What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture involves placing small flexible needles into specific points on the body, called acupoints, to treat illness and disease.  It originally evolved 3 to 4 thousand years ago in India and China, and was the main form of medicine in China until the 1900s.  In the early 1970s, veterinarians from the U.S. brought the treatment here for use in their animal patients.  While acupuncture therapy is still evolving, there are now many scientific studies to support its effectiveness in humans and animals.

How does Acupuncture work?
While no one knows for sure exactly how acupuncture works, there are 2 approaches to understanding the effects of acupuncture.  Western studies have shown that acupuncture produces a release of endorphins (the body's natural morphine), which help alleviate pain.  We also know acupuncture causes the release of other substances (such as cortisol), changes blood flow in the areas around the needles, and potentially acts on "inhibitory" neurons, which are nerve cells in the spinal cord that can inhibit the transmission of pain to the brain.

Eastern philosophy believes that vital energy, or chi, flows through the body in specific channels called meridians.  Obstruction of the flow of energy from external forces (such as wind, heat, dampness, and other "pathogenic factors") results in disease symptoms such as pain.  Acupuncture needles are used to tap into specific points along these energy channels to relieve the obstruction and restore the energy balance of the body.

Does Acupuncture hurt?
Acupuncture is not painful.  The needles are much smaller and thinner than those used for routine shots and injections.  There is a minimal pinching sensation when the needles are inserted through the skin.  Occasionally, there is a sore spot that will be more sensitive to needle placement.

Can you do Acupuncture on animals?
Yes!  Acupuncture is a very effective treatment for many ailments in animals.  Most pets tolerate needle insertion quite well.  While they do have to hold relatively still for about 20 minutes, the majority do well laying on a blanket and being petted by their owners.  We also offer treats and other "bribes" to keep them calm.  Many animals enjoy the treatment and actually fall asleep.

What kind of conditions respond to Acupuncture?
Acupuncture works well for many different conditions in animals, including:

• Arthritis and other joint problems
• Neurologic problems (nerve injury, ruptured discs, seizures)
• Digestive disorders (constipation, inflammatory bowel disease)
• Feline asthma
• Wound healing and scar reduction
• Post-operative pain management and healing
• Immune system disorders

How long does an Acupuncture treatment take?
The first acupuncture treatment takes about an hour, as a full medical history and physical exam of your pet are completed prior to performing the acupuncture.  Subsequent treatments take about 30 to 40 minutes.

How soon will I see a response to Acupuncture?
Again, this will vary with the individual, but most animals will respond within the first 3 to 4 treatments.  Chronic diseases generally take longer to improve than acute diseases.  The general guideline is that if a patient hasn't responded after the fourth treatment, a different therapy should be implemented.

How long will the response to Acupuncture last?
The effects of acupuncture are cumulative, so the initial response may last only hours or a few days.  Later treatments result in much longer responses, up to several weeks or months.  Again, this varies in individual animals depending on the severity of disease.

How often will my pet need Acupuncture treatments?
Pets generally receive acupuncture treatments weekly until improvement is seen.  Then the treatments are stretched out to every other week, then every three weeks, and so on.  Most pets end up on monthly maintenance therapy.  For acute conditions, acupuncture may be discontinued once the symptoms are resolved.

Is Acupuncture safe?
Acupuncture is considered very safe, especially when compared with the side effects of most pharmaceuticals.  However, there are a few potential complications:

• Infection at the site of needle placement.  Because of the needles' very small size,  this is a very rare occurrence.
• Broken needles.  Again, because the needles are flexible they tend to bend rather than break, but broken needles have been reported, especially in horses.
• Ingestion of a needle.  The occasional patient will mistake a needle for food and eat it.  Usually the needle passes without incident.  However, we can also retrieve the needle if necessary.
• Worsening of symptoms.  While acupuncture is supposed to make animals better, a treatment can occasionally make a patient's symptoms worse.  This is because the acupuncture treatment is opening blood flow and energy flow to an area that has been deprived for a period of time.  The perception of pain increases in response to this new flow, but the effect is transient, usually only lasting 24 to 48 hours before improvement is noted.