Acupuncture and TCVM

In Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM), animals are treated with a combination of therapies including acupuncture and herbal medicine.  The basic principle behind TCVM is to assist the animal in healing itself by correcting imbalances within the body.  Equine acupuncture involves the placement of needles in specific predetermined acupuncture points within the horse’s body. These points communicate with nerves that run along the surface of the body. Stimulation of those nerves helps to correct disturbances in energy flow that can contribute to underlying disease or musculoskeletal pain and trigger the release of  chemicals within the body to create a desired response (such as relaxation of muscles, increase in GI tract motility or stimulation of sweat glands in a non-sweating horse).   Acupuncture points can also be extremely useful as a diagnostic tool, especially for certain musculoskeletal conditions or determining pain localized to certain regions in the body. At Chicago Equine we support the integration of both western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine in many of our sports medicine patients to allow the horse the benefits of both medical practices and help create a more balanced, sound, and healthy patient

TCVM Services we offer Include:

• Acupuncture examination with assessment of your horses overall physical appearance and TCVM (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine) pattern diagnosis.  More detailed assessments can include soundness or neurologic evaluations on request.
• Acupuncture services include Electrical Acupuncture, Dry Needle Acupuncture, Aqua-acupuncture (injection of acupuncture sites with Vitamin B12, herbal anti-inflammatories or serum), and Pneumo-acupuncture (injection of acupuncture sites with air for response and stimulation of points).
• The ability to consult with a TCVM certified herbologist for herbal recommendations for your horse’s underlying conditions/ailments based on TCVM examination/assessment.  Herbal therapy has been used to help further benefit healing in certain soundness issues, tendon/ligament conditions, internal medicine conditions, or skin conditions.
• Mesotherapy is an alternative medicine treatment offered for horses that suffer from muscle spasms of the neck and back region.  This therapy involves the placement of herbal anti-inflammatories and pain relievers under the skin over the neck and back region and can allow for muscle relaxation and pain relief associated with muscle spasms and nerve pain.