TCVM food therapy for dogs and cats

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We know that the right foods improve and maintain the health of dogs and cats, but the Chinese medicine goes even further. We spoke to TCVM veterinarian Dr. Marc Smith for an understanding of dietary therapy from the perspective of traditional Chinese veterinary medicine.

Q: Can you explain the concept of TCVM food therapy?

A: According to the theory of traditional Chinese veterinary medicine, disease in the body is caused by some type of energy imbalance. Thus, the goal of VCVM and food therapy is to maintain balance or rebalance your dog’s or cat’s body. As your pet achieves and maintains their energy balance, chronic health issues become less of a problem and they begin to feel much better.

At its core, TCVM is based on the principles of Taoism, a philosophy emphasizing harmonious living and balance in everyday life. The practice of TCVM requires a thorough understanding and appreciation of two theories – the Yin-Yang Theory and the Five Element Theory. These theories guide practitioners in all aspects of the treatment protocol, including dietary therapy.

Q: What is the Yin-Yang theory?

A: Yin-Yang theory describes how every natural event or state has equal and opposite forces. For example:

  • Warm cold
  • Light dark
  • Day Night
  • Weak strong
  • soft hard
  • Left right
  • Dry/wet
  • Man Woman

Although often thought to be in opposition, these forces are in fact frequently intertwined. For example, without heat, would we ever be able to appreciate the cold?

In other words, these forces are autonomous, but are totally interdependent on each other. One force cannot exist without the other, and one force is the origin of the other. These forces are in constant movement, change, conflict and struggle; but together they represent the whole, the totality.

Q: How is the Yin-Yan theory taken into account in food therapy?

A: TCVM shows that food, like everything else in the universe, is made up of the two opposing but complementary life forces of Yin and Yang. Yin is related to darkness, cold and negative while yang is associated with light, heat and positive. Likewise, some foods can be either warming or cooling. To maintain balance, the two energies must be in harmony with each other. However, because each individual is unique in terms of body constitution, we all have different Yin and Yang constituents and dietary requirements.

Q: What about the 5 element theory?

A: The 5 element theory supports the Yin-Yang theory. Wood, fire, earth, metal and water are the fundamental elements of everything in the universe, according to Chinese principles. These five elements correlate with all aspects of life, including colors, sounds, emotions, seasons, direction, climate, sense organs, solid bodily organs, taste, smell, and Moreover.

Q: So what does it mean when you say a food “warms up” or “cools down”?

A: Every natural food is either warming, cooling or neutral. This approach is called “food energetics” and indicates how each food affects the physiology and metabolism of the human or animal that ingests it.

Warming foods tend to increase metabolism and circulate energy, while cooling foods calm the body and absorb some of the excess heat it produces.

For example, a habanero pepper heats your body, gets your blood pumping, and makes you sweat, while a banana cools the body and regulates heat. We frequently eat foods according to the seasons, such as warming chili pepper in winter (chili powder warms energetically) and cooling watermelon in summer.

The easiest approach to understanding the Yin-Yang theory and its relationship to food is to understand the pathology of disease in TCVM. Diseases or imbalances in dogs and cats are generally classified as “hot” or “cold”:

  • Hot diseases include allergies, hot spots, and kidney failure. Redness, irritation, swelling, and pain indicate heat.
  • Common colds include geriatric arthritis, hindquarter weakness, and chronic diarrhea. These illnesses improve with movement or internal heat generation and are common in older animals.

Health is achieved when a balance between hot and cold is achieved.

As an example, think of a young dog experiencing recurring hot spots. According to TCVM pathology, hot spots are a “hot” disease. Let’s also say that this dog resides in the south where it is very hot and humid in the summer. To help, you would feed this dog cooling foods to balance the heat causing the hot spots, and also counteract the climatic heat. In short, this dog has a “hot” disease, and giving him “cooling” food will help him regain his balance.

Q: Can you give examples of heating and cooling foods for dogs and cats?

A: All foods are classified according to their energy characteristics. Here are some examples:

  • Warming proteins: chicken and venison
  • Refreshing proteins: cod, turkey, duck
  • Neutral proteins: Beef, salmon, rabbit
  • Reheat vegetables and fruit: sweet potato, pumpkin, bell pepper, tangerine
  • Cooling vegetables and fruits: broccoli, cucumber, spinach, strawberry
  • Neutral vegetables and fruits: green beans, carrots, yam

Q: What else is food therapy used for in VCMS?

A: Any dog ​​or cat will feel better and have more energy if you switch them from a poor quality diet to an energy appropriate VCVM diet, which consists of healthy, whole foods.

The most common way to use food therapy in my clinic is to simply recommend warming, cooling, neutral and blood diets. However, you can also use food therapy to decrease stagnation and decrease phlegm.

  • When an animal suffers from stagnation, you will see swelling of internal organs, tumors and bumps under the skin. You may also see a behavioral and emotional imbalance. For example, an animal suffering from Liver Qi Stagnation may be anxious or aggressive, and may even have convulsions.
  • In TCVM, Phlegm is just as it sounds. Think of a cat with chronic upper respiratory disease. A condition of phlegm develops when bodily fluids are not transported properly by the vital energy of the body. The fluids condense and then accumulate in certain parts of the body. Another example of phlegm is a lipoma or fatty tumor. In TCVM, even body fat is considered a form of phlegm.

You can use food therapy to relieve both stagnation and phlegm. However, in my practice, I typically combine food therapy with TCVM herbal blends to help both health situations. I have found that the two work very well together.

Q: How can a person incorporate the principles of dietary therapy into the health and diet of their dog or cat?

A: The easiest way is to simply cook energetically appropriate recipes at home. For example, here is a warming recipe for dogs:



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