#veterinaryacupuncture

Gamble Pet Clinic is excited to announce that we are now offering Medical Acupuncture for our patients!  Dr. Sneva recently completed a 167 hour course in Veterinary Medical Acupuncture and is currently working on her case reports to get her final certification.   

What is Medical Acupuncture?

Medical acupuncture, also known as neuroanatomical acupuncture, involves inserting slim, sterile needles into specific points on the body (often areas associated with nerve bundles, blood vessels, muscle bellies or muscle/tendon junctions).  The acupuncture needle stimulates the nerves in the area and this starts a cascade of impulses leading to and from the brain.  In the spinal cord and brain, there is well established evidence that acupuncture causes the release of opioid peptides (endorphins), serotonin, other neurotransmitters and hormones.  These are the body’s natural pain killers and healing agents.  Blood vessels around the needle dilate, increasing blood flow to the area.  Increased blood flow delivers oxygen and nutrients to the area and removes toxins.  The spinal chord sends a reflex signal, relaxing the tissues all around the needle.

Medical Acupuncture developed from Traditional Chinese Medicine that has been used for over 2000 years.  However, Medical Acupuncture is scientifically based and extensively studied to show that it works by specifically interacting with the nervous system and brain.

How Does it Work?

Acupuncture treats the body naturally via neuromodulation. Neuromodulation is the stimulation and normalization of the nervous system, which leads to improved comfort and function of specific muscles, organs, nerves and the immune system. Acupuncture helps animals feel better through reduced pain, improved function of the body, decreased inflammation and improved healing.

Medical Acupuncture can help treat many common conditions including:

Pain: muscle tension, muscle spasm, neck and back pain, neuropathic pain, soft tissue injuries, post-surgical pain, bony pain, cancer pain

Musculoskeletal Problems: Hip dysplasia and arthritis, cranial cruciate ligament injuries, other knee injuries or arthritis, elbow dysplasia and arthritis, shoulder pain, neck and back pain, weakness and lameness

Neurological Disease: Intervertebral disk disease, spinal chord injury, facial nerve paralysis, other neuropathies, seizures

Gastrointestinal Disorders: Vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, inflammatory bowel disease, fecal incontinence, nausea and decreased appetite

Kidney disease

Urinary Issues: Urinary incontinence, cystitis in cats

Eye problems: Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS or dry eye), glaucoma

Respiratory Disorders: Laryngeal paralysis, Asthma, Rhinitis

Immune System Disorders: Autoimmune conditions, boosting the body’s immune system

Skin Problems: Wounds, acral lick granulomas

How is it Tolerated in Pets?

Acupuncture is remarkably well tolerated by animals!  They often become very relaxed or even sleepy during their treatments.  You may find that once your pet learns they are coming in for acupuncture, they are actually excited to come into the clinic!

Is it Safe?

Acupuncture is one of the safest therapies utilized if practiced by a competent, professionally trained veterinary acupuncturist. Side effects are rare. Acupuncture balances the body’s own systems of function and healing, and no chemicals are administered, therefore complications rarely develop.

Timing/Frequency

A typical treatment protocol would involve once weekly treatments for 3 weeks, then once every 4-6 weeks as needed to maintain an older pet’s comfort or disease condition.  Young animals with healing injuries often resolve after the initial 3 treatments.  Acupuncture is not meant to replace our regular western medicine diagnostics and treatments that you are already accustomed to receiving here at Gamble Pet Clinic.  It is an integrative therapy that can be used in addition to western medicine or can be used when surgery is not an option or your pet is unable to tolerate, or is not responding to, typical medications that we would use for their medical condition.

I have had a few people ask me lately if  I am a veterinarian or an acupuncturist. I am both.  In order to pratice acupuncture legally on an animal, you must be a licensed veterinarian or in your third or fourth year of veterinary school.  You do not have to have an acupuncture certification, but learning acupuncture isn’t something you can do at a weekend course either.

There are 3 certifying veterinary acupuncture programs in the United States.  All 3 programs are wonderful, but all are different.  There is a program at Colorado State University offering a science-based acupunture program. There is the Chi Institute in Florida offering a Traditional Chinese Medicine based acupuncture program.  Then, there is the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (the first certification body in the US) that trains in different parts of the country every year.  The IVAS program is a combination of Chi and Colorado State.  

Like I have mentioned, I am in the Chi program.  This course takes 6 months to complete and requires 130 hours of continuing education.  It involves 5 different modules, 2 online and 3 on site.  There are 3 online quizzes, a written examination, and a lab examination in which you identify acupuncture points.  In addition, each student must submit a case report of a patient that has received acupuncture and attend 30 hours of internship training with a certified veterinary acupuncturist.  

24 Oct, 2015

Back from another session

I have been back from my Florida acupuncture training for almost a week and, of course, I enjoyed my time.  The dynamics of my lab group is amazing! Everyone gets along well and the environment is incredibly laid back.  Two of my lab mates are also from Michigan and the other 2 are from Chicago.  We draw on each other's strengths and help one another with our points.   I enjoyed meeting back up with the girls and hearing about everyones’ successes.   One girl has been treating rabbits and another is treating her in-law’s ailing geriatric dog for arthritis.  They have all responded well, which furthers my confidence in acupunture.

We had the pleasure or treating a sweet Chocolate lab.  This guy was so laid back during the laboratory session that he actually seemed to enjoy what we were doing.  What lab doesn’t enjoy attention?  The poor guy had some rear limb weakness and pain, so I am hoping that we have offered him some relief.

We also treated a greyhound with significant shoulder pain.  When we palpated his shoulder, he would flinch and his muscles would tense.  We placed needles for the pain, and he noticably relaxed after a few minutes.  I am so glad, we were able to offer him some relief!

This session focused on adding more acupuncture points to our repertoire and repeating our previous points from the last session.  We also focused on acupuncture points for internal medicine diseases (nausea, anorexia, diarrhea, constipation) and went into more depth on herbal therapy.  One interesting case discussed in lecture was about a Chihuahua that had a highly invasive oral tumor that the owners chose not to have surgically removed.  With herbal therapy and acupuncture, the tumor went away!  

There is no single answer that will satisfy me.  It has been a long journey of seeing pain in my patients and frustration on my part and pet owners:

1)  I feel helpless when I have an ailing patient that is so painful from their arthritis that they can't go up or down steps.  Numerous times I have tried cocktails of NSAIDs, tramadol, gabapentin, fish oil, and glucosamine-chondroitin.  Yes, these drugs and supplements do wonders for painful dogs but sometimes these guys still suffer.  Why can't I have something else to offer?

2)  I have had so many owners ask me about alternative therapies for their pets.  "Dr. Horton, do you know of herbal supplements that can help my pet?"  "Are there options that don't involve pharmaceutical agents?"  

3)  I, myself, try to live a healthy life.  Approximately 4 years ago I made some significant lifestyle changes.  I started exercising regularly, eating as little processed food as possible, and cut out most meat.  Those improvements made me feel better about myself.  The exercise gave me the effects of endorphins, which is what acupuncture also does.

4)  I also wanted to have my own niche in veterinary medicine.  There are only a handful of veterinarians that are certified in veterinary acupuncture.