causes

Equine colic tends to be abdominal. The intestinal tract goes into spasm causing a great deal of pain. The horse may roll or groan, lie down or pace about. All horses are different and so all equine colic is different. There is no one solution.

But there are generally only three causes:

1.  eating too much grain, for example, getting into the feed bin
2.  sand colic, where there is a lot of sand in the digestive tract
3.  stress

All three causes need to be treated differently. And the horse will exhibit their own unique and personal symptoms.

The first cause is best dealt with by the use of homeopathic medicine.

The second is best prevented by a daily dose of psyllium husk in the diet.

The third cause is probably the most common and the most disturbing equine colic. It seems to appear for no reason.

Few people really take into consideration the stress horses are under. Being a prey animal, they are very easily frightened. They have evolved to be on alert all the time, otherwise they may be eaten. This applies as much in today’s domestic horses as it does in wild horses.

I once recall a veterinarian commenting on the fact that horses tend to colic more at the weekends, than during the week. He put it down to the fact that it’s only at weekends that people see their horses colic. He assumed that they suffered just as much during the week, but dealt with it themselves.

I disagree. Most horses are worked or shown more at the weekends, putting them under much more stress.

So the first thing to do is to recognize that a horse gets frightened very easily. And doesn’t recover from the fear quickly. Punishing them or causing pain by rough treatment will only exacerbate the problem.

The homeopathic medicine Aconite may go a long way to settle the fear. This, in turn, is likely to calm the colic.

Cushings Disease Horse - Discover Secrets to Prevent it

Cushing’s disease in horses is, sadly not uncommon. However, when you understand what can cause it, then you can prevent it altogether. And as a bonus, ensure your horse has great and lasting good health.

The medical diagnosis of cushing’s disease or syndrome comes from a blood test showing excess cortisol and the physical signs of fatty swellings, especially at the withers and face. Weakness can result.

This can be a result of an excess of secretion by the pituitary gland. It can also be a result of the adrenal cortex, situated at the kidneys, releasing too much glucocortisoids. A third reason can be from what is known as an iatrogenic (caused by drugs) over-zealous administration of cortisone veterinary treatment.

I have noticed that in a huge percentage of veterinary treatments of horses, some form of cortisone treatment is invariably used. And often it is not indicated or required.

At the slightest hint of pain in a horse, cortisone is often given. Presumably this is to allow the horse to continue his work. But who does that benefit? Certainly not the horse.

If a horse has become lame, the cause of the lameness needs to be discovered and dealt with. Masking it so the horse can still perform will only make it worse in the long run.

And, if done frequently, can result in Cushing’s disease.

How much better it is to deal with the cause of the lameness in a holistic way. This can not only be the most effective way, in the long term. It can also be the fastest way in the short term. And all without the potential of harm later in life.

Homeopathy is just such a modality of health care. Its enormous scope for deep healing, by supporting the horse’s best healing efforts, by stimulating the immune system, by personalising the horse’s unique expression of imbalance all go towards resolving the original cause.

The healing remedies themselves resolve any associated pain, so pain relief becomes a thing of the past.

Natural Treatment of Colic in Horses - Using Homeopathy

The natural treatment of colic in horses is always most effective if it deals with the cause. So you need to work out the cause of your horse’s colic.

Colic can occur from ingesting too much grain or any food that they normally don’t eat much. Horses need to get used to any new food slowly, as they need to breed up the right amount of gut bacteria to digest the new food. Each different food needs the optimum amount of the correct bacteria.

So antibiotics can also create colic.

Since most colic in horses occur at the weekends, I consider this the key to one type of colic. The weekends are when most people ride or work their horses. We put these highly strung and sensitive creatures under enormous strain, without any conscious awareness of what we are doing.

Horses, being obliging, do their best to perform for us. Even their best efforts can be poorly received by some.

As horses are prey animals, their basic instincts are to be alert for every possible danger. By asking them to perform in unnatural surrounding, we are creating a lot of tension.  You’ll often find that the top performing horses are irritable, even angry horses.

Little wonder.

This tension can create all sorts of problems, from anger down to muscular tension. This can lead to spasms, a tense back or colic.

