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What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a medical treatment used to stimulate the body's internal ability to heal itself. The needles are not coated with any magical substances, special liquids, or medications. The purpose of acupuncture is not to treat a disease or symptoms of illness. Instead, acupuncture is a way to stimulate the body's own natural healing process.

Small needles are inserted into the skin to stimulate specific points (acupuncture points) along the body according to set pathways or guidelines (meridians or channels). The stimulation of these points leads to the release of natural pain relieving chemicals in the body and the release of natural chemicals. These chemicals help to reset broken or damaged biochemical and physiologic pathways in the body that would normally lead to healing.

Acupuncture

How does acupuncture work?

Acupuncture helps the body do the things it should be doing to heal itself normally. Needles inserted in the skin stimulate the release of natural chemicals in the body. These chemicals, such as endorphins, hormones, or enzymes, can do any of the following: relieve pain and inflammation in tissues and organs, act on blood vessels to increase blood circulation, release muscle spasms, and stimulate organs to begin working more effectively.

Although the exact mechanism is not fully understood, research has proven that acupuncture works on nerves and blood vessels to help send messages to the body to release internal and natural enzymes and chemicals. These enzymes and chemicals help the body to remember how to heal itself and help the body to get rid of disease or pain.

For example, acupuncture needles can be used to help the body release natural pain-relieving chemicals to reduce muscle pain and inflammation, similar to the way a medical pain reliever (such as ibuprofen) works on people. The medical product is a synthetic or chemical form of the same hormone the body uses to relieve pain. The difference is that acupuncture can stimulate the body to release the natural and non-harmful hormone to relieve pain, instead of using the chemical form, which can have many side effects for your pet—don't forget, ibuprofen is toxic to pets!

When should Acupuncture be used for my pet?

Acupuncture is a medical treatment that can be beneficial for any disease or health problem your pet may have, but works best as a part of a medical treatment plan developed by your veterinarian. Acupuncture should never be used if your pet has not been examined by a veterinarian.

First, a life-threatening, but treatable, illness affecting your pet could be missed or remain undiagnosed if you use acupuncture without a medical evaluation.

Second, a safe and effective treatment, other than acupuncture, may be available for your pet, such as surgery or medications.

Third, certain diseases require medical treatment that must be prescribed and closely monitored by your veterinarian. In many cases, acupuncture can be used to make the medical treatment more effective and can help to lessen the side effects of the medications.

The best option for your pet is to have him/her evaluated by your veterinarian to determine if medicine, surgery, acupuncture, or a combination of all of the above will be the best treatment for your pet—this is the hallmark of truly holistic medicine.

What can Acupuncture treat?

Acupuncture can be effective for a wide variety of animal diseases. Although the most effective and well-known use of acupuncture is for pain relief, it can be used for a wide variety of conditions such as:

How long do acupuncture treatments last, and how often are they needed?

The length of time and frequency of treatments depends on the problem and condition of your pet—it will never be the same for each animal and will not be the same for every disease, or even similar diseases. The treatments may be needed as frequent as several times a week or as infrequent as once a year. The length of time for each treatment can vary from several minutes to as long as 20 to 30 minutes. The general rule of thumb is that acute conditions (problems that have surfaced in a short period of time) require less total time and frequency for treatments than chronic conditions (problems that have surfaced over a long period of time). Also, chronic conditions will take a much longer period of time to fix than acute conditions and, occasionally, cannot be completely fixed or cured because they are deep-rooted and long-standing problems.

For example, an animal that injures an ankle joint while running may only need one or two treatments, but a dog with severe skin allergies and skin infections that have been a problem for years, may need weekly treatments for several months before the problem will be fixed.

However, most owners will often notice a positive response after the first treatment, and further improvement at least by the third or fourth treatment. Once the desired effect is achieved, the treatments are spread out so that the greatest amount of symptom-free time elapses between them. Some treatments could be spread out as far as once a year.

What can I expect at the first appointment?

The first appointment will be a consultation. The veterinarian will talk to you about your pet and his or her health condition and determine the best treatments for your pet. This consultation may or may not include acupuncture, but will most likely include discussion of herbal medicines, supplements, diet changes, exercise plans, and even conventional medications.

