The question was brought up to me a few weeks ago, “how can you live an animal friendly lifestyle while working and receiving health care?” I will be honest with you I never actually thought of it. Have you ?

I have been in health care my whole life, as a patient, as a direct patient care provider, and now as an administrator. It never really occurred to me to apply my veganism into my job or my own treatments. Now I am not talking about holistic health care, I am talking about in the hospital or urgent care situations. Have you though about it? Do you practice your veganism in healthcare just as you do in your daily life?

What do we avoid?
As a vegan what is placed into my  body is great importance. When discussing cosmetics there are a number of vegan friendly options now open to the industry.  Apart from the diet and cosmetics, are there also limitations or adjustments we need to take into account when it comes down to healthcare? There are many drugs, vaccines, and supplements that are directly or indirectly derived from animals. They either contain  animal by product or extract as their ingredient or are produced by animal labor.

Conflicts with vaccines
Most of the vaccines used today are made with the help of an animal by-product, for example eggs. Vaccines and viruses are injected in the hen’s eggs for incubation purposes so that it replicates (after all viruses need a live host in order to grow), then the extract is collected and further processed. This vaccine is 50% animal dependent now and hence, should be discouraged. Taking the example of the very common influenza vaccine, the question becomes should vegans  use it since it is having animal extracts (though in minimal amounts). There is no other equally viable alternative for a flu vaccine for flu prevention. Now this is not  just for the flu vaccine, but the MMR vaccine which is one of the very basic vaccines is also made this way. MMR also happens to be mandatory in some states and in some jobs (particularly healthcare).

Conflicts with the medicines/drugs
Medications may also have a high percentage of animal by product in them. The very common anti-coagulant drug Heparin is derived from the lungs of the cows and the intestines of pigs. (A large percentage of the population who have cardiac disease are on this medication). Lanolin, an ophthalmic drug having excellent anti-bacterial properties, is made from the sheep’s oil glands. Premarin, a conjugated estrogen, is derived from horse’s urine. There might be some alternatives to these drugs but they are not as effective as these are. If not as an ingredient then the gelatin, which is derived from the skin, ligaments and tendons of the cows and pigs, is used to prepare the coating of many drugs, to bring them in the capsule form.

What alternatives do you use? Are there any? Do you apply veganism into your health care treatment or practice?

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3 Mistakes Most New Vegans Make:

1. Going in All at Once

I have nothing against totally chucking the meat, poultry and seafood you have stored in your fridge, but from a medical perspective its not the best practice. Our bodies are different and depending on how much animal protein you are use to consuming, totally stopping it may lead to dizziness, headaches and other symptoms . Once you make the decision to go vegan, begin by reducing the amount of animal protein until you are basically vegetarian. Once you hit the vegetarian mark then begin to remove any sources of food that may have animal protein in them. Again for some totally taking out animal protein in one shot may work fine, but I have seen first hand some new vegans give up on it all together because of the symptoms they get.

2. Shopping  with Vengeance

I won’t lie – I made this mistake. Once I had made the decision to go vegan, the first thing I did was head over to Whole Foods and pick up every and any vegetable I could think of, along with any product with the vegan stamp. Although this is a quick way to get your pantry stocked up with healthy, vegan options , it’s not always great with budgeting, especially when most times a new vegan doesn’t know what to do with all the products. The best way to handle this in my opinion is to shop first in your own pantry. We often over look some of the products we love and later on realize. “Hey that was vegan!” Once you have a sense of what is in our home that is vegan friendly, it’s time to look up some easy recipes or alterations to ones you already know. This way when we head over to the grocery store you know what your looking for and have already learned how to change up some of your usual recipes. Another reason this is helpful is that new vegans tend to head right into the frozen aisle. Its not all bad, however you want to avoid processed foods with high sodium.

3: Information Overload

Remember above when I said the internet will be your best friend, well it can also be your worst enemy. Everyone with a computer can jump on and say what is and isn’t the right way to be vegan. This discourages many because of what I call “vegan shamming.” This is when you may not be doing something according to another persons standard of veganism. As a new vegan you are probably reading every blog post, twitter post, magazine article, and every book that has been printed on the subject. This is one way to get information, but its a lot to process and decipher through at once. The best way to do this in my opinion is to start with two books (a recipe book of your choosing and an informational book on veganism), 3-5 vegan blogs (make sure they are a mix of recipes and factual information), and subscribe (if financially feasible ) to a magazine. This will give you enough information where you can start off and then grow through your vegan journey without overloading yourself at the very start of it.

Let us know what mistakes you made when you started out and how you fixed them.

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Thankfully with a few programs and the help of many rescue organizations they have found a way to decrease the number of animals that are impounded. A few of the rescue groups in the NY and NJ area have started a Trap, Snip, and Release program. The goal of the program is to reduce the amount of dogs and cats that are born into the stray world. Other organizations may provide similar services under a different name. An example is the ASPCA’s Mobile Spay/ Neuter clinic. They will spay/ neuter any healthy cat or dog that is brought over to them so long as they meet the criteria required for surgery. If you want to check out if there is a mobile clinic near you, you can check on this map provided by the ASPCA.

The “Trap, Snip, Release” program works in two ways, firstly word of mouth and secondly by patrolling the area. Because most rescue groups are run by volunteers word of mouth is often a huge asset to them. They depend on the public to let them know where large groups of cats/ dogs are located. Once they find the animals they trap them ( in a way that will not harm the animal),  then spay/neuter them and release them back into the community. Now I know what your thinking, why don’t they just house them after and place them up for adoption? The reason is there is just simply no space.  However now that they are spayed/ neutered  they will not be able to reproduce constantly, which helps the over all population of stray animals.

How does this program benefit you or your animal companion? Well, because feral cats, stray cats, and stray dogs often carry some serious disease,  having less of them on the street  protects your family pet from catching a disease as well. Stray animals often make homes of our backyards, parks, and bushes, the world is their bathroom. We may unknowingly come into contact with a contaminated area. Another way it may help is by changing the behavior and maybe even the chemistry of the animal. Stray animals are often much more aggressive, sexually hungry, and territorial. Studies have shown that spaying / neutering them changes their behavior. Their sexual desire may decrease, aggression levels may become lower, and their urine may lose its strong repugnant smell.

A decrease in the number of stray animals, a better health outlook for the stray community and a decrease in the probability of getting infected ourselves are all great reasons to donate or take part in these programs. Some programs may have a higher fee for this service than others, but you can check your local rescue group or shelter for their prices. You want to protect the health of your family pet at home but don’t forget that the health of the stray community as well may benefit your pet too. Don’t forget to please check the ASPCA map to find local spay/ neuter clinics near you.

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