Health Watch
ACUPUNCTURE AND YOUR PET
By Angel Mitchell, DVM
“How does acupuncture work?” That is the one of the most common questions I am asked. There are two different explanations, the eastern way and the western way. As westerners, it is easier for us to understand that acupuncture works by stimulation points in the body that are associated with nerve plexi that cause the release within the body (at both local and distal sites) of chemicals such as endorphins and anti-inflammatory agents. Allowing the body to heal itself naturally or to decrease pain.
The eastern version is a little harder to wrap your mind around. The Chinese found that the body has many channels, or meridians, running through it. These meridians are connected with the organs internally. They knew three thousand years ago that the heart was the center of circulation and joy, but the Chinese organs do not exactly correlate to what we know of these organs. For instance, the Chinese Kidney is associated not only with water regulation but sexual function and fear. As you age, your Kidneys (eastern) lose their Qi (chee) and that deficiency causes grey hair, weak legs, loss of energy and more.
Acupuncture opens the meridians to allow the flow of Qi to move through the body smoothly. For diseases such as arthritis, it is easy to understand that you can open the channels and relieve pain, but you can also support the Kidneys by allowing the Qi to flow, bringing energy to the organs.
In the beginning, I practiced acupuncture with my western brain and I placed needles into points to treat hip dysplasia or back pain. My results were not as good as I expected. Then I learned to use my eastern brain, and like the Chinese, treat the patient not just the symptoms. By using tongue and pulse diagnosis (another article), history, and physical findings, diseases can be diagnosed in Chinese terms and treated more effectively.
For example, a dog with hip dysplasia would be treated with points for hip pain and possibly back pain. If that dog also has weakness, poor appetite, and excessive water consumption the problem may be Kidney Yang deficiency. I would still use those hip dysplasia points but I would also support the kidneys and stimulate the Yang with other points. This approach is much more successful because it is how acupuncture was designed to work.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a combination of acupuncture and herbal remedies. These two modalities work in concert with each other to support the organs, and allow the smooth flow of Qi through the body. The beauty of acupuncture and TCM is that it can also be used with other treatments such as Chiropractic and Western Medicines. So for the pet who doesn’t mind sitting still with needles for 15-20 minutes, it's a win/win situation.
Jenny is a ten year old Sheltie who collapsed and was unable to walk more than 2-3 steps without falling. This had been going on for almost two weeks and medications were not helping at all. Her owner was on the verge if giving up but had heard about acupuncture and thought it was worth a shot.
Jenny's exam was normal except she was overweight and very weak in her rear lags. X-rays were also normal. We began acupuncture and weaned her off of her previous medications.
By the second day, she could walk outside on her own and by the fourth day she could walk ten minutes before getting weak. We continued acupuncture weekly for about a month (and a weight loss program) and she’s been doing great!
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