"We don't know what causes the problem,
we don't know how to cure it but we can use drugs to relieve
it until we really understand how to deal properly with
the problem."
(John Burns BVMS MRCVS, I972)
"Shortly
after qualifying as a veterinary surgeon I heard myself
saying these words on numerous occasions to owners of dogs
with skin problems. I was beginning to realise I was not
as well prepared to deal with pet health problems as I would
have liked. While drugs are useful for treating acute illnesses
and relieving the signs and symptoms of chronic disease
there are few if any chronic diseases which can be cured
by drugs.
A few years later, having read
some impressive reports about acupuncture I decided to become
an acupuncturist. The two-year course on Traditional Oriental
Medicine attempted to unite ancient principles of health to
our Western way of life. During this time I came to realise
that acupuncture suffered from the same important shortcoming
as modern medicine - the illness itself was being treated
but the treatment did not address the cause of the problem.
At the same time I became a student
of the Macrobiotic movement which was in great vogue in Britain
in the seventies but which has now disappeared from view (in
the UK at least). Macrobiotics attempted to apply and adapt
ancient, traditional philosophy in a way which was practical
and appropriate to our modern lifestyle...........More