The Bach Flower Remedies were created by Doctor, Edward Bach in
the 1930's. His philosophy "a healthy mind ensures a healthy body" along with his strong belief that medicine should do no harm, led him to develop several plant based remedies for particular mood states and personality traits. The method of treatment relies on the transfer of "life energy forces" from the plants to the patient, to gently restore balence to negative emotions and therefore stimulate the

bodies own capacity to heal itself.

Up until now, Flower Essence therapy has been used predominantly with human patients, however use with animals has had some startling results. Animals, like humans, have active mental and emotional lives. Careful observation has shown that animals often develop the same problems their owners have, especially psychosomatic ones. Animals may also have to cope with loneliness, anxiety, fear or the trauma of accident or surgery. Behavioural problems are a major concern and often accompany or precede physical disease.

Physical health conditions often manifest from deeper emotional imbalances as an animals psychoemotional state can alter the bodies neurotransmitters and cytocines (the protein messengers that control immune reactions) in both the immune and endocrine systems. This weakens the resistence of the animal to disease. Flower remedies are a gentle non-toxic and non-invasive means of restoring the inner balance of the body through a transfer of "life
energy" from the flower essence to the patient. Alleviating emotional stresses and thus stimulating the body to heal itself.

Bach flowers work on a similar mechanism as homoeopathy. Parts of the flowers are diluted and then potentised to become effective. The essences are then used in different combinations according to diagnosis. They can not be overused or misused, and will not interfere with any other medicine or treatment the animal may be involved in. Similarly, if the wrong remedy is administered, it will not have any negative effect, but will simply have no effect.