A Holistic approach treats the whole animal, using nutrition and herbs to stimulate the body’s ability to heal itself; using all natural, non-GMO ingredients that serve a beneficial purpose to the animal and not the consumer looking at the bag. For example, fruits or vegetables in a bag of food look good, but 80% of the vitamins and minerals are lost through the cooking process and therefore do not serve a beneficial purpose to the pet, since you are basically left with fiber and sugar.
It is true that there are no accepted standard definitions for holistic.
Holistic is more of an approach to life. This ancient approach to health considers the whole animal and how it interacts with the environment. The goal is to achieve maximum well-being, where everything is functioning at its best.
Holistic Health is based on the law of nature that a whole is made up of interdependent parts. When one part is not working at its best, it influences all of the other parts of that animal. Furthermore, this animal, including all of the parts, is constantly interacting with everything in the surrounding environment. For example, when the pet is anxious about its owner leaving, their nervousness may result in a physical reaction--such as an upset stomach and loose stools.
The principles of Holistic Health state that health is more than just not being sick. A common explanation is to view wellness as a continuum along a line. The line represents all possible degrees of health. The far left end of the line represents premature death. On the far right end is the highest possible level of wellness or maximum well-being. The center point of the line represents a lack of apparent disease. This places all levels of illness on the left half of the wellness continuum. The right half shows that even when no illness seems to be present, there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Holistic Health is an ongoing process. The cells in a pet’s body are constantly being replaced. New cells are built from what is available. Harmful substances or lack of needed building blocks in the body can result in imperfect cells, unable to do what is required to keep that animal healthy. Similarly, on the non-physical level, animal’s mental attitudes are a result of what they see and hear.
When disease and chronic conditions do occur, the Holistic Health principles can also be applied. The term is usually changed to holistic medicine, and additional factors are added. A holistic approach to healing goes beyond just eliminating symptoms. For example, giving your pet a shot for dry skin and itchiness would be like disconnecting the oil light on the dash of a car when it flashes. The irritation is eliminated, but the real problem still exists. In a holistic approach, a symptom is considered a message that something needs attention. So, the symptom is used as a guide to look below the surface for the root cause.
Holistic Health supports reaching higher levels of wellness as well as preventing illness.