Acupuncture: Cook Book Therapy or Medical Practice?

When Richard Nixon visited China in 1978, North Americans watched their TVs with amazement as an open-heart surgery was performed on a man, with anesthesia provided by acupuncture needles alone. This planted in our westerner’s minds the notion of acupuncture as a therapy to eliminate or control pain. Indeed, one of the most important applications of acupuncture is in the treatment of chronic pain. In the few decades following this opening of China to western eyes, acupuncture has gone from being perceived as fringe medicine to becoming a household-name therapy, offered side-by-side with the standard treatments. Among alternative therapies, acupuncture is the most accepted because it fits our view of medical practice: it uses needles, and needles are a symbol of modern medicine. Furthermore, the effects of acupuncture can be explained, in part, by modern physiology: nerve stimulation, pain blockage, releasing of endorphins, et cetera.

However, acupuncture is a very deep-acting therapy in which the effects go beyond pain control, and with mechanisms of action that are difficult to explain in modern medical terms.

Acupuncture has been practiced in China for over 4000 years. Its use in animals goes back at least 2000 years. Acupuncture is a therapeutic technique within what the west has defined as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In animal medicine we use the term Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM). Other therapeutic techniques used by TCVM are herbs, dietary modification, and Tui-na (a type of massage therapy). Acupuncture is to TCVM what surgery is to western medicine. Under the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association's definition, acupuncture is surgery. In western modern medicine the application of surgery is the result of a thorough diagnosis and analysis of a case; similarly, the application of acupuncture is the result of a thorough TCVM diagnosis.

Simply put, TCVM is based on the concept of Qi. Qi [pronounced Chee] is the life force that makes cells and organs work. Qi flows through every part of the body, moving the machinery. Just like rain that wets and permeates the soil but also follows paths and forms streams running downhill, Qi follows channels in the body, where it is to be seen at higher intensity. These channels are also known as meridians. The organs depend on Qi for their functioning, and their functioning affects the Qi that flows to other organs. Each organ generates a pair of channels, which feed into other pairs of channels attached to another organ. Thus, in TCVM the organism is seen as a network of organs, interconnected by channels, with Qi circulating throughout. In the healthy organism Qi flows unobstructedly; all organs are working in tandem, taking from and passing sufficient Qi to other organs so as to maintain the balance. However, due to environmental forces (food, climate, social interactions, microbes, et cetera), an organ or a channel may become affected and thrown off balance; eventually all of the organs and channel will be affected as a result.

The TCVM diagnosis is the definition of the type of malfunction that is occurring, and of the primary organs involved. Even when looking at a problem that may seem entirely local, such as a damaged spinal disc or an arthritic joint, one must detect the type of malfunction in the primary channels affected, as well as in the related organ and any other organs and channels that may also be affected.

The TCVM diagnosis defines the point-formula used, i.e. the combination of places where the needles are to be placed. Consideration of age and medical history are also essential for a successful and safe treatment, because certain points or point-formulas best suit certain cases and should be avoided in others (some points cannot be used in pregnant animals; some point-formulas must be avoided in older patients that may have cardiac problems). The effect of other drugs that the animal is taking must also be considered, because drugs affect organs selectively in a way determined by the patient’s constitution (genetic makeup).

Acupuncture is a complex and powerful method of medicine that is extremely effective in animals, when used within the context and foundations of TCVM. In Nova Scotia, acupuncture is practiced by veterinarians licensed by the Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association (NSVMA), who are certified by the International Veterinary Medical Society (IVAS) and are members of the Association of Veterinary Acupuncturists of Canada (AVAC).

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