Chronic Pain
Acupuncture releases the body’s own enkephalin and endogenous opiods thus decreasing and sometimes even eliminating chronic pain altogether. This is as true for animals as it is for humans. Countless studies show increased blood levels of these pain-relieving peptides following an acupuncture session. This is similar to a “runner’s high” and in addition to controlling pain, there is often a sense of euphoria after a visit and a good nap. Animals learn they feel good afterwards so many of them bound in looking forward to their treatment — quite unusual for a veterinary visit.
Pharmaceutical management for pain may be necessary at some point in an animal’s life, but these drugs can wreak havoc on the liver, kidneys and intestinal lining (causing ulcers). It is good not to use them everyday. An important concept to understand about anti-inflammatory drugs is they don’t heal anything. In fact, they override the body’s natural protective mechanisms and can make matters worse. Acupuncture can help the body to heal, restore movement and release free radicals that can cause further edema.
There are different acupuncture techniques to manage pain. We use a traditional method and thus generally choose points near the pathology (affecting interneurons at the spinal cord level) and distal to the pathology (affecting the meridian blockage or opening up a blocked vessel). There are other points like Bladder 60 on the outside of the hock joint that help control pain in general.
To say that acupuncture helps with joint pain and arthritis prevention and treatment is true, but it’s important not to forget all the soft tissues related to that joint pain. Many times, tendons, ligaments and muscles cause just as much pain as the joints, and generally conventional medicine doesn’t have many non-surgical answers for soft tissue problems. Often the older patient is stiff due to the cold penetrating the meridians and blocking chi flow. Acupuncture controls blood flow to depleted tissues and helps the body move cellular debris away from the affected area. The result is often an older dog that becomes puppy-like again, or an older cat that can jump onto your lap again!
