Dr. Paula Broadfoot uses integrative medicine and AFA for patients.
Dr. Paula Broadfoot, DVM was raised with 6 siblings in a VERY medical family—doctors (father, stepdad, grandfather), nurse (mother), all with open minds. She went to vet school and Integrative medicine gradually took over her practice, with incremental "gifts" that came her way: Glycoflex (Pernacanaliculus), AFA, Homotoxicoligy (combination homepathics), thymus extracts, deer antler, and many other holistic treatments. Dr. Broadfoot started lecturing after she noted significant changes in her own children with the AFA, and realized after some study that the nutrients were life and brain sparing. She has lectured around the world and also written for many journals and publications, wrote a short book on Deer Antler, and a very long book on Integrative Vet Med, in collaboration with Robert Goldstein, et.al.
Her practice is in Arkansas and she and her husband, also a vet, have 4 grown kids and 5 grandchildren. We check in with Dr. Broadfoot about her holistic approach to veterinary medicine, AFA, and healthy tips for cats and dogs.
When and why did you start your practice?
My husband Jeff and I graduated in May of 1981 and took a job in the area of Fort Smith. I worked that fall on the set of The Blue and the Gray, which was a learning experience. When we found ourselves unemployed in January of 1982, we decided it was "sink or swim," and the logistics of moving our half a dozen horses and multiple dogs and cats, plus a household, were a factor. So, we opened up a practice that spring in a tiny rented building, and Jeff went to work for the USDA (which we thought would be temporary. It wasn't.) As the practice grew, we bought property and built a clinic. Years later, we had children (4 of them) who grew up in the practice. (And NOT ONE of them wanted to be a veterinarian!)
How and why did you become interested in a holistic approach to Veterinary Medicine?
It was because of an early intro to the idea of acupuncture, then when I was in veterinary school, and many "breadcrumbs" of information while in veterinary school and after starting my own practice. Also, reading random articles, like one on choline loading for senility in dogs and seizures, MANY years ago, and a passing remark by a colleague that mentioned Glycoflex for arthritis, while we were discussing DMG (energy metabolite) for tying up syndrome in horses. I heard multiple mentions of Traumeel, a Heel Biotherapeutic Index given to me by a friend, and this became my intro into homotox with an osteosarcoma dog. (At that same time, I ran across the AFA!)
Those bits of info were a stream of clues that led me to believe there was much more to health than what we learned in Veterinary school. And frankly, we are often driven to find alternatives by the frustration of poor results and/or no options in allopathic medicine.
What was the most meaningful moment or discovery in the beginning of your practice?
Honestly? No real defining moment. There have been so many gifts of healing that have come my way.
We did a fecal microbial transplant (FMT) on the set of The Blue and the Gray, on a horse that colicked, based on a comment from one of the professors in vet school. I haven't done another one for decades! Now, it is all the rage. I often say that Glycoflex (Perna) changed the way I practice. I read an article in vet school that showed Bute (NSAID) retarded bone healing in race horses, then graduated without alternatives to anti-inflammatory drugs, or any other drugs, for that matter. When Marty Langhofer told me about Glycoflex and I saw the nearly miraculous results, I was hooked. I was gratified that there WERE natural alternatives to complex issues.
Later, it was AFA, homotoxicology, Thymus therapies, Deer Velvet, and many others.
Tell us about your unique integrative approach to healing?
My unique approach, eh? How about "anything that works medicine!"
We are a very eclectic practice, and I am intrigued by multitudes of healing modalities and options, many of which are out of my wheelhouse, but command my utmost respect (TCM, Acupuncture, Standard Process supplements, Classic Homeopathy, etc.) We do use a great deal of homotoxicology (complex homeopathy/nanopharmacology), nutrition, supplements (currently working on a wellness formula!), hyperthermia, learning ozone, thymus extracts, quackupuncture (i.e. "acupuncture for dummies"- I know a few good points!)
What is the main problem you desire to solve as a veterinarian?
How do we engender wellness from birth to death, with a vital, abundant life in between those endpoints? How do we avoid dis-ease in the first place? What constitutes good health, good mental fitness, and a fulfilling longevity?
When did you first learn about AFA and what were the results that your patients experienced?
September 1995, from a cold-market tape, I received in the mail. I started using it and noted significant health benefits over a 6-month period.
