Dr. Matt Parker takes a truly and fully Holistic and Functional approach to resolving chronic health problems and maintaining optimal health and wellness for your pets!
While acupuncture was Dr. Matt Parker's first real introduction to non-Conventional Medicine (everything NOT included in Modern Western Medicine) and he still incorporates acupuncture and many Traditional Chinese Medicine principles, his approach is truly Holistic in that it is not just acupuncture or Chinese Medicine, it's also whole foods nutrition, chiropractic and osteopathy, massage & body work, exercise, lifestyle, past physical & medical & emotional trauma- we must incorporate every aspect to have the best chance at helping your pet heal... And to be truly Holistic means that we cannot completely ignore Modern Western Medicine.
We take a Holistic approach through Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) and Functional Medicine for the diagnosis & treatment of illness and injury, in addition to maintaining health and wellness for your animals. We also recommend and prescribe Chinese & Western herbs & supplements, along with food therapies and dietary changes.
Dr. Matt Parker understands the limitations of Conventional or Western Medicine (what regular Veterinarians do). We also understand the limitations of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and Chiropractic (what we do!). We do not want to replace your regular Veterinarian—we want to improve your dog's and cat's health as a Holistic Vet—integrating Eastern Medicine and Chiropractic care with Western Medicine.
Did you know that Chiropractic adjustments are not just for sore muscles and aches & pains! Restrictions (that's what gets 'adjusted' during spinal manipulation) can affect not only the movement of the skeleton and limbs, but can also affect all of the organs and processes inside the body. This is because every organ in our chest and abdomen and every endocrine organ and hormone in our (and our animals') bodies are controlled by nerves that leave the spinal cord and then pass through little openings between the vertebrae. If the vertebrae are not perfectly aligned then the nerves passing through the tiny spaces between them are going to be affected, and that obviously affects the muscle/joint/organ/hormone that is controlled by that nerve!
We're talking about mere microns of misalignment. They can't be seen on X-ray or MRI because they are actually caused by adhesions and spasms in adjacent muscles and other tissues that restrict the normal movement of vertebrae and any other joints. Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation releases these restrictions to restore normal movement and motion, which also improves nerve and organ and whole body function!
Why you're here
You are visiting this website probably for one of two general reasons: either your dog or cat has a problem that can not be adequately or safely treated by Conventional methods; or you understand the value of Holistic & Alternative Treatments for yourself and you want to provide the same for your animal. In addition:
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You want to do everything possible to keep your pet healthy and active and disease-free
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Your pet may currently have a problem that is not improving with Conventional medicine
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Your pet may be undergoing a Conventional therapy that is too toxic or too expensive
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You may be one of the millions of dog or cat owners dealing with skin allergies or auto-immune disease that Conventional medicine can not fix
Or, you may want the best of both worlds for your animal's health! Integrating Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, Holistic nutrition, Acupuncture and Chiropractor services with Conventional Medicine can greatly improve the overall health of your animal. And Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine other Holistic methods can help to alleviate or treat the negative effects of some Conventional treatments, such as Chemotherapy, while Chiropractic spinal manipulation can help to restore normal function after orthopedic surgery or physical trauma.
Our Philosophy
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Balance- just like their humans, animals need to live a balanced life. Acupuncture & herbs & proper foods, along with spinal manipulation and exercise, help keep our pets' bodies in balance for optimal health & longevity & disease prevention.
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Conventional Western medicine is great and very necessary for broken bones and emergency trauma, but isn't very good for allergies and skin infections and auto-immune diseases and other chronic illnesses that keep coming back- Eastern medicine and Chiropractic can do what Western medicine can not.
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Effects of the modern lifestyle are often overlooked by Modern medicine and modern pet-parents. Biologically-appropriate nutrition and species (or breed)-appropriate exercise and exposure to the outdoors as well as proper social-structure are imperative to Holistic health!
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Holistic and Traditional Chinese Medicine treat problems by recognizing and bringing balance to all the small different variables that make us (and our pets) individual; Western medicine does not recognize the individual differences and treats a symptom the same way regardless of the differences among individuals.
What do we do?
Dr. Matt Parker uses Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM), Spinal manipulation and other Holistic/Functional principles including whole foods nutrition to help your pet maintain physical & neurologic and constitutional balance- this helps to not only correct and restore health & function, but to also prevent or minimize illness & disease and stress or anxiety. We do this because we want to help your pet to live the longest and healthiest life possible.
Acupuncture is only one part of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine have been used for thousands of years- this Traditional Chinese Medicine has been around as long as China has existed- these are tried and trusted medical principles.
Eastern Medicine and Functional Medicine can also treat 'auto-immune' diseases and cancers when Western medicine can not, or when the Conventional treatment is too toxic or expensive.
Dr. Matt Parker understands that 'auto-immune' is a misnomer, because the immune system always knows what it is doing, but unfortunately modern doctors do not understand that the immune system is attacking a part of the body not out of confusion but instead because there is something toxic in that organ that needs to be removed!
Although Eastern Medicine & Functional Medicine can sometimes 'cure' cancers and auto-immune diseases, it is better to expect improvement of these conditions or stabilization of tumor growth in most cases. Having said that, advanced cases of cancer may respond better and quicker with Conventional chemotherapy drugs- in these cases Eastern Medicine is used to treat the side-effects of chemotherapy and to help maintain patient health and immune function to prevent cancer from returning. (Unfortunately many cancers are caused by man-made chemicals and have been growing for so long that they require other man-made chemicals to combat them!)
With Dr. Matt Parker the overall perspective of your pet’s examination is based on the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Functional Medicine and nutrition, and any ailments or imbalances are treated primarily with Traditional Chinese Medicine tools (including acupuncture, herbs, food, and massage) as well as Spinal Manipulation and other body work, whole-foods nutrition and other Western herbs & supplements, essential oils, and homeopathies to help detoxify and/or tonify as needed.
4000 Years of Medicine
2000 BC - "Here, eat this root."
1000 AD - "That root is heathen! Here, say this prayer."
1850 AD - "That prayer is superstition! Here, drink this potion."
1935 AD - "That potion is snake oil! Here, take this pill."
1975 AD - "That pill is ineffective! Here, take this antibiotic."
2000 AD - "That antibiotic is artificial! Here, eat this root."
Traditional Chinese & Holistic Medicine treats the individual, whereas Conventional Western medicine treats a disease without much regard for the individual- this is why the same Conventional treatment for arthritis or skin allergies might work great for one dog, mediocre for another dog, and not at all for a third dog. Chinese Medicine identifies and understands the different constitutions of individuals and different patterns of disease that make each case different from another- thereby explaining why two individuals may need a very different treatment for the 'same' ailment.
Contact us for Questions or Appointments!
A Holistic, Integrative & Functional Veterinary Medicine Practitioner serving the Roanoke Virginia area.
Use the form below for general questions or comments or to contact Dr. Matt Parker about your pet's chronic health and wellness issues. We make every effort to respond within 12 hours, but it may take 2-3 business days, so if you need emergency service you should contact your local emergency clinic.
