Overview of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

When people think about Traditional Chinese medicine & veterinary medicine, the 1st thing that comes to mind is Acupuncture however the practice of TCM/TCVM has 5 different modalities that work holistically together & is frequently combined with conventional medicine to achieve the best outcome for the patient. 

TCVM includes
1. Acupuncture
2. Herbal Therapy
3. Tui-na Therapy
4. Food Therapy
5. Qi Gong

Acupuncture

Archeologists determined that Neolithic man, 8000 years ago used a primitive type of acupuncture tool called the bian-shi. It is a pyramidal shaped stone used to lance boils and stimulate certain points on the body to relieve pain. Later a sharp piece of bone was used for the same purpose and during the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC to 1100 BC), the metal acupuncture needle was invented. As they tracked their clinical results, they discovered acupoints with similar functions formed a line on the body and the sensation of the de - Qi would follow a certain pathway...a meridian or Jing-Luo.


There are 12 paired regular channels that relate to the organs and 8 extraordinary channels, 2 of which follow the midline. The Governing vessel on the dorsal midline and Conception vessel on the ventral midline. There are also collateral and divergent channels that are smaller branches of the major meridians that link the organs and meridians to one and other to form an intricately connected pathway throughout the body.


I use 3 kinds of acupuncture in my practice : dry needle, electro and aqua acupuncture. Dry needle is simple insertion of small acupuncture needles. During electro acupuncture, the needles are connected to a battery powered stimulator to deliver a painless low voltage current to the meridian. For Aqua acupuncture, I inject a small volume of vit b 12 or glucosamine into the point. This causes a small blister and gives continual stimulation over a few days.
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Herbal Therapy

Herbal Medicine is an essential part of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. In China, TCVM treatment consists of 30% acupuncture and 70% Chinese herbal medicine.   Chinese herbal medicine has a rich history extending over several thousands of years and has proven to be an effective treatment modality. 


Many formulas we use in practice today were developed many thousands of years ago. Some were developed for both animals and people, while others were developed specifically for animals. Formulas are used more commonly than individual herb so the actions of the herbs are balanced and the actions of one herb, say a warming herb, are not as damaging to the body because it is counter acted by a cooling herb. This balance can also be accomplished with diet ( see the Nutritional consult page)


All our herbal formulas come from Jing Tang and we can guarantee their quality. There are no illegal or environmentally controversial substances in our herbal products ie (no ephedra or rhino horn). 
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Tui-na ​- Massage, Stretching, Chiropractic

Food Therapy

Qi Gong - Gentle Exercise with Meditation