The whole picture of this tense, over stimulated horse perfectly matches the symptoms of the homeopathic medicine Nux vomica.

This is one of the most common homeopathic medicines for stomach pain. And it could be considered the most perfect natural treatment of colic in horses.

For any homeopathic medicine to work, you need to have a good match of symptoms.

So let’s recap the symptoms of Nux vomica, some of which your horse will need to have for this medicine to be a good match:

•  colic which is relieved by trying to arch the back (the opposite of pressure, as pressure aggravates the pain), so rolling often helps to relieve the pain
•  pain is relieved by warmth, worse for cold
•  irritable with the colic
•  very sensitive to external stimuli such as noise, light, smells

Founder Horse Disease and How to Deal with it Fast, Naturally and Effectively

Founder is a horse disease of the feet. Normally only the front feet are affected.  The problem occurs for some horses, generally those who have a tendency to be overweight such as ponies, when they eat too much rich, green grass, especially the new grass of the season.

Some sturdy horses, and most ponies, have evolved to live on little, scavenging  on scare vegetation in various regions of the world. These equines are not dissimilar to mountain goats. They tend to be sure footed and don’t need lush grass to survive.

This is at the heart of founder in horses. So you need to know what sort of equine you have. And then feed them accordingly, or limit their access to rich new grass.

However, sometimes it’s too late and your horse has already foundered. Normal veterinary treatment can take many weeks to work and then is often dissatisfactory, with future bouts becoming more common.

One of the best alternative treatments for founder in horses is homeopathy. And there are several different medicines for this, based on your horse’s unique and personal symptoms. In many cases, your best option is to call a professional homeopath who works with animals.

If you don’t have access to one, then you may find that the following homeopathic remedy gives your horse total relief.

However, the following symptoms must be present:

•  if your horse is standing in the typical founder gait, with the front legs pushed out in front, balancing more weight on the rear legs
•  if the front feet are very warm, almost hot
•  if your horse has difficulty moving about
•  if your horse has been grazing on rich or new grass
•  if it has recently occurred

Then the homeopathic medicine Belladonna 30c, given every hour for about 8 hours, or until relief is seen may solve the problem. However, there are several qualifying points to consider.

If the founder occurs regularly, then a deeper acting remedy may be needed. If the horse is foundering for other reasons, then this remedy may not provide relief. If the front feet are not very warm, then your horse will not benefit from this remedy.

Natural Treatment For Horses With Homeopathy

The natural treatment for horses can be highly effective, easy to administer and economical to purchase. There are various natural treatments for horses, including Bowen therapy, shiatsu, herbs, homeopathy and many more.

The late George MacLeod, a British veterinarian turned veterinary homeopath, said that horses are easy to treat with homeopathy. My own feelings, after a few years of experience as a homeopath, is just that.

Homeopathy is a complete and natural form of health care. It works by stimulating the immune system to work better. It is also a very flexible and versatile form of health care, as you can do a lot of home prescribing once you learn a few basic skills. You can also consult with an experienced homeopath for these more difficult situations.

Homeopathy can be used to treat anything from a mild injury, to a serious, life-threatening one, from serious concussion to depression, from a mild and itchy insect bite to a dangerous and poisonous animal bite.

Very often the problems that cause disease in horses is:

•  your choice of food for them
•  their stressful living conditions (especially a lack of grazing)
•  the lack of companion animals (horses are herd animals, something many people forget)
•  the unsympathetic handling and training they are subjected to
•  conventional veterinary treatment

However, even when all these aspects are corrected according to the horse’s natural inclinations, disease can still occur, although far less often, and far less seriously.

One of the many great things about homeopathy is that horses love it, when you get the right medicine. You need to do the board selection process, then, by presenting each bottle to the horse, they will fine tune the selection.

Most horses will tell you what they like or dislike, through body language. Once you grasp the fact that they know far better than you (or anyone else) what they need, you can use this ability to your great mutual advantage.

Treating Horses Injuries Naturally With Homeopathy

Treating horses injuries naturally can be the fastest way of resolving not only the injuries, but also the emotional baggage that usually accompanies them, especially in horses - the fear.

