The HA! Blog
Get your paws on this: we created a blog so you can learn the basics of holistic medical decisions and start implementing them into your life. Where do you want to start?
Can My Dog’s Heart Murmur Lead To Congestive Heart Failure?
Answered by Dr. Jean Hofve Well, heart murmurs are just a sign of turbulence in the blood flow of the heart where there should be smooth, quiet...
How Can I Tell If My Dog Has Heartworms, And What Is The Treatment?
Answered by Dr. Christina Chambreau The most important symptom to worry about if you’re concerned that your pet has heartworms is coughing, and next...
Can You Spay a Pregnant Cat?
Answered by Dr. Jean Hofve So your girl kitty accidentally got pregnant. Now what? Is it too late to spay her? No, in most cases, it isn't too late...
How Do Cats Get Heartworms?
Answered by Dr. Jean Hofve Did you know that cats, like dogs, can get heartworms? Heartworms are transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito, so...
What Natural Methods Can I Use to Help My Cat’s Anxiety?
Answered by Dr. Jean Hofve Natural therapies are very effective for reducing cat anxiety. Flower Essences are one of the very best remedies to use...
What Flea Treatments are the Safest for Cats?
Answered by Dr. Christina Chambreau Well, the very best flea treatment for cats is to build their health so they won't even attract fleas, they're...
Are There Any Natural Preventatives for Heartworms?
Answered by Dr. Christina Chambreau Yes, there are natural preventatives for heartworms if you're trying to avoid the chemical ones. Most...
Are There Treatment Options For Cushing’s Disease?
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman I love that question because that’s kind of what the second step of HMDM, or Holistic Medical Decision Making, is all...
What are the Symptoms of Cushing’s Disease?
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman The most common symptom of Cushing’s is actually not anything that you can see, but what the vet finds in a routine...
What Ingredients Are Important to Incorporate into My Cat’s Diet?
Answered by Dr. Jean Hofve There are three ingredients that I recommend you incorporate into your cat's diet. The first and most important are omega...
Feline Conjunctivitis
DrMany cats have chronic problems with conjunctivitis (inflammation of the eye membranes). Often, the problem comes and goes. The eyes may be red,...
What Homeopathic Remedy Can Treat a Cat’s Mouth Tumor?
Answered by Dr. Christina Chambreau: First, you have to understand that homeopathy is an individualized medicine. That’s the only way it can work...
Can Extra Fat Affect My Cat’s Health Condition?
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman To any nutritional changes that can affect the health conditions, but how it does and if it does depends on the...
Suffering from decision fatigue? HMDM to the rescue
Our everyday lives are loaded with decision making (making a tooth paste choice alone is not the same as it used to be a hundred years ago), so...
What Causes Acute Pancreatitis In Dogs
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman That would depend on a lot of factors starting with the two big causes. One is putative, which means that it’s...
FAQ: What do glazed eyes in my pet mean?
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman That’s a great question because that subjective symptom is a real direct clue to an internal imbalance. So, if glazed...
FAQ: Why Is My Pregnant Dog Shivering And Panting?
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman The answer to any symptom manifestation is that the cells that are involved, whether in the brain or lungs, are...
FAQ: How Can I Help My Cat With Pancreatitis
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman It depends on what the symptoms are of pancreatitis, which is an irritation of the pancreas. The most common treatment...
Quest For Healing: Holistic Pet Care Q&A Part 2
Quest for Healing, Episode #44: Holistic Pet Care Q&A and Why Context Matters with Dr. Jeff Feinman (Part 2 of 2). Aired: Wednesday, August 18,...
Quest for Healing: A Truly Holistic Approach to Pet Health
Quest for Healing, Episode #43: A Truly Holistic Approach to Pet Health with Dr. Jeff Feinman (Part 1 of 2). Aired August 11, 2021. Welcome...
5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Doctor
An Interview With Luke Kervin. Published in Authority Magazine, Medium. August 19, 20201 The third biggest thing I wish I’d learned in vet school is...
FAQ: Would My Cat Gain Weight if She Had Cancer?
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman It depends on how they're gaining weight. Sometimes, cats with cancer will develop a form of malnutrition called...
The Return to Wholeness and Homeostasis: Escaping the Reductionistic Prison
Homeostasis, Balance and Equilibrium are used interchangeably throughout the article. Over the last century, science has been held captive to the...
How to Optimize Your Pet’s Quality of Life Using BEAM
Highlights: Understand what BEAM is How BEAM reflects both quality of life and cellular energy Using symptoms to improve and enhance your pet’s...
