Acupuncture has been practiced in both animals and human beings for thousands of years in China. The earliest veterinary acupuncture book, “Bo Le Zhen Jing” (Bole’s Canon of Veterinary Acupuncture) is believed to have been written between 659 and 621 B.C.
Acupuncture is most commonly known for its use in chronic pain, such as for degenerative joint disease or inter-vertebral disc disease. However, Dr McCain has also had success with seizure disorders; gastrointestinal disorders such as constipation or inflammatory bowel disease; chronic coughing or sinusitis; kidney failure and idiopathic feline lower urinary tract disease. Many pets with cancer are brought to Dr McCain with their owners thankful to be making their last days or months more comfortable.
Sometimes herbs are used in addition to or instead of acupuncture. For example, early cushing’s disease, anxiety disorders and renal failure sometimes are very responsive to herbal therapy. The ancient Chinese discovered that the health of the body depends on the state of vital energy flow in the body. This vital energy is known as qi (pronounced chee). When this energy flow is blocked, pain is the result. There are two opposite forms of qi: yin and yang. When yin and yang are out of balance, or disrupted by a pathological factor such as a virus or bacteria, then physiological homeostasis is lost. Acupuncture helps with pain by restoring normal energy flow, and herbal therapy helps restore physiological balance.