About Acupuncture
Only fully licensed veterinarians are allowed to take certified courses in veterinary acupuncture.
This restriction provides the best carepossible for the patients since these veterinarians will understand both conventional and acupuncture therapies.Releasing the Flow of Energy
Acupuncture is defined as the stimulation of a specific point (acupuncture point) on the body with a specific method, resulting in a therapeutic effect. Thus, there are three major components of the acupuncture process: (1) acupuncture point; (2) stimulating method; and (3) acupuncture-inducing therapeutic effects.
There are around 173 major acupuncture points in horses and dogs, located throughout the body. Most acupuncture points are found on pathways called meridians, the energy flow systems of the body. More recently these meridians have been proposed to be coursing through the network of fascia throughout the body.
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Chi (the body’s natural energy) moves from one acupuncture point to the next via these meridian systems. The Traditional Chinese Medicine theory is that when the Chi cannot properly flow from one acupuncture point to the next, a disease state occurs. Therefore, the goal of acupuncture therapy is to unblock the stagnation and allow the Chi to flow properly throughout the body. With a free flow of Chi, the body is in balance, and there is no disease. There are several ways to stimulate acupuncture points, and the most commonly used methods in horses are dry needle, electro-acupuncture and aqua-acupuncture. Dry needle therapy is the insertion of acupuncture needles into acupuncture points. Electro-acupuncture is the attachment of electrical current to the dry needles. Aqua-acupuncture is the injection of a sterile solution, usually vitamin B12, into the acupuncture points. The technique employed is based on the horse’s attitude and clinical condition. The desired therapeutic effects are achieved through the release of various substances from the brain to the diseased area in the body.
In Eastern terms any side effects from acupuncture, are due to the re-flowing of energy in the Sheng and Ko cycles within various structures within the body.
This energy is responsible for the creation and destruction of cells in the body and the flow of energy along the meridians which has more recently been likened to the connective tissue surrounding muscle bundles and the cushion for fluid to flow through and in-which the vein, artery and nerve complex are protected.
Forces travelling through the muscle and bone complexes, creating vibrations in the fluids of the body impact upon the energy inherited from the cosmos and our parents at the time of our birth. It is the Kidneys that store this energy.
The mascline (Yang) energy is the firey, drying qualities within the body. The feminine (Yin) energy is the nourishing, fluidic aspects.
Within each and every cell of your body is currently going millions of energy creating and destroying processes. We usually fail to comprehend, the impact and extent to which our environment, our own emotions and our thought patterns, attract the exact energy we require at that moment for our experiences in life. That includes the stagnation of energy that results under stressful conditions.