Holistic vs Homeopathic
Maybe because they both start with an H, many people confuse holistic treatments with homeopathic treatments. Clients will tell a veterinarian that...
Case History: Natural Diet Restores A Very Sick Cat
It all began in 1988, when our beloved year-old tortoiseshell Persian, Dinah, developed what was diagnosed as a “granuloma” on her lip. Our then...
Give Arnica A chance – Dispelling Homeopathy Myths
Would you like to learn a safe, effective and inexpensive way to help people and pets heal? You are in the right place. Arnica is an over the...
What Should I Feed My Pets? The Pet Food Dilemma
“Although we have come to accept commercial foods as being normal or natural ways to feed animals (and indeed ourselves), in fact they are not. They...
How to Safely and Happily Travel With Your Pet: Five Steps for an Adventure of a Lifetime!
What’s better than a travel adventure? A travel adventure with your pet, of course! Bringing your pet along on your dream destination (or even a...
Dreaming of Adopting a Dog? Push “Paws” Till You’ve Considered These Five Crucial Questions
Aw, doggies. They tug at your heartstrings. Sometimes all you have to do is see a puppy in the park or an adoption ad from your local animal shelter...
3 Simple Tips to Help Your Hypothyroid Dog
The Problem Beau walked slowly into my office a few months ago and he obviously had a problem. A BIG problem. He was so obese that he looked like an...
Your Cat’s Urinary Problems Are NOT Inevitable
Simba's Urinary Problems In June 2001, Simba was licking his rear end and visiting the litter box frequently. He ran urgently to the box every few...
Putting the Individual Front and Center: Four Pillars of Practice for People and Pets Alike
Ever been good friends with a pair of identical twins? If so, you know that one of the most frustrating things for them as children is the...
The Happiness Protocol: Why Individuality and Happiness Play a Huge Part in Your Pet’s Health
At Holistic Actions!, we are committed to so much more than helping pets become symptom and dis-ease free. The absence of dis-ease is not the same...
Best 5 dried Dog Foods For 2021
Dog is a (wo)man’s best friend - that’s been an undisputed fact for many centuries and I am sure, if you’re reading this, you’ve experienced that...
How to Optimize Every Aspect of Your Pet’s Environment to Promote Balance, Boost Immunity, and Defend Against Dis-ease
Your pet’s susceptibility to dis-ease, like your own, depends on the degree to which they can maintain their inner balance (what is also called...
Confused About Your Pet’s Symptoms, and Maybe Even Your Own? Gain Clarity With a Big Picture Perspective
Why our pets, or ourselves, for that matter, develop health problems can be a trickier question than it might appear. Say, for example, you take...
How to Listen to and Learn From Your Pet’s Symptoms to Take Effective Holistic Action
Learning to view your pet’s symptoms as trustable, intelligible communications that can provide clues to underlying imbalances and guide holistic...
Faced With Making a Medical Decision for Your Pet? Push “Paws” to Ensure a Fairy Tale Ending
Once upon a time, not so very long ago (in the last year, actually), there was a beautiful, golden-haired girl named Sam. Sam’s energy, enthusiasm,...
How to Use Clues From Your Animal Companions to Promote Optimal Health
Learning to use your pet’s symptoms* as valuable clues for understanding underlying imbalances and addressing them holistically is one of the most...
Is Modern Medicine Doing Justice to Your Pet’s Health? A Brief Introduction to Terrain Theory
Germ Theory: Not the Whole Story What human being has not been warned about germs, those infectious micro-organisms (pathogens) that are too small...
Fluffy or Flabby? How to Prevent or Manage Pet Obesity and Optimize Your Dog or Cat’s Nutrition
Meet Susie On a glorious spring afternoon with temperatures nearing 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, Susie was finally getting to enjoy her...
Do Pets Get Covid-19?
Can My Pet Get the SARS Virus and Develop the Covid-19 Dis-ease? Nowadays, veterinarians are often asked whether pets can get Covid-19. The short...
Fatal Viruses and One Health
The information on this blog is primarily about using HA! for animals. However the same scientific data that is used here for animals can be applied...
One Way to Re-Connect Nature and Veterinary Medicine
An increasing body of research is showing that pets, people and the planet are all interconnected. This interrelationship is called One...
Internal Balance and covid?
Have you ever had an intuitive sense that your pet is sick, but your vet says that your pet is fine because the exam and tests are all normal....