Horses injuries can be from a multitude of causes and have a million different expressions. Being a flightly, prey animal, horses survive by living off their wits. They need to flee a dangerous situation before discovering what it it. The microsecond needed to identify the danger could cost them their life.

This means injuries can be common. And that’s aside from the strenuous work most horses are asked to undertake.

Often, horses injuries means a long resting time and expensive veterinary care.

As ever, there is an alternative. In reality there are many alternatives, but the one under discussion here, is the highly effective homeopathic medicine which can quickly heal injuries as well as any emotional fear that comes with them.

Arnica is well known for its ability to resolve bruises. But that’s a bit like saying that water is useful for washing your feet. It is, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

Arnica can quickly and safely stimulate the immune system, so that healing can be complete. It doesn’t matter what the injury is, or how bad it is, Arnica will always help everything initially, even if it can’t complete every healing.

If Arnica is the right medicine for the job, the pain of the injury will disappear, the wound will heal cleanly, no infection will occur and no arthritis will occur in the future.

There are many different potencies (strengths) of homeopathic medicines. The typical potency in a home prescribing kit is 30c. This is a great potency to start with, while you are learning how to use homeopathy. And it can resolve all minor soft tissue injuries.

I like to ask the animals I treat, whether it is a suitable medicine for them. I show them the fully stoppered bottle. Generally, they will lick it or mouth it, if they want some. And turn away if they don’t.

The frequency of Arnica in this potency is hard to overdo, bearing in mind few horses have an injury-free past. Put a single pillule into their water. However, the water does need to be in the shade, as sunlight will negate the effects of the medicine.

Do this daily, for a few days, as you can see improvement. When this stops, another medicine may be indicated.

How to Treat Urticaria in Horses

Learning how to treat urticaria in horses can be easy for the sharp witted homeopathic home prescriber.

Homeopathy is a natural and complete modality of health care. Many common, uncomplicated ailments can be treated successfully at home, by the judicious use of the common home prescribing medicines.

More complicated or longer standing ailments will need the skills of a professional homeopath.

Urticaria is a skin problem often caused by an allergic reaction. The condition is characterised by wheals or little blisters. They can appear quickly and multiply rapidly.

The condition can be itchy and/or tender to touch. It may contribute to diarrhoea.

This is often a result of insect bites.

Although this is not a serious condition, it can be an irritating one.

Any allergy means a compromised immune system. So search for areas that could contribute to this. Some contributing factors include:

•  medical drugs and/or vaccines
•  processed horse food in the form of ‘complete’, ‘balanced’ combined meals (much of this contains cheap and indigestible foods)
•  anxiety at the work (such as unsympathetic training)
•  physical discomfort (such as badly fitting tack)
•  emotional stress (such as living on their own)

While you work on restoring a more natural balance to your horse’s life, the urticaria can be helped with the following homeopathic medicines.

Apis 6c. Urticaria is hot to touch, tender and can be large areas of fluid filled sacs. The acute condition can become chronic. Dose about three times a day for four days.
Urtica urens 6c. Urticaria is hot and itchy. There is a tendency to oedema. Dose about three times a day for four days.

Ledum 30c. Known insect bites create urticaria that feels better with cold applications. Dose about three times a day for four days.

How to Treat Lyme Disease in Horses with Homeopathy

Learning how to treat Lyme disease in horses with homeopathy sounds far beyond the scope of a home prescriber. But it shouldn’t be if you are following the process of homeopathy.

Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is an inflammation, characterised by a rash, a fever/chills, fatigue, depression and/or a headache in the early stages, then followed by joint problems and neurological symptoms later on.

A headache can be difficult to ascertain in a horse, but general malaise, a disinterest in things that are normally of interest, can alert a sensitive person to the fact that all is not well.

The cause of Lyme disease is a tick bite. Sometimes the tick is too small to see. And any tick bite is easy to miss in a horse. However, if you are in a tick infested area, or simply have ticks around, then this is a possibility to consider. Even if a tick doesn’t cause Lyme disease, it can be unpleasant.

A good homeopathic home prescriber will know that the selection of the most appropriate medicine depends on the cause (the bite in this case) as well as the personal symptoms of the patient.

If your horse has developed a rash and has a fever or chills with it, then this is a pretty good diagnosis for a tick bite. Dose with Ledum 30c every hour for several hours, or put the medicine in the horse’s water.

