Acupuncture for dogs

Spyglass Sally · 10-09-2009, 05:17 PM

I'm reading a book on holistic healing and animals and read something I thought was kind of interesting. The author thinks ear cropping is "completely unjustifiable" because, among other things, there are eighty-eight acupuncture points in the ear flap which correspond to every major function of the body.

I don't have any first hand experience with acupuncture, although I believe in its efficacy, but this got me wondering if anyone has ever used it on their dog?

KeeperBoy · 10-09-2009, 05:28 PM

Our friend's dog is a rescue with serious nerve degeneration in his back end. He cannot control his bowels and has a hard time walking/running. They do acupuncture on him and they swear his legs are getting better.

I swear by it for myself too. It changed my life and got rid of a condition I had for 5 years in about 6 weeks of treatment.

Ron · 10-09-2009, 05:51 PM

interesting, i've never even thought about Acupuncture

AussieGirl · 10-10-2009, 06:39 AM

Yes I've heard of it, I was trying to get a referal from a Holistic vet in Sydney for a Holistic vet up where we live (so I wouldn't have to argue about the reduced vaccinations or my RAW feeding) but all they could find was an acupuncturist, the search continues.

Spyglass Sally · 10-10-2009, 08:47 AM

The author was a pretty conventional vet who never thought of alternative treatments of any sort, until various things led him on that journey, including utilizing acupuncture successfully for his own bursitis.

He says it's now, even among some conventional vets, it's the treatment of choice for arthritis, hip dysplasia, and diseased spinal disks. He's also used it successfully for neurological conditions, respiratory (allergies, asthma) and digestive issues (chronic diarrhea & vomiting). In fact, he calls it a "critical" part of his practice and says if your vet doesn't at least endorse its practice, they need to be "enlightened."

whitedaisy · 10-10-2009, 09:25 AM

I am always interested in natural approaches so I did consider it for Daisy. Unfortunately the closest holistic Vet is an hour away and a real fruit loop, if you know what I mean....

I do believe accupuncture works, not totally convinced that it works they way they say it does though.

KeeperBoy · 10-10-2009, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whitedaisy

I am always interested in natural approaches so I did consider it for Daisy. Unfortunately the closest holistic Vet is an hour away and a real fruit loop, if you know what I mean....

I do believe accupuncture works, not totally convinced that it works they way they say it does though.

My brother tells me it was all a placebo effect... I told him I really didn't care what it was as long as it worked!

I cannot believe human acupuncture is not covered by insurance. Although our old flex plan used to reimburse me for it.

Spyglass Sally · 10-10-2009, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KeeperBoy

My brother tells me it was all a placebo effect... I told him I really didn't care what it was as long as it worked!

I cannot believe human acupuncture is not covered by insurance. Although our old flex plan used to reimburse me for it.

Andrea, you got me going on this one.

I'm with you - if it works, who cares? But I'm also uncomfortable with the way people disrespect very valid therapies. For anyone to say "placebo effect" as a derogatory statement is to deny the mind-body connection/oneness and is really a very outdated approach in view of what we now know, based on solid scientific evidence.

The split of mind from body was a relatively recent idea, starting around the 1600's due to the influence of Rene Descartes. Prior to that medicine, science, philosophy and spirituality were considered aspects of the whole person - as they still are in many cultures. With Descartes influence, the separation of mind and body occurred with mind being the domain of religion (or, in later years, the emerging field of psychology) and body being the purview of science and medicine. Sounded like a nice clean approach. But the problem was it didn't work. People's problems didn't divide up so neatly.

It didn't take long before there was mounting evidence that the mind and body were deeply integrated, affecting each other in concrete ways that defied division or separation:

Dr. John Elliotson demonstrated in the 1840’s that surgery could be performed on "mesmerized" (hypnotized) patients.
In 1929, Dr. Edmund Jacobsen published his landmark book, Progressive Relaxation, in which he demonstrated physiological homeostasis with his practical technique of focused systematic muscle contraction and relaxation. He demonstrated that 80% of patients with “psychosomatic illness” were cured with this approach.
Dr. Hans Selye (1907-1982) demonstrated the major effect of stress on health in general and maladaptation to stress as the basis of most disease. He emphasized the physiologic similarities of physical, chemical, and emotional stress.
In 1970, Dr. Elmer Green and his wife, Alyce, introduced the concept of autogenic feedback training, which became biofeedback. Their earliest work proved that 84% of migraineurs and 80% of patients with hypertension were remarkably improved and adequately controlled with temperature biofeedback training. Since that time, it has been demonstrated that every physiological response, which can be measured and fed back to the patient visually or audibly, is capable of being brought under voluntary control.
In the 1970s, Dr. Herbert Benson first reported on the physiologic homeostatic benefits of meditation and later recognized that the basic benefit was deep relaxation, soon to become known as the Relaxation Response. Most striking was Benson’s demonstration that individuals who did 20 minutes of deep relaxation twice a day had a 50% decrease of both catecholamine production and insulin requirement for the entire 24-hour period. And, unlike drug therapy, there were no toxic side effects to these treatments.
In the early 1980s, George Solomon introduced the major field of psychoneuroimmunology, which has provided the greatest evidence of the complete interconnectedness of body, mind and attitude. Most remarkable is the finding that virtually every neurochemical produced in the brain is also produced in white blood cells and usually in the intestines (maybe that's why we get a "gut feeling" about something?). To some extent, the field of psychoneuroimmunology has suggested that the “mind” is part of every cell. Ultimately, mind-body medicine is the foundation for virtually all complementary/alternative modalities.
There are well over 100,000 scientific articles emphasizing the effects of mind on body and of body on mind. The fields of hypnosis, biofeedback, relaxation training, psychoneuroimmunology, faith and prayer and spirituality have solid scientific studies at this time.

Placebo is Latin for "I shall please" and 1811 it was defined as "any medicine adapted more to please than to benefit the patient." Evidence has shown that the connection between mind and body is very real, and the reason some medicines or treatments please is because they do benefit -without the toxic side effects of pharmaceutical drugs. Certain "scientists" have thought that because they can't measure something (like chi) or understand how it works (like acupuncture), it can't be true. Fortunately people ignore them, and get well anyway.

Besides, pets can't have a placebo effect. They don't have any knowledge of or belief system about what's being done to them. Yet they are also made better by treatments like acupuncture.

Jewels · 03-05-2010, 07:19 PM

Sally, what was the name of the book you are referring to? I have thought about accupunture also (depending on how the next month or so goes with Daisy). This has worked for me personally in issues that I dealt with for 7 years and every medicine and test that traditional medicine couldn't fix. I was healed in 6 treatments! So pending how she does holistic and accupunture is our next step.

Spyglass Sally · 03-06-2010, 05:18 AM

I'm sorry but I'm not sure of the name of the book anymore! I've read a number of them. If I had to guess it would be The Nature of Animal Healing by Martin Goldstein.

I've also had *human* friends who have tried acupuncture and been very impressed with it. Keep us posted!