My kids had significant changes: a behavior disaster that completely changed in short order, a child with asthma that completely got over a need for inhalers or steroids with viral disease, my mother with breast cancer got through surgery with flying colors, and did no chemo or radiation (still alive at nearly 92!).
When I realized that my decade of allergies nearly completely abated in the spring of 96, we started using it on dogs for atopy. A neighbor's son, who had suffered a devastating stroke in his early 20s, improved remarkably on the AFA. In addition, a friend’s son developed Ewing's Sarcoma and then had vast improvements in his quality of life with the algae/ enzymes/ probiotics. (Sadly, he succumbed, but the AFA was still amazing). We have used it in a huge number of cases as an immune modulator and wellness therapeutic.
Looking back, the AFA is what launched me into lecturing (funny, as I left out of speech in college, as I didn't want to give speeches! Ha!). I started giving talks on alternatives to the drugging of children after seeing the massive changes in Burke. So, AFA is responsible for many shifts in my life.
From a clinical perspective, what benefits have you seen with AFA?
Impossible to list. Calming, easier to train animals, tremendous skin benefits, including hair growth in alopecias and allergies, blood building/regulating (e.g. my mother had chronic anemia, which reversed with AFA ), and we use it routinely in hemolytic anemias and thrombocytopenias, benefits to cancer patients, stroke patients, and a host of others.
Are there any contraindications with AFA?
Not that I have noted. It is a homeostatic enabler/ biomodulator, and it would be nearly impossible to be sensitive to it, as it is a simple life form—the bottom of the food chain.
How do you suggest that animals take the AFA?
We usually make formula powders for specific therapies and top dress the foods. Most animals will eventually like it and even hunt for it on their food, even if reluctant initially. Too bad there isn't an injectable AFA! LOL
Top 5 tips for healthy dogs?
Feed good food, including the AFA. Pay attention to the origin of the dog, as it may give clues as to an appropriate diet. Restrict weight. Better too thin, than too fat. Do minimal vaccines and be aware of parasites in your area. Exercise and fresh air are important, and if possible, give the dog a "purpose," particularly if they are a working breed. Not all pets are suited to being a "couch potato."
Top 3 tips for healthy cats?
Same principles apply. As to diet though, cats are obligate protein eaters, and, as desert animals, are designed to get their fluids out of the flesh they eat. Kibble is really not a great option, compared to fresh, raw, or as a distant third, canned food.
Tell us about your book Integrating Complementary Medicine into Veterinary Practice.
Well, Integrating Complementary Medicine into Veterinary Practice was originally meant to be more of an intro book, but as we got involved in the first few chapters, it evolved into a rather massive undertaking, with multiple authors writing sections in their particular realm of expertise. Goldstein, e.g., wrote the supplements section, Palmquist and I wrote the homotox sectioin, Jay and Karen Wen did the Chinese medicine section, and Romans/Fougere wrote the western herbs sections. It ate up several years, after which, I swore I would never write another book. (Wrong. I wrote a small book on deer velvet a few years ago!)
What's next for you?
I am currently learning ozone, having been intrigued with it for decades. I am also trying to get more proficient in the use of the Sanawave, an amazing hyperthermia unit designed by the brilliant Nunez brothers.
We are currently collaborating on a wellness product which will contain the AFA algae and other components that have changed the scope of my practice and many others' as well! And, horror of horrors, I need to collaborate on a book with Dr. Richard Ushijima, who developed the Thymus Extract we use daily in the clinic.
Jeff and I have 5 grandchildren and I hope to leave them a legacy of wellness.
Find Dr. Paula Broadfoot online
Facebook: Broadfoot Veterinary Clinic
“I am currently learning ozone, having been intrigued with it for decades.”
—Dr. Paula Broadfoot, DVM
Veterinarian Broadfoot Veterinary Clinic, Arkansas
“We are often driven to find alternatives by the frustration of poor results and/or no options in allopathic medicine.”
On benefits from using AFA for animals:
“Calming, easier to train animals, tremendous skin benefits, including hair growth in alopecias and allergies, and blood building/regulating”
On tips for healthy dogs:
“Feed good food, including the AFA. Pay attention to the origin of the dog, as it may give clues as to an appropriate diet. Restrict weight. Better too thin, than too fat.”
