Integrative medicine is a combination of both Western and Eastern philosophies.
Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) is composed of 5 branches – Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Tui-Na (Chinese medical massage), Chinese food therapy, and exercise (Qi Gong or Tai Chi for humans)
It is often a balance of both TCVM and Western medicine that yields the best results.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture involves placing very thin needles into specific locations along the body (called acupuncture points).
Acupuncture points are used to adjust the flow of energy (Qi) through the body and stimulate the body to help heal itself.
Acupuncture points have discrete physical locations and have been found to be areas that have an increased blood supply and nerve supply, which helps explain the powerful effects of acupuncture.
Acupuncture can involve only sterile needles, but can also involve electroacupuncture which involves using electricity to stimulate acupuncture points, aqua-acupuncture which involves using sterile injections to stimulate acupuncture points, or even moxabustion which involves using a smoking Chinese herbal medication to stimulate acupuncture points.
Chinese herbal medicine
There are over 7,000 species of medicinal herbs used in China and Chinese herbal medicine is often a combination of up to 20 different herbs.
Chinese herbal medicine can be described as “small doses of daily acupuncture” and can be very useful when combined with acupuncture for improved results, but may also be used instead of acupuncture in come cases.
Tui-Na
Tui-Na is often referred to as Chinese medical massage.
It uses the theory of TCVM, but uses manual techniques (using the hands only) instead of needles or herbs to cause changes in the body.
Tui-Na is a great adjunct to acupuncture. It can be done in place of an acupuncture treatment session for patients that will not tolerate needles, but is more often used as a technique that can be done at home in-between acupuncture sessions.
Chinese Food Therapy
Food therapy uses the theory of TCVM to select foods to help treat specific conditions and promote health.
Food therapy can be used to formulate custom diets or select the best commercially available diet for your pet.
Rehabilitative Medicine
Veterinary physical rehabilitation uses techniques taken from the practice of human physical therapy and modifies those techniques for animals.
This may include at home exercises such as passive-range-of-motion (PROM) to improve or maintain joint health, stretching exercises to increase circulation and muscle flexibility, proprioceptive exercises to help a pet know where his or her feet are in space, strengthening exercises, weight shifting exercises, and ambulation exercises to help a pet relearn how to walk.
Physical rehabilitation may also involve different modalities such as neuromuscular electrostimulation (NMES) and the fitting of assistance devices such as slings or carts.
The benefits of physical rehabilitation are similar to those seen with human physical therapy patients including faster recovery time after surgery, faster return to activity after an injury, improved function after a neurological injury, improved ability to perform daily activities of living, and a greater overall quality of life.
Spinal Manipulation/Musculoskeletal Manipulation
Spinal manipulation or musculoskeletal manipulation is another term for chiropractic care.
Chiropractic care focuses on how abnormal movements of the spine affect the entire body.
When the spine loses its normal movement, it can lead to stiffness, muscle tension and pain.
A chiropractic adjustment, spinal manipulation or musculoskeletal manipulation uses a quick, small force along the joint in order to restore normal movement of the joint.
Manual Therapy
Similar to spinal manipulation, manual therapy is performed using hands to treat musculoskeletal tissues.
These techniques can be very similar to spinal manipulation techniques and focus on abnormal movement of the spine, but manual therapy can also focus on manipulation of the muscles, tendon, skin, and fascia as well as the spine, bones and joints.
When performing a manual therapy assessment, we are looking for swelling, trigger points, and pain as well as restricted movement in the joints.
The goal of manual therapy is to allow the body’s tissues to move normally again without pain.
Hospice
Hospice is a philosophy of care, where the focus of care becomes quality of life instead of curing disease.
Hospice services include pain management, palliative medical care, mobility assistance, hydration and nutritional maintenance, and quality of life assessments.
We do not perform euthanasia services, but will be happy to refer you to a veterinarian in your area that does.
