Veterinary Acupuncture is an ancient treatment method used in China for over 3000 years. According to the basic foundation of Oriental Medicine, “dis- ease” is the result of an imbalance of the bodies energy flow. Acupuncture is believed to balance the energy by re-directing its flow, assisting the body to heal. Acupuncture may be defined as the insertion of needles into specific points on the body to cause a desired healing effect. It is a method of encouraging the body to promote natural healing and improve function. Stimulation of an individual acupuncture point may take as little as one second or as much as 30 minutes to one hour.
Electroacupuncture is quite similar to traditional acupuncture. As with traditional acupuncture, needles are inserted on specific points along the body. The needles are then attached to a device that generates continuous electric pulses using small clips. These devices are used to adjust the frequency and intensity of the impulse being delivered, depending on the condition being treated. Electroacupuncture uses two needles at time so that the impulses can pass from one needle to the other. Several pairs of needles can be stimulated simultaneously.
Moxibustion is a treatment that uses the dried leaf of mugwort rolled into a stick or placed on the end of the needles, then burned as a warming therapy during treatment.
Chinese Herbal Medicine and acupuncture are complementary therapeutic modalities that are often used together in the treatment of a variety of medical conditions. Herbal formulas can be prescribed in a number of ways: raw herbs that are boiled into a tea, liquid extracts, pills or powder. Herbal formulas are used to support the body’s healing abilities, addressing the underlying root cause of various medical conditions, whether acute or chronic. The art and skill of creating a formula lies within choosing the precise and most effective herbs that target an animal’s disharmony.