robertwoodsdvm.com Blog

I recently had to speak with fellow veterinarians to enlighten them on the benefits of acupuncture and realistically, how it can benefit our patients. As I was writing, I noticed that I could take an excerpt and inform my clients as well.

The years of being a certified veterinary acupuncturist has allowed me to enhance the quality of life for my patients in numerous ways. Probably the biggest advantage of acupuncture therapy are the minimal side effects associated with its usage. I can honestly say that aside from mild soreness the treatments have been well accepted for a variety of species. I have treated a wide range of conditions using acupuncture with a range of success as well. In general, any inflammatory condition can benefit from the use of acupuncture. Numerous studies have shown the benefits of acupuncture for pain relief such conditions as osteoarthritis and intervertebral disc disease, nausea and anxiety. I have also used it successfully to treat everything from pancreatitis to rectal prolapse. Acupuncture has several physiologic effects including vasodilatation, immunomodulation, neurotransmitter and hormone secretion, and nerve stimulation.

The majority of cases I treat are dealing with chronic osteoarthritis and/or intervertebral disc disease. My success rate for mild to moderate cases based on owner response is well over the 75% range. There are also patients who have undergone treatment for what is thought to be a last ditch effort who have made a full recovery. Granted that is the exception rather than the norm, but if you were to ask the owner if they were grateful to have tried acupuncture, they would whole heartedly support the modality.

Acupuncture is one more powerful tool that has the ability to increase the quality of life for our patients without complications, excessive expense, and no interactions with conventional therapy.

I have included a list of conditions for which I have personally seen improvement using acupuncture. Usually within a series of four treatments, I have an 80% chance of knowing whether or not the therapy is of benefit to my patients. If it is not helping, I will be honest with the client. We all want what is best for our patients, and clients, and I would encourage you to consider acupuncture for those frustrating cases that seem to just need just a little something else.

Conditions successfully treated with acupuncture:
*Intervertebral Disc Disease
*Osteoarthritis
*Anorexia
*Complications of Neoplasia
*Epilepsy
*Fibrocartilaginous Infractions
*Pancreatitis
*Hepatitis
*Autoimmune Disorders
*Chronic Renal Failure
*Asthma
*Congestive Heart Failure
*Glaucoma
*Atopy
*Anxiety
*Inflammatory Bowel Disease
*Cystitis

As some of you know, my cat “Oso” is fighting nasal cancer.

We began homotoxicology remedies as SQ injections given:

8/25/09
8/30/09
9/4/09

The swelling began to go down immediately after the first injection. His body reacted to the swelling as if it was an abscess. The skin punctured open to drain, and he had clear discharge from his nose.
Then I became concerned that the wound was not going to heal, it looked as though the skin was dead around the opening. Almost as if the bridge of his nose was really going to fall off. It was bloody and ulcerated.
I will say last Saturday was not a good day for “Oso” and we held him as we sat on the couch, wondering if these would be his last moments. After that moment, I incorporated a chinese herbal remedy to hopefully help dry up the bloody wound.
The next morning, I could already see the perimeter of the wound was getting smaller and the swelling remained to stay down. He has a good start to maintaining control over the nasal cancer, and probably within a few days, I am hoping the wound will be completely healed. If you remember his entire left nasal cavity was swollen, his eye was pushed closed by the pressure, and the entire bridge of his nose was protruding about an inch and half. As you can see from the pictures, he has no swelling, normal eye shape, and no discharge.
He is still eating normally, laying in the sunshine, and rubbing up against all his cat friends. Hopefully, he will continue to be happy and at least feel like somewhat of a normal cat as he battles