Tag Archive for: TCM

Which Element is Your Pet?

Last week, I introduced the concept of TCVM constitutional types (see here). Now it’s time to have some fun and see how this concept might apply to your pet. As I talk about Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood, I will mention a breed of dog that best exemplifies each element. It is the stereotypical […]

The Five Elements and Your Pet

Holistic veterinarians sometimes speak of the constitution of an animal. This word can refer to the physical character of her body as to strength and health. Another way to think about the constitution of an animal is that it refers to the aggregate of the individual’s physical and psychological characteristics. This is the meaning of […]

Applying TCVM Food Therapy

In my last article I wrote about Chinese food therapy and how foods have innate warming, cooling, or neutral effects on the body. We can use these food properties to balance an animal’s energy system. “Hot” pets (those who seek coolness, overheat easily, are experiencing inflammation, or are in a hot climate) can be fed […]

Chinese Food Therapy for Pets

For the ancient Chinese, the maintenance of health was of supreme importance so much so that healthcare was not something they went to a doctor to get; it was a way of life. These wise people meditated, used massage, herbs and acupuncture, and did tai chi on a regular basis not just to treat disease, […]

Active Dreaming – What does it Mean?

Do any of your pets move around or vocalize in their sleep? It appears they are acting out their dreams. We can only imagine what is going on in their minds – no doubt chasing after something. Have you ever wondered why some pets do this while others do not? Could there be some underlying […]

Balancing Your Pet’s Health

A core concept of holistic medicine in general is the idea of how health is dependent on balance within the living system. According to the ancient Chinese, life and health are all about balance and flow. They sustained the flow of life energy (Qi) in the body mostly with acupuncture, massage, and tai chi. At […]

What the Heck is Qi?

Ancient cultures understood that the body possessed a special energy that was responsible for life. The Chinese called this life force energy, Qi. I believe that what they were talking about is bioelectricity. Bioelectricity Electricity is a force that results from the interaction between positive and negative charges. Like charges repel while opposites attract. In […]

Welcome to Dr. Doug – The Holistic Vet

Hello and welcome to my blog. I’m Dr. Doug Knueven but I go by Dr. Doug for reasons that become obvious when you try to pronounce my last name. (By the way, it is pronounced “KNEEVEN” – you pronounce all the letters except the “U”) I was raised in a small suburb of Cincinnati named […]

Veterinary Acupuncture – What’s the Point?

The word acupuncture comes from the Latin “acus” which means needle and “punctura” which means to puncture. So acupuncture involves the use of needles which are inserted into specific points on the body in order to affect a cure. In order to understand acupuncture it is necessary to recognize that the ancient Chinese had a […]

What is Holistic-Integrative Medicine?

So, what is holistic medicine? An alternative approach to health care and prevention of disease which integrates the body as a whole, including mind and spirit, rather than separate systems.                                                Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary Holistic Health – Holistic Health is actually an approach to life. Rather than focusing on illness or specific parts of the […]