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ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE:
Acupuncture Can Be a Preventative Health
Treatment for Horses
Acupuncture is a technique that has been used in China for at least 3,000 years to treat many different conditions. During an acupuncture treatment, needles are placed at desired locations in the body (acupuncture points), to cause a desired healing effect. Today, acupuncture is being used all over the world both by itself and in conjunction with western medicine, to treat many different problems and as a preventative health care program in both small and large animals.
Acupunture Can Promote Healing and Pain Relief
In western terms, acupuncture stimulates nerve impulses that travel via the spinal cord to the brain and causes release of many different chemicals such as endorphins, muscle relaxants and histamines that promote healing and pain relief in the body. In Eastern terms, disease is the result of an imbalance in energy (Qi) flow in the body. Acupuncture works to promote better energy flow that enables the body to heal.
A Treatment of Sore Back, Lameness and Neck Pain
Acupuncture can potentially be used for all problems in animals. In horses, acupuncture is used most commonly for musculo-skeletal conditions such as sore backs, lameness conditions and neck pain. Other common reasons for using acupuncture in horses are neurological conditions (e.g. Nerve paralysis), respiratory problems (e.g. Heaves and bleeders), gastrointestinal conditions (e.g. colic, ulcers) and other disorders. Many horse owners will use acupuncture as a routine part of training to try and prevent sports injuries.
Acupuncture is Safe and Theraputic
Acupuncture is probably one of the safest treatment modalities available. The clinical signs in some animals may get worse after treatment. Usually if another couple of treatments is performed the condition then gets better. Other animals may become really sleepy and lethargic following treatment due to the release of chemicals such as endorphins.
Maximum Response and Treatment Time to be
Determined by the Doctor
How often acupuncture treatment should be performed is highly variable depending on the condition being treated. Obviously conditions that have been going on for months to years will not be fixed in one treatment, whereas sudden onset conditions may resolve much more quickly. When several treatments are required one may start by treating every few days or every week and gradually decrease the treatment frequency over time. Positive responses are usually observed after 1-3 treatments and once the maximum response is seen treatments may need to be performed as little as 2-4 times per year.
Learn More About Acupuncture
Call Wisconsin Equine Clinic and Hospital to set up a consultation with one of our certified veterinary acupuncturists, to discuss whether acupuncture is a modality you would like to explore for your horse.
To promote healing and to relieve pain, one of our specially trained acupuncture veterinarians, Dr. Bourne, uses acupuncture to stimulate nerve impulses on the horse.
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