Traditional Chinese Medicine For Dogs

For those who are new to it, the exquisite common sense of Traditional Chinese Medicine can sometimes be overshadowed by the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of this ancient healing system. Developed at a time when society was agrarian and humanity's connection to the earth was much stronger and clearer than it is today, TCM draws its logic and philosophy from the rhythms of the natural world. The body's interior landscape is described in terms of elements such as water and metal and fire. The interactions of organ systems are evaluated in terms such as dampness and windiness.

The first step to understanding TCM is putting aside our Western cultural context. In this high-tech age, which encourages us to lock ourselves away from nature and disconnect from the earth, describing our bodies in such naturalistic terms may seem simplistic, odd and perhaps naive. But there are parallels between TCM and the hard science veterinarians have been steeped in.

Despite its longevity, the basic principles of TCM are fuzzy to most conventionally oriented vets and dog owners. But ironically, most are very familiar with one of TCM's most popular modalities, acupuncture. And some vets practice it without a deep understariding of the philosophy behind it.

Rather than just treating the signs or expression of a disease, using the TCM system as a whole enables a practitioner to identify and treat the underlying causes of disease.

A true TCM practitioner is as much artist as scientist, looking over the canvas that is the patient for any sign of disharmony. But with this healing system, honed over the millennia to reflect the body's intrinsic truths and ancient patterns, the crudest painter or practitioner can get results, even if he can't tell the difference between magenta and maroon.

Traditional Chinese Medicine relies on several interconnected concepts that, like the functions of the body that TCM heals, have blurry margins and frequent overlaps-something that new comers might have a hard time with. TCM uses very simple words for very complex ideas. With knowledge, people become much more open to fixing their animals and themselves.

Qi

Many traditions of healing are centered around the concept of a central life force-the energy that infuses us all. In TCM, this animating energy is called Qi or Chi (pronounced "chee").
Qi is all around us - it makes up the world and it flows through physical spaces, from our backyards to our bodies. The goal in TCM is to manage the flow of this energy, since its balance within our bodies is what gives rise to good health.

Meridians

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qi is thought to move through the body along meridians. These meridians connect and govern different body parts. If the Qi in a meridian is blocked or unbalanced, that disturbance in the energy flow can cause disease or malfunction in the body system and organs affiliated with that meridian.
There are a dozen major meridians with corresponding organs in a dog's body, and each meridian has a sister meridian whose energy complements it. Along each meridian are acupressure points, or acupoints. They are sort of like docks along the river of Qi, allowing energy to exit or enter the meridian. Most acupoints are located in an area of the body's surface that has many nerve endings, and each point has electrical properties. A point's location may not be anywhere near the organ or body system to which it corresponds.
Acupoints have many different classifications. Among them are accumulation points, which is where Qi gathers and can be released. Alarm points can tell a practitioner whether the energy imbalance goes beyond the meridian and involves a particular organ. Association points work on an organ directly and can bring energy to it.

Yin and Yang

Just as protons and electrons make up an atom, yin and yang comprise Qi. And like those negatively and positively charged particles, yin and yang are opposites. Yin is the calm, yielding, female energy, embodying stillness, darkness, water and the moon. Yang is the insistent, unyielding, male energy, representing activity, brightness, fire and the sun.
Despite their polarity, yin and yang are interdependent. This reciprocal relationship is represented in the symbol for yin and yang-a circle that is halfblack and half white. In the center of the black portion is a small, self-contained white circle; in the center of the white portion is a small black circle. In this way, both yin and yang contain each other, and each is incomplete without the presence of the other.
The yin-yang concept infuses virtually all aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Each meridian, for example, has yin and yang organs. The yin organs, such as the lungs and the liver, are dense, while the yang organs, including the stomach and small intestines, are hollow or cylinder-like.
Yin and yang are never static. In an organ, in a meridian, in the body itself, they are fluid and always shifting. The challenge for a practitioner is to identify imbalances of yin and yang and adjust them so the body can function more easily.

