Featured Quote:
As an integrative practitioner I don't throw Western medicine out. In fact I think it's an incredibly important part of treating many diseases, and so we use Eastern and Western medicine together and quite honestly they dovetail quite nicely together. So it's a very exciting way to practice medicine.
Video Transcript:
So an integrative appointment at the Drake Center basically consists of looking at a pet both from the perspective of conventional medicine, Western medicine, and from the perspective of Eastern medicine. So what's different about those two?
Western medicine we are all very familiar with. We have that for our own health and it's pretty standard. Eastern medicine basically is looking at the whole patient and not just perspective of what we are seeing on a physical exam but also the perspective of what's their emotional life like, what is their environment like, what do they do for stress relief, what can we do with nutrition. It's basically a holistic approach from the standpoint of it's encompassing many aspects of the pet's life.
The other thing it does is it looks at the patterns of disease that the pet's had in the past, so we will of course do our physical exam based on what we're seeing now but every pet that comes in has a whole history of things that they've been exposed to and had as issues before they come in. It's basically putting all that picture together and then as an integrative practitioner I do not just do "holistic medicine." That's actually a very general term that encompasses many, many different types of treatment modalities, alternative treatments. As an integrative practitioner I have learned how to do several of those.
Food therapy, I'm very much into nutrition and food. I do Eastern Chinese herbs and also at the Drake Center we have Dr. Drake and Dr. Shotwell doing acupuncture and we have laser therapy. So we have some of the treatment modalities that are considered alternative. Again, there are many.
Then as an integrative practitioner I don't throw Western medicine out. In fact I think it's an incredibly important part of treating many diseases, and so we use Eastern and Western medicine together and quite honestly they dovetail quite nicely together. So it's a very exciting way to practice medicine. I think it's really the direction that medicine needs to go in and my hope and prayer is that it continues to do so. We will continue to learn different modalities that can help our patients.
Our goal ultimately always is to help cure our patient or at least help improve their quality of life, both from the standpoint of comfort and pleasure.
Integrative medicine embraces the incorporation of alternative therapies into mainstream Western medical practice. This type of medicine combines Chinese and holistic therapies, such as acupuncture, herbs and food therapy, with Western medical treatment, including dentistry, surgery and the use of advanced diagnostic tools.
- Cancers, like lymphoma or recurrent mast cell tumors
- Endocrine diseases, like diabetes or hypothyroidism
- Gastrointestinal and liver disorders, like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Musculoskeletal pain, like arthritis or hip dysplasia
- Neurologic diseases, like seizures or doggie dementia
- Organ disorders, like chronic liver or kidney disease
- Diet and nutrition
- Stress
- Behavior
- Exercise
- Energy level
- Sleep
- During the appointment, Dr. Boehme will carefully observe your pet and discuss his/her personality characteristics and potential stressors with you.
- Issues will be prioritized and treated according to what you believe is most adversely affecting your pet's quality of life. As a pet owner, you know your pet best!
- Dr. Boehme will help you develop an effective exercise and nutrition plan for your pet. These plans are tailored to each individual pet's needs.
- Disease prevention will be discussed. An individualized plan will be developed based on the pet's breed, age, genetics and disease tendencies.
- Complete Western and TCVM exams will be performed. Diagnostic testing, including blood tests, X-rays and ultrasound imaging, may also be performed as needed.
- Finally, a treatment plan will be formulated for your pet. Following the initial consultation, Dr. Boehme will review all observations and symptoms discussed and determine the best course of action. You will receive a written treatment plan within 72 hours of your appointment.