In the early 1930's, a prominent medical doctor in England, Dr. Edward Bach (pronounced "Baitch"), developed an alternative system of healing using very refined herbal infusions of flowers called "essences." After years of practicing conventional medicine and homeopathy, he came to the conclusion that "All emotional, psychological and physical disorders grow out of a conflict between our personality and our soul . . . for when we are out of harmony within, disease is the inevitable result." His research led him to discover that different flowers had the ability to restore balance between the personality and soul, thereby eliminating the cause of disease. Over the years he discovered a total of 38 healing flower essences. I have used the Bach flower essences for several years in a variety of pet health problems and have found them to be very effective. The challenge in pets is selecting the appropriate essences. The most profound results are achieved when the proper essences are given for the deeper emotional imbalances. Since we have to interpret our pets' behavior patterns through our own eyes, it is difficult not to superimpose our own emotions and feelings. Often, we can use the physical symptoms to understand the underlying emotional state. For example, arthritis--a stiffness of the joints--may result from emotional "stiffness" or inflexibility, i.e. stubbornness. In the past several decades, there has been a significant increase the in number of essences available from around the world. To date, there are several thousand. There are many books and courses available on the subject for anyone who would like to learn how to use these wonderful healing substances in their own lives or the lives of their loved ones. Following is a list of some of the Bach essences, a short description of their qualities and some examples of when to use them. Aspen: fear of the unknown, anxiety for no known reason, e.g. nervous pets, pets that hide for no specific reason or seem to be fearful in general Beech: intolerance,-physically or emotionally, e.g. "allergies" are an intolerance to specific substances Chestnut bud: failure to learn from experience, repeated mistakes, e.g. obedience training situations where the pet fails to learn Chicory: possessiveness and jealousy of loved ones, getting attention through negative behavior, e.g. pets that are always underfoot and must have your attention and will "act up" if you don't provide it Clematis: daydreaming, impractical, e.g. animals that are not fully conscious nor unconscious such as when waking from anesthesia or from trauma Crab apple: toxic situations, physically or emotionally, e.g. a pet that has a bad reaction to a medicine or vaccination Honeysuckle: holding on to the past, nostalgic, homesick, e.g. difficulty dealing with loss of a companion or being away from home such as in a kennel Holly: suspicion and anger, e.g. pets that seem angry and attack without provocation Hornbeam: fatigue, weariness, e.g. when recuperating or weak puppies/kittens Larch: lack of confidence, e.g. pets low in the pecking order and not standing up for themselves Mimulus: specific fears, e.g. fear of thunder, vacuum cleaners Olive: exhaustion after a long struggle, e.g. a pet that is exhausted after being lost and finding its way home Scleranthus: indecision, wavering between two choices, e.g. neurological problems resulting in imbalance or vertigo Star of Bethlehem: shock or trauma past or present, e.g. recuperation from surgery, history of abuse Vervain: being overly enthusiastic, e.g. "highly strung" pets with a lot of nervous energy Vine: overly domineering, tyrannical, e.g. for the "boss" pet that is excessively dominant Walnut: difficulty dealing with change or new situation, e.g. a new baby in the house or a move to a new home Water Violet: aloof, non-social, e.g. the pet that is a loner Wild Rose: lack of hope, giving up on life, e.g. pets that are in a serious health condition and seem to be giving up Rescue Remedy: a mix of five flower essences that is particularly useful in any trauma, emotional or physical that is accompanied by fear or where comfort is needed. There are a number of ways to administer the essences. The one I use most is as follows. Select up to five essences that you feel are appropriate (Rescue Remedy counts as one essence.) Put four drops of each essence into a clean one-ounce eye dropper bottle. Add one teaspoon of brandy or apple cider vinegar as a preservative and fill the rest of the bottle with spring water. Shake the bottle vigorously 20 - 30 times. The essences may be administered orally or topically. Either way they have an affect on the whole system. Frequency of administration is important. In chronic situations, I recommend giving the essences four times daily for at least three to four weeks. In acute situations such as an injury, they can be given every few minutes or even more often if necessary until improvement is noted and continued less frequently until recovered. Flower essences can be used in conjunction with other methods of treatment. -Russell Swift, DVM has a holistic house call practice in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. For more in-formation or to arrange a consultation, Dr. Swift may be reached at (561) 391-5615.

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