Five Element Theory

Traditional Chinese Medicine sees a correlation between substances in the world of nature and the body's organ systems. The world encompasses five different elements, each with their own properties and propensities, each interrelated in an inevitable cycle: metal, water, wood, fire and earth.
In the world, as well as the body, TCM identifies two cycles in which the elements are transformed. In the Creation Cycle, or Sheng, fire burns to create ash, which makes up earth. Earth gives rise to geological formations, which contain metal. When metal is smelted, it gives off steam, which becomes water. Water, in turn, feeds trees, allowing them to create wood. And wood, when consumed, makes fire.
In the Control Cycle, or Ko, the elements are destroyed, not created. Fire melts metal. Metal chops wood. Wood falls and blocks earth. Earth makes a barricade and dams water. Water returns us to the beginning of the cycle by dousing fire.
While this sounds charmingly folksy, what does it have to do with Traditional Chinese Medicine? In a word, everything. The Five Elements are used in TCM to classify the organs and meridians, and are further associated with seasons of the year. Since the TCM practitioner knows what the progression of the elements is in each cycle, she can follow that same pattern to see how imbalances will be manifested, depending on the organs involved.

The Eight Principles

While there are several methods used in TCM diagnosis, the Eight Conditions, or Eight Principles, are an integral tool. Grouped in pairs, the Eight Principles are really four sets of opposites: yin and yang, internal and external, cold and hot, defidency and excess.
In a sense, the last six principles are redundant, since the first two, yin and yang, encompass them all: yin is internal, cold and deficient, yang is external, hot and excessive. But when a TCM practitioner is diagnosing, he or she will use all of them to come up with as complete a picture as possible of how yin and yang are manifesting physically in your dog.
A TCM diagnosis is elaborate, and will involve everything from the practitioner observing your dog to asking lifestyle-oriented questions about his home life, sleeping patterns, food preferences, elimination habits and activity levels. A practitioner will listen to the dog's pulse and examine his tongue. The practitioner actually reads 12 pulses, each corresponding to a meridian; the rate and force of each pulse reflects the energy of the meridian. The tongue, too, reflects the internal conditions of the dog, and shape, color and coating tell the practitioner how certain organs are functioning.

Acupuncture

Of all the holistic therapies, acupuncture is probably the best known and most accepted by the medical establishment, both human and veterinary.Many conventional doctors and vets acknowledge the palliative benefits of acupuncture, and might refer their patients to an acupuncture practitioner to help manage pain.

Acupuncture's acceptance is due in large part to the fact that it can be understood within the framework of Western medicine. You don't have to buy into the concept of Qi to explain why acupuncture works, because it can be understood on a biochemical level instead of a purely energetic one.

The Western theory is that inserting the needles releases chemicals, including endorphins, that increase blood flow and stimulate the nervous system.

Acupuncture (the name comes from the Latin acus, meaning "needle," and pungere, which means "to pierce") has been used on animals for millennia. Ancient records indicate that the modality was used on Indian elephants at least 3,000 years ago. And Chinese rock carvings from 200 B.C.E. show soldiers piercing their steeds with arrows to prime them for the rigors of battle.

In modern veterinary medicine, acupuncture is used to treat neurological problems such as epilepsy and gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, hormonal imbalances, reproductive problems, allergies - the list is very long. Acupuncture is probably most often used to treat musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis, lameness, hip dysplasia and slipped disks. It is also often used for behavioral problems such as compulsive licking (which results in open wounds called lick granulomas) and separation anxiety. Acupuncture also speeds healing, and can be used after surgery to help an animal recover more quickly.

As with anything in life, there are some risks to acupuncture. Although the needles used by practitioners are sterile and are not reused, there is always a small possibility of infection. Broken needles, while rare, do happen, and in a worst-case scenario might need to be surgically removed. Another possible problem could be inadvertently puncturing an organ or hitting a nerve.

Probably the biggest concern about acupuncture is whether or not the needles hurt. The answer is no. While your dog might feel a slight twinge when the needle is inserted, there is no discomfort after that point. In fact, many dogs find acupuncture treatments relaxing and restorative, and actually drift off to sleep during them.

While acupuncture can show immediate results, it's important to give the treatments time to work. Figure on allowing for a minimum of seven or eight visits before drawing any conclusions about whether acupuncture is helping.

There's also a strong argument to be made for having acupuncture on your dog before problems become apparent, as a maintenance therapy. The more smoothly Qi flows, the better your dog's body functions and the less likely it is that imbalances will persist and become chronic, leading to illness and disease. Indeed, many racetrack horses get acupuncture as part of their regular health regimen to keep them functioning at peak performance. Perhaps when acupuncture is more broadly embraced as a healing tool, veterinarians will begin promoting it as a way of maintaining the well-being of your companion animal.

Conversely, as more veterinarians learn about acupuncture, perhaps they will cultivate a deeper, more intuitive understanding of it - a level of practice that goes beyond a "connect the dots" mentality.

While needling is the traditional approach used in acupuncture, it is not the only one. Here are some acupuncture variations.

