History Repeats
Seven reasons for why obtaining a history from a previous or referring veterinarian is very important to a holistic and integrative practitioner.
1/ Owners will sometimes forget the chronology of disease symptoms or even that some incidents occurred at all.
Given that cure proceeds from most recent to earliest symptom, according to Hering, it can be very helpful to know what the earliest symptoms entailed. This can help plot accurate assessments and prescriptions during homeopathic management towards disease cure. Conversely, a totally new symptom can be more readily identified if an accurate history is available.
2/ The timing of certain symptoms arising can help identify aetiology.
A strong treatment option can involve a clear aetiology or ‘never well since’ and owners may not recall these things as clearly as a documented vet history. Why was the animal vaccinated then? because we were going away and leaving them in kennels for 3 weeks. This may have been overlooked by the owner as significant since it is considered routine to them.
3/ Drug pictures and artificial disease can be better identified.
An examination of the vet history can help to ascribe certain symptoms as drug pictures and not true disease symptoms in a case of chronic disease. It may be difficult to see the animal for the disease in chronic cases and a good vet history can help unravel some or much of the picture confusion as iatrogenic.
4/ Specific drugs may be implicated and may require antidoting or treating with isopathy/tautopathy.
Owners will not always know what drugs were used. For example there have been cases where ketamine anaesthesia has caused long term mental symptoms in cats.
We can also identify certain suspicious events and links yet to be investigated properly such as cancer and cartrophen, Cocker rage and ivermectin, amongst numerous other allopathic suppressions and stimuli.
Vaccination dates are always important.
5/ Client /Veterinarian relationship
I have observed quite often that a client/owner will place a lot of importance on the vet history and will often arrive with a whole file of information about their beloved pet. It is courtesy to acknowledge this effort and also to accept an offer to keep a copy of these records as it confirms a degree of concern for their pet that can enhance trust and respect.
6/ Professional ethics
In a global climate of recurrent hostility towards homeopathy it is very important to be recognised first and foremost as a professional veterinary colleague and practitioner. Good communication between treating veterinarians assists optimum outcomes for the patient and also enhances awareness of the effectiveness and benefits of a holistic and integrative approach to disease management.
7/ Minimisation of risk
Similarly in a climate of rising litigation against health professionals it is wise and advisory to have excellent and accurate records. If necessary these can be used to demonstrate the professionalism we bring to our cases where this may otherwise be difficult to ascertain. As homeopaths we often do not use conventional medicines routinely for example. A conventional history will usually contain a record of disease diagnosis and results of pathology or imaging that can strongly support our practice. It is advisable to recommend that these tests be undertaken in cases where they have not been conducted and to record our recommendations.
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We do not need
Any other teacher
Than history,
And this teacher
Teaches us for free.
Sri Chinmoy, Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, Part 22, Agni Press, 2001