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Acupunture & TCVM

Acupuncture is a part of TCVM (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine).  TCVM incorporates not only acupuncture but also Chinese herbs, food therapy (based on Chinese modalities), and Tui-na, which is Chinese massage.  TCVM is well-known for its ability to facilitate the healing of wounds and relieve pain associated with musculoskeletal ailments.  It also can be used to encourage the body to heal medical problems!

​Acupuncture has been practiced on humans, horses, cows, and swine for over 2,000 years.  It has only been over the past 50 – 60 years that the modality has been used in dogs, cats, and exotics.

Acupuncture consists of a family of procedures used for therapeutic intervention.  The Chinese theory of acupuncture is based on the premise that there are patterns of energy flow within the body.  Disruptions in the body’s energy flow cause health imbalances and disease.

Acupuncture can treat seizures and other neurological conditions for which there is no response to traditional treatments available in Western medicine, and can be used to help patients recover after surgeries.

Prevention, maintenance, and intervention are key elements to promoting overall wellness.  Chinese and Western medicine are not substitutes for one another, but they are complementary.  As an integrative approach to medicine, acupuncture can be used in conjunction with traditional Western medicine.

What To Expect With TCVM?

During the TCVM/Acupuncture physical, the doctor will examine the eyes, ears, nose, gum color,  and teeth; listen to the heart and palpate (feel) the abdomen, however this examine is more involved than a regular veterinary physical.

During the TCVM/Acupuncture assessment, the doctor will also make note of how the pulse feels, color of the tongue, and temperature of the nose and ears.  The doctor will ask specific questions about eating and drinking habits, sleeping patterns, as well as temperature and surface preferences of the pet.  Information that may not hold much significance to a western veterinarian, or details that the veterinarian may not know how to classify, can be very telling for a veterinarian working in Chinese modalities.

This more complete physical accompanied by an in-depth questionnaire are repeated at each visit.  The information gathered during the TCVM/Acupuncture appointment allows the doctor to determine what is known in Chinese medicine as a pattern.  Patterns are what all treatments in Chinese medicine as based upon.  When the patient’s pattern changes, the treatment is modified.

Once the patient’s pattern is determined, the veterinarian will treat the pet with the acupuncture technique(s) best suited for that patient and the pattern presented.  Treatment may involve one or all the treatments listed on the Acupuncture & TCVM page.

With TCVM visits, the veterinarian may advise dietary restrictions or changes, exercise and massage may be recommended, and herbal formulas could be part of the treatment plan.  These additional therapies ultimately aid in spacing out the acupuncture treatments.

Types of Acupuncture Techniques

*Acupressure – Massage of acupuncture points usually with the fingers.
*Acupuncture (aka dry needles) – Fine taper point solid needles are inserted into acupuncture points.  These dry  needles are left in for variable amounts of time, depending upon the desire to sedate or tonify  the acupuncture point(s), usually 10 – 20 minutes.
*Aquapuncture – Insertion of liquid, usually B-12, into the acupuncture points through a small gauge needle.  This technique works well for the pets that do not like to hold still for the time needed for acupuncture.  ​
*Electrical Acupuncture – Taper point solid needles are inserted into the acupuncture points with stimulation of these points by mild electrical impulses.  This works well for those cases that have paralysis of muscle groups or nerves (as long as the nerve’s myelin sheath is intact) ​

*Laser Acupuncture​ – ​​Laser acupuncture combines two techniques- cold laser therapy and acupuncture (see acupuncture description above). Laser acupuncture can be done a couple of different ways.

  • It can either be used to stimulate acupuncture points in place of acupuncture needles, or
  • it can be used for extra stimulation of acupuncture needles.

Regardless of the technique used, the general theory of acupuncture is all the same- stimulating specifically chosen acupuncture points for a systemic effect.  Some animals tolerate acupuncture needles better than others. Likewise, some pets tolerate certain acupuncture points on their body better than other points depending on the specific condition being treated.

In these cases where acupuncture needles are too powerful and not tolerated by the pet, a cold laser can be used to specifically target that acupuncture point.  This method is less powerful and consequently can be more comfortable than acupuncture needles but can still be effective in stimulating an acupuncture point when a pet is overly sensitive.

Along the same thought process, electroacupuncture (stimulation of acupuncture needles with a small electrical current) is more powerful than just “dry needles.” This technique is typically used to provide a stronger treatment for better/ longer lasting effects, however, electroacupuncture is sometimes too strong for some patients to tolerate. In these situations where a pet needs more than just a dry needle treatment, but cannot tolerate electroacupuncture, laser therapy can be applied over the dry acupuncture needles for added stimulation.