Pet Tao Holistic Pet Products, a US-based media and pet food company, has launched an online Introduction to Food Therapy course. Students in the course will learn the basics of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) and Eastern Food Therapy and how to use food as medicine for pets.
Veterinarians Dr. Damron of White Oak Animal Hospital and Dr. Marc Smith of Natchez Trace Veterinary Services founded Pet Tao Holistic Pet Products after completing training and research in TCVM. Dr. Smith and Dr. Damron developed the Introduction to Food Therapy Course after using Eastern Food Therapy in their Tennessee-based practices for decades.
How TCVM works
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory, each food has a particular energetic (subtle energy) value based on how it is grown, procured and prepared.
TCVM describe “subtle energy” as electromagnetic wavelengths, rates of vibration or patterns of pulsation in the body. Acupuncture, Reiki, magnet therapy, sound healing, reflexology and other similar modalities alter and balance subtle energy. Many modern day TCM practitioners recommend food therapy in addition to acupuncture, eastern herbals, moxibustion and Tui-Na as part of a complete treatment program.
Human health food trends affecting pets
The Pet Tao online course is part of the major connection between human food trends and pet food trends in the pet food industry. The course is an attempt to cater to pet owners concerned about their pet’s health. In general, pet food customer “wants” and desires drive pet food trends, from marketing claims to premium items to specialized formulas. Bringing ideas from their own dinner plates, pet owners want their furry friends to eat like they do.
Pet Tao combines Eastern food therapy with western nutritional science as a way to use food as medicine to improve pet health and longevity.
The Introduction to Food Therapy course aims to bring about and maintain harmony or energetic balance for pets through pet food selection.
