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Acupuncture for Horses
Acupuncture for Dogs
Acupuncture for Cats
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Acupuncture is part of the traditional Chinese medical paradigm. From the TCM perspective, which can be hard to fathom with the Western ‘scientific’ mind, it seeks to harmoniously balance the flow of energy through the body. Disease, they maintain, is the result of blockages of the circulation of energy. Acupuncture addresses these blocks. Stimulating carefully selected points on any of the body's energy meridians stimulates energy flow.
I like the poetic descriptions of the ebb and flow of energy in the body and it can be useful in point selection. The bottom line is that TCM is a tool, like the Western acupuncture approach, to allow appropriate point selection; a bit like asking a cartographer and a poet to describe a landscape – neither are right or wrong and both bring their own value to the narrative to help you traverse the land.
Western Explanation
Stimulating the skin, nerves and myofascia at certain points stimulates the nerves supplying that area. This induces biochemical and nervous changes in the spinal cord (with reflex effects in the brain in the ascending/descending tracts) controlling that area, be it the hip or, say, the bladder. These immediate changes bring about more long-lasting, healing, changes in the neurotransmitter environment at that segment of the cord, leading to changes in blood flow. |
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Needles
The needles I use are ultra-fine single use, sterile Japanese Acupuncture needles. As you can see on the photograph at the top of this page, they are only a hair's breadth wide, and yet are very strong and very flexible.
Treatments are 25-30 minutes while the needles remain in place in the skin for 10-15 of these. Animals often feel very relaxed and sedated and will fall asleep with needles in! |
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- Stiffness in neck, back or legs
- Cold backed
- Kissing Spines
- Sinusitis - Nasal Discharge
- Hip pain
- Hock pain/Spavins
- Stimulate wound healing
- Lameness of unknown origin
- Any chronic (long-standing) musculoskeletal problem
- 'Never lies down'
- 'Chiropractic/Osteopathy won't hold'
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- Neck, back, hip, stifle or elbow pain e.g. arthritis, rheumatism or ‘just getting old’
- Back problems/pain
- Incontinence in bitches
- Lameness of unknown origin
- Rehabilitation from surgery, esp. Orthopaedic surgery
- Epilepsy
Lucy, a 4 year-old ex-greyhound, came to me with bad arthritis in her wrists on her front legs.
After four sessions of acupuncture (in which she just dozed off with the needles in as many do!) she was much much improved and could run and stop almost as normal.
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- Neck, back, hip, stifle or elbow pain e.g. arthritis/rheumatism
- ‘Just getting old’ (n.b. when cats get old they move less - when dogs get old they limp!)
- Epilepsy
- Incontinence
- Lameness of unknown origin.
- Any chronic (long-standing) musculoskeletal problem
- NB - Cats are often more tolerant of needling than you would imagine!
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Contact Holisticvet:
Nick Thompson
BSc (Vet Sci) Hons, BVM&S,
VetMFHom, MRCVS.
Apthorp, Weston Road,
Bath, BA1 2XT
nickthompson@holisticvet.co.uk
| Tel: |
01225 48 7778 |
| Mob: |
07881 811 590 |
| Fax: |
07092 233 930 |
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I am only able to treat animals under my care. If you are not able to see me or get me to visit (anywhere in UK or Europe), then please go to bahvs.com for homeopathy vets, abva.co.uk for acupuncture vets or herbalvets.org.uk for herbal vets for your animal.
Thank you. |
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Join Holisticvet online with Facebook and Twitter. You can also follow Nick's latest tweets with the twitter feed at the top.
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Copyright © 2010.
Holisticvet Ltd. is registered in
England under number 04592006.
Registered Office: Holisticvet Ltd,
Apthorp, Weston Road, Bath,
BA1 2XT. Vat No: 840598507 |
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