Electroacupuncture

In traditional acupuncture, points are stimulated by twirling the needles in a certain direction. In this variation, acupuncture needles are inserted, then pulsed with electric current to provide stimulation. This technique might be used on dogs who are in severe pain or are paralyzed, since the electrical stimulation works on the acupoints in a more intense way.

Laser acupuncture

As its name suggests, infrared lasers are used to stimulate the acupuncture points. This form of acupuncture is often for animals whom vets describe as "fractious"-basically, those who are snappish and irritated at being touched, much less stuck with needles.

Aquapuncture

A safe, sterile liquid is injected into a meridian point and the pressure from the liquid stimulates the point in lieu of a needle. This is helpful for dogs who will not sit still long enough for a traditional acupuncture session. Some veterinarians use aquapuncture after a plain needle treatment to boost the effects. The liquids used can include vitamin B 12 in saline, distilled water and electrolyte solutions.

Moxibustion

Mugwort (Artemesia vulgaris) is an herb known for its warming quality in Chinese medicine. It has the ability to speed up sluggish Qi and energize meridians. In moxibustion, mugwort is burned during the acupuncture procedure and put in contact with an acupoint. Sometimes this is done directly by placing a cone-shaped piece of moxa (pressed mugwort) on the point and allowing it to burn toward the skin. In indirect moxibustion, burning moxa can be passed over the needle to heat it. Regardless of which method is used, care must be taken not to inadvertently burn the patient.

Sonapuncture

This technique uses ultrasound to stimulate the acupoints, usually requiring only 10 to 30 seconds per point.

Some animals have chronic imbalances that require almost constant stimulation to keep their bodies in harmony. One possibility for them might be a permanent form of acupuncture called gold bead implantation.

This procedure involves implanting gold-plated beads that are about the size of poppy seeds and have a slight magnetic charge. Sometimes gold wire is also used. The beads are injected using a 14-gauge needle while the dog is anesthetized.

Like acupuncture itself, gold-bead implantation is very safe. The implants are often used for musculoskeletal problems such as hip dysplasia, osteochondritis, arthritis and spondylosis of the back. Age has an important influence on effectiveness.

Another area where gold beads are used is in neurological disorders such as epilepsy and Wobbler's syndrome.

Using what is called a "French pulse technique," the vetacupuncturist uses her own pulse to diagnose what points to stimulate with beads. When she is holding the bead-loaded syringe over the correct point, the practitioner will feel her pulse increase and get slightly more erratic.

The implants should not be used when cancer, tumors or bone infections are present, because their weak positive charge can actually encourage growth. Only vets certified in acupuncture can do gold bead implants.

Acupressure

Acupressure uses the same principles as acupuncture, except that fingers are used instead of needles - sort of "acupuncture lite."

Financial considerations come into the picture in choosing acupressure over acupuncture. Owners who cannot afford weekly acupuncture appointments can be taught the acupoints and can work on their dog at home, where the animal is likely to be more relaxed, anyway.

Like acupuncture, acupressure is often used for musculoskeletal conditions and other physical ailments. It also has a place in helping an animal with emotional issues, such as fearfulness or grieving over the loss of a housemate.

There are some caveats to doing acupressure on your dog, most of them relating to pregnant animals. Since a handful of points can induce premature labor, the conventional wisdom is to avoid acupressure entirely during pregnancy. Also, do not do acupressure on a dog who has just been exercised vigorously or who has just eaten a huge meal. Wait until the body has cooled down or the food has been digested, so the dog's energy is calm and diffused. Avoid acupressure if the dog is dealing with an infection or infectious disease. And, as always, if you suspect your dog is not well, have him checked by a vet first.

Chinese herbs

Acupuncture isn't the only way to balance and regulate Qi. Most ancient cultures used herbs as part of their folk medicine tradition, but the Chinese have taken millennia to develop and hone their use of medicinal plants - especially in the context of TCM philosophies such as the Eight Principles and the Five Elements - into a complex system of healing.

As a result, TCM assigns herbs different qualities. Some are hot or warm, others are cold or cool, still others are neutral. In this respect, they can be used to help regulate yin and yang and bring the body to equilibrium.

In addition to their thermal qualities, TCM recognizes that herbs have a direction-upward, downward or outward. Adding to the complexity, each herb is also classified by function - some herbs, for example, are sweating herbs, while others are harmonizing or tonifying.

When herbs are used in TCM, they are usually prescribed as part of a formula. A combination called Can Mao Ling, for example, is used to ward off viral infections, and Tang Kuei is a blood tonic often used to bolster immunity and help during convalescence.

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