Drugs gives quick relief for unwanted symptoms. Inflammation and pain issues are primary reasons why horses are given drugs.
In most
cases though, when the drugs wear off, the issues come back again
because no healing has occurred, only the suppressing of
symptoms.
The current
system, with minor exceptions, places profit above
health.
Results last only as long as the drugs are used, the most serious side effects last a lot longer.
Non-steroidal
anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) are in wide use in the horse
world. Banamine, phenylbutazone (bute), flunixin and
ketoprofen are all NSAIDs.
The most
common adverse side-effects of NSAIDs are:
While steroids are effective when immediate power surges are needed, they produce other side effects, which may be episodic or catastrophic.
Even though many
tracks have banned steroids, that doesn’t stop some. When steroid
use is chronic, it turns the bones to Swiss cheese, and those
perforated bones shatter, splinter and explode under the stress of
the race.
The most common adverse side-effects of steroids are:
When
steroids are used long-term, the horse becomes depleted and breaks
down, sometimes irreversibly.
It’s
important to understand that when steroids are administered for
long periods of time, the horse’s skeletal structure is ruined and
the immune system is often permanently damaged.
This
means that the horse can reach a point where he or she cannot be
brought back to balance so that physiology can self
repair.
Environment and
nutrition both influence genetic expression. Whole horse nurture
with super foods produces the true super horse.
It is the
driving force that creates real and lasting good in the life of the
horse—irrefutable, repeatable, beneficial results that can be
expected, felt and seen.
Tragically,
many well-meaning individuals have damaged and even killed their
horses in the pursuit of more speed, strength or endurance. This
does not happen with super foods because they work with the body’s
biology, not against it.
The
biochemical reality of pharmaceutical products is masking symptoms,
elevating performance or inducing biochemical activity; neither of
which last and both of which are contrary to real fitness and
wellness.
There is a
place for pharmaceutical drugs—they are invaluable for pain relief,
for example— but they are encumbrances to those who wish to build a
super horse.
