The Treatment - Week 0

On December 1st I traveled the 3 hours to Maryland for Logan to see Patti.  She did an acupuncture treatment specifically targeting 5 points to get energy moving.  She also gave me a protocol of supplements that would vary depending on Logan’s status and length of time on a particular supplement.
Supplement 1 is Boswellia carterii to help with different aspect of controlling cellular behavior.  Logan gets 2 a day.  Supplement 2 is melatonin 5mg, and Logan gets 1 at night.  Melatonin is also an anti-cancer supplement.  Supplement 3 was 250mg of Milk Thistle 1 per day for liver support.  Finally, supplement 4 is SamE and Logan gets 1 per day for liver support.  (Note:  the brand names and additional information can be found in a later blog  treatment details).  She also recommended a 3 day homeopathic for tick disease to take the place of the doxycycline. 
When I left Maryland that day, I apprehensively committed to going all in, 100%, to the homeopathic Chinese Medicine approach. It’s not that I don’t believe in the practice of Chinese Medicine.  I definitely believe in its value.  I’ve witnessed the positive results in my former senior dogs and even within myself.  Yet in this case, I know I am confronting a real medical issue, a devastating issue called cancer.  Everything in my training biases me to exploring the scientifically proven medical solutions, surgery, chemotherapy, and/or prescription medicine to keep him comfortable.  In fact, my vet had left me a voicemail while I was with Patti offering me a recommendation to try Prioxicam.  It’s a NSAID that has been shown to have good results in helping treat bladder cancer.  As I drove home I considered the options.  The death certificate had nullified options of surgery or chemotherapy for practical reasons.  But where else do I turn?  Do I go with the recommendation of trained D.V.M who is more aligned with the training I received or do I trust the alternative, an expert in Chinese Medicine who has no medical training?  I chose to take the leap of faith and trust the latter path. 
The reality is, whether I choose Western Medicine, Chinese Medicine, or nothing at all, I will never know if it made a difference or not.  Simply put, I am only human, and I fall privy to the same illogical fallacies that motivate human behavior.  It feels better to do something than do nothing at all.  My main concern, however, is to make sure that I don’t do anything that causes more harm. 

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