HMDM In Action – 2 Cases
The following cases describe how Holistic Medical Decision Method can be used in everyday life. case number 1 - Ear infection Let’s say your dog has...
mTor
Significance of Signs, Symptoms, mTor, and Quality of Life By Jeff Feinman, VMD Used with permission of the Journal of the American Holistic...
Using the Vitality and Balance System in Holistic Veterinary Practice
Using the Vitality and Balance System in Holistic Veterinary Practice By Jeff Feinman, VMD Used with permission of the Journal of the American...
Longevity, Vital Capacity, Pranayama, and the Exposotype
By Jeff Feinman, VMD Used with permission of the Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (JAHVMA).Article first appeared in...
Reducing Uncertainty During Epidemics
We all worry about the future nowadays. Things, like "will we stay healthy despite COVID-19 and what may happen to our businesses". We may consider...
Give Reiki A Chance?
How would you like to be able to help restore balance in your pets' bodies in a free and 100% safe way? That's what Reiki can do. It is a form of...
Got a Case of the COVID Blues? Six Easy, Fun, and Meaningful Ways to Feel Better and Enhance Your Mental and Physical Health
A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM HOLISTIC ACTIONS! FACULTY: The HA! faculty sends our prayers and best wishes to everyone throughout the world that has been...
Cancer prevention – watch those symptoms
Focus on life, not cancer This post is a part of the ebook that accompanied a Cancer Series at our Holistic Actions! Academy. The ebook was written...
Dr. Sara Fox Chapman’s Story
Animal Mad Like so many of you, I was animal mad when I was growing up. Unfortunately, my mum and older brother had bad allergies, so until an...
Discovery of Vitality, Balance and Homeopathy
Graduating from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine in 1980 at age 30, I was not thinking at all holistically. I had done a...
How To Improve Your Dog’s Performance in Agility
Any pet may suffer an injury or develop a problematic symptom. Especially those canine athletes who do activities like agility, flyball,...
Conventional Research
Informational handouts, veterinary anatomy, x-rays, procedure images to enrich your knowledge base by doing more research on your condition.
The Benefit of Vaccinating
This article has been adapted from the Holistic Actions! vaccinosis webinar ebook. If you’d like to be notified the next time we have a webinar...
How to Help Balance Your Pet’s Hormones
Diabetes, Cushing’s, Addison's, hypo and hyper-thyroidism sound scary. It helps to know that these names and diagnoses are merely descriptions of...
How to Select an Integrative Holistic Veterinarian
The reasons you may want to have a holistic veterinarian on your team: Your pet is ill and you want to treat them holistically. You want to prevent...
What To Do About Vaccinosis Prevention and Treatment
This article has been adapted from the introduction to the Holistic Actions! vaccinosis webinar ebook. If you’d like to be notified the next time we...
Is the Food you Feed Helping or Hurting Your Pets?
Food has been used as a safe and effective medicine for thousands of years. Living food is vital and gives our pets the nutrients and energy they...
Practicing Proactive Prevention and Treatment to Best Help Our Pets (Brain Tumor Case)
Seemingly without warning, your beloved companion animal develops a life-threatening illness. Sue and Bear’s story can help you decide what to do....
Size of the Medication Dose Matters. A lot!
In the mid-1990s, I was called out to see Justin, an Irish Wolfhound who was unable to get up. This was a big problem because he weighed 180 pounds....
Why Routine Diagnostic Tests are so Important
Your nine year young pup or kitty seems fine. But she’s not. The veterinarian just called with the blood test results from her wellness check up:...
Can Nutritional Supplements Hurt Your Pets?
We live in a fast-paced society. We want quick results. Especially when our beloved pets develop scary symptoms. Drugs are designed to eliminate...
Holistically Monitoring Kidney Dis-eases at Home
Problem = possible decreased kidney function.Holistic Action! = monitor for early warning signs and kidney function at home while promoting healing...
Holistic Help for Dogs and Cats With Cystitis Symptoms
The problem? Cystitis (Urinary Tract “Infection” or UTI). Solution and take home? An easy process to resolve and prevent it.
5 Easy Holistic Actions! That Stop Cats From Urinating Outside the Litterbox
Your kitty has started urinating (or pooping) on the living room rug. What can you do? You went to the veterinarian. Examination and diagnostic...
What You Can Do For Your Dog or Cat Having Seizures
Homeopathic treatment can help any named dis-ease. As long as sufficient vitality exists. Animals have convulsions for various reasons. What can you...
