Dr. Jennifer Katz recently completed the Small Animal Acupuncture course and the Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) Diagnostics, Classical Points and Advanced Acupuncture Techniques course at the Chi Institute of TCVM in Florida. She is now available for Veterinary Acupuncture evaluations and treatments at the Veterinary Clinic of East Hampton. Veterinary Acupuncture has been practiced for over 4,000 years in China and has been practiced in this country for four decades.
According to the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture “Ancient Chinese medical philosophy believes that disease is a result of an imbalance of energy in the body.Acupuncture is believed to balance this energy, and thereby assist the body in healing disease.In Western terms, acupuncture can assist the body’s effort to heal itself by causing certain physiological changes.For example, acupuncture can stimulate nerves, increase blood circulation, relieve muscle spasms and cause the release of hormones, such as endorphins (one of the body’s pain control chemicals).”
Diseases that can be treated with acupuncture include: Gastrointestinal disorders Respiratory problems Urinary disorders Musculoskeletal disorders Dermatological problems
All patients should see a positive change after 1-3 treatments and significant improvement by six treatments. Once the optimum response is achieved, the treatments are tapered off to the longest symptom free period the animal can maintain between treatments.For many patients the treatments interval can be increased to once every 3 to 12 months for ongoing conditions like arthritis, epilepsy, chronic bronchitis, and seasonal skin allergies.The length and frequency of each treatment depends on the individual animal and its disease.Stimulation of an acupuncture point could be for as short as a few seconds to as long as 20-30 minutes.Acute problems generally take less time and less treatments.
