The Ancient Chinese said that illness was a state of imbalance or blockage in the normal energy flows of the body and that acupuncture, acting on the channels of energy flow, restored them to normal. Modern research has shown that the pain relief effect of acupuncture occurs through several mechanisms. These include reducing pain perception through nerve inhibition, changes of neurotransmitter levels including increased levels of endorphins – (the body’s natural painkillers), and changes of neurochemical receptors.

Acupuncture is useful for a variety of conditions, especially for pain relief for muscle and joint disorders. Additionally it can help chronic pain which is not being controlled adequately by conventional treatment or when drug side effects are a problem. Acupuncture can be used along with medications, sedatives and anaesthetics and can be used as an additional treatment.

Acupuncture is a useful form of therapy especially for conditions that do not respond well to orthodox means. It is not a cure-all but should be considered with other established methods of treatment. It can fill a gap but will never replace conventional therapy and can at times be beneficial when other treatments have failed.

Treatment sessions usually last about 20 minutes and involve the insertion of very fine needles into specific points of the body to produce physiological responses which result in a healing effect. Most animals do not show any signs of discomfort, or object to the treatment. They will often relax and some even fall asleep during treatment. Sometimes the animals may feel slightly more stiff immediately following treatment; and may be a little sleepy for a few hours, but this is generally a sign of a good response and is followed by improvement the next day.

The average number of treatments is about four and if improvement follows it will usually be apparent by then. Some problems may need as many as six treatments before showing signs of improvement but generally if there is no improvement at all after three treatments it is unlikely that acupuncture will have an effect. Treatments are usually once a week to begin with, then at longer intervals according to progress. Chronic conditions may subsequently require booster treatments at varying intervals.

If you would like to know more about our acupuncture service at Mill House, please give Sarah Colegrave a ring on 01553 771457. Cases can be seen as first opinion or by referral directly via your normal veterinary surgeon. For referrals, a full report will follow each visit.