If the bite is recent, within hours of the treatment, then this may be all that is needed. Be guided by the symptoms of your horse. Another’s days treatment may be a good idea and won’t do any harm.

If the suspected tick bite was a while ago, weeks or even months, and the early symptoms were seen, but have now developed into joint and neurological problems, then your home prescribing kit may still yield you an effective treatment.

Hypericum is the next most appropriate medicine to use when a puncture wound was the cause of the problem, but it was some time ago. It is especially useful for injuries to the nerves, or nerve involvement after puncture wounds.

This in going to take longer than a few hours to resolve. Suggested dose of Hypericum 30c is once a day for possibly a couple of weeks. Be guided by your horse’s symptoms and how eager he is to take the medicine.

The occurrence of any illness is all about a compromised immune system. This can happen after drugs, a vaccine, a shock, a fright or general unhappiness. By trying to address all aspects of your horse’s mental welfare, in accordance with his evolutionary past, will ensure his lasting good health, whatever is occurring around him.

Treating Strains to the Fetlock in Horses, With Homeopathy

Treating strains to the fetlock in horses can be rapid and uncomplicated when using homeopathy.

Horses, by their very nature of being a flighty, prey animal, can suffer from injuries, sprains and strains. Add to that the burden of work humans put them through and it’s little wonder they suffer from frequent injuries.

A strain is an injury from overexerting the muscle or twisting it. Horses can easily over exert themselves and often twist a muscle from unsympathetic riding, where the horse and rider try to go in opposite directions.

The homeopathic medicine Arnica is the first medicine of choice for all and every injury. The internal use of this medicine cannot be over-rated especially for horses. Racing, show jumping, dressage, eventing, even relatively quiet riding school work can all take their toll on horses. Frequently horses are worked after sustaining an injury, compounding the effects.

Horses try their hardest to do as we ask of them, so we tend to ask more and more, often to the horse’s detriment.

Their mouths can be injured by even the lightest hands, their back can be injured from a rigid-tree saddle, their abdomens can sustain pain from the lack of consideration of the use of spurs. The list can seem endless.

However, with the regular use of Arnica, much of the pain inflicted, even unwittingly, on horses can be resolved.

The fetlock and/or pastern and coffin joints is an area which can be more troublesome. It can be more easily strained, more easily twisted or over exerted. And Arnica doesn’t always complete the healing.

The homeopathic medicine Ledum is normally used for bites, but it’s also a great medicine for strains, too. The symptoms of Ledum strains are a swelling which is cold to the touch. The odd thing here is you would expect that applied heat would improve the symptoms. But it doesn’t, it’s resented. Applied cold, such a running a cold hose over the strain gives much better relief.

If this is the case, you can expect the strain to rapidly improve after a few doses of Ledum.

Injuries to Horse Tendons and Their Natural Resolution With Homeopathy

Injuries to horses tendons can be quite common for two main reasons: horses are flighty animals so tend to run away from perceived dangers before asking questions. That and the work humans ask of horses can be far more taxing than they would experience in their natural environment.

Often without adequate preparation.

Tendons and ligaments tend to be a big area of injury for working horses, whether they are racing, jumping, cross country or dressage.

And because these worlds tend to be so competitive, horses are often asked to keep going, long after it is obvious they have hurt themselves.

When a tendon or ligament is injured, it often means there is a tear. This can take weeks of rest to heal.

There is another option. Isn’t there always?

The homeopathic medicine Ruta is an excellent way to speed up healing, by stimulating the horse’s immune system to work more efficiently. As with all homeopathic medicines, you need to see a similar symptom picture in the horse to that of the medicine, for it to work.

So if you can see a match to the following keynote symptoms of Ruta, then it is likely to do a lot of good for your horses’ tendons:

•  injury to tendon, ligament or periosteum (lining to the bone)
•  inflammation often with effusion
•  weakness of affected joint, joint gives way
•  stiffness of affected joint (less strong than weakness)
•  chronic overuse of tendon
•  nodular growths can occur

Sometimes the horses tendons in the back are affected, too, giving rise to a back weakness. Horses with this problem will tend to lie down a lot more than normal, as this gives them relief.

