Hello, I’m Dr. Lauren! Read my introduction to study extra about me and my two adventurous cats, Pancake and Tiller.
Acupuncture is historically regarded as a pain-relieving remedy. However is that this its solely use? And what about cats and acupuncture? How do cats tolerate the method? And in case you are trying to discover an acupuncturist on your cat, what are you able to count on?
Let’s discover this extra, on this collection of articles on acupuncture and cats. I’ll focus on instances I’ve seen, how cats tolerate the remedy, what makes use of it might have, and the right way to discover a veterinary acupuncturist close to you.
Wholesome Skepticism?
I’ll be trustworthy, as a Western-trained vet, I’ve all the time been a bit skeptical when a consumer asks me about various therapies or naturopathic dietary supplements.
We had been all the time taught in vet college that the physique and thoughts are separate entities, separate medical disciplines, even. We had been taught to be thorough in questioning the whole lot, to search for the tangible information, the scientific research, the benefit, and search the kind of science that was supported solely by way of a clinically randomized, double-blinded examine.
It wasn’t till not too long ago, that I started to surprise if we had additionally been blinded within the course of.
East vs West
Japanese medication, because it has come to be identified, had been round for 1000’s of years earlier than the arrival of Western medication. Far earlier than double-blinded, placebo-controlled analysis existed, the idea of a holistic being, one with thoughts and physique intimately linked, was taught, practiced, and lived. Theories had been examined, confirmed, and the artwork of Japanese medication turned a follow of medication, taught via generations.
Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and the Shaolin Monks could spring to thoughts if you consider Japanese practices. However till not too long ago, I had no concept how profound these teachings might really be.
After attending a convention on the use of acupuncture in Western veterinary medication, I used to be floored. Out of the blue, the physique and the thoughts had been linked, by intricate pathways or channels, as they’re identified in acupuncture. Channels exist for main organ programs, lots of which correspond to what Western medication would outline centuries later.
Acupuncture in Veterinary Medication
Sterile needles are positioned to stimulate varied components of the channels and the scientific points that the affected person is having, to assist in assuaging the problem. Many theories exist as to how, precisely, the remedy helps to enhance the affected person, with one broadly accepted concept being the involvement of the fascia, a largely underrecognized organ system in Western medication. Regardless, as one in all our lecturers put it this previous weekend, “Acupuncture might be described because the assembly of neurological, psychological and physiological well being”.
Case histories corresponding to horses with intractable “behavioral points” that led to condemning ultimatums of their care (e.g., repair the problem or euthanasia) had been highlighted as acupuncture success tales. Movies of those sufferers earlier than and after remedy had been astounding: animals that presumably had been in so much pain, as to be untouchable, had been out of the blue reworked into utterly totally different beings.
Myself, having had excruciating ache in my leg for about six months, I too, know what a burden it may be. It actually could make you…grumpy…even on the most effective day, to say the least. Limping round, day after day…it will get a bit tiring.
Subsequent week, we’ll discuss concerning the instances I’ve seen and how cats handle the treatment. See you quickly!
