"Alternative" therapies - my view of this world.

Since I am stuck inside my house due to UK not able to handle even the slightest amount of snow, I thought I add my humble opinion on this sometimes sensitive subject. (Well, I can't really blame the country for the fact that my Volvo is far too heavy to manage to climb up our road without sliding backwards or dangerously close to other cars parked on it)

As you can see I say "alternative" instead of alternative. I anyway much prefer the word Complimentary. Even I do agree, some (maybe most??) of these therapies have got little scientific backing, my firm belief is that if something has been around for as long or longer (for example TCM - Traditional Chinese Medicine) than our western science or what we bracket under it, it has held the test of time. We device these testing situations with our current and possibly limited human knowledge and cannot measure something we don't yet understand. I know it is a bit cheesy and overused pop culture example, but before people knew anything about electricity, it could not be measured with the equipment and knowledge they had at the time.

I believe that even if the effect is what we like to call "placebo" - it does not really matter as long as it helps the individual in question. Our minds have an enormous power to heal us as well as also to make us ill and we should not underestimate it. It is a dangerous territory when we totally separate our mind from our bodies and treat our body as nothing more than a highly sophisticated machine that can be mechanically fixed often only focusing on a very small part of the whole body. This, in my mind, also applies to our animals. What I mean by that is that even it is VERY important to get a proper diagnosis with a vet / doctor, the rehab and also the examination process should go beyond the immediate site of the problem. As we all know a uneven musculature developed over the years in our / horses back can over load one of the legs which then causes a problem with one of the tendons.

On the same token I do think that our "busy lifestyles" (yes more pop culture!!) and the way we live has given a rise to these alternative ways of treating ourselves and our animals. When we lose touch with what is really important, kind of lose touch with the mother earth, and just plough through our day to day life in stress and hurry we tend to eventually feel a bit empty. And there are several options to choose from that promise you an instant fix or at least instant relief (and many of them indeed do).

As a person who has always had a great interest and respect in science and I indeed even have a MSci, I still retain a HEALTHY dose of scepticism to everything new. I say HEALTHY since I think a true scientist may be firm in their beliefs, but very flexible in their approach to them. One's beliefs need to have a degree of fluidity and an innate openness to anything and everything new. After all, discovery is the core of science and the reason I initially joined the ranks too. But people like to take sides and, years ago,I indeed got told by a girl who was a medical student how disappointed she was in me, fresh from my science degree, that I took the "wrong path" and got into massage, Reiki and suchlike. I think there is a time and place for everything and us people (and our animals) are very different and respond to very different kinds of approaches. Otherwise we would have no one wanting to join the SAS!!!

So what do you do when you feel like one of these alternative therapies might be the right thing for you or your horses? Again it depends on what you are looking for, but most people would say ask your vet / doctor or your friends. And it is certainlyy a very good starting point. But as I mentioned above, do retain a healthy dose of scepticism on what people say. I am a self confessed hater of "hear-say". The kind of "blind leading the blind" kind of information you tend to get a lot in the horse world (and no doubt in any other sphere as well). Whilst it is great to go with recommendations, and yes we all get influenced by other peoples opinions, I think the most important thing is that you do your own research thoroughly.

I'm hoping to help you at least a bit in the next post or two and I try to shed a little light on the different therapies available to our horses. (And yes I still expect you to question my views too!!)

Until next time!! Stay safe in the cold!