Please bring the following to your first appointment: medical records, x-rays, lab-work results, medications, supplements, vitamins, herbal medications, and the names of the brand of food that you are feeding.

Acupuncture

What is a normal acupuncture process like?

(The following is a fictional character used only for educational purposes, however, if I had a chocolate Labrador, his name would be Steve)

Steve, the arthritic chocolate Labrador:

Steve is 11-years old and although he enjoys fetching his tennis ball with fearless excitement and chewing on his favorite stuffed cotton puffer-fish, in the last few weeks he is no longer the same active dog he once was. It is painful for him to get up in the morning and he often urinates in his bed instead of getting up to go outside. Once he is up walking around, he will even limp on his back legs, but he seems to do well once he has been walking around for a few minutes. He continues to eat his food normally, but seems to have lost some weight in the past few months.

Steve is taken to the veterinarian, and, through diagnostic testing (x-rays and blood work), he is diagnosed with arthritis of the hips and knees. Steve is started on pain medication for his arthritis and is doing very well. He is active, happy, eating well, and able to get up in the morning without pain or difficulty. Steve is no longer urinating in his bed and was back to normal for an old dog (the tennis ball, however, was not happy!). However, two weeks after his veterinary visit, Steve is painful again. He is stiff all over and now lets out a muffled groan when he has to stand up. He is much happier sleeping all day in front of the fireplace.

Steve is taken to the veterinarian again. X-rays are taken and it is determined his arthritis is getting worse. Blood work testing for parasites (lyme disease, ehrlichia), valley fever (a fungal infection that can infect bones/joints), and autoimmune diseases (lupus) are negative. Steve is told his arthritis is now causing muscle pain and a second pain medication will be necessary. He will also need to take a larger dose of his first pain medication.

Steve is doing well and the bounce in his step had returned. The tennis ball is again a toy and not an instrument of torture. However, he has become very ill in the morning and will now vomit two to three times before he even gets out of his bed. Food is no longer exciting and cat poop is not the pre-meal snack it once was.

Steve is taken to the veterinarian again. His blood, urine, and stool are tested to make sure the medications have not harmed his body. The testing shows that his body has not been harmed by the medications and that his stomach upset and vomiting are simply side-effects of his pain medicine. Steve is sent home with medications to help calm his stomach while he is taking the pain medications.

How can acupuncture help Steve?

Steve is not sure that arthritis medications are the right treatment for him and tells his owner to call and schedule a holistic consultation with an acupuncture veterinarian.

Steve arrives for his first appointment. The acupuncture veterinarian listens to his story while asking many questions to determine the exact nature of his problem and how it started. The veterinarian examines Steve and finds that he has arthritis and muscle soreness in his back and hips. The veterinarian starts treatment for arthritis pain and inflammation with acupuncture.

Steve receives an acupuncture treatment that lasts 20 minutes and is sent home with a Chinese herbal medication for arthritis. He is instructed to stop all of his previous medications and his diet is changed to include cooked meat and vegetables added to his normal dog food, to help strengthen his muscles.

Steve is still sore when he gets up and is stiff when walking around, but 24 hours after his acupuncture treatment, he is feeling much better. His stomach is no longer sour and he can get up quickly without pain. Steve can run outside to urinate in the yard and not in his bed. His food tastes good again and his owner has noticed that he is no longer limping.

Steve continues to get acupuncture treatments once a week for five weeks and has never felt better. He can now go for long hikes with his owner and chases the cat around the house as though he's a puppy. The other pet owners in the neighborhood even noticed how much better he has been walking. He no longer needs to take any pain medications other than his Chinese herbal medicine, and has not had any diarrhea or vomiting (except for that time his owner fed him some bacon fat from the table). He did not need another acupuncture treatment for six months and now only gets acupuncture treatments once every three to four months to help keep him pain free.

To find a veterinary acupuncturist in your area:

To find a holistic veterinarian in your area:

Holistic Medicine Information: www.altvetmed.org

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