Acupuncture

Health can be defined as the balance in an individual’s body as well as the balance between body and mind and between the individual and their environment. Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) has four main components: acupuncture, herbal medicine, food therapy, and Tui-na (medical manipulation). Acupuncture usually involves the insertion of thin sterile needles into discrete and specific points on the body in order to cause a therapeutic effect but may include other methods such as electrical stimulation and moxibustion. The point on the body is call “Shu-xie” or acupuncture point (acupoint). The ancient Chinese discovered 361 acupoints in humans and 173 acupoints in animals.

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Acupuncture has been practiced in both animals and humans for thousands of years in China. The earliest veterinary acupuncture book, “Bo Le Zhen Jing” (Bole’s Canon of veterinary Acupuncture), is believed to have been written by Dr. Bo Le in the Qin-mu-gong period (659 B.C.E to 621 B.C.E). Veterinary treatment protocols using acupuncture are well-documented in this textbook. Since then, acupuncture has been a part of the mainstream veterinary medical system in China.

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Modern research shows that acupoints are located in the areas where there is a high density of free nerve endings, mast cells, small arterioles, and lymphatic vessels. Most acupoints are motor points. A great number of studies indicate that the stimulation of acupoints induces the release of beta-endorphins, serotonin, and other neurotransmitters. The US National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine has a total of 25,674 research papers regarding acupuncture and 404 animal specific articles as of February 2017.

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Qi (pronounced “chee”) is life force or vital energy. There are two contrasting forms of Qi: Yin and Yang. Yin energy tends to be cool, dark, still, and moving downward, while Yang energy is warm, light, mobile, expanding, and moving upward. Physiologically, Qi flows throughout the body all the time, maintaining a balance of Yin and Yang. When the flow of Qi is interrupted by any pathological factor (such as a viral or bacterial infection), the balance of Yin and Yang will be disrupted and consequently, a disease may occur. Pain is interpreted as the blockage of Qi flow. Acupuncture stimulation resolves this blockage, freeing the flow of Qi and enabling the body to heal itself. Homeostasis is restored when Yin and Yang Qi are in balance.

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A Channel or Meridian is where Qi flows inside the body. There are 12 Regular Channels and 8 Extraordinary Channels. The most commonly used acupuncture points are located along these Channels. Each Regular Channel is related to specific paired organs. The network of Channels is called the Jing-Luo system.