Veterinary Acupuncture

At Bowman, one of the most important ways we take an integrative approach to medicine is by utilizing the healing powers of acupuncture. In China, this technique has been used on animals for over 3000 years. Veterinary acupuncture is currently utilized all over the world to treat a wide variety of maladies in every species of domestic and exotic animal.

According to ancient Chinese medical philosophy, disease is the result of an imbalance of energy in the body. Acupuncture is believed to balance this energy and thereby assist the body to heal disease. In Western terms, acupuncture can assist the body to heal itself by affecting certain physiological changes. For example, acupuncture can stimulate nerves, increase blood circulation, relieve muscle spasms, and cause the release of hormones such as endorphins and cortisol. It is also successful in the treatment musculoskeletal, skin and gastrointestinal problems. It has even been used successfully to treat respiratory illness, such as feline asthma.

The Chinese also realized that acupuncture points communicate with one another and internal body organs in specific ways. Similar to destinations along a train track, these points are connected by meridians or channels. Each meridian assumes the name after the internal organ with which it communicates. By placing a needle or a bead in one point, we affect a whole meridian. Disease is caused by a blockage along the meridian, like snow along a train track, and the acupuncture frees up the blockage.

When administered by a trained veterinarian, acupuncture is one of the safest forms of medical treatment for animals. The insertion of the needles is virtually painless, and most animals become very relaxed and often sleepy after the needles are in place. The length and frequency of the treatments depends on the veterinarian’s assessment of each individual patient’s medical condition.