For the best results, you may need to consult a professional animal homeopath.

A Horses Back - Treating Pain Naturally

A horses back can create an enormous amount of pain or discomfort.

Horses are very obliging and forgiving animals. They will try their hardest to please us, even when they are in considerable pain.

There are many reasons why a horses back is their main cause of pain. The most obvious cause is that the saddle is a poor fit. But there are less obvious causes, too.

Many people start training young horses before their bones have properly set. The racing world is probably where most of this happens, and sadly many ex-racehorses don’t get to enjoy a long life because their skeletal system gives out.

The Spanish Riding School in Vienna, famous for their Lipizzaner stallions, don’t start any work on their young colts until they have reached five years of age. They consider their bones are not properly set before this age. These stallions are often still working in their 30’s.

There are some horse breeds who have a healthier bone structure than others. They are less likely to suffer with sore backs. The Irish bred horses are considered to be strong and hardy, probably because the soil and so grazing is so nutritious.

Horses who suffer from bad falls or injuries may never fully recover enough to take the weight of a rider for long periods.

You can easily tell if a horses back is sore by the way their back will shrink away from even a light touch.

Taking all these factors into consideration, there are still occasions when your horses back is sore for no apparent reason.

Treating horses with homeopathy is a highly rewarding experience. You can learn to use some of the common homeopathic medicines yourself. And you can use the services of a professional homeopath.

When learning to use the medicines yourself, you need to focus on the horses individual symptoms, rather than on the disease label.

The homeopathic medicine Nux vomica is a great medicine for tension in the back. If fact, the whole horse may be tense, with tense muscles causing many problems, from abdominal cramping to spasms.

The area of the back most affected is the lumbar region, but not exclusively.

Other symptoms which will indicate the use of this medicine include:

•  a great sensitivity to external stimuli - noise, light, smells, sudden movements
•  tend to be very cold, love the heat
•  may suffer from allergies
•  is impatient by nature
•  easily offended
•  can be irritable

Showing or performing these highly sensitive horses is the most likely cause that has lead to the tension, creating the problem

Poll-Evil in Horses and How to Treat it Naturally

Poll-evil is a condition which affects horses. The poll is the prominence between the ears, indicating where the spine joins the skull. Above and behind this prominence is a fluid filled sac or bursa. Poll-evil is a bursitis (inflammation of a bursa).

Initially it becomes hot, swollen, inflamed and very sensitive to touch. Secondary infection into surrounding tissue, especially bone, can result. There may be pus observed on the mane. The head is stiff in movement.

Due to the serious nature of the problem, it is generally beyond the scope of a home prescriber. A professional homeopath may be your best option.

However, if you have no other choice, or as you are waiting for the homeopath to arrive, you can’t do any harm by consulting your homeopathic home prescribing kit.

The homeopathic medicine Silica is one of several medicines which may resolve the problem, even if it has developed into the chronic stage.

However, you do need to try to work out the cause, as well as make a list of the symptoms which are unique and personal to your horse as well as the condition.

Silica works very well, when the problem has arisen after a recent vaccination.

Silica also works well when the horse is generally not very healthy. Infections, especially in the head and throat region are common and recurring. The skin may be unhealthy, with slow or no healing of injuries and wounds.

This shows a general lack of absorption of nutrients from the food, or malnutrition.

If it is occurring in a foal, then the foal will have growth problems, not gaining weight and so forth, caused by a lack of absorption of nutrients or from malnutrition.

The horse is likely to suffer badly in cold weather, needing not only warm rugging, but being out of any draughts.

Sometimes poll-evil is considered to be caused by hitting the back of their head when rearing. If this is a serious injury, it is more likely to cause concussion. But if a splinter gained entry to the back of a mild head injury, then the splinter may be the cause.

As Silica is good at expelling foreign objects from the body, then this will resolve the condition, too. It may take a few days, but it will be expelled.

If Silica was a good match for your horse, then you will notice that other areas start to improve. Such as the growth returns to normal, infection slows down and stops, injuries heal better and so forth.

Topical application of a solution of the herbal tincture Hypercal will speed up the healing process.

