The Integrative Veterinarian

Masterminds are becoming increasingly popular with business owners. In general, they are small groups of peers that give each other advice and support regarding a variety of issues affecting business owners. Activities can include brainstorming ideas, education, and may even involve support for personal issues.

A Mastermind can serve to help an individual build a referral network, provide continuing education, and be a sounding board for ideas one might have for improving their business.

Today's episode is a conversation with Dr. Nell Ostermeier, who has appeared on episodes 10 and 37. We discuss how her One on One coaching practice has evolved into offering Masterminds for veterinarians who provide acupuncture services to their patients.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Nell Ostermeier as we discuss her Mastermind program and the trends she is seeing in the integrative medicine industry based on her interactions with participants in the program.

Dr. Ostermeier can be found at peopleandpet.com

Dr. Nick Thompson earned his veterinary degree from Edinburgh University in 1992. While in veterinary school, he did a year of advanced study in immunology as well. After graduation, he worked in a few mixed animal practices before engaging in advanced studies in both homeopathy and veterinary acupuncture. A colleague introduced him to the writings of Dr. Ian Billinghurst, and his journey into investigating and promoting raw feeding was soon underway.

In 1999, Dr. Thompson founded his holistic practice, Holisticvet, in the United Kingdom. He uses homeopathy, acupuncture, natural nutrition, and herbal medicine to treat his patients. In 2014 he was a founder of the Raw Feeding Veterinary Society, an international group of veterinarians and veterinary nurses dedicated to raw feeding and species appropriate nutrition in dogs and cats. Dr. Thompson is an international industry leader and subject matter expert on holistic medicine and natural feeding. He has a wide range of speaking experience and has created a large volume of online content, including participating in weekly Facebook Live sessions called "Raw Pet Medics" where he and Drs. Conor Brady and Brendan Clarke discuss holistic approaches to health issues in pets.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Nick Thompson as we discuss his exposure to holistic philosophy at an early age from his parents, his veterinary education, how he became a holistic expert, and how he manages to stay current on nutrition while maintaining his roles as a consultant, clinician, husband, and father.

Dr. Liz Fernandez was raised in Southern California and decided at an early age that she wanted to be a Veterinarian. She earned her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and her veterinary degree from the University of California Davis in 1982. She went into emergency and small animal relief practice for the next twenty five years.

A shoulder injury led her to seek acupuncture care, and she decided to pursue veterinary acupuncture training for herself. She is certified in Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Tui Na, and Food Therapy from the Chi Institute. She is also certified in TCVM Palliative and End of Life Care by the Chi Institute and in Hospice and Palliative Care by the IAAHPC.

Dr. Fernandez started a holistic house call practice while still working in conventional practice, moving to full time house calls in 2010. In 2016, she published a book about her patients, "Sacred Gifts of a Short Life: Uncovering the Wisdom of our Pets end-of-life Journeys."

In 2019, she created Wisdom Paws, an online program and individual consultation practice to support End-of-Life guidance for both pet owners and veterinary professionals.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Liz Fernandez as we discuss her education, transition to holistic practice, creating educational materials, and finding balance while doing emotionally taxing clinical work .

Dr. Chelsea Dawson was raised in Brantford, Ontario in a home filled with pets. Her family was active volunteering for the local ASPCA, and Chelsea worked in the kennels, as a volunteer coordinator, and as a humane agent before earning her veterinary degree from the University of Glasgow in 2011.

She was introduced to holistic medicine by one of her instructors in veterinary school, Samantha Lindley, who taught pain management as well as acupuncture.

After graduation, she took a position in a multi-doctor small animal practice in England and earned her General Practitioner's Certificate in Western Veterinary Acupuncture and Chronic Pain Management. She began to see pain patients at the practice, and after many client requests regarding herbal medicine, took an introductory Western Herbal medicine course through CIVT.

Dr. Dawson has advanced training in nutrition and behavior, and has taught acupuncture to veterinarians and veterinary nurses and co-founded a UK-based herbal medicine course as well.

She currently has her own referral practice in the North of England where she focuses on multi-modal pain management, nutrition, herbal medicine, and behavior.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Chelsea Dawson as we discuss her childhood, her education, working in a multi-doctor practice and then transitioning to solo referral practice, and her plans to move back to Ontario in 2023.

Dr. Edward Bassingthwaite grew up riding horses on a cattle property in North Queensland. He earned his veterinary degree from the University of Queensland in 1995 and went into mixed animal practice afterwards. He then spent time doing small animal locum work in both Australia and the UK before falling ill and being diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Lyme Disease. In searching to improve his own health, he investigated and experienced a number of holistic modalities and began to use some to treat his patients.

He developed a unique system of treatment called the Whole Energy Body Balance Method (TM), which allows the practitioner to find and heal silent pain, anxiety, and trauma. Not only does Dr. Bassingthwaite use this method to treat his patients, he teaches the method to others.