Flower Essences for Lame and Arthritic Pets
Flower Essences (FE) can help your pets with both physical and emotional health challenges. They are great for lame, stiff and arthritic pets....
Should You Use Supplements for Your Lame and Arthritic Pets?
The Problem: Increasing lameness, stiffness and arthritic problems in our pets. The Solution: Individualized treatment while supporting your pet's...
Arnica is Safer and Often More Effective Than Rimadyl
What to do after injury? A frequent question I get from community members is what to do right after an injury. Whether the injury was from a bad...
What Molecular Biology, the MTHFR Gene and Your Pet’s Brain Have in Common
Our companion animals give us unconditional love and support. They deserve the best that we can give them. Unfortunately many of them are living...
How Your Pet’s Behavior is Related to Brain Dis-eases Like Seizures
Some of you have asked, how behavior problems and brain dis-eases (“dis-ease” is another way of saying imbalance) are connected. That’s an easy one!...
Holistic Actions When You Have an Emergency with Your Pet
Here's what you can do if you see emergency symptoms in your animal: Safety first. If an animal is in pain, she may bite you. Even if she loves you...
Heal Your Pet With a Hug
While researching the connection between wellness and vitality, I came across an article with the intriguing title of: "Therapeutic Touch Affects...
The Case of Razz’s Disappearing Mouth Tumor
Meet Razz Razz has a great life! He gets to run with his guardian almost every day, loves playing, training and competing with other dogs. He is so...
The 6 Ps That Help Keep Your Pets Healthy
Learning to communicate with your companion animal using her symptom language can greatly improve her health and your choices of care. You’ll become better at keeping her well by identifying early hints of internal imbalance. Your pet’s symptom language will also help you manage her health challenges. Learning how is simple and easy. You don’t even to know the meaning of the “words” to get started.
You Can Learn Your Pet’s Language
Nature can be seen expressing herself just by looking. Symptoms are the natural language of your pet's body. It seems intuitive to work with nature...
Treating Symptoms Like Weeds In Your Garden
Some quick thoughts while weeding my garden this morning. Improving health is like gardening. We know that contact with soil is healthful. For...
More About Using Your Pet’s Symptoms to Help Health Challenges
Symptoms Are The Path To Healing
Main take home message:Acute symptoms reflect internal health. How you treat them really matters. Let’s look at one of the very best ways to help...
Understand Symptoms To Help Your Pets Have Better Lives
Chi is a 16 year young kitty. He’s a purring machine who loves everyone! One morning, he woke up sneezing and discharging from his nose. That’s it....
You Can Help Your Animal Heal
Vitality. Healing. What do they mean and how are they relevant to you? Every pet's vitality (energy) is critical for staying well and getting better...
How the B.E.A.M. Symptoms Can Transport Your Itchy Pet To Better Health
Hot spots and skin infections are dangerous. When you look good you feel good. Neither is true. Yet they motivate us to act rashly when caring for...
How to Decide if Allergies Should Be the Focus of Your Treatment
Summary: Symptom Interpretation Will Help Your Success in Treatment of Allergic Dis-eases Sophia is an adorable rescue pup safe and warm with her...
Holistic Actions! for Itchy Pets
Is Your Pet Allergic (and why)? Itching, scratching and chewing to distraction. Some pets may even itch all day and night. Their quality of life...
Can My Pets Eat Tofu?
Amy (my wife) asked about giving her uneaten Tofu to Vanya (our pup). My short answer? "Absolutely!" The less satisfying and longer answer is "it...
Does Your Dog Really Have Lyme Or Need Anti-biotics?
“I have positive Parvo and Distemper (oh, and Lyme) titers. But I feel fine. Should I worry?” Does Your Lyme Positive Dog REALLY Need to be Treated...
Holistic Actions! and Dr. Jeff’s Lyme Story
The fateful weekend Over Father's Day weekend of 2001 we had a house full of company. Little did I know that it would be a fateful weekend (my Dad’s...
Holistic Actions for Pets That Vomit
What Throwing Up Can Mean for Your Pets If you have a dog or cat who has a history of throwing up (vomiting), you may be worried. You want to stop...
How Holistic Medical Decision Making Helped Me
The right road may be the road less travelled. This is not my usual post. It is not directly about your animals. What follows is my own medical...
There Are Risks from Suppressing Skin Dis-eases So Learn Your Holistic Options
Antibiotics Can't Hurt. Right? Sarah was a sweet Maltese. Everyone loved her. She loved everyone and everything. And everyone loved Sarah. Even...