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Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) is growing in acceptance and practice in veterinary clinics around the world. In China, it has been used in veterinary practice for over 3000 years to treat many ailments. The Chinese regularly practiced acupuncture on horses, as evidenced by Dr. Bo Le's canon of veterinary acupuncture "Bo Le Zhen Jing", written between 659 BC and 621 BC. Later it was gradually tried on other farm animals and finally dogs, cats and birds.

TCVM focuses on health maintenance, illness prevention and non-invasive treatment through its four branches:

• Acupuncture,
• Chinese Botanical (herbal) medicine,
• Nutritional (food) therapy and
• Tui-Na bodywork massage.

In human therapy there is a fifth branch: Qi-gong meditational execise. One might argue that companion animals already spend a good part of the day in meditation, so do not require this technique! The philosophy and practice of TCVM are consistent with the most significant developments in veterinary health care today:

• emphasizing regular examinations and preventive care;
• less-invasive or non-invasive approaches;
• balancing environmental, physical, emotional and spiritual factors in health; and
• the role of the veterinarian as a partner with the animal's guardian to facilitate the patient's health and well-being.

Acupuncture

According to traditional Chinese thought the health of the body is dependant on the strength and the flow of Qi (Vital Energy). Each human and animal is born with a fixed amount of Jing (Vital Essence) at birth. Jing is spent in the work of living. The Jing is supported and expressed by the movement of Qi throughout the body via a system of channels (also called meridians). Qi is replenished by food and air (oxygen). These channels flow on the surface of the body and also deep within the body connecting all organs and tissues in a vast network. Disease can arise when there is an imbalance or disruption in the flow of Qi through these channels. Certain areas along the channels that travel the surface of the body provide access to the Qi and allow a trained acupuncturist and tui-na practitioner to affect the flow and quality of Qi in the body. These areas are the acupuncture points. Modern research has shown that these specific points have a higher density of nerve endings, immune-cells, small arterioles and lymphatic vessels than the surrounding tissue. By stimulating these points, sometimes located far from the site of symptoms, the veterinary acupuncturist and tui-na practitioner can assist the body's innate ability to heal itself by balancing it's Qi. This balancing is now known to be mediated primarily via beta-endorphins (the body's own pain-relief factor), serotonin (associated with mood), and similar neurotransmitters. Other mechanisms including hormonal factors that reduce inflammation are also involved. The acupuncture or tui-na massage stimulation adjusts blood circulation, relieves muscle spasm, alters hormone levels and the function of organs.
Acupuncture:Frequently Asked Questions
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Chinese Botanical (herbal) medicine

Botanical preparations of various forms are often used in TCVM. They can assist the flow and quality of Qi and complement acupuncture and tui-na treatments. Botanical prescriptions are composed of a synergistic combination of herbs that are chosen for their unique properties, and are tailored to the individual's specific needs. The use of plants, animal parts and minerals, or extracts thereof, to treat illness dates back thousands of years. The early use of botanicals is recorded in Shen Nong's "Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing", the orginal text on Chinese botanical therapy. In 1785 William Withering "discovered" the folk herbal remedy foxglove leaf for "dropsy" (hydrops or edema, which is excess fluid in the tissues due to heart failure). He isolated and purified digitoxin (one of many medicinal compounds in the plant), and carefully recorded toxic side-effects. From then on conventional medical and pharmaceutical researchers believed that the active components of plants should be extracted, purified and given in specific dosages. This approach ignores the benefit of all the other componants of the plant (nutritional and medicinal) that work synergistically with the one compound western medicine considers the "active ingredient".

Safety and effectiveness are of prime consideration when using herbal medicine. An accurate TCVM diagnosis of the patient's problems, after a complete assessment consisting of a comprehensive history, physical examination, and appropriate diagnostic testing, forms the basis of treatment. Any veterinarian prescribing Chinese botanicals for treatment purposes should have a thorough training in TCVM and the use of herbs. Chinese botanical medicine can be especially in useful in patients with chronic conditions, where long term therapy is required and internal organs need nourishment and support. They contain many active componants that can be loosely grouped into four classifications:

Polysaccharides

enhance the immune response. This can help the body defend itself from external attack, as well as internal attack such as cancer.

Flavenoids

dilate blood vessels, have anti-allergy, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and blood-thinning effects. They can form tannins which control inappropriate fluid release from cell surfaces.

Steroids

a large group of compounds, including many hormones. Natural steroids have a much lower potency than synthetic (pharmacological) forms. They have anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergy, and fluid nourishing capabilities.

Alkaloids

at low dosages they stimulate the heart and lungs, and at higher dosages they act as sedatives. In addition the have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and pain-releif properties. They also enhance immunity.

Chinese botanical medicine can be used effectively on its own or in combination with acupuncture and/or western Medicine. If used in conjunction with western medications or nutraceuticals the possible drug/herb interactions must be taken into consideration. Botanical medicine should only be employed under the instruction and supervision of an appropriately trained veterinarian.
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Tui-Na Bodywork Massage

Tui-na is a form of massage that has been used in China for 2,000 years. It uses therapeutic manipulations to affect not only the muscles and joints, but also the flow of Qi in the body. Because of its focus on the stimulation of specific acupoints along the energy channels, some consider it a form of needle-free acupuncture. Tui-na methods include the use of soft tissue massage, acupressure techniques to directly affect the flow of Qi, and gentle manipulation techniques to align the joints. Simple tui-na techniques can be taught to the pet's guardian to perform at home, reinforcing the treatments received during the visit.
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Nutritional (food) therapy

In traditional Chinese thought, herbs and foods are closely related, if not extensions of one another. Different foods have different energies, and affinities for different body systems. Some are warming, others cooling. Some have beneficial effects on the bowel, others on the heart. Besides the common adage "we are what we eat", TCVM views food as a daily replenishing of qi. The appropriate foods for an individual pet will energize and harmonize; the wrong diet can not only deplete qi but cause continuing imbalance and disruption of its flow. By adding or eliminating certain foods in a pet's diet, the body can be supported and healing achieved.
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