He then started his own mobile practice, which has evolved into working in a brick and mortar practice where he uses a wide variety of modalities to treat his patients, including Whole Energy Body Balance, acupressure, nutrition, Bach Flowers, Homeopathy, Herbal Medicine, and supplements. He has a special interest in dogs with behavior issues and anxiety.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Edward Bassingthwaite as we discuss his childhood, veterinary training, the personal health challenge that led him to holistic medicine, and how he manages his time and energy as both a practicing clinician and an online business owner.

Dr. Sara Baldey was raised in Northern Australia. She earned a Dual Bachelors Degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry as well as Post Graduate Honors in Organic Chemistry from Northern Territory University. She graduated with a veterinary degree from Murdoch University in 2004 and went into mixed animal practice in Victoria after graduation. She then transitioned into a small animal locum position near Melbourne.

In 2009, Dr. Baldey sustained a neck injury that resulted in years of debilitating pain. This experience led her to holistic medicine.

She was certified in acupuncture by IVAS in 2011, and afterwards became both a demonstrator and lecturer for the IVAS course. She earned her Cert IV TAE in 2012 and this allowed her to work with veterinary nurses in surgical training as well as veterinarians enrolled in acupuncture training.

Her current activities include performing acupuncture in a veterinary rehabilitation practice and working on the student services team at CIVT.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Sara Baldey as we discuss her education, early years of employment, dealing with her cervical injury, and how that experience helped shape her relationship with her patients.

Drs. Jordan and Reagan Carnwath both knew from an early age that they wanted to be veterinarians. After earning their veterinary degrees from the University of Glasgow, Jordan did an equine internship while Reagan went into mixed animal practice. They both had an interest in holistic medicine, and after practicing separately in conventional practices, decided to work together as Holistic Vet Scotland, Scotland's first referral only holistic practice.

The practice is located in Glasgow, where they offer acupuncture, herbal medicine, laser medicine, nutrition, and more. They also have a veterinary nurse on staff who is trained as a human herbalist and treats people.

Please enjoy this conversation with Drs. Jordan and Reagan Carnwath as we discuss their education, leaning holistic medicine, opening a practice just prior to a pandemic, and the factors surrounding having a dedicated holistic veterinary practice.

Dr. Gundala Rhoades was born and educated in Germany. After earning her veterinary degree, in 1991 she moved to England and worked in a small animal practice for two years, then a mixed animal practice for five years.

She moved to New South Wales Australia in 1998. She and her husband raised Angus bulls. In 2002, she started Gowrie Veterinary Clinic, a mixed animal practice. It was initially located on the ranch, and eight years later moved to a new location in the town of Inverell.

Dr. Rhoades was raising three children as a single mother while both practicing veterinary medicine and running the ranch when she decided to convert the ranch to organic. In that journey, she has become an expert on soil health, regenerative agriculture, gut health, and the relationship of food to both human and animal health.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Gundala Rhoades as we discuss her education, her move to Australia, starting a clinic from scratch, challenging conventional norms in ranching, and her new book, "The Food Solution."

Dr. Lisa Fox is a third generation veterinarian from Northern Ohio. She earned a Bachelor's degree in biology from Ohio University followed by a DVM from Ohio State University in 2009. She was first introduced to acupuncture by a clinician while she was a veterinary student.

After graduation, she returned to the family practice, where she stayed for nine years. She was certified in acupuncture by IVAS in 2014, earned a Graduate Diploma from CIVT in Western Herbal Medicine in 2016, and was certified in Food Therapy by Chi University that same year. She was also certified by Chi University as an Equine Rehabilitation and Performance Medicine Practitioner and is currently enrolled in their Equine Veterinary Medical Manipulation program. She has a Master's Degree in Iridology and training in grief counseling and suicide awareness.

Her current practice activities include a mobile holistic practice and locum work in two traditional small animal clinics.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Lisa Fox as we discuss growing up in her family's veterinary practice, her education, working in traditional practice and equine racetrack regulatory medicine, and her immersion into holistic medicine.

A note to listeners: in this episode we discuss issues of mental health as well as suicidal awareness and prevention.

Dr. Julia Ledger-Muennich discovered her interest in veterinary medicine while working with rescue animals as a child. She got her veterinary degree from Justus Liebig University in Glessen Germany in 2007. Afterwards, she worked in an equine clinic on the overnight shift while completing her thesis work, which involved ultrasound studies of the udders of mares.

She then went to England to work in an equine practice. She left that practice to start her own, which continues to this day.

She was certified in chiropractic in 2008 and veterinary acupuncture in 2011. She is certified in Chinese Veterinary Herbal Medicine by both the World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. She is also certified in Tui Na.

In addition, she is accredited by the FEI to work as a treating veterinarian at sanctioned events.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Julia Ledger-Muennich as we discuss her education, her first years in practice, her transition to a holistic-only practice, and how she is constantly looking for opportunities to further her knowledge and skills.