ACUPUNCTURE WINS THE WEST

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Meanwhile, Ohio's Dr. Gorlitsky has had outstanding success in treating hip dysplasia with electrostimulated needles. "I often get dramatic results," he notes. "Conventional treatment with cortisone and antiinflammatory drugs can leave animals with recurring pain for years, in chronic cases. But with acupuncture I typically see 75 to 100% recovery after three 15- to 30minute treatments over a period of about a month." Dr. Gorlitsky claims that about 25 to 50% of his patients recover after just one treatment. "In time, you can actually see how treatment causes bones to remodel themselves," he says.

Gorlitsky hasn't been as successful using acupuncture to treat cases involving severe bone changes, or dogs that are quite old and weak. "But in severe cases that I can't actually cure, even though the patient may never walk perfectly again, I can usually eliminate the pain," he says.

Acupuncture also works wonders in treating allergies, Indiana's Dr. Durkes adds. "I've had an 80% success rate in treating allergies. And these are cases referred to me from other vets who've exhausted conventional medical procedures." What of the other 20% Usually, says Durkes, his failures are cases related to flea bites. If the patient goes back to flea-infested environs, the pet may not overcome the allergy.

Reduces Medication Use

In addition to its ability to accelerate healing, acupuncture may be most widely known as a replacement for chemical anesthesia during surgery. The technique causes naturally occurring morphinelike compounds called endorphins to be released in specific parts of the body. Hence, major surgery can be performed painlessly-with the patient fully conscious.

What's more, acupuncture can reduce the overall need for medication. "Medications I once would use up in three weeks are still around after three years, or past their expiration dates," says Dr. Gorlitsky. By injecting antibiotics into a meridian point that corresponds to the site of injury or infection, a vet can reduce the amount of medication needed for treatment. "If done correctly, acupuncture can save 50 to 75% on antibiotic costs," remarks Dr. Durkes. "You can treat an animal more quickly and with less antibiotic by injecting [medication] directly into the right place,"

Furthermore, some veterinarians are looking to acupuncture as a tool to replace certain effective medications now banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. David Hartsell of Alexandria, Minnesota, a vet who works mainly with dairy cattle, says, "A major reason I took up acupuncture is because the FDA is continually cracking down on drugs. It's a reflection of people's concern about [drug] residue in food."

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print