Homeopathy
Although no consensus exists regarding the cause of Headshaking Syndrome, the general belief is it is an allergic reaction to the bite of no-see-ums, setting up a response in the brain to headshake. The headshaking that occurs is not the sort of headshaking one observes when a fly has landed on a horse’s face. Horses with Headshaking Syndrome violently shake their heads several hundred times an hour during every hour of daylight.
Watching this suffering day after day, week after week, month after month, until the horse is so exhausted he’s at risk for losing his balance and falling down, is especially heart-wrenching.
Unlike a broken bone or strained muscle, which time and medication will heal, no known conventional therapy provides relief from the debilitating and unrelenting headshaking.
How do you separate the myths and misinformation about horse care from the well-reasoned truth? I believe it comes down to embracing our personal power. In our journey toward personal power, the most important word is “no.” When I saw my horse, Paris, suffering from Headshaking Syndrome, I shouted “No!” This cry is a plea to finding the opening of the door to change.
SPIRULINA AND LEDUM
The absence of a conventional remedy for Headshaking Syndrome leaves only alternative therapies. Based on the knowledge of herbal medicine I’ve acquired over the years, I knew that feeding spirulina would boost my horse’s immune system without increasing the histamine reaction. I also knew that large, daily doses of spirulina relieved headshaking symptoms in other horses.
After reviewing stacks of medical material on alternative therapies I’ve collected over the years, I embarked on active meditation. As my monkey-mind quieted and my center of power increased, the homeopathic remedy to use for Headshaking Syndrome became clear.
Ledum (200X) is a homeopathic remedy made from wild rosemary . It is not a listed remedy for Headshaking Syndrome, but within one hour of dosing, my horse, who had been violently shaking his head hundreds of time an hour for weeks, stopped his headshaking completely.
Upon reflection, I realize that medically Ledum was the obvious homeopathic choice. My horse’s headshaking was the effect of sunlight entering his eyes and causing a stabbing pain (a listed remedy for Ledum) similar to a puncture wound (another listed remedy for Ledum), and that this pain felt like an electric shock going from his eyes all the way to his brain. Yet, the journey to my use of Ledum was not solely a medical decision.
EVERY JOURNEY IS UNIQUE
The use of homeopathy may not be the alternative therapy road you will travel in your journey, but stay on the road. Alternative therapies include everything from flower essences to massage , energy work , acupuncture , animal communication and much more; all symbiotically working to bring you One with your horse.
No conventional or alternative therapy can heal where the will to live does not exist. It is because of us, the owners who aspire to provide the best life possible for our horses, that the will to live is sparked in our horses. When we use our power to break down the “no” barriers in our life, the relationship we want with our horse advances to a higher level.
I wrote my book, “ Myths, Medicine & Misinformation : Advice for Women about Life and Horses from the Barn Goddess,” specifically to speak to females about our need to embrace the spiritual and personal power inherent in us and that exists because of our symbiotic relationship with the horse. After all, we are the true healers.
Janelle “Jellybean” Smith-Haff is an author, horse advocate, energy worker, and healer. Her second book “Myths, Medicine & Misinformation: Advice for Women about Life and Horses from the Barn Goddess ” is available at Balboa Press.com, Amazon.com, and BN.com. Learn more at www.mmandm.info , [email protected]