When the first cough arises, we try some supplements, some herbs, we ensure a dust-free environment, and then we hope it will go away. And sometimes it does.

If it doesn't, then we go to the vet for 'stronger measures.' Sometimes that's enough, but more often than not, the treatment needs to be repeated regularly because the symptoms don't stay away permanently. And now that you think about it... secretly, it's getting a little worse, taking longer to recover, or the bad periods are coming closer together.

We can't seem to solve the problem permanently, and then your horse gets diagnosed with hay fever, allergy, or asthma.

We accept that this is how it is, try to manage the symptoms as best as possible with a hay steamer, a nebulizer, and medication (whether natural or not), and that's often it. Slowly, the symptoms get worse, and as an owner, you often become more desperate in your quest to keep your horse upright and comfortable.

But what if I told you that it often doesn't have to be this way? That this diagnosis doesn't necessarily mean it's irreversible. That you don't have to accept that this is it and that you're stuck managing a coughing horse. We accept that an allergy is something 'you just have', but is that really the case? He coughs because of dust in the hay, and it's worse during pollen season, so voilà, the horse has a pollen allergy. But are dust and pollen really the cause?

With horses, more often than not, they're not. Much more often, it's just a label on a collection of symptoms where rarely is the cause examined, what's really underlying it. But very often, respiratory problems are the result of what we can, in a nutshell, call a 'toxins problem.'

I often explain this problem using a metaphor. Namely that of a sink...

But well, what do those buckets in the kitchen do exactly?

What waste substances that cannot be removed from our body do, you can find very nicely in the Reckeweg system. This system was developed by the German professor and naturopath Dr. Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg. He has documented how the body reacts and disease arises when our body is not able to properly eliminate waste substances (both from the outside and those produced by our body itself). This can happen because too many waste substances enter (the faucet is too hard), or because the self-healing power is too burdened, making proper disposal no longer possible (the clogged sink).

The Reckeweg system consists of 6 phases.

Stage 1: excretion phase

The excess toxins are naturally excreted. We urinate, sweat, defecate, and breathe, and all those activities help remove waste substances. When the organs responsible for this become overloaded, the body uses its so-called emergency valves: tear fluid, earwax, saliva, sebum, etc. Excretion becomes excessive, smells different, in short, just not normal anymore. Watery eyes, diarrhea, fatigue, and reduced resistance are part of this phase. With regard to the lungs, you may see a runny nose in this phase, occasional coughing with some mucus, or more frequent coughing due to dust. But everything still relatively mild.

Stage 2: reactive phase

If it is not possible to get rid of the toxins through normal excretion, excretion becomes 'pathological'. This happens in the form of inflammations and, secondly, fever. Fever is an effective method of the body to support inflammations. An inflammation is thus a reaction of the body to neutralize waste substances. Symptoms associated with this phase include later stages of colds, flu, fever, thick colored mucus and phlegm, inflamed eyes / eye discharge, swelling (body, lymph nodes), eczema, rash, urinary tract infection, ear infection, reduced mucus and phlegm secretion leading to stuffy nose and phlegm in the lungs. But for example, also recurring hoof abscesses (without external damage) belong here.

Stage 3: Deposition Phase

In this stage, it is no longer possible to neutralize waste products through excretion and inflammation. To protect vital organs such as the brain, hormone glands, and kidneys, the body chooses another solution, namely storing harmful substances in the least important tissues such as connective tissue, muscles, tendons, and joints. This phase is also called the silent phase because there are often fewer recognizable symptoms. During this phase, we often think that we have solved the problem. However, there are indications such as fluid retention, stiff muscles and joints, constipation, chronic or recurrent inflammations, susceptibility to infections, wounds that do not heal, a cough that becomes more chronic, or a runny nose more regularly.

Up to this point, everything takes place outside the body cells and in the body's fluid system, which is why these three stages are also called the humoral phase. After phase three, the body enters the cellular phase, meaning that waste products penetrate the cell. Tissue destruction often occurs. The body enters a kind of vicious circle. There are more waste products and less circulation, resulting in more waste products that cannot be eliminated, leading to even less circulation.

Phase 4: Impregnation Phase

If the accumulated waste products cannot be excreted or stored anymore, they penetrate the cell wall and damage the cell structure. As a result, organs are damaged, and symptoms become chronic. The immune system also becomes overloaded, resulting in chronic or recurrent inflammations, or the immune system overreacts, leading to allergic reactions. This results in conditions such as stomach ulcers, gastritis, colitis, liver damage, swollen lymph nodes, chronic mucosal inflammations.

This is the phase where respiratory complaints like asthma, hay fever, or asthmatic bronchitis occur. The immune system starts to react, causing the body to respond vigorously to any external stimuli. So, dust or pollen in the air are not the cause, but rather triggers that make the clogged system and the overactive immune system react even more. But the cause lies in the reasons why there are so many buckets in the kitchen that led us to phase 4.

After this, there are two more phases where permanent damage occurs. It is often said that these phases are irreversible, but with proper classical homeopathic treatment, this is not always the case. However, the symptoms in these phases are often so severe that complete recovery is often no longer achievable. For completeness, I will briefly mention them.

Phase 5: Degeneration Phase

The cells are so damaged that they can no longer repair themselves. For example, liver cirrhosis, vertebral degeneration, shrunken kidneys, and infertility. But also conditions caused by autoimmune reactions such as rheumatoid arthritis, MS, Lupus, Fibro, and other diseases where the body attacks its own cells.

Phase 6: Neoplasm Phase

In this phase, the cell nucleus is also affected. There is an overgrowth of cells. Tumors, cysts, growths, and other tissue growths occur in this phase.

As you can see, there are even more reasons to prevent getting into those phases. By truly and thoroughly treating to get out of phase 4 and back to normal. But even better, by preventing from getting there in the first place.

I always say, "When symptoms return after you stop a treatment or supplement, you haven't addressed the cause."

So, there's nothing wrong with wanting to try to solve symptoms first with the help of (well-chosen) off-the-shelf self-help tools. And the more you do that in a non-stressful way, the less you contribute to extra buckets yourself. But if symptoms return over time, or if you have to keep your horse permanently on supplements to keep him comfortable and manage the symptoms, then there is more going on. That is always a signal to look further, treat deeper, and ensure that you turn down the faucet, unclog the drain, and – at a pace the drainage can handle! – empty the buckets. Look further into why a symptom arises and what factors in your horse's life may have contributed to it or may still be contributing to it. And don't forget the mental and emotional factors, as they are often the most underestimated.

*Would you like me to take a look at which factors may be playing a role in your horse's symptoms? Feel free to contact me for a free advice session, and together we'll look at what you can do to further help your horse towards a healthier and happier life. Follow Francis on social media.

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Photo: Seher Melikoglu