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Complementary Therapies
are those treatments not usually provided by mainstream healthcare services, but
recognised as effective within their areas of expertise.
For humans, many complementary
therapies are offered to paying customers. Some have now been accepted by the
NHS and other providers like BUPA. Price Charles set up a Foundation to
encourage the integration of complementary therapies and orthodox approaches.
This has been so successful in creating a professional body to ensure standards
in complementary therapies that his original charity has been closed.
For animals, the law is strict in
protecting animals from harm that could be done by untrained individuals.
Farmers care for their animals – the way of life means that they have to, in
order to survive. However, most farm animals are worth such a small margin that
it becomes uneconomic to pursue health treatments very far. This dilemma means
that many more farm animal's lives are ended at a stage earlier than pets or
other animals.
Valuable Animals
But some farm animals are worth
much more than ordinary sheep, pigs or cows. Bulls, rams and boars, entire, are
worth a lot more than their female counterparts. Special breeds can be more
valuable. Some, like llamas and alpacas, are worth more because their produce
(wool) is in great demand. And others are just well-loved – by farmers, or by
visitors at show-farms – so they are a different case too.
Reliable mothers who carry, birth
and nurse good offspring efficiently year after year are treasures. Providing
extra healthcare when they need it is an investment in the future. This story
shows how complementary therapies can be more worthwhile than most farmers
expect.
Calving Crisis
A cow had dropped in a crush,
despite the belly strap, and had got stuck. Her head turned right and twisted.
Her shoulders turned left and her left fore-leg went behind her as her weight
dropped, trapping her in this helpless position.
After a great deal of pushing and
shoving, farmers Nigel and Penny Smith were able to get her up and then out.
“The vet said we'd need a tractor to get her out of the crush, but we don't have
one...” Penny said.
“Then we discovered she could not
walk the short distance from the crush to the barn” said Penny, “Her injured leg
bent backwards, and the other foreleg buckled at the knee. It was horrible –
every step she took became a nosedive, crashing down onto her chin and chest. I
thought she was dying.”
“It took us an hour to get her
across the yard and into the barn” added Nigel. Once there, she laid down, and
stayed down. This was a serious problem – she had just given birth, so two lives
were at risk. Thankfully, she continued to feed the calf, and also ate some hay
herself. Later she proved the other end was still working, but the Smiths were
concerned that she might stay down too long.
Nigel and Penny called out Vav
Simon, veterinary chiropractor. They are experienced farmers on a family farm,
who believe in developing close levels of care for their cows and sheep. Aware
that many other farmers laugh at them quietly for some of their methods, in
their own way they continue unashamed. But, actually, their reputation brings
them unexpected business from like-minded people.
Chiropractic
All done by
hand, chiropractic is a very gentle, thorough and cost-effective treatment. It
realigns bones that have been pushed out of position in such a way that they may
squash a nerve that passes close by. Sciatica is a good example – it originates
in the lower back from a single misalignment of only millimetres, but it can
affect the whole limb, buttock to foot. Misalignments can arise from a variety
of traumatic events or from repetitive asymmetrical movements.
Nigel and Penny had put the other
mothers and calves into the yard to feed a bit early, to make room for Vav to
work in the barn. She approached the injured cow, who seemed friendly enough and
palpated the leg and shoulder as best she could in that position. She found that
the lower neck was seriously misaligned.
In contrast to Vav's usual patients
– horses and dogs – cows can be very difficult to treat with chiropractic. Bred
for meat, they can be heavier than an equivalent horse. Their skeleton is more
rigid with strong musculature and ligamentation, which makes adjustments
physically very hard work. Handled much less than dairy cows they dislike
physical treatments. And in this position with the cow laid on the floor the
treatment was complicated further.
Vav corrected what she could and
thought it was likely that it might take another session to get everything
right, given the awkward situation.
Half-dead Calf
While she was there, the farmhand
suddenly found another calf in the other corner of the barn that they thought
they had emptied, who seemed to have wilted. It hadn't followed its mother out
into the yard, which meant it had gone down some while ago. “It's breathing but
it's not really with it” he said. He put it up on its feet and it tottered a few
paces. Vav immediately saw that it wasn't walking right at the back and said to
Penny “Hold the front end” and palpated its back and pelvis.
This calf had been a breach birth
and needed to be pulled out by hand, backwards, by the legs. Vav found a
dislocated hip: no wonder, being in so much pain, it wouldn't seek its mother,
hadn't fed and was weakening by the hour. Vav treated it there and then, and
there was a loud 'clunk' as the hip went back into position. Penny said “What
was that?” but then stopped and watched as the calf walked straight to the gate
to find its mum. Let into the yard, it found mum and began to feed.
Discussing these invalids with
Nigel and Penny, Vav recommended the RRA homeopathic remedy* – most suitable for
muscle and joint problems. Later, when Dave her husband delivered the remedy,
the calf was running about as though there was nothing wrong. Homeopathy is
based on a scientifically researched range of minute doses of specific materials
that seem to prompt a counter-reaction in the body. “ We like using Fragraria –
made from strawberries – for cleaning the Collies' teeth. It works brilliantly!”
said Nigel. “We believe homeopathy works: you can't tell animals it's all in
their minds!”.
Farmers Benefit
A week later, Penny phoned Vav: the
mum was up and standing on her lame foot, placing the foot correctly, but not
weight-bearing on it yet. The little calf was doing everything the others were,
with just as much energy! Nigel said “Two weeks later, the cow was up and
walking normally – 100%. She went out to pasture with the others, looking fine.
I'm not worried about her now”. Penny added “What Vav achieved was miraculous!”.
Another spin-off was that in
pushing and pulling of the cow in the crush, Penny had cricked her own back too.
Not spring chickens, Nigel and Penny's own health was vital to their small farm.
During Vav's visit, Penny asked if she could book in for a treatment, Vav said
yes and they made an appointment straight-away.
Other interesting complementary
therapies that you may find locally include herbal remedies, acupuncture,
massage and healing. All have professional associations and qualifications, and
yet, the therapist's talent may sometimes count for more than training. Ask
around, but, as Vav says “Remember that more farmers use a chiropractor,
herbalist or homeopath than you hear about. They all say to me 'Don't tell other
farmers, they'll think I'm soft'!”
Total Bonus
In this example, the full count
from one phone call was two calves saved, one mum likely to breed again, and a
farmer's wife able to carry on at full pelt during the manic calving and lambing
months. An experienced complementary therapist working with dedicated farmers
can make a big difference!
* The RRA remedy is a combination
of Rhus Tox, Ruta Grav and Arnica in one tablet. |
