SYMPTOMS VS ROOT CAUSES
Do you or your dog have a health challenge that just isn’t being remedied with whatever prescription or band aid that has been applied by your doctor or vet?
It often pays to take a multi-pronged or holistic approach to an ailment. It also pays to test instead of guessing.
Let me give you a few examples from my dog’s life and my own recent health emergency.
I landed in the ER recently for chest pain, difficulty breathing, nausea and back pain. It was a bit alarming, especially given no family history of heart disease and my healthy lifestyle. Heck – I’m a health coach. Sudden onset of cardiac problems threw me for a loop. And boy, was I loopy since I couldn’t breathe well and felt like an elephant was on my chest.
It was determined after many tests that my heart, circulatory and respiratory systems were actually fine. My symptoms were from other things masquerading as heart problems and back problems. The good news – I wasn’t having a heart attack or stroke. The bad news – I have gall stones and esophagitis from acid reflux. The prescription for the latter? No fun with food or drink. Ugh. Plus Pepcid – something I wouldn’t want to be on long-term due to its side effects. As for the gall stones, they can cause trouble like bad back pain, but they can be removed with the whole gall bladder. These conditions of mine are hereditary.
Sometimes, no matter how healthy your diet and lifestyle, you get thrown a curve ball by your genes. But why did these medical issues rear their ugly head now and never before? Age? Maybe. For my 40th birthday, I got fibroid tumors. And apparently for my 50th, I’m getting gall stones and Gerd. But each time - 10 years ago and now – the symptoms and situation blew up during times of major stress.
So, I propose we all manage our stress better. It’ll do us good daily and likely help us avoid emergencies.
Now onto our dogs: Yes, they get stressed, too – whether from our stress or their own. And they have resulting symptoms that range from skin to GI and beyond. So when my dog suddenly started itching excessively in the last week, I knew the answer was NOT clear as to why.
That’s where a multi-pronged approach comes in.
1. Bath time with organic shampoo to remove allergens, any fleas, dirt & build-up, and seasonal fur shedding
2. Moisturizing daily with organic dog moisturizing sprays and ointments like 4-Legger’s
3. Skin healing balms or salves like CBD Dog Health’s, whether with CBD or otherwise on irritated spots like hot spots
4. Being hyper-vigilant with protection from critters like fleas and mosquitoes whether with the ones most vets prescribe or more natural options like Wondercide
5. Vacuuming a few times a week to remove any allergens, toxins from nearby construction or any flea brought in
6. Washing my dog’s bed, harness, our sheets & other fabrics he touches
7. Considering whether the itching is sympathy pain or stress he felt from my health emergency
8. Considering if something new in his diet upset his gut health, which can cause itching
9. Putting his donut pillow around his neck to stop him from biting himself and making matters worse
There aren’t always quick fixes out there, especially with skin problems, and I’ve got more tools to employ if need be. But I’m reluctant to try a pharmaceutical option on my dog due to potentially serious side effects, so I’ll save that for last.
In conventional medicine, symptoms are sometimes treated without investigation of the root cause of those symptoms. And then a pharmaceutical is often prescribed for us or our dogs whether short-term or long-term. Long-term, many of them have dangerous side effects like doing damage to organs or the microbiome. Short-term, many cause uncomfortable side effects that then require another drug. It can become a vicious cycle of a pill for every new ill caused by the previous pill.
The moral of the story is to fully investigate possible causes of health issues, to take a multi-pronged approach to remedying them, and to try more natural remedies when possible. The goals are both immediate relief and long-term health, which aren’t always going to point to the same prescription or natural remedy. We need to do our best and do our homework, especially to be the best health advocates possible for our dogs.