Equine Arthritis and its Homeopathic Treatment

Equine arthritis can be completed resolved by homeopathic treatment. Horses are flighty animals, so they easily harm themselves on all the fixtures and fittings we use to confine them.

Simple, or complicated wounds are best treated with the internal use of the homeopathic medicine Arnica. This is capable of resolving both recent and distant damage to soft tissue.

There is nothing quite like Arnica and its incredible healing abilities for injury. So horses and Arnica go very well together, particularly as horses tend to be pushed a lot. Arnica brings great relief and comfort to those weary muscles of over achievers.

But what about injury to joints? Horses can suffer from this too, bearing in mind many horses are started in work before their bones, and so their joints, have properly matured.

Once a joint has suffered from an injury that has not been resolved at an energetic level, then equine arthritis can set in, in later years. This can be successfully treated with homeopathy. However, as this may be complicated, professional help from a qualified homeopath may be the best option.

The use of the home prescribing medicine Rhus tox may provide some temporary, or even permanent relief, if the arthritis matches its symptoms.

They include:

•  the horse is stiff at the start of movement, but limbers up with continued movement
•  the horse appears to be quite restless
•  the horse is better in hot weather and for the application of hot packs (worse in winter)
•  the cause may be a previous injury, but doesn’t necessarily have to be

Equine Colic Treatment - Three Causes and Their Natural Solutions

In deciding on the best equine colic treatment, you first need to know that there are three main causes. By determining what the cause is, your next job is to establish what your horse’s unique symptom picture (collection of related symptoms) is.

This may be too much to consider if you are in a high state of concern, as a level head is needed. So expert, homeopathic help may be your best option.

However, there are still areas that you may find helpful.

The three most common causes of equine colic are:

1.  from overfeeding (or stealing) grain
2.  from ingesting too much sand, over time
3.  from stress

Sand colic can be treated by pouring an edible oil into their stomach. Often medicinal paraffin is used, but I recommend this is replaced by a plant based oil such as oilive oil. Paraffin oil depletes the system of the essential fat soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A and E.

I also suggest you avoid canola oil. This is not a well tolerated edible oil.

Preventing sand colic can be achieved by a daily dose of psyllium husk. This removes sand as it is ingested.

Equine colic treatment from stress or over feeding is most efficiently dealt with by homeopathic medicines. Following are the three top medicines depending on the cause and the horse’s unique symptoms.

Horses, being prey animals are very easily frightened. The fear makes them tense. This in turn, causes the colic. If the horse has had a frightening experience (which can be as mild as moving home), and they are very restless and agitated, the homeopathic medicine Aconite is likely to calm the horse and so resolve the colic.

If the horse has ingested too much grain, this will start to ferment and cause bloating. The horse may strain to pass dung or urine. And they often want to lie down. They may look anxiously at their side. There is a desire to hollow the back, but this may be hard to see in a horse. If this picture seems to fit, the homeopathic medicine Nux vomica is probably the best choice.

Some horses seem to get colic for no apparent reason. In this case you need to be a careful observer of the symptoms. If the horse wants to lie down and remain motionless, with no interest in anything, perhaps a little irritability, the medicine Bryonia may be the most appropriate one.

Natural Worm Control

I’m often asked about worming animals.

Worms are natural. In small numbers.

One reason for worms is a copper deficiency. 

Horses, sheep, pigs, cattle and poultry will never have worms if their diet includes foods naturally rich in copper. That means a pasture rich in diversity and naturally fertilised. The use of chemicals throws the natural balance out.

Weeds supply the best diversity. They are usually deep rooted so can bring up minerals from deep down. Grasses are shallow rooted so can’t do this. This is one reason why animals eat the bark of trees. Trees pull up minerals.

As most weeds aren’t eaten by grazing animals, they allow the minerals to be absorbed into the soil, when they die and rot down. And so naturally fertilising the soil.

You can also add copper sulphate (in tiny quantities - about 1/8 of a teaspoon for a horse, less for smaller animals) in daily feed during the active worm season (spring and summer). If you use this, make sure the animals also have access to kelp.

The better and safer method is to use the homeopathic medicine Cuprum (the potency 6x or 6c) daily during the season, or a specific homeopathic complex for worms, which will include Cuprum.