Integrative medicine is a growing field of medicine which combines the best options from conventional and alternative medical therapies to improve patient health and treat disease. 

By utilizing a broader spectrum of therapies, integrative medicine can help resolve the underlying disease condition, prevent or minimize treatment side effects and maximize successful treatment outcomes. The bigger the tool box, the better the chances for success. So how does integrative veterinary medicine differ from traditional conventional medicine? 

Integrative veterinary medicine uses many of the techniques of traditional conventional medicine, including diagnostic testing like bloodwork or x-rays, surgery, and pharmaceuticals. These conventional diagnostics are useful for creating a detailed outline of what is wrong with the pet. We appreciate drugs, as a choice, when it is imperative to get relief quickly. If we can “put the fire out,” we then have more time to address nutrition/diet therapy and utilize slower, deeper reaching/balancing therapies like acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, for example. Complementary therapies are also known as alternative or holistic therapies and include things like acupuncture, massage therapy, homeopathy, chiropractic, herbal medicine, supplements, essential oils and dietary therapies among others. These therapies share the common goals of restoring balance in the body, supporting the body to heal itself, and maintaining wellness instead of just treating symptoms. They tend to work more slowly and generally have fewer side effects. Complementary therapies are great for chronic conditions, which are increasingly more common as pets are living longer, but sometimes aren’t enough in cases of more extreme pain. Mobility is essential for our beloved four-legged friends; 

Dr. Casey strives to minimize/eliminate discomfort and maximize quality of life for every patient. Dr. Casey’s passion is nutrition consulting, a healthy gut is the foundation for a healthy life. Seventy percent of the immune system lives in the gut. If we take good care of our guts, our guts do the heavy lifting for the rest of our body. Nature is magnificent by design. Dr. Casey strives to provide a customized experience for each patient and pet guardian. The plan has to align with caretaker preferences and philosophies, while being acceptable to the patient. Medicine is indeed as much art as science.