If acupuncture is commonly practiced in humans, it is much less known in animals. Yet it is just as useful and effective! This is what explains Dr. Agnès Darnis, veterinarian specializing in Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
What is acupuncture for animals?
Acupuncture is one of the five pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Several millennia old, recognized by the World Health Organization (O.M.S), this therapy has been developing for 30 years in the veterinary profession.
It involves, by the implantation of very fine sterile needles at specific points, to restore the energy imbalances responsible for the disease. These points are organized into paths, called "meridians", mapped for each species.
For the animals, as for the children, the pulp of the fingers often replaces the needles: it is the digipuncture. As they do not build mental barriers, they are particularly receptive to this care.
It is also possible to tone these points by moxas, rods of dried mugwort whose embers emit a particular infrared radiation, very stimulating.
How is a veterinary acupuncture session?
In practice, the Chinese clinical examination always begins with a precise questionnaire on the disorders that affect the animal. A careful examination of the tongue, the whole body and the patient's pulse, taken at the level of the folds of the groin for the dog and the cat, follows. Finally, the vertebrae are palpated one by one, because they have a correspondence with the organs and the viscera.
All these elements together make it possible to make a Chinese diagnosis, and to develop a treatment plan. The veterinarian then chooses the points of the meridians that will be necessary to find the balance, and therefore the state of health.
Acupuncture, is it painful for the animal?
The fineness of the needles, when necessary, facilitate a painless pose. This allows the muscular tensions to resolve quickly, and the animal to relax.
How many acupuncture sessions are needed?
One or more sessions may be necessary, spaced from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the pathology and its seniority.
It is also possible to combine acupuncture and pharmacopoeia, that is to say prescribe plants orally. These herbal medicines take over care sessions, to deeply recharge organs with disabilities. Thus, the risk of relapse decreases considerably.
What animals does acupuncture target?
The fields of application of veterinary acupuncture are very numerous, from locomotor problems to heart disease and skin diseases.
With this therapy, an older animal can improve quality of life, and chemotherapy can be better supported.
But it can also surprise us, by providing visible and rapid results on neurological disorders such as epilepsy, or hormonal imbalances such as diabetes mellitus.
Finally, our patient on all fours is the best judge of efficiency, so why limit the range of possibilities?