From cough drops to pet food, it seems like
everyone is claiming their products are holistic these days.
The word ‘holistic’ has
turned into the ultimate buzz-word and marketing tag for all
things healthy. But what does it really mean?
Webster’s defines holistic as, “relating
to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather
than
with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts.” For
example, holistic medicine attempts to treat both the mind
and the body, focusing on overall health as opposed to the
treatment of one symptom. That is to say, when something is
truly holistic, it’s not one single product or food,
but rather an entire program or method. It isn’t defined
by simply popping an herbal remedy to battle a pesky cold,
but instead, it’s an overall plan of health and well-being
designed to boost the immune system thereby preventing future
colds. In that sense, a product can be part of a holistic plan.
But is the product itself holistic? If the answer is yes, then
couldn’t anything healthy be considered holistic? (I
ate a holistic carrot today. I drank 8 glasses of holistic water. I went for a holistic jog today!)
When it comes to pets
it’s easy to get confused when
there are so many products out there claiming to be holistic.
Lately it’s become especially trendy to use the term “holistic
dog food”. But using the word “holistic” when
advertising dog food is no more than a clever marketing ploy.
With rampant overuse of the term “natural
dog food”,
and strict guidelines required for “organic
dog food”,
holistic has become an easier word for pet food companies to
slap on a label. Certainly if a dog food is natural and free
of preservatives and additives, then it may very well be part
of a holistic regimen. However, in and of itself, natural dog
food is no more holistic than taking your dog for a walk. (We
took our dog on the most beautiful holistic walk last evening!)
Naturally
we’re big advocates of feeding your pets healthy,
whole pet food, made of human-quality ingredients and chock
full of natural nutrition. But a truly holistic plan for your
pet doesn’t end there. The concept of holistic pet care
came to be over 70 years ago, thanks to master herbalist, author,
and natural pet care pioneer, Juliette de Bairacli Levy. Natural
rearing is the term she used to describe holistic pet care.
We think Levy puts it best with her five basic rules, which,
if followed, would together make up the whole picture for a
healthy, happy pet:
1) Natural diet of raw pet foods;
2) Abundant sunlight and fresh air;
3) Two hours of exercise daily, including plenty of running
outside kennel enclosures;
4) Hygienic kenneling, with the use of earth, grass, or gravel
runs, never concrete; and
5) Herbs, fasting, and other natural methods in place of vaccinations
and conventional symptom-suppressing drugs.
(Souce: The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog by Juliette
de Bairacli Levy, Faber and Faber Limited, 1955)
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Sojourner Farms. All rights reserved.
