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Horseytalk.net Special Interview
Sue Armstrong MRCVS VetMFHom

www.balancedbeing.com
www.bahvs.com

Sue Armstrong MRCVS VetMFHomSue is the current President of the BAHVS (British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons) and an international lecturer on homeopathy and laser therapy in horses.

She runs her practice ‘The Balanced Being Group’ in Wetherby, West Yorkshire.

Sue is also a partner of the Homeopathic Professional Teaching Group (HPTG).

What made you decide to study veterinary medicine?

I have always had a deep affinity with animals. I always felt that it was important that humans gained a better understanding of the animals we share the planet with and used our knowledge to help animals in the same way that we help each other. Animals suffer pain and disease just as humans do and can be treated just the same.

When and why did you decide to start practising homeopathy?

I had been in regular veterinary practice for ten years and was becoming increasingly frustrated on several fronts e.g. I was learning more and more names of diseases but with the same limited options for treatment; I was hearing so many pieces of information from clients describing symptoms that I could do nothing with which seemed wrong.

An example of this would be someone who described their animal having sickness at 5.00 a.m. every morning. To me there had to be significance in this specific time but in conventional terms it made no difference at all to the limited number of treatments on offer. I also started to see clear patterns of progression of diseases in an animal’s lifetime which again was of little relevance to what I was able to do conventionally.

Can you tell us about one of your most challenging cases to date?

Sue Armstrong MRCVS VetMFHomAll chronic disease cases are challenging as each animal is an individual with a complex history. There are so many cases and to choose one is almost impossible.

One case that does stand out and is as much about the human endeavour to stand by an animal and see it through, as it is about homeopathy, is a horse who was poisoned by cyanide producing organisms on clover. This young horse was partially paralysed and lost the control of her bladder function. This was a case where it called on moral and ethical decisions as well as the constant need to adapt our remedy choices for whatever new situation she threw up for us such as deep ulcers in her skin when the urine had scalded, despite the rigorous care and attention of her owner. After years of work she is now ready to be backed and is a happy well-adjusted young horse.

She has gone through some incredibly difficult times but is a testament to what can be achieved. This was a case where there was no conventional treatment possible other than antibiotics for when she had urinary infections so homeopathy stood alone as the only thing to help her and help her it did.

What would you say to people who are sceptical about the effectiveness of homeopathy?

I was one such person. I was in a practice where I saw very ill animals in the waiting room waiting to see the veterinary homeopath. I naively judged homeopathy to be useless as why should they all look sicker than my patients if it was so good? The answer was of course that in those days people only came to homeopathy as a last resort when nothing else had worked and in fact minor miracles were being performed under my nose but I didn’t recognise it. There is only one way to overcome the scepticism and that is to experience it first hand.

Sue Armstrong MRCVS VetMFHomWhat is the most unusual animal you have treated using homeopathy?

Because anything that lives can be treated homeopathically there is no limit to what animals can be treated. For me the most unusual animal was a racoon I treated in Canada.

Have you ever used homeopathy on yourself?

Yes of course. Homeopathy is a system of medicine with a complete underpinning philosophy and understanding of health and disease. Whilst there are times when conventional medicine and surgery is not only necessary and lifesaving I live my life following homeopathic principles and using homeopathy as my primary care system for myself.

What would be the next step for anyone that is interested in finding out more about homeopathy?

There are some excellent books out there and introductory courses for those who are interested, but experiencing it and having yourself or one of your animals treated by a qualified homeopath is the ideal way to start to open your mind to the possibility and potential of homeopathy. By this I don’t mean go and buy a remedy off the shelf and try it at home, as unless it is arnica for a bruise you will undoubtedly select a remedy and use it in a conventional medicine way, which despite it being called a homeopathic remedy will not be selected and given according to the principles of homeopathy and may fail because of that.

Are there any significant research studies in the field of homeopathy that you would urge people to read?

There is a large and ever growing body of research studies both in human and veterinary homeopathy from all around the world.

The Faculty of Homeopathy provides an excellent listing of published research papers for those who are interested.

Look also on the BAHVS website: www.bahvs.com for information about both research papers and listings of qualified veterinary homeopaths.

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